The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The snow stopped, and the first rays of sunlight began to appear.

After a whole night of acupuncture and medication, the imperial physician finally wiped the fine sweat from his brow and bowed to Tang Xixue, who was waiting outside, to report:

"Your Highness, although Guard Han's vital energy has been depleted, fortunately he received timely treatment and is no longer in danger of death. However, the cold has penetrated to the bone, and he needs to take good care of himself, otherwise he may develop a serious illness."

"Use the best medicine."

Tang Xixue's voice came through the curtain, clear and undeniable:

"At all costs, I, the princess, will restore him to his former state."

"Your subject obeys."

After the imperial physicians left, the Hall of Longevity was filled with the fragrance of medicine and a sense of tranquility.

Tang Xixue did not stay long. She changed her clothes and washed up, her hair tied up with only a simple peach blossom hairpin, and put on the Taoyao school uniform, which was exclusively for girls in Lintai.

It was a very light crimson, like the clouds dyed by the first rays of dawn in early spring. It was covered by a snow-white velvet cloak with silver fox trim, which contrasted with the soft crimson of the school uniform, exuding a cool and elegant beauty.

"Let's set off for Lintai."

She didn't bring many people with her, only Qingdai and Fuyi as her attendants.

The magnificent princess palanquin was already waiting outside the palace. The snow on the palanquin's roof had been carefully brushed away, and the hanging apricot-yellow tassels swayed gently in the morning breeze.

The palace road was deserted as we walked along it.

The raging snowstorm of yesterday has subsided, leaving behind only a thick and clean silvery white blanket of snow.

The snow crunched softly under the wheels and footsteps, making the world seem even more vast and peaceful.

Sunlight pierced through the thin clouds, sprinkling onto the snow and refracting into tiny, sparkling rays.

Before long, the outline of the distant mountains gradually came into view—that was Beichen Mountain.

The mountain is not steep, but it has its own majestic atmosphere. In winter, the pines are covered with snow and the cypresses are covered with frost, like jade branches and trees.

The pavilions and palaces, built layer upon layer along the mountainside, with their flying eaves and interlocking brackets, appear and disappear amidst the pristine mountain scenery and swirling mist, resembling a long scroll of verdant landscape painting.

This place is Lintai.

The royal private school of the Chenyao Dynasty is also the supreme symbol of the dynasty's cultural lineage and destiny.

Throughout the Nine Provinces, everyone knows: "Entering the Lintai is like ascending the Qilin Pavilion in the human world."

"Your Highness, we have arrived at Lintai."

The sedan chair stopped in front of the mountain gate.

He stood quietly behind her, his hand on his sword, his gaze already habitually sweeping over the surrounding environment.

The mountain gate is majestic, and the two characters "Lintai" on the plaque are written in strong and elegant strokes, which are said to be the calligraphy of the founding emperor.

The ancient pine trees in front of the gate are strong and vigorous, their branches weighed down by snow, adding to the solemnity.

By this time, many students were passing by, and upon seeing the bright and dazzling princess's entourage and palanquin, they all stopped and stared at it.

Their eyes met, and whispers mingled like the wind.

"Look, that ignorant fool actually has the nerve to show his face."

Someone spoke with a sarcastic tone; their voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to carry on the wind.

"Today is the Grand Examination of Mystic Arts, personally presided over by the Imperial Preceptor... If she can pass, it will be as if the North Star were to be reversed."

"More than that? I'm afraid he can't even write three hundred words of a policy essay. If he's at the bottom, he'll become the first member of the royal family in the past hundred years of Lintai to be dismissed due to such poor performance."

The whispers were soft yet clear, tinged with undisguised disdain.

Those who can enter Lintai are either illustrious or geniuses, and have long been accustomed to Princess Jing's cowardice and uselessness over the years.

The reverence she once felt because of her imperial lineage had long since been worn away by her words and actions that repeatedly became the subject of ridicule.

Tangxi Xue, however, seemed not to hear.

