CH 75

Chapter 75 The Carriage Arranged by Little Marquis (1)

Early in the morning on the tenth, many carriages stopped one after another on the road in front of the Academy. Many guards stood nearby to maintain order, and people in the Academy lined up to get on the carriages.

These were the carriages that Songhai Academy had arranged; each carriage can seat up to eight people.

Chi Jingxi, Mu Yang, and the others set off directly from their homes. So the only way to see them was on the road to Nian'an Temple after leaving the city gate. But that also depended on fate.

When Wen Yantong was lining up, Zhang Jieran suddenly appeared from one side. He patted her on the shoulder lightly and motioned her to leave the line.

Wen Yantong hesitated but pushed aside the crowd and walked out in the end. She asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhang Jieran replied, "You don't have to line up to get on the carriage. The Little Marquis sent a carriage to pick you up."

"Little Marquis?" Wen Yantong was startled. She dug her ears and asked again, "Pick me up?? Did I hear it right?"

Zhang Jieran nodded.

Before Wen Yantong could continue to be shocked, she heard a commotion. Four guards pushed aside the crowd and walked in front of Wen Yantong. The one at the front was the one who she had previously bribed with a cup of hot water and a few snacks to save her maid.

He gave Wen Yantong a simple salute and said, "Wen gongzi, knowing your difficulties with mobility, our Young Master specially sent a carriage to pick you up and send you to the Nian'an Temple."

It’s not a dream?!

Wen Yantong looked around to see that everyone around her had the same surprised look as her. Obviously, no one would have thought that Little Marquis would set this kind of thing up.

Zhang Jieran said, "Come on. You can go to Nian'an Temple first without queuing. This way you can study a bit more after you arrive."

Wen Yantong secretly retorted: Do you think I'm a bookworm like you?

She asked the guard, "Can I bring my friends with me?"

The guard replied politely, "Of course."

Wen Yantong pulled Zhang Jieran into the carriage.

The Marquis's carriage was very different from ordinary carriages. Even compared to Mu Yang's, the difference was huge. First of all, on the table in the center of the carriage, there was another brightly gilded character: "Chi".

Zhang Jieran probably had never been in a royal carriage in his life. He was so excited that he couldn't even read, so he sat in a daze.

Wen Yantong asked, "How do you know that Little Marquis sent a carriage to pick me up?"

Maybe because he was excited, Zhang Jieran spoke much faster and roughly explained the matter to her.

To sum it up, Mu Yang went to the First-Jia Hall to find Chi Jingxi and Cheng Xin yesterday when the literature class was over. At that time, the two of them were sitting in their seats chatting, and everyone else had already left. Zhang Jieran, who was eager to learn, naturally stayed for a while longer.

Mu Yang was telling them how Wen Yantong had a crippled leg, and it would definitely be inconvenient to squeeze into a carriage assigned by the Academy. However, because his father, Mu Yuan, had been keeping him under strict surveillance, he couldn't find an extra carriage to pick her up. Hence, he wanted Chi Jingxi to help him.

Cheng Xin also agreed, saying that Chi Jingxi had used Wen Yantong and Fu Zixian before, so he should compensate them at this time.

With the two of them asking, Chi Jingxi readily agreed.

Cheng Xin knew that Zhang Jieran had a good relationship with Wen Yantong, so he asked Zhang Jieran to convey the message on the actual day.

As such, the horse carriage of the Marquis’ Residence came to the Academy early this morning.

Wen Yantong's heart warmed when she heard it. Even though Mu Yang usually looked like a coarse bear, his heart was quite delicate. And this matter was done so beautifully too. He kicked her right next to Chi Jingxi's thigh, and now she just had to reach out and hug it.

Zhang Jieran said, "Brother Wen, there's one thing I've always wanted to ask. I hope not to offend."

Wen Yantong smiled. "Your brother won't feel offended. Just ask."

Zhang Jieran asked, "Last year, you always wanted to make friends with His Highness the Seventh Highness. There were always many people in the Academy saying unpleasant things. This year you chose to get closer to the Little Marquis and others. There may be people who will comment on your actions..."

Wen Yantong thought that Zhang Jieran thought it was not good for her to curry favor with the powerful and wanted to persuade her, but she did not expect Zhang Jieran to say:

"How did you deal with these remarks?"

Wen Yantong was stunned for a moment. She really didn't expect him to ask this. Zhang Jieran also seemed to feel a bit awkward as his face flushed slightly. He liked to blush like Fu Zixian, but Zhang Jieran was handsome and fair-skinned. When he blushed, it was very obvious as if he was intoxicated after drinking.

Seeing that Wen Yantong didn't answer, he immediately flinched and waved his hand. "Forget it, Brother Wen. Just pretend I didn't ask."

Wen Yantong realized that Zhang Jieran might have encountered a similar problem, so she sternly said, "Brother Zhang, listen to me."

Zhang Jieran looked at her seriously.

"Those who talk about their tongues behind people’s backs are the reincarnations of long-tongued women. Don't tolerate these kinds of people. You must find a way to teach them a lesson, so that they don't dare to talk nonsense again." Wen Yantong continued, "The best method is to do it clandestinely so that they think it's Heaven's punishment for talking nonsense. Only this should relieve your grievance."

Zhang Jieran was taken aback. "This doesn’t sound right..."

"Why not?" Wen Yantong snorted. "I want to make friends with the Little Marquis because I admire the Little Marquis's civil and military talents. A gentleman loves and seeks talents. Isn't it normal? Those who talk about me behind my back are all eyesores."

Zhang Jieran nodded solemnly. "Your words are reasonable. Brother Wen, your words have enlightened me. Many thanks!"

"I'm also very happy to be able to relieve some worries for Brother Zhang." Wen Yantong said, "If you don't call me Brother Wen, I'll be even happier."

The two ‘brothers’ went back and forth, and after chatting for a while, Wen Yantong became sleepy and yawned a few times.

She got up early today, so she was very sleepy after sitting in a rocking carriage. Zhang Jieran quickly picked up her mood and persuaded her to sleep. He took out the book to read.

Wen Yantong lay on the soft fur and fell asleep. She didn’t wake up until they arrived in front of the temple.

The carriage sent by Chi Jingxi allowed Wen Yantong to walk in front of the Academy team. The guards even helped them carry their baggage.

The size of Nian'an Temple was very large. There were thirty-three rooms dedicated to worshiping the gods, more than a hundred monks' quarters, and an unknown number of vacant guest rooms. This temple had a total of four expansions done. In addition to the dwindling number of visitors, there were not many monks in the temple either.