Chapter 2 Chapter 2 This damn——Zhang! Jing! Xuan!!…
Because of Zhang Jingxuan's words, Xue Yuanyin was so angry that she couldn't sleep well for three days even though she got the first place in the annual test.
She tossed and turned at night, with all the blurred memories of her childhood flashing through her mind.
If we talk about her relationship with Zhang Jingxuan, it can be traced back to when she was four or five years old and just started to remember things.
The one who was familiar with that group of young masters from aristocratic families at that time was not her, Xue Yuanyin, but her brother, Xue Yi, who was still alive.
At the beginning, there was no sign of Prince Yu in the court, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still a teenager and was the heir apparent.
Zhang Jingxuan, the eldest grandson of the Zhang family, was a scholar; Xue Yi, the only legitimate son of the Xue family, was a warrior. The two became acquainted through their mutual competition for the position of tutor to the Crown Prince, and soon became inseparable, going out together.
That’s right, at that time the Xue family had not yet become part of Prince Yu’s party.
Xue Yuanyin was still young at the time, only four or five years old. Her mother died early, and she had no playmates, so she hung out with her brother all day.
She admired the strong and had a vague admiration for her brother's good friend, so she followed them around all day long.
This group of people didn't like to bring her along, disliking her because she was young and a girl, and thought she was in the way. But Xue Yuanyin insisted on sticking with them, and over time, they became quite familiar with each other.
Thinking about it now, this was one of the few happy times in her life.
A few years later, Zhang Jingxuan was twelve years old and began to show his precocious talent.
At that time, a famous fortune-teller from Beijing was traveling through the area. Upon hearing about Zhang Jingxuan, he told him a fortune and then asked him many tricky questions about scriptures and geography. In the end, the fortune-teller repeatedly praised Zhang Jingxuan's "unparalleled talent" and said that judging by his face, he was like a gentleman polishing jade, gentle and subtle, with a hidden edge. He was sure to become a remarkable figure in the future.
This incident made him famous, and he was soon noticed by the retired elder Xie, who then became his disciple and adopted son. In the same year, he accompanied his father in official circles and attended court affairs as the prince's companion.
What she heard most about him at that time was that everyone around him praised him for his excellence.
During that time, they were considered a golden boy and a jade girl in the capital. They were close to each other, played together, and had a deep friendship. Their relationship had not changed.
Until four years ago, the leader of the countries in the western border, the Qiang State, launched a war against the Zhou Dynasty. Prince Yu led his troops to meet the enemy. His brother, who was less than sixteen years old, had a quarrel with Zhang Jingxuan and then went to the battlefield.
The war lasted for nearly a year. Finally, the Qiang people fled into the Western Regions. The Great Zhou won a tragic victory, but his brother died in the desolate western land.
Prince Yu returned to the capital seriously injured, but his reputation also increased greatly. Compared with the overly gentle and mediocre Crown Prince, he was sharp and capable. For the first time, voices appeared in the court calling for the abolition of the Crown Prince and the support of Prince Yu.
Marquis Qing'an, Xue Yuanyin's biological father, supported Prince Yu to replace the Crown Prince as the heir apparent and became a staunch supporter of Prince Yu.
After her brother's death, she was the only girl left in the Xue family. Her father had been injured in battle in his early years and was unable to have any children.
Her father looked at her deeply for a long time, and finally called her to the study and told her sternly: from now on, she will go to school as a girl, wear men's clothes, and take another boy's name as "Xue Ling". She will be recorded in the family tree, enter the ancestral hall, follow the example of her former brother, and support the family.
At that time, Zhang Jingxuan entered the Eastern Palace and became the prince's aide, assisting the prince. The Zhang family completely became the prince's party.
All friendships came to an abrupt end.
There was a complete break between them.
…
Before going to sleep, Xue Yuanyin thought of the night after the annual examination. She returned to the mansion and saw her father, who had been waiting for her for a long time, sitting in the middle hall. He said to her:
"His Royal Highness Prince Yu has sent a letter stating that Zhang Jingxuan's sudden decision to enter Ruxing Hall is not entirely without ulterior motives. You should find a way to quietly approach him and find an opportunity to test his abilities."
She felt a sudden tightness in her chest.
He did so many things, even hiding his intentions, but she knew nothing about it.
And he never thought of telling her anything.
-
Xue Yuanyin's birthday was on the tenth day of the first lunar month. After his sixteenth birthday, the winter holiday ended, the grass and trees sprouted new buds, and a group of young men in the capital, as fresh and young as green onions, returned to the Imperial College.
Xue Yuanyin knew in advance that she would be admitted to Ruexing Hall, so she went straight there as soon as she entered the Imperial College. Seeing that Zhang Jingxuan had not arrived yet, she took advantage of the fact that everyone was chatting and found a classmate who had a good relationship with Zhang Jingxuan to chat with.
