Chapter 387: Rely More on the People Around You
"I’m your direct disciple, after all. But with this chicken scratch I call handwriting, I’m kind of embarrassing you," Ye Qianning said. She wanted to practice, but she never had the patience; there were just too many strokes.
"I don’t mind that sort of thing," Dean Chen said, turning to pull his notes from a bookshelf. "Right now, I’m much more interested in your simplified characters. I’ve memorized the Pinyin system and can recognize any character that has Pinyin written with it. The initials and finals are a profound field of study. It’s hard to imagine that just over twenty of them can be combined to spell every single word."
"You’ve already learned it all, Master?" Ye Qianning asked in surprise.
"Mm, I can recognize characters when they have Pinyin, but I still get a bit lost without it." Dean Chen had gone from initial curiosity to complete fascination. He studied it for a long time every day.
"You’re already doing great, Master. I happen to be free these next few days, so I’ll write some more supplementary materials for you. At your pace, you’ll surely see great results within a month." As long as they weren’t obscure characters, there was no doubt she could count on her master’s scholarly talent.
"There’s no rush." Dean Chen set the books down and scrutinized her. "Why hasn’t the swelling on your face gone down yet?"
Ye Qianning touched her cheek. "I thought I’d let it go down on its own. I’ve been busy lately, and having a big, swollen face makes it easier to handle things."
"Handle what things?"
"All sorts of things. Oh, right, when Lou Mountain Academy opens in a couple of days, I won’t be going."
"Why not?"
"I have some business to take care of in the Capital City recently." Ye Qianning’s main reason was that she wanted to keep an eye on Sang Zhi, and the academy was too far from the Imperial Palace.
"It’s because of the Eighth Prince, isn’t it?"
"Er... You saw right through me, Master."
"Sigh... I’m not blind. Everything you’ve done recently has been for him, Pangtuan. I know you’re a child with a mind of her own, but I really don’t want you to get entangled in the struggle for imperial power." Although Dean Chen had said this several times, he couldn’t help but try to persuade her again when he thought of Sang Zhi.
"Don’t worry, Master. I know what I’m doing."
"As long as you have a plan, that’s what matters. Sang Zhi has been suspended from his studies, so it won’t be easy for him to carve out a career at court in the future. If I were to take him as my disciple... he’s too young right now. The greater the advantage, the greater the danger. We’ll have to wait and see." Because of Ye Qianning, Dean Chen was also paying very close attention to Sang Zhi.
’He absolutely couldn’t let the Eighth Prince’s potential be wasted. It just wasn’t the right time yet.’
"Didn’t you say you weren’t taking any more disciples, Master?"
"I’d rather not take on the trouble. But if I don’t accept him, his future standing will be precarious, and wouldn’t you be the one to suffer in the end?" Dean Chen was the very picture of a father-in-law who, despite disapproving of his son-in-law, felt he had no choice but to help him.
Ye Qianning hadn’t imagined that her master would actually consider taking Sang Zhi as a disciple for her sake. If Sang Zhi really became her master’s disciple, then attending Lou Mountain Academy would no longer matter.
"Are you spoiling me too much, Master?"
She had caused him so much unnecessary trouble, yet her master had never once complained.
"You’re still young. You don’t have to force yourself to hold everything together. Try to rely more on the people around you." The blood of four great families flowed in her veins; she had many people she could depend on. But the child had always been wary of them.
"I will," Ye Qianning nodded.
’Rely...’
She would try to change, but relying on others... she just couldn’t do it yet.
After experiencing so much deception, cruelty, and bloodshed, she found it impossible to rely on anyone when push came to shove.
Now, even though she had many people close to her, she still had certain subconscious reactions.
She could only silently tell herself that this life was different from her last.
As noon approached, the Capital City was abuzz with activity. The storm of rumors surrounding Xiang Minghou’s resignation had yet to subside, and all sorts of theories were cropping up. The most prevalent one was that Xiang Minghou had abandoned even the common folk of the borderlands for the sake of his daughter.
