"Shuyu!" Meng Shuyan was frustrated by her apathy. "I know you don’t like Huo Yunxing, but your engagement was settled ages ago. How can you just let some outsider take him? Do you know how much Mom has fought to get for us? If you take one step back, others will advance ten steps!"
Xu Shuyu’s tone was icy. "Class is about to start. Go back."
Seeing that she had already turned back into her classroom, Meng Shuyan could only swallow the rest of his words and leave.
"A Yan, went to see your sister again?" A male classmate hooked an arm around his shoulders. "Your sister ranked in the top five of the grade in this monthly exam. She really did you proud!"
Meng Shuyan was already irritated, and he slapped the boy’s hand away.
"Whoa, what’s wrong?" The boy wasn’t annoyed, just surprised. "Who upset you, Young Master Meng? Who has the guts to provoke both the Xu and Meng Families at the same time?" Seeing Meng Shuyan’s dark expression and silence, the boy changed the subject. "I heard Class 17 got a new transfer student, and she’s pretty cute. Want to go check it out at noon?"
Meng Shuyan finally spoke. "Sure."
"But since she’s in Class 17, she’s definitely just a pretty face with an empty head." The boy clicked his tongue. "Girls with both brains and beauty like your sister are too rare."
Meng Shuyan’s eyes instantly turned menacing. "What do you mean? You’re comparing just anyone to my sister?"
"I was just saying it casually, don’t take it to heart." Seeing him lose his temper, the boy was startled and hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Of course, they can’t compare."
"Glad you know," Meng Shuyan said coldly. "If I hear anything like that again, don’t blame me for turning on you."
Meanwhile, in the principal’s office, having finally settled Shi Changying’s student registration, the heavy weight in Ming Chengli’s heart was lifted.
"Chengli, I haven’t congratulated you yet," Principal Ning said with a smile. "Congratulations. The bitter days are finally over. Now that you’ve returned to the Xu Family, at the very least, you won’t have to worry about your livelihood."
Ming Chengli sighed. "What’s there to congratulate? Do you think being in a wealthy family is all that great? It’s just jumping from the frying pan into the fire."
"That’s true." Principal Ning paused. "Chengli, with your abilities, if... if you had given up archaeology, you would have achieved fame and success long ago. You were so outstanding back then; so many people looked up to you as a role model."
Ming Chengli fell silent for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice, "I know, Old Ning, but history... I just can’t bear to let it go."
Principal Ning’s hand trembled slightly as he repeated, "Can’t bear to?"
"The Xuan Dynasty was less than four hundred years ago, yet ninety percent of its records were destroyed. Even Empress Taichu’s true name was erased!" Ming Chengli grew increasingly agitated. "The Yan Dynasty from over two thousand years ago, the first dynasty that unified the realm of Jiuzhou, still has eighty-five percent of its documents preserved! But the Yan Dynasty only lasted for twenty-one years. And the Xuan Dynasty? Three hundred years!"
Principal Ning’s heart gave another jolt, and he too felt a certain sense of helplessness. "Indeed..."
"They burned the books, they slaughtered the people, they wanted to completely erase Da Xuan." At this point, Ming Chengli’s voice choked up, and tears glistened in his eyes. "And they... they almost succeeded."
Principal Ning remained silent.
"Everyone says Empress Taichu was an incompetent ruler, a tyrant, and that all the officials in her court were her lovers," Ming Chengli murmured. "But I’ve always felt that she wasn’t that kind of person."
Principal Ning frowned and reminded him, "Empress Taichu’s actions are not only recorded in the history books compiled by the Jiang Dynasty, but evidence can also be found in The Book of Post Xuan. This book was compiled under the direction of Empress Qingyun, the last Emperor of the Xuan Dynasty. It has nothing to do with the Hong Clan."
"Regardless, I won’t give up, even if this path is fraught with hardships." Ming Chengli wiped away his tears, his expression resolute. "Old Ning, if anything ever happens to me one day, please take care of Changying for me."
"Nonsense!" Principal Ning flared up instantly. "That’s the daughter you raised single-handedly! Could you bear to part with her?"
"Changying has become much more mature these past few days." At the mention of Shi Changying, Ming Chengli’s tone was filled with pride. "She said she wants to be number one, so she definitely will be."
Principal Ning said in exasperation, "Then I’ll have to burst your bubble. For the longest time, absolutely no one in the grade rankings has been able to rival the Young Master."
Ming Chengli was surprised. "What’s his background? Even you call him Young Master Shao?"
Principal Ning picked up a cup of hot tea and took a sip. "I just followed the students’ lead. The students call him ’Young Master Shao’ because his surname is Shao."
"Shao?" Ming Chengli thought for a moment before saying, "That’s quite a rare surname."
Principal Ning nodded. "His parents must be just like you, placing high hopes on their child, which is why they used Emperor Chengtian’s surname as his given name."
"Emperor Chengtian, surname Yuan, clan Jiang, given name Zhi... So his name is Shaoyuan? A hidden dragon in the deep—what an excellent name," Ming Chengli praised. "Speaking of which, Grand Ancestor Jing embarked on his journey to reunify Huaxia around the age of a high school student. If it weren’t for this actual history, any novel written like that would be criticized as completely illogical."
Principal Ning chuckled. "All right, I get it now. You’re just a history fanatic. If you ever got to meet these historical figures in person, I bet you’d pass out from pure happiness."
After spending the entire morning tinkering with it, Shi Changying finally understood the basic functions of a smartphone. It could be used to watch plays, listen to music, and even converse with people thousands of miles away. It was a marvelous contraption. Empress Taichu was immensely pleased.
When the bell for the final morning class rang, Lu Mi immediately sprang to her feet. "Yingying, let’s go! I’ll take you to the cafeteria for lunch."
Those last two words made Shi Changying put her phone away and follow her without a second thought.
"Wait for me!" Song Qingmu hurriedly chased after them, along with several other classmates.
Behind them, Shaoyuan slowly opened his eyes.
Outside the classroom, a crowd of students from other classes had gathered to gawk. The moment Shi Changying stepped into the public eye, the chaotic hallway fell silent for a brief moment. Meng Shuyan pushed past the other students and strode step by step toward the girl. His aggressive approach immediately tipped off the students of Senior Class 17 that something was wrong.
"Senior Sister, that’s Meng Shuyan from Class 9," Song Qingmu said in a low voice. "He and his twin sister, Xu Shuyu, are both geniuses. One excels in the humanities and the other in the sciences—a perfect duo."
The scandal of the Xu Family’s swapped children had only circulated within Jianghuai’s high society. Because Old Sir Xu and Old Madam Xu didn’t want the matter blown out of proportion, the students at Jianghuai High School naturally had no idea. Of Xu Zhao Yu’s twins, the daughter took her mother’s surname, Xu, while the son took his father’s surname, Meng.
Right now, Shi Changying’s mind was solely occupied with the thought of lunch.
"I don’t know how much money Grandpa and Grandma spent or how many strings they pulled to squeeze you into Jianghuai High School." Meng Shuyan looked down at her condescendingly, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. "But since you’re already in, you’d better know your place. You are not allowed to disturb Shuyu’s studies. Do you understand?"
Shi Changying narrowed her eyes, wondering if this guy counted as her brother. If she, the Empress, deemed him as such, then he had to be, regardless of his own opinions.