Your Highness, your wife has had her virginity mark applied and married someone else.

The four sat around the pavilion, and while Zhou Yuansheng was still waiting to be summoned, Shen Mingshu felt extremely uncomfortable.

Lu Youyou treated her like she was invisible, occasionally showing affection to Wei Yuan and occasionally acting coquettishly with Lu Yanzhi.

Shen Mingshu was summoned by Wei Yuan, and in the end, it was Lu Yanzhi who eased her anxiety.

Wei Yuan remained indifferent to Shen Mingshu throughout, but occasionally cooperated with Lu Youyou, feeding her.

Shen Mingshu watched the doting and tender look in his eyes when he faced Lu Youyou, knowing that he was deliberately putting on a show for her. She simply lowered her head and silently drank her tea throughout the entire process.

"Supervisor!" Zhou Yuansheng's voice preceded his arrival.

He was barefoot, covered in mud, but his face showed a look of exhilaration.

She rushed in, anxiously asking, "What did you say to Prince Yan just now? Why did he suddenly leave? He even told me to come and ask you why."

Seeing that he had finally arrived, Shen Mingshu poured him a cup of tea: "I sent him home first. There are some things that the Princess needs to teach him personally."

"Tch, I thought you had some extraordinary ability to subdue him, but it was all thanks to the Princess."

Lu Youyou scoffed dismissively, "But I'm warning you, if you dare to displease the Princess, Qingyun Academy won't protect you."

Zhou Yuansheng also expressed some concern: "Will the Princess be angry that we are incompetent in educating her, and that we have only brought her trouble?"

Qingyun Academy is the best academy in the capital. If it were to be rumored to be incompetent in its education, it would certainly damage its prestige.

But Shen Mingshu felt the two were overthinking it: "Why would parents find educating their children troublesome? Shouldn't both sides feel happy?"

"As you grow up, these opportunities will only become fewer and fewer; I might not even have the chance to want them anymore."

Time is a complex yet cruel thing, and everyone will have a different perception of it.

Zhou Yuansheng and Lu Yanzhi nodded in agreement.

Wei Yuan was deeply hurt by Shen Mingshu's words, "I don't even have the chance to want to." A bitter feeling spread through him, and he suddenly regretted his actions just now. He felt even more sorry for Shen Mingshu's distress.

He tried to salvage the situation, but as soon as Zhou Yuansheng sat down, Shen Mingshu's attention was drawn back to him.

The headmaster, the supervisor, and the teacher, once they got together, suddenly had endless topics to discuss.

On the contrary, his deliberate attempt to maintain an ambiguous relationship with Lu Youyou made him seem foolish and childish.

Lu Youyou noticed that something was wrong with Wei Yuan. She gently stroked his tense hand and asked worriedly, "Brother Yuan, what's wrong?"

As soon as Lu Youyou spoke, the three of them turned their attention to her.

Meeting Shen Mingshu's gaze, Wei Yuan suddenly felt ridiculous.

He helped Lu Youyou invite Lu Yanzhi, went to great lengths to keep Shen Mingshu with him, and used every means to try to prove that she still loved him by seeing Shen Mingshu's distress.

The result proved that Shen Mingshu had truly let go of him.

Wei Yuan let out a heavy sigh, and stood up as if in resignation: "This student will not disturb the teachers' discussion of important matters any longer."

With that, he left first.

"Brother A-Yuan, wait for me!" As Wei Yuan left, Lu Youyou immediately followed.

Lu Yanzhi felt a pang of heartache and a sense of helplessness watching her follow him so heartlessly and without any moral boundaries.

Shen Mingshu saw his expression and understood perfectly.

A person's affection can be easily worn away, except for that of family.

From now on, Wei Yuan and they will be one family.

No matter what he does, he will always be more understanding than she is.

Before she needs the Lu family, no matter how sincere Lu Yanzhi's words may seem, she needs to carefully assess the situation and safeguard his friendship.

The most important point is that, in Lu Yanzhi's eyes, he is a sincere and sensible person.

