Chapter 14: The Appearance of the Fairy

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Dantai Jing struck three consecutive slaps, shocking everyone in the academy. No one had expected that the gentle and serene Third Miss Dantai Jing would actually resort to violence—not only did she hit Wang Ziyu, who had always been close to her, but she also slapped her fifth younger sister! This caused an uproar throughout the entire academy!

Today, Ze City was truly lively. The local magistrate’s Third Miss had become mute, aiming to marry into the capital as a noble concubine. A poor scholar who had long harbored feelings for her grew resentful. Meanwhile, the Fifth Miss had developed feelings for Wang Ziyu and boldly confessed to him. Then the Third Miss struck the Fifth Miss! What was going on? Why was everything so chaotic?

Before anyone could fully process the turmoil, an even greater commotion broke out!

The Fifth Miss, Dantai Xuan, was no stranger to hardship and could not contain her anger. She shouted loudly while forcefully pushing Third Miss Dantai Jing.

The push might have been insignificant if not for the fact that behind Third Miss stood Su Xin to support her. Because Dantai Xuan’s shove was too forceful, Dantai Jing actually tumbled down the steps!

At this moment, no one could stand idly by to watch the spectacle. A crowd rushed forward to check on Third Miss Dantai Jing. Luckily, as she fell, she grabbed tightly onto the low pine and cypress branches beside her, softening her fall. She only slipped down a few steps, but...

Seeing the sweat beads forming on Third Miss’s forehead, it was clear that this fall was no minor matter.

What no one knew was that Dantai Jing had fallen deliberately. She had struck Dantai Xuan, and if she hadn’t fallen, she would have suffered even more serious injuries. Upon returning home, it wouldn’t just be Lady Ye; even Dantai Shanchang would not spare her!

The only way to silence Lady Ye’s accusations was to show that she too bore injuries—and those injuries had to be caused by Dantai Xuan!

Dantai Jing’s gaze briefly swept over Fifth Miss Dantai Xuan’s face, signaling that all old and new grudges would be settled together. The grudge from when Xuan pushed her into the water had yet to be addressed.

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Dantai Jing’s arm was scratched by pine branches, leaving traces of blood. She forced herself to sit on the stone steps, taking a nearby twig to write in the dirt: “Young Master Wang, please maintain your dignity. Marriage is a matter decided by parents and matchmakers. Dantai Jing will not interfere. As for Young Master Wang’s feelings, please forgive me for not accepting them—I have always regarded you only as a fellow student.”

As the students in the academy gathered to inspect her injuries, before anyone could approach, they saw Dantai Jing writing on the ground. Judging by her handwriting and expression, it was clear these were her true feelings. She had never seriously considered Wang Ziyu; his feelings were mere self-delusion.

Among the students, a few had secretly admired Dantai Jing. Having overheard various rumors from the Dantai household, they had once believed she favored Wang Ziyu and had held back their own feelings. After all, her biological mother had passed away, leaving her position in the household somewhat precarious.

Moreover, they were all sons of officials and had no intention of competing with a poor scholar. It was beneath them to fight for someone like that.

Now, seeing Dantai Jing both strike Wang Ziyu and coldly reject him in writing, they were delighted. This was the true behavior of a noble lady! How could she possibly fancy a poor scholar? No matter how talented he was, it was impossible!

Wang Ziyu still wished to step forward. If today’s matter could not be resolved satisfactorily, all his previous schemes would be in vain. How could he bear it?

Yet at this moment, he was blocked by someone named Ma Yuantong, a student who was considered Wang Ziyu’s equal in the academy.

Though called equals, this was only in terms of family background. Ma Yuantong came from a humble family but had both parents alive.

In truth, Ma Yuantong was no match for Wang Ziyu. Wang Ziyu had already passed the county-level scholar exam at fourteen. Ma Yuantong, now fifteen, had yet to pass, though he had cleared the preliminary prefectural exam and was waiting to pass the provincial exam in August to become a scholar as well.

Ma Yuantong always felt somewhat out of place among the privileged sons of officials. Due to his background, he buried himself in his studies. He saw Wang Ziyu as a kindred spirit and regarded him with some respect.

At this moment, everyone was waiting to witness Wang Ziyu’s humiliation. He had been so confident in his talents and had thought Dantai Jing favored him. Now, the spectacle was about to unfold.

Though Ma Yuantong had some grievances against Wang Ziyu, he could not bear to see him become a laughingstock. As the other privileged sons mocked Wang Ziyu, Ma Yuantong stopped him and whispered, “Third Miss Dantai is already injured. You should leave for now. If this continues, no one will save face. After all, you cannot escape responsibility for this incident. Be careful not to lose both your reputation and your position. If you anger Lord Dantai, even your studies here will be over.”

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Ma Yuantong’s words pierced Wang Ziyu’s thoughts. For a moment, he felt awkward but soon accepted reality. Ma Yuantong was one of their kind. Whether he liked it or not, he needed to curry favor with some official’s daughter to gain support.

Having come to this understanding, Wang Ziyu lost some of his embarrassment. He saw the wisdom in Ma Yuantong’s words and silently stood on the sidelines.

The privileged sons, pampered and indulgent, were ill-equipped to care for Dantai Jing. They clustered around her, offering superficial concern but never addressing the real issue.

Ma Yuantong pushed the crowd aside and pointed to Su Xin, who was nearby. “Hurry and fetch a sedan chair to carry Third Miss back home for treatment.”

Only then did Su Xin realize the gravity of the situation and quickly went to find the family carriage.

Under Ma Yuantong’s direction, the situation stabilized. Everyone saw Dantai Jing quietly curled up on the stone steps, sweat dampening her stray hair, looking pitiable. They all sympathized with her—a mute girl who had been pushed down by her own sister and nearly lost her life!

The crowd’s eyes turned disdainful toward Dantai Xuan. This was just because Dantai Jing had rejected Wang Ziyu. If they had been mutual, Dantai Xuan’s actions would have been tantamount to seducing her sister’s fiancé! They had never seen such shameless behavior from an official’s daughter—no one had heard of a lady boldly confessing to a man. Dantai Xuan was the first.

Seeing the bloodstains near Dantai Jing, Dantai Xuan realized she had caused serious trouble. Remembering what she had just said to Wang Ziyu, and knowing many had overheard, her face reddened like a boiled shrimp. What could she do now?

Just as Dantai Xuan was at a loss, Sixth Miss Dantai Zhi emerged from the academy, dressed in a delicate pearl-pink robe. She had only gone to the rear hall to tidy up some writing materials, yet such chaos had erupted.

Sixth Miss Dantai Zhi glared at her twin sister Dantai Xuan with a look of exasperation. How could this sister be so thoughtless, always leaving her to clean up the mess?

Approaching the scene with a feigned look of astonishment, Sixth Miss Dantai Zhi exclaimed, “What on earth happened here?”