CH 29

Chapter 29: Was Seen Wearing A Dress

So it was like this:

Every year at the First Snow Banquet of Songhai Academy, a scholar from the Hanlin Academy will come to supervise and also serve as one of the judges in the banquet competition.

It's just that among the few people who were attending this year, there was a very old-fashioned old scholar. Although it was issued by the emperor, it was said that he had never been in favor of the co-educational system in the academy. In addition, his most favorite thing to do usually was to inform the emperor about other people's shortcomings.

To put it bluntly, he loved to tattle.

However, with his eloquence, even a small fault can be turned into a big mistake by him. Furthermore, he had been an official in the court for most of his life, so no one would dare to provoke him.translate(d) by puretl . com / do not steal / re po/st

This time he was coming to their academy with a pen and ink, just to find out the shortcomings of men and women co-existing together in a study environment. He planned to write a thousand words and present it to the emperor to persuade him to withdraw his order.

Originally, this would not make a big impact, but there was one bad thing that they didn’t account for: Wen Yantong was the only male who will be performing. In order to avoid extracurricular problems, the superiors planned to disqualify Wen Yantong from the competition.

But Hua Mo was unwilling, so she suggested that Wen Yantong wear a woman's clothes and hide from the sky.

This put Wen Yantong in a very difficult position.

It's not that she doesn't want to wear a skirt, but she was afraid someone would discover something after seeing her in the skirt. She had her own secrets, so she did not dare to take the risks.

Still, Hua Mo continued to persuade her, saying, "If you don't wear it, the academy can only disqualify you from the competition, and I have no control over this matter."

Wen Yantong grimaced. "What the hell is going on here!"

Hua Mo only thought that she was averse to the idea because she had strong self-esteem. As such, she touched her head and comforted her, saying, "It's nothing. You’ll only be dressed up as a girl for a short time anyway, so you won't be discovered. You've prepared for a long time for this event. Also, you’ve been looking forward to this opportunity to make up for your demerit, so don't give it up."

If she refused to wear a dress, she wouldn’t be able to participate in the banquet. Not only would her preparation go to waste, but she wouldn’t know how to handle those demerits. Wen Yantong was in a dilemma for a long time, but she finally reluctantly agreed in the end.

On the second day of the first snowfall, the academy was closed, and the First Snow Banquet began in an extremely grand manner.

Songhai Academy opened the doors on three sides to welcome the young masters with the top status in Chaoge. They were all led into the huge domed hall in the northeast corner of the academy.

It was a hall specially built by the academy for holding banquets or other grand events. It was about a hundred meters in diameter and three stories high. Around the room were eight large iron pillars that were evenly spaced apart. The surface of the pillars was full of finely carved patterns, which can be described as full of elegant style.

Because of these, the hall was also known as the Eight Pillars Hall.

At shēn-shí (3-5 pm), the door of the academy as well as the main entrance of the Eight Pillars Hall was closed. Everyone then took their seats one after another.

Originally, the hall was divided into three areas. On the far left sat the teachers of the academy and various officials from the Hanlin Academy. They were seated in white seats decorated with blue patterns. The middle section of the hall was filled with black seats adorned with gold patterns. These seats were reserved for the distinguished noble disciples. Lastly, the far right corner was where the commoners were situated. They were seated on simple gray chairs that had no pattern.

Since the academy was previously an all-male institution, there used to be no need for gender distinction. However, after female students were admitted, the most spacious seats in the middle row became the seats for all the male students, while all the seats on the right, which were colored with golden stripes, now seated the females.

The three blocks were extremely distinct in color, and everyone was promptly and efficiently seated.

In front of the seating areas was a one-meter-high performance stage, surrounded by a circle of carved columns. The lanterns on the ceiling were lit, splendidly illuminating the whole hall. It was said that there were more than two-hundred lanterns brightening up the banquet hall.

As the top person in the academy who can't be provoked, Chi Jingxi naturally had to sit in the front row of the middle section. However, he didn’t seem to have arrived yet, so the row had a vacant seat. Only Cheng Xin and Cheng Xiao, who was chatting with Cheng Xin with a smile, were present.

Their civility towards each other surprised Wen Yantong. In fact, she discovered early on that Cheng Xiao did not seem to dislike and alienate Cheng Xin as much as was described in the original book. Cheng Xin was the biological son of the Empress, while Cheng Xiao was born from a favored concubine. In the original book, the concubine's forces were always thinking of ways to overthrow Cheng Xin's brother, who was also the crown prince.pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

As such, the relationship between the two was very bad so much so that in the end, they fought to the point that either one had to die to end the conflict.

