Yearning Literature

Chapter 8

Gu Gan doesn't have to go to the Imperial Academy every day like the children of the King's Mansion; no one can control him if he doesn't want to go.

He wasn't in the Imperial Capital recently; he went on a trip with Nangong Ming.

Yu Sui replied, "Brother Gu, you weren't in the Imperial Capital, so I couldn't find you even if I wanted to."

Gu Gan seemed to realize he had said something he shouldn't have, and he snorted and walked away.

Yu Sui didn't know why this child was angry, but she felt it wasn't worth worrying about, focusing all her attention on deciphering the Communication Array.

This day, Yu Sui left three Five Elements Light Cores in the Communication Institute to monitor their operation.

After returning to the King's Mansion, she put on protective gear and went to the Archery and Horseback Riding field to start learning equestrian skills.

Her eldest brother, Han Bing, chose a docile pony for her. Yu Sui communicated with the little white horse for a long time before daring to mount it. Su Feng and Sheng Fei, standing nearby, were ready to catch Yu Sui if she was thrown off, but they didn't expect her to get along so well with the horse.

As the eldest brother, Han Bing taught Yu Sui and coincidentally taught his two younger brothers as well. While he was explaining, Yu Sui understood and waved goodbye.

Her eldest brother was stunned, standing in place, encountering such a situation for the first time.

Sheng Fei grinned with amusement, seeing that someone could finally experience his previous feelings.

Yu Sui originally wanted to go back and tinker with the Communication Array. Today, she planned to try to crack the three Number Mountains and obtain specific information about the Listening Wind Ruler connected to them.

Halfway there, she was called to Lady Su's side.

Lady Su, having returned to the mansion, had nothing else to do but supervise Yu Sui's memorization and writing.

As it happened, Yu Sui hadn't paid attention to what the instructors had taught in class today, so she could only kneel by the door, reading and reciting.

In the evening, Nangong Ming came over. Seeing Yu Sui kneeling by the door reciting, he smiled, "I heard you've been learning archery and horseback riding with your brothers recently. How are your results?"

"I've already learned it," Yu Sui said.

Nangong Ming hummed, a half-smile on his face, "You've been learning for almost two months?"

Yu Sui tilted her head to look at him, "Although I'm slow, I've learned it."

Nangong Ming's expectations for Yu Sui had been lowered time and time again over the years. If you said she was intelligent, she certainly wasn't. But she managed not to make Nangong Ming give up on her, relying on her "Although I'm slow, I will definitely learn it."

However, the children around her were too outstanding. Nangong Ming and Lady Su were themselves extremely outstanding individuals with high talent, so naturally, they looked down on Yu Sui's "slow learning" ability.

That evening, Nangong Ming seemed to be in a good mood. He sat beside Yu Sui and listened to her recite her lessons. After she finished reciting everything, he took her to have dinner.

After dinner, Yu Sui was finally free. She returned to her room, closed the door, sat under the Liudan Jade Stone, with paper and pen in hand, observing the changes in the Number Mountains through her Strange Fire.

The rotating discs and colored ribbons on the Number Mountains spun rapidly, the changes in numbers dazzling. She selected the latest piece of information before her, memorized all the numerical runes, and began to decipher them.

Tianyuan represented positioning.

Aurora was responsible for transmission.

Chang Sheng handled encryption.

Other smaller Number Mountains revolved around the main Number Mountain, performing different power conversions and fusions. Everything within Yu Sui's sight was changing rapidly, and at the same time, different calculations were being performed.

The consciousness she had separated felt like another self, with two consciousnesses working towards the same goal through different tasks.

Every time Yu Sui saw the rotating numerical runes on the Number Mountains, she felt a strange power circulating within her, drawing her attention to the numbers while also allowing her to find what she needed in the world created by the numbers.

From the Fill-in-the-Blanks Technique to Star Positioning, Yu Sui saw a vast net before her. When she removed the unnecessary parts from the net, she saw the message sent from the Imperial Academy's Communication Array:

"The girls of the Zhongli Family are not allowed to learn archery and horseback riding. Just let them watch from the sidelines then."

Daylight rose outside the windows. Yu Sui looked at the message she had painstakingly deciphered all night and fell into deep thought.

*

Up to this point, the Imperial Academy still taught the most book knowledge, so Yu Sui didn't feel anything was wrong.

Yu Sui and Zhongli Que had been desk mates for nearly three to four months, yet they hadn't exchanged a single word.

Among the noisy children who skipped class, Zhongli Que was undoubtedly the most diligent student.

She listened attentively to every class every day, doing exactly as the instructors said. She completed every copying assignment, unlike Yu Sui, who slept all day.