After chatting for a long time, they finally got to the point: "...Zhang Jingxuan's sudden arrival at Ruexing Hall is quite worrying. I guess it's not just for the spot as the imperial escort, right? You said he doesn't need to help the Eastern Palace with affairs, so what is he doing here?"
Perhaps because she and Zhang Jingxuan had such a deep grudge, her classmates were puzzled: "Why are you paying so much attention to him?"
"..." Xue Yuanyin thought of a reason without changing his expression, "Because I want to defeat him. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle!"
This reason was so convincing that the classmates were in awe, but they knew so little. "Why don't you just ask him directly? Although we are close to the Zhang family, he rarely tells us his thoughts. Although he has a good temper, he doesn't open up to others easily."
Forget it, she couldn't let him know that she was trying to find out about him.
Xue Yuanyin nodded in understanding. To express her dislike for him, she added, "He's the thorn in my side. He's the one that keeps me obsessed with him. I can't sleep or eat unless I trample him underfoot and take vengeance on him!"
Xue Yuanyin was not in a hurry even though she didn't find out anything. There was still a long time to go. Anyway, her only goal was to beat him in the exam.
However, Xue Yuanyin didn't expect to see Zhang Jingxuan for several days. Only then did she hear that he had gone to work for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and had no intention of attending the lecture in Ruexing Hall with them.
If it were someone else, everyone would definitely talk about it, but when it came to Zhang Jingxuan, it seemed perfectly normal.
To be honest, it would be strange if someone like him really sat in the school like them.
Xue Yuanyin didn't know what she felt, but she seemed relieved.
After school, he returned home and reported to his father, and the mission to test Zhang Jingxuan naturally came to nothing.
Zhang Jingxuan's sudden appearance at the annual exam made her emotionally agitated, but it seemed like just an accident. She spent three months uneventfully, always ranking first.
It is said to be half a year, but in reality it is only four months. There is only about a month left before the emperor will visit the Imperial College in person.
If nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely be the one to accompany the emperor.
It's just that this accident came too suddenly.
Zhang Jingxuan, who had disappeared for three months, suddenly returned to Shuexing Hall. He was standing in front of a table piled with gifts, sorting out books. When he noticed the movement here, he tilted his head slightly to look over.
Xue Yuanyin paused.
No, why is he here?!
The two of them exchanged glances at each other. Xue Yuanyin walked towards her desk, but stopped halfway. Her classmates had collected a bunch of back-to-school gifts, and today was the day she finally had the chance to give them to Zhang Jingxuan. There were so many gift boxes scattered across her path that she couldn't even move.
Xue Yuanyin looked at the culprit expressionlessly. Zhang Jingxuan's movements were still neither hurried nor slow. Although not very slow, they were not fast either. He had no intention of making room for her to pass through.
Xue Yuanyin stopped where she was, clutching the bookcase in her hand, feeling a bit angry.
After a while, she couldn't help but said, "Can you be faster?"
Zhang Jingxuan said nothing and made way for her to walk.
Xue Yuanyin muttered, "You have to wait until others speak before you take action. You are the most arrogant person in this school."
Zhang Jingxuan finally looked up this time, his calm and cold eyes looking at her. His gentle and respectful tone seemed a bit polite and distant: "I haven't seen you for a few months, and Xue Xueyou seems to be even more irritable. I'm really worried about how we'll get along in the future."
Seeing that she seemed to be stunned, her eyes scanning back and forth between the pile of gifts and him, he thought for a moment and added: "I can't give you these."
Xue Yuanyin finally realized that he was mocking her, and her pretty face suddenly turned cold. She retorted word by word: "Thank you for your kindness, I won't bother you."
Zhang Jingxuan looked at her, then looked away after a while and said nothing more.
The gifts all over the floor were finally picked up. Xue Yuanyin watched as Zhang Jingxuan called on classmates from other schools to help pile the gift boxes against the wall. He picked up the bookcase and walked towards her, as if preparing to move to a new desk.
Xue Yuanyin thought happily that it would be better to sit far away, so that she wouldn't have to look at his annoying face anymore.
Who knew that the classmate Xue Yuanyin had been chatting with earlier just happened to come to Suixing Hall. Seeing this, his eyes lit up and he yelled:
"Zhang Jingxuan! You're finally here! Xue Ling secretly told me before that she was going to crush you like a mosquito under her feet and turn you into mosquito blood. She wanted to use this despicable method to defeat you and take vengeance on you. I wrote down every word, so you must not take it lightly!"
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyebrows slightly.
Xue Yuanyin opened her mouth subconsciously, but found it difficult to argue. In the suddenly quiet classroom, only Zhang Jingxuan could be heard saying slowly:
"I didn't expect that beating you once in the annual exam would make you hate me so much. If I had known this would happen, I would have let you down without making a sound. I'm really sorry."
Xue Yuanyin: “.”
Xue Yuanyin felt the temperature of her cheeks rising rapidly under the gazes from all over the school.
This damn—
Chapter! Scene! Xuan!!!
Maybe she doesn't want to win that much.
But she must be so embarrassed now that she wants to die.
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