spoiled brat

Chapter 137, Section 136: Empty Flowers (Part Six)

The wheels turned, the horse bells jingled, and the noise annoyed Zhao Zhao.

She pulled the thin willow twig from her mouth and tilted her head back to tie the horse bell tightly.

With the surroundings quiet down, Zhao Zhao sat sideways, holding a book in both hands. She recognized every word on the page, but she couldn't organize them into sentences and memorize them.

She didn't like reading, but she had to read this booklet. It contained the words Xiu Ning would say in his first edict of the day, which she needed to memorize to avoid making a fool of herself when translating sign language.

Zhao Zhao's eyes swept over the lines of text, and when she turned to the last page, she wondered if she was seeing things, and her eyebrows twitched.

Just as he was about to ask Xiu Ning if he should make changes, the horse's hooves stopped.

"Welcome, Princess!"

A row of officials knelt in front of the main gate of the official school, bowing in unison to the carriage. Their blue and green official robes were quite dazzling in the sunlight.

The man at the head was somewhat unusual; he was wearing a scarlet official robe. Zhao Zhao remembered that his surname was Chen, and he was originally the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was promoted by Minister Jiang to serve as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

He stepped forward, bowed, and said to Xiu Ning, "You've come at the perfect time. The students have already offered sacrifices to Confucius and are waiting in the Mingjing Hall to hear your first instruction."

As she said this, the Siye, who had been kneeling silently, secretly exchanged glances, and Zhao Zhao knew what they were thinking.

They felt it was unfair. Logically, the first imperial edict should have been issued by a scholar-official like Minister Jiang, or at the very least by a highly respected senior scholar. It was far too much for a young woman with only a noble family background to receive the order.

Chen Jijiu was also aware of his colleague's thoughts, and said with a smile, "This is a matter that His Highness the Crown Prince and Minister Jiang discussed together, so I hope that the Princess will not refuse."

Xiu Ning nodded slightly and walked inside, surrounded by Chen Jijiu and a group of academic officials.

Zhao Zhao didn't rush to follow, but said to the guards in the accompanying carriage, "Take it out."

A box made of golden nanmu wood was presented to her. She opened it slightly, and a dazzling light spilled out from the cracks. She squinted and then opened it completely.

In an instant, the guards carrying the box couldn't help but close their eyes. The luminous pearl, bright enough to illuminate the night, shone dazzlingly in the morning sun, so bright it looked like an unreal point of light.

Zhao Zhao rubbed the ball of light, somewhat reluctant to part with it: "What about the other prize box?"

Another box was presented, containing a dozen or so pearls the size of pigeon eggs, shimmering with brilliance. Any one of them could be sold for enough to buy Li Qingwen's life.

Zhao Zhao's hands were itching to take one, but after a while she sighed and said, "Take it in."

-

Inside the Mingjing Hall.

Amidst the noise around him, Xie Xiaoqing glanced at his companions. Some were laughing and joking, others were making a racket, and some were even brazenly complaining about the heat, sitting askew with their robes loose and headscarves undone, fanning themselves with a book without the slightest hint of respect.

Xie Xiaoqing frowned slightly and looked at Pang Xuan, who looked gloomy beside him: "Have you been assigned another difficult task?"

Pang Xuan lowered his head, grunted, took out his money pouch, grabbed a handful of loose silver and stuffed it into Xie Xiaoqing's sleeve: "If you're a brother, don't ask too many questions."

A few rounds of applause rang out behind him, and someone laughed and said, "Since he's a brother, you can just tell him to shut up. Why bother stuffing some money into his mouth and coaxing him like a wife?"

The two turned around and found that the previously empty back seat was now occupied. The scholar's robe and turban could not suppress his frivolous air. He laughed in a frivolous and carefree manner, but he was not unpleasant.

Xie Xiaoqing felt that this person looked familiar, and Pang Xuan cupped his hands and said, "Second Young Master Wu, why are you sitting in the back?"

It wasn't strange that he sat in the back; what was strange was that he was all alone, without many lackeys or followers, which made him seem unimpressive.