Zhongli Que was the favorite student of the Imperial Academy instructors, second only to Gu Gan.

She was the "child of other people" that parents often mentioned – well-behaved and serious.

However, the children around her were all mischievous, or eccentric and independent, and they didn't like playing with well-behaved children.

Yu Sui only saw Zhongli Que playing with her family's siblings.

Her female cousins were in a similar situation; only the boys had a better time.

The second young master of the King's Mansion, Su Feng, had a good relationship with the young master of the Zhongli Family, Zhongli Shan.

Both were disciples of the Military School and had plenty to talk about.

Today, there was a written exam. Zhongli Que held her pen and wrote diligently. The classroom was very quiet. In this silence, she noticed that Yu Sui beside her was not sleeping but was propping her head with one hand and gazing at her expectantly.

Zhongli Que was unmoved at first, pretending not to see anything. Later, as if unable to bear Yu Sui's stare, she hesitated and pushed her test paper on the desk closer to Yu Sui.

Huh?

Now it was Yu Sui's turn to be confused.

Zhongli Que thought she couldn't see and moved closer to Yu Sui.

She had heard the Second Young Master of the King's Mansion and her elder brother chatting about how the Young Princess, because she always slacked off and slept instead of studying at the Imperial Academy, had to kneel and recite texts when she got home. If her written exams weren't good, she would be scolded by her mother and the Prince.

Is she looking at me today because she wants my help?

Zhongli Que thought this. After an internal struggle, she still chose to help the pitiful Young Princess of the King's Mansion.

Yu Sui finally understood when Zhongli Que revealed half of her test paper towards her.

She wants me to not waste my time and to study properly if I'm not sleeping.

So that's what she meant.

The two children blinked at each other. Yu Sui picked up her pen and copied Zhongli Que's answers.

The good girl was clearly doing this for the first time. Cheating for someone else was something Zhongli Que considered "bad kids" did, something forbidden. She felt a heavy burden, her heart pounding, as she forced herself to help Yu Sui.

Yu Sui indicated she was done copying, and only then did Zhongli Que breathe a sigh of relief.

The Archery and Horseback Riding class at the Imperial Academy was in autumn.

During autumn, the children spent their mornings in the classroom and their afternoons at the Archery and Horseback Riding field.

Yu Sui was drowsy at the Archery and Horseback Riding field. Standing in line, she saw Zhongli Que sitting in the resting area from afar. Zhongli Que sat on a small stool, with snacks and tea on a small table beside her.

Zhongli Que cupped her face in her hands, gazing enviously at the children who could draw bows and shoot arrows.

Princess Shangyang hit the bullseye with an arrow, drawing cheers from others. She proudly raised her head and accepted the praise. Holding a long arrow, she waved it towards Zhongli Que in the resting area, deliberately teasing her.

Zhongli Que looked away, not meeting her gaze.

When it was Yu Sui's turn to shoot, no one expected her to do well. It wasn't until they saw her, just like Princess Shangyang, hit the bullseye on her first try that they exclaimed in surprise.

"Could Nangong Sui be an Archery and Horseback Riding Genius?" someone remarked.

Princess Shangyang scoffed, "What genius? She must have practiced in secret."

Yu Sui, who happened to walk by, nodded in agreement, indicating that what was said was correct.

Princess Shangyang glared at her and put her hands on her hips, saying, "I learned my Archery and Horseback Riding with Gu Gan. How about that?"

Besides being a little surprised, Yu Sui didn't really have any strong feelings. Gu Gan walked over and pulled Yu Sui away, saying as they walked, "I waited for you at the Imperial Academy's Archery and Horseback Riding field before, but you didn't come. Princess Shangyang came instead."

Yu Sui listened, completely bewildered. "Brother Gu, when did you ask me to come to the Archery and Horseback Riding field?"

Gu Gan said with a straight face, "Last month, I went to your mansion to find you. Su Feng said you weren't there, so I told him to have you come to the Imperial Academy's Archery and Horseback Riding field."

The boy's strange desire to win.

When Su Feng asked him what it was about, saying he could relay the message to Yu Sui, Gu Gan didn't have to say anything. But he did, because he was sure Yu Sui would go.

Knowing that Su Feng and the others were teaching Yu Sui, he still "tried to snatch her" in front of Su Feng.

Therefore, Su Feng's reaction was to simply not tell Yu Sui, treating Gu Gan's words as if they were blown by the wind, heard but forgotten.

Yu Sui listened and said innocently, "Second Brother didn't tell me! If I had known, I definitely would have gone. Why didn't you tell me directly? I thought you were ignoring me these days, that I had done something wrong."

