The next morning, He Yan woke up a little late. She was thinking about things last night and couldn't fall asleep until midnight. When she woke up, it was already noon. It didn't snow today. After the sun came out, she washed up and went to the main room to eat. As soon as she walked in, she almost bit her tongue.

"Why are you here?" He Yan asked.

A person was sitting at the table in the main room drinking tea. Qingmei was standing on the side. When she saw He Yan, she answered anxiously, "The master came early this morning. He told me not to wake you up and to wait here for you to wake up."

Xiao Jue put down the teacup in his hand, glanced at her, and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"...It's OK." He Yan shook her head. She felt that Xiao Jue's sudden appearance here was very scary. She subconsciously looked at the roof. This was her home, right? Not Liangzhouwei.

Qingmei placed the porridge and food on the table. He Yan took a look and said in surprise, "Qingmei, have you made a fortune? So much food? This seems to be Chen Xiangji's snacks, right?"

"This was sent by the master." Qingmei answered uneasily.

Originally, the He family had a simple breakfast, and it had been like this for more than ten years, and no one thought it was wrong. But today, when Xiao Jue sent such a large table, Qingmei felt embarrassed, wondering if her family's breakfast was too shabby.

He Yan was completely unaware of this. She had been taking advantage of Xiao Jue for a long time. She immediately clapped her hands and praised him, "Xiao Jue, you are so considerate. No wonder Yan Nanguang always talks about the advantages of having a wife. You are even better than Princess Shang. It's hard to find any flaws in you."

Chiwu, who was standing in the corner, trembled when he heard this. Is this what a human being would say? It was really too shameless. It was a pity that their young master was so bewitched that he seemed to be quite happy.

"Have you eaten yet?" He Yan gave Xiao Jue a pair of chopsticks, "Let's eat together."

Xiao Jue took the chopsticks: "Okay."

Chiwu: “…”

I finally understand why my master left the Xiao Mansion without eating breakfast. He got up so early just to eat his own meal. He is so idle.

Normally, the He family didn't have the distinction between master and servant, and Qingmei would eat at the table together. But today, Xiao Jue was here, and Qingmei refused to sit at the table. After hesitating for a while, she took Chiwu and ran away, saying that she wanted to sweep the snow. He Yan had no choice but to eat alone with Xiao Jue.

The porridge made from green plums was fragrant and soft, and with red dates in it, it was sweet. He Yanfu remembered that this person didn't like sweet things when he grew up, so she asked, "I forgot that you don't like sweet things." She took the red dates from Xiao Jue's bowl with her chopsticks and said with a smile, "I'll help you."

Xiao Jue paused.

Everyone in the Xiao family knew that he was particularly clean. He didn't like to use things that others had used, let alone pick food from his bowl, not even Xiao Jing. But when He Yan did this, he didn't stop her.

"But, you came here today, didn't you, just to have breakfast with me?" He Yan asked, "What's the reason?"

"I plan to go to Xianchang Hall." Xiao Jue said, "You come with me."

He Yan was stunned: "...What are you going to Xianchang Hall for?"

"Since you want to expose He Rufei's identity, you need evidence. Xianchang Hall has your past articles and books preserved, which may be of use."

"How is that possible?" He Yan asked curiously, "Those are things from many years ago. How could they have been preserved in Xianchang Hall?"

Xiao Jue pulled the corner of his mouth, looked at her, and smiled awkwardly, "Don't you know? The calligraphy of General Feihong and General Fengyun has been preserved in the academy until now. Every spring when new students are recruited, everyone has to see it."

He Yan almost choked himself: "No way? My... calligraphy?"

The world is vast, Xiao Jue is fine, but her "calligraphy treasure" back then was not really beautiful, the handwriting was like a dog's crawling, and a test paper that always ranked last, what's the point of looking at it. Repeating it over and over again, isn't it insulting?