Wu Jiu smiled, seemingly thinking the same thing, and glanced at the attendant disguised as a student beside him: "Call those scoundrels over here."

The attendant gave a nod and led back several students, dressed in loose robes and with their headscarves removed.

When the group saw Wu Jiu, they all looked bewildered: "Brother Wu, why are you sitting in the back? Didn't we agree that we were going to..." Wu Jiu glared at them, and they immediately shut up and obediently sat down like quails.

The纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) all brought their attendants, who in turn brought melon seeds, peanuts, and dried fruits, which were mixed together and laid out on the table for the纨绔 to eat and play with.

In addition, the attendants also prepared fans, and with a wave of their fans, the melon seeds and peanut shells scattered on the table would crawl into Xie Xiaoqing's back.

He turned around, glaring angrily at the group of spoiled brats: "This is Mingjing Hall, a proper place for studying!"

The rich kids didn't even lift their eyelids, not taking this simpleton seriously at all.

Xie Xiaoqing then asked, "Will you all listen to the princess's initial instructions in the future?"

Wu Jiu paused in his melon seed-eating, then chuckled, "Brother Xie, you've been in the capital for a month now. Haven't you gone to the riverside theater yet?"

Seeing Xie Xiaoqing stunned, someone next to him joked, "Those stories of the East Sea Yellow Duke and the Prince of Lanling breaking the formation are just silent pantomimes performed by actors on stage. For these kinds of shows, it's best to bring some food and drink to enjoy the entertainment; you'll fall asleep while eating!"

This is a sarcastic remark mocking Xiu Ning for being mute.

"you!"

Just as Xie Xiaoqing was about to argue, his vision gradually darkened, the sunlight faded, and the hall became pitch black.

If it weren't for the commotion around him, he would have thought he had suddenly gone blind, or that the sun had set. Looking closely at the window, he realized that people outside had used wooden boards to block out the light.

What is this for?

The hall was like a large, airtight box. The students were noisy for a while, then quieted down. After the voices subsided, a ray of light slowly emerged, like the moon rising from the sea, radiating a cold, serene glow.

"A luminous pearl!" someone in the hall exclaimed.

Xie Xiaoqing had heard of this object but had never seen it before. He originally thought it was a fictitious thing, but he never expected that there really was a bright pearl in the world that could illuminate the whole room.

This is a treasure unlike any other in the world. Even the pampered playboys around Wu Jiu couldn't help but mutter, "...Damn, such a huge luminous pearl."

Wu Jiu sneered: "How could it not be big if it was a gift from our Crown Prince? I don't know what he saw in that mute girl, that he begged and pleaded with her so desperately."

"Brother Wu, you should be careful what you say..."

The luminous pearl, bathed in light, floated slowly as if without any support, eventually coming to rest behind the jade steps and screen.

All eyes were fixed on that one spot, waiting for the legendary Princess Xiu Ning to appear.

Xie Xiaoqing also looked behind the screen, and couldn't help but worry. The princess couldn't speak, so how could she teach? Even if someone could translate her sign language, how could they guarantee that her words would be understood?

Two figures emerged from behind the screen, one serene, the other sharp.

The sharp-looking figure wore a jade thumb ring and tapped the hilt of his sword. The sound was not loud, but it silenced the whispers in the hall.

"Today's first decree states that my princess does not wish to speak empty words of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, nor does she wish to act like an old man, explaining ethics, encouraging learning, and enforcing discipline. Young people should act like young people."

“My princess will pose a question, and everyone in the hall may compete to answer it. Those who answer correctly will be rewarded.”

The guards set out two tall wooden tables, one with a luminous pearl on it and the other with a whole bushel of Eastern pearls on it.

The students were dazzled and asked in unison, "What is the question? Is there only one answer?"

Zhao Zhao stepped out from behind the screen, smiling as she said, "Small matches deserve a small reward, big matches deserve a big reward."

He paused, then said solemnly, "The topic is—Why is our dynasty in peril?"