……

After a day of sightseeing, everyone looked like they hadn't had enough.

Those who can enter Qingyun Academy are not incompetent; a course may tempt the playful, but it will not be difficult for everyone.

Looking at the students' heartfelt answers, Zhou Yuansheng's eyes were filled with tears of joy.

Especially the one about Yanjing.

Although he still couldn't genuinely feel compassion for the suffering of the people, he no longer treated them as enemies, but was able to sincerely address the problems arising from these social classes.

When Zhou Yuansheng brought these scrolls to share his findings with Shen Mingshu, Shen Mingshu stood at the door holding an invitation, her expression unreadable.

However, Zhou Yuansheng felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

It was as if she was holding a magic box, which, once opened, would release another person, someone unfamiliar to everyone—Shen Mingshu.

"Brother Yin?"

Zhou Yuansheng called out softly, reminding him.

Shen Mingshu snapped out of her daze, quickly concealing the coldness in her eyes, and looked up at Zhou Yuansheng.

Zhou Yuansheng's gaze lingered on the invitation in Shen Mingshu's hand, and he asked curiously, "Didn't you just come to the capital with Young Master Wei? Which friend is having a wedding?"

Zhou Yuansheng always felt that he and Shen Mingshu were kindred spirits and hit it off immediately. Now that she regarded him as a friend, he was curious and inquired about him.

Shen Mingshu didn't hide anything; she handed the invitation to Zhou Yuansheng: "Brother Zhou, are you familiar with the Shen family?"

Just as Zhou Yuansheng was about to accept the invitation, upon hearing that it was from the Shen family, he immediately withdrew his outstretched hand, as if he had almost touched something filthy, and frowned.

"How could I not know? When did Brother Yin become associated with such a family?"

Scholars are known for their integrity and cherish their reputation; to them, the Shen family is a cancer.

The kind of thing that makes people turn pale at the mere mention of it, to the point that even discussing it is considered beneath one's dignity.

Shen Mingshu chuckled softly, took back the invitation, and spoke in a calm tone.

"I happened to be present when the eldest daughter, Shen Yangjue, sent an invitation to the Wei family for the old lady of the Shen family's fiftieth birthday. Now that I've heard that I've become the abbot, I've come here to send one to her."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuansheng frowned even more deeply: "Such sycophancy is truly disgusting. Brother Yin, are you going?"

Shen Mingshu paused for two seconds, then nodded: "Since Prince Wei has shown his support, I couldn't refuse."

Even if you don't respect the monk, you should still respect the Buddha.

Since the Wei family had given them face, they couldn't very well refuse.

But Zhou Yuansheng was puzzled: "The Crown Prince Wei has never liked these kinds of banquets, so why is he making an exception for the Shen family this time?"

The martial arts champion was proficient in both literary and martial arts. Wei Ziye's existence was not only a symbol of strength, but also a role model praised by many literati.

When such a person's career stagnates, they are already considered to be a talented person who has not been given the opportunity to shine.

Now that he has finally been promoted and there's been some activity, he immediately rushed to the Shen family.

For a moment, Zhou Yuansheng's expression was complex: "Could it be that Prince Wei also has some connection with the divine physician?"

Shen Mingshu had no intention of dispelling any rumors about Wei Ziye. In fact, the thought of him always belittling himself in front of others only fueled her anger.

"I heard that Shen Fu, the second young lady of the Shen family, is recuperating in the Divine Medicine Valley and will be returning to the Shen family this time."

"You mean the Second Miss who was rumored to have had one-night stands with multiple men three years ago?" Zhou Yuansheng's eyes were filled with disbelief. "How could Prince Wei still be associating with her?"

Shen Mingshu shrugged: "Who knows? Maybe there's some private relationship between them."

Shen Mingshu practically made it clear that it was a private affair, but seeing Zhou Yuansheng's unwillingness to accept Wei Ziye's behavior, she felt a surge of satisfaction.

At this moment, Chunxue hurriedly bowed towards the courtyard gate.

"The Crown Prince of Wei."

"..."