No matter how many excuses Tong Anying concocted, the utterly impartial Tong Baibo still bundled her off to the Imperial Academy.
Originally, the Imperial Academy admitted no women. It was only two years ago, following a formal proposal by the Empress, that a women’s division had been established. Word had it that a female top scholar had even emerged from its ranks the previous year.
Just you wait! I’m going to study my heart out and become the next top scholar!
Tong Fengye stumbled mid-stride. Did my sister really just dream that big?
Host, are you sure you don’t want to go back?
Clutching the strap of her book bag, Tong Anying replied inwardly, Not a chance. Life here is great.
Nearly ten days had passed since she regained her past memories. In her previous life, she had lived in the twenty-first century before dying in a car crash, only to be reincarnated into an era never once recorded in the history books.
Though she was not native to this world, she had lived here for fifteen years. The kindness, care, and devotion showered upon her by the Tong family were entirely real. She was thoroughly content with her current life. Wherever her family was, that was where she belonged.
Unbeknownst to Tong Anying, Tong Fengye, who was trailing behind her, let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even though the family had already agreed in private to support whatever choice she made, having his little sister choose to stay warmed his heart.
When the system fell silent, Tong Anying suddenly grew guarded.
System, don’t you dare try pushing any quests on me.
Host, I am not a quest-driven system!
Tong Anying was baffled. Then what on earth are you?
I am a Gossip System! Host, don’t you want to add some zest to your mundane everyday life? Don’t you want to inject some color into a world devoid of smartphones, air conditioning, and flush toilets? Come on, spill the tea with me!
Tong Anying was speechless.
Was this a sales pitch, or was it just mocking her lifestyle?
Host, it won’t cost you a single thing! Please, I beg of you, I just want a buddy to binge on tea with!
Aside from her pretty face, Tong Anying had neither grand ambitions nor iron discipline. Above all, she was a soft touch who could never resist someone pleading with her.
She relented and agreed.
Beside her, Tong Fengye scratched his head in utter bewilderment. What on earth is “gossip”?
“Third Brother, why are you dawdling? We’re going to be late!”
Tong Anying glanced back, only to realize her third brother had fallen far behind.
“Coming!”
As Tong Fengye hurried toward her, he collided head-on with someone else.
“Who goes there? Are you blind?”
The voice was all too familiar to both siblings.
Rubbing his bruised wrist, Tong Fengye retorted, “Someone’s definitely blind around here, and it isn’t me.”
“Tong Fengye, what did you just say?”
“I said you’re blind!”
“You.” Feng Chu pointed a finger right at Tong Fengye’s nose before shifting gears with a sneer. “Tong Fengye, examinations are right around the corner. Just wait until you get home to a thorough beating!”
Tong Fengye refused to back down. “We’ll see who gets beaten first!”
While the two were locked in a standoff, Tong Anying’s inner voice chimed in.
Hey System, you claim to be a gossip system, right? Serve up two pounds of dirt on Feng Chu to whet my appetite.
Tong Fengye immediately sidled up beside Tong Anying, suddenly standing tall as if backed by an impenetrable fortress.
Feng Chu, however, froze in his tracks. Tong Anying’s mouth hadn’t moved at all!
Had these two siblings secretly learned ventriloquism just to freak him out?
Feng Chu clenched his fists. How utterly malicious!
Coming right up, Host!
Host, don’t be fooled by Feng Chu’s haughty attitude, his stepmother has deliberately spoiled him rotten to ruin him.
Ah, I knew it, Tong Anying mused. To indulge a child is to destroy them. The moment his father completely writes him off, Feng Chu’s life is effectively ruined.
His life, ruined?
How could it be ruined?
He hadn’t even reclaimed his late mother’s dowry yet!
Feng Chu wiped the sweat from his forehead, threw back his shoulders, held his head high, and marched inside with renewed determination.
Tong Fengye stared after him. “What’s gotten into him?”
“Perhaps he had a sudden epiphany,” Tong Anying remarked, her eyes darting playfully as she put a bit of distance between herself and Tong Fengye. Sizing him up, she teased, “Third Brother, you’re doomed. Your rival has just undergone an awakening.”
Tong Fengye slung his book bag over his shoulder, refusing to concede. “He’s not the only one who can rise to the challenge!”
Right then and there, Tong Fengye resolved to study with demonic fervor from this day forward and to keep a healthy distance from Tong Anying.
His fourth sister simply knew too many secrets. That bizarre system of hers seemed downright omniscient.
Spurred by a burst of competitive spite, Tong Fengye felt remarkably clear-headed throughout the day. His brush seemed guided by deities. By the time classes let out, he even felt generous enough to console his sister, who had missed several days of instruction.
“Don’t fret, Fourth Sister. Even if your marks are terrible, Father won’t lay a finger on you.”
Tong Anying looked over to see her third brother smiling brightly against the late afternoon sun.
She shook her head.
Third Brother actually has the leisure to worry about me? He’d better spend that energy worrying about his own backside.
Tong Fengye: “?”
Meekly cupping his behind, he followed her to their waiting carriage.
Inside, Tong Anying called out, “Uncle Zhao, let’s head over to the west side of the city to buy some chestnut cakes!”
“Right away, Fourth Young Miss, Third Young Master! Sit tight!”
As the marquisate’s carriage rolled past the Feng family’s carriage, Tong Anying caught sight of Feng Chu leaping down and marching away without once looking back. Right behind him, an impeccably groomed noblewoman disembarked in a panic, barking orders for the servants to chase after him.
