Can She Stay at the Academy?

Xu Xi initially thought that although Zhao Yuankun seemed a bit cold, it was normal for him to have no feelings for the Marquis's mansion, the old lady, and his elder brother after being suppressed by the old lady for so many years. He also had grievances.

Even if he tried to curry favor with the crown prince and get ahead, she could understand and didn't immediately categorize him as a bad person or an enemy.

Now that the family has separated, Zhao Yuankun has the opportunity to make great strides and doesn't need to curry favor with the Crown Prince. If he can achieve this, the eldest branch of the family will have no reason to target him.

But people's hearts are inherently biased. Now that Zhao Yuanxun is her father, and the old lady dotes on her, Zhao Yuankun Yuankun's actions have greatly damaged her impression of Zhao Yuankun.

"What happened to the two shops owned by the Lady Wei? Did the imperial court take them back, or did they leave them to the second branch of the family to manage themselves?" Xu Xi asked curiously.

The First Madam shook her head. "I don't know. We'll have to wait until the Wei Family's matter is settled before we can inquire. It's not a good time to ask now. Besides, this is the Second Branch's business. It's your Second Uncle who's going to find someone to handle things. It has nothing to do with us. I told your father not to worry about it. If your Second Uncle can find someone and is willing to spend money to do so, he might be able to keep the property, since the deed is still with the Second Branch."

Xu Xi nodded.

"There's another matter I wanted to discuss with you," the First Madam said. "When we arranged for you to stay at the Tea Tasting Residence, it was a temporary measure. At that time, you were part of the Second Branch of the family, and you didn't want to go back to the Second Branch, nor could you live in the residences of the First or Third Branches, so you had no choice but to stay there. Now that the situation has changed, why don't you move back to the First Branch?"

She pointed in a direction to the east. "There's a courtyard over there called Slender Bamboo Courtyard. It's a quiet and secluded place, not far from here. Your third sister's Plum Blossom Seeking Courtyard is also nearby. If you stay there, you can get closer to your third sister."

Xu Xi thought about the location of Slender Bamboo Courtyard, then nodded obediently. "Okay, I'll do whatever Mother arranges."

The main house's courtyard is actually very close to the Rongxi Hall. Because the Earl's mansion is so large, the courtyards in the complex are not adjacent to each other, but are all separated by a distance. Slender Bamboo Courtyard is the same. Although it is located in the main house's courtyard complex, it is an independent courtyard and is not adjacent to the First Madam's Longyu Courtyard or Zhao Ruxin's Plum Blossom Seeking Courtyard.

The First Madam was Gao Xing: "Then I'll have someone help you set up first, and we'll move in once it's done."

"Good."

It was Wushi, and the midday break at the Beining Academy was over. Finally, it was time for Master Kang's painting class. He rushed into the classroom, only to find Xu Xi's seat empty. He immediately became Gao Xing and asked Xu Xue, "Where's your sister? Is she in the North Academy? Isn't she in painting class? She thinks she's so great just because she knows a little about painting? Hurry up and go call her over."

"Uh, Master, my sister isn't in the North Academy. She's on leave. Her grandmother is sick, and she's gone home to take care of her," Xu Xue said, standing up.

"She's asking for leave to care for someone who's ill?" Kang Shilin frowned. "How many days off does she want?"

Xu Xue shook her head. "I don't know, they didn't say."

"Okay, sit down."

Although Kang Shilin continued to teach and guide everyone in drawing as usual, everyone could tell that he was very Gao Xing. He used his sharp tongue to its fullest extent and almost made a group of girls cry.

After finally getting through class, Kang Shilin went to visit Madam Cui and found that Xu Xi had indeed taken leave to go home and take care of her sick family. She was walking out in a bad mood and almost bumped into a middle-aged man.

Upon seeing Kang Shilin, the man's body stiffened slightly, and he quickly bowed to him apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you were about to leave."

Kang Shilin could only return the greeting. "It's alright."

Seeing that Madam Cui had stood up, and that Teacher Chen was following behind the man, Kang Shilin knew that this man had come to the academy on business.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard the man say to Madam Cui, "I am Xu Xi's father, Earl of Suiping Zhao Yuanxun, the Earl of Suiping. I have come today to discuss Xu Xi's matter with you, Madam."

Kang Shilin pulled his leg back after it had just stepped out of the threshold.

He turned around, glanced at Zhao Yuanxun twice, said nothing, and sat down on a chair next to him.

Zhao Yuanxun first handed his invitation to the old woman guarding the door, and Madam Cui learned of his identity. Since he was both a patriarch and a nobleman, she then Madam Chen to go out and bring Zhao Yuanxun in.

Seeing that the Earl of Suiping was in his early forties, thin but handsome, and with a very refined demeanor, and that he was polite yet neither servile nor arrogant in his presence, she felt a greater sense of goodwill towards him.

After exchanging greetings with Zhao Yuanxun, Madam Cui invited him to sit down. Seeing Kang Shilin sitting there calmly, his small eyes fixed intently on Zhao Yuanxun, she helplessly ignored him and smiled at Zhao Yuanxun, saying, "May I ask what brings you here, Lord?"

"I wonder if Madam has heard about my family's situation." Zhao Yuanxun explained the matter of the babies being switched at birth, and also briefly mentioned the Wei Family, explaining that Xu Xi was his newly recognized biological daughter.

"We only found out about this matter after the Court of Judicial Review investigated and the Emperor issued an edict. Originally, my second brother and Lady Wei took their daughter back after recognizing her as a relative. That was it. But I found out today that her household registration hadn't been transferred. I just went to the yamen and transferred Miss Xi's household registration. I'm here now to ask if, given her situation, she can still study at your academy?"

To prevent disputes, local Women's Academy had long stipulated that people who were not registered residents of the county were not allowed to enter the Women's Academy in that county.

Xu Xi's situation, Madam Cui could tell Zhao Yuanxun directly without even asking: No!

However, Xu Xi had performed exceptionally well at the academy during this period, and Madam Cui was hoping that she could bring honor to the Women's Academy in the imperial examinations, so she was really reluctant to let her go.

Madam Cui said, "We've never encountered a situation like this before. I need to report to Grand Princess Shangde and let her decide. Have Xu Xi come in a couple of days, and I'll tell her the Princess's decision. If it doesn't work, her belongings left at the academy also need to be packed up."

"Then I'll trouble you." Zhao Yuanxun stood up and bowed. "Also, my Miss Xi has changed her name to Zhao Ruxi. If she can still come to the academy, please ask the teacher to convey her message to the teachers and classmates."

Zhao Yuanxun was a decisive and efficient person. Since Madam Cui had given him this instruction, he took his leave.

Before leaving, he bowed to Kang Shilin.

Kang Shilin, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer, but at least he knew what was important and didn't interrupt.

As soon as Zhao Yuanxun left, he couldn't wait to yell at Madam Cui, "You can't let Xu Xi go! Do you know how talented she is at painting? Without a famous teacher or family tradition, she can create a new style of painting. She's a master who can be remembered for all time! How can you let her drop out of school? What's the point of running this academy then?"