Broken Jade - Chapter 111

Chapter 111

It was only a brief sentence, yet Sheng Zhaoning devoted every ounce of strength she had to committing it to memory.

The Shangyuan Festival. Queqiao, in the south of the city…

That was right. The Shangyuan Festival was only two days away.

Reason told her she should not go see him. Otherwise, she would only drag him into a maelstrom of countless hidden attacks.

But no one could act on reason alone.

A secret voice deep in her heart kept telling her that she wanted to see him.

It was selfish.

It was also the flood of longing she could no longer contain.

The struggle between reason and desire lasted only a moment.

Reason crumbled in utter defeat.

Giving up on herself, she closed her eyes, her carefully restrained expression shifting slightly.

“All right.”

Separated from him by vast distances and the Capital’s walls, she gave him her answer.

…

After the Sheng Family returned to the Capital, they held a banquet the day before the Shangyuan Festival, inviting many old friends and acquaintances.

In truth, they had long since lost contact with many of them. But this return to the Capital was a matter of the Sheng Family’s reputation. It was their way of telling everyone that they were no longer the same family who had been demoted, driven out of the Capital, and forced to slink away to Xuzhou with their tails between their legs.

There were also plenty of people in the Capital who wished to forge ties with Sheng Zhaoning. They seized this opportunity to arrive uninvited and congratulate the Sheng Family on their new residence.

Thus, on the day of the banquet, the house was packed with guests.

By the time Sheng Zhaoning appeared at the main feast, it was about to begin.

Her official career was flourishing, so she inevitably had to spend some time exchanging pleasantries in the front hall.

The Second Branch and Third Branch had also returned with them.

However, things were now completely different from how they had been in Xuzhou.

Back then, the Eldest Branch had been out of favor with the Old Madam and had barely any standing in the family. Aside from the Old Madam herself, Lady Liu of the Second Branch had called all the shots in the Sheng Family.

Lady Liu had helped oversee the storerooms and the household’s many maids and servants. Accustomed to throwing her weight around in the Sheng Family, she had never taken the Eldest Branch or Third Branch seriously.

Now, however, the Eldest Branch’s status had soared. The entire Sheng Family had only been able to move back to the Capital because of Sheng Zhaoning. The Old Madam had also grown increasingly fond of her and, in the end, truly came to dote on her as her precious grandson.

No matter how resentful Lady Liu felt, she had no choice but to keep her head down. She no longer dared to provoke the Eldest Branch and could only vent her frustration on the weak and incompetent Third Branch.

Seeing Sheng Zhaoning basking in success in the front hall, Lady Liu rolled her eyes, then turned away to ingratiate herself with the ladies gathered in the courtyard.

Standing outside the courtyard, Sheng Zhaoyan glanced at his cousin from afar and shrank back.

He had not forgotten how Sheng Zhaoning had once kicked him into a pond and nearly drowned him.

Even now, he could still vividly recall the sinister, terrifying smile she had worn at the time.

Sheng Zhaoyan could not avoid her fast enough. How could he possibly dare approach her?

He was just considering slipping out of Sheng Mansion to enjoy a little wine at some pleasure house when, before he could even turn around, a cool voice suddenly drifted from behind him.

“Where might you be going, Cousin?”

Sheng Zhaoyan’s spine went numb in an instant. His legs seemed nailed to the ground, leaving him unable to move a single step.

Cold sweat immediately soaked his back, turning icy beneath the winter wind.

“C-Cou… Cousin!” Sheng Zhaoyan stammered.

Sheng Zhaoning approached him with a smile.

The moment Sheng Zhaoyan saw that smile, his legs began trembling uncontrollably.

“The feast is about to begin. Aren’t you going in to eat?” Sheng Zhaoning stopped before him and regarded him with a gentle gaze.

The sight of her like this made every hair on Sheng Zhaoyan’s body stand on end. His knees nearly buckled beneath him.

Heaven help him! Who in the world had taught her to smile like that?

That was even more terrifying than when she did not smile!

“There are too many people up ahead. I-I think I’ll stay here…”

With his hands hidden behind his back, Sheng Zhaoyan secretly pinched his thigh. Cold sweat poured down his face in his panic.

Damn legs, move already!

Sheng Zhaoning did not miss his little gesture. In truth, she had no intention of making things difficult for him.

If Sheng Zhaoyan had done nothing wrong, why would she go out of her way to torment him?

She had come to see him this time because she had something to tell him.

“Cousin, you are already past twenty. Grandmother spoke to me about your studies a few days ago. She said that although we have moved to the capital, you must not neglect your education. She therefore asked me to find an academy for you. You may enroll after the Shangyuan Festival.”

At those words, Sheng Zhaoyan felt as if the sky were falling.

“An academy? Which academy?” he asked in a trembling voice.

Sheng Zhaoning smiled faintly. “Ruzheng Academy.”

A thunderclap seemed to explode directly above his head.

Sheng Zhaoyan’s vision went black. He wished he could faint dead away on the spot.

Ruzheng Academy.

Even its name sounded stuffy and antiquated.

And in fact, that was exactly what it was.

It was the most orthodox academy in all of Great Wei. With its long history and countless students, it had produced more successful examination candidates than anyone could count over the years-including twenty-seven Zhuangyuan alone.

Countless people would fight tooth and nail for the chance to study there.

But to Sheng Zhaoyan, the place was no different from hell.

No, it was even more terrifying than hell.

Students at Ruzheng Academy were forbidden from leaving the grounds. In addition to their studies, they had to eat a strict vegetarian diet, rise before dawn to run around the mountain, and attend evening lessons that lasted until the stars filled the sky.

Outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering the academy, and students were not even permitted to bring personal attendants.

That meant every student had to wash his own clothes, fold his own bedding, make his own bed, and clean his own quarters!

How could Sheng Zhaoyan possibly endure that?

“I’m not going!”

This was the first time since falling into the water that Sheng Zhaoyan had dared speak so forcefully to Sheng Zhaoning.

She merely raised her eyes and regarded him calmly, the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

The courage Sheng Zhaoyan had only just mustered instantly withered away.

He was on the verge of tears.

“Cousin, I’m begging you! Please don’t send me there. I promise I’ll turn over a new leaf!”

With a mournful expression, Sheng Zhaoyan pleaded again and again. He was one step away from dropping to his knees and kowtowing to her.

The sight of his spineless display made Sheng Zhaoning’s palm itch. She wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face.

He was a grown man, yet the mere thought of attending school had nearly reduced him to tears. Had he no shame?

Then she recalled what Grandmother had said.

“Yan’er isn’t bad at heart. He was simply spoiled from childhood and fell in with a pack of disreputable friends. He spends every day fooling around among women. Now that he’s back in the capital, it’s time he properly studied the teachings of the sages. I don’t ask that he make a name for himself in officialdom. I only hope he’ll learn something about how the world works and improve his character.”

Sheng Zhaoning wholeheartedly agreed.

If he were allowed to carry on like this, there was no telling what kind of trouble he might cause in the future.

Within a clan, all shared in both glory and disgrace.

Now that she was a member of the Sheng Family and bore Sheng Zhaoning’s identity, she had no choice but to consider the family’s interests.

Sheng Zhaoning looked him straight in the eye. Under Sheng Zhaoyan’s pleading, hopeful gaze, she patted him on the shoulder and slowly curled her lips into a smile.

“Be good and rehabilitate yourself in there.”