For a moment, Principal Ning thought he was holding an imperial edict rather than an answer sheet.
Ming Chengli leaned over and couldn’t help but marvel. "Daughter, you really were born to be an emperor!"
Principal Ning’s eye twitched at his words. He finally understood where Shi Changying got her domineering, supreme-ruler complex from—she was utterly spoiled.
"Old Ning, just look at how cultured my daughter’s eight characters are," Ming Chengli continued. "The word ’Received’ is in its own column, ’By the Heavens’ starts a new one, and ’The Emperor Decrees’ is in the third. That is the correct format!"
"The correct format?" Principal Ning paused, surprised. He had assumed Shi Changying was just writing nonsense.
"Yes, ’Heavens’ is of a higher rank, so it must start a new column and sit higher than the rest of the text. Furthermore, ’Received by the Heavens, the Emperor’ is the subject of ’Decrees’." Ming Chengli beamed with pride. "Many modern TV shows split these eight characters into two phrases of four, but splitting them into a six-and-two structure is historically accurate. You probably read it wrong too, but that’s normal. It’s easy to misunderstand if you aren’t familiar with ancient document formats."
Principal Ning gasped.
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "What? Did I write it poorly?"
She could toss other matters to her ministers, but imperial edicts had to be penned by her own hand. Being a perfectionist, she had specifically sought out Cui Jinghan, who was renowned for his calligraphy, to teach her. As a result, she had forced herself to develop excellent handwriting.
"It’s... quite good." Principal Ning didn’t dare say otherwise.
"Good, very good!" Ming Chengli, however, offered genuine praise. "Even though it was written with a pen, it holds the stylistic grace of Nanling Jun!"
"Nanling Jun?" Principal Ning asked in surprise. "You don’t mean... the Young Master of the Nanling Cui Family from four hundred years ago, do you?"
"Exactly. It is Cui Jinghan." When it came to historical figures from the era of Empress Taichu, Ming Chengli rattled them off as easily as listing his family heirlooms. "His semi-cursive script was unmatched, and his literary works were the culmination of the world’s greatest knowledge!"
"Hmm... it does look a bit like his." Principal Ning took a closer look and found it to be true. "However, Cui Jinghan’s handwriting was much softer. Classmate Shi’s writing is much sharper."
Ming Chengli was still talking non-stop. "To be ranked among the Four Great Young Masters, one first had to have an outstanding appearance. The historical records describe Cui Jinghan as—"
"Proud as a solitary pine, steadfast as a towering mountain," Shi Changying lazily finished.
"Changying, you read so fast?" Ming Chengli exclaimed in surprise. "That’s incredible! You managed to memorize those words verbatim."
Principal Ning thought to himself that while encouraging education was beneficial for a child’s growth, overdoing it would only backfire!
"Changying, you truly have a talent for studying history," Ming Chengli continued to praise. "Old Ning, regarding the history class—"
Before Principal Ning could answer, Shi Changying cut in. "I am not studying history."
This time, even Ming Chengli fell silent. He looked at Shi Changying’s completely blank math and physics exam papers and simply couldn’t bring himself to praise her against his own conscience.
"Then let her join the physics class," Principal Ning said, breaking the silence. "Chengli, although this class has the lowest average score in the school, the student ranked first in the grade is in it."
Ming Chengli was extremely surprised. "Why would the top student in the grade be in the worst class?"
"How should I know?" Principal Ning said helplessly. "It doesn’t matter where he is. As long as he remains a student at Jianghuai High School, I am fully satisfied."
How could he possibly know what Shaoyuan was thinking?
Ming Chengli mused that it might just be some wealthy young master experiencing a normal life. He also wondered if this top student was easygoing; perhaps he could tutor his daughter? He assumed he would have to persuade Shi Changying to accept the arrangement, but to his surprise, she agreed right away. "This class it is. I have a core principle in life."
