Gu Gan wasn't like the children of the Prince's Mansion, who had to go to the National Academy every day. If he ever didn't feel like going, no one could make him.
He had been away from the imperial capital for some time, having gone on a long trip with Nangong Ming.
Yu Sui simply replied, "Brother Gu, you weren't in the imperial capital. Even if I wanted to find you, I couldn't."
Gu Gan seemed to realize he'd said something he shouldn't have. He snorted and walked away.
Yu Sui had no idea what the child was angry about, but she didn't think it was worth worrying over. She threw herself into figuring out how to take apart the Communication Array.
That day, Yu Sui left three Five Elements Light Cores at the Communication Institute to monitor its operation.
After returning to the Prince's Mansion, she put on her protective gear and went to the Archery Range to start learning to ride.
Her eldest brother, Han Bing, picked out a docile little horse for her. Yu Sui spent a long time getting acquainted with the Little White Horse before she dared to climb onto its back. Nearby, Su Feng and Sheng Fei stood ready to catch her if the horse threw her off. They hadn't expected the two of them to get along so well.
As the eldest brother, Han Bing taught Yu Sui and took the opportunity to teach his two younger brothers, too. While he was still explaining, Yu Sui realized she had the hang of it, waved goodbye, and left.
It was the first time Big Brother had encountered something like that. He stood there, stunned.
Sheng Fei grinned and laughed. At last, someone else could experience how he'd felt.
Yu Sui had planned to go back and tinker with the Communication Array. Today, she wanted to see if she could crack the three number mountains and obtain the specific information carried by the Listening Wind Rulers connected to them.
Halfway there, she was summoned to Lady Su's quarters.
Lady Su had nothing much to do after returning to the mansion, so she kept an eye on Yu Sui as she memorized lessons and practiced her writing.
As it happened, Yu Sui really hadn't paid attention to what the tutors had taught that day. She could only kneel by the doorway, reading and reciting.
That evening, Nangong Ming came over. Seeing Yu Sui kneeling by the door and reciting, he laughed. "I hear you've been learning archery and horseback riding from your brothers. How's it going?"
"I've learned," Yu Sui said.
"Oh?" Nangong Ming replied, his smile faintly teasing. "After nearly two months?"
Yu Sui looked up at him. "It took a while, but I learned."
Over the years, Nangong Ming's expectations for Yu Sui had been lowered again and again. She certainly wasn't clever, but she'd managed to keep him from giving up on her with her mantra: "It may take me a while, but I'll definitely learn."
It was just that the children around her were all far too capable. Nangong Ming and Lady Su were both exceptionally gifted, so naturally they looked down on Yu Sui's "slow learning."
That evening, Nangong Ming seemed to be in a good mood. He sat nearby and listened to Yu Sui recite her lessons. Only after she had finished them all did he take her to eat.
After dinner, Yu Sui was finally free. She returned to her room, closed the door, and sat beneath the Liudan Jade Stone with paper and brush at hand, using her strange flame to observe the changes in the number mountains.
The dials and ribbons on the mountains spun at a dizzying speed. The numbers changed so rapidly that they made her eyes swim. She selected the newest message before her, recorded all its number symbols, and began to take it apart.
Tianyuan handled positioning.
Aurora handled transmission.
Longevity handled encryption.
The other smaller number mountains revolved around the Large Number Mountain, converting and combining different kinds of power. Everything within Yu Sui's view was changing at breakneck speed, while undergoing different calculations at the same time.
The consciousness she had peeled away from herself now seemed like another version of her. The two of them worked toward the same goal, each doing a different task.
Whenever Yu Sui saw the number symbols turning atop the mountains, she felt a strange force circulating inside her. It drew her toward the numbers, yet also helped her find what she needed in the world those numbers had created.
From the Character Filling Technique to Star Position, a vast web seemed to spread out before Yu Sui. Once she removed what she didn't need, she saw the message sent through the National Academy's Communication Array:
"The Zhongli family's girls are not allowed to learn archery and horseback riding. Just have them watch from the sidelines."
Dawn rose beyond the doors and windows. Looking at the message she had painstakingly deciphered over the course of a whole night, Yu Sui fell into thought.
*
So far, the National Academy had taught mostly book learning, so Yu Sui hadn't thought anything was amiss.
Yu Sui had sat beside Zhongli Que for nearly three or four months, and the two of them had never spoken a word.
Among all the noisy children who skipped class, Zhongli Que was undoubtedly the most dedicated student.
She listened attentively every day, took everything the tutors said to heart, and completed every copying assignment. She was nothing like Yu Sui, who slept all day.
