Chapter 26 - 25: Of Course It’s Empress Taichu
Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Of Course It’s Empress Taichu
"Principal Ning wants to see me?" Meng Shuyan’s expression changed drastically. "But this matter was clearly—"
"Meng Shuyan, you have five minutes," the principal’s assistant interrupted, glancing at his watch with a cold expression. Five minutes was only enough to get from the Security Office to the principal’s office.
Left with no choice but to give up arguing, Meng Shuyan glared resentfully at Shi Changying and walked out of the Security Office, thoroughly indignant. The assistant nodded respectfully to Shaoyuan before taking his leave as well.
With the farce brought to an end, the spectating students dispersed and returned to the field for class. They all admired Shi Changying for her fearlessness toward the power of the Xu and Meng families, and for daring to clash with Meng Shuyan so openly.
Before leaving, one girl hesitated and offered a warning. "Hey, Meng Shuyan... he always seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. Last year, someone accidentally offended him and was ultimately forced to transfer schools. His background is very strong, after all. You might be fine inside the school, but outside... y-you need to be careful."
Shi Changying paused. She turned around and smiled at the girl. "I know. Thank you."
The girl was clearly socially anxious. She frantically waved her hands, insisting there was no need for thanks, before running off as if she were fleeing for her life.
Song Qingmu gave a thumbs-up. "Little Lu, you were too brave just now. I admire you."
"I was just basking in reflected glory," Lu Mi said, patting her chest with lingering fear. "Isn’t the Young Master here? I was just borrowing some of his courage. I wouldn’t dare do something like that if I were by myself."
Shi Changying took out three small packets of cookies and handed them over.
"Yingying, you love me too much!" Lu Mi was deeply moved.
Song Qingmu scoffed. "Giving you a cookie means she loves you? I got one too. Don’t flatter yourself."
"What do you know?" Lu Mi glared at him. "This brand of cookies is Yingying’s absolute favorite today. She shared her favorite with me, so of course she loves me."
Song Qingmu choked on his words. "That’s twisted logic."
Shaoyuan looked at the small cookie in his palm, raising an eyebrow slightly. It was his first time hearing such an explanation. Although the logic was twisted, it did make some sense.
"Time to go back to P.E. class," Song Qingmu said, looking refreshed. "Senior Sister, I have to show off my basketball skills for you."
Shi Changying shoved her hands into her pockets. "We permit it."
"Yingying, don’t believe him," Lu Mi snorted. "His basketball skills would get crushed by a middle schooler. It’s strictly amateur hour."
"I was just careless that time!" Song Qingmu retorted furiously.
"What carelessness? You clearly just lack the skill."
"You’re not allowed to ruin my image in front of Senior Sister!"
Shi Changying mused that when it came to arguing over trivial matters, her classmates were very much like her civil and military officials. She often couldn’t understand how they managed to start bickering over such minor, insignificant things.
"The surveillance cameras don’t cover the restrooms. You stepped perfectly into the blind spots and calculated the distance between each one, ensuring you wouldn’t appear on camera." Shaoyuan smiled suddenly. He looked at her, entirely unstinting in his praise. "A very smart and beautiful move."
Song Qingmu, who was still arguing with Lu Mi, stumbled and almost fell. He stared in dumbfounded disbelief. "S-Senior Sister, you really did it?"
Lu Mi was also surprised. "Yingying, you asked me for the school map to teach Meng Shuyan a lesson?"
Shi Changying stood with her hands behind her back, tilting her head up slightly. "Yes."
She thought, "What, beat Us to death?" She didn’t say these five words out loud, but they were clearly written all over her face.
Shaoyuan looked down at her, suddenly remembering a stray cat he had once fed. It was beautiful but possessed an intense, aggressive wildness, preferring to toy with its prey.
"Meng Shuyan was in the wrong first anyway," Lu Mi said, acting the part of a righteous warrior. "He always relies on his family background to bully others. He deserved to be put in his place this time."
"Exactly!" Song Qingmu chimed in, filled with righteous indignation.
"He tore my father’s history book, and that was my father’s most precious possession," Shi Changying said calmly. "I won’t tear up a book, because books are used for acquiring knowledge, and knowledge is sacred."
She indeed lacked formal schooling, but she understood the absolute importance of education. It was the very foundation of Jiuzhou.
Shaoyuan’s footsteps didn’t pause in the slightest, but his casual gaze darkened in an instant.
"O-our Yingying is actually a philosopher. That was so well said." Lu Mi’s jaw dropped as she agreed. "That’s right, knowledge is sacred! My inability to understand physics is my own problem; it has absolutely nothing to do with the sacred subject of physics!"
Song Qingmu couldn’t help but complain. "It’s still related. Since physics is so sacred and anti-human, it’s clearly meant to torture ordinary mortals like us."
"Anti-human?" Shi Changying looked thoughtful.
"Yeah, way too anti-human," Song Qingmu said weakly. "Every time I open a physics book, every page just screams three words at me: Impossible to learn."
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "Sounds very interesting."
If that were the case, she would just have to learn physics and show physics who was truly anti-human.
The group returned to the field. Upon discovering that Shaoyuan was still with them, Song Qingmu was shocked. "Young Master, aren’t you going to the boxing gym? You’re actually planning to take P.E. class with us?"
Shaoyuan leaned against the fence, his arms crossed in a casual posture. "I’m not going."
Students from other classes frequently turned to look at him, their surprise mixed with excitement.
"Hell really must have frozen over today." Song Qingmu was thrilled. "Are you going to play basketball with us, Young Master?"
Shaoyuan’s gaze lingered on Shi Changying for half a second. He raised an eyebrow before giving a terse response. "Sure."
In the principal’s office, the floor-to-ceiling windows directly faced the central big screen on the field. The video had played on a loop ten times, and Pei Xuan watched it ten times.
"For such a thing to happen at the school... I’ve really made a fool of myself in front of you, Mr. Pei." Principal Ning pressed his temples, nursing a severe headache.
Pei Xuan suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled. "A fool? No, Elder Ning’s students have a great rebellious spirit. They deserve praise."
"Please don’t tease me, Mr. Pei," Principal Ning said with a bitter smile. "Chengli was right. Entering a wealthy family is just swapping one living hell for another."
Pei Xuan nodded. "Does Elder Ning know the child who was switched out of the Xu Family?"
Principal Ning was surprised. "You know about this matter too, Mr. Pei?"
"People are talking about it everywhere I go. It’d be hard not to know." Pei Xuan leaned back in his chair. "I just heard a few passing remarks. It’s not exactly a rare occurrence."
"Chengli and I are good friends despite our age difference. Back then, he... sigh!" Principal Ning paused, stopping that train of thought. "He studied history and is currently working in archaeology. He’s always running around, his days and nights reversed."
Pei Xuan didn’t care much about the Xu Family’s affairs, but out of politeness, he didn’t leave the man hanging. "Which period of history?"
"Toiling so hard without any results—what other period could it be?" Principal Ning sighed. "The Xuan Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Taichu."