Wang Shijing smiled and added, “By the way, you’re really loyal too. You promised that as long as you have a meal, I’ll have a bowl to wash for you.”
Chen Jiao’s pupils constricted, and she stared at Wang Shijing with a look she had never used before, for a long while.
Heavens! She had known Wang Shijing for so long, and today was the first time she truly understood him! She had thought he was a gullible, sweet, and easily fooled type, but it turned out he had been waiting for this moment!
Wang Shijing, feeling a little unsettled under her gaze, touched his nose and asked, “Chen Jiao, why are you staring at me like that?”
Chen Jiao took a deep breath, grabbed his hand, and said sincerely, “Brother Jing, I was wrong. When will this cycle of grievances ever end? Since we are half-brothers, let’s let each other off. I promise next time, the chicken leg will be yours!”
Wang Shijing smiled and said, “Alright.”
Then he leaned closer and spoke in a voice only they could hear, “But honestly, I’m curious, who did you hold hands with?”
Chen Jiao’s eyes widened slightly, and she instinctively denied it, “No one, I was just asking casually.”
The Imperial Academy was crowded and full of gossip, especially now when everyone’s attention was on her. She wouldn’t have involved the Crown Prince unless she was bored to death.
Wang Shijing snorted. His gaze seemed to see through everything, and he said mysteriously, “No matter who it is, that person must have designs on you.”
Chen Jiao didn’t take his words to heart. The Crown Prince held the empire in his hands; he could have anything. How could he possibly have designs on her? If anything, she should be the one with designs on him.
So she replied casually, “You’re overthinking. We have purely brotherly affection.”
Wang Shijing smiled without speaking further, choosing not to pursue the matter, but inwardly he was certain—though he didn’t know who the person was, Chen Jiao would suffer a great loss to them in the future.
One was determined to win, the other naive and ignorant. Chen Jiao was clever and alert in general, but when it came to matters of the heart, she was completely inexperienced, and not a match for the other person.
…
Having resolved the precarious state of his brotherly relationship with Wang Shijing, Chen Jiao, rumored to be “of the same sex,” suddenly became the hottest topic in the Imperial Academy.
Wherever she went, other students instinctively kept their distance.
After class, whispers and discussions ran rampant. When Chen Jiao passed by, everyone glanced around furtively, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Chen Jiao was speechless. Were these people really so dim that they thought she wouldn’t notice their obvious behavior?
But she didn’t care much.
If it were scholars who valued propriety and integrity, they would have found this unbearable, seeing it as a great humiliation. But Chen Jiao was different—her reputation had never been stellar, so an additional rumor of same-sex affection was of no consequence to her as a reckless and uneducated scion.
Moreover, the contemporary social atmosphere was relatively open. Some young nobles, ignorant of proper conduct, had previously mingled with servants and attendants in youthful folly, only to dismiss it lightly once married and established.
The more the involved parties cared, the more spectators delighted in teasing them. But if the person affected treated it lightly, those instigators would gradually lose interest.
Chen Jiao faithfully maintained her shameless principle, ignoring the other students’ looks. Occasionally, when someone muttered “same-sex” behind her back, she would smirk and reply, “Don’t dream. If this young master wanted that, he wouldn’t bother with someone as clingy and foolish as you.”
She was referring to a student from Class B next door, fair-skinned and delicate, with a lingering lilt in his voice.
Since the rumors about Chen Jiao surfaced, he had become paranoid, suspecting that Chen Jiao had designs on a talented young man like him.
Every time he saw her at the academy, he would cross his arms and pout, silently conveying, “You’d better give up these thoughts.” It was enough to annoy even the easygoing Chen Jiao.
Her annoyance wasn’t about him, but about how his behavior might lead others to mistakenly believe she harbored improper intentions toward him, which would damage her taste and refinement.
She, a dignified heir of the Marquis family, even if entangled in romantic gossip, wanted it to be with someone worthy.
Annoyed, when he confronted her again, she clarified firmly: “Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t look down on you. But as you know, I’m an honest person and never lie.”
Her words were merciless. The humiliated student’s eyes filled with tears, reddening. Others exchanged awkward glances. Normally, they might scold Chen Jiao for being harsh, but now, caught red-handed spreading gossip, no one could lecture her.
Chen Jiao glanced around at the others, smiled lightly, and lazily walked away.
