After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

Xie Chichun looked nervous, hesitant to speak.

Shen Lingyi slowly opened the door, yawned, and invited the person in.

"What are you trying to do, blocking my door so early in the morning?"

"I need your help."

Xie Chichun hesitated. This was the first time Shen Lingyi had seen her like this. She had never seen the daughter of a general so afraid of anything before.

Shen Lingyi and she came from the same background, but although their personalities differed, their underlying arrogance was the same.

That's why we can get along so well.

"I want to go see Master Du." Xie Chichun explained his purpose and reasons, and the room was quiet for a long time after he finished speaking.

Shen Lingyi rubbed her forehead, feeling that this idea was extremely risky.

"You really know how to pick your time. Did you have to go now?"

Xie Chichun said with a mournful face, "Every time my father comes back, he beats me. The red-tasseled spear is the one I'm used to using. I've tried other weapons, but none of them are suitable. If this continues, I'll only get beaten."

In short, she didn't want to be beaten.

Since things had come to this, Shen Lingyi had no choice but to risk her life to accompany him, since she had made this friend after all.

Tinglan Residence.

This is the teacher's residence. The teachers of the academy live and work here every day. The monthly exams have ended, and the papers that have been submitted but not yet approved are also carefully kept in the room.

If someone has malicious intentions, this is the best opportunity to sneak in while no one is around.

however,

Neither Shen Lingyi nor Xie Chichun came for the pile of exam papers; they simply wanted to retrieve the latter's preferred weapon.

As dawn broke, a hazy morning mist shrouded the sky in a golden hue; today was a rare, cloudless, and snowless day.

In the corridor, Su Yuheng and Shen Tingjiao walked by, and suddenly the latter stopped.

Su Yuheng, puzzled, stopped as well. "What's wrong, Jiaojiao? Keep going. Teacher Yan is waiting for you to go and learn the zither from her."

"Yuheng, I just remembered I have something to do. Could you tell the Master for me?" Shen Tingjiao gently pulled her hand, and few could refuse her soft call.

Su Yuheng was no exception; he didn't even ask why, assuming that Shen Tingjiao had indeed had something come up.

After she left, Shen Tingjiao's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the spot where Shen Lingyi and Xie Chichun had quietly approached. After hesitating for two seconds, she also moved closer.

Shen Lingyi was unaware that someone else was following her.

They happened to choose a time when Master Du was not around, so they could easily have climbed through the window, taken the items, and left.

But when Master Du placed the papers he had just graded on the table, Xie Chichun was immediately captivated.

"Do you think we should take this opportunity to open it and take a look...just to see our results, nothing more."

She was so anxious to know her score that she couldn't sleep at night.

Shen Lingyi glanced at her and pointed to the wide-open window. "If you peek now, you'll be caught red-handed when the teacher comes. If you close the window, you won't be able to explain yourself no matter what."

After saying this, Xie Chichun forcefully shook the water out of his head, indicating that she was right.

It is said that General Xie ordered people to find meteorite iron to forge the Crimson Tassel Spear, which was then placed in a corner.

Xie Chichun kissed it several times after receiving it, clearly enamored with it. "Strange," he said, "it wasn't this reluctant to part with it when it was in my hands before, but after a month apart, it feels so dear to me... Is this what they mean by 'a day apart feels like three autumns'?"

Shen Lingyi urged her to leave, otherwise she would run into Master Du when he returned.

Outside, Shen Tingjiao hid behind the artificial hill and saw Master Du, who was holding a book, heading to the other side. Without thinking, she threw a stone at the Master's head.

"Who?"

Master Du covered his head and was furious. Usually, those students disliked and feared him, but they never dared to retaliate openly for fear that he would make things difficult for them. Now, they actually dared to be so bold.

Could it be that he thinks he can't deal with them now that the exams are over?

Master Du, filled with rage, searched everywhere for the person.

Shen Tingjiao was hidden very well, not even the hem of her clothes was showing. The teacher searched around but couldn't find her, so naturally his gaze fell on the house in Tinglan Residence.

This gave them a perfect opportunity to catch Shen Lingyi tidying up, a step behind Xie Chichun.

"Shen Lingyi!!"

Shen Lingyi stumbled a step and saw Master Du walking towards her with a proud and imposing air. She simply said:

My life is over!

A moment later, Master Du solemnly searched the room, focusing on the papers he had just graded on the table.

Seeing his actions, Shen Lingyi said, "Don't worry, Master, I didn't open it to check."

"Hmph, I know you wouldn't dare to do that." That's why Master Du hasn't made a move against Shen Lingyi yet; the exam papers are all sealed in paper bags.

The bag was simply sealed with a glued seal, which would inevitably damage it if opened. Currently, both the bag and the seal are intact.

This is enough to prove that neither of them really intended to touch the bag.

Master Du was still unwilling to let it go easily, pressing him for an answer: "Since you didn't come to steal the exam papers, what were you trying to do sneaking into my room? Were you alone?"

As he spoke, he looked around suspiciously.

It's no wonder that Master Du was so wary, since Shen Lingyi was always inseparable from Xie Chichun.

Like twins who have never been separated, once one appears, people will naturally pay attention to where the other is.

Shen Lingyi remained unusually calm. "Don't bother looking for me, Master. Chi Chun isn't here, so I'm all alone."

Holding a long spear would be too conspicuous, so she told Xie Chichun to go ahead while she stayed behind to tidy up the scene.

After all, we've been rummaging through boxes and cabinets for so long. If we don't tidy things up, Master Du will notice something amiss when he comes back.

Despite all my calculations, I never expected that Master would return so quickly.

Right now, she was only thankful that Xie Chichun had left; otherwise, if both of them had been left behind, the guns they had just retrieved might have been lost as well.

...That would truly be a double loss.

"Considering my willingness to take responsibility for my mistake, could you please be lenient with me?"

"It's already a favor that I didn't kick you out for trespassing into the Master's academy," Master Du was indeed impartial and showed no mercy. "From now on, until the end of the month when the results are announced, you will be in charge of cleaning and tidying up the academy."

Shen Lingyi's expression instantly vanished as she began to ponder whether calling Xie Chichun back would mitigate his punishment.

Master Du kicked her out, and Shen Lingyi resigned herself to her fate and accepted the punishment.

"Why did it take you so long to come back and play? Did you run into the teacher?" Xie Chichun asked worriedly.

She pushed Xie Chichun aside, "Alright, don't block my way while I'm sweeping."

Xie Chichun was stunned for a long time before he reacted, while Shen Lingyi had already started sweeping.

Xie Chichun looked puzzled, not understanding why she had suddenly become so diligent. "It's not like you're in charge of cleaning today. Even if you're occasionally being kind, this isn't how it works."

"I'm in charge," Shen Lingyi said weakly. "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be responsible for cleaning the entire academy from now on, until the monthly exam results come out."

"……what?"