Chapter 219: Returning to the Academy Once More
Early the next morning, He Yan woke up a bit later than usual. Having tossed and turned all night thinking about various matters, she hadn’t fallen asleep until midnight. By the time she awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. It wasn’t snowing today, and the sun was out. After washing up, she headed to the main room for breakfast. As soon as she stepped inside, she nearly bit her tongue in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” He Yan asked.
Seated at the table in the main room was someone sipping tea. Qingmei stood nearby and, upon seeing He Yan, replied nervously, “The lord arrived early this morning. He instructed me not to wake you and to wait here until you rose.”
Xiao Jue set down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over her. “Did you sleep well?”
“...Well enough.” He Yan scratched her head, feeling that Xiao Jue’s sudden appearance here was rather startling. She instinctively glanced up at the ceiling—this was indeed her home, not the Liangzhou Guard.
Qingmei placed porridge and dishes on the table. He Yan took a look and exclaimed in surprise, “Qingmei, did you come into some money? There’s so much food! Isn’t this from Chenxiangji’s pastry shop?”
“The lord had someone deliver it,” Qingmei replied uneasily.
After all, the He family had always kept their breakfasts simple, and no one had ever thought it odd for over a decade. Today, with Xiao Jue sending over such a lavish spread, Qingmei felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if their usual fare was too humble.
He Yan, however, was completely unfazed. She had been taking advantage of Xiao Jue’s generosity for quite some time now. Clapping her hands in delight, she praised, “Xiao Jue, you’re truly thoughtful. No wonder Yan Nanguang always says there are benefits to having a wife. You’re even better than marrying a princess—I can’t find a single flaw in you.”
Chi Wu, standing in the corner, trembled with disbelief. Was this even human speech? It was utterly shameless! Unfortunately, their young master seemed utterly bewitched and actually looked rather pleased.
“Have you eaten yet?” He Yan handed Xiao Jue a pair of chopsticks. “Let’s eat together.”
Xiao Jue accepted the chopsticks. “Alright.”
Chi Wu: “...”
Now he understood why his master had left Xiao Manor earlier without eating breakfast. Waking up so early just to come here and share his own meal—truly, he had too much time on his hands.
Normally, the He family didn’t observe the strict distinctions between master and servant common in wealthy households, and Qingmei would join them at the table. But with Xiao Jue present today, Qingmei absolutely refused to sit down. After stammering for a moment, she dragged Chi Wu outside, claiming they needed to sweep the snow. Left with no choice, He Yan had to eat with just Xiao Jue.
The porridge Qingmei had cooked was fragrant and soft, with red dates added for a hint of sweetness. He Yan suddenly remembered that this grown man seemed to dislike sweet things and asked, “I forgot you don’t like sweets.” She reached over with her chopsticks to pick the red dates out of Xiao Jue’s bowl, smiling as she said, “Let me help you.”
Xiao Jue paused for a moment.
The Xiao family knew he was particularly fastidious, disliking using things others had touched, let alone having someone pick food out of his bowl. Even Xiao Jing wasn’t allowed to do so. Yet now, when He Yan acted this way, he didn’t stop her.
“But you didn’t come here today just to have breakfast with me, did you?” He Yan asked. “What’s the real reason?”
“I plan to visit the Virtuous Prosperity Academy,” Xiao Jue replied. “You’ll come with me.”
He Yan was taken aback. “...Why go to the Virtuous Prosperity Academy?”“If you want to expose He Rufei’s identity, you’ll need evidence. The Virtuous Prosperity Academy still holds your past essays and writings—they might be of use.”
“How is that possible?” He Yan asked in surprise. “Those things are from many years ago. How could the academy have kept them all this time?”
Xiao Jue tugged at the corner of his mouth and glanced at her, a teasing smile on his lips. “Didn’t you know? The calligraphy and writings of the Flying Goose General and General Feng Yun have been preserved at the academy to this day. Every year, during the spring recruitment, new students are required to admire them.”
He Yan nearly choked on her own breath. “No way… my calligraphy?”
