Chapter 15 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 15
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Li Zhizhi got up and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. Passing through the rear garden, she spotted a familiar figure standing with their back to her in front of a cluster of hibiscus trees, as if observing something.
Li Zhizhi’s lips curled into a smile, and she greeted cheerfully, “Eldest Young Master!”
The person turned around, and it was indeed Li Xingzhi. Li Zhizhi walked up to him, glanced at the hibiscus cluster where several branches had obviously been broken, and pretended not to know, asking, “What are you doing here?”
Li Xingzhi had originally been passing by but suddenly remembered what Granny Wang had said about Li Suvan trying to push Li Zhizhi. He was skeptical, so he had come to take a look. Unexpectedly, he ran into Li Zhizhi. Faced with her curious gaze, Li Xingzhi cleared his throat lightly and said, “Nothing much, I was on my way to the dining hall.”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Perfect timing, I’m going there too. Shall we go together?”
Li Xingzhi readily agreed, and the two of them walked for a while. Li Zhizhi looked somewhat embarrassed and said, “I was studying at the academy yesterday, and the teacher said I would be reciting from memory today. I’m worried I might have remembered it wrong. Can you listen while I recite it?”
Li Xingzhi replied, “Recite it, and I’ll listen.”
Li Zhizhi began to recite from the book, her voice gentle and melodious, “The role of the Grand Marshal is to govern the Nine Laws of building and stabilizing the nation, assisting the king in pacifying the country…”
She recited accurately, with only occasional pauses. Whenever there was a pause, she would ponder for a moment and then continue smoothly. She went through the whole passage without a single mistake. After finishing, Li Zhizhi’s face showed a hint of shyness as she asked, “This was harder than what I’ve recited before. I had to read it many times to barely remember. Did I make any mistakes?”
Li Xingzhi was somewhat surprised and asked, “Have you really never studied before?”
Li Zhizhi blinked in confusion, shaking her head, “No, there’s a private school in the village, but I’ve never attended.”
Her tone was apprehensive as she asked, “Is something wrong? Did I make a mistake?”
“You didn’t make any mistakes,” Li Xingzhi looked at her, his expression somewhat complex. Somehow, a sense of anger and regret welled up in his heart. To him, a person who had rarely been exposed to education would need at least a week to accurately memorize such a complex text. Even he had put in a lot of effort to memorize it. And yet, Li Zhizhi, who had only studied the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic, had accomplished it. He couldn’t help but think of her potential, had she grown up in the Li family since childhood. However, fate had played its hand…
A strong sense of regret filled Li Xingzhi as he looked at Li Zhizhi, and his pity for her deepened. As they conversed and continued towards the dining hall, most of the conversation was initiated by Li Zhizhi, and Li Xingzhi patiently answered. The atmosphere was very harmonious until they entered the dining hall.
“Brother!”
Li Suwan had already arrived, and she greeted them with joy. Her smile froze for a moment when she saw Li Zhizhi by Li Xingzhi’s side.
Li Zhizhi tilted her head and greeted her with a smile, “Good Morning, Elder Sister Wan.”
Li Suwan forced a smile and adjusted her expression. Due to last night’s events, she couldn’t genuinely smile at Li Zhizhi’s seemingly innocent face. She nodded and said, “Zhimei.”
Despite the cold response, Li Zhizhi seemed oblivious and continued warmly, “Sister, you’re up early. Unlike me, I was dawdling on the way, asking Young Master about this and that. He must be annoyed, right?”
Li Xingzhi replied, “I’m not annoyed.”
With each question and answer, Li Suwan clenched her fist inside her sleeve. What’s going on? How did their relationship suddenly become so good? It’s only been one night.
Li Suwan started feeling anxious, unable to comprehend why this was happening. As she listened to them converse so comfortably, she felt like an outsider unable to join the conversation. Frustration and anger welled up within her, and she couldn’t even bring herself to look at the breakfast on the table.
The Imperial Academy and Ming Garden were in different directions, so they had to take two separate carriages. Before departing, Li Xingzhi remembered something and instructed the coachman, “Remember, when it’s time to return from school, bring Miss Second and Little Miss back together. Did you hear me?”