She stepped down from the carriage slowly, supported by Qingdai's hand. Her toes touched the swept bluestone surface, where the snow shimmered like scattered silver in the morning light.

Her peach-colored school uniform was covered by a pure white snow-white velvet cloak, and that touch of light pink was like a trace of early spring blooming in the frozen snow, bright and dazzling, yet carrying a chill that kept people at a distance.

The hood of her cloak was trimmed with silver fox fur that framed her delicate chin and cheeks. Her skin was as white as jade, and her eyes and brows were as clear and bright as an ink painting.

So beautiful and flawless that it leaves one speechless for a moment.

"She may be foolish, but she's incredibly beautiful..."

"Perhaps God only gave her beauty."

"How can this pretty face be the fiancée of Shen Xian, the top scholar of Lintai? How is she worthy of him?"

"..."

Tang Xixue didn't glance to the side, heading straight for the Lintai Mountain Gate, which symbolized unparalleled knowledge and glory.

Her crimson skirt brushed against the remaining snow on the steps, leaving a very faint trace.

Just as she was about to step into the mountain gate, a clear and melodious commotion suddenly arose behind her.

"Look! It's Miss Shen Yan!"

"Miss Shen's attire today... is truly exquisite and elegant."

"It's not just her clothes; even just standing here is like a poem or a painting. She truly is a pearl nurtured by the Shen family, a role model for us all."

Exclamations of praise rose and fell, a stark contrast to the earlier whispers and jeers, now filled with heartfelt admiration and longing.

Tangxi Xue paused almost imperceptibly.

She turned her head slightly and looked back.

The crowd parted naturally like a tide, and a slender figure walked gracefully towards them.

The girl wore a school uniform in the shade of blue after the rain, with a thin velvet cloak over it. The colors were so simple and elegant that she seemed to be a distant mountain silhouette that had stepped out of a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Her black hair was styled into a simple Lingyun bun, adorned only with a translucent jade magnolia ornament, without any other decorations.

As she walked, her skirt rippled slightly, like the first ripples of spring water.

When she nodded to her classmates, a gentle and subtle smile played on her lips.

His demeanor was calm and serene, gentle and warm, and every move he made exuded the composure and elegance cultivated by poetry and literature.

It was Shen Yan.

Although she was an adopted daughter of the Shen family, she became famous in the capital for her extraordinary talent and elegant character, and was hailed as a model heroine.

At this moment, she was bathed in the admiring gazes and praises of the crowd, like a walking masterpiece of traditional Chinese painting, perfectly embodying the word "perfect".

"A painting of clouds and mist on earth, a jade palace in the heavens."

She is like the most idyllic wisp of smoke in the human world, or a piece of pure white jade accidentally left behind in a celestial palace, noble and untouched by dust.

Tang Xixue quietly watched the figure in sky blue walk calmly toward the same direction—the gate of Lintai—amidst countless gazes.

"Yunhua greets Your Highness."

Shen Yan bowed gracefully to Tang Xixue, her movements flawless.

"Miss Shen, no need for formalities."

Tang Xixue's voice was calm, revealing an innate nobility.

Their eyes met silently for a moment.

One was a fiery crimson, her beauty captivating, her eyes icy and distant.

Firstly, her beauty is as clear as water, gentle as a poem, and her smile as warm as a spring breeze.

Like two stars whose trajectories intersect on the wheel of fate.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. My elder brother's carriage will arrive shortly."

Shen Yan stopped and spoke softly to the crimson figure in front of her.

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the students around her to hear clearly.

A gentle, understanding smile played at the corners of her lips, as if it were truly a polite reminder.

Upon hearing this, the air fell into a subtle silence for a moment, followed by bursts of laughter.

Who doesn't know that Princess Jing's infatuation with Shen Xian, the eldest son of Prime Minister Shen, has long been a popular topic of conversation in the capital?

Countless gazes immediately fell upon Tang Xixue's retreating figure, filled with amusement, mockery, and anticipation for a good show.

The snow in Tangxi did not stop.

They didn't even slow their pace by the slightest.

"It has nothing to do with me."

Having said that, she took another step.