Coincidentally, Wang Shijing passed by and called out, “Chen Jiao, class is over! Wait—why is she leaving? I forgot to tell her that the roast duck place will be crowded tomorrow, she should go early…”
He approached and frowned, asking, “What’s going on? Why are you crying?”
After hearing the bystanders explain, he clicked his tongue in exasperation, “I was just joking. How come you’re still discussing it days later?”
Someone asked, “A joke?”
Wang Shijing looked innocent and spread his hands, “Otherwise? Chen Jiao is the sole heir of the Chen family for three generations. You really think she’s of the same sex? If this spreads, Princess Yihe and the Yong’an Marquis won’t let you off first.”
The reputation of Princess Yihe and the Yong’an Marquis was legendary, and even at the Imperial Academy, widely known. Two months ago, to defend his son, the Yong’an Marquis publicly praised Chen Jiao’s essays so much that the teacher’s beard practically blew away in anger.
Rumors claimed that Chen Jiao’s maternal aunt looked down on her for being uneducated, angering Princess Yihe so much she overturned her own brother’s dining table.
Parents protecting their children wasn’t rare, but to see the Yong’an Marquis and Princess Yihe lose all decorum was exceptional.
The students of the Imperial Academy remembered clearly, and when Wang Shijing mentioned it, they all realized the gravity of the matter.
Indeed, the Chen family was a three-generation sole heir line, so Chen Jiao had the responsibility to carry on the family name. If anyone dared to tarnish her reputation…
The students shivered and thanked Wang Shijing, “Thank you for the reminder, young master.”
As the younger son of the Right Chancellor and the Crown Prince’s cousin, Wang Shijing held unmatched status in the Imperial Academy. Even if his grades were poor, students still sought his favor.
It was common knowledge that Imperial Academy students with ambitions aspired to official positions, and currying favor now was more advantageous than begging later.
Wang Shijing was known for being sincere, and compared to sycophants like Chen Jiao, everyone trusted him.
“We’re all classmates,” Wang Shijing said, stroking his chin, “I wonder who started the rumor that Chen Jiao is of the same sex. Truly, morals are declining and people’s hearts have changed…”
Everyone nodded, with only a few sneaking glances at the culprit, hesitant to speak.
After Wang Shijing sighed, he noticed the student Chen Jiao was still scowling and clearly unsatisfied. He smiled and said nothing.
Comparison was the most dangerous thing. Even if Wang Shijing knew Chen Jiao wasn’t of the same sex, if the other person had intentions, the young heir—always beside his cousin would naturally outshine such an incompetent fool.
The small storm passed. Chen Jiao was forthright, Wang Shijing admitted it was a joke, and without further evidence, the discussion faded.
The Imperial Academy no longer discussed Chen Jiao, but within the Crown Prince’s faction, she remained the subject of gossip—over a cup of tea.
During discussions in the study, attendants brought tea and snacks. Normally, tea was served in order, but today an unremarkable young eunuch bypassed everyone, carefully presenting the first cup directly to Chen Jiao.
With the Crown Prince absent, Chen Jiao had been dozing lightly, but the eunuch’s attentiveness in the midst of all the ministers’ glaring eyes immediately woke her.
It was a misunderstanding!
There were only six other people present, including a Minister of the Secretariat responsible for reviewing petitions. If a petition was improper, it would be immediately rejected.
Although Chen Jiao sometimes boasted about being the Crown Prince’s first junior, she wasn’t arrogant enough to confront these officials.
Still, whether or not she was at fault, she had now earned the displeasure of these six officials.
What seemed like a simple cup of tea was, in fact, a symbol of their status.
Not long ago, Chen Jiao had been reprimanded, and everyone assumed the Crown Prince had slighted her. Unexpectedly, she visited the Prince’s residence and managed to win back his favor. Now, the Crown Prince always brought her along, even personally teaching her imperial examination essays.
Outrageous!
Eunuchs were quick to read the situation. Even the former apprentice of Eunuch Zhang, who had quarreled with Chen Jiao before, now changed sides, delivering tea to her first.
This enraged the older officials, who couldn’t sleep that night.
They were experienced and highly skilled, yet a young junior like Chen Jiao dared to compete for attention.
So they bottled their resentment, trying to find faults with her.
“An official must fulfill his duties. She does nothing but flatter the Prince. How should others view her?”