Who could have imagined that Xianchang Hall, which was ranked last, would one day be ranked on par with the first and become the hallmark of the school? It is true that: Don't despise the poor young, fortunes change.

“I don’t really want to go…”

Xiao Jue: “Oh.”

He Yan had a tearful face: "Okay, I'll go."

After dinner, He Yan and Xiao Jue went out together.

Normally, she didn't feel uncomfortable when she was in Liangzhou, but once she returned to Beijing and put on "Miss He's" skirt, she felt uncomfortable all over. It was not because of anything else, but because Miss He's dress was too exquisite and complicated. He Yan simply simplified it and put away all the straps of the skirt to make it more convenient to go out.

There was no carriage at the door. He Yan paused and asked the people around him, "Xiao Jue, where is the carriage?"

"It's a nice day today, let's go for a walk," he said.

The sun was rare, and the snow from last night had not melted yet, shining a golden warmth on the ground. When he really walked under the sun, he felt that the haze of the past few days had been swept away, and his whole body was warm. He Yan squinted his eyes comfortably and said, "It would be great if every day was this warm."

Xiao Jue tilted his head and glanced at her. The young girl had a bright smile and a little sunlight could satisfy her. It was hard to imagine that the brave and fierce General Feihong on the battlefield in the past was the silly man in front of him. He curled the corners of his mouth slightly and hid the smile in his eyes.

The two walked side by side on the street. Even though He Yan was not very famous, Xiao Jue's face was not unfamiliar. Some people recognized him from a distance. Although they did not dare to approach him, they secretly pointed and discussed: "Isn't this General Xiao of Fengyun?"

"Who is the woman next to him? I don't think I've seen her before."

"When has Governor Xiao ever walked side by side with a woman in broad daylight like this? She must be the fiancée that Your Majesty has arranged for him to marry her."

"Fiancée? Are you talking about the female marquis He Yan?"

"Exactly!"

"So this is what Marquis Wu'an looks like. He looks so weak and frail. How did he get on the battlefield?"

He Yan had excellent hearing, and the conversations around him were caught in her ears. Looking at the man walking beside her, he looked calm and indifferent. He Yan felt as if she was brought out by Xiao Jue to make herself known, so that people would know that Xiao Jue's fiancée, Wu'an Hou He Yan, was like this.

Forget it, she said to herself, let them see it. Back then, I had to hide when I was wearing a mask, but now I use this face openly, so even if someone wants to use me as a substitute, it will be impossible.

They were surrounded by people and walked for an unknown amount of time before they finally arrived at the gate of Xianchang Hall.

After so many years, Xianchang Hall still looks the same as it did in the past. The mottled gate, the familiar plaque, and the apricot tree at the gate were bent by the snow. As He Yan looked at it, he felt a little emotional.

The days in Xianchang Hall were not easy at the time, but now when I think about it, it is full of happy memories. The teacher here taught her to be sensible and righteous. Otherwise, a girl who cannot distinguish right from wrong and disguises herself as a man would be a foolish pawn who cannot control her own destiny even if she is a pawn of the He family.

Probably the best thing He Yuansheng had ever done in his life was to send her to Xianchang Hall, which changed her life.

"Let's go." Xiao Jue said.

The two of them walked inside together, and just as they reached the yard, they heard the sound of students studying in the school.

"The way of a great scholar is to manifest his bright virtue, to love the people, and to pursue the good..."

"After all these years, I'm still memorizing this one." He Yan immediately recalled the memories of "making progress together" with Lin Shuanghe. "It's strange, I couldn't memorize it at first, but after I joined the army, I recited it silently every night in the tent when I had nothing to do, and I memorized it."

Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows: "Are you still memorizing in the tent?"

"Of course." He Yan said proudly: "In the beginning, I hadn't met my master yet, so I didn't have good skills and could only rely on my brain. You don't know that anyone who can read in the Fuyue Army is very popular in the camp. They are good at both civil and military affairs."

