Xiao Chaihu was stunned for a moment. His usually indifferent eyes were now like a stone causing a thousand waves, revealing a full look of shock. He stared at Ji Xinhe, dazed for a long time before finally managing to ask, "Wha...What?"
Xinhe spoke seriously, "Tell me the truth, do you not like girls? If that’s really the case, I might be able to accept it. If you want to be with a man, I won’t stop you."
Xinhe felt there really wasn’t a more open-minded sister in this world than her. Xiao Chaihu was lucky to have such a good sister in his life, otherwise, which family would allow their younger brother to come out of the closet so brazenly?!
Finally coming back to his senses, Xiao Chaihu saw Ji Xinhe looking very serious and immediately shook his head: "I don’t!"
Xinhe was suspiciously looking at him: "Really not?"
Xiao Chaihu was truly in awe of Ji Xinhe’s imagination. Did this woman seriously think that he would like men rather than her?!
"No." Xiao Chaihu was already grinding his teeth a bit.
Xinhe hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty, "If it was any other man, that would be okay. But if it’s Xiao Bei, it’s not alright. After all, Xiao Bei already has a girl he likes, they are already engaged..."
Xiao Chaihu’s veins on his forehead throbbed as he gritted his teeth and said word by word, "I already told you, no."
Only then did Xinhe let him off the hook: "If it’s not, then so be it."
Though she said that, she was still half convinced and half doubtful. Any adolescent boy who could be so indifferent to girls was unthinkable. Even Mu Houchu, a cold-blooded mountain, had also met her, right?
Aside from this, Ji Xinhe really couldn’t think of any other reason for Xiao Chaihu’s unusual behavior.
But considering boys may have a stronger sense of self-esteem, he might not be able to tolerate such things being said so openly.
Seeing Ji Xinhe’s forced appearance, Xiao Chaihu’s corner of his mouth twitched fiercely, and he awkwardly said, "Then I’ll go out first."
"Go ahead." Xinhe waved her hand tiredly.
Now, Xinhe was a bit regretful. Looking back, Xiao Chaihu didn’t have any girls around him as he grew up. He spent almost all his time with Xiao Bei. And then there was Ah Guai who occasionally stuck around them to play. Aside from her, there were no women!
Of course, she had automatically sidelined herself without a second thought. For Xiao Chaihu, she was like an older sister to Xiao Bei, so where could all these messy thoughts come from?
Xiaoyu and Shulan came in carefully, and couldn’t help but ask, "Did the princess have a fight with Xiao Chaihu?"
Xinhe irritatedly replied, "Why on earth should I be angry?"
"The slave girl just saw Xiao Chaihu leave, his face looked unusually awful..." Shulan hesitated.
It was more than awful, it was as black as a pot!
Xinhe rubbed her forehead, but still decided not to share this matter with anyone. Not even Shulan or Xiaoyu. She said, "Enough, I’m tired. Let’s wash and go to bed."
"Yes." Once Ji Xinhe said this, Shulan and Xiaoyu naturally wouldn’t say anything more and just gave an affirmative answer.
---
The New Year finally passed with much fanfare. The public school that Marquis Mu had been preparing for the New Year was officially ready to be opened, named the Virtue School.
The requirement for admission was a scholar’s ranking or above, and the recommendation of a distinguished teacher. Virtue School had gathered the best scholars in Yu State and thus would naturally attract the most outstanding students. Most importantly, once students were admitted into Virtue School, their tuition would be fully covered.
This was undoubtedly great news for many scholars.
Among scholars, aside from a few aristocratic youngsters, there were countless children from poor families. These children, because of their poverty, did not have good teachers, lacked learning resources, and even struggled to afford necessary books. It would indeed be difficult to secure a place in the imperial examination system as a talented scholar. Now, the Virtue School, is intended to benefit these promising scholars.
Once the Virtue School was established, the news attracted a lot of attention throughout Yu State. Countless scholars made special trips to the front door of Yuwang Residence to thank His Highness for his kindness.
Seeing this scene, Xinhe was undoubtedly happy. Marquis Mu was a born king, in a short period of time, he had managed to stabilize the people of Yu State after its separation. Even with the issue of the imperial examination, many scholars were hesitant about whether to trust the court or stay in Yu State. With the establishment of the Virtue School, Marquis Mu managed to retain a wealth of talent. The imperial examination system in Yu State continued as usual and no other place’s scholars were as fortunate as those in Yu State.
While some people are joyful, others are worried. The Virtue School officially opened with great fanfare. The scholars who were admitted were enthusiastic about studying, including Xiao Chaihu...
"Li Nan, we are going to the Virtue School together this time. I heard that the Dean is a very famous Grand Scholar from the Hanlin Academy. We will definitely study better there. It’s just that I’m a bit reluctant to leave home. Ah Guai will definitely miss me." Xiao Bei was muttering while packing his bags.
Xiao Chaihu silently packed his bags.
"Hey, did you not hear me talk?" Xiao Bei moved closer to him unhappily.
Xiao Chaihu’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment. He recalled Ji Xinhe’s words, "Any other man is okay, but Xiao Bei is not", and his face stiffened. He rudely pushed Xiao Bei away, "Don’t bother me."
Xiao Bei looked at Xiao Chaihu in doubt, somewhat inexplicably: "Hey, you!"
While he was speaking, Ah Guai bounced in: "Little Uncle, Uncle Xiao Nan, I came to see you off!"
"Oh, my little Ah Guai, you really can’t bear to part with your little uncle, can you?" Xiao Bei happily hugged Ah Guai.
Ah Guai nodded, "If my little uncle leaves, Ah Guai will miss him. Little uncle, remember to come back and see Ah Guai often."
"My dear, I will definitely not forget our little Ah Guai."
Song Xi happened to walk in and laughed, "Are you all leaving today? What’s the rush?"
Song Xi still had no official title, so naturally, he wouldn’t go. He chose to keep a low profile to mislead the world about his chronic illness as the young master of the Song family, therefore he had no intention of taking the imperial examination. He was still staying in the Royal Mansion with Ah Guai.
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