Aside from Gu Gan, Zhongli Que was the student most beloved by the tutors at the National Academy.
She was exactly the kind of "someone else's child" parents were always talking about: obedient and diligent.
It was just that the children around them were all troublemakers or solitary oddballs, and none of them liked playing with well-behaved children.
Yu Sui had only ever seen Zhongli Que playing with her siblings from the same family.
The girls in Yu Sui's own family were in much the same situation, while the boys had it a little easier.
Su Feng, the Prince's Mansion Second Young Master, got along well with the Zhongli family's Young Master, Zhongli Shan.
They were both disciples of the Military School and had plenty to talk about.
There was a written exam that day. Zhongli Que gripped her brush and wrote earnestly, while the classroom sat in complete silence. Amid that quiet, she noticed that Yu Sui wasn't asleep for once. Instead, she propped her head up with one hand and gazed at her expectantly.
At first, Zhongli Que didn't react, pretending she hadn't noticed. But eventually Yu Sui's stare became too much to bear. After a moment's hesitation, she nudged her exam paper a little closer to Yu Sui.
Huh?
Now it was Yu Sui's turn to be confused.
Thinking Yu Sui couldn't see it, Zhongli Que nudged the paper closer again.
She had heard the Prince's Mansion Second Young Master and her brother talking. The Young Princess was always slacking off and sleeping at the National Academy instead of studying, so she had to kneel and recite her lessons at home. If she did badly on a written exam, the Madam and Prince would scold her, too.
She's looking at me today. Does she want me to help her?
That was what Zhongli Que thought. After a fierce inner struggle, she decided to help the poor Young Princess of the Prince's Mansion.
Only when Zhongli Que had revealed half the exam paper to her did Yu Sui finally understand.
She wants me to stop wasting time. Since I'm awake, I should study properly.
So that was what she meant.
The two children blinked at each other. Yu Sui picked up her brush and copied Zhongli Que's answers.
It was clearly the first time the well-behaved girl had done anything like this. In Zhongli Que's eyes, helping someone cheat was something only "bad children" did, something forbidden. She felt burdened by it, her heart thumping as she forced herself to help Yu Sui.
Only after Yu Sui indicated that she had finished copying did Zhongli Que finally relax.
*
The National Academy's archery and horseback riding classes were held in autumn.
In autumn, the children spent their mornings in the classroom and their afternoons at the Archery Range.
Yu Sui was half asleep among the rows of students at the Archery Range. From a distance, she spotted Zhongli Que seated in the resting area, perched on a little stool with refreshments and tea set out on a small table beside her.
Zhongli Que cupped her face in both hands, her eyes filled with envy as she watched the children practicing archery.
Princess Shangyang hit the bull's-eye with an arrow, drawing cheers from the others. She held her head high and accepted them proudly, then waved her long arrow at Zhongli Que in the resting area, deliberately teasing her.
Zhongli Que turned her eyes away and ignored her.
When it was Yu Sui's turn to shoot, no one thought she'd do well. But when she, like Princess Shangyang, hit the bull's-eye on her very first try, everyone cried out in surprise.
"Could Nangong Sui be an Archery and Horseback Riding Genius?" someone said.
Princess Shangyang snorted. "What genius? She must've been sneaking off to practice in secret."
Passing by just then, Yu Sui heard her and nodded, as if to say, You're right.
Princess Shangyang glared at her and planted her hands on her hips. "I learned archery and horseback riding with Gu Gan. So what?"
Aside from being a little surprised, Yu Sui didn't know what she was supposed to make of that. Gu Gan, on the other hand, came over and dragged her away, saying as they walked, "I waited for you at the National Academy's Archery Range before, but you didn't come. Princess Shangyang came instead."
Yu Sui was utterly confused. "Brother Gu, when did you ask me to go to the Archery Range?"
Gu Gan's face stiffened. "Last month. I went to the Prince's Mansion to find you, but Su Feng said you weren't there. So I told him to have you come to the National Academy's Archery Range."
Boys and their strange competitive streaks.
When Su Feng had asked what he wanted and offered to pass on a message to Yu Sui, Gu Gan could simply have kept quiet. Instead, he'd said it because he was certain Yu Sui would come.
He knew Su Feng and the others were teaching Yu Sui, yet he'd still tried to "steal her away" right in front of Su Feng.
So Su Feng's response had been to say nothing to Yu Sui and treat Gu Gan's words like wind in his ears—heard and forgotten.