"What principle?" Ming Chengli asked curiously.
"No matter where I am, I must be number one," Shi Changying declared.
When she waged war, it was to turn all those Barbarians who dared invade Jiuzhou into corpses, fit only to be trampled beneath her feet.
Ming Chengli’s expression turned serious. "Changying, Dad believes in you. You can definitely do it!"
Not wanting to deal a blow to the father and daughter’s confidence, Principal Ning asked his assistant to handle Shi Changying’s enrollment procedures and procure her uniform alongside other necessities.
After changing into the school uniform, Shi Changying frowned. "Ugly."
"How is it ugly? My daughter is a natural beauty; you’d look good even in a burlap sack." Ming Chengli, on the other hand, was delighted. "Come on, let’s go see your new class. Remember, you must get along well with your classmates."
After handing Shi Changying over to Teacher Bei, the homeroom teacher of Class 17, Grade 12, Ming Chengli didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he followed them to the classroom door. He prayed internally, hoping Shi Changying would rein in her usual temper. His daughter was wonderful in every way, except she was born with the heart of an emperor, and she had been especially unbridled these past few days.
"Today, our class welcomes a new student," Teacher Bei announced cheerfully. "Everyone, give her a round of applause and please look after her!"
Behind her, Shi Changying strolled into the room with her hands tucked into her pockets, swaggering as if she owned the place.
"..."
The noisy classroom instantly went dead silent.
The girl’s head was slightly tilted. Sunlight bathed her features, dyeing her brows and eyes a pale gold. Her beauty was radiant and overpowering, so breathtaking that the students scarcely dared to breathe, afraid they might blow away the ethereal vision standing before them.
Teacher Bei coughed, pulling the students’ wandering souls back to reality. "Classmate Shi, you may introduce yourself."
Shi Changying remembered Ming Chengli’s earlier instructions. "Shi Changying," she said simply.
Standing outside, Ming Chengli nodded in satisfaction. His daughter knew how to be polite after all.
A student gasped in awe. "Is it the ’Shi’ from ’Master’? The royal surname of the Xuan Dynasty!"
"That’s right, it is that character." Teacher Bei smiled warmly and asked, "Which ’Changying’?"
Shi Changying paused for a second before answering, "To hold the long cord and bind the gray dragon."
Ming Chengli was even more satisfied. His daughter was quite learned, too! Thank the heavens, everything was going perfectly!
"Today the long cord is in hand; when shall we bind the gray dragon? What a great name!" Teacher Bei praised. "Changying, go ahead and pick a seat."
Shi Changying didn’t move. She swept her gaze across the entire class and asked, "Who is ranked first in the grade?"
Teacher Bei froze, instinctively glancing toward Shaoyuan’s seat. The students’ eyes also zeroed in on a corner by the window in unison.
A young man was leaning lazily back in his chair. His school uniform jacket was unzipped, revealing a white T-shirt underneath that hinted at a perfect physique—broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He was gazing at the scenery outside, looking utterly relaxed and leisurely. He paid no mind to the commotion in the classroom, nor did he care that he had become the center of attention. A gentle breeze brushed past, carrying a slice of sunlight that fell across his sharp, prominent brow bone, giving him a piercing edge like a sword tempered in roaring fire.
After about three seconds of silence, a series of whispers broke out.
"Is the new student actually here to chase after the Young Master?"
"Hey, it’s not that surprising. A lot of girls chase after the Young Master, but so far, no one’s succeeded."
"Even though the Young Master is right in front of us, he feels worlds away. I’ve never seen him get close to anyone. Winning him over is on hell difficulty!"
Shi Changying effortlessly locked onto her target and stepped off the podium.
The class watched excitedly as she walked step by step toward Shaoyuan. In the next second, she slammed her hand down onto his desk.
"Come on, fight me," Shi Changying demanded. "When you lose, be smart and step down on your own."
This number-one rank in the grade—she was taking it.