The master's orders were absolute. Ziyuan had no questions, only, "What about the second young lady?"
Su Yunmo's eyes flickered with red light. "I will handle it personally!"
Xuehen had only recently been established, so it would take some time to investigate matters in the capital.
For the next two days, Su Yunmo remained silent.
She was contemplating how to enter the East Courtyard. Due to the guards watching the courtyard, it wasn't easy for her to enter or leave. She couldn't rely on her abilities to knock people out every time.
She needed an opportunity to approach Lin Yuning in a legitimate manner.
Unfortunately, the only way to enter the East Courtyard from the West Courtyard was through an examination, which was extremely difficult for Su Yunmo.
"Momo, have you missed your second brother?" Su Siqi came to find her at noon this day.
Su Yunmo had just finished eating and was leaving the cafeteria. Upon seeing Chen Xiucheng beside him, her eyelids twitched, and she turned to flee.
Su Siqi was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses and giving chase.
She was finally caught in the front courtyard.
Su Yunmo was held by the collar, dangling in mid-air, utterly dejected.
Su Siqi poked her forehead with his fan. "Little girl, what guilty conscience do you have? You run when you see your second brother?"
Chen Xiucheng chased after them from a distance.
Seeing him arrive, Su Yunmo crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Second brother, what trouble has third brother caused now?"
Even if he had caused trouble, could he not sell her out every time?
Chen Xiucheng caught up, panting. "It's not that. It's Xiao Mo who wants to see you. This time, he won't be asking your second brother for anything."
Su Yunmo frowned.
Not asking for anything? Giving it away for free?
It seemed a bit unprofitable. Perhaps giving a little would be acceptable.
"Momo~" Chen Mingmo poked his head out from the other side, his bright eyes filled with joy.
Su Siqi let go and put her down, poking her forehead again. "That kid's health has recovered, and he's been admitted to the academy."
Did the little girl have such a bad impression of him? Did he come looking for her just to sell her out?
Chen Mingmo came over and carefully took her hand.
Su Yunmo saw his rosy complexion and improved condition, knowing the medicine was working. She clasped his wrist in return and felt his pulse.
"Congratulations."
His pulse was steady, and his illness was almost completely healed. As long as he paid attention to his health, it would not recur.
Chen Xiucheng knew this was all thanks to Su Yunmo. While grateful, he also expressed concern. "Xiao Mo is fine now, but you might be in trouble."
Su Yunmo was puzzled. She had cured the young master of the Chen family, and instead of being grateful, the Chen夫人 would hold a grudge from the previous encounter?
Chen Xiucheng continued, "The Dean heard that Xiao Mo had recovered and was coming to school, and he also knew it was because of the 'sugar pills' you gave him. He plans to challenge you."
Su Siqi curled his lips, revealing four small canine teeth, looking as if he were enjoying the show. "He has ordered a re-examination. Failure will result in expulsion."
Su Yunmo: "..."
That old man's vengefulness was comparable to Ye Jingyu's!
If there was a re-examination, Su Yunmo was sure she would be eliminated. She was confident about this.
It wasn't time to leave the academy yet. She had to find a way to pass.
Taking shortcuts wouldn't work; Su Siyuan had already tried it once for her.
This time, she had to face her life head-on.
Among the four Su siblings, Su Sizhuo was the most knowledgeable.
Su Yunmo had no choice but to seek help from her elder brother.
Su Sizhuo was fond of diligent and studious children. Both of his younger brothers were unaccomplished. He was delighted that his sister could be so hardworking.
He dedicated all his private time for three days to teach Su Yunmo her studies.
After three consecutive days, Su Sizhuo fell ill from exasperation.
When Su Yunmo went to see him, he was lying in bed with a wet towel on his forehead. Upon hearing that Su Yunmo had arrived, he immediately ordered her to be driven away.
Su Yunmo had no choice but to shift her focus to Ye Jingyu.
Although Lord Yu had a poor appetite, he was top-notch in other aspects.
The young man glanced at the little person holding paper and brush by the dining table. He swept her a languid glance. "Why are you looking for me? Aren't you quite close to young master Lin recently?"
Su Yunmo's eyes flickered, and she didn't answer his question. "So much nonsense, are you going to teach me or not?"
Seeing that she wasn't keen on discussing Lin Chenxi, Ye Jingyu thought she wasn't entirely foolish and felt much better.
"Come here."
Su Yunmo immediately placed the paper and brush on the table, climbed onto the stool with her short legs, and spread out the Xuan paper, saying, "Teach me the Eight-legged Essay first. I want to take this opportunity to enter the East Courtyard."
This was the most difficult, and she didn't understand it at all.
Ye Jingyu frowned and glanced at her.
Should he tell this little one that the Eight-legged Essay was the most basic, tested during entrance exams? If she wanted to enter the East Courtyard, the exam wouldn't be this easy.
"What's wrong?" Su Yunmo busied herself arranging the ink and brush, her small fingers gripping the brush.
Ye Jingyu glanced at her posture of holding the brush.
Forget it. He wouldn't expect her to understand. As long as she wasn't eliminated, it would be fine.
"The Eight-legged Essay is based on the 'Four Books and Five Classics.' The length of sentences, complexity of characters, and pitch of tones are relatively matched. Write an essay for me to see."
Su Yunmo didn't pick up her brush. She just looked at him with a frown, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Was it too difficult?
Ye Jingyu pursed his lips and, as patiently as possible, lowered his expectations. "The word count doesn't need to be too high, five hundred words. Any piece will do, even a copied one."
Su Yunmo shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I wanted to ask you, which are the Four Books and which are the Five Classics?"
Ye Jingyu: "..."
That evening, Ye Jingyu didn't eat. He said he couldn't.
Qianxue wanted Su Yunmo to feed him, but Ye Jingyu felt even less able to eat in Su Yunmo's presence.
Su Yunmo, however, was indifferent. After all, he didn't eat properly nine out of ten meals.
After eating her fill, Su Yunmo returned to sleep. The next morning, she came to find him again with her brush and ink.
The door was tightly shut.
Qianxue stood guard at the door, preventing Su Yunmo from entering. "Little lady, our master said he cannot teach you today. He is busy."
Su Yunmo stepped onto the stairs. "Busy? Busy with what?"
Qianxue glanced into the room, a look of helplessness on her face. "Master said he is busy eating."
"..." Su Yunmo forced a polite smile, then gritted her teeth and threw the brush and ink onto the ground before turning to leave.
Damn it, teach me if you want, don't if you don't!
She huffed and puffed, her cheeks puffed out, and returned to the West Courtyard.
Everyone disliked her! Hmph, what was so great about that! Even without others, she could do it herself!
Not really!
Su Yunmo ran her hands through her hair haphazardly, feeling like she was going crazy. Relying solely on the exam would definitely lead to failure. She had to find another way.
A thought flashed through her mind.
Su Yunmo walked towards the south.
At the southernmost end stood a two-story building. Inside the innermost room of the courtyard, there were voices. It was the Dean, Bai Qi.
Su Yunmo walked straight over and kicked the door open with her short legs. The door slammed open, startling the people inside.
Bai Qi, holding two herbs, had his eyebrows and beard completely blackened. He looked vexed. "Who is it! Didn't I say no one is allowed in when I'm refining medicine?!"
Inside, there was a medicine furnace. Various herbs were placed beside the furnace. Smoke wafted from the room, making it hazy. As soon as the door opened, the smell of medicine billowed out, stinging the nostrils.
However, Su Yunmo was accustomed to the smell. She stepped inside. "Old man, let's have a competition!"