Chapter 6: A Day at the Imperial Academy

After the others left, Sheng Qingzi casually glanced at Liu Lan’s position, happening to meet Liu Lan’s smiling and passionate eyes. She did not hide the thoughts beneath the ripples in her eyes at all, instead magnifying them infinitely, exposing them nakedly in front of him.

Although she had just reached out to support him, and he thanked her out of courtesy, her gaze towards him was no different from those ill-intentioned women. Moreover, her family background was illustrious, and her status was not simple. He couldn’t use the usual methods to deal with lustful people, so it seemed he could only take things one step at a time, hoping she wouldn’t go too far.

Sheng Qingzi really couldn’t understand why Scholar Lu would be friends with such a person. The only self-convincing reason was: maybe Scholar Lu was kind-hearted and beautiful.

Sheng Qingzi temporarily hid his confusion in his heart. He stepped forward, subconsciously leaning towards Lu Yuner’s right side, and spoke, “You two, follow me.”

Lu Yuner saw Sheng Qingzi’s deliberate action to keep his distance from Liu Lan. She sighed lightly in her heart. Precisely because she knew Liu Lan’s character, she frowned at Liu Lan, giving her a look that meant “restrain yourself, don’t scare him.”

Liu Lan smiled and nodded, then followed.

A short while later.

It was the prime of spring, with lush greenery and a gentle breeze caressing all things, making everything refreshing and full of vitality.

In the distance, Lu Yuner and her companions saw a dazzling and magnificent sight at the center of the surrounding emerald green. Under the warm spring sun, the Confucian Temple was grand in scale, with the main buildings covered in yellow glazed tiles, showcasing the royal family’s noble style.

At this moment, Liu Lan walked obediently beside Lu Yuner, with her arms crossed in front of her chest, not daring to take an extra step. However, her eyes were fixated on the slender blue figure in front of her.

Sheng Qingzi walked ahead, with his back to the two. The brazen and rude gaze behind him made him feel very uncomfortable, as if it was constantly sticking to his body. With a displeased expression, he awkwardly bit his lip and quickened his pace.

Why was this person so annoying?

Meanwhile, Lu Yuner’s picturesque brows and eyes were relaxed as she leisurely appreciated the lush green scenery along the way. However, her thoughts drifted to the spring before she transmigrated.

At that time, she was a junior in college, enjoying the wonderful campus life. She never thought that due to a sudden traffic accident, her soul would transmigrate to this female-dominant world. Additionally, she often read female-dominant novels and had a relatively laid-back attitude, so she adapted within a few days of transmigrating.

However, she had never told anyone about such a bizarre, absurd, and unbelievable matter. If she did, she feared she would be treated as a lunatic and shunned.

This year was neither long nor short. She would also think of her family and friends, wondering how they were doing now. Thinking of this, Lu Yuner felt a bitter sweetness in her heart and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, she suddenly caught sight of a stone tablet not far away on the right, with the words “Forbidden Area” written on it. Behind the stone tablet was a lush bamboo forest, swaying left and right in the spring breeze, accompanied by a rustling sound. In this quiet walkway, it was as clear as music, and even a little strange.

Thinking that she would be teaching here in the future, and driven by curiosity, Lu Yuner pondered for a second before asking, “Scholar Sheng, why is that bamboo forest a forbidden area?”

Sheng Qingzi’s body froze. Judging by his memory, he was originally going to mention it, but he had forgotten about it because of that person.

Sheng Qingzi stopped and turned to look at the bamboo forest, his expression solemn. “That bamboo forest is called Feicui Garden. It used to be a place for students to rest or appreciate. However…” His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he paused before continuing, “Ever since a few ‘haunting’ incidents occurred half a year ago, causing panic among the people in this academy, the Libationer ordered that no one was allowed to enter that bamboo forest.”

“Haunting?” Liu Lan raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. “I never thought that the Imperial Academy, known for its strict scholarship and noble academic style, would also believe in ghosts and gods. It’s utterly ridiculous! If that’s the case, they might as well stay at home every day, worshipping Buddha and burning incense to seek fame and fortune!”

In her years of killing enemies on the battlefield, countless souls had perished under her blade. How come not a single ghost had come to find her? This was simply nonsense!

Sheng Qingzi secretly gritted his teeth, his delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. He immediately took over the conversation, “The Libationer sent people to carefully inspect inside, and there was absolutely nothing there. For the safety of the students, Feicui Garden was sealed off. For the past half year, there have been no incidents.”

Lu Yuner pondered for a moment and spoke, “If it’s ‘haunting,’ has anyone actually seen the ghost?”

Initially, she didn’t believe in ghosts and gods either. But since this happened to her, she had no choice but to believe it to some extent.

Sheng Qingzi turned his gaze to Lu Yuner, his eyes gentle. “I don’t know about that. Because it involves the reputation of the Imperial Academy, only the Libationer and the Supervisor are aware of the specific details. Anyway, don’t go…”

Before he could finish.

“Qingzi, have you forgotten the consequences of delaying the sacrificial vegetable ceremony?” Suddenly, a clear and cold voice rang out.

Sheng Qingzi recognized the person’s voice and immediately turned around to respond, “Okay, Sister Bing, I’m coming right away.”

Lu Yuner looked in the direction of the voice and saw Liu Bing standing at the intersection ahead, her posture straight, wearing a scholar’s robe, and looking at them expressionlessly. Under the sunlight, she exuded a sense of coldness.

Sheng Qingzi hurriedly said, “Let’s go quickly! Otherwise, we’ll really be late!”

