After receiving Yang Fuzi’s praise, Zhao Qingning felt somewhat guilty.
She was essentially in the beginner’s village, so of course she excelled.
Yang Fuzi eagerly said, “Recite the newly learned ‘Disciple Rules’ for me.”
Zhao Qingning could tell at a glance that he regarded her as a prodigy who had suddenly become enlightened.
She had no intention of playing the role of a prodigy. If she encountered questions she couldn’t answer later, others might think she had regressed.
So she shook her head: “I don’t know how.”
Yang Fuzi was somewhat disappointed: “Then how come you memorized the ‘Thousand Character Classic’?”
Zhao Qingning found an excuse: “Last time I caused trouble, my mother returned to the manor and punished me by making me copy books over a hundred times. I copied the ‘Three Character Classic’ and the ‘Thousand Character Classic,’ so I ended up memorizing them.”
Yang Fuzi understood.
The Princess was so strict—no wonder her temperament had changed and she had made such rapid progress.
During this lesson, Yang Fuzi paid close attention to Zhao Qingning and praised her in front of everyone.
In contrast, Chen Jinbao displeased Yang Fuzi.
“I’ve been teaching the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ for half a month, and you still stumble over the words. It seems the tutoring at Weiyuan Marquis Manor needs to be strengthened,” Yang Fuzi said sternly. “You should learn more from Zhao Qingning.”
Chen Jinbao looked frustrated.
Who would have thought he would be the one to lose face this time?
As soon as class ended, he stood up: “Zhao Qingning, don’t think—”
But the person in front of him completely ignored him. Before he could even finish his sentence, she had already left the main hall, thoroughly disregarding him.
Chen Jinbao: “How infuriating!”
Zhao Qingning was in a hurry to check on Lu Jinghan and had no time to deal with him.
When she arrived, Lu Jinghan had just taken his medicine and fallen asleep. Seeing that he was stable, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
For several days in a row, she followed the same routine.
Because of the incident with the ‘Thousand Character Classic,’ Yang Fuzi’s attitude toward her improved, and she applied herself to her studies, making significant progress. The teacher frequently praised her in class.
As a result, some mustered the courage to speak to her and found that her temperament was no longer as unpleasant as before—they could now converse peacefully.
However, despite the conversations, she still had few friends.
Her mind was entirely on Lu Jinghan, leaving her no time for making friends.
In the main hall.
Chen Jinbao felt disheartened.
Zhao Qingning had ignored him for over a month.
Even when he tried to cause trouble for her in class, she handled it calmly, making him look like a fool.
In the last exam set by the teacher, she improved by more than ten places. Without her at the bottom, Chen Jinbao ended up in last place.
Yang Fuzi even complained to his father, who gave him another beating.
Weiyuan General: “If you can’t even outperform Zhao Qingning, what are you capable of?!”
Weiyuan General and Princess Yongjia were old acquaintances. He had been bullied by her since childhood and knew well how protective she was of her own, as well as how much the Emperor listened to his elder sister.
If they were to become enemies and Yongjia complained to the palace again, the Marquis Manor would likely face serious trouble.
Oh well, if he had to yield to Yongjia, it was only natural for his son to yield to Zhao Qingning.
Thus, he instructed Chen Jinbao to apologize to Zhao Qingning and get along with her.
In fact, today, Chen Jinbao had mustered his courage to apologize.
He didn’t want to lose Zhao Qingning as a friend either.
Yet once again, he was ignored.
In the hall, Liu Yiyi sneered: “Some people are so arrogant, thinking others can’t live without them. Little did they know, they aren’t needed at all.”
Chen Jinbao’s face darkened: “Liu Yiyi, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you!” Liu Yiyi refused to back down. “Look at yourself. I thought you had some backbone when you broke off with Zhao Qingning, but now you still want to reconcile. Do you think I can’t tell? Pathetic.”
He laughed in exasperation. “You’re the pathetic one? Fine, I do want to make up with her, so what? At least she’s a princess from a noble family. Who else would happily mingle with low-ranking officials’ daughters like you do?”
Liu Yiyi bristled. “Zhiyi never offended you. Why bring her up? She always ranks first in exams—is that something any of you can criticize?”
“I wasn’t specifically targeting her. There’s more than one low-ranking official’s daughter around, aren’t they all your companions? Or do you consider her the most inferior in your heart?”
Chen Jinbao was no pushover when it came to verbal sparring.
Liu Yiyi fumed. “You!” She flicked her sleeve and sat down, unwilling to argue further.
Jiang Zhiyi’s hands tightened slightly.
The capital’s social hierarchy was rigid. To outsiders, Liu Yiyi, as the daughter of the Right Minister, befriending her was seen as a condescending favor, a degradation of status. In their daily interactions, Liu Yiyi often ordered her around imperiously. These noble young ladies always looked down on her.
But she was the most exceptional one.
Jiang Zhiyi took a soft breath and lowered her head to continue reading.
Lu Jinghan sat calmly in the pavilion. Though his wounds hadn’t fully healed, he could at least get out of bed now. He looked down at the dishes on the table. Zhao Qingning had someone prepare delicious meals for him daily. His diet had improved compared to before, and he’d even gained some weight, looking much healthier than he used to. Though he still didn’t understand her motives, he had completely let down his guard around her.
“Come, come, try these dishes quickly,” she said with a smile.
Lu Jinghan nodded. “Thank you, Miss.”
He remained mindful of their difference in status, unchanged in his demeanor.
“Oh, this is for you.” Zhao Qingning pursed her lips and handed him something. Lu Jinghan was taken aback but accepted it respectfully. Opening the box, he found a dagger inside—its blade sharp, clearly crafted from superior materials.
