academy
The peaceful days didn't last long. Lu Tongxue came to Ningxiang Residence again, this time with Lu Fei.
Seeing that Yu Ren was being sent away again, Mu Qing had an ominous premonition. Every time someone was sent away, it was for something outrageous.
Lu Fei, dressed in a white scholar's robe with a gauze overlay, looked as if he had just returned from the academy and hadn't had time to change. He casually sat down at the table, gave Lu Tongxue a wink, and poured himself some tea.
Lu Tongxue, dressed in a peach-red brocade robe, whether it was the red robe reflecting her figure or her face that was naturally flushed, first exchanged pleasantries and said in a sweet voice, "Sister Qing, you must be all better now. You look no different than before, your skin is as white as snow."
Mu Qing rubbed the goosebumps that suddenly appeared under her long sleeves. "Why did Tong come with Xiao Fei?"
Lu Tongxue looked at her with a smile, "I heard from Xiao Fei that Sister Qing learned to be agile in the mountains and can fly over walls."
Mu Qing glared at Lu Fei. Last time, she was caught by Zhong Linlan because she helped him steal a painting. What does he want her to do this time?
Lu Fei shrugged and said, "She's threatening me, I have no other choice."
Mu Qing looked at Lu Tongxue with suspicion, "Can't you just say what you're doing openly?"
Lu Tongxue bit her lip. "Yesterday, my third aunt arranged a meeting for me with someone."
Mu Qing nodded, waiting for her to continue, but saw that she looked troubled and remained silent.
Lu Fei scoffed, "I'll speak for her. The man her mother arranged for her, she met while shopping a while ago. She had a fight with him and lost. When she got home, she blackmailed me into helping her deal with him. He's from Wansong Academy. Because of my father, I can move around the academy easily. Taking his assignments wouldn't be difficult. But as soon as I brought them back to her, she set her sights on him and fell head over heels for him..."
"Who's fallen for him?" Lu Tongxue's face turned red. "I just felt there was no need to offend him."
Seeing her embarrassment, Mu Qing asked curiously, "The other party didn't know you were the one who wanted to take it. Even if they did find out, it should be considered that Xiao Fei has offended them."
"But I feel guilty, and I know that if I stay with him, I'll eventually slip up."
"Get to know each other?" Does that mean you want to be in a relationship with that person?
"Sister Qing, please help me return the article that Lu Fei stole." Lu Tongxue clasped her hands together, looking obedient. "We could have let Lu Fei return it, but the academy is on holiday, and he said it was inconvenient for him to go in, so he can only ask you for help."
Mu Qing fell silent for a moment; she really disliked doing such sneaky things.
Lu Fei replied matter-of-factly, “It’s very simple. I’ll draw you a map of the academy and tell you how to get there. Just think of it as a trip.”
It sounds simple, and it doesn't seem difficult to do either. Mu Qing couldn't resist the pleading and agreed without really understanding what was going on.
When Lu Tongxue took out a stack of articles from her sleeve, she glanced at them and saw that they were signed by Ji Wenjie. She immediately looked up.
Lu Tongxue quickly averted her gaze and reluctantly said, "I know he is the brother of the Ji sisters. At first, I felt disgusted when I thought of his two younger sisters, but he is a good writer, and his family background is also compatible with mine, so I thought I could make do."
Mu Qing smiled; there was nothing she didn't understand.
After they left, Ning Gu asked what had happened. Mu Qing evasively replied that it was about a blind date; Lu Fei had met the man Tong Meimei was meeting, and they had come to inquire. Lu Fei never liked having idle people around when he was talking. Ning Gu didn't think much of it and didn't ask any further questions.
As night fell, Mu Qing changed into night clothes and went to Wansong Academy.
The academy was much larger than the map Lu Fei had drawn. The buildings were neatly arranged and connected, and many tall pine and bamboo trees were planted there. The wind was howling and the shadows were heavy. Once inside, it was difficult to distinguish directions.
A few houses had lights on, and the faint sounds of music and conversation added a touch of life, making it less eerie.
Mu Qing walked along the corner of the wall, going back and forth several times, counting the doors and windows in search of the quiet room Lu Fei had mentioned, but she still couldn't find it until the moon was high in the sky.
After a long period of fruitless effort, she couldn't help but feel anxious. Fortunately, she had the map with her. She slipped under the lit eaves and, by the dim yellow light streaming through the window, took out the map and memorized it again and again, but she had no idea where she was.
She walked around to the front of the building, looked at the lintel, and after half-touching and half-looking at it, she just recognized that this was the school building numbered C when she heard someone behind her scream in horror.
Who are you?!
A scholar in white robes, carrying a white paper lantern, was returning from outside when he saw a dark shadow under the eaves and stopped in his tracks in fright.
The night was quiet. The people in the school heard a shout outside and immediately opened the door. Mu Qing ran away quickly, only to hear three loud shouts behind him.
"Someone has broken in! Thief! He's right here!"
Someone then struck a gong, and suddenly a great commotion arose, and lights came on in several houses.
Even after running far away, Mu Qing still felt a buzzing in his ears and was very puzzled. The academy was on holiday, so why were there so many people here?
She hid in the shadows, recalling the direction she had run from, and deduced that she was not far from the quiet room. After thinking about the route she should take again, she took another step.
As we rounded the corner of the corridor, someone suddenly darted out from the corner, seemingly lying in ambush. The attack was incredibly precise, and the person even had time to shout, "Gotcha! Right here!"
