The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

The world is now divided, and heroes vie for supremacy. It is said that Chi Wenyuan of Tai'an Mountain is a man of great wisdom and resourcefulness, a modern-day Zhuge Liang. Various countries have repeatedly invited him, offering rare treasures, beautiful women, and fine horses, but none have been able to persuade him to leave his mountain retreat. For some reason, he has now come to the Jing Kingdom with Jing Fengyao and Jing Fengyu.

As soon as the news broke, it coincided with Emperor Jing's upcoming birthday. Various countries sent envoys and princes to Jing under the pretext of offering birthday greetings, in order to find out what was going on.

When Crown Prince Xiao Heng of Li learned of the news, he happened to be in Jing on business. So he went ahead and paid his respects to Emperor Jing. Afterwards, he was drinking alone in a tree in the Imperial Garden when he witnessed what had just happened.

"It's really fun."

Meanwhile, Murong Peifeng and his companions in the pavilion were completely baffled, but they had no choice but to leave the palace first and make further plans, since his appearance was indeed an eyesore.

Jing Anle returned to the palace, dismissed the other palace servants, looked out the window, and said to Afang, "Afang, do you think I have changed a lot?"

Afang looked surprised, astonished that Jing Anle would ask her such a question. Today, she had cleverly avoided the poisonous snake and teased the prince; others might not know, but she had seen it all clearly. She also couldn't believe that in just a few days, Jing Anle seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

But Afang didn't dare to speak recklessly, and only lowered her head and said, "The princess is indeed somewhat different."

“Afang, you only need to know that I am still the Princess Anle of the past, and that will not change.” Jing Anle walked up to Afang and took her hand. “In the past, there were some things that I could not see clearly, but in the future I will be able to judge them myself. Are you willing to follow me forever?”

Afang's eyes flickered slightly, her gaze brightening a bit, and she said with tears in her eyes, "From the moment I accompanied the princess, I have never had any other thoughts and I swear to be loyal to the princess to the death."

Looking at the Epang Palace before her, Jing Anle couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, only managing to utter, "Very good." There wasn't much time left; less than two years remained until the incident. She had to make careful plans.

The next day, after Jing Anle finished her breakfast, a palace servant came to report: "Princess, the eldest prince has returned."

"Brother!" Jing Anle felt a sharp pain in his heart. "Where is Brother now?"

"The Crown Prince is currently meeting His Majesty at Huayang Palace with the physician he invited back. It was the Crown Prince's attendant who came to inform him that the Crown Prince will be here shortly," said the palace maid, Aqin.

Jing Anle had a plan in mind, but she had also heard of Chi Wenyuan in her previous life. Unfortunately, she was devoted to Murong Peifeng and never participated in politics or state affairs.

If we could invite Chi Wenyuan to assist in governing, it would greatly benefit the Jing Kingdom. I just don't know what his purpose is in coming here this time.

While pondering the matter, Jing Anle instructed the palace servants to prepare the snacks that her elder brother liked.

After noon, a palace servant announced: "The Crown Prince has arrived."

Jing Anle quickly came out from the inner room. Seeing Jing Fengyao standing safely in front of her, she couldn't help but rush over and affectionately exclaim, "Royal brother, Anle missed you so much!"

Jing Fengyao knew that Jing Anle was used to acting spoiled, so he took it as her being coquettish and hugged her to comfort her, saying, "I've only been gone for less than half a month, but you accidentally fell into the water, which made me worry."

Upon hearing this, Jing Anle pulled away, spun around, and said with a grin, "Brother, look, I'm completely healed now."

Jing Fengyao gently poked her forehead with his finger. "You, you're not allowed to do things that worry me anymore. Guess what I brought you this time." He then took out a box from his pocket.

Without a doubt, Jing Anle knew that inside was a plain jade hairpin. In her previous life, she disliked the hairpin for being too plain and put it in her dressing case without ever wearing it.

“No matter what’s inside, as long as it’s a gift from my brother, Anle will like it,” Jing Anle said, blinking her eyes.

Jing Fengyao was stunned for a moment, then said, "Is this still my picky little sister?"

He looked Jing Anle up and down, admiring her beauty, refinement, nobility, and elegance. After saying this, he laughed and opened the box, handing it to Jing Anle.

Sure enough, there was a jade hairpin inside. Jing Anle took it out and examined it carefully. It was emerald green all over. Although it was plain, it was indeed a fine piece of jade.