Good heavens, Xiao Jue’s writings were one thing, but her own “calligraphy” back then was far from elegant. Her handwriting was as messy as a dog’s paw prints, and her exam papers were always ranked last—what was there to see? Having them displayed over and over again would only be an insult.
Who could have imagined back then that the academy’s last-place student would one day stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the top student, both becoming the academy’s pride? Truly, one should never underestimate the poor in their youth, for fortunes change with time.
“I’m not really keen on going…”
Xiao Jue replied, “Oh.”
He Yan made a pained face. “Alright, I’ll go.”
After finishing their meal, He Yan and Xiao Jue left together.
When she was at the Liangzhou Guard, she hadn’t noticed it much, but once she returned to the capital and put on the attire of “Miss He,” she felt utterly uncomfortable. It wasn’t anything else—it was just that Miss He’s dresses were excessively intricate and elaborate. He Yan simplified things by tucking away all the ribbons and frills, making it easier to go out.
There was no carriage waiting at the entrance. He Yan paused and asked the person beside her, “Xiao Jue, where’s the carriage?”
“The weather is nice today. Let’s walk,” he said.
It was a rare sunny day. The snow from the previous night hadn’t melted yet, casting a warm golden glow on the ground. Walking under the sun, she felt as though the gloom of recent days had been swept away, replaced by a comforting warmth all over. He Yan squinted contentedly and said, “If only every day could be this warm.”
Xiao Jue glanced sideways at her. The young woman’s smile was bright, easily satisfied by a little sunlight. It was hard to imagine that the brave and fierce Flying Goose General from the battlefield was this seemingly foolish person before him. The corners of his lips curled slightly as he concealed the amusement in his eyes.
The two walked side by side on the street. Even though He Yan wasn’t widely recognized yet, Xiao Jue’s face was far from unfamiliar. From a distance, people recognized him and, though they didn’t dare approach, whispered and pointed. “Isn’t that General Feng Yun, Commander Xiao?”
“Who’s that woman beside him? I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
“When has Commander Xiao ever walked side by side with a woman in broad daylight, looking so intimate? She must be the fiancée His Majesty arranged for him.”
“Fiancée? Are you talking about that female marquis, He Yan?”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“So this is what the Marquis of Wu’an looks like. She seems so delicate and frail—how did she ever go to battle?”
He Yan had sharp hearing and couldn’t help but overhear the surrounding chatter. Glancing at the man walking beside her, who remained calm and composed, she couldn’t help but feel as though Xiao Jue had brought her out to make her face known—to let people see that this was what his fiancée, the Marquis of Wu’an, He Yan, looked like.Forget it, she told herself in her heart. Let them look. Back then, wearing a mask, I had to hide and dodge when people looked. Now, openly using this face, even if someone wants to substitute one thing for another, it’s impossible.
Being watched by people all the way, after who knows how long, the two finally arrived at the gate of Virtuous Prosperity Academy.
Years apart, yet Virtuous Prosperity Academy remained exactly as it was in the old days. The mottled gate, the familiar plaque, the apricot tree at the entrance with its branches bent low under the weight of snow. As He Yan looked, a touch of emotion welled up within her.
The days at Virtuous Prosperity Academy, which had once felt anything but easy, now, upon reflection, were filled with nothing but happy memories. The teachers here taught her to understand principles and know righteousness. If not for that, a girl disguised as a boy who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong would have been nothing more than a pawn of the He family—a foolish pawn unable to control her own destiny.
The most correct thing He Yuansheng had ever done in his life was probably sending her to Virtuous Prosperity Academy, thereby changing her life.
"Let’s go," Xiao Jue said.
The two walked inside together. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of students reciting lessons from the academy.
"The way of great learning lies in illuminating virtue, in renewing the people, in resting in the highest good..."
"After all these years, they’re still reciting this same passage," He Yan was immediately reminded of the memories of "mutual progress" she had shared with Lin Shuanghe. "It’s strange, back then, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t memorize it. But after joining the army, when I had nothing to do in the tent at night, I would silently recite it once, and eventually, I memorized it."
Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow. "You studied in the tent?"
"Of course," He Yan said proudly. "At first, I hadn’t met my master yet, and my skills were poor, so I had to rely on my mind. You don’t know, in the Pacify Yue Army, anyone who could read was highly valued in the tents. Well-rounded in both civil and martial arts, you see."
