Chapter 149 The First Miss and Childe
Chengxu Academy was surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. There were exquisite designs in these spacious houses. Many rooms were unliked classrooms, but liked the treasure houses in business. It was said that Chengxu was first built at end of the Southern Song Dynasty. In addition to the officials of Project Supervision Department in Yangzhou City, there were two monks who came from Nihon to travel and study here. It took 5 years to have a preliminary scale. Later, the whole country was in a turbulent situation, and the house, which had been more than half built, was abandoned. Until this dynasty, they were completed and put into use gradually.
The Men Institute had a large area. There was also a place for horse racing and a place for practicing archery. The Women Institute was the dormitory and the tea-house for the teacher originally. Since the former headmaster Hou Yi proposed the concept of “Women Institute”, a high wall was established on the side of the Men Institute, separating a Women Institute. At that time, the 6 female students who dressed as male and studied in the Men Institute became the first batch of students in the Women Institute.
However, the female students had lost the studious spirit of those women predecessors who had to learn till death and made headmaster Hou open a Women Institute specially. They regarded the school as the theater of the South Street. They walked for two times every day and always gathered at the stage to catch some male students’ attention. They usually made male students blush and quicken their pulses. These kinds of girls belonged to the lost lambs that made the teachers shake their heads and sigh. Half of the girls in the school belonged to this type nowadays, and most of them were speculators who had no knowledge and took the “entrance examination free”.
Of course, there were also many young Misses who had been famous because of learning talent since childhood, such as Guan Yun and Guan Zhan, the Third and the Fourth Miss of Guan’s Family. Although they were from a prestigious family and got special enrollments surely, they just threw the special enrollments away and walked into the examination hall gracefully. They took the exam together with the young Misses with lower family background, and passed the exam with their true talents.
Another example was Ling Miaoyi the Third Miss of Ling’s Family. She walked into the examination hall without saying a word. After the examination, she handed in the papers and left. Then teachers corrected all examination papers, and she passed with high marks. When Headmaster Bai copied the list, he found that the niece of Shizi of Ling’s Family, Ling Miaoyi was also in it. Among them, there were Wu Yuying, the daughter of Wu’s Family, Niu Wenbao, the daughter of Crown Prince’s teacher Niu Tong, as well as Han Xinxin and Han Qiqi, the daughters of Senior Governor Hanfei in Yang Zhou City. They were all talented girls who had worked hard in Guqin, Go, Calligraphy, painting as well as Shi, Shu, Li, Yue (Four Classics of The Six Classics of Confucianism).
As soon as these girls arrived at the school, they got together to chat. Several beautiful girls with exquisite jewelry and clothes chose a pavilion near the water to sit in together. After commenting on the failure of the school’s landscape garden, they also glanced at the palanquins at the entrance of the school. If there was a person that they all knew, they would make frivolous remarks about that person’s appearance.
However, when they looked at the scenery, there were also people coming and going who regarded them as the scenery. They knew and enjoyed it.
This was a public area outside the Men Institute and Women Institute. Only the Childes sat here to study and watched the “scenery” usually. Those reserved Misses always got out of the palanquins and covered half of their faces with handkerchiefs or fans. Their little feet walked like lotus, and they went into the Women Institute while looking steadily forward. They left the Childes with beautiful backs of infinite reverie.
However, today was an exception. On the one hand, male students and female students were going to attend the opening ceremony in this public area. On the other hand, Sun Yanbin, the Second Place at Palace Examinations, was invited by Headmaster Bai to attend the opening ceremony for students. Therefore, the Misses also waited outside the Women Institute.
In addition to the Feast of Qushui Liushang and blind date, such an opening ceremony only took place once a year. Therefore, the Misses had to dress up carefully on this important occasion where they stayed together with the Childes of famous families. They took out the precious night pearl, grandma’s bloodstone, ancestral blood coral, and the most valuable gold and silver jewelry of the dowry. All of which were inlaid on their hair, clothes and embroidered shoes.
