Chapter 24

Year Yongsheng, the twelfth year.

September 18th.

Midday.

Wenxin Study Hall.

Gu Jinnian did not attend the morning class and only got up at noon.

Several days of sleepless nights had left Gu Jinnian feeling extremely tired.

Inside the study hall.

As usual, Gu Jinnian was diligently practicing calligraphy.

Perhaps lost in concentration, an hour had passed in the blink of an eye.

After an hour of practice, Gu Jinnian's wrist ached, and as the school bell rang, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

For some reason, today at the study hall, Gu Jinnian noticed that Zhang Yun's hostility towards him had significantly decreased.

This made Gu Jinnian somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, he still needed to rely on Zhang Yun to earn resentment.

Gu Jinnian was very clear about this.

The ancient tree in his mind was of great significance and had to be perfectly utilized.

Putting aside the system for a moment.

Currently, the only thing that could benefit him was resentment.

More importantly, the benefits brought by this resentment were very helpful.

Gu Jinnian didn't really like fighting and killing; he just needed to act tough in the capital, no need to go through unnecessary trouble.

This meant he had to obtain a large amount of resentment.

However, Zhang Yun was not the only option. After all, it was meaningless to make this guy feel uncomfortable, and the resentment obtained was not much.

Look, just a few words with the emperor could yield a lot of resentment.

Even ten days of interaction with Zhang Yun might not yield as much.

It had a lot to do with one's status and realm.

Thinking about this, Gu Jinnian felt somewhat annoyed.

"Damn, what a waste. He's seventeen and hasn't even condensed his qi. What a disgrace to be the son of a great scholar."

Gu Jinnian put down the brush, his gaze falling on Zhang Yun, his eyes filled with disappointment.

Feeling Gu Jinnian's gaze, Zhang Yun looked over and saw that Gu Jinnian was looking at him, his eyes filled with disgust.

Although a thread of resentment floated over, it was like a drop in the bucket for the ancient tree.

"No, I can't just focus on him."

"I need to find someone else."

Gu Jinnian thought to himself.

The ancient tree absorbed resentment based on one's status and realm.

Zhang Yun was very ordinary in both status and identity.

While a little is better than nothing, for Gu Jinnian, who had already tasted the benefits, it was truly meaningless.

Fortunately, the Daxia Academy was about to start.

The Daxia Academy was a renowned academy, and it could be said that half of the great scholars in the Daxia Dynasty were in the Daxia Academy.

Moreover, this time the Daxia Academy was not just recruiting scholars.

This meant that the Daxia Academy would certainly be a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

A good place to earn resentment.

Thinking about this, Gu Jinnian's mood improved. He turned his head and saw that Yang Hanrou had also put down her brush, planning to rest.

She glanced over and noticed that Gu Jinnian was looking at her.

In that moment, Yang Hanrou felt a bit flustered.

Gu Jinnian did not speak but got up and left, heading towards the Sanxiang Courtyard.

Seeing Gu Jinnian get up, Yang Hanrou immediately understood something. Yesterday, Gu Jinnian didn't come, which didn't make her happy but rather made her more anxious.

Mainly out of fear.

As Gu Jinnian left, after a short while, Yang Hanrou got up and headed outside.

"Little Sister Hanrou, are you going out?"

Seeing Yang Hanrou get up, Zhang Yun immediately got up as well, wanting to follow her.

"I have some private matters."

Yang Hanrou spoke and then quickly left, making Zhang Yun feel somewhat strange.

But he didn't say anything more, just watched her leave and silently followed.

About half an hour later.

Inside the Sanxiang Courtyard.

Gu Jinnian looked at the pond, his mood slightly calm.

At this moment, Yang Hanrou's voice sounded.

"What do you want from me?"

Her voice was cold, filled with questioning and some confusion.

"What do I want from you? I believe you know better than I do."

Gu Jinnian turned around and looked at Yang Hanrou.

It had to be said, Yang Hanrou was indeed a graceful and beautiful woman, with a face and figure that could be considered top-notch, and calling her a beauty would not be an exaggeration.

But Gu Jinnian wasn't the type to be swayed by a woman's appearance.

"I don't know."

"If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

Yang Hanrou fell silent for a moment and then gave this response.

"Leave?"

"Where will you go?"

"You pushed me into the water, and while I was unconscious and lost my memory, you spread rumors. Shouldn't we settle this?"

By the pond.

Gu Jinnian's face was cold, and he looked at Yang Hanrou, his eyes filled with coldness rather than anger.

"You're lying."

"It was you who made the first move, and Brother Zhang Yun saw it with his own eyes."

Hearing this, a hint of panic flashed in Yang Hanrou's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and refused to admit it.

This attitude was not unexpected.

Yang Hanrou would never admit it.

