Her guards

Chapter 33 The Princess's Power
On the morning of the day the princesses were chosen to be their study companions, they left the palace in a light carriage and then changed into their official carriages outside the imperial city gate.

Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong arrived together and started arguing after exchanging only three sentences. Then came eight-year-old Princess Shengping, who threw a tantrum because she had gotten up too early. She was picky about the carriage she was supposed to ride in and refused to get on. The palace maids and eunuchs were busy trying to persuade her, apologize, and replace the furniture in the carriage.

Until Princess Heisei's carriage arrived.

"What's the noise?"

Princess Heisei stepped down from her carriage and shouted, instantly silencing the noisy princesses.

Princess Heisei was the daughter of the Emperor and Empress. She was born the year the Emperor ascended the throne and was greatly favored.

At fifteen, she possessed the best qualities of both the emperor and empress: tall and slender, with fair skin and delicate features.

Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong reluctantly bowed their heads in greeting, while Princess Shengping hunched her shoulders and hid behind a palace maid.

Princess Heicheng said coldly, "This is a trip to study and to see your teachers, not a trip to the harem to see your mother. There are appropriate times for acting spoiled and making a fuss. If you know how to rely on your father's favor, you should also know not to embarrass him."

Princess Nangong timidly replied, "Sister is right."

Princess Wuyang clenched her hands tightly, her eyes filled with resentment, but she didn't dare to speak.

Princess Shengping had tears in her eyes.

Princess Heisei said no more: "Get in the carriage. Do you want our teachers and classmates to wait for us?"

The princesses reluctantly turned and got into the carriage.

Seeing her sisters get into the car, Princess Heisei walked to the car at the front to get in, and applause came from the side.

Princess Heicheng frowned and looked over. She saw a group of men in black approaching. Her gaze immediately fell on Wei Jiao among them. Her brows smoothed out and she pursed her lips.

Wei Jiao approached: "The eldest princess is so dignified."

Princess Heisei glared at him: "Stop making fun of me."

Wei Jiao raised his hands: "How dare I make fun of you? I'm just glad the princess doesn't make fun of me."

Princess Heisei laughed: "Don't give me that nonsense, Wei Jiao, you got scolded again on this trip, didn't you?"

Wei Jiao said, "The day I stop being cursed at is the day I'm dead."

Princess Heicheng spat twice, "What nonsense are you talking about?" Then she looked at Wei Jiao and said, "Don't be afraid of being scolded. Just do your job well. Those who scold you are just feeling guilty."

Wei Jiao laughed and said in a low voice, "Keep your voice down. If they hear what the princess said, you'll be scolded along with me."

Princess Heisei looked at the young man with a bright smile and a blossoming flower, and hummed softly, "Why would I be afraid of being scolded by others?"

In the carriage behind, Princess Wuyang gripped the curtain, her eyes blazing with fury as she looked at the two people in front of her who were practically leaning against each other, laughing and talking.

"This is never going to end!" she gritted her teeth. "Aren't you worried about keeping the teachers and students waiting?"

Looking back, one could see that Princess Nangong had almost half her body leaning out of the window.

Princess Wuyang gave Princess Nangong a meaningful look, trying to get her to interrupt them, but Princess Nangong just stared at Wei Jiao's smiling face.

Wei Jiao stepped back and gestured, "Princess, please go to your studies."

Princess Heisei smiled and nodded, then helped the palace maid onto the palace carriage.

The imperial guards led the way, and the imperial carriage moved forward.

Princess Wuyang urged, "Hurry up!" As Wei Jiao drew closer, she watched him approach, but before she could even greet him, Wei Jiao turned and walked away, infuriating her so much that she angrily pounded on the window.

They're all princesses, can't I even glance at them?

“Not all princesses are the same,” Princess Nangong said, leaning against the window as her carriage caught up with her. “There can only be one legitimate eldest princess.”

After saying this, he looked at Princess Wuyang.

"Sister, we are all born out of wedlock."

Princess Wuyang sneered, "Stop judging us by those external rules. Our father is the emperor, and you shouldn't try to pull me into this. My mother is a noble consort." With that, she flung the carriage curtain and got in.

Princess Nangong was not as aggrieved as before. She pouted and mouthed silently, "Noble Consort, Noble Consort is also a Consort." After saying that, she also got into the carriage.

Wei Jiaohun didn't care about his unfair treatment, which disturbed the princesses' mood.