8 Chapter 8 (Page 2/2)

Let the boys sort out their own issues. Yu Sui didn't care.

Gu Gan heard this and had a "I knew it" expression, and they made up.

Yu Sui chatted with Gu Gan, but her peripheral vision swept towards Zhongli Que behind them.

She was looking at the shooting range alone, her eyes full of regret.

Gu Gan was called away by other children, so Yu Sui walked towards Zhongli Que.

Seeing someone approach, Zhongli Que withdrew her gaze and lowered her head. Upon realizing it was Yu Sui, she picked up her tea and pretended to drink, masking her unease.

"I'm so sleepy," Yu Sui said, sitting next to her and slumping onto the table. "Can I borrow your table to sleep for a bit?"

Zhongli Que's eyes widened as she looked at her, thinking, You're already sleeping.

She's also a strange child.

Every time Yu Sui did something she couldn't understand, she would follow up with a request like "May I...?", which inexplicably made Zhongli Que think Yu Sui was very "polite."

She couldn't refuse polite people, so she quietly replied, "Yes."

Yu Sui's extraordinary performance in the Archery and Horseback Riding class reached the ears of her several brothers. They all said things like, "How did your sister suddenly become so good?"

Her elder brothers would say, "Not at all, it's all because of my good teaching."

They would then ask, "How long have you been teaching?"

Elder brothers: "Only a few months."

Yu Sui, who was called an Archery and Horseback Riding Genius in the afternoon, had her reputation debunked in the evening.

She didn't care. After returning to the mansion, she would still practice at their own Archery and Horseback Riding field.

Her physical fitness definitely needed some training.

Second Brother Su Feng was also there, so Yu Sui asked him about Zhongli Que.

"What's wrong with her?" Su Feng, who was drawing his bowstring, turned his head in surprise, "You didn't get beaten by her and still can't win, did you?!"

Yu Sui: "..."

She wondered what kind of image she had in Su Feng's mind.

"She doesn't have to attend the Archery and Horseback Riding class. When we practice archery, she just watches from the side," Yu Sui said. "I'm very envious."

Su Feng breathed a sigh of relief and shot the long arrow in his hand, explaining, "As long as they are women of the Zhongli family, they are not allowed to practice Nine Schools Techniques and can only be Normal Practitioners. Even as Normal Practitioners, they cannot involve themselves in anything other than Logic and Literature within the Military School's teachings."

Yu Sui turned her head to look.

"This is the oath between the Zhongli family and Qingyang Nation. Their family's power is too great, and it needs to be restrained so that the Qingyang Emperor can be at ease. The female family members who have no ability to protect themselves are the Zhongli family's weakness."

Su Feng explained eloquently, "Look at Zhongli Que's father. He is one of the Three War Gods of the Military School on the entire continent, and also our Qingyang's only strong practitioner of the Military School. He is even stronger than all the previous General Zhonglis."

"I heard my mother say that when he was young, not only in Qingyang, but also beautiful girls from the Six Kingdoms wanted to marry him. Princesses and noble ladies, each more impressive than the last."

"But the higher their status, the more he couldn't marry them, otherwise, it would be a violation of the oath between the Zhongli family and Qingyang Nation, and their entire clan would be wiped out."

"In the end, he married a peasant woman with no background as his wife. Even so, the children of the Zhongli family all have exceptional talent."

Su Feng thought Yu Sui was listening attentively. After he finished, Yu Sui asked, "Why did everyone want to marry General Zhongli? Aren't there two other War Gods?"

"Huh?" Su Feng was stunned and scratched his head. "Maybe the other two War Gods aren't as good-looking as our Great General."

That was true.

The current Great General Zhongli Ci, because of his immense power, even stronger than his ancestors, was even more feared by the Qingyang Emperor.

The children of the Zhongli family were in a period where danger could descend at any moment.

As the children of Zhongli Ci, Zhongli Shan and Zhongli Que's every move was closely watched.

If Zhongli Que knew Nine Schools Techniques, she would be as good as dead.

When her father taught her elder brother the family sword techniques, Zhongli Que could only watch from the side. She wasn't even allowed to touch the wooden sword for practice, nor could she use a small knife to cut fruit.

She could only be a well-behaved and delicate woman in everyone's eyes.

Living as the most obvious weakness of the Zhongli family.

After the Archery and Horseback Riding class began, Yu Sui could only steal a moment to rest at the desk next to Zhongli Que.

Their conversations were still few, but they were no longer completely silent as before.

