"Avoid trouble?" Meng Ruyi knew the answer but still pretended to be deep in thought. She propped her chin with her hand, frowned, and asked after a moment of silence, "What on earth has happened?"
"She's the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shangguan family. Who could possibly make her go into hiding?" Meng Ruyi was well - aware of the situation but still hypothesized to Mr. Lin, "Could it be... "
Worried about eavesdroppers, Meng Ruyi pursed her lips cautiously and then pointed in the direction of the capital.
"Yeah." Mr. Lin understood her meaning and also knew about her caution. He couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
It seemed that Ruyi had really grown up quickly.
"It's that person," Mr. Lin said and then explained, "You don't need to worry here at our place. It's all safe."
His tone was firm. "The capital has been quite lively recently. Since the last winter ended too late, that person's health has been failing, so naturally, those below have become restless."
Meng Ruyi was startled. She looked up at Mr. Lin and saw that his face remained calm. He was smiling at her and Song Huaizhi.
Was Mr. Lin so nonchalant about sharing a piece of news that could shake the capital just by leaking a bit of it?
"No wonder the crown prince has suddenly reached out so far," Meng Ruyi sighed, her tone tinged with a hard - to - describe annoyance.
"Indeed. The crown prince has gone too far recently. Ruyi and Huaizhi, you should be careful. Don't let him take notice of you for now."
After saying that, Mr. Lin sighed and said to the two of them, "Alright, you've been in a hurry all the way. You need to rest. Go back and take a break first. Later, I'll have a servant take you around. Tomorrow, I'll find someone to take you to the academy."
"By the way," Mr. Lin suddenly remembered something. He got up, walked to the desk in front, opened a drawer, and took out two small tokens. "Take these."
He placed the tokens in front of the two of them on the table and said, "It's quite troublesome to get in and out of the academy. With these, you can enter and leave directly."
"Thank you, sir," Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi took the tokens, thanked Mr. Lin, and then turned to leave the room.
A few steps to the left after leaving the door was the small courtyard where they lived. Song Huaizhi's courtyard was closer to Mr. Lin's, while Meng Ruyi's was farther but more serene.
Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi exchanged a few casual words and then went back to their own small courtyards to rest.
The small courtyard wasn't very big. There was a maid waiting at the door. She had a delicate appearance. Looking at Meng Ruyi respectfully, she said, "Miss Meng, I'll be in charge of your daily life in the academy from now on. If you need anything, just tell me."
"I'm Chuixue," the maid said and then looked up, giving Meng Ruyi a gentle smile. "After you rest for a while, I'll show you around the academy."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Wow!
Meng Ruyi couldn't help but exclaim in her heart. Mr. Lin was so considerate! He had directly sent her a walking encyclopedia of information. Chuixue seemed to walk lightly, a bit like Jingzhe. She was probably a martial artist.
"I'll have to trouble Miss Chuixue a lot in the future," Meng Ruyi said. As she spoke, she saw Chuixue open the door and say gently to her, "You're too kind, Miss Meng."
"I guess Miss Meng has a lot of questions. Why don't you come in and sit down? I'll tell you slowly."
After entering the door, Chuixue led Meng Ruyi to the study. She pulled out a chair for her and then stood there and said, "What would you like to know first, miss?"
"Just tell me the general situation of the academy," Meng Ruyi said and then quietly waited for Chuixue to start her introduction.
The White Deer Academy was in a special location. It was located on the outskirts of the capital under the emperor's nose. It didn't belong to any faction and had been neutral since its establishment.
So it attracted many scholars to come and study. Most of the scholars were from the capital, followed by those from the south of the Yangtze River. The rest were just a handful from the north of the Yangtze River or the southwest.
Although the academy clearly prohibited forming cliques, there were implicitly two groups: the southern group and the capital group. The two groups disliked each other and there were occasional conflicts.
However, the academy had heavy assessment tasks. There was a major exam every three months, so everyone was short on time and didn't have the time to quarrel.
The academy was divided into a boys' section and a girls' section. The teaching content was not very different, but there were a few courses unique to each section.
"However, there will be another assessment in half a month. Since you're new here, Miss Meng, you can talk to Mr. Lin and take it next time," Chuixue finally offered her suggestion.
"Thank you," Meng Ruyi nodded and said, "But I'd like to give it a try first."
Chuixue was a bit surprised but just smiled. She continued to say to Meng Ruyi, "Then would you like to rest first? I'll take you around the academy later."
"No need," Meng Ruyi was quite energetic at the moment. She said to Chuixue, "I'll change my clothes and then we can go."
After changing into the academy's green robe, Meng Ruyi hung the entrance token and the disciple token on her waist. She took Jingzhe and Chuixue and went out for a stroll.
It was noon. There were few people in the academy. Meng Ruyi couldn't help but show a bit of curiosity on her face.
She wondered when she would meet the female lead.
The next moment, just as Meng Ruyi followed Chuixue to a corner, she saw a woman walking towards her.
The bullet comments exploded instantly.
[Holy crap! Xuexue! It's the female lead!! My precious daughter has made her appearance!!]
[Yuyu has met the female lead! My heart!!]
[Shangguan Xue is so beautiful! No wonder she's the female lead. I'm in love!]
[Let's watch. Don't let the two beauties fight!]
Meng Ruyi paused slightly.
Shangguan Xue was wearing the academy's green robe. She had a slender figure, curved eyebrows and eyes, red lips and white teeth. As she walked, she exuded an air of nobility. There was only a white jade hairpin on her head, simple yet elegant.
"Miss Chuixue," Shangguan Xue's voice was gentle. She smiled at the two of them and asked curiously, "Who is this?"
"Miss Shangguan, this is Miss Meng, Mr. Lin's disciple," Chuixue introduced.
"Is this Miss Ruyi?" Shangguan Xue was surprised. She stepped forward and looked at Meng Ruyi for a few times, then said with a smile, "I've long heard of Miss Meng's beauty. Now that I've seen her, she's truly an outstanding beauty."
"Miss Shangguan, you're overpraising me," Meng Ruyi also had a gentle expression. She said to Shangguan Xue, "You're too kind, Miss Shangguan."
When they first met, there was none of the expected drama.
Both of them were incredibly gentle. Meng Ruyi sighed in her heart and was even more curious about what kind of person Shangguan Xue really was.
If she was really as gentle and harmless as she seemed, how could she possibly be able to maneuver among so many powerful men?
Or perhaps she was really as harmless as she appeared, so she was being toyed with and fought over by those men?
Just thinking of the title "All the Handsome Men in the World in My Arms", Meng Ruyi felt a bit dizzy.
Could the female lead of such a hard - to - describe script be this seemingly gentle and harmless Shangguan Xue who had a hint of fragility?
Hiss!
Although her mind was in a whirl, Meng Ruyi remained extremely calm on the surface.
"Since Miss Meng is new here and I happen to be free, I wonder if Miss Meng would like to take a stroll around the academy with me?"
Meng Ruyi: "..."
Was this female lead so overly friendly?