“We serve the Prince faithfully. Why should she get credit for just flattering him?”
“We’ve labored beside the Prince without reward, yet now she even drinks the tea we would have had. Where’s the order of precedence?”
In the end, the dispute all stemmed from a cup of tea.
In truth, before the eunuch’s preferential treatment, moods were calm. They all knew their paths differed from Chen Jiao’s.
They aimed for practical achievements to be remembered in history, while Chen Jiao, smooth-talking and lazy, clearly pursued the path of a favored courtier.
They had kept to their own ways until Chen Jiao overstepped, and they had never heard of diligent officials being bullied by sycophants.
In their eyes, Chen Jiao had become a treacherous minister, a truly dangerous one.
Their anger was immense as they complained to Wang Shijing, hoping he would persuade her, ideally scolding her.
Furious, they exaggerated: “She does nothing but curry favor, everyone will say she’s a treacherous minister.”
“Yes, throughout history, all treacherous ministers carried disgrace for eternity… You must correct her, we are thinking of her best interest.”
Wang Shijing, seemingly naive, had listened quietly. Then he stroked his chin and said, “Don’t worry. Chen Jiao is thick-skinned. She isn’t afraid of being scolded.”
A perfect remark. The older officials were momentarily silenced.
After a pause, the Minister of the Secretariat wiped his face and nodded, “Indeed. I wonder who taught her to be so thick-skinned.”
Chen Jiao, just arriving, overheard the conversation and sighed. She had once thought herself shrewd, but now realized that these officials’ hearts were even darker, and one misstep could be remembered for a lifetime.
Things seemed to be escalating, so she stepped forward and clasped her fists, saying, “Wang Shijing is right. This young master lacks talent, but taking the blame is a specialty! Look, this tea wasn’t even mine to receive or serve, yet I take the scolding.”
Everyone turned to see a young man holding a folding fan, silk ribbons in his hair, exuding grace and poise.
Shaking her head regretfully, she continued, “All this fuss over a single cup of tea. Had I known, I would never drink tea again in my life!”
Honestly, she had felt uneasy when she received the tea and had privately asked the old eunuch Zhang if it was deliberate. The answer surprised her.
Recently, the Prince’s residence had replaced several eunuchs and trained newcomers. The new attendants, aware that Chen Jiao was the Prince’s favorite, independently served her first.
This caused the subsequent events.
With Chen Jiao’s words, the aggrieved officials were left embarrassed. Initially, they had only intended to find fault with her, but repeated setbacks had angered them further, leading to this situation.
Now, Chen Jiao pointed out that it was all a misunderstanding over a cup of tea, yet she remained completely unaware and had been maligned. In hindsight, it was handled with admirable composure.
After some time together, although Chen Jiao was eccentric, she was not a petty opportunist.
With tempers cooled, the officials exchanged glances. The Minister of the Secretariat sighed first, “Chen Jiao, no need for self-mockery. We were also at fault today. Ah, the trouble all stemmed from tea. Come by my residence for tea in a few days.”
“I am not mocking myself. Had it been someone else, they might have been heartbroken. Only I can take it lightly, neither elated nor saddened. This is the demeanor of a true gentleman!”
The officials, feeling some gratitude and shame, were left speechless.
Thick-skinned indeed, but don’t gild yourself, lest even a gentleman’s grave cannot contain it!
At this moment, Wang Shijing also commented, “A strategist’s duty is to ease the Prince’s burdens. Chen Jiao saying pleasant things to cheer his cousin on is a good thing.”
Chen Jiao opened her fan with a smile, “Exactly! Luckily I am thick-skinned, unlike you all who care about my face. Let me bear the reputation of a treacherous minister!”
Having established her composure earlier, everyone was now numb.
She spoke with righteous conviction, eyes firm: “I know you are all concerned for me, but it’s fine, this is my responsibility! No need to overthank me, or overly admire my great contribution!”
Whether rumors at the Imperial Academy or colleagues’ jealousy, she could easily handle them.
Indeed, she was that outstanding!
Recently, Chen Jiao had been riding a wave of favor, with flattery following her everywhere, inflating her confidence. With just a few words, she silenced all officials, leaving them with nothing to say.
After everyone dispersed, she confidently turned and found the Crown Prince standing behind her, expression teasingly amused, apparently having watched the entire scene for some time.