Transmigrated into a farmer's lucky charm, all the villains in the family panicked.

Yun Shengsheng looked at Xiao Manyu and shook her head helplessly.

[This guy looks like the kind of naive, overprotected boy who sees everyone as a good person, but his family is powerful and influential—exactly the kind of "stepping stone" talent that Wei Jinlou likes best.]

Yan Shijin squinted. So it turned out that the family of Weijinlou's wife in his previous life was Xiao Chihou. No wonder he was already a fifth-rank official at only twenty years old.

However, in this life, it's best to deal with this kind of person as soon as possible...

When Yan Shijin and his group arrived, Wei Jinlou naturally saw them as well.

He pretended not to know them at first, standing properly in the crowd, but his eyes kept glancing in their direction.

When he saw the students around him bowing and greeting Shi Jin at the banquet, he feigned surprise and quickly followed suit, bowing more precisely and respectfully than anyone else.

Yan Shijin didn't even glance at him, repeating in the same calm tone as before: "From now on, we're all classmates, no need for formalities."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Wei Jinlou's face.

The students around them were overjoyed.

So it turns out that His Highness the Crown Prince is so approachable; their lives will be much easier from now on.

After all, nobody likes having to kowtow three times and nine times every day just to attend a class; it's exhausting.

But Yan Shijin's identity is what it is: the eldest grandson of the emperor, the crown prince, and the future heir apparent.

These students, who held no official positions, were required by custom to pay their respects to the crown prince.

Moreover, most of them came to the academy carrying the entrustment of their families.

The old emperor is old and ailing, and it seems his days are numbered. His Highness the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion. While the court is being managed by the fathers and brothers of the imperial family, in the rear, each family naturally wants their own sons to become acquainted with the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

Even if the Crown Prince falls ill or something goes wrong in the future, it won't be a big deal if a junior gets close to him, and it won't affect the family's position in the court.

This is the survival wisdom of powerful families: don't put all your eggs in one basket, but someone has to check out each basket.

This is also the reason why Qingfeng Academy suddenly had more than twenty new students this time.

In previous years, there would have been at most ten or so more people.

After all, there are plenty of academies in the capital city. Besides Qingfeng Academy, there are three other top academies that are no less prestigious than Qingfeng Academy in terms of faculty and reputation.

After signing in, Yun Shengsheng and his group filed into the school.

She was used to it, and plopped down next to Yan Shijin.

Suddenly someone grabbed her neck from behind. The force wasn't great, but it came suddenly, startling her so much that she almost reflexively threw her over her shoulder.

Fortunately, the person spoke first, their voice crisp and bright: "Sheng Sheng! I've finally found you!"

It turned out to be Princess Yongjia.

She was followed by her two friends, Ms. Zhou Nan'e and Ms. Zhu Xuetong.

Yun Shengsheng also knows them.

The Great Xuan Dynasty was very lenient regarding women's education. As long as the family could afford it, girls could enter academies and take exams just like boys.

Even entering officialdom is not without precedent.

Zhou Nan'e and Zhu Xuetong were already studying at Qingfeng Academy. This year, several more female students joined, largely because the eldest grandson of the emperor was there. Each family wanted their daughter to get acquainted with the future crown prince, hoping that things might turn out well...

Yun Shengsheng was overjoyed to see Princess Yongjia and the others. The four little girls hugged each other and chattered incessantly.

Before long, Linlang and Muyu arrived. As usual, Muyu casually sat down on the stool, while Linlang politely put her book box down before sitting down.

This area was almost entirely populated by people they knew, forming a self-contained little circle.

Wei Jinlou originally wanted to come over and greet Yan Shijin to get acquainted with him. He even mentally rehearsed his opening remarks three times.

But when he took a few steps closer, he realized that the young masters and ladies had surrounded the eldest grandson of the emperor like an iron barrel, and he, a mere poor scholar, couldn't squeeze in at all.

Forcing your way in would be unreasonable, and being too deliberate would only make you seem like you have ulterior motives.

He hesitated for a few moments on the periphery, and finally could only turn around and sit down awkwardly, his fingers clenched white on his knees.

He could go over to Xiao Manzhou's place, but Xiao Manzhou was currently chatting animatedly about polo with several sons of military officers, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Everyone has their own circle, but he can't squeeze into any of them.

Before long, several teachers filed in.

The man walking at the front was dressed in a blue scholar's robe, with a refined face and composed demeanor; he was none other than Mr. Su Qing.

The students immediately fell silent and sat up straight.

Su Qing walked to the stage and stood still, her gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the students in the hall. When she saw Yun Shengsheng, her brows furrowed slightly.

Just now, when Princess Yongjia was touching her neck, she messed up her little hair bun, and the pearl flower was about to fall off. For some people with OCD, they really want to pull it off and redo her hair.

Su Qing clearly has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

He looked away, no longer looking at Yun Shengsheng.

Su Qing said a few words of encouragement to the students, her voice not loud but every word clear and easy to hear, and then introduced the teachers who would be teaching this batch of new students.

The entire admission ceremony was concise and efficient, without lengthy speeches or praise, and it ended in no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Seeing that it was still early, Mu Yu quickly came over and suggested, "I heard there's a small waterfall in the back mountain, and the scenery is beautiful. Shall we go check it out together?"

Princess Yongjia's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this: "Yes, yes, that's a good idea. It's still early, there's no point in going back."

She paused after speaking, then turned to look at Yan Shijin with a hint of caution in her eyes.

Yan Shijin is the highest-ranking person here, and no one dares to touch him if he disagrees.

Yun Shengsheng also turned her head and looked at Yan Shijin with wide, bright eyes.

Yan Shijin was stared at by her gaze for three breaths, then sighed helplessly and nodded: "Alright, go if you want to go."

The crowd cheered and excitedly thronged together as they headed towards the back of the mountain.

Wei Jinlou remained seated, watching the group of people walk out of the school gate, chatting and laughing, their figures disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

He wanted to go too.

What a wonderful opportunity and occasion! To travel and chat with the eldest grandson of the emperor is more useful than ten years of hard study.

But he didn't know Yan Shijin or any of the people around him. Going there would only be a waste of time, and he might even be seen as a sycophant trying to get close, which would only annoy people.

He gritted his teeth, but in the end, he withdrew the foot that had taken half a step, sat back down, picked up the book on the table, and opened it, but his fingers crumpled the pages.