beginning of summer.
The beginning of the union of heaven and earth, when all things flourish, is an auspicious day for starting school.
At dawn, the Imperial Guards had already cleared the entire Sifang Street in the capital, and both sides of the street were filled with people waiting to watch the opening ceremony of the National Academy.
At the stroke of Chenshi (7-9 AM), cannons and drums sounded outside the National Academy, and then one carriage after another drove through Sifang Street towards the square outside the National Academy.
Leading the procession was the Crown Prince's carriage, gilded and painted, its entire body gleaming with gold. The dragons playing with pearls on both sides of the carriage were carved with lifelike detail. The dragons contained a pair of luminous pearls, each as big as an egg, which shimmered brilliantly in the morning light.
The onlookers pointed at the luminous pearls and began excitedly discussing, "It's these two luminous pearls! Ten years ago, the Emperor traded two cities with a population of 300,000 to the Kingdom of Chu for them. Who would have thought they'd be set in a carriage..."
Following closely behind the Crown Prince's carriage was the carriage of the Ninth Prince.
The carriage of the Ninth Prince was crafted from ebony from the East Sea. Its entire body was jet black, adorned with swaying crimson gauze curtains. It exuded a calm and imposing presence, yet carried a hint of sinister intent, making it stand out among the colorful carriages. Wherever the carriage passed, everyone fell silent.
The carriage wheels creaked heavily on the bluestone floor, creating a particularly soothing sound.
Yuan Yao was wearing the National Academy's uniform, with her hair in two little buns, her chubby little hands clinging to the Ninth Prince's clothes, fast asleep.
The Ninth Prince, who was holding her in one arm, held a black jade fan and wore a flowing crimson robe with a black overcoat embroidered with peony patterns in gold thread. His long black hair was tied up with a black jade hair crown, revealing his slender neck and the faintly visible Adam's apple...
The handsome Ninth Prince was greeted with many ministers who came forward to pay their respects as soon as his carriage stopped. After they finished, someone lifted the curtain and said, "Greetings, Ninth Prince. Please alight from your carriage."
As soon as the carriage curtain was lifted, a hand reached out.
The blinding light shone straight in.
Yuan Yao felt unwell, frowned, and snuggled closer to the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince's eyes turned slightly cold. He didn't touch the outstretched hand, but instead flicked his long sleeve to block the light, and carried Yuan Yao off the carriage with one arm.
The square was packed with people.
Hundreds of students, from six-year-old children to young adults in their twenties, were all dressed in white robes embroidered with silver water patterns—the uniforms of the National Academy—and stood in neat order, led by their respective teaching assistants.
The new students who enrolled this year are preparing for their entrance ceremony...
The moment the Ninth Prince stepped off the carriage, the apprenticeship ceremony was suspended, and all eyes turned to him.
The man in the morning light held a white ball in his arms, but it was as if he were holding a precious treasure. He was obviously beautiful, but his aura was extremely cold, as if a fallen god had descended.
This caused quite a stir in the crowd.
Among the new students, a child exclaimed in surprise, "Is he the legendary Nine Thousand Year Old?"
The little girl next to her nodded emphatically, unable to contain her excitement: "It's him! It's him! The Ninth Prince is truly the most handsome man in the world!"
"Yes, yes! The Ninth Prince is so handsome! If only he weren't a eunuch, I could marry him when I grow up!" someone chimed in.
A small voice covered her mouth: "How could you dare marry him? My mother said he's a ruthless killer, he's really terrifying!"
"Shh..." a child whispered from the side, "Don't say anything, or the Ninth Prince will hear you and have you all chopped up..."
The noise in the square woke Yuan Yao.
She yawned and said softly, "Father, I'm awake. Put me down."
Under the watchful eyes of thousands, the Ninth Prince waved his sleeve, bent down, and put down the baby in his arms.
Yuan Yao smiled brightly, ready to greet the new classmates standing next to her, but found that all the little ones were curious yet timid, and didn't dare to look at her.
Yuan Yao scratched his head and looked up at the Ninth Prince.
There stood the Ninth Prince, holding a jade fan, his slender eyebrows and eyes sweeping over the students in the square.
In an instant, the entire square fell silent.
An old man with a square face and a long beard, dressed in a scarlet robe, walked over and gave a stiff and dignified bow: "Kong Zhaofu, Dean of the National Academy, greets Your Excellency and the Princess."
The Ninth Prince gently waved his jade fan and said to Yuan Yao, "Little Yao, from now on, you will be a student of the National Academy. In the days to come, you must study hard and not disappoint your father."
Yuan Yao sighed inwardly and obediently replied, "Yao'er will study hard."
The dean then led her to a row of plump little radish heads.
Upon seeing Yuan Yao, the little rascals all backed away as if they had seen a demon.
Yuan Yao blinked.
It's over.
Yuan Yao thought that, judging from this plot development, she was not far from being isolated and bullied at school...
Seeing this, the dean did not say anything, but instead had Yuan Yao stand in front of a row of female students.
Yuan Yao stood still obediently.
Just then, she heard faint sounds of a heated discussion behind her—
"Why did she come to our class? I'm so scared, waaaaaah..."
"My mother said I'm not allowed to speak to Princess Yuan Yao, or the Ninth Prince will kill me. How terrifying..."
"But she's so cute, just as beautiful as the Ninth Prince!"
"The Ninth Prince is the most handsome man in the entire world. How could his daughter not be beautiful?"
"..."
These little rascals are really interesting!
Yuan Yao pricked up his ears, listening with great interest.
Suddenly, a discordant voice rang out: "Look at all of you, so useless! No matter how handsome the Ninth Prince is, he's still just a eunuch!"
The little girl who had been praising him earlier was now furious: "So what if he's a eunuch? Eunuchs still keep your Marquis Dingjun's mansion in check. Even your concubine aunt doesn't have as much influence as a eunuch. What are you, Lin Xuan, anyway?"
The little boy's eyes reddened with anger: "You...you wait! I'll kill that scoundrel Yuan Yuan sooner or later!"
That's amazing!
Some little brat actually said he wanted to kill her father!
Yuan Yao turned her head in surprise.
Among the row of male students next to her, near the back, stood a rather thin and tall boy. His belt was haphazardly tied, his face was tense, his posture was ramrod straight, and he had an arrogant air about him…
When she looked over, the little boy glared at her.
He's so fierce!
Yuan Yao tugged at the dean's robe and asked, "Dean, what class is this?"
The dean glanced at her: "Your Highness, this is the freshman class, which is also the elementary class of the National Academy."
Preschool class?
Isn't that just like kindergarten? Or preschool?
Yuan Yao was stunned for a moment.
Does this mean she's... going back to kindergarten?
She, a woman in her twenties who had already graduated from university, was now in ancient times, having to attend kindergarten with a bunch of little kids.
No, no!
She's more than qualified for the highest grade at the National Academy!
Yuan Yao struggled, clinging to the robes of the Ninth Prince like an octopus: "Father, I don't want to go to the freshman class! I want to go to another class!"
"Oh?" The Ninth Prince put one hand on her back and asked, "Why?"
That's a really hard excuse to come up with...
She wouldn't go so far as to say that she's been to school, would she?
Suddenly, Yuan Yao's eyes lit up. Pointing in Lin Xuan's direction, she said in a childish voice, "That person is so fierce and scary! Yao'er doesn't want to be in the same class as him!"
Lin Xuan: "???"
Lin Xuan was nearly driven mad with anger. His face flushed red, and he shouted, "You brat! Who are you calling fierce? Believe me or not, I'll beat you to a pulp!"
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