Yu Sui said innocently, "Second Brother didn't tell me. If I'd known, I would definitely have gone. Why didn't you tell me yourself? I thought you'd been ignoring me all these days because I'd done something wrong."
It was better to let the boys sort out their own problems. Yu Sui couldn't be bothered.
Gu Gan gave her a look that said, I knew it, and made up with Yu Sui.
Yu Sui chatted with Gu Gan, but out of the corner of her eye she kept glancing toward Zhongli Que behind them.
She was alone, gazing at the archery range, her eyes full of regret.
When the other children called Gu Gan away, Yu Sui headed over to Zhongli Que.
Seeing someone approach, Zhongli Que lowered her head and looked away. When she realized it was Yu Sui, she lifted her teacup as if to drink, trying to hide her uncertainty.
"I'm so sleepy." Yu Sui sat beside her and flopped down on the table. "Can I borrow your table for a nap?"
Zhongli Que stared at her, thinking, You've already been sleeping.
She was a strange child, too.
Whenever Yu Sui did something she couldn't understand, she always followed it up with a polite question: "May I do this?" It somehow made Zhongli Que think of her as very "well-mannered."
She couldn't refuse someone so polite, so she answered softly, "You can."
*
Word of Yu Sui's astonishing performance in archery and horseback riding class reached the ears of her brothers. Everyone said things like, "How did your younger sister suddenly get so good?"
Her brothers would reply, "Oh, it's nothing. I taught her well."
Then people would ask, "How long did you teach her?"
Her brothers would say, "Just a few months."
By the time evening came, Yu Sui had gone from being called an Archery and Horseback Riding Genius to having the rumor debunked.
She didn't care. After returning to the mansion, she still went to practice at their Archery Range.
Her physical stamina really did need some work.
As it happened, Second Brother Su Feng was there, so Yu Sui asked him about Zhongli Que.
"What's wrong with her?" Su Feng, who was pulling back a bowstring, whipped around in surprise. "Don't tell me she beat you up and you couldn't fight back?!"
Yu Sui: "..."
She had no idea what sort of person Su Feng thought she was.
"She doesn't have to take archery and horseback riding class. While we're shooting, she just watches from the side," Yu Sui said. "I'm jealous."
Only then did Su Feng relax. He loosed the long arrow in his hand and explained, "No woman from the Zhongli family is allowed to practice the Nine Schools Techniques. They can only be Normal Practitioners. Even then, they're not allowed to study anything beyond the literary and mathematical disciplines of the Military School."
Yu Sui turned to look at him.
"That's the oath between the Zhongli family and Qingyang Nation. Their family's power is too great, so it has to be restrained to put the Qingyang Emperor at ease. The women, who have no ability to defend themselves, are the Zhongli family's weak point."
Su Feng explained it as if he knew every detail. "Look at Zhongli Que's father. He's one of the Three War Gods of the Military School on the entire continent, and the only one of Qingyang's military powerhouses. He's stronger than every Zhongli General before him."
"I heard my mother say that when he was young, beautiful girls from all six nations wanted to marry him—not just Qingyang's. There were princesses and noblewomen, each more impressive than the last."
"But the higher their status, the less he could marry them. Otherwise, he'd be breaking the oath between the Zhongli family and Qingyang Nation, and his whole family would be wiped out."
"In the end, he married a farmer's wife with no background or status. Even so, the Zhongli children all have incredible talent."
Su Feng thought Yu Sui was listening closely. When he finished, he heard her ask, "Why did they all want to marry Great General Zhongli? Weren't there two other War Gods?"
"Huh?" Su Feng stared blankly for a moment, then scratched his head. "Maybe the other two War Gods aren't as good-looking as our Great General."
That was certainly true.
Now that Great General Zhongli Ci had grown so powerful, even stronger than his ancestors, he had earned the Qingyang Emperor's greater wariness.
The Zhongli children were living through a time when danger could descend at any moment.
As Zhongli Ci's children, Zhongli Shan and Zhongli Que were watched closely in everything they did.
If Zhongli Que knew the Nine Schools Techniques, her life would be over.
When their father taught their elder brother the Family Sword Techniques, Zhongli Que could only watch from the sidelines. She wasn't even allowed to touch the practice Wood Sword, let alone pick up a little knife for peeling fruit.
She could only be the obedient, fragile girl everyone expected her to be.
She had to live as the Zhongli family's most obvious weakness.
*
After archery and horseback riding classes began, Yu Sui could only slack off and rest at the table beside Zhongli Que.
They still spoke very little, but they no longer went the way they had before, without exchanging a single word.
