discipline
The Ninth Prince, who rarely spoke in Zhiqiong Hall, looked at the purple bamboo wolf hair brush in his hand with a suspicious expression.
He is only eight years old now, the youngest of the three princes studying at Zhiqiong Hall. Because of the significant age difference between him and his two elder brothers, he is not overly close to them, and instead always keeps to himself.
He was usually very quiet in the classroom, and even when answering questions from the doctor, he often stammered and did not attract much attention.
Now that he has suddenly spoken, everyone is curious and turning their heads to look at him. At the same time, they also notice the purple bamboo wolf hair brush in his hand as he speaks.
Yao Suran's brush, which was accidentally broken, was also a purple bamboo wolf hair brush.
The Ninth Prince, with his childlike appearance, gripped the purple bamboo pen tightly with both hands, attempting to bend it downwards.
Although he was young, he had been learning martial arts from a master of horsemanship and archery since childhood, so he must have some strength. However, now that he was exerting all his strength, his face had turned blue from the strain, but the pen in his hand was incredibly sturdy and showed no signs of damage.
Although purple bamboo is lightweight and easy to handle, its bamboo body is extremely sturdy and strong. Its simple and elegant appearance and enduring quality have made it highly sought after by scholars.
Moreover, Yao Suran is of noble status, and everything she uses is of the finest and most exquisite quality, which must be even more refined than ordinary purple bamboo.
How could such a finely crafted and precious brush tip, which could not be broken even with great effort, so easily and coincidentally break in two on the day of the examination?
Doubts gradually arose in people's minds.
Mr. Gu's gaze swept over Yao Suran's table, ignoring her slightly nervous attempts to conceal her presence, and he picked up the exquisite purple brush that had already broken in two.
The two penholders were perfectly straight with smooth edges, retaining the natural shape of bamboo joints. Their glossy black color shone brightly in the sunlight streaming into the room, making it clear that they were quite expensive.
And the place where the two pieces of the pen broke off was right at the bamboo joint.
Duan Jinru, who had always loved calligraphy, though he rarely spoke in class, couldn't help but whisper after seeing the broken brush:
"Actually, the purple bamboo brush is entirely black and straight, but it retains many bamboo nodes, symbolizing continuous advancement. Even the best purple bamboo wolf hair brush, no matter how sturdy and durable, will inevitably deteriorate in quality after prolonged use. In addition, the daily storage environment of the brush hair, whether it is damp or not, will affect the lifespan of the brush hair. If there are also reasons such as improper gripping of the brush, and all these things happen at the bamboo nodes at the same time, then it is very possible for the brush to suddenly break."
His speech was reasonable, well-founded, gentle, and polite, instantly clarifying the doubts raised by the Ninth Prince earlier.
Upon hearing this, Yao Su'an nodded repeatedly, her voice trembling with heartache as she said:
"My sister has always cherished this purple bamboo wolf hair brush, and she only uses this one brush on a daily basis, never using any other. Over the years, it's inevitable that it would wear down, so it wouldn't be surprising if it suddenly broke!"
As more and more students joined in, Fu Sheng's expression turned stern, and he said in a stern voice, "Enough!"
The schoolroom fell silent once more.
He turned and walked back to the platform, picked up the ruler, and his expression was extremely stern:
"Since today is the day of the examination, all students should concentrate on their respective answer sheets and must not have any other thoughts. The process was delayed due to an unexpected event, so we will make an exception and extend the examination time by another half hour."
Fu Sheng paused, then turned his gaze to Yao Suran and Lin Xu behind her seat, and said with a serious expression:
"Now that cheating has occurred in the school, in order to punish such behavior and to show that I treat all students equally, I cannot let it go lightly."
Yao Suran and Lin Xu, you two disrupted the examination order and affected the other students' answers, which had a very bad influence. Therefore, you are both punished by being immediately removed from the hall and made to stand outside the Zhiqiong Hall for three hours.