Yu Sui would inform Zhongli Que when she came over to rest, and Zhongli Que would wake her up in advance when the instructor came chasing after her.

Autumn passed, and winter arrived.

Yu Sui no longer had to go to the Imperial Academy, so she couldn't get information from the Communication Array.

Winter was the same as in previous years. She frequently attended banquets and met Zhongli Que a few times at different palace feasts.

When spring arrived, the young princess turned nine years old.

The Imperial Academy started its classes, but Yu Sui didn't see Zhongli Que.

Zhongli Que was confined to her home for two months for picking up a long arrow in the Archery and Horseback Riding field.

Yu Sui heard about this from Nangong Ming and Lady Su's casual conversation. The children at the Imperial Academy heard that Zhongli Que was sick and needed to recuperate at home for two months.

As they chatted, they eventually talked about Yu Sui's birthday.

Nangong Ming asked Yu Sui what she wanted.

He had been in a good mood lately, as if the matters he had planned were proceeding smoothly, and he had no worries. Even his daughter, whom he considered foolish, had been performing very well recently.

Yu Sui said she wanted a Listening Wind Ruler.

Nangong Ming was a little surprised, "Just this?"

A Listening Wind Ruler was a rare luxury for ordinary people, but it was a small trinket for a King's Mansion.

Yu Sui nodded and used Gu Gan as an excuse: "Brother Gu is often not in the Imperial Capital, so I can't chat with him even if I wanted to. I've already learned the Fill-in-the-Blanks Technique and Star Position, and I know how to use a Listening Wind Ruler. Father, please give me one."

Nangong Ming was even more surprised that she had learned the Fill-in-the-Blanks Technique and Star Position. Seeing that she could indeed use it, he generously gave her a Listening Wind Ruler. On her birthday, he also gave her other gifts that were hundreds of times more valuable than the Listening Wind Ruler.

After receiving the Listening Wind Ruler, Yu Sui modified its operating characters that same night, preventing the Communication Institute from accessing information and bypassing the King's Mansion's Communication Array to connect to the Imperial Academy's Communication Array.

Over the past year, Yu Sui had thoroughly studied the Imperial Academy's super-large Communication Array. Previously, she needed to monitor the Communication Array using a Five Elements Light Core to retrieve information from it.

Now, she could directly establish a connection and monitor/retrieve information using the Listening Wind Ruler.

Every message she sent would vanish in an instant within the operating Number Mountains, disappearing as soon as it was sent, and would not be accessed by anyone from the Communication Institute.

Yu Sui played with her Listening Wind Ruler late at night. Those she could test were already asleep. If she sent a message to her elder brother or Gu Gan, they would know she was still awake late at night.

After thinking for a long time, Yu Sui picked up the Listening Wind Ruler and sent a message to a certain unlucky classmate who was confined at home recuperating.

Zhongli Que was very annoyed about being confined.

She desperately explained and apologized to her father, not even daring to look at his expression.

The Imperial Censor in the palace gently advised from the side, saying she was young and ignorant, and there was no need to be too harsh.

The majestic father finally gave his order: she was to be confined for two months for reflection.

She threw herself into her mother's arms and cried. Her mother gently wiped away her tears, comforting her softly, but her eyes were filled with worry.

"You must remember, you absolutely cannot let anyone discover this, not even your father."

Zhongli Que kept her mother's reminder firmly in her heart, but she had already made a mistake once.

Unable to sleep, Zhongli Que propped herself by the window, watching the falling rain. The late-night drizzle deepened her melancholy.

The Listening Wind Ruler beside her lit up.

Zhongli Que didn't look at it. These past few days, she had received many messages of care and comfort from her sisters in the clan via the Listening Wind Ruler, and she wasn't in the mood to reply.

The light on the Listening Wind Ruler flickered, dimming and then brightening several times. Puzzled, Zhongli Que walked over to check.

Which older sister was also awake late at night, sending a message to comfort her?

It was an unknown message.

Zhongli Que's gaze was surprised. Logically, a Listening Wind Ruler that hadn't undergone inscription exchange shouldn't be able to send messages.

She reached out and tapped it open.

Yu Sui had sent Zhongli Que the lecture notes from the Instructor Teacher today.

"The Imperial Academy is having a written exam right after opening, it's too difficult!"

"You're not here, and I'll be at the bottom for the written exam. I'll get scolded when I get home."

"This is the Logic and Literature the Teacher taught today. I didn't sleep, and I took notes for you. If you learn it, I can just copy your answers."

"I am Nangong Sui."

Zhongli Que read through the messages one by one and couldn't help but chuckle, the gloominess in her eyes completely vanishing.