Chapter 1 The Crowd

The main entrance of the Hundred Schools Forum was surrounded by a crowd.

This place of scholarly pursuits, usually so quiet, now resembled a bustling marketplace.

A young man in brocade robes stood proudly at the entrance, surrounded by servants, exuding an imposing aura that revealed his noble origins.

At this moment, he was scolding the receiving steward with a contemptuous look in his eyes.

"You short-sighted servants dare to refuse my request? Do you not want to stay in the imperial capital any longer?"

The steward was sweating profusely, and said with a bitter smile, "Young master, the Hundred Schools Forum does not allow carriages to enter, it is a rule established from the beginning. This humble one really has no authority to let you through. Please understand, young master, and do not make things difficult for me."

His humble plea was to no avail.

The brocade-robed young master's eyes became even more disdainful, and he sneered, "Make things difficult? Are you worthy?"

"It is your blessing that a young master of my status is speaking to you. Don't be unappreciative. If you can't make the decision, quickly call someone who can!"

"Today, my carriage must enter!"

His arrogant words were heard by Jiang Chen and the others who had just arrived, and they couldn't help but feel anger rising in their hearts.

Just as Jiang Chen was about to step forward to teach the纨绔 (wankua - good-for-nothing) youth a lesson, a pair of soft jade hands grabbed his sleeve. Immediately afterward, he heard a shy and beautiful voice, which was very pleasant.

"Your Majesty, Teacher, let Yao'er handle this matter."

"Yao'er is the supervisor of the Hundred Schools Forum, it is her duty. Please understand… In addition, such a conflict occurred because Yao'er did not do her job well. Please forgive her."

Jiang Chen turned his head and looked at Jia Yao'er's shy face, and his heart softened, "I don't blame you. Go handle it. I will support you from behind."

Hearing this, Jia Yao'er felt a warmth in her heart. She glanced at Jiang Chen with affection, and then walked towards the noisy main entrance.

Putting on a stern face, she stood in front of the steward and said in a cold voice, "Young master, I am the supervisor of the Hundred Schools Forum. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Let me inform you in advance, this place is for scholarly pursuits. If you come to seek knowledge, I will naturally welcome you. But if you want to show off your power and status, please find another place!"

"Those who do not abide by the rules are not worthy to enter!"

Jia Yao'er's expression was stern, and her eyebrows seemed to be covered with frost, making people afraid to offend her.

The reason why she was so resolute was because this brocade-robed youth had some connection with her.

Before, when she used the alias Jia Yao and participated in poetry gatherings as a man, she had met this brocade-robed youth a few times. His strange gaze had left a very bad impression on her, and she had been avoiding him ever since.

But after the Hundred Schools Forum opened and she resumed her female identity, the news spread, and this person entangled her again, guarding the door every day and harassing her for a long time.

She had just asked Jiang Chen for forgiveness, saying that she had not done her job well, because she knew that this storm was related to her, and she had taken this action out of unease.

Maintaining a cold expression, Jia Yao'er felt quite annoyed.

This annoying guy came at the wrong time, he came when His Majesty was here! What a nuisance!

What if he acts in an entangled manner later, causing His Majesty to misunderstand the relationship between us?

Thinking about it, Jia Yao'er couldn't help but clench the hand hidden in her sleeve.

But this brocade-robed young master was oblivious, putting on a self-proclaimed affectionate look and approaching, complaining, "Yao'er, why are you so cold to me today?"

"Is it because I haven't come to see you these days and you are angry with me? I can explain!"

"During this time, I have been collecting treasures outside…"

Before the brocade-robed young master could finish speaking, Jia Yao'er's face changed, and she sternly reprimanded, "Shut up!"

"A woman's boudoir name is not something that strangers can call. Young master, please respect yourself! If you talk nonsense again and ruin my reputation, I will not be polite!"

Being embarrassed in public, the brocade-robed young master's expression turned ugly for a moment, as if he wanted to get angry.

But his gloomy expression instantly dissipated when he saw Jia Yao'er's delicate face and alluring figure, and he was too captivated by her beauty to be violent.

He said obsessively, "Okay, okay, it was my fault just now. I shouldn't have offended Miss Jia. I apologize now. Calm down and don't be angry with me!"

His affectionate tone made Jia Yao'er feel disgusted.

This person is really shameless, she has refused him so many times, and he still comes to pester her!

Immediately, she said unhappily, "Young master, I have no relationship with you. Please be more respectful. Also, carriages are not allowed in front of the Hundred Schools Forum. Please remember this and do not be unreasonable!"

Hearing this, the brocade-robed young master's face instantly darkened, and he said with a grievance, "Miss Jia, I am doing all this for you. You said you liked ancient books, so I spent a lot of effort to collect them, and I even found someone to repair and maintain them!"

"That's why I drove the carriage to bring them to you as soon as I finished. My sincerity, how can you trample on it like this?"

Hearing this, Jia Yao'er completely panicked.

She clearly has no relationship with the man in front of her. It is his unilateral entanglement. But if the matter of giving gifts is confirmed, her reputation and innocence will be completely ruined!

As long as the news spreads, regardless of whether she accepts the gift or not, she will be inextricably linked to the man in front of her.

No one will care about the truth. In the eyes of those outsiders, she, Jia Yao'er, is a frivolous woman who reaches out to pursuers. Even if she rejects this man's pursuit, she will be discussed as playing hard to get and will not be taken seriously.

But the man who keeps saying that he likes her will not suffer any loss, and may even step on her reputation to gain a 'deeply affectionate' reputation and deceive the hearts of some ignorant girls.

What a shrewd and vicious calculation!

Looking at the man in front of her, whose eyes faintly revealed complacency, Jia Yao'er instantly understood that all of this was the other party's conspiracy!

The so-called carriage not being able to enter and getting angry and making trouble was just his means of attracting everyone's attention. His purpose was to distort their relationship in public and ruin her reputation!

Glaring at the man in front of her, Jia Yao'er's eyes began to turn red, and she wished she could die with him.

While the two were confronting each other, the scene quickly became chaotic. The onlookers were discussing and looking at Jia Yao'er with strange eyes, very contemptuous and disdainful.

Seeing that things were developing in the direction he expected, the brocade-robed young master became even more complacent.

He added fuel to the fire and said, "Yao'er, my sincerity towards you can be witnessed by heaven and earth!"

"Those ancient books and paintings cost me thousands of taels of gold to get. Just make an exception and let my carriage in!"

He said so, but the brocade-robed young master was very sure that Jia Yao'er would not agree.

He came from the royal family and knew that the current Emperor attached great importance to the Hundred Schools Forum. As a student of the Emperor, Jia Yao'er would not, and would not dare to, break the rules, no matter how wronged she was.

Therefore, he exaggerated his efforts unscrupulously, knowing that Jia Yao'er would not let the carriage in, giving the people present a chance to examine those paintings and calligraphy.

Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, the brocade-robed young master revealed a confident smile…