Chu Mingyi was confused, Chu Mingyi was bewildered, Chu Mingyi was shocked.
After opening the letter, he questioned with three parts confusion, three parts bewilderment, three parts shock, and one part anger, “It wasn’t me who broke the thing, so why do I have to pay for it?
“And besides, look at this—does the price even make sense? A single teacup costs three hundred taels.”
A Ming remained expressionless and calm as he replied, “Our master said, a gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. Since the General was present, he naturally bears some responsibility.”
Compared to Chu Mingyi’s shock at Wu Ciyun’s shameless behavior, Wen Guanyu was far more composed, as if he had already expected such a move from Wu Ciyun.
He immediately had a servant bring over a silver voucher and handed it to A Ming.
A Ming counted it seriously once and reminded, “Grand Tutor Wen, there’s too much money.”
Since Wu Ciyun didn’t show up, Wen Guanyu was too lazy to waste time here and casually said, “Keep the excess as a tip.”
Hearing that, A Ming obediently shut his mouth and then looked over at Chu Mingyi again.
Their master really isn’t wrong; the people of Liang Dynasty are swimming in wealth.
Not taking advantage of them would be a waste.
“…Your master really throws money around like it’s nothing.”
Chu Mingyi clicked his tongue lightly and said with no good humor, “Come with me.”
A Ming smiled broadly and quickly followed Chu Mingyi’s steps.
Chu Mingyi truly didn’t know how to react now; his feelings were extremely complicated.
The relief was that Wu Ciyun wasn’t as promiscuous as he had imagined.
The frustration was that Wu Ciyun wasn’t lustful but greedy.
No wonder people say spending money wards off misfortune; compared to everything else, Wu Ciyun’s greed was actually more reassuring.
“Take this back to Wu Ciyun.”
Chu Mingyi took out the item Chu Zhiling had entrusted him to hand over to Wu Ciyun.
The item was contained in a jade box.
A Ming glanced at it but didn’t open it and silently accepted the item, then left for the residence.
Prince Rui had always been wary of the Duke Protector of the State’s residence, planting spies nearby to monitor Wu Ciyun’s every move.
A Ming had snuck out like a thief to collect the debt, and returned in the same furtive manner, which wasted quite a bit of time.
When he returned to the residence with the item, Wu Ciyun had already taken her medicine and gone to rest, leaving only Housekeeper Rong sitting idly in the outer room flipping through a book.
Seeing A Ming come back, Rong casually asked, “What are you holding in your hand?”
“It’s the silver voucher recovered from Grand Tutor Wen and General Chu, and…”
A Ming hesitated briefly before quietly adding, “There’s also something the General asked me to deliver to the Master.”
Hearing this, Rong immediately grew alert. “What is it? Let me see it.”
A Ming didn’t move and hesitated over Rong’s request.
In the past, Rong was merely Wu Ciyun’s housekeeper.
Aside from secret letters entrusted to Wu Ciyun, he could inspect anything else to ensure there was no poison or hidden weapons.
But now, Rong had gained another identity, and Wu Ciyun’s attitude toward him had become ambiguous.
A Ming was genuinely unsure whether he should hand over the item to him.
He calmly changed the subject, asking, “Housekeeper Rong, why did the Master rest so early today?”
Seeing A Ming unwilling to show him the item, Rong grew more suspicious but maintained a neutral expression and explained, “A Yun said she’s been having insomnia and frequent dreams at night lately, so the Court Physician prescribed some extra calming medicine, which she just took before falling asleep.”
A Ming nodded knowingly and looked at Rong, who was still flipping book pages. He asked curiously, “Then why don’t you go in and keep the Master company?”
If A Ming had said nothing, it would have been fine, but now Rong felt even more disheartened.
He softly replied, “Because A Yun said my breathing is too loud.”
He looked at A Ming with some grievance and asked, “Is my breathing really that noisy?”
A Ming awkwardly smiled and lowered his voice, “Try to be quieter, or you might wake the Master.”
Rong silently closed his mouth again, glaring at the book in front of him and sulking in vain.
Wu Ciyun had always been a light sleeper.
Her long-standing habit kept her constantly alert to the environment around her.
Even a slight noise could wake her up. The physician often said this was detrimental to her health and occasionally prescribed calming tonics.
But Wu Ciyun always felt drowsy and uncomfortable after taking them and rarely actually used the medicine.
[Medicine has three parts poison; taking it constantly isn’t good for your health.]
The System surprisingly agreed with Wu Ciyun’s view and volunteered, [How about I give you a little hypnosis instead? I guarantee you’ll sleep very comfortably.]
Wu Ciyun didn’t understand what hypnosis meant, but she knew she was tied to the System like a grasshopper on a string.
The System likely wouldn’t harm her, so she was reluctantly willing to try this new thing.
[Listen to me. Slowly close your eyes now, relax your body, and imagine you are lying on a soft grassy meadow…]
“小 Master… Little Master.
“Wake up quickly, we’ve arrived.”
Wu Ciyun, leaning against the carriage wall and dozing, opened her eyes somewhat drowsily at the noise, instinctively clutching the bundle in her arms.
