Volume One, Chapter 17: A Series of Twists and Turns

The girl still wore a loose, simple green robe, her face veiled, revealing only a pair of eyes shimmering like rippling water, as she approached step by step.

Yin Lingxiao hesitated, his gaze flickering briefly. Just as he was about to greet her, Fu Chun’er halted and stood before the headmaster.

Yin Lingxiao: “...”

Headmaster Chen Lun stroked his beard, his expression grave as he looked at Fu Chun’er. He tapped the letter in his hand. “Speak. What is going on here?”

Fu Chun’er had already spotted Yin Lingxiao out of the corner of her eye. She lowered her gaze slightly, took the letter, and pretended to examine it carefully before respectfully bowing to the headmaster. “Headmaster, the student has been wrongfully accused. There is something wrong with these two letters.”

Yin Lingxiao glanced at her, thinking: She’s clever enough. If she can just point out the flaw next, her innocence will be restored.

But in the next moment, Fu Chun’er raised her head with a blank expression and said, “But I’m not good with words; I don’t know how to prove my innocence...”

Mocking laughter erupted around them.

Jiang Rongrong stepped forward. “Fu Chun’er, are you saying I slandered you? Take a good look—do these envelopes bear the seals of Qian’an County and the Qingshan Academy? If you still deny it, we’ll report this to the authorities and summon witnesses from your hometown. Let’s see how you’ll twist the truth then!”

Fu Chun’er’s ancestral home was in Qian’an. Previously, she and Mei Niang lived in a village under Qian’an County’s jurisdiction. The Qingshan Academy was where the incident had occurred.

Fu Chun’er clenched the two sheets of paper and sighed. “Very well, then report it...”

Jiang Rongrong, unaware of the truth, dismissed it as a bluff and lifted her chin defiantly.

Hidden in the shadows, Fu Xiaolian couldn’t stand it any longer. Seeing Fu Chun’er about to agree to report the matter, she squeezed through the crowd and spoke with righteous indignation, “What are you doing? Don’t bully my sister!”

Everyone turned to look.

Jiang Rongrong stepped forward leisurely. “Xiaolian, no one here is bullying your sister. You should first understand the whole story.”

Fu Chun’er looked coldly at Fu Xiaolian, who first feigned confusion, then covered her mouth in surprise, finally turning back in disbelief. “Sister, is this really true?”

Fu Chun’er watched her quietly.

In her previous life, the same situation had happened once before, and at that time, Fu Chun’er believed in her acting skills completely, entrusting everything to her, nearly falling into a trap.

Before Fu Chun’er could respond, Fu Xiaolian quickly grasped her hand and earnestly said, “Sister, no matter what, you can’t report this to the authorities. Otherwise, the Fu family’s reputation will be ruined because of you! Don’t worry, I’ll plead with the headmaster to keep you here. No matter what, you will stay!”

Fu Xiaolian thought with satisfaction: Indeed, she would help Fu Chun’er remain at the academy, and then every day she would watch her be despised by all the students, living in constant fear!

Beneath her veil, Fu Chun’er’s lips curled into a cold smile. She grasped Fu Xiaolian’s hand firmly and said slowly, “If so, then please, sister, tell us the ‘truth.’”

Fu Xiaolian noticed nothing unusual and nodded solemnly. Facing the crowd, she declared, “Everyone, listen to me! My sister is innocent!”

The students heard her assurance of Fu Chun’er’s innocence but assumed she was merely covering for family honor with empty words, and all harbored a simmering anger.

Yin Lingxiao frowned. Unlike the others, he detected flaws in Fu Xiaolian’s words. Just as he was about to step forward, Fu Xiaolian confidently continued:

“You all have truly misunderstood my sister. Look at these two letters—the envelopes are old and yellowed, but the paper inside is brand new. Clearly, someone put new wine in old bottles, deliberately framing my sister!”

But the moment she finished speaking, Fu Xiaolian’s face changed dramatically. How had she just spoken the truth!?

The crowd found some merit in her argument. Some students showed signs of wavering, though others remained skeptical. “Qian’an is poor; it’s not unusual for envelopes to be stored for years. The key is to examine the contents of the letters!”

Jiang Rongrong stepped forward, displeased. “I know you want to help your sister fabricate evidence, but look closely—the handwriting in this poem is clearly Fu Chun’er’s. How can the handwriting be fake?”

Hearing the doubts, Fu Xiaolian breathed a sigh of relief. All she needed now was to continue slandering Fu Chun’er along the same lines and she could turn the situation around.

Clearing her throat, Fu Xiaolian said, “Ahem, listen to me. Of course the handwriting is fake! Someone deliberately imitated my sister’s handwriting to frame her!”

Fu Xiaolian’s eyes widened... Damn it, what’s going on?

“Just because you say it’s fake doesn’t make it so!”

“Yeah, is handwriting that easy to imitate?”

“Disgusting. To clear your family’s name, you’ll say anything.”

Fu Xiaolian panicked silently: No, she didn’t mean to clear Fu Chun’er’s name! She really wanted to ruin her!

But the words that came out were, “If someone stole my sister’s brushes and ink in advance, then had someone purposely imitate her handwriting, wouldn’t that explain it?”

To convince everyone, Fu Xiaolian even took out two yellowed sheets from her bosom. “Look, this is my sister’s real handwriting!”

The headmaster took them and unfolded both letters. Comparing the two, he nodded. “Indeed, this paper is as old as the envelopes. They must be from the same set.”

The crowd gathered around to examine. After a moment, they all noticed something odd.

“The poems are the same, but the handwriting is completely different. The older one looks like it was written by a child.”

“Look, this paper is at least seven or eight years old. If it was truly written by Fu Chun’er, it would have been when she was very young.”

“Also, the contents of these two ‘warning letters’ differ!”

“Yes, the newer one is harsh and scornful, while the older one encourages talent and study. Though only a few lines differ, the tone is entirely distinct.”

Everyone turned to Fu Xiaolian, eager for further explanation, only to see her face pale as death.

Fu Xiaolian stood dazed, cold sweat suddenly breaking out. What had she done? She... had she gone mad?

She had meant to frame Fu Chun’er, yet she had laid bare the truth!

A surge of panic rose in her chest as she quickly recalled everything she had said, then, with a spark of joy, realized she hadn’t revealed who was behind it all!

As long as she kept silent, who would suspect her?

Moreover, she could earn a reputation for being brave and kind by protecting her elder sister and presenting crucial evidence.

Feeling completely relieved, Fu Xiaolian smiled once more.

At that moment, Fu Heng and Shangguan Hao arrived at the academy.

They stood behind the crowd, just in time to hear Fu Xiaolian’s confident words.

“Zicheng, it seems we don’t need to intervene in this matter,” Shangguan Hao said with a smile.

Fu Heng looked at Fu Xiaolian with a complicated expression. In his dream, her ungrateful demeanor was vivid; she had mocked her elder sister repeatedly when she was in trouble. Yet now, she clearly was not that kind of person.

Could it be that the so-called prophetic dream... was false?

He... had misunderstood Sister Xiaolian.