This child is too difficult. I can't teach her

A convoy slowly came to a stop at the foot of Qingyun Mountain. Inside the luxurious carriage, the princess descended a small ladder and climbed the mountain surrounded by soldiers.

A gentle mountain breeze blew, caressing her silk skirt and hair. The noble and aloof princess faced the wind, her clear eyes slightly narrowed.

She saw an elderly gentleman with gray hair sitting at a table in a pavilion halfway up the mountain, with a young child sitting opposite him.

Beside the young child was a stunningly beautiful girl, her head bowed as she did needlework.

The old man said in a deep voice, "How many times have I told you, you must hold the pen correctly."

The child replied, "Yes, sir."

The old man said, "Then you should change it back."

Child: "Change what?"

"Alright, no writing today. You can recite the Three Character Classic with me." The old man sighed, then cleared his throat:

"At birth, human nature is inherently good."

Child: "At the beginning of life, what is human nature?"

The teacher said, "At birth, human nature is inherently good."

Child: "Human nature is inherently good."

Sir: "What did you stop for in the middle?"

Child: "I forgot."

The teacher said, "Let's start anew. At birth, human nature is inherently good."

Child: "At the beginning of life, what is human nature?"

The man went berserk.

Outside the pavilion, the princess couldn't help but smile. Her clear, mirror-like eyes sparkled with laughter, and in an instant, she came alive with a vibrant and alluring beauty.

The old gentleman recognized the princess and immediately stood up, bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Princess."

The elegant and aloof princess nodded slightly, her voice clear and crisp like ice striking ice. "When did Cloud Deer Academy get so many children?"

The old man turned his head and gestured for the two sisters to come over and pay their respects. Xu Lingyue stood up and bowed, while Xu Lingyin stared blankly at the woman whose chest was comparable to her mother's and whose temperament and appearance were even better.

The old man said awkwardly, "Please forgive the child's rudeness, Your Highness."

He wasn't too anxious. Although the princess was aloof and noble, making people dare not offend her, she was a scholar and her mind was no less than that of a young man.

The old gentleman continued, "The two of you are family members of students at the academy. Due to family matters, the women are staying at the academy temporarily."

The wise and resourceful princess immediately deciphered the hidden meaning in their words, scrutinized the beautiful young woman and the not-so-bright child, and smiled slightly, "Which student are you?"

She was also a student of the academy and knew its rules well; without the approval of a great Confucian scholar, the students' children and relatives could not live on Qingyun Mountain.

Xu Lingyue said softly, "My elder brother Xu Xinnian."

She didn't mention Xu Qi'an because her elder brother wasn't a student at the academy.

Princess Xu Xinnian's eyes flickered slightly. Having investigated Xu Qi'an's background, she immediately recalled the brotherly relationship between the two.

The mastermind behind the tax silver case was Vice Minister Zhou, and about ten days ago, Xu Qi'an had a conflict with Vice Minister Zhou's son in the bustling city. The princess looked at the pretty and delicate girl and asked gently, "When did this happen?"

"It's almost been ten years," Xu Lingyue said.

He knew Caiwei, and Caiwei knew that Vice Minister Zhou was involved in the tax silver case. Therefore, it can be inferred that the unremarkable clerk would also know about this matter. Knowing that he had offended Vice Minister Zhou, sending the women in his family to the academy was a possible solution. However, wouldn't it have been better for the whole family to flee the Capital?

Sending the women to the academy while the men of the household remain in the capital—what are they planning?

Thinking of the trigger that led to Vice Minister Zhou's dismissal and exile, the Princess narrowed her beautiful eyes, nodded slightly, and continued climbing the mountain with her guards.

Accord!

The eldest princess scrutinized Zhao Shou, slightly surprised. "Your dean's complexion has changed drastically in just ten days."

The former dean was unkempt, with long, gray hair hanging down and a gloomy look between his brows.

Now, his eyes are clear and bright, his spirit is composed yet understated, and he exudes vitality.

Zhao Shou did not answer directly, but laughed loudly and said, "The sage said, 'In learning, there is no distinction between young and old; the accomplished come first.'"

Learning knows no age, but the accomplished come first. His meaning is that there was someone who could be his teacher, even though he was quite young. Could this be related to the aura that soared to the heavens from the Temple of the Second Saint that day?

She was very interested in the changes at the Academy of the Second Sage, and had a strong thirst for knowledge because it involved the struggle for the orthodox lineage of Confucian School and the future structure of the imperial court.

What exactly happened that day?

The Temple of the Second Saint was sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter; even the Nightwatchers was helpless.

The eldest princess gathered her scattered thoughts, gazed at the deep green bamboo forest outside the window, and sighed, "Does the Dean know about Vice Minister Zhou's dismissal and exile?"