That woman was undoubtedly Feng Chu’s stepmother.
***
The freshly steamed chestnut cakes wafted an intoxicating, sweet aroma. Tong Anying handed a piece to Tong Fengye before taking a generous bite of her own.
“Mmm,” she sighed in pure bliss. “Nothing beats freshly baked chestnut cakes.”
Watching her eat like a pampered, gluttonous kitten, Tong Fengye couldn’t help but smile. “Just chestnut cakes? Nothing else?”
Tong Anying fixed him with an unblinking, deliberate stare. A sudden wave of foreboding washed over him as she curved her lips into a radiant smile.
“Is Third Brother paying?”
Well, they had already come this far.
Gritting his teeth, Tong Fengye conceded, “Fine! It’s on me!”
When they finally arrived back at the manor gates, Tong Fengye surveyed the mountain of purchases cluttering the carriage, his teeth aching with regret. His little sister truly didn’t hold back when spending someone else’s money.
Su Zhouyue arched an eyebrow as Uncle Zhao carried armloads of packages inside. “Why did you buy so much?”
Tong Anying took a delicate sip of tea. “Third Brother insisted on spoiling me since I’ve only just recovered from my illness.”
“Is that so?” Su Zhouyue turned her gaze toward Tong Fengye.
Tong Fengye nodded with an air of profound grievance. “It’s true. It was entirely my pleasure to indulge my little sister.”
“Mother, I’ll be heading back to my courtyard now.”
“Go on, then.”
Once Tong Anying was out of sight, Tong Fengye remained rooted to the spot.
Su Zhouyue asked, “Don’t you have homework to finish?”
“Mother, you won’t believe what happened.”
The trip with Tong Anying had been an absolute circus. Chaos had erupted in practically every single shop they set foot in.
Su Zhouyue was incredulous. “She even knew who sired the unborn kittens of the preserved fruit shop’s cat?”
“I swear, Mother! The shopkeeper grabbed a meat cleaver on the spot and stormed next door, screaming that the neighbor’s tomcat had violated her feline!”
Su Zhouyue’s brows knit tightly. “How could she possibly know that?”
By all accounts, those revelations should only have existed as private thoughts inside Tong Anying’s head.
Lowering his voice, Tong Fengye whispered, “Mother, you’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? I’m starting to suspect that we aren’t the only ones who can hear Fourth Sister’s inner voice.”
Clatter!
The teacup in Su Zhouyue’s hand slipped and shattered on the floor.
Tong Fengye jumped in fright. “Mother, what’s wrong?”
“Go attend to your studies first. I need to discuss this thoroughly with your father.”
“Oh, all right.”
Even after Tong Fengye left, Su Zhouyue’s heart remained in turmoil. She couldn’t tell whether this was a blessing or an impending disaster.
Tong Baibo tried to reassure her. “Things have already come to this, and there’s no turning back. All we need to do is protect Anying.”
Su Zhouyue leaned into his embrace. “I suppose you’re right.”
Gently patting her back, Tong Baibo murmured, “Worry no more.”
She tightened her arms around him. “All I want is for our family to stay safe and well.”
“And we certainly will.”
WHAT? My father is about to offend the Emperor and get our entire family stripped of our titles and exiled?
Tong Anying, who had been lounging comfortably on her reclining chair, practically launched herself upright like a dying patient shocked back to life.
Having heard every word loud and clear, Su Zhouyue froze for a second before whirling around and giving Tong Aobai’s arm a vicious pinch. “Tong Baibo! Did you go shooting off your mouth in front of His Majesty again?”
“I’m innocent, my dear! Utterly innocent!”
Su Zhouyue jabbed a slender finger into his temple. “I know very well that you despise courtly intrigue, and I know you are a rare, upright man. I would never ask you to go against your conscience. But you have to keep your official post if you ever hope to uphold justice!”
“I hear you, my dear. It’s etched into my mind.”
“Father, Mother! Eldest Brother is back, and dinner is ready!”
Tong Yi’an poked her small head through the doorway.
Su Zhouyue’s expression shifted in the blink of an eye, melting into a warm, gentle smile. “We’ll be right there.”
Tong Baibo: “?”
At the dinner table, Tong Fengye asked curiously, “Father, why is there a red welt across your forehead?”
“There isn’t.”
“But—”
Tong Baibo cut him off sternly, “Tong Fengye, eat your dinner.”
“Fine.”
Su Zhouyue pressed a hand to her lips, suppressing a chuckle. Tong Baibo shot her a dry look—still laughing, are you? A general’s daughter through and through.
Su Zhouyue placed a tender morsel into his dish, which softened Tong Baibo’s expression slightly. Having appeased her husband, she turned her attention to her five children.
Ever since learning what a scoundrel Cui Heng was, Su Zhouyue had brought Tong Siyuan back home to live.
Turning to the reticent Tong Yibin, Su Zhouyue asked gently, “Yibin, how have things been at the Ministry of Justice these past couple of days?”
Setting down his chopsticks, Tong Yibin replied with solemn formality, “Tolerable, Mother.”
Su Zhouyue nodded. “Tolerable is good enough.”
Eldest Brother’s expression is the very definition of ‘dead inside.’
Tong Yibin stiffened, his eyes darting directly toward Tong Anying.
Chewing on a piece of cherry-glazed pork, Tong Anying sighed inwardly. Sigh. It seems working a job drains the soul out of everyone, no matter the era.