The little boy was only eleven or twelve years old and had a very handsome appearance. Suddenly, a head popped out from beside him, startling him so much that he screamed.
In an instant, all the reading aloud came to a halt.
Xi Xizhi immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.
Having had his class disrupted time and again by Xi Xizhi, Grand Tutor Zhao's expression darkened, and he asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"
Feeling a bit ashamed to speak the truth, Xi Xizhi quickly thought and blurted out, "Swatting mosquitoes!"
He slapped the little boy hard on the shoulder, startling him so much that he gasped again.
And someone even shamelessly said, "The mosquito escaped."
"Nonsense!" Zhao Taifu suddenly slammed the book in his hand onto the table with a deafening thud, startling everyone into focusing their attention.
Xi Xizhi is naturally a bit dim-witted. Except for An Honghan's coercion and enticement, this tactic has no effect on anyone else.
Apart from blinking a couple more times, Xi Xizhi's emotions were no different from usual.
Grand Tutor Zhao was somewhat wary, not knowing where the girl came from, so he could only say sternly, "Sit back and listen to the lesson. Now that you've entered the Grand Tutor's Academy, you must abide by its rules. If you break the rules, I will not be lenient!" With that, Grand Tutor Zhao picked up a rattan cane and slammed it on the table.
Another loud bang reached everyone's ears.
Xi Xizhi stared at the finger-thick vine. What was this? Was it a warning?
Xi Xizhi, who had never been to school in her previous life, had only seen the rattan cane used by schoolteacher in books. Now, upon seeing it, she found that apart from being a little thicker and shorter, this rattan cane was no different from the others.
But who wants to get beaten up, right? Even if Xi Xizhi doesn't care about Zhao Taifu's reputation, she should at least consider the rattan cane.
Xi Xizhi obediently sat back down, head held high and chest out, sitting upright.
Looking at Xi Xizhi's seated posture, which finally looked somewhat proper, Grand Tutor Zhao put down the rattan cane, picked up the book next to him, and then suddenly remembered something and said, "Turn to page twenty-five of the Mencius's Classic, let's continue reading."
Xi Xizhi finally understood, quickly arranged the five or six books on the table, and then stared blankly at the words on the cover with her bright eyes.
After eliminating the books with three characters on the cover, only two remained. Xi Xizhi stared at the words on them, unable to guess which one was the *Mencius Classic*. She blinked her big eyes and looked to the side. This time, the little boy was smarter; at least when he saw Xi Xizhi approaching, he didn't shout.
Xi Xizhi glanced at it, then clearly saw the two complicated traditional Chinese characters, and finally triumphantly opened the correct book.
Listening to the room full of literary language, Xi Xizhi resisted the urge to clean her ears. Ugh, it sounded like a lullaby!
Upon closer inspection, she realized there were many people younger than her in the room. One child, only four or five years old, was engrossed in reading books alongside the older children.
Xi Xizhi stared at him for a long time, until he seemed embarrassed and turned his head away shyly.
In truth, only one question lingered in Xi Xizhi's mind: Can you understand those complex characters? If you can, at what age did you start learning to read? Did you know them from the moment you were born?
You don't know until you compare, and the difference is astonishing.
Xi Xizhi was overwhelmed with a mix of heavy emotions.
She looked like she was seven or eight years old when she enrolled, but she was actually much older!
Being old is nothing! The most important thing is that she doesn't know many words, and she can't even read as much as a four or five-year-old child.
An awkwardly written article gradually ended with Xi Xizhi's self-pity, until the sound of reading throughout the room disappeared, and Xi Xizhi was still immersed in various tragic feelings.
"After reading the tenth volume of the Mencius Classic, is there anything you don't understand?" Grand Tutor Zhao asked, but as he spoke, he deliberately looked towards Xi Xizhi's position... wanting to test this new student's knowledge.
Xi Xizhi wished she could find a hole to crawl into. If she said that she couldn't understand a single word, the Grand Tutor would probably turn pale on the spot!
"Grand Tutor, there's something Yunyi doesn't understand." The Fourteenth Princess stood up, holding the book in her hands.
This was the first time Xi Xizhi had seen An Ruoyan since her death. She had changed drastically from before. Not only were the clothes she wore more expensive than before, but her face was also like that of a completely different person. The so-called timidity and cowardice were no longer visible.
After listening to An Yunyi's question, Grand Tutor Zhao explained a lot of reasons, leaving all the children stunned.
Xi Xizhi could understand what was being said, but couldn't understand what was being said.
Xi Xizhi believed that she had no enmity with Zhao Taifu, so when Zhao Taifu stared at her, she glanced back at him.
"Your name is... Xi Xizhi, right? You just started school today. Do you understand this passage from the Book of Songs?"
Whether Zhao Taifu did it intentionally or unintentionally, even if he was asking Xi Xizhi out of kindness, Xi Xizhi couldn't help but cry and curse this time. Why did Zhao Taifu always care about her? Wouldn't it be better to ignore her and leave her aside?
"I...I understand." Xi Xizhi put on a brave face.
Zhao Taifu's expression softened, but his next words gave Xi Xizhi an urge to bang her head against a wall in frustration.
"Look at the twelfth sentence of the article and tell me what it means, so I can explain it to everyone."
It's not fair to blame Grand Tutor Zhao for finding fault; he mainly believed that since the child was introduced by His Majesty, he must have unique insights into studying. He posed several questions for Xi Xizhi to answer, hoping to ascertain the child's abilities.
Xi Xizhi looked down at the book. The words on it were crooked and complex, comparable to the talismans her master taught her to draw. After looking at it for a few more times, Xi Xizhi felt a little dizzy.
Nearly a hundred people in the Imperial Academy were all staring intently at Xi Xizhi.
After a long silence, Grand Tutor Zhao frowned.
Xi Xizhi stammered, then coughed a few times: "I...I have a hoarse voice and can't speak."
Everyone looked at this clever and mischievous child, and had only one thought in their minds: His voice was fine just now, how could it suddenly become hoarse?
Grand Tutor Zhao picked up a rattan cane and slammed it down hard. "What do you think this place is? How dare you lie in front of a sage? Didn't anyone teach you to tell the truth before?"
Xi Xizhi blushed.
It wasn't that she didn't want to say it, but it was just too embarrassing. Seeing the Grand Tutor's aggressive questioning, Xi Xizhi had no choice but to honestly say, "I can't read."
These five words were like a heavy hammer, slamming down on everyone's heads.
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