At a glance, the scene of Misses competed with each other for beauty of looks was amazing, and the beauty of youth was remarkable. But some old teachers who had been teaching in the school for more than 10 or 20 years couldn’t help shaking heads and sighing that the ethos had changed. When they were young, the Misses were all simple and elegant.
This opening ceremony was the “beauty contest” that Mammy Tang said. The so-called election of “the First Miss” and “the First Childe” were unofficial results of small-scale discussions actually. When the headmaster and teachers were speaking on the stage, the Childes commented the Misses on the right secretly, and then voted several outstanding people after selecting. Of course, only some of them took part in this activity. For example, Luo Baiqian, a father of several children, had lost interest in commenting Misses. Peng Shi, a representative of the “cool group” who had a high vision, was sniffy at these things really.
On the contrary, almost every young Miss who was usually very shy voted for the one they loved. If a young Miss chose to abstain when it was her turn, someone would always say, “Pretend to be self-contained”, or “It’s an affectation”, and so on. So even if the young Miss was very introverted, and her face would be very red and intoxicating, she would also bite lower lip and whisper a name. If the Childes on the left saw this, they would be so glad that they wanted to shake off the folding fan with ink painting in order to bring some cool breeze to relieve them.
Although the results didn’t represent everyone’s opinion, the popularity of the Miss and Childe who won the titles of “the First Miss” and “the First Childe” would be very high in the whole Chengxu Academy, even the headmaster and vice-headmaster would hear about it. The Miss who got the name of “the First Miss” could find a good husband in Chengxu. Because of the hundreds of male students in such a large school, there must be at least ten Childes who liked her secretly. And there were 3 or 4 of them would secretly send love letters to her probably. If she was willing to reply to one of the letters, she would be acquainted with the male.
He adored her, and she liked him. In a beautiful academy, two young, noble and innocent hearts approached gradually. The way was exchange of letters, and the goal was to get marry. Then an affection came into being gradually.
At present, the opening ceremony had not started, and the Childes and Misses were not all here. Therefore, everyone was discussing several hot figures who were expected to be nominated as “the First Miss” and “the First Childe” this year secretly. Of course, family background was the first. Although people who could study in Chengxu Academy all had good family background naturally, they could also be divided into some levels. Even if people with family background below the third level were nominated, it was impossible for him or her to be selected. It was because most people would leave their precious votes to the real aristocrats.
The next was appearance, which was the only standard of evaluation under the same family background. However, there was a certain gap in each person’s aesthetic, which leaded to endless debates on the selection every year. There were also many beautiful Misses who protested the results of the selection seriously, so they asked for one-on-one competition with “the First Miss”… All in all, it was a lively gathering, which made many teachers on the stage sigh that being young was great.
“Sister, who are ‘the First Miss’ and ‘the First Childe’ last year?” Guan Zhan, the Fourth Miss of Guan’s Family who was daughter of a concubine, asked Guan Yun, the Third Miss of Guan’s Family who was a legitimate daughter.
Among the young Misses who passed the examination according to their true abilities, only Guan Yun was an old student who had studied for two years. Today, it was the first time that the other young Misses had entered the academy’s gate. They were like chickens as if they just broke their shells and were turning their black eyes to look at the beautiful and prosperous world curiously. This legendary mixed Academy for men and women had a very good atmosphere. After entering the academy, they felt their life was about to rapid rise from here.
Guan Yun said smilingly, “The First Miss is Xie Qiaofeng, who is the legitimate daughter of Earl Yongpin. She doesn’t study this year. It is said that her family is match-making for her. She will marry this year. The First Childe is Luo Baiqian, the First Master of East Yard of Luo’s Family. He has been the First Childe for three times in a row. Although he has been married for a long time, he is nominated every time. When it comes to voting, we are all very shy. Although we have people in our hearts, we feel embarrassed to say their names, so we all vote for Brother Luo. Of course, his appearance is beautiful. He deserves the name of the First Childe.”
Han Xinxin, the eldest daughter of Senior Governor Hanfei, asked with shining eyes, “Where is he? Where is he?” Where was the handsome First Master Luo who was beautiful than a woman?