Upon hearing this, Yao Suran's face turned deathly pale. She hurriedly shook her head and retorted, "Sir, this matter was clearly delayed for so long because of Lin Xu's cheating. The student is clearly innocent!"
Lin Xu didn't say a word, silently stood up, and gathered his pen and the unfinished answer sheet.
Fu Sheng slightly raised her eyes, her expression perfectly calm, and added in an even more composed voice,
"Furthermore, since you two are involved in the cheating incident, your exam results will be invalidated until the matter is clarified."
Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished. However, Fu Sheng had already rescheduled the deadline for submitting the papers, and there was very little time left. Although the students were surprised, they had no time to worry about this matter and could only bury themselves in their writing.
Lin Xu slowly put down what he was holding and looked up at Fu Sheng.
Fu Sheng did not change his expression. He glanced back at her with a deep look, then quickly turned his gaze to the others who were engrossed in answering the questions.
Lin Xu felt her heart sink deeper and deeper, as if she were about to fall into an abyss. She clearly had so much to say, but she knew Fu Sheng's mind was made up, and further argument would be futile. She simply brushed a stray hair behind her ear and walked out of Zhiqiong Hall.
She walked out slowly, leaving only a slender, graceful figure behind her for everyone in the hall. The Third Prince watched her figure gradually disappear outside the door, his lazy, idly sitting posture unchanged, but the color in his eyes grew even more intense.
Yao Suran bit her lip tightly, her usually pretty and flamboyant face flushed red, and large tears welled up in her eyes, sliding down her cheeks. She was about to speak in her defense when she was interrupted by the serious-looking Mr. Gu.
After this incident, the old man's patience had long since run out. He merely gestured for her to leave, the meaning of which was self-evident. Yao Suran gritted her teeth, already furious, and immediately stormed off.
.
Qingwu accompanied Lin Xu to the palace every day. When the doctor lectured, she would wait in the side hall according to the rules, along with the personal maids brought by the other students. Today was the examination day, which would take longer than usual, so she had already made preparations and carefully arranged the food box she brought, just waiting to serve Lin Xu some pastries and hot tea after the examination.
Lin Xuchen had a poor appetite and hadn't eaten a single grain of rice except for those two cups of tea; she must be starving by now. Just as she was worrying, she suddenly heard a loud commotion coming from the previously quiet inner hall.
Several maids who were also waiting exchanged glances, their expressions becoming tense. But the noise inside the hall grew louder and louder, and even the arguments between men and women began to rise. Qingwu didn't know what was happening inside, but suddenly she heard a woman's voice in a high-pitched tone, clearly mentioning her young mistress's name, followed by words like cheating.
Cheating? That's a very serious matter!
Qingwu's heart pounded wildly, and she panicked, hastily standing up. However, the inner palace doors were tightly shut, and she couldn't see what was happening inside. The argument continued unabated, and her heart leaped into her throat, but she could only vaguely hear her young mistress's cold reply.
If the young lady has been wronged for no reason...
Qingwu knew that Lin Xu, though seemingly aloof, wasn't actually good at arguing. What would happen if those people intentionally made things difficult for her?
She only regretted not being able to enter the hall to share even the slightest burden with Lin Xu. A moment later, the inner hall doors suddenly opened, and the person who stepped out, their eyes filled with disappointment, was none other than her young mistress!
Qingwu's heart pounded like a drum. Her usually diligent and clever young lady had actually been kicked out of the classroom by the doctor during the entrance exam. No wonder she looked so dejected just now.
She hurriedly put down the food box in her hand, not caring about anything else, and rushed out of the side hall to chase after her young lady's departing figure.
It was already noon, and the floor outside the Zhiqiong Hall was scorching hot.
Lin Xu stood there for only a short while before beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and dripped down. Her light pink silk gauze dress was now damp and wrinkled from the sweat, losing all its graceful and elegant beauty.