Without any witnesses or evidence, denying it to the end was the best strategy.

"Brother Zhang Yun saw it?"

"Who doesn't know that you and Zhang Yun are very close?"

Gu Jinnian spoke slowly.

"I have nothing more to say to you."

"If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

Yang Hanrou ignored Gu Jinnian. She came here purely to see what he would say or if he had any substantial evidence.

Now that she saw there was none, she was not afraid.

The deed was done, and Gu Jinnian couldn't change anything.

"Fine."

"Then go."

"As long as you leave the Sanxiang Courtyard, I can guarantee that I will do everything in my power to clear my name with my father and grandfather."

"If my father and grandfather are powerless, my mother is Princess Ningyue, the emperor's own sister. The Daxia Ministry of Justice has the Heart-Questioning Mirror. I don't believe you can lie in front of it."

Gu Jinnian spoke.

Each word made Yang Hanrou's expression turn sour.

The Daxia Ministry of Justice had a divine object called the Heart-Questioning Mirror, which condensed the righteous energy of the Ministry. It was generally used for major cases, and even then, it was not always used.

To activate such an object required the consumption of the Ministry's righteous energy, which was accumulated through solving cases.

The Ministry would never use the Heart-Questioning Mirror unless it was absolutely necessary.

But if Gu Jinnian really went mad and did everything in his power, the Ministry might actually agree.

Thinking about this, Yang Hanrou's face turned sour.

She didn't speak.

But she didn't choose to leave either.

Her meaning was clear.

"What do you want to do?"

Yang Hanrou looked at Gu Jinnian, her expression serious.

"Four things."

"If you agree to these three things, I will not pursue this matter."

Gu Jinnian spoke slowly.

"What are the four things?"

Yang Hanrou asked.

"First, I don't want this matter to continue. Be more careful with your words and actions in the future."

"Second, when you see me, don't act like you see an enemy. Be more respectful. I am a soft person, not a hard one."

"Third, stay away from Zhang Yun. It's not because of anything else, just that I don't like him."

"Fourth, give me a thousand taels of gold."

"If you can do these four things, I will let this matter go. If you can't, it will be bad for both of us."

"I'm fine. At worst, I'll bear the name of a playboy. But as the daughter of the Minister of Rites, think about how your father will treat you and what the other officials will say about you."

Gu Jinnian spoke, making four demands.

He didn't want this matter to continue. Now that his uncle had given orders, the rumors in the capital would subside. Gu Jinnian wasn't asking Yang Hanrou to be more careful with her words, but to make the forces behind her more cautious.

First, reduce the impact, then find a way to deal with it. This was the wise move.

Gu Jinnian didn't like to lose, and this matter would eventually have a resolution, just not now. But this didn't mean the other party could continue to defame him.

Faced with Gu Jinnian's four demands.

Yang Hanrou fell silent.

However, Gu Jinnian's next words made her even more silent.

"You don't need to pretend to be conflicted."

"From the first moment I saw you, I knew what kind of person you are."

"You are very smart, smarter than Zhang Yun. You look gentle and pitiable, but you are definitely not a simple woman. After pushing me into the water, you immediately spread rumors to reduce your own impact. This is not something an ordinary person can do."

"Yang Hanrou, I like dealing with smart people. The three conditions I mentioned will not have a significant impact on you. At most, you will lose a backup."

"As the daughter of the Minister of Rites, I'm sure your pool of options is not limited to just Zhang Yun."

Gu Jinnian stood with his hands behind his back, his words calm, but his eyes filled with a smile, as if he could see through Yang Hanrou clearly.

To Yang Hanrou, she didn't understand the term "backup" or the concept of a "pool," but from the context, she could roughly understand the meaning.

Her usual gentle demeanor was indeed gone, replaced by a complex emotion.

Of course, she was indeed conflicted.

But at this moment, a figure appeared in the Sanxiang Courtyard.

It was Zhang Yun.

After Yang Hanrou left, Zhang Yun secretly followed her.

After searching, he found Yang Hanrou in the Sanxiang Courtyard, and she was with Gu Jinnian. He immediately became furious and walked over, his anger evident.

"Gu Jinnian, what are you doing?"

"Trying to molest Little Sister Hanrou again?"

Zhang Yun's voice was loud, filled with anger.

After talking to his father, he had calmed down and didn't want to argue with Gu Jinnian, but today he couldn't bear it.

Because Gu Jinnian had touched his sore spot, making him furious.

As Zhang Yun arrived, a wave of resentment emerged, entering his body.

Seeing the furious Zhang Yun, Gu Jinnian didn't speak but looked at Yang Hanrou.

"Zhang Yun..."

"Brother Jinnian didn't do anything to me, don't misunderstand."

