CH 50

Chapter 50: Chi Jingxi’s Archery (2)

After the martial arts class ended, Wen Yantong's arms were sore and painful.  Despite the pain, however, she was feeling quite happy now that she was able to shoot arrows.

It's always good to learn archery, so it didn't matter if she was tired.

After eating, Wen Yantong did not go back to the dormitory directly but ran to the servant area in the academy.

Wu-dou could die in vain, but she couldn't be framed in vain. It was obvious that this incident was aimed at her. Even if she escaped this time, the person hiding behind the scenes would still frame her differently next time.

She had to find out who the mastermind was.

Although she vaguely guessed who it was, she still needed conclusive evidence.

Wen Yantong met Zhang Jieran, who she hadn't seen for a while, on the way there.

Zhang Jieran was an exemplary student, who slept later than a dog and woke up earlier than a rooster. When Wen Yantong lived in the same bedroom with him, before she closed her eyes at night, he would be copying articles, and when she opened her eyes in the morning, he was reciting silently.

He was now in the first Jia Hall class, sharing the same lecture class as Chi Jingxi. She just didn't know how he’s been doing recently.

Wen Yantong took the initiative to come forward to say hello. "Ran'er!"

Zhang Jieran stopped as soon as he heard her voice. He turned to see her with a smile on his face. "Brother Wen, long time no see! How are you doing?"translate(d) by puretl . com / do not steal / re po/st

"What Brother Wen. Just call me Yantong!" Wen Yantong felt awkward when she heard his address.

Zhang Jieran nodded and said, "How is your leg?"

"It's doing much better, and it doesn't hurt as much." Wen Yantong smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Reciting." Zhang Jieran raised the book in his hand. "This location is very peaceful."

Wen Yantong sighed. Zhang Jieran really was always learning.

He asked back, "What are you doing here?"

Wen Yantong replied, "I was framed by a servant this morning. They said I was the culprit who killed the rooster, Wu-dou. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. There was no way I could just let this side, so I came to find him and ask him what he was thinking!"

Zhang Jieran was stunned for a moment and said, "I’ve heard of this incident earlier."

"Go ahead and keep doing your thing. I'll go now to find him." Since Zhang Jieran was studying, Wen Yantong did not want to delay his time.

But who knew Zhang Jieran would say, "I know where he lives. I’ll go with you."

Wen Yantong was stunned. "Don't you need to recite your book?"

"No problem. I’m almost done memorizing anyway." Zhang Jieran closed the book and said to her, "Come with me."

Wen Yantong followed behind him into the servant's area. Most of the students of the Academy were the sons of high-ranking officials, so they also needed many servants to do chores. All the servants live in this servant area, which was also known as: One Corner Courtyard.

Few students came to this place, which was why Zhang Jieran would say that this location was peaceful.pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

After they entered the yard, many servants looked over, and some of them even knew Zhang Jieran. They would greet him with a smile, "Young Master Zhang is here."

Zhang Jieran nodded politely and smiled, and asked, "Is Uncle Zhou there?"

"Yes, he should be eating in his room." Someone replied.

After Zhang Jieran thanked him, he took Wen Yantong to find ‘Uncle Zhou’.

What surprised Wen Yantong was that Zhang Jieran knew that servant, and he seemed to come to this courtyard often.

But when they arrived, they found no one; Uncle Zhou's room was empty. The two waited for a while, but Wen Yantong couldn't stand the cold, so she decided to go first.

On their way back, Zhang Jieran explained to her: "Zhou Bo is over fifty years old. He has no wife and no children;  he is a lonely man. He certainly didn't mean to frame you this morning, so don't be angry."

"How did you know him?" Wen Yantong asked.

"When I first came to Songhai Academy, the Academy didn't allow servants to enter. Uncle Zhou helped me carry the luggage then." Zhang Jieran replied, "He is a good man."

Wen Yantong fell into contemplation after hearing this.

Zhang Jieran added, "I can accompany you to ask Uncle Zhou about that night. You must not scold him."

Wen Yantong smiled. "Do I look like a grumpy person?"

The two finally said goodbye, and Wen Yantong promised to find him if she went to One Corner Courtyard again.

For the next two days, Wen Yantong kept thinking about Zhang Jieran's words, and was brooding about the matter with Uncle Zhou. She wanted to go again, but it snowed again, so it was inconvenient to walk around. Wen Yantong was afraid of falling, so she took out her two big crutches. Because of this, she never had time to find Uncle Zhou. 

It was snowing heavily that day. The snow condensed into small balls, so when it landed on others, there would be some weight felt. 

After the literature class, Wen Yantong went to sleep back in her room. After mapping for an hour, she woke up hungry, so she called her maid to prepare some food.

pure tl . com is the original tler / don’t re-post

The meal that the maid brought in was not as rich as usual. She opened her mouth to explain: "Wen gongzi, the road is blocked by heavy snow outside. There are guards heavily guarding the entrance now, so this servant can't go out to buy food. Please accept these for now."

Wen Yantong didn't care about what she ate, but just asked out of curiosity. "Heavily guarded? How come they are strictly guarding the entrance now?"

"It's because of the blizzard. The roads are all closed, so the people in the academy can't go home. The Little Marquis and the two Royal Highnesses are going to rest in the academy tonight, hence the Academy will be mobilizing all the servants and strictly guarding everywhere." 

Chi Jingxi was going to stay at the Academy?

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The author has something to say: 

Wen Yantong: A hundred causes must have an effect, and retribution will find its suspect!

Don't fatten me, don't fatten me, a fat author no one will fancy!

Fattening you, Fattening them, the author's motivation will not return!