Xu Silin felt the weight on his right hand disappear instantly, while his hand remained in place, the delicate and soft touch of when he lifted Qingchen's face still lingering on his fingertips.
Then he saw her stand up quickly, a hint of panic on her fair face. She retrieved her painting and pushed his book back to him, saying, "I have to go out now. Keep your book safe. If you have any questions, ask me later."
Before he could answer, she hurried past him. The sleeve of her green robe lightly brushed against his arm, and her elegant black boots rushed toward the door, her back view slender and austere.
At the entrance of the lecture hall, Song Yue was waiting expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on his students.
Xu Silin frowned.
Although Song Yue didn't have a class today, they were about to have a calligraphy class. Where was Teacher Song taking Shen Qingchen? He hadn't been their teacher for long, but there was a clear sense of familiarity in his eyes when he looked at Shen Qingchen. What had happened between the two of them that he didn't know about?
A gentle breeze drifted into the classroom through the window cracks, carrying a faint scent of locust blossoms, and turned the pages of the lonely copy of *Cai Gen Tan* lying on the desk. The sunlight still slanted in, casting dappled shadows, but the desk was now empty.
Xu Silin glanced at the abandoned book, and after a long while, he picked it up and coldly got up from Qingchen's table.
Ever since his book was stolen, Luo Yuanhao had been staring blankly at Xu Silin's every move toward Shen Qingchen: approaching, whispering, gazing, touching... It wasn't teasing, it wasn't playing tricks, it wasn't bullying; it was all different from before. Instead, Xu Silin was lowering his head and asking for advice in a gentle manner!
Although Luo Yuanhao was a bit slow on the uptake, he wasn't stupid. The atmosphere was clearly a little subtle... His book seemed to have a bit of a "plum blossom by post, letter by fish" feel to it.
Feeling he had discovered the secret, Luo Yuanhao sprang to his senses and immediately plastered a smile on his face, eager to claim credit. "Brother Xu, isn't this book quite good? This is just for you, Brother Xu, I hope you'll accept it..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a book came crashing down on him, followed by a low growl: "You lousy book, hitting you brings bad luck."
It was a rare opportunity to have a close conversation with her, but I was interrupted.
Luo Yuanhao hurriedly took the book, standing there stunned. Soon, he saw Xu Silin approach him with a stern face, reach out a long arm and snatch the book away again, even fiddling with the wrinkled cover, and coldly say to him, "With a brain like yours, reading more books won't help."
"..."
Little did Luo Yuanhao know that although his book was unlucky, it had still been touched by Shen Qingchen.
When Song Yue saw Shen Qingchen come out, he turned around and walked away, saying in a calm voice, "Let's go to the Zhenfu Division."
He had intended to come over in the morning, but a cabinet meeting delayed him, and he has been delayed until now.
Autumn has arrived, and the grains in various regions are almost ripe, which is also the time for the state to collect taxes. Before the tax revenue has even entered the national treasury, the officials in charge of spending have already drafted their spending plans and come to the cabinet to request funds.
The Ministry of Personnel owed officials their salaries, which couldn't be delayed until the New Year, so they needed money; the Ministry of Revenue needed money for disaster relief, which was urgent; the Ministry of War needed money to defend against the Tatars and fight the Japanese pirates, which couldn't be delayed for a moment; and the Ministry of Works needed money to repair palaces and water conservancy projects, which were under the emperor's nose and couldn't be delayed... Each one was more urgent and more important than the last, but based on the tax revenue collected in previous years, the expenses for just these few ministries far exceeded what could be collected, not to mention the others.
So the officials from the various departments started arguing, each unwilling to accept even a penny less. They argued from early morning until noon, and then from noon until afternoon. Grand Secretary Xu Yan sat to the side, pretending to be dead without saying a word. In the end, Song Yue had to step in to mediate.
Only when he left the cabinet did he feel a little better. Because he had promised Shen Qingchen to go and ask Ming Xiang for help, he didn't even have time to drink water after the meeting. After sending away a few officials who were still bothering him, he hurriedly rushed to the Hanlin Academy.
As soon as Song Yue arrived outside the Hanlin Academy lecture hall, he saw Xu Silin and Shen Qingchen huddled together at the entrance. The two were whispering to each other, with Qingchen speaking earnestly and patiently. He wondered if the rumors he had heard about their discord were true, when he saw Xu Silin naturally lift her chin, his eyes fixed on her with a deep, thoughtful gaze, his young face showing a hint of... infatuation?
So those words just slipped out, and they called out to Shen Qingchen.
