Her guards

Chapter 35 The Miss's Memories of Death

When Yang Luo was first reborn, he often had dreams.

The dream I have the most is about the moment before I die.

During this period, perhaps because she gradually adapted to being a new student, she dreamed less, and when she woke up, she couldn't quite remember what she had dreamed about.

At this moment, under the clear blue sky, standing in the hall of the National Academy, looking at Miss Jiang who was surrounded by women talking not far away, she felt as if she had fallen into a dream again.

Yang Luo reached out and pressed her hand against her neck, as if she had touched the cut wound again.

She looked down and saw the blood spreading beneath her.

A cut on the neck caused a lot of blood to flow out.

It felt like all the blood in my body was flowing out.

She's bled out; she'll die soon.

Why is she going to die?
This is her wedding day!

How did her neck get slashed?

A young girl stood before her, holding a knife in her hand, blood dripping from the blade and staining her dress.

This is Jiang Meng, the younger sister of Jiang Rui, the deceased wife of Zhu Yunxiao.

Jiang Rui was the daughter of General Liwei. She died of illness a year after marrying Zhu Yunxiao.

Zhu Yunxiao observed a year of mourning. When someone suggested that a marriage would be arranged for her to marry the Duke of Ding'an, she married him as his second wife.

Today is her wedding day.

The Zhu family also sent an invitation to the Jiang family. Madam Jiang did not come, but her youngest daughter, Jiang Meng, did.

Jiang Meng's arrival made the Zhu family very happy, and Yang Luo was also very happy and wanted to befriend Jiang Meng.

Unexpectedly, when everyone left the bridal chamber, Jiang Meng suddenly appeared and, without saying a word, slit her throat with a knife.

why?
"Of course it's for my sister!"

The girl's shrill scream echoed in my ears.

"You killed my sister, so I'm going to kill you!"

What nonsense is she spouting? Yang Luo was bewildered; Jiang Rui died of illness.

"...Died of illness! If you hadn't fallen for my brother-in-law, how could my sister have been forced to die of illness?"

Heavens above! How could it be that she's the one who's taken a liking to Zhu Yunxiao? It was Zhu Yunxiao who came to propose to her!

She had never even met Jiang Rui before. Besides, how could she, an orphan living in the Ding'an Duke's mansion, possibly have the ability to kill Jiang Rui?

Unfortunately, Jiang Meng didn't have time to say more before Zhu Yunxiao came in, took the knife from her, and stabbed it into her heart.

Yang Luo seemed to hear Jiang Meng's scream again.

The scream was brief.

Those stabbed in the heart die even faster; Jiang Meng uttered her last words while coughing up blood.

"...She drove my sister to her death, and instead of avenging her, you want to kill me? Is it because she's a princess?"

Yang Luo pressed her neck and breathed rapidly.

When she was first reborn, she recalled those words and wondered if she had misheard them in her delirium before she died.

What Jiang Meng actually said was, "Is she a princess?" This was a question, a sarcasm, and an expression of anger, not an affirmation.

but……

She died slowly with her neck slit, lying on the ground, struggling, until she saw Zhu Yunxiao walk out and talk to someone.

He said, "That way we can explain things to the palace."

Explain to the palace.

Why do we need to explain this to the palace?
Why would the palace care about the life or death of an orphan like her?

She struggled to crawl over, and just as she reached the doorway, she saw that the person standing by the door was her uncle, Duke Ding'an.

Her uncle looked down at her, who was covered in blood, with a cold expression and remained motionless.

The scene was so horrifying that Yang Luo's last breath was cut off in fright.

She died just like that.

When she woke up again, she was fourteen years old again.

When she was lucid, she couldn't even bear to recall the scene of her death; it was too painful, too terrifying, too bizarre.

Yang Luo was a little out of breath. Her hand, which was pressing on her neck, slid down and then pressed against a pendant around her neck through her clothes.

This is a jade plaque.

This is something she's had since birth.

Her mother told her to keep it with her at all times. "The princess has arrived!"

Qin Ying nudged her arm from beside her.

Yang Luo snapped out of her daze and looked at Qin Ying with a somewhat dazed expression.

"What are you thinking about? You're spacing out." Qin Ying said with a smile, and nudged her again, "Come on, greet the princesses."