However, contrary to what was written in the original book, she was used to seeing the present Cheng Xiao sticking close to Cheng Xin, always having something to say to him. Meanwhile, Cheng Xin always seemed to just let him be.

Wen Yantong felt that there was something quite off about their interactions.

While she was pondering about this, Hua Mo lightly tugged her collar suddenly and said, "Stop peeking around now, and come with me."

Wen Yantong followed Hua Mo in confusion. They walked out from the side door of the Eight-Pillar Hall, passed through a row of sloping eaves, and entered a room.

The interior of the room was gorgeous, and there was a warm fireplace that contrasted the freezing cold outside. After closing the door, Hua Mo took out a set of clothes from the package she was holding. "These used to be clothes I used to wear. They were made from the top embroiderers in the palace, a treasure bestowed by the royal family. It's a pity that I can't wear it anymore as I had already outgrown it. Since your arms and legs seem about the same length, you can try this on."

She put the clothes on the table and then emptied out the rest of the package. "After you change your clothes, just dab some of these powders on. You mustn't let those people see that you are a man wearing a dress. Otherwise, this It would be very troublesome if someone were to report it.”

Wen Yantong glanced at the things from the package and saw that they were all made up of women’s personal items such as eyeliner and rouge. They seemed to be Hua Mo's personal belongings. 

She was quite moved. She didn't expect Hua Mo to help her so much just because she liked her xiqin skills.

"This room is a rest room for noble sons, but no one will come. After you change, stay here and don't go anywhere else. I'll call you when it’s time for you to perform," Hua Mo He instructed. "Understand?"

Wen Yantong nodded obediently. "Understood, Teacher. Don't worry."

Of course, Wen Yantong couldn't go out and court death. She knew her limits and responsibilities.

Hua Mo breathed a sigh of relief and then patted her shoulder before leaving. When Wen Yantong saw that she was gone, she quickly took the clothes and sat down on the soft chair to change.

Hua Mo's set of clothes was the reward the emperor had bestowed her after she showed off her qin skills. Whether it was the fabric or the embroidery, this set was the best of the palace.

The top was a two-piece. The inner piece was a snow-white quilted jacket. The wide sleeves are covered with a layer of extremely delicate ink black gauze. The sleeves were sprinkled with gold and seemed to move in the light. The outer piece, on the other hand, was a dark red cotton waistcoat embroidered with ink black stripes, and the cuffs were wrapped in a circle of pure white rabbit fur.

Below was an ankle-length skirt. Like the sleeves, it was white inside and covered with black gauze. The layers of pleats were very soft, which just so happened to cover Wen Yantong's leg that was bound with wooden boards.

Wen Yantong let her hair down, then took a red and white ribbon, and randomly braided it into her hair on the right side. She wiped off the thick eyebrow makeup that she usually draws and drew a pair of thinner brows. And with that, she finally had the appearance of a girl.

She had been well nurtured these days and had grown a lot of flesh on her body. Her original appearance of being dried into a handful of bones had gradually become rounded. The foundation of this body was good, the skin was delicate and fair, the eyes were big and bright, and the eyelashes were dense and long, like a natural eyeliner.

She applied face powder made of corn and colored her lips with red rouge. After a few touch ups, she looked quite beautiful. At first glance, no one could relate the current her to the previous Wen Yantong.

Wen Yantong was amused with her appearance for a while. After packing everything up, she then leaned on the soft chair and waited for Hua Mo to call her.pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

Staying in the room would inevitably be boring, so Wen Yantong walked all over the room and looked around carefully. As she was studying the decorations leisurely, she suddenly heard footsteps at the door.

Thinking it was Hua Mo, Wen Yantong put down the things in her hand, leaned on her crutches, and faced the door. She took two steps towards the door and pulled open the door in a swing.

With a smile, Wen Yantong was about to speak, but her face changed after seeing the incoming person. She turned around in panic, trying to hide her face.

She was f*cking doomed!

She thought it was Hua Mo. She didn't expect anyone else to come!

Unfortunately, it was Chi Jingxi standing at the door in a snowy silk robe.  His hand was lifted as if he was about to open the door. When he saw someone else in the room, his handsome face became inquisitive. His eyes slipped down from her clothes and onto the crutches beside her.

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The author has something to say: 

Chi Jingxi: Those are the crutches of that lame man!

Wen Yantong: Do I not have a name?!