The coachman lifted the curtain and casually explained, “Zhaofeng Academy is just ahead. No carriages are allowed beyond this point, so please get down here.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Wu Ciyun struggled to stand and handed the coachman a payment.
It was twice the agreed fare, and the coachman’s face lit up with a wide grin, instantly treating her much better.
He courteously helped Wu Ciyun out of the carriage and wanted to take her bundle, but she subtly avoided him.
The coachman wasn’t offended but instead chuckled, “Little Master, judging by your accent, you’re not from Liang Capital, right?”
Wu Ciyun carefully considered her words and quietly said, “I’m from Nan’an.”
“Nan’an, that’s indeed quite far. You don’t look very old; why didn’t you bring a personal attendant or servant with you? Zhaofeng Academy is in the outskirts of the capital, not like the city where everything is convenient. Having someone with you makes daily life easier.”
The coachman’s eyes rolled as he probed, “My cousin just turned sixteen this year and has been studying with the academy’s scholars since childhood. He can read a few characters already.”
The little master in front of him was only about thirteen or fourteen but already so generous. He seemed easy to convince.
The coachman thought this was a good opportunity and enthusiastically said, “Little Master, if you don’t mind, how about…”
“No need, I already have an attendant.”
Wu Ciyun pressed her lips and explained, “But he caught a cold due to the climate and is still recovering at the inn. I was worried about delay, so I came ahead by myself.”
Hearing this, the coachman nodded and awkwardly fell silent.
Wu Ciyun worried that saying too much might reveal too much, so she planned to leave with her bundle immediately.
However, just as she took a step forward, a carriage sped past her, kicking up dust that covered her from head to toe.
Annoyed, she wiped her face with her sleeve and turned to glare at the coachman, frowning, “Didn’t you say no carriages are allowed here?!”
Perhaps the coachman saw she was young and alone from a distant place, so he deliberately lied to deceive her!
“Little Master, that was the carriage of the eldest son of the Wen family. You know the Wen family, right?”
The coachman pointed to the carriage parked behind them, exasperated, “Don’t think I’m lying. Look for yourself; everyone else walked here on foot.”
Wu Ciyun glanced back at the other noble sons slowly dismounting their horses and frowned but said nothing. She quickly thanked the coachman and headed toward the academy.
Zhaofeng Academy began its lectures every year in the late spring of the third month.
Wu Ciyun followed others in presenting her Token and Letter of Recommendation to the academy master. The academy master flipped through the roster and casually asked, “What is your name? Where are you from?”
Wu Ciyun subconsciously clenched the corner of her garment and quietly replied, “Nan’an, Chen Yuanqing.”
“You’re from Nan’an? Could you be related to Chen Kai?”
The academy master asked Wu Ciyun to wait nearby briefly and sent someone to summon Chen Kai within the academy.
Soon, a plainly dressed, plump student hurried out. He glanced around and asked puzzled, “Academy master, where is the person?”
The academy master was momentarily stunned and pointed in Wu Ciyun’s direction, oddly asking, “You don’t even recognize your own cousin?”
Wu Ciyun instinctively wanted to lower her head but forced herself to look up and spoke obediently, “Cousin.”
“Are you Yuanqing?”
Chen Kai looked at Wu Ciyun in surprise and only after a while said, “So it’s you. I’ve never met you in person before, only heard from Auntie that you’re honest and…”
The Chen family men were usually stout and hefty. He had expected Chen Yuanqing to be a round, chubby boy, but instead saw a lean young man with delicate features.
His slightly rounded eyes looked somewhat shy as he stared at them, his clothes dirty and dusty—far from what Chen Kai had imagined.
Although relatives, they weren’t that close, so Chen Kai muttered a few words to himself but didn’t press further. He said, “Enough of that. Come with me first.”
Hearing this, Wu Ciyun hurriedly picked up her bundle and followed Chen Kai’s steps. Chen Kai frowned seeing her struggling and asked, “Where is your attendant? I should have told Auntie in my letter to bring a servant or someone literate with you.”
“I did bring an attendant…”
Wu Ciyun pressed her lips, her voice cracking with a slight sob, truly like a frightened young master from a wealthy family, stammering, “The inn where I stayed caught fire, and the attendant I brought…”
“Was that the inn in the east part of the city?”
Chen Kai’s friend sighed, “That was really unfortunate. I heard everyone there was burned to ashes.”
“I’ll find you another attendant later. It’ll be better for your daily life and care.”
Chen Kai casually took the bundle from Wu Ciyun’s hands without much concern.
It was clear that although Chen Kai’s background at the academy wasn’t prestigious, he was well-liked, as many greeted him along the way.
Wu Ciyun curiously observed the unfamiliar surroundings and caught sight of a young noble in blue robes walking along the corridor, surrounded by a circle of sycophants. Her steps faltered slightly.
Chen Kai followed her gaze and casually explained, “That’s Wen Guanyu, eldest son of the Wen family. You’re new here, so you don’t know him yet. He’s cold by nature; just avoid him.”
Hearing this, Wu Ciyun angrily wiped her face and muttered quietly, “Annoying pest…”