Lu Yuner and Liu Lan also quickened their pace to keep up.

They entered the Gate of the First Teacher[1] and arrived at the second courtyard, which was the central location of the Confucian Temple, the Hall of Great Perfection. Every time the grand ceremony of worshipping Confucius was held, it was completed here.

At this time, all the members of the Imperial Academy were standing in neat rows. On the offering table in front of the deity’s seat were the most commonly used offerings: jujubes, chestnuts, water celery, and celery.

Each had a different meaning. The jujubes symbolized setting ambitions early, the chestnuts represented a reverent heart, the water celery represented talent, and the celery also represented talent. Although the offerings were simple, they contained a reverent heart for the most sacred teacher and lofty aspirations.

Sheng Qingzi brought them to stand in the ranks.

About half an hour later, the sacrificial vegetable ceremony concluded. The Supervisor noticed that Lu Yuner and Liu Lan were not wearing scholars’ robes, so he took them to the Hall of Correcting Faults[2]. Along the way, Lu Yuner heard quite a few flattering words. After receiving the scholars’ robes, the two of them chatted with Han Ranzhi for a while before returning to the residence.

At this time, the sun was setting in the west, gradually approaching dusk.

Lu Yuner sat in the carriage, half of her body leaning against the carriage wall, her eyes quietly closed. She didn’t expect that today’s visit to the Imperial Academy would allow her to meet quite a few people. Recalling the various events that happened today, the corners of her mouth subconsciously curved upward. Indeed, compared to dealing with sycophants in the court, this was much more relaxing.

In the past year, she had spared no effort in using her brain to handle matters, making her poor little brain suffer.

Qiu Yi, holding the master’s scholar robe in her arms, sat beside her. Seeing the master in a cheerful mood, she smiled along and spoke, “Master, did you encounter something happy today?”

“Mm, I met a few good friends.” Lu Yuner answered with her eyes closed, her face content.

Although Qiu Yi was happy for her master in her heart, she still had some concerns. She frowned and said, “Master, now that your identity has changed, the officials in the court have always been people who flatter and follow the powerful. Moreover, the Imperial Academy is under the Ministry of Rites. Qiu Yi is afraid that someone…”

“You’re afraid that someone will give me a hard time.” Lu Yuner slowly opened her eyes. The issue Qiu Yi was considering was something she had already thought about. Although the Lu family was a military family, it was not the same as before. Moreover, she had offended quite a few people, so they would certainly cause trouble for her in secret.

Lu Yuner’s eyes curved into a smile instead. “Your master has indeed had a hard time, but you know what? After a few days, those shoes no longer fit. Maybe it’s because your master’s feet are too big and stretched the shoes out. Why don’t we go to the shoe shop to buy a pair of shoes in a few days?”

As she spoke, she even lowered her head to look at the shoes on her feet.

“Master, please don’t joke around. I’m talking about serious matters!” Qiu Yi sighed helplessly. Every time she brought up important matters, her master would beat around the bush.

Lu Yuner’s expression became slightly more serious, but she still had a hint of a smile. “Alright, I know what you’re worried about. You see, the world is so big, and sunlight can’t possibly reach every dark corner. However, on the other hand, you should also believe in General Liu!”

When Qiu Yi heard about this big shot, General Liu, her furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and the worries in her heart dissipated.

Lu Yuner continued, “Really, accompany me to buy a new pair of shoes in a few days. By the way, I’ve decided to stay at the Imperial Academy during my teaching period. For the next few days, I’ll temporarily stay at the mansion. The Imperial Academy doesn’t allow attendants, so you’ll stay at the mansion and take good care of it for me.”

“Master? This…” Qiu Yi’s brows furrowed, her pupils widened, and a look of confusion surfaced on her face. She was obviously shocked by her master’s sudden decision. She had accompanied her master since childhood, and her master’s daily life was personally taken care of by her. What if her master wasn’t used to living in the Imperial Academy?

Lu Yuner patted Qiu Yi’s shoulder and said softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back when I have time. The Imperial Academy is a place for teaching, educating people, and cultivating talents. It has always been strict in scholarship and management. Moreover, the Lu Mansion is still quite a distance from the Imperial Academy. If I were to stay at the mansion, I would have to get up early and return late every day with dark circles under my eyes. Don’t you want your master to have a good night’s sleep? Besides, didn’t Mu Yang send a letter saying he would come to the capital in a few days? Someone will accompany you then.”

Qiu Yi pursed her lips and obediently nodded.

This Mu Yang was the master’s sworn younger brother. Years ago, when General Lu was still alive, he found a lost little boy who was unattended on the road in Jiangnan. So, General Lu sent people to search for his family. Later, they found the child’s family and discovered that the child’s mother had been too busy doing business and had neglected him. General Lu, seeing that he had a connection with the little boy, took him as his sworn son.

Over the years, the two families often exchanged letters and had a deep friendship.

Lu Yuner smiled with satisfaction, thinking that she would start teaching tomorrow. She felt inexplicably excited because although she had been a student, it was her first time standing on the podium with a textbook to teach and educate people. In order not to misguide the students, she planned to return to the mansion to prepare the lessons well and improve her own literary quality.

However, fortunately, both her parents were high school Chinese teachers. Under their influence since childhood, she developed a strong interest in literature. So, in high school, she resolutely chose to be a liberal arts student, and in university, she also chose Chinese language as her major.

Moreover, with the fusion of the original owner’s memories, she couldn’t say she had extensive knowledge and was well-versed in all fields, but she could at least be considered well-read.