A Rebirth: Joined As One - Chapter 10

Although the Princess Royal’s invitation came rather abruptly, Jing Ya could not refuse to go.

But after she went, Jing Ya realized that matters seemed somewhat different from what she had imagined.

There was a round table, neither too large nor too small. The two of them sat facing each other. Once the palace attendants finished bringing out all the dishes, they stood to the side, waiting to serve food for the two of them. But the Princess Royal waved her hand and said to the attendants, “All of you withdraw.”

The palace attendants could only answer yes and retreat.

Jing Ya raised her head to look at the Princess Royal and asked, “Does the Princess Royal not need anyone to attend her during meals?”

The Princess Royal lifted her eyes and looked back at Jing Ya. Her gaze swept over the area below the outer corner of Jing Ya’s right eye, and her lips carried the faintest teasing smile. “Aren’t you still here?”

Hearing this, Jing Ya looked steadily at the Princess Royal without saying anything.

Then, just as the Princess Royal was about to open her mouth and say forget it, Jing Ya raised her hand, picked up the serving chopsticks, took some food, and placed it into the bowl in front of the Princess Royal. “Princess Royal, please eat.”

The Princess Royal lowered her head to look at the food in her bowl, then looked at Jing Ya, whose face was calm and utterly unconcerned. Suddenly, she lost the desire to keep teasing the little mouse across from her.

“I was only teasing you just now. I never have anyone attend me when I eat.”

Jing Ya quietly curved her lips, not letting the Princess Royal see. Only then did she set down the serving chopsticks and pick up her own. After waiting for the Princess Royal to move her chopsticks first, Jing Ya followed and began eating as well.

A dinner passed amid silence and the occasional clink of dishes.

Before Jing Ya returned to the side hall, the Princess Royal gave another order. “Xue Chan has returned to the residence. From now on, come here for all three meals.”

Jing Ya lowered her head and saluted, answering, “Yes.”

After returning to the side hall, Jing Ya thought over what had just happened and felt that perhaps the Princess Royal was hinting at something to her… Maybe, from now on, the Princess Royal would no longer torment her?

Thinking that such a possibility existed, even Jing Ya felt somewhat happy.

After all, she was only good at enduring. It was not as if she liked enduring. If there was something she did not have to put up with, then naturally, it was better not to. It would spare her the trouble, and spare her from having to turn around and retaliate afterward.

However, if the Princess Royal teased her, then Jing Ya could only accept it all. It could be considered compensation for what had happened in their previous life.

At the thought that she might suffer less torment after tomorrow, Jing Ya felt much more at ease as she washed up. After she wiped her face with a handkerchief, the palace attendant took it from her. Seeing a dark smudge on it, the attendant curiously asked, “Miss Jing, did you rub against something? Why is there a black mark on this handkerchief?”

Hearing this, Jing Ya looked at the handkerchief. Sure enough, she saw a blurred patch of black.

The palace attendant brought it closer to study it. “This seems… to be ink…”

Jing Ya then realized. She looked toward the desk. It was probably from when she had fallen asleep there at noon today and rubbed against it…

No, that was not right. She had clearly awakened on the bed. How could she have…

Jing Ya frowned slightly and asked the palace attendant, “At noon today, did the Princess Royal come here?”

The palace attendant shook her head and replied, “No.”

Jing Ya was still suspicious. “Did she truly not come? Or did you fail to notice?”

The palace attendant denied it again and again, insisting that the Princess Royal truly had not come. Jing Ya could only accept it for now, though half-believing and half-doubting. And because she felt the Princess Royal might no longer make things difficult for her, Jing Ya fell asleep very quickly after washing up, not troubled at all by having slept for an entire afternoon.

However, this time, it seemed Jing Ya had thought too much…

The next morning, Jing Ya rose, washed up, and went next door. After eating breakfast together with the Princess Royal, she went with her to Lingyun Pavilion, as the route was extremely convenient.

Everything was normal and smooth. The Princess Royal did not make things difficult for Jing Ya at all.

Until class began…

The lecturer asked the Princess Royal a question. Due to her status, the lecturer was extremely polite and amiable, smiling as he asked, “Princess Royal, in the Canon of Yao, it is recorded that in the time of Tang Yao, Gonggong assisted one region and often had fine words. Huan Dou recommended him. What did Emperor Yao say?”

After pondering for a moment, the Princess Royal shook her head with great sincerity and replied, “I do not know.”

The lecturer did not give up. He continued asking, “No matter. Then, Princess Royal, do you know that the Quli also says: ‘Be in nothing disrespectful; be grave as though pondering; make your speech calm and settled; thus the people will be at peace.’ What comes after that?”

The Princess Royal repeated the same action as before and said, “I do not know that either.”

The lecturer stroked that small tuft of grizzled beard and remained smiling. But he did not continue asking the Princess Royal. Instead, he turned to ask someone else.

That person had originally wanted to answer, but the moment he saw the Princess Royal smiling at him, his heart gave a sudden thump. He simply answered, “I do not know.”

The Princess Royal only had to look at the first two people called on to answer. After that, anyone the lecturer called on would automatically stand, answer with those two words, and sit back down.

In the end, after everyone in the classroom had been called on, not a single person could answer the question.

The lecturer had just been about to give up when he saw the Princess Royal shift slightly to the side, revealing Jing Ya behind her, who had been quiet all this time, so quiet that one could almost fail to notice her existence.

The old gentleman stroked his beard, his eyes brightening. He immediately called on Jing Ya, then repeated the two questions from earlier exactly as before.

Jing Ya caught sight of the Princess Royal tilting her head and smiling there. She also swept a glance across the entire classroom and saw that everyone was looking at her. She could not help but feel extremely tired inside and sighed silently.

Originally, she had thought the Princess Royal should have already vented her anger last night. She had not expected that this talk of the Princess Royal’s anger being gone was nothing more than her own wishful thinking.

Now this was just perfect. Because Jing Ya had been careless for a single moment, the Princess Royal had quietly, painstakingly, and without complaint lowered her noble self to personally dig an enormous, deep pit for her.

And Jing Ya had no choice but to jump into it.

But while jumping into it, she still had to carefully consider how she should jump.

After thinking for a short while, Jing Ya decided on the method. She looked toward the old gentleman, her face carrying a hesitation that did not seem feigned, and answered haltingly, “The first one… Emperor Yao said, said… ‘His quiet words are at odds with his conduct; his seeming respect… his seeming respect is arrogance reaching Heaven…’”

“The second one… seems to be, ‘Arrogance… the will must not, must not…’”

After “must not” for quite a while, Jing Ya ultimately failed to say what came after the “must not.”

The old gentleman sighed and stroked his beard again. After gesturing for Jing Ya to sit down, he said, “When reading, one truly need not memorize by rote alone. But one absolutely cannot refuse to remember and recite. If one does not know the words, how can one speak of knowing their meaning?”

“For today’s assignment, all of you will copy the Canon of Yao and Quli: Part One five times each. They must all be handed in before the xu hour.”

“All right. Today’s lesson will end here.”

After saying that, the lecturer left first, leaving the entire classroom in an uproar.

The author has something to say:

The two lines are respectively from the Book of Documents: Canon of Yao and Quli.

Sorry, sorry. I forgot to schedule it. Tomorrow morning will still be eight o’clock. See you then~ Love you all~