She began boasting again. Just as Xiao Jue was about to speak, they suddenly heard a voice from ahead: "Commander Xiao!"
Following the sound, they saw a middle-aged man in yellow hemp clothes approaching quickly. The man had a scholarly and gentle appearance, and when he reached Xiao Jue and He Yan, he smiled and said, "Commander Xiao, what brings you to the academy today?"
He Yan was taken aback. This was Huang Sancai, the arithmetic teacher at Virtuous Prosperity Academy. He had taught He Yan back then. In He Yan’s academic career, given her lack of distinction in most areas, it was difficult to earn the favor of teachers. This Mr. Huang Sancai, perhaps because he was still relatively young at the time, was very gentle and kind to his students, never treating them differently based on their grades, and was also quite accommodating. It was this very teacher who had once praised He Yan in the classroom, saying, "Diligence is like a sprout in spring—unseen in its growth, yet it grows day by day. All of you, look at He Rufei, learn from him," which had stirred up quite a bit of resentment among the young students toward He Yan.
But now, seeing Mr. Huang, He Yan still felt a sense of warmth and familiarity.
"Passing by, so I came to take a look," Xiao Jue replied.
Huang Sancai then wore an expression of shared pride. "Please, come in, come in."Do not blame this teacher for showing such a flattering manner. Xiao Jue was now the renowned General Feng Yun of Great Wei and the Right Army Commander. The reason he had not been promoted further was simply that even after winning battles, the emperor had no higher position to give him. Moreover, during his time at the Virtuous Prosperity Academy, it was less a matter of the teachers instructing Xiao Jue and more that Xiao Jue’s attendance was merely a formality. The teachers at the academy had little they could actually teach him.
To avoid causing a commotion among the students, He Yan and Xiao Jue went to the teachers’ quarters. During the day, the teachers rested in this spacious room, teaching only three subjects daily. Today’s classes were literature, mathematics, and etiquette, while tomorrow’s would be archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship.
When He Yan and Xiao Jue entered, the room was empty. Huang Sancai first poured them tea and invited them to sit, then stood up to adjust the stove in the room. The stove warmed the room comfortably, and a cup of hot tea felt perfectly soothing.
“I didn’t expect Commander Xiao to be here today,” Huang Sancai said with a smile, glancing at He Yan beside him. “And this… must be the Marquis of Wu’an, Miss He Yan?”
He Yan quickly stood up and bowed. “He Yan greets the teacher.”
She was greeting him as a student would a teacher, which startled Huang Sancai. He hurriedly stood up to return the gesture. “Miss He, you are too polite. Please, have a seat.”
He Yan sat down, and Huang Sancai smiled as he spoke to her. “When Commander Xiao was studying here as a youth, he was already very popular among the young ladies. However, I never saw him show any special favor to anyone. At the time, I wondered what kind of woman he would eventually marry. Now, all those young men have settled down and married, but he remained unmoved. Now that everything is settled, I can finally rest easy.”
“This Miss He,” Huang Sancai continued, addressing He Yan again, “is clearly different from ordinary women. Having lived in Shuojing for so many years, I’ve seen countless young ladies, but Miss He is the first of her kind. Commander Xiao’s judgment is truly sharp.”
He Yan: “…”
Huang Sancai probably never imagined that the “young lady” he was now praising so highly was the very student he had once taught himself.
Just as they were speaking, the door opened, and someone entered. Both of them looked over to see a lean, elderly man in a brown robe, his hair tied in a high bun, walking in.
“Teacher Wei,” Huang Sancai stood up and addressed the old man. “Commander Xiao and his fiancée, Miss He, are here.”
Wei Xuanzhang—the headmaster of the Virtuous Prosperity Academy—turned to look at them. He Yan and Xiao Jue stood up and bowed to him. Unlike Huang Sancai, who was openly warm, Wei Xuanzhang merely gave a slight nod before walking to his own desk and sitting down, placing the book he had been holding on the table. He had been the one teaching the class earlier.
He Yan leaned closer to Xiao Jue and whispered, “Look, the person I fear most has arrived.”
