If you want to survive after transmigrating, become the male protagonist's new mother.

Both were dressed in black suits without any extra embellishments, but just by standing there, their presence overwhelmed the entire hall.

Ollie and Lin Huaijin stood up.

Pei Yuening was startled and looked around.

Does he need to stand too?

"The Duchess".

The two bowed respectfully.

Pei Yuening's body trembled.

Vocal!

The Duchess!!!

Besides her brother and her future husband, those two are the only two people!

The next second, Pei Yuening stood up, her movements carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.

He bowed slightly and gave a standard aristocratic greeting: "Good morning, Duchess."

Then everyone in the auditorium bowed in unison.

"Greetings, Duchess."

The two nodded slightly.

Qi Zhiyue raised her hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down: "Hello, everyone, I am Qi Zhiyue."

"From today onwards, I am the new Dean of the Holy Academy."

"This lady next to me is He Shuming. She will be serving as the Dean of Academic Affairs, the Head of the Second Year, and also as a Professor of Potions."

The auditorium was so quiet that you could hear the wind whistling through the windows.

In just one second, the atmosphere instantly became heated, with even Lin Huaijin and Ollie showing expressions of surprise.

"What? That means second year is...?"

"An SS-level expert serving as a professor at the academy... what an honor that must be."

"Wait, what Potions? It's not on the schedule, and I've never heard of it before."

"New courses...? So what's going on?"

"Are we supposed to just stir things around in the crucible? ...That doesn't even require magic; I could do that with my eyes closed!"

Qi Zhiyue remained silent.

She stood on the podium and waited for the buzzing below to gradually subside before speaking again.

"I know you have many questions, but I'm not going to answer them one by one."

"What I'm about to say is the answer."

She paused.

"The Holy Academy has been established for hundreds of years and has cultivated countless talents for the empire."

"However, in recent years, the academic atmosphere has deteriorated, and numerous problems have emerged."

"Nobles use their family background to oppress others, while commoners protect themselves by remaining silent. The talented have no resources to use, and those with connections have no need to work hard."

"In the classroom, those who listen attentively are not as good as those who know how to flatter; after the exam, real results are not as good as family name."

"Is this the Holy Academy?"

The auditorium was completely silent.

"His Majesty the Emperor is deeply concerned about this."

After Qi Zhiyue finished speaking, she took out a roll of parchment from her sleeve.

"Imperial Edict"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

No one expected that this opening ceremony would contain a divine decree.

The noblemen in the front row were the first to react, and they all stood up and knelt on one knee.

Caught between Aoli and Lin Huaijin, Pei Yuening quickly slid to his knees.

Qi Zhiyue unfolded the parchment and began to read aloud.

"In the name of the King—"

"The Holy Academy has long suffered from deep-seated problems: the nobles are arrogant and the common people are disheartened."

"Since my ascension to the throne, I have been constantly thinking about reforms. I hereby appoint Qi Zhiyue as the Dean of the Holy Academy and He Shuming as the Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Potions, giving them full authority to oversee the academy's reforms."

"All reforms are decrees. Those who obstruct, those who outwardly comply but inwardly defy, and those who resist due to family background—"

She looked up.

"It will be considered treason."

The entire room fell silent.

Pei Yuening knelt on the ground, with only one sentence lingering in her mind.

Holy crap!

What kind of plot is this?

Does it have anything to do with the original work?

What's the deal with this reform, and what's the story behind the two duchesses?

Could it be something I casually said on those steps that day...?

No way, no way??

Pei Yuening: "..."

Qin Shuxing, you're awesome now!

Qi Zhiyue carefully put away the parchment and looked at the entire room again.

"The reading is complete."

Everyone stood up and returned to their seats.

No one dared to whisper anymore, but all eyes were fixed on one spot.

That was Pei Yuening, sitting in the first row.

Lin Huaijin glanced at him, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Ollie: "Hmph."

Pei Yuening: Smiling apologetically.jpg

Qi Zhiyue stood on the podium, her expression unchanged, and continued, "Now, I will announce the details of the reform."

All eyes turned back to the podium.

"Article 1: All courses shall be taught equally, without distinction between nobles and commoners."

Article Two: All privileged areas for nobles will be demolished. There will be no separate canteens, lounges, or training grounds. Everyone will share the same facilities.

Article 3: Two new compulsory courses, Potions and Biological Identification Practice, have been added. The practical training plan has been revised, and the direction of extension will be determined by the instructors.

"Students without magic can still graduate by completing the required credits."

Article 4: A unified assessment will be conducted at the end of each semester, and the results will be made public to all teachers and students. No one can obtain a graduation certificate based on family background.

Article 5: The off-campus adventure activities originally scheduled for the third academic year will be changed from four semesters to two semesters.

"The requirements remain the same: each team must complete four or more A-rank or higher commissions issued by lords or adventurer guilds."

Article 6: During the school term, no one may use their family background to pressure others.

"The first offense will result in a demerit, the second in probation, the third..."

"Expulsion."

All eyes turned to Pei Yuening.

Pei Yuening: Smiling apologetically.jpg

After saying her last sentence, Qi Zhiyue smiled gently: "I've finished speaking. The new textbooks and timetables will be distributed to you later."

"This concludes the opening ceremony. We wish you all a happy new semester."

Without waiting for anyone's reaction, she turned and walked off the podium.

He Shuming followed behind her, and the two figures disappeared behind the side door.

The auditorium erupted in chaos.

"Oh my god..."

"Were all the privileged areas demolished?"

"No more separate canteen? Does that mean we'll eat with the common people from now on?"

"The results are out? How am I supposed to graduate then...?"

A buzzing sound poured into my ears from all directions.

Pei Yuening sat motionless in the first row.

Look at the mess this has made... Could it really be that the reforms were initiated because of him?

He swears to God that he really just said it casually, like chatting with friends and venting to each other.

The next day, the emperor summoned the dukes and princes to discuss matters.

Then, Qi Zhiyue arrived, He Shuming arrived, and reforms began.

"...Ouch!"

Oh well, it's not a bad thing.

He rubbed his forehead and got up to leave.

"Hey, isn't this the 'great hero' of our college's reforms?"

A voice came from behind.

Pei Yuening turned her head and saw a boy who looked like an aristocrat standing in the aisle, followed by two or three other people.

He knows this person.

The original owner's memories told him that this was a nobleman's son with whom the original owner had a grudge, whose name seemed to be Noah.

He's the typical "enemy of my enemy is my friend" type. Because he dislikes Pei Yuening, he deliberately gets close to Ryan to disgust him.

In fact, I've never seen him genuinely consider people as friends.

Noah was bullied by the original owner of this body before, and now he's probably here to settle scores.

"Does this sound familiar? I feel like every single one of them is targeting you."

The people behind Noah covered their mouths and chuckled softly.

Pei Yuening was speechless.

He knew this would happen!

Noah has gone mad.

The new regulations practically scream "Nobles, don't cause trouble," yet he still dares to come here with his hairy legs to humiliate people.

Okay, then let's wait and see.

The more he tries to cover it up, the more dirt he'll have on us. He'll tell the teacher soon!

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," Pei Yuening nodded, "You're right."

"The results will be made public from now on," Noah tilted his head. "What will you do then? I'm so worried about you."

"You used to be able to get by on your brother's connections, but now... tsk tsk."

Pei Yuening continued with a forced smile: "Oh, right, right, right."

But that's not what he really thought.

What a brainless villain! He just said we can't mention our family background at the academy, and then he keeps changing his mind.

Although he kept complaining, Pei Yuening's words sounded so sincere that they didn't seem like he was acting.

"?"