Shen Qingchen went out and greeted Teacher Song. When she looked up, she saw that his back was already two steps away from her. She was stunned for a moment and then quickly caught up with him.
The teacher seems... not very willing to talk.
The headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Northern Garrison Command, was located outside Chengtian Gate, west of the Thousand-Step Corridor, adjacent to the Five Military Commands, and across the street from the Six Ministries and the Hanlin Academy.
Even after the teacher and student reached the Thousand-Step Corridor, Song Yue did not speak to Shen Qingchen. The guards at Chengtian Gate saluted him, but he showed no reaction.
Shen Qingchen walked silently beside him, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the silent atmosphere, and couldn't help but turn her head to glance at him.
Despite working so late last night, he showed no signs of fatigue. His black boots trod the winding stone path, his loose-fitting crimson official robe clinging to his body, the rise and fall of his chest faintly visible beneath the front. In the soft sunlight, his face remained radiant, exuding an air of aloofness and indifference. The stark contrast between his cool demeanor and the fiery red robe gave him an unusual allure.
He suddenly looked down at her, "What are you looking at?"
Qingchen quickly lowered his head and whispered, "It's nothing."
After a moment of silence, Song Yue looked at the student's tied-up black hair, which shimmered softly in the sunlight, and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Qingchen nodded honestly, "I slept very well, and when I opened my eyes it was already dawn. Please forgive me, teacher, I originally wanted to accompany you to finish your official duties last night..."
"Keep me company?" he interrupted her, saying casually, "While we're sleeping?"
Although he took the initiative to speak to her, there seemed to be a hint of emotion in his words that was different from usual. She didn't know what to say, so she simply replied, "Thank you, teacher, for completing that list for me."
"I'm just not used to leaving things unfinished."
"Hmm." Qingchen thought, this is probably a small obsession of every workaholic.
After a while, he spoke again: "What did you gain from reading so many memorials last night?"
Qingchen thought for a moment and replied, "Most of those memorials were vehement criticisms of the court's long-standing problems and impeachments of officials. I've read through them and have a general understanding of the court's current situation... The national treasury is empty, official corruption is quite serious, and although the people's taxes seem light, they still can't get enough to eat because of excessive fire waste. Also, the northern border is being harassed by the Tatars, causing great suffering to the people, and the irrigation systems in many parts of the south also need to be repaired. And then there's Grand Secretary Xu..."
"Speak."
"Grand Secretary Xu suppressed so many memorials for the Xu faction, buying them time to maneuver, turning the guilty into innocent, the serious into the minor, and the innocent into the guilty... His Majesty probably cannot keep up with many things in time."
In short, it means deceiving superiors and subordinates, and controlling everything.
After listening to the student's gentle and methodical narration, Song Yue said as he walked, "You see things very clearly."
She will grow up very quickly.
"It's because the teacher taught well."
This time, Qingchen looked up at him openly, her clear gaze falling directly on his face without any attempt to hide it. "Teacher has been teaching me everything, even the smallest things. I used to worry that you wouldn't do your best for us, but I was wrong... Thank you, teacher."
He glanced at her, said nothing, and only gave a faint "hmm".
Trees are planted on both sides of the Thousand-Step Corridor, and the leaves rustle in the wind.
"...In today's official document class, the teacher assigned practice questions, and the students got the best grade because they had reviewed so many last night." Qingchen whispered. She felt that Song Yue seemed a bit quiet today, so she was the one who had to start the conversation.
"Really?" He paused for a moment before continuing, "Did the instructor assign you, as the best tutor, to tutor someone?"
Qingchen thought for a moment before realizing that he was probably referring to Xu Silin, and said, "No. Xu Silin came to ask about something else, a book called 'Cai Gen Tan'."
"Haven't you two always gotten along?" He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why would he ask you for advice?"
"...The students don't know either." Qingchen was still a little surprised when she remembered Xu Silin suddenly lifting her chin.
That man was always eccentric and unruly, acting according to his own whims. One moment he would berate her, the next he would lecture her, and then he would ask her for advice. She had no idea what he was up to. His heart wasn't in studying; he had only joined the Hanlin Academy to find a title for entering the Grand Secretariat in the future. He probably did it out of sheer boredom.
"Hmm." Song Yue turned to look at her and said calmly, "The world is vast, and the two of us are more than enough."
After saying that, he continued walking towards the Zhenfu Division.
Shen Qingchen took a step to chase after him, somewhat confused about the meaning of his last sentence.
Two people are left—it sounds like a word puzzle.
Xu?
Was the teacher reminding her that Xu Silin's surname was Xu?
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