Whenever Yu Sui came over to rest, she told Zhongli Que. When the tutor came looking for her, Zhongli Que would wake her up beforehand.
Autumn passed, and winter arrived.
Yu Sui no longer had to go to the National Academy, so she couldn't get information from the Communication Array.
Winter came and went just as it had in previous years. She frequently attended banquets, seeing Zhongli Que at different palace feasts.
When spring arrived, the Young Princess turned nine.
Classes resumed at the National Academy, but Yu Sui didn't see Zhongli Que.
Zhongli Que had been confined to her home for two months for picking up a long arrow at the Archery Range.
Yu Sui heard about it while Nangong Ming and Lady Su were chatting. The children at the National Academy had been told that Zhongli Que was ill and would be recuperating at home for two months.
As the two talked, the subject turned to Yu Sui's birthday.
Nangong Ming asked Yu Sui what she wanted.
He had been in a good mood lately. It seemed that his plans were going smoothly, and he had nothing to worry about. Even his daughter, whom he thought of as a fool, had been doing quite well lately.
Yu Sui said she wanted a Listening Wind Ruler.
Nangong Ming was a little surprised. "That's all?"
A Listening Wind Ruler was a rare luxury for ordinary people, but it was a trifle to the Prince's Mansion.
Yu Sui nodded, using Gu Gan as an excuse. "Brother Gu is often away from the imperial capital, so I can't talk to him. I've already learned the Character Filling Technique and Star Position, and I know how to use a Listening Wind Ruler. Father, just give me one."
Nangong Ming was even more surprised that she had learned the Character Filling Technique and Star Position. After seeing that she really could use them, he generously gave her a Listening Wind Ruler. On her birthday, he also gave her other presents a hundred times more valuable.
As soon as Yu Sui received the Listening Wind Ruler, she changed the operating symbols on it that very night, preventing the Communication Institute from retrieving its information. She bypassed the Prince's Mansion's Communication Array and connected it to the National Academy's Communication Array.
Over the past year, Yu Sui had thoroughly studied the National Academy's enormous Communication Array. Before, she had needed to use the Five Elements Light Cores to monitor the array before she could retrieve information from it.
Now she could establish a connection directly through the Listening Wind Ruler, then monitor and retrieve information.
Every message she sent vanished in an instant among the number mountains as they operated. The moment it was sent, it disappeared, never to be read by anyone at the Communication Institute.
Yu Sui played with her Listening Wind Ruler in the dead of night. Everyone she could test it on was already asleep. If she messaged one of her brothers or Gu Gan, they'd know she was still awake in the middle of the night.
After thinking it over for a long while, Yu Sui picked up her Listening Wind Ruler and sent a message to her unfortunate desk mate, who was confined at home to "recuperate."
*
Zhongli Que was very upset about being confined to her home.
She tried desperately to explain and apologize to her father, not even daring to look up and see the expression on his face.
The Imperial Censor from the palace gently urged them from the side, saying she was young and didn't know any better, and there was no need to be so harsh on her.
In the end, her stern father issued his judgment: she was to be confined for two months to reflect on her actions.
She threw herself into her mother's arms and wept. Her mother gently wiped away her tears and softly comforted her, though worry filled her eyes.
"You must remember: you absolutely cannot let anyone find out—not even your father."
Zhongli Que kept her mother's warning firmly in her heart, but she had already made one mistake.
Unable to sleep, Zhongli Que leaned against the window and watched the rain falling outside. The drizzle in the dead of night only deepened the gloom in her heart.
The Listening Wind Ruler beside her lit up.
Zhongli Que didn't look. Over the past few days, she had received plenty of concern and comfort from the girls in her clan through the Listening Wind Ruler, but she wasn't in the mood to reply.
The Listening Wind Ruler's light dimmed, then brightened again. After it did so several times, Zhongli Que walked over, puzzled, to check it.
Which elder sister was still awake this late, sending her a message to comfort her?
The message was from an unknown sender.
Zhongli Que looked surprised. By rights, Listening Wind Rulers shouldn't be able to send messages to each other without first exchanging inscriptions.
She reached out and tapped to open it.
Everything Yu Sui had sent Zhongli Que was from the lessons their instructor had taught that day.
"Just after the academy opened, we already have a written exam. It's so hard!"
"You're not here, so I came last in the written exam. When I get home, I'll be scolded again."
"This is the lesson the instructor taught today. I didn't sleep; I wrote it down for you. Once you learn it, I can just copy the answers."
"I'm Nangong Sui."
Zhongli Que read through the messages one by one and couldn't help but let out a laugh. The gloom between her brows vanished completely.
Before you continue