During her school days, He Yan had been most afraid of this Teacher Wei, Headmaster Wei. Wei Xuanzhang was not without official rank—he held a government position. However, He Yan had always believed that the reason he founded the Virtuous Prosperity Academy was because his personality was too unlikable—rigid and strict—and his colleagues in the official circles disliked him, so they sent him off to become the headmaster of an academy.Unlike Huang Sancai, who was gentle and approachable and never scolded students, Wei Xuanzhang was excessively strict. Any student with poor grades would inevitably be punished with copying texts or standing in detention. The students secretly called him "Old Man Wei" behind his back. As the bottom-ranked student at Virtuous Prosperity Academy, Wei Xuanzhang naturally saw He Yan as the academy's disgrace. He Yan believed that if He Yuansheng hadn't persuaded the tutor back then, and if the academy didn't have a rule against expelling admitted students, she would have been driven out by Wei Xuanzhang on her very first day at Virtuous Prosperity Academy, never to set foot in its gates again.
In short, when it came to memories of this teacher, all He Yan could recall now were unpleasant ones—being caned, standing in detention, being scolded, copying books, and the like. Even though she was no longer studying at the academy and faced the Wutuo People without fear, the moment she saw this old gentleman, He Yan still felt a chill run down her spine.
"This is Miss He," Huang Sancai said with a smile.
Wei Xuanzhang took a sip of tea from the cup on the table, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over He Yan. With a stern face, he said, "So you are He Yan? How can a woman enlist in the army and fight, exposing herself to the public?"
He Yan: "?"
Why was it that even though she was no longer studying, this Old Man Wei still had to nitpick and cause trouble for her? He Yan smiled and replied, "It was merely a matter of circumstance."
"Eating and living alongside men, corrupting morals, deviating from tradition, utterly ignorant of propriety. Xiao Huaijin has always been principled and upright—how could he have been ensnared by a woman like you?"
He Yan: "..."
Huang Sancai wiped his sweat awkwardly. "Headmaster..."
"Your words are too harsh, Mr. Wei," Xiao Jue said calmly. "Miss He did not ensnare me. I was the one who admired her first."
Wei Xuanzhang frowned, his gaze toward Xiao Jue filled with even greater disappointment. "A great man who constantly speaks of love and affection—what kind of behavior is that!" He then glared fiercely at He Yan. "A femme fatale!"
He Yan's smile stiffened. In two lifetimes, this was the first time someone had called her a femme fatale. She decided to take it as a compliment. However, the way Old Man Wei looked at her made it seem as though she were a seductive enchantress who would bring ruin to the nation, and Xiao Jue were a foolish ruler destined to lose his kingdom. Could it be that her bottom-ranked aura was so deeply ingrained that even with a different appearance, Wei Xuanzhang would instinctively dislike her the moment he saw her?
"We came today with another request," He Yan changed the subject, fearing that if they continued, Old Man Wei might grab a long stick and chase them out.
Huang Sancai asked, "What is it?"
"We would like to borrow the writing tools that He Rufei left behind at the academy," Xiao Jue said.
Upon hearing this, both Wei Xuanzhang and Huang Sancai looked at him in surprise.
"Why would Commander Xiao want to borrow He Rufei's writing tools?" Huang Sancai asked.
"It's for me," He Yan said with a smile. "I've always heard that the Flying Goose General was a great commander on par with the Commander, and I greatly admire him. I also heard they were once classmates, so I wanted to see the traces of the Flying Goose General's past..."
"Nonsense! Absurd!" Wei Xuanzhang slammed the table, his face turning livid with anger. He pointed at He Yan and said, "How could you be so... so..."
He Yan guessed what he wanted to say and thoughtfully reminded him, "Fickle? Inconstant?"
"You!" Wei Xuanzhang was furious. He turned to Xiao Jue and said, "Xiao Huaijin, is this the wife you chose?"Xiao Jue's mouth twitched as he said, "Nonsense. Please don't take it to heart, sir. Let's first take a look at He Rufei's writings."
"He Rufei is a student of our Virtuous Prosperity Academy," Wei Xuanzhang flicked his sleeve dismissively, "and a renowned general of Great Wei. How can his writings be casually viewed by just anyone?"