Princesses.

Yang Luo looked outside. The women inside had all arrived. The forty-odd girls were bustling about. When the palace maids came in, without a word, the women who had been huddled together instantly separated and stood in two rows. The doorway opened up, and four girls of different ages, dressed in gorgeous clothes, slowly walked in, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids.

Before Yang Luo could even see the princesses' faces clearly, the women in the room all curtsied.

Yang Luo lowered his head and bowed along with everyone else.

"Welcome Princess Heisei!"

"Welcome Princess Wuyang!"

"Welcome Princess Nangong!"

"Welcome Princess Shengping!"

……

.......
The contestants went inside, and the area outside the academy became quiet.

Because the academy was formerly a royal residence, no one was allowed to live nearby, and there were no markets or teahouses. After seeing them off, the elders of the family left, leaving servants and carriages to wait outside.

Mo Zheng squatted in the shadow cast by the carriages and horses, playing a game of wrestling with the weeds on the ground, glancing around the academy every now and then.

The Imperial Academy is strictly managed; students are not allowed to enter or leave at will, and there are instructors on duty every day. Now, with the arrival of the princesses, there are also imperial guards.

Security was tight, and students were hardly seen moving around, though there were some.

When Mo Zheng turned her head to look towards the imperial city again, a person rode a donkey and came galloping towards her.

This was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a blue robe.

The donkey was thin and small, while the young man was tall with long legs that almost touched the ground. He was light-footed, with a serene expression, and was reading a book in his hand.

The donkey didn't need his command; it trotted to the front of the academy and headed straight for the hay pens where the carriages and horses were parked.

Meanwhile, the young man on the donkey's back jumped down gently, his eyes still on the book, and walked familiarly toward the academy gate.

As he passed Mo Zheng, she stood up from the shadows of the carriage and followed him.

The young man walked forward while reading, completely unaware of what was happening.

The imperial guards in front of the academy looked at him and opened their mouths to stop him, but the academy instructors beside them spoke first.

"This is Young Master Ling, Ling Yu," the instructor explained. "He is the third disciple of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and was newly appointed as a Doctor of the Five Classics last year."

It turned out to be a scholar of the Five Classics. The Imperial Guards stopped asking questions and focused their attention on the thin young man in a blue robe behind the scholar.

Ling Yu, who was still reading, suddenly tossed the book bag slung over her shoulder to the boy.

“I will distribute these scriptures to the students in the second house and tell them that I will examine them the day after tomorrow,” he said.

Mo Zheng caught it steadily and replied, "Yes."

It turned out to be Ling Yu's pageboy; the Imperial Guards withdrew their gaze.

It turned out to be a bookstore janitor. The teachers looked away and smiled at Ling Yu, saying, "You're going to test them yourself? The students won't be able to sleep well tonight and tomorrow night."

Ling Yu's gaze remained fixed on the book as she said, "With the world at peace, this is the perfect time to read. Wouldn't sleeping be a waste?"

After saying that, he gave instructions to the boy behind him.

"Give them more candles."

The boy answered yes.

The instructors didn't ask any more questions. Ling Yu was a well-known bookworm who would never put down his book while walking or eating. If it weren't for the chief priest watching him and threatening that he would go blind if he read at night, he probably wouldn't be able to bear to go to sleep at night.

Ling Yu said no more and went into the academy while staring at the book, with Mo Zheng following behind carrying the book bag.

The largest palace in the academy is the school palace. The other two are the living quarters for the teachers and students and the study area. There is also a library built up the mountain.

Ling Yu stepped into the covered corridor leading to the library, stopped, and finally looked away from the books, turning to look at the boy behind her.

Mo Zheng also stopped and looked into Ling Yu's eyes, the young man's eyes were as lively as a fish's.

"Senior Brother Ling, it's been so many years, your eyes are still as beautiful as ever," she said with a smile.

Ling Yu's eyes darted around, sweeping over the young man: "You should say, 'Senior brother, it's been many years since we last met, and your eyes are even more beautiful now.'"

Mo Zheng laughed heartily and bowed respectfully.

Lingyu held the scroll in her hand and returned the greeting.

I'll be traveling tomorrow and the flight will be long, so I won't be able to update on time. Please don't wait up for me.

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(End of this chapter)