Wei Ci stared blankly at Jiang Pengji and many emotions ran through his body. She was definitely at the top of the list of people he was afraid to meet.
The scene that he saw a few days previous was still echoing in his mind. Because of that, he could not do things calmly. He always woke up from nightmares at midnight and his clothes were soaked wet. He tossed and turned the night before and it was difficult for him to fall asleep.
He did not have much of an appetite in the morning. He only ate a few pieces of white cakes, and there was a subtle greenish color under his eyes. Looking at him, people would have thought that the white cakes were unpalatable. Lu Zheng would normally eat two additional bowls of rice, but just by looking at Wei Ci’s face, he lost his appetite.
Before he could complain, Master Yuan Jing squinted his eyes and walked closer to the bamboo slip. “Zixiao, an honored guest is here. Go out and greet her.”
Wei Ci was perplexed, but looking at how Master Yuan Jing squinted his eyes a little, his heart could not help but jolt.
“I have a bad premonition,” he muttered.
He saw Jiang Pengji climb down from the carriage and he felt a pain in his stomach, as if the white cakes he had just eaten were churning in his stomach.
Jiang Pengji stepped forward and did not seem to notice Wei Ci’s odd facial expression. She greeted him. “Zixiao, we’re classmates now. If I’ve done something wrong in the past, consider that I’m still young and please forgive me. I’m not really good with words, so anything I say creates a misunderstanding. I hope that you won’t estrange yourself from me because of this.”
Wei Ci nodded, but did not dare to say much. He did not believe in the humble words she said. She had always been capricious and did things wantonly. She would do whatever she wanted to. If she said something like, “I’m not really good with words. You can beat me up if you don’t like me,” he would have believed her. He could not beat her in a fight, anyway.
Jiang Pengji did not care about his attitude. She raised her hand to untie the knot of her cloak. Upon seeing her actions, Wei Ci subconsciously took a step back.
They both remained silent.
Jiang Pengji remembered something and flashed a pure smile. She handed the cloak to Taxue, who was behind her.
She did not miss the fact that Wei Ci heaved a slight sigh of relief. “I lent you my cloak the other day so you could avoid the cold. Although it’s not expensive, it’s my favorite,” she lied brazenly as she walked by him. It seemed as though Wei Ci was confronted by a formidable enemy. She smiled a little and said, “Can I collect it from you in your room later?”
She had yet to finish talking, but Wei Ci looked like he was about to explode. He walked away at lightning speed, looking frightened.
She glanced at Taxue and Xu Ke, who looked like they had just seen a ghost. Jiang Pengji shrugged. She was a real rascal.
Xu Ke was dumbfounded. He simply could not believe that his own Langjun was flirting with Wei Ci. Since when are you homosexual?
She seemed to have read his mind and said, “You’re not as handsome as he is. Why are you so worried?”
Xu Ke was speechless. Should he have been happy that he was very safe, or should he have been sad that his face was being criticized?
On the other hand, apart from being stunned at first, Taxue soon regained her composure. She raised her hand to cover her lips. She sneered and teased, “Our Langjun has grown up.”
Liu Xi would turn 13 after the spring. In the current era, anyone that found their match would immediately get married. Those without an immediate match would get engaged.
Xu Ke secretly rolled his eyes.
Jiang Pengji continued with profound meaning, “Yes. I’ve grown up.”
After meeting Master Yuan Jing and bowing to him to formally acknowledge him as her master, Jiang Pengji was officially a student of Langye Academy. She could study at the academy in the future.
“Who’s this?” With a kind smile, Master Yuan Jing shifted his gaze from Jiang Pengji to Xu Ke.
“He’s Xu Ke. He’s my manservant attending to my studies.”
Xu Ke was so nervous; he felt like he was a prisoner awaiting his trial. He was perturbed and uneasy. He was worried that Master Yuan Jing was dissatisfied with him.
“He’s a budding young talent. Please get up.” Master Yuan Jing was like a kind elder who made people want to get close to him.
“Lanting, have you had breakfast? Why don’t you accompany me?”
There were two plates of white cakes on the table. There was a tea boiler that was brewing some hot tea on the side. A faint, sweet scent permeated the air.
Xu Ke was dumbfounded. He had never expected the honorary Master Yuan Jing to be so down to earth.
Generally speaking, if Master Yuan Jing had invited someone to eat with him, even if one had already eaten, he or she would have to accept.
However, Jiang Pengji did not play by the rules. She spoke frankly and bluntly, “I’ve eaten.”
Master Yuan Jing did not expose Jiang Pengji’s lie. He turned to Xu Ke and asked, “Have you eaten, too?”
Xu Ke was still confused and shook his head. He got dragged away by Master Yuan Jing to eat white cakes.
White cakes were a common breakfast food in Langye. However, Master Yuan Jing had a unique palate. He would pair the white cakes with tea.
There were a lot of flavorings in the tea and it tasted weird. The white cakes were also eaten with honey…
In short, that method of eating was like eating lychees with soy sauce. Jiang Pengji politely refused to eat it.
Xu Ke was initially quite happy, but his stomach felt unwell after breakfast.
Jiang Pengji had expected it. She looked at Xu Ke’s bitter face as if she were watching a drama.
“Tsk, tsk. Who told you to eat so indiscriminately? Have you learned your lesson now?”
She had a sharp sense of smell. After analyzing the ingredients in the pot of tea, she knew that she had to avoid it, but Xu Ke drank it instead.
“How was I supposed to know that… the Master’s tea-brewing skill was that…” He simply did not know how to describe it.
Jiang Pengji replied with a smile, “There’s nothing wrong with Master Yuan Jing’s tea-brewing skills; he just has a heavier palate. His stomach isn’t well, so of course, the tea he drinks has to aid in his digestion. You were born in Zisang County where the food is more bland, so you naturally can’t stand it.”
Xu Ke smacked his lips. The indescribable, weird taste seemed to linger in his mouth. Although he was overwhelmed by having breakfast with his idol, it was better to avoid such mysterious food.
Jiang Pengji said, “Help me pack things up. Master Yuan Jing and the others will depart for Langye at noon today.”
“So soon?” Xu Ke was dumbfounded. He thought that he could rest at the inn for a day or two.
“It’s not. They’ve been in Shangjing for a long time.” Jiang Pengji shook her head in disappointment and continued, “Father told me that the palace didn’t have the time to decide on the places for the scholars to go to for the time being. They were asked to return to their hometowns and wait for the decree.”
They had a very valid reason. They were busy cottoning up to the Northern Borderline and were occupied with the marriage of the second prince. How could they manage other things?
As everyone knew, the scholars were mostly arrogant. They probably would not want to become an official anymore because their lofty ambitions were being treated so coldly.
Not everyone was intrigued by officialdom. Rather than being in the officialdom, it was better to a famous person with literary reputation.
A somewhat familiar youth walked through the corridor and bowed to Yuan Jing. “Master, the carriage and food are ready.”
Master Yuan Jing got up, thumped his numb legs, and responded, “Ask Youmo and the others to get ready. Let’s go.”
