Chapter 190

The young men had already packed their bags, and early the next morning, they set off from the inn.

Because of the commotion, naturally, they attracted the attention of other students at the inn.

Although the group from Cuiwei Academy had only stayed at the inn for less than ten days, during this time, they had interacted with their peers, who knew that they were all talented and liked to discuss and learn from each other.

Many people were familiar with them and asked where they were headed.

Without Shen Cui having to remind them, the boys, who were desperate for a quiet environment to study, tacitly agreed on a unified response—saying that they hadn’t decided yet and were going into the city to find a place to settle down first.

After leaving the inn, they first took a carriage into the city. Once inside, Shen Cui suggested walking around, and naturally, the boys wanted to accompany her.

After strolling through several intersections, Shen Cui divided them into pairs and assigned them the task of purchasing daily necessities.

Finally, she clarified the location for them before parting ways and instructing each group to head to the two-section courtyard she had rented.

As for the conspicuous carriage, she instructed the coachman to take a tour around the city and return before nightfall.

After a series of activities, everyone arrived at their destination before noon.

Zhou Shi, who had come from the city, arrived earlier than them.

She had already brought two maids to tidy up the courtyard and prepare hot water, tea, and lunch.

As they arrived one after another, they could have their meal directly.

Shen Cui suggested that they not rush to eat but instead first hang up the plaque for Cuiwei Academy.

The plaque had been delivered in advance and was hung not at the main gate but on the second gate.

In Shen Cui’s plan, a part of the house was still to be transformed into a “school” recognized by the system, so hanging the plaque at the “school” entrance was sufficient.

Everyone followed her instructions.

After hanging the plaque, Shen Cui proceeded to organize the classrooms, dormitories, activity areas, and simulated practice rooms.

The academy function of the system was reactivated, and the holographic map and Q-version avatars of all members appeared on the screen.

Shen Cui also added Zhou Shi as a miscellaneous worker and checked her physical condition.

As expected, Zhou Shi’s physical condition, which was not high to begin with, was now only 60 points, just passing the threshold.

In the status section of the numerical value, it showed—unexplained weight loss.

Because Zhou Shi was classified as a miscellaneous worker, Shen Cui searched through the store but did not find anything suitable for her use.

However, this was within her expectations. After all, with the “school” function of the system shielding her, Zhou Shi’s condition would improve slightly even without any medication.

At least it would ensure her safety for the next six months.

After completing these tasks, the boys also settled their luggage and tidied up their bedrooms.

One reason Shen Cui chose this house was because the bedrooms here had kang beds.

Although the beds were more comfortable, for those accustomed to sleeping on kang beds, they preferred the latter.

Indeed, when the boys emerged from their rooms, they all had smiles on their faces, indicating their satisfaction.

Mu Er Pang stretched lazily and said, “The beds at the inn may be soft, but they are too small, only enough for two or three people, and there’s no room to move around. The kang beds here are more suitable for us. Perhaps it’s also because this place is quiet; I feel much more comfortable here.”

Shen Aoshuang was the first to nod in agreement.

He didn’t want others to worry, so he hadn’t mentioned that since leaving Qingzhou Prefecture and rushing to Beijing, his senses had gradually diminished.

Although he was better than when he first entered Cuiwei Academy, he couldn’t compare to when he participated in the provincial exam.

But today, after coming here, he felt himself slowly recovering.

Although he didn’t show it on his face, he felt quite uneasy.

That’s why, when planning the route, he deliberately let others notice his familiarity with Beijing and shortened the journey.

Sure enough, as he expected, once they returned to “Cuiwei Academy,” he felt better.

Their conditions didn’t need to be spoken aloud.

Shen Cui occasionally checked their various values during the journey and had a clear idea.

Not only had Shen Ao Shuang’s senses diminished, but Mei Ruo Chu’s luck and Wei Xi’s physical condition had also experienced slight fluctuations.

Now that the academy had been “reconstructed” and there were still three months until the provincial exam, it was enough time for her to give them some care.

As they chatted, they entered the main hall, where Zhou Shi had already set the table with the maids.

When they signed the contract the day before, Shen Cui had already discussed with Zhou Shi.

With many young men in the academy, it was inconvenient for the maids to stay here.

Moreover, although these maids were honest and amiable, they were a bit too straightforward.

At present, Cuiwei needed to tone down its sharpness and act wisely to protect itself.

Shen Cui was worried that someone with ulterior motives might take advantage of them and probe their intentions.

Therefore, the maids were only here to help tidy up today and would not come over later.

Now that the house was cleaned up, the two maids left after the meal, and they returned to the Mu residence.

After the meal, while the boys went to the classroom to study, Zhou Shi, who had been busy washing dishes all morning, told Shen Cui to “hurry” back to her room to rest.

Mei Ruo Chu deliberately lagged behind the others.

“No need to help; I can clean up these few dishes quickly.” Shen Cui continued to work while saying, “Just speak your mind.”

Mei Ruo Chu asked straightforwardly, “Are we being watched? Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a need to send our luggage and people in batches to the new residence. Even the plaque for the academy wasn’t hung outside.”

Shen Cui responded with an “Hmm.”

