Chu Yingfeng was a gentle and elegant man, exuding an air of erudition. When faced with the interrogation, he gave a gentle smile, his eyes warm and kind, which easily made people let down their guard.
"Miss Li, I mean no harm." He took out a family letter from his sleeve and handed it to A Xun. "I visited the Cui Mansion before coming here. This is a letter the head of the Cui Clan asked me to pass on to Miss Cui."
"As for the engagement between Miss Cui and me..." Chu Yingfeng's smile was kind. "If Miss Cui is unwilling, I'll ask my relatives to cancel the engagement as soon as possible."
After all, the engagement was made when the Chu Clan was at its peak. Now that the Chu Clan had declined, it was only natural to break off the engagement.
A Xun had been in a bad mood since she heard the words "Miss Li". Very few people knew that her surname was Li, the Li of the Longxi Li Clan. She quickly took the letter, picked up her box, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then fled into the carriage. She didn't notice a scholar in the corner, looking at them with a book in his hand.
—
Cui Jintang had shut herself in and refused to see visitors for seven days with a face swollen like a pig's head. On the morning of the eighth day, Qi Xutao, who could no longer bear it, kicked open the main gate of the Fengyi Palace and dragged Cui Jintang out by the hand.
Cui Jintang clung tightly to the pillar of the gate, her eyes wide open. "I'm not going out!!"
Qi Xutao took the veiled hat that had been prepared from a palace maid's arms and put it on her head. "What's the use of hiding all day? You'll have to show your face sooner or later. Hurry up. I heard that the first autumn academic debate at Qingyun Academy is starting today! Many people are going to watch the fun. Let's go too!"
Qingyun Academy? Cui Jintang let go of the pillar and was dragged forward by Qi Xutao for several steps. She straightened the veiled hat on her head and looked at Qi Xutao, who was full of excitement, in disbelief. "You usually fall asleep as soon as you hear a lecture. The sun is rising in the west. You're actually willing to go to a lecture?"
Qi Xutao's precious Qingzhui horse was waiting at the gate of the Fengyi Palace. She leaped onto the horse, turned around excitedly, and reached out her hand to Cui Jintang. "Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and get on the horse!"
Cui Jintang got on the horse with her, muttering and cursing. "Giddyup!" The wind whistled. Cui Jintang quickly reached out to hold the veiled hat on her head. Weapons and horses were prohibited in the palace, but today Qi Xutao broke both rules. She galloped through the palace on her horse. All the palace servants stepped back and knelt down as she passed by. It was very unrestrained, but if Cui Jintang hadn't been so embarrassed, she might have shown a bold smile like Qi Xutao's. There was a red-tasseled spear hanging on the horse. Cui Jintang had to hold it from time to time to avoid being stabbed. She gritted her teeth tightly, and her angry voice was scattered in the wind. "You'd better take me to see something really interesting today, or I'll break your red-tasseled spear and throw it into the sewer!"
Qi Xutao didn't look back and just laughed. "If you break it, make me another one. I'm tired of using this one anyway."
Cui Jintang: "..." She pretended not to hear.
—
Qingyun Academy was located at the foot of Yuping Mountain in the north of the city. The vermilion mountain gate was inlaid with a blue stone plaque. The words "Qingyun" were gilded by the autumn sun. The copper bells on the eaves shattered the wind in the forest, jingling to welcome guests into the academy. There were a lot of people here today. Cui Jintang got off the horse with Qi Xutao's help and was stunned for a moment when she saw the crowded academy. "There weren't so many people here in previous years."
Qi Xutao tied the Qingzhui horse under a sweet-scented osmanthus tree, untied the burden on the horse's back, and trotted over with a smile. She opened the burden and handed the prepared snacks to Cui Jintang. "I wanted to bring these to you the day I came back. They're delicious! They're from beyond the Great Wall. Try them!"
Cui Jintang: "?" She threw them back. "That was days ago. Do you want to poison me? Take them away, quickly."
"Come on, they were made by the chef I brought back from beyond the Great Wall today. Just take a bite." Cui Jintang opened her mouth and was fed a piece of bean crisp. Seeing Cui Jintang chew it and swallow it with bright eyes, Qi Xutao happily fed her another piece of water lotus cake. "Try this one."
"This is good. Give me the chef." Qi Xutao gave her a disdainful look and immediately refused. "No way. If you want to eat, come to my Princess Mansion!"
"How stingy." They walked in while eating. After walking around the winding corridor, they stopped in front of the Minglun Hall with the crowd. The common people and onlookers sat on the second and third floors. Looking down, the students in various school uniforms were standing in front of the Apricot Altar in front of the Minglun Hall, holding their scriptures. And the stage had already been set up around. Twelve ebony desks were divided into two rows, east and west. On the desks in the east, there were gilded papers with the words "Righteousness Comes First", and on the desks in the west, there were cloud-patterned paperweights with the words "Profit Comes First". In the front, there were three seats for the examiners.
Cui Jintang withdrew her gaze and nudged Qi Xutao beside her. "You haven't told me what fun we're here to watch."
Qi Xutao gulped down a cup of Longjing tea, which made the young servant who was making tea feel very distressed. Qi Xutao said, "You've been staying at home these days and don't know the interesting things that have been circulating in the market. Among the students sent from various academies this time, two students are particularly famous. One is called Chu Yingfeng, and the other is called Chen Mingyuan. They'll be opponents in the first round. Every time, Chen Mingyuan loses. Today, they've been drawn together again. This is already the fifth round. Now everyone is placing bets on who will win today!"
Qi Xutao stuffed a piece of cloud cake into her mouth and said vaguely, "If Chu Yingfeng wins today, he can directly win the prize for the autumn academic debate and make a request to the dean at will!"
Cui Jintang yawned lazily. She wasn't interested in any of these. She scanned the crowd but didn't find A Xun. Just as she was about to look for A Xun, a gust of wind blew, lifting the veiled hat that Cui Jintang used to cover her face. She quickly reached out to hold it. After that, she nervously observed the surroundings to see if anyone had seen her face. When she turned her head, she met a pair of smiling eyes. It was a student in school uniform. He was standing in the crowd, looking at her, as if stunned for a moment. When he saw her looking back, he suddenly lifted his lips and smiled gently at her. In the bustling crowd, he was like a clear spring, with the ability to make people calm down at a glance.
Cui Jintang frowned. Did this person just see her swollen face? Qi Xutao leaned over and said in surprise, "Isn't this the Chu Yingfeng?"
Cui Jintang withdrew her gaze. "It's none of my business."
— Pei Zhaolin's eyes were dark. He slowly followed Cui Jintang's line of sight. The dean reminded him, "Lord Pei, the debate is about to start. Please take your seat first, Lord Pei!"