Jing Fengyao thought she was not satisfied and said, "Mount Tai'an is famous for its jade, and I took a liking to it at first sight."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Anle likes it very much. Please help me put it on."

"Your outfit today truly complements this jade hairpin perfectly," Jing Fengyao exclaimed.

Jing Fengyao paused, wanting to speak but unsure how to begin. Seeing this, Jing Anle said, "Brother, just speak your mind."

He walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Just now at Huayang Palace, Chi Wenyuan proposed to set up a classroom where princes and princesses could sit in. I know you are always lazy and would definitely not want to go."

"Chi Wenyuan?" Jing Anle asked.

Jing Anle remembered this person, but in her previous life she didn't attend classes and didn't know much about him. She only heard later that Chi Wenyuan died mysteriously after teaching for less than two months.

“Chi Wenyuan is very learned; it would be good if we could learn even a little bit of his skills,” Jing Fengyao replied.

Jing Anle pouted and said softly, "Of course I'm going."

Jing Fengyao seemed to have heard something strange, and his eyes widened. "It's like the sun has risen in the west. I'd like to see if you'll actually go."

After Emperor Jing finished meeting with Chi Wenyuan, he summoned the prime minister to discuss matters.

Emperor Jing's Cabinet

“Chi Wenyuan is a brilliant scholar, a true gem. He can offer advice and strategies in the palace, and also teach the princes and princesses,” said Prime Minister Chu Nian.

Emperor Jing did not reply, but handed the document in his hand to Chancellor Chu Nian, saying, "Chancellor, please take a look."

"Envoys from various countries have sent letters to congratulate me on my birthday. These include four countries; apart from the Crown Prince of Li who has already arrived, the other three are on their way."

The Prime Minister nodded. "Your Majesty means that the birthday celebration is a pretense, and the real purpose is to seize people."

Emperor Jing nodded, "This person will be remembered no matter which country he falls into."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Meanwhile, Jing Fengyu was also rushing to Consort Yu's residence, Zhong'an Palace. Jing Fengyu was Consort Yu's son and was two years younger than Jing Anle.

Consort Yu was overjoyed to hear that her son had returned. She pulled Jing Fengyu aside and asked him all sorts of questions. "I heard from your father that the master has been brought back. You have done a great service this time."

"Mother, it's all thanks to my brother. I didn't do anything." Jing Fengyu, being a child at heart, innocently stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth and said, "I've been away for half a month, and I've missed the pastries from Mother's palace so much."

Consort Yu was immediately enraged upon hearing this. She overturned the table, shattering fruit and teacups all over the floor, and then said, "You worthless thing! What did I tell you before you left?"

Jing Fengyu was also startled and immediately stood up, saying aggrievedly, "My mother told me to always strive to be the best and not to fall behind my brother."

Seeing Jing Fengyu's appearance, Consort Yu couldn't bear to scold him and sighed, "Don't blame your mother for being strict. Your mother is doing this for you. You must listen to me."

Jing Fengyu nodded as if he understood, but he could only obey his mother's orders.

The people of Jing are open-minded and have a history of female emperors. They do not prevent royal women from attending classes; they simply separate them with curtains. However, the women must be legitimate daughters of the emperor. Thus, both Jing Anle and Jing Rou were in the classroom.

On the other side were the two princes, Jing Fengyao and Jing Fengyu. After the four of them were seated, Jing Anle finally saw the true face of this wise man in the classroom.

Jing Anle had assumed that Chi Wenyuan would be an old man over fifty, but he was surprised to find that Chi Wenyuan was a scholar around thirty years old. He had gentle features, a graceful figure, and was as slender as a bamboo. He wore a light-colored robe and held a feather fan.

Chi Wenyuan looked at the people below. Besides Jing Fengyao and Jing Fengyu, whom he had met before, there were also two women. He cupped his hands and said, "This humble subject greets all the princes, princesses, and county princesses."

Jing Fengyao spoke first: "Sir, you may dispense with the formalities."

After performing the salutations, Chi Wenyuan knelt down on the prayer mat and said, “You are all of noble status, while I am merely a commoner. However, it is not appropriate to confuse the relationship between the emperor and the common people, or between a teacher and a student. Therefore, I have requested permission from His Majesty that we address each other as teacher and student in the classroom, and as ruler and subject outside the classroom.”

"Everyone, let's begin class."