If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Xiao Yun arrived at the music room and saw a beautiful figure sitting by the window playing the zither.

He kept a close eye on Wang and Xi.

He wanted to get in touch with the Xi family, and Xi Lingxian was a girl he liked, so Wang Jue naturally became a thorn in his side.

Not to mention the threats and suppression posed by the Langya Wang clan to the Xiao imperial family, which would be absolutely unacceptable to any member of the imperial clan with any sense of pride.

He couldn't do anything to the powerful Wang family, but if he could make Wang Jue lose his beloved, it wouldn't be a bad form of revenge.

Before entering the capital, Xiao Yun had done some research on the situation there. The intelligence he gathered said that the eldest daughter of the Xi family was a beautiful but empty-headed woman, but after getting to know her, he found that Xi Lingxian was not a simple person at all.

At least she was wary of him. She never fully trusted him; besides, the melodious piano music flowing from the beautiful woman's fingertips could never have come from the hands of a good-for-nothing.

interesting.

Gao Pingxi was a good candidate for climbing the social ladder, and he was determined to get Xi Lingxian.

"Miss Xi."

Xi Lingxian had already heard the footsteps behind her. "Your Highness has always been indifferent to women, so why do you keep appearing before me?"

"Miss Xi is a smart woman. What else could a man want to see if she's always there?"

Xi Lingxian laughed in exasperation, "Your Highness is joking."

"I've never heard of a man who would send an assassin to kill his beloved and then pretend to be a hero and arrive late."

Xiao Yun's expression suddenly changed.

"What? Does Your Highness think your plan is flawless and that I shouldn't know about it?"

Xiao Yun smiled apologetically, "No, if you dare to do something, you dare to take responsibility. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever."

"So you admit it?"

Xiao Yun's gaze was dark. "Did Wang Jue tell you?"

"Why do I need him to tell me? Am I stupid?" Xi Lingxian sneered contemptuously. "I sent people to inquire, and there haven't been any bandits on the road to Qing'an Temple in recent months. Yet this happened on the very day I left the city."

"Most bandits are vicious and ruthless. They would turn on a woman like a hungry wolf with eyes gleaming green. But the fact that the group completely ignored my lone maid was strange enough."

"What's even stranger is that after Your Highness appeared, you were at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, yet just enough for me to see your face clearly; and then there was the palace banquet. Everything in between is interconnected. Does Your Highness really think I'm a fool?"

Xiao Yun looked apologetic and did not deny it, but simply clasped his hands and knelt down on one knee.

"Miss Xi, this was indeed a scheme I devised. When I entered the capital by imperial decree, I heard that the Xi family had gained power by controlling the military in Jingkou, so I wanted to use this opportunity to test their strength. Of course, I did have the intention of currying favor with the Xi family through this."

He admitted it so readily, which was somewhat unexpected for Xi Lingxian.

"But I swear to God, from beginning to end, I never intended to harm the girl; it was all just an act."

"If you are still resentful, young lady, I am willing to apologize and ask for your forgiveness."

Xi Lingxian suddenly wondered what kind of karma she had created, that every man who approached her seemed to have ill intentions.

"Your Highness, there's no need for that. You are a prince of the royal family, and I dare not presume to speak against you. But please show some respect. There is a difference between men and women. From now on, Your Highness and I are merely a teacher and student in the academy, nothing more."

Xiao Yun looked terrified. "If you say that, Miss, I am truly ashamed."

"What Xiao Wang has done is not a capital offense, and his interactions with you over the past few days have been genuine. How can you, Miss Xi, be so cruel?"

"King Chenliu, my patience is running out. You'd better not provoke me again. I have no interest in you!"

Xiao Yun scoffed, "Why is that girl interested in Wang Jue?"

"Everyone in Jiankang knows that you relentlessly pursued Wang Jue for months after just one glance at the Orchid Pavilion Gathering."

"That was before, and I don't like it now. I have no interest in men like you who are full of scheming."

"You think you can win my heart with just a decent-looking face and a hero's rescue?" Xi Lingxian frowned slightly, her tone disdainful. "This farce, meticulously crafted according to a storybook, I didn't get into it. Are you disappointed?"

Her tone was undeniably harsh, and Xiao Yun's face paled inch by inch, his expression turning sorrowful.

"I am indeed in the wrong, Miss Xi. No matter how angry you are, it is not excessive. If you can calm down, I can accept being hit or scolded. I only ask that you do not really cut ties with me afterward."

Xi Lingxian felt that these two men were practically fit to perform in an opera!

"go out!"

"Otherwise, I won't be polite!"

Xiao Yun smiled: "I haven't done anything to actually harm you, have I? Why are you being so aggressive?"

"I just don't want anything to do with you, and that's considered being aggressive?"

Who would have thought that this was the tone of a courtier's daughter speaking to a prince of the royal family?

This wretched world.

Xiao Yun smiled bitterly, "Miss Xi, are you going to turn against me?"

"A bridge is a bridge, and a road is a road. What you did wasn't exactly aboveboard anyway, so there's no need to make yourself sound so aggrieved or sentimental."