The coachman nodded repeatedly, but Li Suwan’s expression grew darker. Li Zhizhi leaned against the window, propped her chin on her hand, waved goodbye to Li Xingzhi, and cheerfully said, “Take care on the journey, Big Brother! Remember to listen to the teacher!”
Her childish words made Li Xingzhi chuckle. Unbeknownst to him, Li Zhizhi lowered her voice and spoke to Li Suwan by her side, “Big Brother is really considerate. When I mentioned that the schoolwork was difficult yesterday, he not only patiently taught me but also suggested that I ask him whenever I don’t understand.”
Furious, Li Suwan glared at her with disgust, “Big Brother has exams next year. Don’t keep bothering him!”
Li Zhizhi sighed lightly, “Well,” she said in a somewhat helpless tone, “I don’t want to bother him either, but he cares for me so much. How could I refuse his kindness?”
Seeing Li Suwan’s livid face, Li Zhizhi felt a sense of satisfaction. Being the troublemaker was quite enjoyable.
…
After arriving at Ming Garden, Li Zhizhi took the same secluded path as yesterday. The journey was quiet, and she didn’t encounter the black cat again. The siblings she had met yesterday also didn’t show up, leaving her wondering about their relationship with Ming Garden.
This question crossed Li Zhizhi’s mind fleetingly, but she didn’t dwell on it.
When she arrived at Mingde Hall, the lecturer hadn’t arrived yet. Several students were gathered together, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere. Su Tangyu was among them. Upon seeing Li Zhizhi, she waved and called out, “Zhizhi!”
Li Zhizhi smiled and walked over to put down her school bag. Su Tangyu asked her, “Zhizhi, are you going to the Spring Excursion Banquet the day after tomorrow?”
Pretending not to know, Li Zhizhi curiously asked, “What’s the Spring Excursion Banquet?”
“Two days from now is the thirteenth of March. The Qionglin Garden will hold the Spring Excursion Banquet. These places are usually reserved for the palace’s use, but on the thirteenth of March, the Emperor allows scholars and commoners to enter. So, the prominent families will host lavish banquets at Qionglin Garden, going for outings and enjoyment. How do you not know about this?” explained the round-faced, almond-eyed girl standing beside Su Tangyu.
Li Zhizhi looked at her, and Su Tangyu introduced, “This is Jiang Ziyu, my cousin.”
Jiang Ziyu, this name sounds so familiar.
In her previous life, after Li Zhizhi entered Mingde Hall, she was determined to surpass Li Su and focused all her energy on studying, ignoring the outside world. She never thought about socializing. As a result, when she left Ming Garden, she didn’t have a single friend, and she couldn’t even match the names of her classmates.
But Li Zhizhi remembered Jiang Ziyu because she often appeared around Li Su and Xiao Man, as if deliberately trying to curry favor, like a sycophant.
It’s surprising that she’s Su Tangyu’s cousin. Li Zhizhi was puzzled. It didn’t make sense. Su Tangyu’s father was a high-ranking official, a third-ranking member of the court, and her brother was also a prominent scholar. Jiang Ziyu had a bright future, so why would she leave the proximity of Su Tangyu to associate with Li Su?
Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but scrutinize Jiang Ziyu. Jiang Ziyu felt uncomfortable under her gaze and asked, “What are you looking at?”
Li Zhizhi thought, “I’m looking to see if you have a problem in your head.”
But she smiled and said, “Jiang sister has such beautiful eyes. I got lost in them for a moment. I apologize if I offended you, sister.”
Jiang Ziyu wasn’t particularly beautiful. Her face was a bit too round, her nose slightly flat, and her bone structure was rather coarse. Her only attractive feature was her eyes, somewhat similar to Su Tangyu’s. However, when she stood next to Su Tangyu, the comparison made her original attractiveness of five points seem like three. Moreover, she was wearing the same smoky pink dress as Su Tangyu, which was almost distracting to look at.
It’s often said that you don’t hit a smiling person, and no one dislikes compliments. Jiang Ziyu’s expression improved considerably, and she lifted her chin, saying, “You know how to talk.”
Just then, a mocking laughter came from the side, “Complimenting your eyes as beautiful is simply because there’s really nothing else to compliment.”