She started to brag about herself again. Xiao Jue was about to speak when he suddenly heard someone's voice coming from the front: "Commander Xiao!"

The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man in yellow linen clothes walking quickly. The man was very gentle and amiable. When he came in front of Xiao Jue and the others, he smiled and said, "Why did Commander Xiao think of coming to the academy today?"

He Yan was stunned. This was Mr. Huang Sancai, who taught arithmetic in Xianchang Hall. He had taught He Yan before. During He Yan's school life, it was difficult for her to be liked by the teacher because she was not outstanding in all aspects. Mr. Huang Sancai, perhaps because he was not very old at that time, was very gentle and amiable to students. He did not treat students differently based on their grades and was easy to talk to. It was also this teacher who had praised He Yan in the school in the past, saying, "Hardworking is like a seedling in spring. It grows without being seen. You all look at He Rufei and learn from her." This made a group of teenagers quite dissatisfied with He Yan.

But now seeing this Mr. Huang, He Yan still felt that he was quite friendly.

"I was passing by and came to take a look." Xiao Jue replied.

Huang Sancai showed an expression of pride and said, "Please come in, please come in."

Don't blame this gentleman for his fawning appearance. Xiao Jue is now the famous General Feng Yun of the Wei Dynasty and the governor of the right army. The reason why he has not been promoted is that even if he wins the battle, His Majesty will not give him a higher position. Moreover, when he was in Xianchang Hall, it was not so much that the gentlemen taught Xiao Jue, but rather that Xiao Jue came to Xianchang Hall just to go through the motions. The gentlemen in Xianchang Hall did not have anything to teach him.

In order to avoid causing disturbance among the students, He Yan and Xiao Jue went to the teachers' room. The teachers rested in this spacious room during the day. There were only three classes a day. Today they were teaching literature, mathematics, and etiquette. Tomorrow they would teach archery, horsemanship, and swordplay.

When He Yan and Xiao Jue walked in, there was no one else in the room. Huang Sancai first poured them a cup of tea, asked them to sit down, and then stood up to fiddle with the stove in the room. The stove in the room was warm, and after drinking a cup of hot tea, they felt very comfortable.

"I didn't expect that Commander Xiao would be here today," Huang Sancai smiled and looked at He Yan on the side, "Is this... Miss He, the Marquis of Wu'an?"

He Yan hurriedly stood up and saluted, saying, "He Yan has met you, sir."

She was greeting the teacher as a student, but Huang Sancai was shocked and stood up to return the greeting, "Miss He, you are too polite. Please take a seat."

He Yan sat down, and Huang Sancai smiled and said to He Yan, "When Governor Xiao was a teenager and studying, he was very popular with girls, but I never saw him treat anyone differently. I was wondering at the time what kind of woman he would marry in the future. Now, those boys have all started families and married, but he has not made any moves. Now that the dust has settled, I am relieved."

"This Miss He," Huang Sancai spoke to He Yan again, "at first glance, she is very different from other girls. I have been in Shuojing for so many years and have seen countless girls, but this is the first time I have seen Miss He like this. Commander Xiao's vision is really sharp."

He Yan: “…”

Huang Sancai probably didn't expect that the "girl" he was praising so much was actually a student he had taught before.

As they were talking, the door opened and someone came in. They both looked over and saw another thin old man in a brown gown and a high bun coming in.

"Mr. Wei," Huang Sancai stood up and said to the old man, "Commander Xiao and his fiancée Miss He are here."

Wei Xuanzhang, the director of Xianchang Hall, looked at the two of them. He Yan and Xiao Jue stood up and saluted him. Wei Xuanzhang was not as outwardly friendly as Huang Sancai. He just nodded slightly, walked to his own table and sat down, putting down the book in his hand. He was the one who had just been teaching.

He Yan approached Xiao Jue and whispered, "Look, the person I'm most afraid of is here."

