"Mo Lingxi, I'm not negating you, but rather discussing something with you. In your eyes, Xiao Feng, as your heir and a boy, should be strictly trained from a young age, but my thoughts are completely different."
"Wife, on this matter, we can find a compromise, right?"
How could Sheng Lengshuang not know Mo Lingxi was being deliberate? "You know very well what I mean. Mo Lingxi, you are not indispensable to me..."
"I am indispensable to you!" Mo Lingxi cut her off, saying sincerely, "Wife, if I weren't indispensable to you, why would I go to so much trouble and try to appease you every day?"
Sheng Lengshuang let out a breath. "I suggest you think carefully. Do you truly want to be with me, or are you just coaxing me repeatedly out of interest and a desire for something different?"
Mo Lingxi said without hesitation, "I like you, and I want to spend my life with you. Wife, perhaps my actions have caused you dissatisfaction, but I truly dote on Xiao Feng."
Sheng Lengshuang looked at him earnestly. "As I just said, there are many differences in our worldviews and thoughts. It's not just about how we treat Xiao Feng, but also about many other things."
"Mo Lingxi, your kindness to me now doesn't mean you can be kind to me forever. You know my character. I cannot compete with a group of women for a husband, nor can I be confined to the inner courtyard, nor will I lose myself for a man."
Mo Lingxi said gently, "I said long ago that you would be my only wife in this life, and there would be no second woman..."
"You say that now, but what about in the future? Who can guarantee the future?" Sheng Lengshuang interrupted him.
"Wife, did something happen?"
"No, I just realized we might not be suitable for each other."
Mo Lingxi thought for a moment. "You found out about the voodoo dolls and are worried, which is why you're saying this?"
Sheng Lengshuang shook her head. "I don't care about the voodoo dolls. I've thought clearly about things between us. Perhaps, us interacting like this is for the best."
Mo Lingxi felt a bit more at ease. "I know I have a lot of troubles and dangers, so it's normal for you to be worried. Give me some more time, and I will definitely handle these matters."
Seeing him like this, Sheng Lengshuang said nothing more. "If you insist on being this way, I can't do anything."
Mo Lingxi chuckled softly. "Wife, rest assured, I'll handle everything."
Sheng Lengshuang rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's precisely because of you that there are so many troubles and dangers. Moreover, you can even forget your own son, what else can you remember?"
With that, she turned and walked away.
Mo Lingxi followed her, continuing to try and appease his wife. He sighed deeply in his heart, vowing never to forget to pick up his child again, lest the consequences be severe.
...
After the incident at the academy, a series of reforms were implemented.
For example, tuition fees would be collected. The tuition could be paid in silver or equivalent items. If neither was available, one could work at the academy to offset the fees.
The academy's reforms sparked much discussion.
"I think the academy's reforms are quite good. Before, many people flocked to the academy because it didn't charge tuition. Then, when something happened, they demanded compensation and stopped attending, which was disgusting."
"Those who left the academy are not allowed to return, and I'm very satisfied with that. Those who couldn't share hardships, why should they be allowed back?"
"These reforms by the academy are too much. They even have assessments, and those who don't pass have to leave. Is this really for the children of ordinary people?"
"I knew it all along. The academy was established by imperial decree, so how could it truly be for the children of us commoners?"
The common people were in an uproar, with opinions varying widely. This did not affect Sheng Lengshuang in the slightest.
After finishing her own class, Sheng Lengshuang was preparing to observe the classes of the various instructors when she learned from a servant that Tao Li had come to see her.
In the side hall.
Sheng Lengshuang looked at Tao Li, who was full of panic, unease, and exhaustion, and took a sip of tea from her teacup. Just looking at Tao Li's appearance, she knew that her recent days had not been easy.
Indeed, if the Black Hand intended to groom Tao Li into a puppet, they wouldn't let her have an easy time.
The only strange thing was that despite all Tao Li had done, the Black Hand still kept her alive and hadn't eliminated her. This was perplexing.
"Sheng Lengshuang, please save me." Tao Li knelt before Sheng Lengshuang with a 'plop', clasping her hands together in supplication.
Sheng Lengshuang's eyebrows shot up. "This is truly rare. You, who have always been so haughty, are actually kneeling before me. It seems the trouble you've encountered is not small."
Tao Li felt immense humiliation, but at this moment, Sheng Lengshuang was the only one who could help her.
"Sheng Lengshuang, help me, and I will do anything for you."
Sheng Lengshuang never trusted Tao Li, but she didn't expose her. "Oh? What do you want me to help you with?"
Tao Li trembled as she said, "Help me escape from my master. I want to get out of my current life."
"The reason."
"That person wants to kill me... No, he wants to turn me into a puppet, a puppet in his hands. I don't want to be turned into a puppet."
Sheng Lengshuang beckoned Tao Li over with a gesture like calling a dog.
Tao Li hurriedly crawled to her. "Sheng Lengshuang, you will help me, right?"
Sheng Lengshuang remained silent, instead reaching out to feel Tao Li's pulse.
After checking her pulse, she understood why Tao Li had said this.
"I can see that your master truly wants to turn you into a puppet. I imagine that recently, you've already noticed that your limbs are often stiff or unresponsive."
Tao Li cried, tears and snot streaming down her face. "Yes, yes, yes! I've been very careful, but I don't know why it's still happening. Sheng Lengshuang, save me, I really don't want to become a puppet."
Ever since she learned that her master intended to turn her into a puppet, she had been extremely cautious in all her actions, but who knew it would still turn out this way.
Sheng Lengshuang propped her head with one hand. "You are on their territory, and when they want to scheme against you, it's incredibly easy. No matter how vigilant you are, it's useless."
Unless, Tao Li understood medical principles.
Tao Li slumped to the ground in defeat. "I don't understand why things turned out this way. I just wanted to go back to my good life before."
Sheng Lengshuang understood. Tao Li wanted too much and was a selfish person, which was why she had ended up in such a predicament.
"I can cure you, but what can you give me?"
Tao Li said anxiously, "I can do anything for you. You can ask me to kill or set fires, I just beg you to save me."
Sheng Lengshuang wiggled a finger. "I'm not interested in those things. To put it bluntly, if I really wanted to do such things, it wouldn't be your turn. There are plenty of people willing to help me."
Tao Li broke out in a cold sweat. "Tell me, as long as it's something I can do, I will definitely do it."