Guan Yun shook head and said, “I don’t see him. Maybe he hasn’t arrived yet. He is waiting for his sister to go to school today. It’s estimated that he will be delayed for a while. Qiong has always been very picky about her clothes and jewelry. I’m really convinced of her.”
Among the girls in the pavilion, Guan Yun was the only one who didn’t dress up too much. Even Ling Miaoyi, who borrowed money from acquaintances to buy clothes, had done enough surface work to dress up the grandest effect with the least money. Guan Yun believed that one who was filled with knowledge always behaved with elegance. Male’s appreciation attracted by a few pieces of jewelry was neither pure nor long-term. She liked to wear simple and comfortable men’s robe usually. Today, she was wearing women’s clothes, a simple brocade skirt with dark pattern. In others eyes, she was really a beautiful person.
Wu Yuying, the Fourth Miss of Wu’s Family, smiled and said, “It’s a pity that she only can change clothes but can’t change her noses.” It meant that Luo Baiqiong’s nose was too big which was a failure in her appearance.
Your nose didn’t look good. Niu Wenbao, the youngest daughter of Crown Prince’s teacher Niu Tong, murmured in her heart. Then she poked Ling Miaoyi gently, who was next to her, and exclaimed in surprise, “Aren’t those the two masters of Peng’s Family?”
Ling Miaoyi was also surprised, “Peng Shi! Peng Jian! They will also study at Chengxu, will they?” Peng Shi and Peng Jian were also familiar faces that Ling Miaoyi often met at banquets in the capital like Chang Nuo. Especially, Peng Jian had several quarrels and mischiefs with her, so she was impressed particularly.
“They also live in East Yard now.” Guan Yun said of what she knew. “It’s said that the old people want to arrange a marriage, in order to deepen the relationship between relatives.”
Moreover, she overheard the comments from the servants of Luo’s Family. Luo Baiqiong fell in love with the cold-hearted Peng Shi at the first sight, and she designed a drama of falling into the water carefully. When the maid tried to attract Peng Shi, she lured him to rescue her, and pretended to be in a coma to let Peng Shi hold her all the way. However, it seemed that she hadn’t won his favor. To be frank, Peng Shi was indeed a talent. At a young age, he looked like an adult, and had some of his father’s demeanor. Apart from his family background, Luo Baiqiong wasn’t worthy of him. From another point of view, he had no interest in such a delicate girl as Luo Baiqiong. It remained to be seen whether the two could get married. Anyway, she thought they couldn’t.
Ling Miaoyi hissed and said, “Two monsters. The people who will marry them are really unlucky… Eh, that’s Meng Xuan, the youngest general in Meng’s Family! His family lives next to Yinghui Academy in the capital. How could he come to Chengxu in Yangzhou City? Strange! What’s the matter with Chengxu this year? All the dragons in the deep water have sprung up here. Taoist Sage, Major General Meng, the two masters of the Peng’s Family, and …Mr. Duan. There are so many talents.” Although she always called Duan Xiaolou brother, there was the academy. Female students couldn’t call a male teacher too intimate in public, so she called “Mr. Duan” awkwardly.
“And you?” The Fourth Miss Wu said ironically, “Why do you come to Chengxu? It’s said that you’ve had a good time in the capital. The whole capital knows your name.” Ling Miaoyi was famous for her ability to make trouble, lie, hurt people and set on fire.
Ling Miaoyi just wanted to retort. Miss Niu patted them and exclaimed, “Look! Here comes the real celebrity – Liao Qing’er from Liao’s Family!”
Ling Miaoyi and other people looked at them together, and they were all surprised to open mouths widely, “Crazy girl Liao Qing’er!”
The outlook of the girl was not bad. She had white skin, but was very different from the thin beauty of the south. She had a round face and body. Her round face slightly up, and she looked up at the sky with 45-degree angles. She walked fast as the wind, and her arms alternately swung. It was very different with the noble woman’s etiquette. She seemed to sense that there were many acquaintances in the capital looking at her, so she held her head higher and left a white double chin for them to look up.