When He Yan was in school, the person he feared the most was Mr. Wei, the director of the school. Wei Xuanzhang was not a commoner, but an official. However, He Yan once thought that the reason why he founded Xianchang School was because his personality was too unpleasant, old-fashioned and strict, and his colleagues in the officialdom didn't like him, so they drove him to be the director of the school.

Unlike Huang Sancai who was gentle and amiable and never scolded students, Wei Xuanzhang was too strict. He punished students with bad grades by making them copy or stand in the classroom. Students secretly called him "Old Man Wei". As He Yan was the last in Xianchang Hall, Wei Xuanzhang naturally regarded her as a disgrace to Xianchang Hall. He Yan believed that if He Yuansheng had not persuaded the teacher and Xianchang Hall did not have the rule of expelling admitted students, Wei Xuanzhang would have expelled her on the first day she entered Xianchang Hall and would never let her step into the hall again.

In short, in the memories with this gentleman, all He Yan could recall now were unpleasant memories such as being beaten with a stick, being punished by standing, being scolded, and copying books. Even though he was no longer studying in the academy and was not afraid of the Wutuo people, when he saw this old gentleman for the first time, He Yan still felt a chill down his spine.

"This is Miss He." Huang Sancai said with a smile.

Wei Xuanzhang took a sip of the tea on the table, and scanned He Yan with a scrutinizing gaze. He said with a stern face, "Are you He Yan? How can a woman like you join the army and fight in public?"

He Yan: “?”

How come she doesn't study anymore, but this old man Wei still finds fault with her. He Yan smiled and said, "It's just the situation that forces him to do so."

"Living and eating with a man is immoral, unorthodox, and totally ignorant of the rules. Xiao Huaijin has always been chaste, so how could she be seduced into the hands of a woman like you?"

He Yan: “…”

Huang Sancai wiped his sweat in embarrassment: "Director..."

"Mr. Wei, your words are too serious," Xiao Jue said calmly, "Miss He didn't try to trick me. I was the one who fell in love with her first."

Wei Xuanzhang frowned, and looked at Xiao Jue with even more disappointment: "A man who talks about love all the time, what kind of person is that!" He glared at He Yan fiercely: "Beauty is a disaster!"

He Yan's smile was stiff. In her two lifetimes, this was the first time someone said that she was a beauty who brought disaster. She could just take it as a compliment. But the way old man Wei looked at her was as if she was the enchantress who brought disaster to the country, and Xiao Jue was the tyrant who brought ruin to the country. Could it be that her last-place temperament had penetrated into her bones, and even if she changed her appearance, as long as Wei Xuanzhang saw her, he would still dislike her from the bottom of his heart.

"We came here today to ask for a favor." He Yan changed the subject. If she continued, she was afraid that Old Man Wei would hit her with a long stick.

Huang Sancai asked, "What's the matter?"

"I want to borrow the writing brushes and ink that He Rufei left in the academy." Xiao Jue said.

After he said this, Wei Xuanzhang and Huang Sancai looked at him in surprise.

"What does Commander Xiao want to do with He Rufei's writing?" Huang Sancai asked.

"It's me," He Yan said with a smile, "I've always heard that General Feihong is a great general who is as famous as the governor, and I admire him very much. I also heard that they were classmates, so I wanted to come and see General Feihong's past traces..."

"Nonsense! Ridiculous!" Wei Xuanzhang slammed the table, his face turning blue with anger, and pointed at He Yan and said, "How could you do this... this..."

He Yan guessed what he wanted to say and reminded him considerately, "Change your mind from one moment to another, from one moment to another?"

"You!" Wei Xuanzhang was furious and turned to look at Xiao Jue: "Xiao Huaijin, this is the wife you chose!"

Xiao Jue's mouth twitched, and he said, "Nonsense, sir, don't take it to heart. Please read He Rufei's writing first."

"He Rufei is a student of my Xianchang Hall," Wei Xuanzhang said, waving his sleeves, "and he is also a famous general of the Wei Dynasty. How can his writings be viewed by just anyone?"

