Mmm.
She remembered.
Yesterday, the aunt who had defended young Master Mei Lan at the bookshop had said her daughter was in Class Three of the Heaven grade, wasn't she?
However, Qingzhou wasn't the only academy.
Perhaps it wasn't Class Three of the Heaven grade here.
Nian Jiaojiao, thinking it wouldn't be such a coincidence, shrugged and followed the teacher into Class Three of the Heaven grade.
"This Tong Shou will be studying in our Class Three of the Heaven grade from now on. We will all be classmates, so please get along well."
Nian Jiaojiao stood on the podium and introduced herself briefly:
"Nian Jiaojiao, please take care of me."
Familiar recipe, familiar taste.
Nian Jiaojiao was extremely familiar with this routine.
After Nian Jiaojiao's introduction, the students below began to whisper amongst themselves.
Student A: "Sister Liangyu, why is someone enrolling at this time?"
Student B: "I see this person has an unusual background. Even as a Tong Shou, our academy has strict enrollment regulations. If the enrollment period for this year has passed, they can only come next year."
Student C: "That's not necessarily true. Perhaps this Tong Shou has exceptional qualities, which is why they were admitted exceptionally into the academy."
The woman who was initially called "Liangyu" replied coldly:
"You will all know her exceptional qualities in time."
Student A immediately said: "Could she possibly be as capable as you, Sister Liangyu? You are the top scholar of our Qingzhou Prefecture!"
At this moment, the teacher spoke again:
"Li Xiqin, go and sit at the back."
Li Xiqin was the Student A who had just spoken. She replied with some displeasure:
"Teacher, I have always been deskmates with Sister Liangyu. Why must I change seats?"
The teacher frowned, clearly displeased by being contradicted in public.
Her voice was stern:
"What, do you no longer respect me, your teacher?"
Although Li Xiqin was unwilling, she could only obediently accept her fate, pack her belongings, and move to the back.
She was merely a Tong Shou from a remote small town. She had initially believed she was full of talent, but ever since arriving in Qingzhou, she had learned what it meant to have more people beyond the capable and heavens beyond the heavens.
Despite her reluctance.
She had to admit that she was just a diligent "ordinary person."
She had no money, no connections, and no power here.
Therefore, she was willing to be a minor follower by someone's side.
But would a lady from a truly powerful and noble background even deign to notice someone like her?
And so, she set her sights on Chen Liangyu.
The top scholar of Qingzhou Prefecture.
Her family was well-off, her mother was a merchant, so she lacked for nothing, but she couldn't ascend to any "prestigious status."
The other party did not refuse the little follower who attached herself, and she also knew that Chen Liangyu did not consider her a friend, not even a classmate.
She was, after all, a Tong Shou, and not foolish.
But so what?
The other party had talent. As long as the other party soared to success, there would always be people to manage affairs, and she, who was well-known and had always accompanied her faithfully, would naturally be the preferred choice.
Nian Jiaojiao was naturally unaware of the numerous twists and turns in someone's mind during that short walk to the back.
However, at this moment, the teacher spoke again:
"Tong Shou Nian, please take the seat next to Chen Liangyu."
Nian Jiaojiao's lips twitched.
You moved her away and want me to sit there.
You call other students by their names, but you call me "Tong Shou Nian."
Are you afraid others won't know I "used connections," are you?
As expected, she garnered "glaring looks" from several students.
Nian Jiaojiao: ...
However, she couldn't openly refute it again. She didn't know what attitude this teacher would take towards her, and by then, her status as a "connected person" would be completely confirmed.
Forget it.
Nian Jiaojiao shook her head inwardly and went directly to sit in the seat designated by the teacher.
She would discuss it with the teacher privately later.
...
Three days later.
At the entrance of Qingzhou City.
"Wow, so this is Qingzhou! I've heard of Qingzhou's fame for a long time. Seeing it today, it truly is extraordinary!"
Tong Fu lifted the gauze curtain of the carriage window, exclaiming continuously.
Tong Ziyao: "Fu'er, be more composed."
The smile on Tong Ziyao's face was somewhat helpless.
They had only reached the city gate and could only see the city walls and the long queues of common people. How could they see anything "extraordinary" from this?
Tong Fu obediently sat back and her eyes rolled as she said, "Third Brother, everyone says you are a young master, gentle and refined, but I never expected you to be the one who would dare to run away from home. You're truly something!"
Tong Ziyao's handsome and refined face showed no expression, he merely said, "Oh? Then what is your reason for following me?"
Tong Fu chuckled naively twice and said, "Third Brother, this journey is long and arduous. I was worried about your safety!"
Tong Ziyao directly pointed out:
"I think you don't want to continue studying anymore, right?"
Tong Fu looked a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of her head, saying, "Third Brother, you know my talent for studying. It's impossible to force myself to study and pass the exams. I'd rather find something I'm interested in. After all, happiness is the most important thing for a person!"
In fact, Tong Ziyao agreed with Tong Fu's words.
Yes, happiness is the most important thing in life.
But the world was full of constraints, and unfortunate events were often ten out of ten. Living a happy life was harder than anything else.
Although women should establish themselves.
He didn't actually believe that studying was the only path.
After all, everyone's talents were different, and forcing oneself would not yield the desired results.
This was precisely why, when he left, Tong Fu wanted to follow, and he did not stop her.
...
Baichuan Academy.
"Sister Nian, why do you always rush off after school? Don't you want to gather with everyone?"
The woman speaking, although wearing the academy's Confucian robe like everyone else, had a jade pendant at her waist that was priceless.
Nian Jiaojiao shook her head helplessly: "I have matters to attend to. I truly have matters. Once they are resolved, I will apologize with drinks."
Every day after school, she went to the bookshops, one per day. She had visited two but had not reached an agreement.
The woman speaking was a classmate from Class Three of the Heaven grade, named Li Jing.
After becoming Chen Liangyu's classmate, the latter had not had any interaction with her.
Of course, she wouldn't be overly eager to approach someone who was aloof.
The surrounding classmates were clearly good friends with Chen Liangyu. After class, they would surround Chen Liangyu, chatting and laughing, clearly intending to isolate her.
At this time, this woman named Li Jing found her.
And she then learned that the academy was divided into two factions: the commoner faction, mainly composed of children from humble backgrounds, and the noble faction, composed of the powerful and privileged.
Of course, the commoner faction also called themselves the pure stream faction.
The two factions disliked each other, and there were often disputes both inside and outside the academy.
Although the academy found this troublesome, they still indulged it.
Because a certain degree of competition was beneficial in stimulating students' learning.
Therefore, as long as it wasn't excessive, the academy's teachers and dean would turn a blind eye.
And Nian Jiaojiao, who was widely believed to have "used connections" to get in, was naturally and unanimously classified as belonging to the "noble faction."
Therefore, Li Jing, the leader of the noble faction in Class Three of the Heaven grade, was the first to approach her.