"For the officialdom of the Great Feng Dynasty, this is merely the first step in the unfolding of factional strife." Zhao Shou smiled and shook his head, unwilling to elaborate. He waved his hand to summon the chessboard and said:

"Ever since Li Mubai defeated Wei Yuan three times, he has stopped playing chess. There are not many people in the academy who can play chess with me. Since the Princess is here today, please play a game with me."

The eldest princess said helplessly, "Why should the Dean humiliate himself by playing chess with me?"

On the other side, in the pavilion built next to the cliff.

Just as the three great Confucian scholars finished their discussion, a page delivered a letter, saying that the eldest princess had visited the academy and had sent it over.

In her handwritten note, the eldest princess wrote that a masterpiece had recently emerged in the capital, which was being talked about with great interest by the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy regarded it as the best poem of the past century, surpassing even the farewell poem from the Cloud Deer Academy.

Moreover, compared to farewell poems, this "foremost poem of the past century" originated from the Imperial Academy of Music), featuring a talented scholar and a beautiful woman, making the story more interesting and widely circulated.

At the end, the princess attached the poem that had become a sensation among scholars in the capital within just a few days.

After several days of seclusion, a masterpiece has emerged in the capital? Zhang Shen gazes intently at the accompanying poem for his appreciation.

"A Gift of Fuxiang from the Shadow Plum Pavilion"

All the flowers have faded and fallen, yet it alone remains radiant, captivating the small garden with its charm.

Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water; a faint fragrance drifts in the twilight.

Zhang Shen stood like a statue, silent for a long time. He gently put down the paper in his hand and looked at Li Mubai and Chen Tai, who were drinking tea and chatting.

"Chunjing, Youping, take a look at this," Zhang Shen said.

His sudden serious expression startled the two scholars. Li Mubai took the paper, glanced at it quickly, and then his gaze turned serious, his relaxed demeanor disappearing.

"Let me see." Seeing the expressions on their faces, Chen Tai reached out and took the paper. After reading it once, he pondered it carefully for a long time.

Chen Daru sighed deeply, "Sparse shadows and subtle fragrance—these two lines perfectly capture the unparalleled beauty of the plum blossoms. Truly, the author possesses a refined and exquisite mind."

Li Mubai then commented. "Ningyan 'Who in the world does not know you?' certainly inspires a sense of pride, but in terms of profound meaning, beautiful diction, and outstanding spirit, it is indeed far inferior."

Zhang Shen stroked his beard and sighed, "This poem, once written, is an unsurpassable masterpiece of plum blossom poetry. Who is this Yang Ling? He possesses such talent; I've never even heard of him before."

Chen Tai reread the handwritten letter and said, "It seems to be a scholar from Changle County who wrote this poem as a gift to the courtesan Fuxiang while working at the Imperial Academy of Music)."

At this point, the tea room fell silent, and none of the three Confucian scholars uttered a word.

A sour smell fermented and permeated the air.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Shen said, "I think we should immediately inform the dean to admit this scholar into the academy. Such talent should not be wasted."

Chen Tai and Li Mubai readily agreed, "That makes sense."

When they came to pick up their aunt and sisters, Xu Cijiu and Xu Ningyan, as students, first visited their teacher.

The three great scholars had just finished their lectures and, knowing that their "valued" students were visiting, decided to gather in the hall for tea.

Zhang Shen first glanced at his disciple, whose demeanor had changed, and said with satisfaction, "Cijiu, it seems that copying the sayings of the sages has greatly benefited you."

Xu Cijiu a pang of shame and nodded.

Li Mubai asked in surprise, "Copying the sayings of sages can help one enter the Self-Cultivation Realm? How come I haven't noticed that?"

Xu Erlang opened his mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

He did indeed touch the threshold of the Self-Cultivation Realm, but that was after seeing the four lines his elder brother had written on the stone tablet.

This is a gradual and subtle process.

However, this is not something that can be said in public, even though everyone knows the origin of those four sentences.

After a few words of casual conversation, Chen Tai glanced at Li Mubai and Zhang Shen, and said with a smile, "You two live in the capital, do you know that a masterpiece has recently been created here... 'Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water; a faint fragrance drifts in the twilight.' Exquisite, truly exquisite."

"Ningyan, although you have poetic talent, do not be arrogant. You should know that there are many hidden talents among the scholars in the world."

That old scoundrel is just jealous that we've taken on a good student. But such mature words are hard to refute. Zhang Shen could only say, "This poem is indeed brilliant, Ningyan doesn't need to take it too seriously. It's a timeless masterpiece about plum blossoms, there's no point in arguing about it."

Li Mubai nodded. "Although scholars these days lack a bit of Spiritual Qi, there are always exceptions. Yang Ling might not be able to compose a second one. As for Ningyan's poetry, it's very possible that he'll write a third or even a fourth one in the future."

Xu Xinnian glanced at his cousin and said, "This poem was also written by my eldest brother."

P. S.: Do you have any recommendation votes left? Could you send some to them?