He Yan thought to herself, she didn't expect that she was so important in Wei Xuanzhang's heart. She was deeply moved for a moment, and her resentment towards this old man disappeared a lot.

"I am not asking this as a student," Xiao Jue said calmly, "but as the commander-in-chief of the Right Army."

Huang Sancai shuddered. He knew that when this young master was in Xianchang Hall, he seemed to be a non-troublemaker, but he was definitely not a well-behaved person. Many times, he was just too lazy to do anything. Now that the official position was brought up, a Xianchang Hall could not act rashly in front of the Right Army Commander, so he pulled Wei Xuanzhang and forced a smile: "If it's anywhere, Commander Xiao can read it anytime. General He's writings are all stored in the study. You two follow me."

Wei Xuanzhang was furious: "Huang Sancai..."

"Director," Huang Sancai approached him and whispered, "That's Governor Xiao. Moreover, most of the students we recruit every spring come for the reputation of Governor Xiao and General He. If we offend Governor Xiao, he will spread the word that everyone else will go to the Imperial College. How can we recruit good talents in Xianchang Hall?"

Wei Xuanzhang stopped talking. He only knew how to teach and educate people, and didn't understand politics and business. Huang Sancai, a sly guy, usually took care of all the trivial matters. Now, after listening to what Huang Sancai said, he knew that he was right, but he couldn't hold back his face. He snorted and left.

"Mr. Wei is just a little old-fashioned, but he doesn't mean any harm," Huang Sancai did not forget to pull He Yan, "Miss He, please don't take it to heart."

"I know." He Yan said with a smile, "I won't take it to heart."

"That's good."

Huang Sancai led the two into the library of Xianchang Hall and then left. The library had three floors, and the top floor was where the writings of past students were kept. In recent years, the most famous people in Xianchang Hall were He Yan and Xiao Jue, so the scrolls, calligraphy and paintings they left behind were sealed on the same shelf, with the top row being Xiao Jue's and the bottom row being He Yan's.

He Yan pulled out a stack of test papers and picked up a random one. It was the math subject, and there was a "C" clearly drawn on it. The whole paper was filled with mistakes.

The moment He Yan saw it, she subconsciously hid the test paper behind her. Xiao Jue glanced at her and sneered, "It's not like you haven't seen it before, why are you hiding it?"

He Yan curled his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "I think it's unfair."

Xiao Jue pulled out a book and flipped through it casually: "What's unfair?"

"Think about it," He Yan answered seriously, "When you met me, I was at the lowest point in my life. I didn't know anything and was not good at anything. What you saw was my worst side. When I went to the battlefield, I knew everything, but you didn't see me at my best."

"But when I saw you, you were always so amazing," He Yan said, "Don't you think this is unfair?"

Xiao Jue laughed and was about to speak, but suddenly, he looked downstairs and his expression changed slightly: "Someone came in."

"No way?" He Yan whispered, "Didn't Mr. Huang let us find the books ourselves? Why did he let other students in? If those students saw us, wouldn't they make a scene again?"

But soon, she realized that was not the case, because the footsteps coming upstairs clearly showed that someone knew kung fu. Xiao Jue and He Yan looked at each other, and they quickly dodged behind another row of bookshelves. The distance between the bookshelves here was extremely narrow, only enough for one person to pass through. The two of them hid in the corner together, so they had to face each other and were very close.

Xiao Jue was very tall. He Yan raised his head slightly and his chin almost touched hers. They could feel each other's breath and seemed to be able to hear each other's heartbeat. He Yan couldn't help but sweat in his palms and became nervous for no reason.

However, the tension did not last for a moment, and her eyes froze. The person who sneaked up from the attic quickly went to the row of bookshelves where they were standing just now, and then took out a flint and lit the row of bookshelves where He Yan was standing.

The fire suddenly burst into flames, and He Yan and Xiao Jue flew out.

"stop!"