He hesitated. “Why give me this?”
Zhao Qingning looked at him, guilt in her eyes. “I’m sorry I took your knife.” If he had had a blade that day, he might have been able to defend himself. She had been too naive, thinking her status alone could suppress everyone, not anticipating Chen Jinbao’s involvement. She had also feared he would become bloodthirsty, forgetting that the world was full of schemes and deceit.
“This is forged from fine dark iron, much sharper than your previous one—it can cut through metal like mud,” she said softly. “Use it for self-defense from now on. If anyone bullies you again, fight back. I’ll bear any consequences.” As long as he didn’t kill a prince or princess, she could probably protect him.
Lu Jinghan’s heart was a tumult of emotions. He could tell Zhao Qingning was somewhat afraid of him wielding a blade, though he didn’t know why. Yet now, despite her fear, she had given him a lethal weapon.
His voice was slightly hoarse. “Thank you, Miss.”
Zhao Qingning smiled. “Let’s eat.”
As they were dining, Chen Jinbao suddenly arrived.
At the sight of him, Zhao Qingning immediately grew wary. “What are you doing here?” She instinctively shifted closer to Lu Jinghan.
Chen Jinbao struggled for a moment before forcing out the words, “Zhao Qingning, I came to apologize.”
“I’m sorry for losing my temper with you.”
If she wanted to play with that Little Wild Seed, then let her play—it wouldn’t affect their friendship anyway.
He had been too narrow-minded, thinking she could only have him as a friend. Now look at him—turned into a lone wolf.
Zhao Qingning hadn’t expected him to say this. Shocked, she shook her head: “The one you should apologize to isn’t me.”
The root of their fallout was that he had ordered Lu Jinghan beaten to the brink of death.
The one he owed the most apology to was Lu Jinghan, not her.
Hearing this, Chen Jinbao flushed red: “You expect me to apologize to this Little Wild Seed?!”
This was going too far.
“Shouldn’t you? He’s the victim,” Zhao Qingning retorted.
Seeing this, Chen Jinbao grew angry but finally gritted his teeth and looked at Lu Jinghan: “Well… it was wrong of me to have you beaten. It won’t happen again.”
A cold glint flashed in Lu Jinghan’s eyes.
This was the person who had made him suffer through that miserable night.
While his bones were being shattered and he was in excruciating pain, Chen Jinbao was probably gloating with satisfaction.
He subconsciously tightened his grip on his chopsticks, suppressing the resentment in his heart.
Lu Jinghan forced a smile: “I won’t hold it against you.”
Chen Jinbao snorted coldly.
As if this Little Wild Seed would dare to hold a grudge.
He turned to Zhao Qingning: “Hey, he said he forgives me. Shouldn’t you make up with me now?”
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingning set down her chopsticks and looked at Lu Jinghan: “You nearly died. If you still hold resentment in your heart, why say you won’t hold it against him?”
Lu Jinghan pressed his lips together.
That day, he had heard from Li Dezhong that after Zhao Qingning saved him, she had cut ties with Chen Jinbao.
Afterward, she was ostracized by everyone in the main hall.
His life was worthless—there was no need to make a fuss, and no reason to let her suffer unhappiness for his sake.
But Zhao Qingning didn’t see it that way. She turned to Chen Jinbao: “Chen Jinbao, didn’t Weiyuan Marquis teach you how to properly apologize to someone?”
Chen Jinbao’s face darkened: “Didn’t I say I was sorry?”
“You nearly killed him, and you think a single sentence can make it right?” Zhao Qingning said coldly. “You’re not sincere at all.”
Back in her modern school days, she had witnessed bullying incidents where troublemakers would casually hurt others on a whim.
Afterward, they’d just offer a flippant “sorry” to erase all the harm. A forced “I forgive you” from the victim would grant them moral redemption and relieve their guilt.
They’d walk away carefree, continuing down their sunny path.
Meanwhile, the bullied would take much longer to emerge from the shadows.
When the original host had bullied Jiang Zhiyi, after she arrived, she chose to apologize to Jiang Zhiyi partly for this reason.
Moreover, whether it was the punished eunuchs or Liu Yiyi, they had provoked her first before she took action.
If others didn’t bother her, she wouldn’t go out of her way to harm them.
Just now, when Lu Jinghan saw Chen Jinbao, he was clearly trembling.
Yet even his apology was so half-hearted.
Simply put, he didn’t feel he owed Lu Jinghan anything—he was only apologizing because she forced him to.
Zhao Qingning suppressed her emotions: “You should leave. We have nothing more to discuss.”
Chen Jinbao gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, and left.
She turned to Lu Jinghan: “I’ve reassigned people to watch over you. Besides that, I’ll visit you every day. He won’t dare harm you again, so there’s no need to reluctantly accept apologies. Wait until you’ve truly let go of it—then it won’t be too late to say you forgive him.”
Now she kept a closer watch on Lu Jinghan and visited the backyard more frequently, even arranging for steward Li Dezhong to monitor him so she would be the first to know if any issues arose.
A gentle breeze swept through the pavilion, stirring the loose strands of hair at her forehead.
Lu Jinghan gazed at her for a long moment before finally lowering his eyes. “Alright.”
She had assumed Chen Jinbao was too thoroughly angered to return and invite further humiliation, yet unexpectedly, he showed up again the very next day.
Zhao Qingning frowned. “What are you doing?”
Behind him stood over a dozen servants lined up in a grand display, carrying gift boxes of various sizes.