“Zhou Shi didn’t come because I sent a message, but because Mu Yun Chuan told her.”

Shen Cui had already figured it out with a little thought on her own.

Mei Ruo Chu immediately understood as well, her thin lips pressed into a line.

Shen Cui raised her eyes and saw his reaction. She waved her hand and said, “It’s okay. We didn’t make a big fuss when we entered the city. Although Capital City isn’t big, it’s densely populated, and people who are not well-informed won’t find us in a short time. As for those who are well-informed…”

At this point, Shen Cui paused.

She wanted to say that those well-informed individuals were at least at the level of local big shots in Capital, and dealing with such people would not be easy.

But wasn’t Shen Ao Shuang in the academy?

The Shen family couldn’t just leave things unattended, so there was no need to worry.

But Shen Ao Shuang’s identity was currently only known to her, and speaking directly might reveal the other party’s privacy.

Fortunately, Mei Ruochu didn’t ask further questions, and his relaxed expression indicated his understanding.

With Mei Ruo Chu not pressing for more information, Shen Cui glanced at him and noticed a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.

Alright, there was no need to say more.

Mei Ruo Chu was much smarter than she gave him credit for, and he probably had already figured it out.

He was just pretending to be ignorant since Shen Ao Shuang hadn’t brought it up.

Later in the evening, before it was even dusk, Mu Yun Chuan came over.

He wasn’t dressed in official attire but wore the most ordinary clothing.

Although he had been serving as an official in the court for some time now, perhaps because he had always stayed in the Hanlin Academy, surrounded by books in his daily life, when he changed into ordinary clothes, he still looked like a scholar and lacked the aura of an official.

Fortunately, the gatekeeper was a servant of the Wei family who had seen him before in Qingzhou Prefecture.

Otherwise, he might have mistaken him for one of those students who came to find Mei Ruo Chu for discussions and stopped him at the door.

Learning that he had come, Shen Cui was somewhat surprised.

After all, in the original plot, there weren’t many daily affairs in the Hanlin Academy.

However, since Mu Yun Chuan had received an appointment from the Emperor, many matters that others couldn’t touch would pass through his hands.

Therefore, he rarely left his study, even when it wasn’t his day off, and it wasn’t time for his duty at the Hanlin Academy yet.

Seeing Shen Cui, Mu Yun Chuan still bowed first before saying, “Mother said everything has been settled, so I came to pay my respects. I came today, bothering you.”

Shen Cui told him not to be too formal. “We met the other day, didn’t we? We exchanged greetings then, so there’s no need for so much formality.”

“It’s my duty.”

After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Shen Cui thought about how they had tentatively reconciled during the discussion of Buddhist scriptures in Qingzhou Prefecture.

Recently, because of their shared goal—to save Zhou Shi’s life—they had temporarily unified their front.

Not to mention turning enemies into friends, there was no need for such superficial efforts.

However, Mu Yun Chuan seemed to have “beating around the bush” ingrained in his bones.

He never got to the point, and although Shen Cui had her doubts, she couldn’t ask directly.

So, she invited him into the main hall and called Zhou Shi, who was sewing inside.

She thought Mu Yun Chuan was worried about Zhou Shi.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Shi was also surprised to see him.

After all, the two of them had just parted ways that morning. Although the relationship between husband and wife was stronger than before, it hadn’t reached the point of being so clingy.

“Husband, why did you come so early today?” While Zhou Shi felt curious, she brought him some tea.

Mu Yun Chuan nodded without explaining further.

Later, Zhou Shi realized that Mu Yun Chuan didn’t come for her, so she assumed he had something to discuss with Shen Cui and went back to her room.

Shen Cui accompanied him for two cups of tea, feeling her patience wearing thin as she was about to ask Mu Yun Chuan directly why he had come, when the students in the classroom dispersed and Mu Er Pang and the others came out.

While the others went to rest or attend to their own matters, Mu Er Pang, the little steward, always made a beeline for Shen Cui to ask if she had taken the warming tonic prescribed by Doctor Huang on time.

So, he quickly spotted Mu Yun Chuan sitting in the main hall and exclaimed in surprise, “Big brother, why are you here?”

A few days ago, when Shen Cui went to pick up Zhou Shi, she also met with Mu Yun Chuan.

Later, when she returned to the inn, Mu Er Pang asked about the morning’s events, and Shen Cui mentioned it to him.

Mu Er Pang knew that his elder brother was “ill” and naturally felt concerned. Today, after lunch, he asked Zhou Shi about Mu Yun Chuan’s condition over the past few days.

While Zhou Shi reassured him that Mu Yun Chuan was fine, she also felt a bit embarrassed and apologetic because, compared to Mu Er Pang, Mu Yun Chuan hadn’t mentioned his younger brother at home.

Mu Yun Chuan, always composed, looked at Mu Er Pang with a hint of amusement in his eyes, a smile that even he himself hadn’t noticed.

In a calm tone, he said, “I happened to have some time off, so I came by on the way.”

Yes, he just happened to have half a day off in advance, happened to change out of his official attire at home, and happened to change into inconspicuous casual clothes before coming to sit for over two hours.

Shen Cui: …