Jiang Ziyu’s face immediately flushed red. She turned her head sharply to look at the speaker and stuttered, “You—”
When she saw who was speaking, her words got stuck in her throat. Xiaoman was leaning against the desk. Today, she wore a crimson cloud-patterned gauze dress, making her appearance even more stunning. Her expression was proud as she arched an eyebrow and asked, “What? Is what I said not right? Shan’er, what do you think?”
Zhao Shan’er was adjusting the pearl flowers in her hair while looking into a silver mirror with a diamond pattern. She casually remarked, “If you’re ugly, just admit it. Whose fault is it that you were born with your looks?”
After speaking, she looked at Jiang Ziyu for a moment before quickly shifting her gaze away, saying, “Oh dear, it’s hurting my eyes.”
“Sister Shan, don’t say that,” Li Suwan’s gentle voice began, “At least she dressed up carefully, just like Miss Su, it’s just that she’s not as pretty as Miss Su, but that’s not her fault.”
In just a few sentences of conversation, Jiang Ziyu’s face went from red to green, and then from green to white. Especially Li Suwan’s last sentence, it felt like a slap on her face. Jiang Ziyu suddenly turned red-eyed and ran out.
“Ziyu!”
“You all are going too far!” Su Tang’s tone was urgent as she pointed at Xiao Man and her companions, angrily scolding, “Ziyu can dress however she likes, what business is it of yours? It’s you all who are busy criticizing others, shamelessly humiliating, with such ugly and malicious words, it’s truly disgusting!”
After saying that, she lifted her dress and chased after Jiang Ziyu. Xiao Man scoffed lightly, her eyes showing a touch of disdain. Obviously, Su Tang’s anger didn’t bother her. Following that, her gaze fell on Li Zhizhi, mocking, “You can praise that silly face of Jiang Ziyu’s so easily, it seems you’re also someone who says one thing and means another.”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “But I think the county princess is also very pretty.”
As the arrogant Xiao Man, of course, enjoyed being praised. She maintained her proud posture, her lips were just starting to curve upwards, but Li Zhizhi’s words took a turn, “However, when the county princess is with Miss Zhao, Miss Zhao outshines her. I’ve heard a saying, ‘The Zhao family has a delicate daughter, fair and pure like jade, her appearance is like the moon’s glow, elegant and charming.'”
The air fell silent for a moment. The smile at the corner of Xiao Man’s lips suddenly froze. Zhao Shaner, who was admiring herself in the mirror, smiled briefly. She always considered herself beautiful and didn’t care about others’ opinions, not even her friend Xiao Man.
However, Xiao Man’s identity was there. As a county princess, a close relative of the imperial family, when people praised her, they always put her first. Regarding this point, Zhao Shaner was extremely unhappy. So what if she was a county princess? Xiao Man’s father, King Sheng, had been dead for almost ten years, and he had died in such an undignified manner. He didn’t even have a noble title to pass down. What was there for Xiao Man to be proud of? Her grandfather and father were currently prominent officials in the court!
Zhao Shaner felt that her family background and appearance were no worse than the other girl’s, yet she always had to stand in someone’s shadow. Now, finally hearing someone speak the “truth,” she felt extremely pleased, as if she had released a breath that had been trapped in her chest for a long time.
She looked at outsiders with kindness and said, “Who composed this poem? It holds some meaning.”
Xiao Man’s expression became even more unsightly. The atmosphere inexplicably tensed up. Li Suwan, looking somewhat terrified, glanced at Li Zhizhi. Li Zhizhi seemed unaware and smiled, “I don’t know either, probably something heard on the streets and lanes.”
This greatly complimented Zhao Shaner, and she was very satisfied. She said, “You have quite a sweet mouth.”
Xiao Man suddenly turned her head and looked at her, her lips pressed together, but she didn’t say anything. She even managed to suppress her temper. Li Zhizhi found it somewhat surprising and was about to say something when she turned to Li Suwan, “Sister, don’t be disheartened. While your appearance might not compare to Miss Zhao and the county princess, you’re still quite good-looking.”
Li Suwan’s face turned green. This casually spoken line sounded almost like an afterthought, yet she couldn’t refute it. She could only watch as Li Zhizhi walked away confidently.