Feeling Gu Jinnian's gaze, Yang Hanrou immediately understood his meaning.

After a brief pause, she gave her response.

And this response was very subtle.

She didn't call Zhang Yun "brother" or "elder brother" as usual, but directly called his name. When addressing Gu Jinnian, she called him "Brother," leaving Zhang Yun stunned.

"Little Sister Hanrou..."

"What is this?"

Zhang Yun was confused, looking at Yang Hanrou, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Zhang Yun..."

"I was just explaining the misunderstanding about the drowning with Brother Jinnian. Now that it's clear, there's nothing more to it."

"I hope we can avoid any conflicts in the future."

Yang Hanrou said with a blank expression.

She wasn't stupid. As the daughter of the Minister of Rites, if she were stupid, it would be a joke.

Some things her father wouldn't teach her, but her mother would.

Gu Jinnian had long seen through what kind of person Yang Hanrou was.

A typical woman who believed men should conquer the world while she conquered men's hearts.

Being nice to Zhang Yun was just because she saw him as a potential asset, and the drowning incident made her need to find someone to share the blame.

Otherwise, if she truly liked Zhang Yun, she would have already given herself to him. But the question is, did she?

Definitely not. If she had, Zhang Yun wouldn't be so eager.

So, for Yang Hanrou's behavior, Gu Jinnian was very satisfied. He wasn't afraid of her being troublesome, just of her being brainless.

"Little Sister Hanrou, why are you suddenly like this?"

"Is it because Gu Jinnian is threatening you?"

"If so, I'll take you to the headmaster to seek justice."

For Zhang Yun, Yang Hanrou's sudden change was unacceptable, and he subconsciously thought Gu Jinnian was behind it.

"Zhang Yun..."

"I said, it has nothing to do with Brother Jinnian."

"Also, we grew up together, and our relationship is indeed good. We are friends, but you are not my father. My affairs are none of your business."

Yang Hanrou was a bit annoyed.

As Gu Jinnian had guessed, she was close to Zhang Yun only because of his status and talent, and only because they were childhood friends.

If Zhang Yun became a great scholar and had a successful career, she wouldn't mind marrying him, which would be a good match.

But if Zhang Yun didn't make it, she wouldn't touch him.

Deep down, she was extremely repulsed by Zhang Yun, who followed her around, liked to show off, and always tried to impress her with childish things.

She had to pretend to be interested.

As for the constant care and attention, it made Yang Hanrou feel even more disgusted.

Once or twice was fine, but every day was unbearable.

The thing she was most worried about now was the truth coming out and Gu Jinnian clearing his name. If she agreed to his three conditions, and he chose to let the matter go, it would be a good thing for her.

As for Zhang Yun.

Ignoring him was fine; she didn't lack for one brother.

"Little Sister Hanrou..."

"You..."

This time, Zhang Yun was stunned. He couldn't believe that the Little Sister Hanrou who always admired and respected him had suddenly changed.

"Zhang Yun, calling me 'sister' in private is fine, but in the study hall, call me by my full name."

"Brother Jinnian, the other day was my fault. Let me take you to the Far Horizon Terrace to clear your mind and make amends."

For some reason, Yang Hanrou felt a bit relieved.

Releasing her true self.

Of course, the main reason was that Zhang Yun was very annoying, but she couldn't express it.

Through Gu Jinnian, she finally said what she really felt.

"Fine."

By the pond.

Seeing Yang Hanrou's decisive response, Gu Jinnian couldn't help but marvel. But he glanced at Zhang Yun and immediately agreed to Yang Hanrou's request.

Zhang Yun, on the other side, clenched his fists, and a wave of resentment came, much more than before.

Indeed, love breeds hatred.

But Gu Jinnian didn't pity Zhang Yun at all.

Because a lickspittle deserves no better.

Without waiting for Zhang Yun to say anything, Yang Hanrou led the way to the Far Horizon Terrace for Gu Jinnian.

As the two left one after the other.

Zhang Yun's eyes were almost on fire with hatred.

"Gu Jinnian."

"I and you."

"Will not rest until one of us is dead."

He roared in his heart.

If he could beat Gu Jinnian, he would have already done it.

After a moment, a question arose in Zhang Yun's mind.

Why was Yang Hanrou suddenly so cold to him?

Did he do something to offend Little Sister Hanrou?

It shouldn't be.

"Oh, I understand, Little Sister Hanrou. You are being coerced by him."

"You are afraid that Gu Jinnian will expose the truth and involve me, so you are pretending. I understand."

"I understand your feelings."

"Rest assured, when we get to the Daxia Academy, I will make him pay."

"For now, bear with it."

"Wait for me."

Zhang Yun clenched his fists tightly and spoke to himself.

He instantly understood the cause and effect and felt even more resentment towards Gu Jinnian.