He Yan thought to herself, I never expected that in Wei Xuanzhang's heart, I would hold such importance. For a moment, she was deeply moved, and her resentment toward the old man faded considerably.
"I'm not making this request as a student," Xiao Jue said calmly, "but in my capacity as Right Army Commander."
Huang Sancai shivered. He knew that when this young master had studied at Virtuous Prosperity Academy in the past, although he hadn't seemed like a troublemaker, he was by no means an obedient student. Often, he simply couldn't be bothered. Now that he was invoking his official position, even Virtuous Prosperity Academy couldn't afford to defy the Right Army Commander. Huang Sancai tugged at Wei Xuanzhang's sleeve and forced a smile. "What are you saying, Commander Xiao? You're welcome to view them anytime. General He's writings are all stored in the study. Please follow me."
Wei Xuanzhang was furious. "Huang Sancai..."
"Headmaster," Huang Sancai leaned closer and whispered, "that's Commander Xiao. Besides, nowadays, most of the students we recruit each spring come because of the reputations of Commander Xiao and General He. If we offend Commander Xiao and he spreads the word, everyone will go to the Imperial Academy instead. What talented individuals would we be able to recruit then?"
Wei Xuanzhang fell silent. He only knew how to teach and educate; he understood nothing of politics or business. All the miscellaneous affairs were handled by the slick Huang Sancai. Hearing Huang Sancai's words now, he knew they made sense, but his pride was wounded. He snorted, flicked his sleeve, and stormed off.
"Master Wei is just a bit rigid in temperament, but he means no harm," Huang Sancai didn't forget to win over He Yan. "Miss He, please don't take it to heart."
"I know," He Yan replied with a smile. "I won't take it to heart."
"That's good."
Huang Sancai led the two into Virtuous Prosperity Academy's library and then excused himself. The library had three floors, with the top floor preserving writings left by past students. In recent years, the most famous students of Virtuous Prosperity Academy were He Yan and Xiao Jue, so their essays, calligraphy, and paintings were sealed together on the same shelf. The top row belonged to Xiao Jue, and the bottom row to He Yan.
He Yan pulled out a stack of exam papers and randomly selected one. It was for arithmetic, clearly marked with a "C." The entire page was filled with mistakes.
The moment He Yan saw it, she instinctively hid the paper behind her back. Xiao Jue glanced at her and scoffed, "It's not like I haven't seen it before. Why hide it?"
He Yan pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and said, "I think it's unfair."
Xiao Jue pulled out a book and flipped through it casually. "What's unfair?"
"Think about it," He Yan replied seriously. "When you met me, I was at the lowest point in my life. I couldn't do anything, and I was no good at anything. What you saw was the worst version of me. By the time I went to the battlefield and became capable and skilled at my peak, you didn't see it."
"But when I saw you," He Yan continued, "you were always this impressive. Don't you think that's unfair?"
Xiao Jue chuckled and was about to speak when suddenly, he glanced downstairs, his expression shifting slightly. "Someone's coming in.""Really?" He Yan whispered, "Didn't Mr. Huang tell us to find books ourselves? Why would he let other students in? If they see us, won't it cause another commotion?"
But soon, she realized this wasn't the case, as the footsteps coming up the stairs clearly belonged to someone skilled in martial arts. Xiao Jue and He Yan exchanged a glance, then quickly slipped behind another row of bookshelves. The space between the shelves was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. With both of them hiding in the corner, they ended up facing each other, pressed close together.
Xiao Jue was very tall. He Yan tilted her head slightly upward, almost brushing against his chin. In the quiet space between their breaths, they could almost hear each other's heartbeats. He Yan's palms grew sweaty, and an inexplicable tension washed over her.
Yet this tension lasted only a moment before her gaze froze. The person who had stealthily climbed up from below the pavilion swiftly darted to the row of bookshelves where they had just been standing. Immediately after, he pulled out a flint and ignited the bookshelf where He Yan had been.
The flames burst into life with a whoosh, and He Yan and Xiao Jue leaped out.
"Stop!"
(End of Chapter)
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