In the fourth watch period, Wang Ji Tower was silent. Yu Shu was draped in clothing as she reclined on the ebony couch in the living room. There was a hard wooden board on her bent knees and paper on top of it. She could use a willow charcoal pen to draw. On the side, the [List of Rare Objects] was open. On the page facing upwards, there was an exquisitely crafted jade bracelet with detailed annotations written on the side.
"Miss, it is late at night. Nubi will make the bed. Rest. If you stay up, it will be daybreak." Xiao Qing took down the lampshade and replaced it with a candle. She leaned over to persuade Yu Shu.
Yu Shu raised her head from the lines that she had scribbled on the paper. She used the back of her hand to rub her sore eyes. She said tiredly: "My eldest brother has not returned yet?"
"Not yet," Xiao Qing said: "Why don't you lie on the bed first. When Gongye returns, nubi will wake you up."
Yu Shu gave a yawn and nodded. She put away the books, papers, and brushes in her hands and put them in the secret compartment of the study. She then passed through the door to her bedroom. She undressed and lay down. The night was not as hot as the evening. She closed her eyes and after a while, her breathing became steady.
Not long after Yu Shu fell asleep, Xue Rui finally came back from Ning Wang Fu. When he entered the houyuan, he first raised his head to look upstairs. He didn't know if Yu Shu had fallen asleep. He asked A Xiang who was on duty in the houyuan tonight: "When did the lights go out upstairs?"
"This one just saw Xiao Die pour water downstairs."
Xue Rui was afraid that Yu Shu was already lying down and that he would disturb her if he went upstairs, so he asked Ah Xiang to find Yu Shu's maid and ask her about it. When he found out that Yu Shu had waited for him for half the night and had just fallen asleep, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
"Miss said that when Gongye returns, she is to wake her up. Should nubi go upstairs and wake her up?" Xiao Qing asked Xue Rui.
Xue Rui did not even think before stopping her. He rubbed his forehead and said: "No need, let her rest."
"Yes, this servant will take her leave."
Xue Rui had been running back and forth for the entire night. After a simple wash, he went to bed with his clothes on. Taking advantage of the fact that the sky was not yet bright, he seized the opportunity to rest for two hours. When the day came, he still had to enter the palace to meet the Emperor.
The next day, the sky was bright. Yu Shu woke up and saw the sun outside the window. Her face was a little bad. She called Little Butterfly who was sprinkling water outside and asked. Only then did she know that Xue Rui came back at dawn and went out again in the morning.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Yu Shu said unhappily.
Little Butterfly stammered and looked back outside the door. Xiao Qing walked in with morning tea. Seeing Yu Shu's serious face, she thought for a while and understood, so she went forward to apologize, "It's all nubi's fault. When Gongye came back, he called me for questioning. I blurted out that Miss was asleep, so Gongye didn't allow us to disturb you."
Yu Shu was just angry when she woke up, but she would not vent her anger on the two maidservants. Hearing this, she did not pursue the matter further. She waved her hand and asked them to wash up and change into a thin garment. Because the weather was hot, she only wore a ginger half-sleeved shirt. She tied a ribbon satin around her waist and hung a pouch with the arithmetic seal and the door key. She had no appetite for breakfast. After drinking half a bowl of red bean porridge, she rushed out.
Two days ago, Fang Zijing informed her that she was chosen to accompany the Emperor on the Day of Divine Ancestor Sacrifice and asked her to go to Taishi Shuyuan at two quarters in the morning.
She slept late last night. Sitting in the carriage, she inevitably felt dizzy. She held the beast jade seal and pressed it on her eyebrows all the way before she gradually woke up.
Rongsheng Hall, located at the end of the south gate of the Taishi Shuyuan, was the place where the academicians usually gathered to discuss matters. Today, it was rare for 18 academicians to gather together. The morning classes were suspended for the day, and there were many students standing in the courtyard to watch the fun.