Xi Lingxian had an arrogant expression. She was someone who couldn't tolerate any dishonesty, and the pretense and insincerity she had endured for some time had long since disgusted her.

This is something I absolutely don't want to tolerate anymore.

"Okay, you'll regret it."

Having tasted the bitterness of humiliation, Xiao Yun paused for a moment, then turned and left with a flourish.

……

Xi Lingxian had long anticipated that Xiao Yun was not a good person, and that exposing his true colors would inevitably bring her trouble.

But I never expected that this guy would be so despicable.

Taking advantage of his position as a teacher, he made things difficult for her academically.

Xiao Yun was in charge of teaching history courses at the academy.

The Records of the Grand Historian, the Book of Han, the Book of the Later Han... the systems, rites, laws, rise and fall of dynasties, and the evaluation of historical figures are all complex and obscure. For a disciple like Xi Lingxian, whose basic knowledge was relatively weak, it was already difficult to understand the articles.

The first challenge came during the second class after that day.

Xiao Yun lectured on "The Biography of Tian Shu," a biography about Tian Shu, an official who was not prominent in the early Han Dynasty. He was honest and upright, unafraid of powerful people, and dared to speak out in the case of the King of Liang's assassination of Yuan Ang.

This biography was not among the commonly used texts in the school, and most of the students present did not even know who Uncle Tian was.

Xiao Yun's gaze suddenly fell on Xi Lingxian. "Xi Lingxian, tell me, why did Sima Qian write a biography for such an insignificant figure as Uncle Tian?"

Xi Lingxian stood up, her mind blank.

She had no idea who Uncle Tian was, let alone any "intention to write a biography".

She opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Xiao Yun looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and sighed softly, "Go back and copy 'The Biography of Tian Shu' three times. After you've finished copying it, you'll know why Sima Qian wrote about him."

It is only natural for a teacher to discipline his students, and Xi Lingxian could not find any reason to refute it, so she could only accept her fate.

Unexpectedly, the other party launched a second attack.

During class, after Xiao Yun finished lecturing on a classic text, he called on Xi Lingxian's name.

Xi Lingxian was prepared this time, and she talked about a lot of things she had devoured overnight.

After listening, Xiao Yun simply said, "What you're reciting is the commentary, not your own understanding. Copy the commentary on 'The Biography of Chancellor Zhang,' and then think about what your intention is."

Xi Lingxian gripped the book pages tightly, her knuckles turning white.

People in the lecture hall were watching her, their gazes filled with sympathy, curiosity, and schadenfreude.

She finally understood.

Xiao Yun was deliberately demonstrating by abusing his public office for personal gain.

Knowing that she had a weak foundation, he deliberately chose passages she was unfamiliar with and asked her questions she couldn't answer, leaving her speechless time and time again and forcing her to accept punishment.

This was his revenge.

Using his status as a teacher and the unshakeable teacher-student order that everyone in the classroom recognized, she had no grounds to question or refute.

Okay, she'll play along with him!

That evening, Xi Lingxian finished copying the annotations of "The Biography of Prime Minister Zhang" in her study, and then took out all the chapters that had been discussed before, starting from the first one, and read, memorized and wrote them one by one.

Shen Qingdai got up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. "Fanfan, aren't you asleep yet?"

"You go to sleep first." Xi Lingxian didn't even look up, her pen flying across the paper. "I'll finish reading this."

Shen Qingdai glanced at the mountain of books piled on her desk, then at the dark circles under her eyes that were even deeper than yesterday. She hesitated, then sighed and went back to sleep.

In the following days, Xi Lingxian seemed like a completely different person.

I would get up before dawn every day to memorize texts, and I would still be copying them after the lights were turned off at night.

She sought out knowledgeable classmates for help. She was straightforward and beautiful, and everyone could sense that the historian was deliberately targeting her lately, so they were all willing to explain things to her.

Xiao Yun had completely ignited Xi Lingxian's pride and backbone. A prince with no soldiers, no power, and no people still wanted her to submit.

Let him dream on!

It's just reading, that's all!

The table that used to be filled with rouge, powder, clothes and jewelry has been replaced by an open book. Slender, jade-like fingers, as delicate as green onions, are now stained with ink. Even on her fair and flawless face, a dark circle has suddenly appeared under her eyes.

The first few days were really enjoyable, but she couldn't concentrate on learning. She recognized the words and phrases, but she didn't recognize them.

Many times, the thought of going home to complain and asking her father and older brother to punish Xiao Yun came to her mind, but her pride made her unwilling to do so.

Moreover, Xiao Yun is now nominally the teacher of the academy, which gives him a dignified and morally upright position in this matter.

If she's not careful, he might accuse her of disrespecting teachers, which would be another big problem.

She forced herself to stay up for countless nights.

The struggles and pain she experienced during the process gradually seeped into her very being, resulting in her never again being stumped by Xiao Yun's questions when she stood up in class.

The classics and historical texts that I used to find obscure and difficult to understand now seem like guiding lights, and many of my confusions and anxieties have found their home in these books.

For the first time, she shut the other person up without relying on her family background, and she felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Being a lazy bum may be comfortable, but reading a couple more books doesn't seem to have any downsides.