When Mu Qing was pressed against the wall, he was stunned, his eyes glazed over.
The moonlight was faint, but it was clear that the person who had captured her was exactly the same as the portrait in the booklet.
His face still held a melancholy expression, but a fierce glint was hidden between his lowered brows. He held her tightly, yet still managed to free one hand to rip off her face mask.
“Big…” He suddenly let go.
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, Mu Qing made her escape.
When a group of scholars came running with lanterns, they couldn't find her. They asked the man leaning against the wall, "Where is she?"
"They've already run away."
His breathing was uneven, as if he were frightened.
The scholar beside him teased, "Bai Xuan, did you fight that thief, or did he just beat you up?"
"Nothing, they just got away."
As he spoke, he bent down, picked up the lantern that had been lying on the ground from the corner of the wall, and lit the candle.
The other scholars, seeing his wilted appearance, were greatly disappointed. But when they heard someone shouting in the distance, they rushed over in a clamor.
With no one around, he pulled the torn-off face cloth from his pocket; it was a smooth, dark blue silk handkerchief. He stroked it and stuffed it back in.
Mu Qing wrapped her braid around her face to cover it up. After finding a quiet room, she hurriedly placed the stack of articles on the table and fled back to the Lu residence, her mind in turmoil.
She had remembered Song Baixuan ever since she saw him in that booklet, but she couldn't recall who he was until they met briefly and she belatedly realized that he was Er Gouzi from the village, Uncle Fang's son.
I always called him Uncle Fang, and sometimes I forgot that his surname was Song. I always called him Er Gouzi, so I never paid attention to his real name.
Uncle Fang, Song Fang, was originally the leader of a stronghold, but joined Jing Lei Stronghold midway.
Mu Qing only knew that he was her father's defeated opponent. Later, he became her father's right-hand man. When he went to negotiate with the government officials, he and her father went and never returned.
How did his son, Song Baixuan, escape from the government's siege when he was young?
The question flashed through Mu Qing's mind, but she remembered that the monkey had not only taught her this, but also taught the children in the village in his spare time, so she stopped thinking about it.
Everyone now has a new identity, can forget the past, and live a peaceful life. There's no need to create trouble out of nothing.
Song Baixuan saw her face and recognized her, but he didn't know where she came from or where she was going, and it wouldn't be easy for him to see her.
She will no longer go to Wansong Academy, and will stay far away from the scholars there in the future.
The next day, when Lu Tongxue came to ask about the situation, Mu Qing whispered to her.
"It's already been returned. However, there are quite a few people in the academy; it doesn't look like they're on holiday."
Lu Tongxue smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the Shangsi Festival. We can go out together, follow the example of our ancestors, bathe in the Yi River, enjoy the breeze at the Wu Yu Altar, float wine cups on the winding stream, and feast and socialize."
The Shangsi Festival has many customs since ancient times, and literati often use it to express their feelings. Mu Qing roughly understood this.
But as Lu Tongxue continued speaking, she turned and invited, "Sister Qing, let's go for a stroll outside the city tomorrow."
Thinking about the trouble she had caused, Mu Qing refused, "Didn't you just go out of town for fun a few days ago?"
“Sister Keqing, you didn’t go.” Lu Tongxue nudged her arm. “You’ve had this rash for over half a month now, and you haven’t had a proper chance to go out and play. It’s not good for you to stay cooped up in the house all day.”
Mu Qing wasn't so foolish as to believe everything she heard.
"Tong-meimei said she was doing it for me, but actually she wanted to see the young master of the Ji family, right?"
“I won’t just throw myself at their door.” Lu Tongxue let go of her hand, somewhat annoyed. “Xiao Fei said that the students of their academy can go out to play through the East Gate, while we can go out to play through the South Gate. We can each do our own thing and have nothing to do with each other.”
Mu Qing pondered for a moment.
Lu Tongxue was a little anxious, so she pouted at Ning Gu and asked Ning Gu to help persuade her.
"Miss, why don't you go out and have a look?" Aunt Ning was always understanding and hoped that her young mistress could be more cheerful. "The spring scenery is beautiful lately, so it's a good time to see friends and have some fun."
Mu Qing tried to think of any friends she might have, when she heard Lu Tongxue laugh and say, "Liu Zhifu's son, Lingchun, has asked me about you several times. He asks what illness you have, why you are not seeing guests, and when it is convenient for you to go out. He asks every time he sees you, saying he really wants to see you."
Thinking back to the day she attended the ceremony, Mu Qing didn't really want to see Liu Lingchun, but she also felt that her illness was ultimately Zhong Linlan's fault.
"Is she leaving town tomorrow too?"
Hearing that she was getting interested, Lu Tongxue smiled and said, "It's the annual Shangsi Festival. As the daughter of the prefect, she'll have plenty of invitations to go out and have fun. She'll definitely be going out of the city."
Mu Qing nodded, "Then it will probably be troublesome for us to see her."
Seeing that she was hesitant, Lu Tongxue said angrily, "What's so difficult about seeing her for a short while? Even if we don't see her, we can still go out. Don't make excuses!"
Mu Qing felt a little embarrassed that she had been seen through. "Fine, fine, we'll leave the city tomorrow, okay?"
Lu Tongxue smiled smugly.
Mu Qing sighed. Seeing that Shi Yu and the other maids beside her were covering their mouths and chuckling, she knew that they also wanted to go out and play. She could only smile helplessly and accept their request.
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