Guan Yun and Guan Zhan looked at Liao Qing’er’s striking garland, and then they looked at each other. They decided to keep their mouths shut about the fact that the girl was their cousin who was now lived in Guan’s Family secretly. It was really humiliating to have such a rude relative.
“Who is that man?” Han Xinxin, the eldest daughter of Senior Governor Han Fei. She patted Guan Yun and asked nervously, “That Childe, the smiling one, is looking at us!”
Guan Yun glanced at him and replied, “Oh, he is the First Master of Luo’s Family, Luo Baiqian. The girl besides him is Luo Baiqiong, the Second Miss. They have been regular guests of my family for two years, but you went to Northren Zhili Area (areas directly administered by the capital) to study tea art for two years, so you don’t meet them...” Then, she suddenly stopped. Eh? She looked at Han Xinxin, who was shy and wanted to see him again. Was it possible for Han Xinxin to fall in love with the First Master Luo at first sight? Ho-ho! If so, Han Xinxin was really blind. He was a well-known amorous and cowardly man!
“Hey, who is the girl walking behind them? Her face is rubbed like a monkey’s butt.” The Fourth Miss Wu asked.
“Her surname is He.” Guan Yun glanced at her and replied briefly.
“He? Which Family? Who is her father?” Miss Niu asked curiously, “It seems that she is not going to participate in the selection of ‘The First Miss’ because of her ordinary dress. Why does she paint her face so red?”
Guan Jun’s face showed a slightly disgusted expression. She shook her head and didn’t want to say anymore, which further aroused the curiosity of the public. Ling Miaoyi glanced over there at first casually, then her almond eyes opened wide. She exclaimed, “This girl… I’ve seen her!”
Miss Niu asked, “Where? In the capital?” Ling Miaoyi shook her head in disbelief, and bowed head for a moment.
In a short time, the Childes and Misses of Chengxu’s new school year all presented constantly. The Childes were sitting one by one on the left side of the temporary platform. Since the number of Misses was far less than that of Childes, Misses were sitting in a long row on their right side.
Because there were not too strict formation rules, and the Misses were used to being loose, they all sat according to the intimacy of each other’s relationship. For example, Guan Yun, Ling Miaoyi and other four Misses who had a wide range of friends sat in a row; Luo Baiqiong, a specially enrolled student, sat in a row timidly with her cousins, Sun Ru and Sun Shu. Besides…
“There are too many empty seat. Two persons sit there!” Zheng Lian, a female teacher in the Women Institute, standing in front of the line, pointed to the back row and shouted suddenly, “Two more!”
He Danggui bowed her head and was in a daze. Hearing that, she looked up and found that the female teacher’s hand was pointing at her side. She looked back and forth and found that she was the only one in the whole team. According to the “Group” division of seats, she was indeed one of the no group, but she didn’t expect to be highlighted so soon.
She was unwilling to go to school, and after the event of jade pendant with Azure Dragon that day, her spirit had been listless and she didn’t want to do anything. She didn’t even go to see Ms. Dong make a fool of herself. The shadow that terrible man brought to her, appeared from some of the tragic memories that were vague in her dream, and became vivid memories that she didn’t want to recall when she woke up. Now, these forced into her peaceful life in the way of real scroll painting and the jade pendant. She hated and feared, but there was no way now.
“You!” Ms. Zheng pointed to Guan Yun’s row with the largest number of people, and said, “Two people sit in the back!” They looked at each other, but no one moved. “No matter who, go there and sit next to her!” Mr. Zheng shouted impatiently.
This shout was too loud. The teachers on the stage and the students under the stage couldn’t help looking back over. The noisy garden a moment ago was quiet suddenly. Originally, everyone was bored and was chatting in a low voice. As soon as there was an unusual movement at the moment, it attracted the attention of many people immediately.
Ms. Zheng was in a hurry and said, “Why didn’t anyone move? Would no one like to sit next to her?” Her finger pointed to He Danggui’s head.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m