If you go to Longxi and ask around, you'll find out how unsettled the Wei family was when he was at home.

Peace and tranquility at home, harmony among people, joy and laughter, Wei Jiao smiled slightly—how meaningless!

"Captain."

A woman in embroidered clothes stepped forward, holding a booklet in her hands.

"The list of students taught by Professor Jiang Wangchun in Zhao County has been compiled, but it only includes students from Zhao County."

Wei Jiao stopped laughing, took the booklet, and listened to Xiu Yi continue speaking. "Jiang Wangchun traveled around to study, but at that time the world was in chaos, and his whereabouts have not yet been ascertained."

“He returned to Zhao County five years ago, and since then he has been teaching and compiling books, and his relationships with others are simple.”

Wei Jiao sneered: "The world is in chaos, yet you still dare to wander around. You call yourself a scholar, but you've got quite the nerve. It's not surprising that you've gotten involved with the treasures of the previous dynasty. But what do you want with the treasures of the previous dynasty? To study?"

He laughed after saying that.

"Are the treasures of the previous dynasty so idle?"

……

.......
On the way to the Imperial Academy, other carriages could only proceed after the princesses' carriages had passed.

However, the journey did not become much smoother.

Although there were far fewer people compared to the actual National Academy exams, and although it was forbidden to bring maids to the National Academy, it did not say that one could not see someone off, so the place was bustling with activity.

The National Academy is located at the foot of Biyun Mountain outside the city.

Originally a royal villa of the previous dynasty, the emperor, unable to repair the palace damaged in the war, ordered the construction of this villa first and granted it to Confucian scholars to teach and impart knowledge.

Mo Zheng reined in his horse and looked at the magnificent golden building ahead.

"Miss, we've arrived," she said softly as she turned around.

Yang Luo lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the National Academy with a complicated expression.

"This is the Academy of Chinese Studies," she murmured.

I had only heard of it in my previous life, but I have finally met it this time.

Thinking of this, she reached up and touched her face, asking with a hint of nervousness.

"Is the concealer still on your face?"

.......
.......
This morning, Yang Luo woke up and, without even eating breakfast, rushed to the kitchen to find ashes. He said that since the young lady from the Duke of Dingguo's family was also coming, although he had never seen her before, he was still worried about being recognized, so he wanted to cover his face.

Mo Zheng chuckled, "Of course they wouldn't recognize you. You wouldn't even be able to get through the door; the Imperial Guards would just drag you away."

What young lady would wear a face covered in soot like that in a public setting? This isn't like being a beggar in White Horse Town.

Yang Luo knew, of course, that the soot at the bottom of the pot didn't look right. She reached out and touched the face; it looked a lot like her mother's. Although not many people knew her mother, what if...?
"If I were to conceal my appearance, I would use a kind of gray powder."

The young hunter suddenly spoke, and then brought her a box of powder.

Yang Luo opened it and saw that it was similar to common face powder, emitting a faint, unidentifiable fragrance. She applied it to her face with some skepticism, and it indeed covered her original skin without looking out of place. Moreover, by using different amounts on her cheeks and eyelids, her cheeks and eyes appeared thinner and smaller.

He looked like a completely different person.

Amazing.

"Ah Sheng, how did you get this?" she asked in surprise.

Isn't Ah Sheng a man? How come he has makeup powder?

"This isn't makeup powder, it's camouflage powder," the young hunter corrected. "We need to disguise ourselves when we hunt, so it's necessary."

Is hunting really that complicated? What kind of prey needs to have its appearance concealed? She'd never been a hunter before, but she didn't have time to think about it now.

For her, nothing is strange as long as it's useful to her.

……

.......
Mo Zheng picked up a small mirror from the basket placed in front of the car and held it up to Yang Luo.

Yang Luo looked at herself in the mirror, and saw that face that even she herself seemed a little unfamiliar with. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay, I’m going in now,” she said.

Yang Luo got out of the carriage, carrying a small basket, and went inside. First, the Imperial Guards checked his identity and invitation, and then the teachers from the academy and the palace maids led the way.

As Yang Luo stepped over the academy's tall archway, he couldn't help but look back. Outside, there were people and carriages everywhere, making the view chaotic.

The young hunter stood up from in front of the carriage and waved to her.

Yang Luo breathed a sigh of relief for no apparent reason, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Since his rebirth, this is the first time he has had to do things on his own without this young guard by his side.

I'm still a little nervous.

(End of this chapter)