The man tilted his head slightly, looked down at him, and a little bit of the white of his eye was visible under his lower eyelid. "Shen Qingchen."
Qingchen didn't want to talk to him, so she silently bent down and picked up the scattered books one by one.
From the moment she became a junior scholar, she and he were sworn enemies. Because the academy selected fifteen people, she was first, while he was last, which he always resented.
This year's cohort of probationary officials is truly exceptional compared to previous years. While it's common for those from humble backgrounds to pass the imperial examinations, it's rare for those from aristocratic families to do so, and even rarer for those to enter the Hanlin Academy based solely on their own abilities. Yet, this year, there are two such individuals.
One was the nephew of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, which was one thing, but the other was even more remarkable—he was the Grand Secretary's own son. When the results were announced, countless people were stunned.
Grand Secretary Xu Yan married late, and only had this one son when he was thirty years old, which he doted on. From the day he became a junior scholar, his outstanding background naturally made him the "leader" of his class, attracting several junior scholars, and no one dared to offend him.
Upon catching up, Gu Shaoheng bent down to help Shen Qingchen pick up his books. "Young Master Xu, are you still here so late? Are you planning to have dinner at the Imperial Palace? The food there is far inferior to what you have at the Xu residence. What, are you trying to understand the people's plight?"
For a poor scholar like Shen Qingchen, having the Imperial Household Department provide breakfast and dinner was already a very good privilege. However, Xu Silin and Gu Shaoheng were from aristocratic families and were used to fine food, so the meals at the Imperial Household Department were nothing to them. Xu Silin's meals were prepared by the chefs of his own household every day. His lunch was delivered to the Hanlin Academy by servants, and he would return home for dinner. He had never been to the Imperial Household Department.
He glanced at Gu Shaoheng but didn't answer, continuing to target Shen Qingchen, "You've got guts, haven't you? You've driven our teacher away. We've lost a good teacher, shouldn't you apologize?"
Shen Qingchen took a light breath and answered as calmly as possible, "I didn't drive the teacher away."
He leaned against the moon gate, the hem of his well-fitting robe swaying in the wind, the afternoon sunlight shining on his handsome young face, and said indifferently, "You think you can just say you don't have it?"
Gu Shaoheng couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed Shen Qingchen's arm. "Let's go. There's no need to say too much to him."
However, Xu Silin's henchmen, who were also Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), blocked their way.
At this moment, an official emerged from the Hall of Records. He was a sixth-rank lecturer from the Hanlin Academy. Although his rank was not high, Hanlin officials were traditionally considered "cranes on pillars," holding very high positions, and thus often addressed second- and third-rank officials as brothers. Seeing the group arguing and pulling at each other, he intended to step forward and reprimand them, but upon recognizing Xu Silin, he stopped, shook his head, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
The wind rustled through the gnarled branches and leaves, and the setting sun cast dappled shadows on the ground.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Xu Silin added, grabbing his bag from the henchman and throwing it at her. “From now on, you’ll be responsible for washing my pens and grinding my ink. Before class, you have to prepare all my things. Not a single day can be missing, all year round.”
Qingchen caught the bundle he tossed to her, pursed her lips, and said, "Would you like to make a bet with me?"
He raised an eyebrow, a hint of eccentricity in his expression. "You want to make a bet with me?"
She nodded. "If I lose, I will bow and apologize to you all in the hall. If I win, you should stay away from me from now on... and stop bothering me."
"What are we betting on?"
"The new teacher will be here tomorrow." Shen Qingchen paused, then slowly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "His surname is Song."
Xu Silin's eyes flickered slightly as he watched the face getting closer and closer.
Neat sideburns, a high and delicate nose, and faint shadows of trees flowing across her fair cheeks. Her skin was smooth, clear, and as pure as jade... She also had a fragrance about her, like a lotus flower covered in dew, faint and pleasant.
He paused for a moment, then came to his senses, wondering what had gotten into him for that instant, since it wasn't the first time they had met.
He glanced at the lines of her neck and ears, finding them rather pale and delicate. After a long pause, he said, "Why not? Just don't regret it." His father was the Grand Secretary, something even he himself didn't know. How could this poor boy with no status possibly know? Was it just a delaying tactic?
Shen Qingchen looked up at him, her gaze clear and pure: "You have to accept the consequences of your bet."
Xu Silin raised an eyebrow, his probing gaze sweeping over her again before he turned and left, one hand behind his back, his back ramrod straight. His henchman followed.
Once the two had walked away, Gu Shaoheng looked genuinely shocked: "Even I didn't know, how did you know?"
It's written in history books.
"It's just nonsense, let's just get rid of him for now." She continued walking, carrying her book, dappled sunlight filtering through the trees falling on her shoulders.
"You still need to be careful; he's not an ordinary person." Gu Shaoheng paused, then added, "Do you know why our teacher retired to his hometown?"
He leaned close to her ear and whispered two words: Xu Dang.
Shen Qingchen couldn't help but glance in the direction where Xu Silin had left.
She studied history and was familiar with this period of Ming Dynasty history. The emperor neglected state affairs, and Grand Secretary Xu Yan seized control of the court, acting arbitrarily, painting a rosy picture of peace, and cultivating power and influence throughout the court. Their numbers grew, and they were collectively known as the Xu Party.
"The teacher left because of us students," Gu Shaoheng added.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchen recalled the records in historical books and nodded.
Xu Yan deeply understands the principle that one tree cannot make a forest and three people can make a tiger. He has never neglected to recruit people and expand his team, and he follows a sustainable development path.
The Hanlin Academy not only served as a training ground for future prime ministers but also provided candidates for the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers. For a probationary scholar like Shen Qingchen, the chances of assuming important positions and rising to high office after graduation were very high. That's why the Xu faction wanted to win over their teacher, because teachers and students, or those from the same school, have always formed their own faction.
Their teacher was probably unwilling to go along with the corrupt practices, so the only option left was to retire and return to his hometown.
Qingchen sighed almost imperceptibly.
The new teacher who was about to take over was not a member of the Xu faction, and it was unknown how long he could hold on.
Before transmigrating, Shen Qingchen was a junior at Peking University, majoring in history and minoring in political science and economics. She was a top student. From a young age, she was a well-behaved girl who followed the rules, studied hard, worked diligently, adhered to the scientific outlook on development, and strived to build a harmonious society. She could recite the core socialist values and the Communist Youth League's manifesto.
She was beautiful and was dubbed the "department beauty," the dream girl of many. Some people lit candles and sang songs for her downstairs in the dormitory, while others posted her photos on online forums with the title "A stunningly beautiful academic genius."
Besides being a student, she has another identity—a top expert on Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website). Her topics and tags cover history, politics, ancient Chinese culture, ancient military affairs, psychology, anime, high technology, travel, and creative ideas… She has a large following, receives numerous invitations to answer questions, and boasts hundreds of thousands of followers. Some people bombard her with private messages, while others pay exorbitant prices to buy one of her answers.
But one day, a top student and a Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website) expert time-traveled.
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