Daily life in the academy

Because of the dream that day, Bai Zhi paid special attention to the recent rumors about the King of Qi in the next few days. She concluded that Sheng'an was very peaceful recently. Apart from people still talking about the earthquake that occurred in Yunlu Academy, there was nothing unusual.

Perhaps because they had been away for half a month and had delayed a lot of progress, the teachers in the academy had changed their previous laissez-faire style and assigned a lot of homework after class every day. Even Professor Li Su, who would leave as soon as Ming Fa returned to class, had rarely explained the subject in detail in the past few days and reminded students to complete their homework on time.

Bai Zhi could only barely finish the day's homework around midnight every day, so she had no time to pay attention to other things. The moment she opened her eyes every day, she would wash up and go to class, and the moment she closed her eyes, she would know that there would be a pile of homework to complete the next day. It was as if she had returned to the senior year of high school many years ago in her previous life. This situation lasted until a month later, when all the progress had been aligned and she finally returned to her normal rhythm.

When the first cold rain hit Sheng'an City, Yan Qingchen's injuries had almost healed and he returned to Yunlu Academy.

Mu Bailian brushed off the raindrops that accidentally splashed on his body and complained, "Sheng'an City's lousy weather. It always rains a lot in late autumn. It's really annoying."

"It's quite annoying. My body is covered with mud spots and it's hard to clean." Bai Zhi spread out the book for morning reading and casually agreed.

Yan Qingchen glanced at her sideways. It had been a while since they last saw each other. Her face looked much rosier, and her injuries must have healed long ago.

The sound of raindrops dripping from the eaves made Bai Zhi feel particularly sleepy all day long, which was especially soporific during the law class. Just when she was about to doze off, a cold wind blew in through the gap in the window, and the cold wind went straight into Bai Zhi's neck. She shivered and woke up instantly.

After finally getting through school, Bai Zhi packed up her desk and left the school with Yan Qingchen and Mu Bailian. They complained idly about the rain and heavy schoolwork, then reached the fork in the road leading back to the dormitory and out of the academy. She happened to meet Wen Zhe who had been waiting there. She was about to say goodbye to the three of them, but before she could say anything, she saw them all following her lead and heading back to the dormitory.

Bai Zhi tilted her head and asked, "Are you staying in the dormitory today?"

"Yeah, it's so troublesome running back and forth every day, and it's been raining non-stop lately. Just thinking about it makes me tired." A cold wind happened to blow by, and Mu Bailian shivered and hugged himself tightly. "Look at this gust of cold wind. If I lived in a mansion in the city, I would have to get up at least half an hour earlier every day. How tiring it is."

Wenzhe explained, "The Autumn Office of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau issued a notice today stating that there will be continuous rain today, reminding the people of Sheng'an City to take precautions against the cold. It is indeed inconvenient to travel back and forth."

"Can the Sitiantai also provide weather forecasts?"

Bai Zhi felt like she had discovered a new world. She hadn't noticed it before, and subconsciously looked at Yan Qingchen, who had rarely spoken since just now. The latter seemed to be looking at her. Their eyes met for a moment, and then he immediately looked away, as if he had been caught.

What does this mean? Bai Zhi always felt that Yan Qingchen's behavior was very strange after returning to school today. Could it be that he didn't know how to deal with himself after knowing his true identity?

Suddenly she discovered that the classmate whom she had always regarded as a good brother was actually a girl. Before, because of the earthquake and various other things, she didn't feel anything strange, but now that there are no trivial matters to bother her, she began to feel uncomfortable... Maybe she should talk to him about it after returning to the dormitory.

As he was thinking this, he heard Yan Qingchen say, "The Sitiantai has five official positions: Spring Official, Summer Official, Autumn Official, Winter Official, and Central Official. They are responsible for monitoring the four levels of celestial phenomena. If any unusual phenomena occur, they must inform the people immediately so that they can take preventive measures in advance."

"This is the first time I've heard of such officials." Bai Zhi was not good at studying history, just like the law class. She would feel sleepy whenever she read anything involving theoretical knowledge. Although the State of Yan was fictionalized by the author of the original book, it should be similar in some aspects, but she knew very little about it.

Yan Qingchen chuckled: "There will be plenty of time in the future, it won't be too late for you to understand them one by one."

Mu Bailian was wearing light clothes today, but fortunately, the two attendants who came with him had brought a lot of luggage. While pulling Wenzhe, he instructed the two attendants behind him, "Go to the room first to pack up, and also light a charcoal fire to warm the room."

"It's only November now, isn't it too early to light a charcoal fire?" Wenzhe said.

"It's cold, Azhe, aren't you cold?"

Seeing how cowering he was, Wenzhe just let him go.

When they arrived at Room A, the four of them went their separate ways. When Bai Zhi pushed open the door, a warm breeze blew over her. She happened to see Song Xi and Cao Hua in the room, one fiddling with dishes and the other with the charcoal fire. She was curious why the two hadn't followed Yan Qingchen to the academy, but it turned out that they had already returned to the room to prepare.

"Your Highness, Master Bai, dinner is ready."

Yan Qingchen nodded slightly: "Well, you should go and rest and have dinner first."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Bai Zhi entered the room just as Cao Hua and Song Xi left, closing the door for them. Seeing Bai Zhi still standing stupidly at the door, Yan Qingchen coughed lightly and said, "Come and sit down."

"okay."

Now that no one else was present, the atmosphere between the two of them was somewhat awkward. After enduring for a while, Bai Zhi could no longer bear this inexplicable awkwardness. She hadn't figured out yet whether her liking for Yan Qingchen stemmed from the drawbridge effect, but for the current situation, it was better to keep everything as it was. So, she took the initiative to speak, "Brother Yan, regarding the fact that you know my true identity, I think you don't need to be so concerned or embarrassed. Just carry on as before. Just treat me as a good brother, a good younger brother."

"Good brother, good brother?" Yan Qingchen frowned and repeated Bai Zhi's words in a louder voice, his left hand on his leg unconsciously clenched.

Bai Zhi nodded, not noticing Yan Qingchen's strangeness, and continued, "Yes, we were getting along well before. If you act unnaturally, it wouldn't be good if Bai Lian and Azhe noticed."

"Is this what you really think?"

"Yeah." What else? Bai Zhi belatedly realized that the person in front of her seemed a little unhappy, but why?

Yan Qingchen met Bai Zhi's self-righteous gaze, and the anger rising in his heart dissipated helplessly. Why should he bother with someone who hadn't yet come to his senses?

"Okay, eat quickly, or the food will get cold."

"Oh."