Inside the hall, there were seats on the east, west, and north sides. There were a total of 18 chairs, and all the academicians of the six disciplines were present. At a glance, half of them were old people with white hair, but there was no lack of beautiful women and handsome young men. But without exception, they all had extraordinary attainments in the study of Yi and were worthy of their name.
Inside the door, there were four or five young students, both male and female. They were all good-looking people, dressed in two-colored uniforms. Their faces looked more or less immature, and it seemed that they were this year's newcomers.
"It's a quarter in the morning. Is everyone not here yet?" Academician Gao of the Mathematics Department looked outside the door with slight impatience. He glanced at the five students standing below, and it was obvious that one person was missing.
As soon as he spoke, someone else chimed in, "Which colleague's candidate is not here? Tell us, don't make us wait in vain. "
Fang Zijing, who was flipping through a chess manual, lifted his eyelids and said casually, "Maybe they were delayed on the way here. It's not a big deal to wait for a quarter of an hour."
Academician Gao said in a strange tone, "It seems that Academician Fang's disciple is late. A quarter of an hour is easy for you to say, but bringing such an unpunctual junior to the Day of Divine Ancestor Sacrifice might ruin things. If something goes wrong, are you going to be responsible for it?"
"Haha, Academician Gao, why are you so angry so early in the morning? I see that the bridge of your nose is black. Be careful of what you say today." A gorgeous woman sitting below Fang Zijing laughed and played with the crystal clear beads on her wrist. It was obvious that she was helping Fang Zijing.
This charming and beautiful woman was none other than Madam Lu, who had just retired from her post as the Right Magistrate of the Celestial Commissioner a month ago. She was now teaching physiognomy at the Taishi Library. Half of the young teachers who had just entered the school this year were under her tutelage.
Academician Gao was a little embarrassed by Madam Lu's words, but he did not argue with her. He just looked at Han Wenguang, who was sitting above him with his eyes closed, and silently swallowed his words.
Jing Chen, who was also a new academician this year, paid no attention to the outside world. He held a scroll of Daoist scripture in his hand and tilted his head to look outside the door. He saw a figure walking over from afar. His eyes flickered and he lowered his head again.
Yu Shu walked to the door of Rongsheng Hall and saw that it was full of people. She knew that she was the last to arrive, and she was secretly puzzled. Wasn't it a quarter past seven? She had seen the sundial at the main entrance, and it was just a quarter past seven. She had arrived a quarter earlier, but why were all these people earlier than her?
Thinking of this, she did not stop walking, and as soon as she entered the door, she first greeted the many elders present.
"Student Yu Shu, fellow academicians, nice to meet you."
After saying that, she looked up and saw that most of the 18 academicians present were looking at her unhappily. Yu Shu was puzzled and did not know that she had been made a fool of.
"Okay, now that everyone is here, we can get down to business." Academician Shangguan of Yi Li was the oldest among the people, so no one objected to him presiding over the matter.
"I will start first. Academician Qin, Academician Dou, and I will recommend this year's new ninth-grade Yi Master, Qin Yuerou, who is ranked 32nd in Yi Li. Does anyone have any objections?"
After Academician Shangguan finished speaking, Yu Shu slightly turned her head and saw that Qin Yuerou, who was also waiting to the side, was among a few other students. When the academicians asked questions, she would answer them in a well-behaved manner.
Before coming here, Fang Zijing did not tell Yu Shu clearly, but looking at the situation, she could guess why they were standing here. It turned out that just the recommendation of three academicians was not enough. In the end, whether or not they could participate in this year's ancestral worship ceremony still needed to be reviewed by all the academicians before a decision could be made.
This knowledge caused Yu Shu to have a bad feeling in her heart. She looked around without batting an eyelid, and she wasn't surprised to see the virtuous and respected Old Diviner Han sitting in the seat of honor.
Yu Shu could almost predict that when it was her turn, she would definitely be troubled.
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