Her already dizzy head throbbed even more, and after standing for only a short while, she felt unbearably thirsty and her body felt heavy. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she couldn't hold on any longer. Everything in front of her gradually lost its color and became blurry.
She opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.
I felt the world spin around me in an instant, and then I had no strength left. I could only let everything around me slowly fall into darkness.
.
In her hazy state, she felt as if she were having a long dream.
In my dream, it felt as if I had returned to when I was seven years old.
In the spring, the whole world was thriving amidst lush greenery. She wore a cross-neck, pale yellow brocade robe with trim that Liang Shuangyu had sewn for her, her hair was styled in a lively and adorable three-bun hairstyle, and a longevity lock made of glass beads and a gold necklace adorned her neck. She skipped and hopped to the back garden of the mansion, clamoring to fly a kite.
Liang Shuangyu sat in the hexagonal pavilion beside the artificial hill and stream, holding a black chess piece in her hand, calmly placing it on the chessboard. Hearing the sound, she turned around, smiled gently, and waved to Xiaolin Xu.
When the little one ran to her side, she knelt down, her eyes smiling gently, and with a soft, clean handkerchief, tenderly wiped the crumbs of pastry from the corner of Lin Xu's mouth. She said softly:
"You want to fly a kite again? Didn't I just fly one with you yesterday?"
Little Lin Xu nodded brightly and said in her childish voice, "Xu'er loves kites. Today we're going to fly kites again, and we're going to make them fly even higher than yesterday! We'll fly straight up to the clouds!"
Her charming and adorable appearance made the maids and servants standing nearby burst into laughter.
Liang Shuangyu affectionately pinched her snow-white cheek, her voice becoming even softer: "Alright, but Mother has to go to the palace later, so let's wait until Mother comes back from the palace today before we fly kites together, okay?"
Kobayashi's smile immediately faded. She pouted, clearly unwilling to wait that long.
Liang Shuangyu smiled and said, "Then when Mother comes back, I'll make you a plate of your favorite candied cherries, okay?"
Little Lin Xu, who loves sweets, immediately relaxed from her wrinkled face and nodded happily. "It's a deal then! Mommy will make it for Xu'er when she gets back!"
Looking into those eyes that seemed like brilliant stars, Liang Shuangyu smiled as gently as the warm spring sun.
...
It was as if she were merely standing on the deck of a ship, surrounded by the magnificent scenery of the Weihe River.
She wore a light blue blouse, the hem of which fluttered gently in the wind. She was enveloped in the faint fragrance of cedar and fir, the cool scent of which blended together. Before her, the clear river rippled in the breeze, and beside her stood Zhou Weikan, tall and graceful, with a gentle smile in his eyes.
"Xu'er, although our Zhou family is wealthy, we have been in business for generations and are only good at making money. Marrying me will not bring you the same glory and wealth as marrying other princes and nobles. Have you thought this through?"
Lin Xu felt a mischievous urge, so he feigned disappointment, pouted, and muttered:
"Oh, is that so? Then I'm at a loss."
Zhou Weikan immediately tensed up. He hurriedly looked at Lin Xu, took her hands in his, and stared intently at her with his gentle eyes, as if trying to see just how dissatisfied and disappointed she was.
"Does that mean Xu'er doesn't want to marry me...?"
Lin Xu was amused by his cautious probing and burst out laughing. She pulled her hand away and gently tapped his forehead. "You! You're really easily startled. I was just joking."
Zhou Weikan finally breathed a sigh of relief, his smile almost overflowing from his eyes, yet he stared intently at her face with a hint of bewilderment.
Lin Xu playfully shoved him, saying reproachfully, "What, are you stunned by my beauty?"
Zhou Weikan slowly leaned closer and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
Lin Xu was held tightly in his arms, and could only feel his warm and broad chest and the strong, powerful heartbeat.
"Xu'er, meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life."
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