Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Beauty Is Too Cold-Hearted

Jiang Rongrong and her little clique were laughing until their faces turned red. "Master Xu actually called on her! Now we're in for a good show!"

Fu Chun'er, suddenly named, instinctively glanced to her side. Next to her happened to be a student from the 'Ren' class. Meeting her gaze, the student immediately turned away. "Don't look at me! I don't know how to solve this problem."

"Pfft—"

"Look, look, hahahaha! She's getting desperate enough to grasp at straws!"

The corner of Fu Chun'er's mouth twitched. In truth, she had merely wanted to ask if she needed to write her reasoning on paper before presenting it to the Master; after all, she had only written the problem down, as the answer had long been etched into her mind.

Fu Xiaolian noticed the blank space on Fu Chun'er's paper and a triumphant smile appeared on her face. "Master, my sister hasn't even begun her formal education yet. She doesn't know—"

Fu Chun'er couldn't be bothered to listen to her snide remarks and simply stated the answer: "The depth of the pool is one zhang and two chi, and the length of the reed is one zhang and three chi."

Fu Xiaolian froze, and Jiang Rongrong and the others showed hesitation.

"What's going on? How did she know the answer?"

"She must have guessed. This answer can't be right; the Master will expose her in a moment."

But the next instant, they saw Master Xu look pleasantly surprised. "Correct!"

A sudden uproar broke out in Zhaohui Hall. Fu Chun'er actually got it right? How could that be possible!

Master Xu noticed the crowd's skepticism. Before coming, he had heard from Scholar Chen that this student was rumored to be illiterate and uneducated, yet in reality, she not only wrote with a fine hand but could recite the entire *Great Learning* from memory. Nothing about her matched the rumors.

Unwilling to let such a pearl remain buried in the dust, Master Xu said, "Fu Chun'er, come forward and explain your reasoning to everyone."

All eyes turned back to Fu Chun'er. *That's it! If she can't explain her logic, it proves she just guessed correctly by sheer luck!*

Fu Chun'er looked up and was surprised to see kindness in Master Xu's eyes. Stunned for a moment, she said, "Square half the pool's width, subtract the square of the reed's protrusion above the water, divide by twice the protrusion, and you get the depth. Add the protrusion back, and you get the length of the reed."

Hearing her explanation so clearly, the crowd fell silent, unable to utter another word of doubt. Master Xu nodded with a smile.

Fang Juexia, who had been absent earlier due to a stomachache, had just slipped in through the back door and heard Fu Chun'er being called upon. He had been worried for her, but seeing her answer so well, he exclaimed in awe, "Our new classmate is truly remarkable!"

Jiang Rongrong happened to overhear this, and her expression darkened instantly.

She was naturally gifted; after three years at the academy, she was ready to take the examination for child scholars, a level even Fu Xiaolian might not match. Yet now, a village girl had solved a problem she couldn't. How could she accept this?

Nearby, Fu Xiaolian was also stunned. She had always prided herself on being a talented woman and had acted quite ostentatiously at Bailu Academy, causing many students to dislike her. At this moment, she clearly saw the merchant-class girls from the 'Di' class pointing and whispering about her.

Fu Xiaolian suddenly remembered telling Fu Chun'er, "You can ask me if there's anything you don't understand." Now, a problem she couldn't solve had been solved by Fu Chun'er. It was humiliating!

Master Xu kindly praised Fu Xiaolian briefly and told her to sit down. Fu Xiaolian managed to maintain a haughty expression, her eyes darting between the Master and Fu Chun'er, when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

After the lecture ended, Fu Chun'er didn't waste time and headed back to the 'Ren' class with her book bag.

Jiang Rongrong approached Fu Xiaolian and asked, "Didn't you say Fu Chun'er hadn't even begun her education? How could she solve such a difficult problem?"

Fu Xiaolian's eyelashes fluttered as she said cryptically, "That's right, I didn't lie. But... Master Xu is at Bailu Academy for the first time today, isn't he? How would he know my sister's name?"

Jiang Rongrong instantly grasped Fu Xiaolian's meaning. "...You mean they already know each other? Is Master Xu doing this to build her a reputation for future imperial examinations?"

Fu Xiaolian said vaguely, "Perhaps."

The girls with Jiang Rongrong changed their expressions. "To use such unscrupulous means for the imperial exams! No wonder she could answer such a hard question; it was all a sham!"

"Ugly and unlearned, so she has to find a shortcut. Just watch, she'll show her true colors when the county exam comes!"

"That's right! When that time comes, Rongrong will slap her face hard!"

Fang Juexia, having heard their conversation, was full of questions. *Is Fu Chun'er ugly?* Furthermore, even if Master Xu wanted to support her, why choose a math problem from the *Arithmetic Classic* that had nothing to do with the imperial exams?

When Fang Juexia posed his doubts, the air went quiet.

Fu Xiaolian didn't dare continue the conversation. Feeling a surge of unease, she gathered her books and left in a hurry. Once near the mountain gate, she took advantage of the lack of onlookers to quickly slip a note to a maid from the Fu estate.

Shortly after, a pigeon with a note tied to its leg was released, flying toward the village where Fu Chun'er had grown up.

...

When Fu Chun'er entered Bailu Academy the next day, she clearly felt that the gazes of her classmates were off. Previously, they had simply ignored her, but today there were constant whispers. When they noticed her looking over, they didn't look away, but instead stared even more brazenly, the mockery in their eyes almost palpable.

Having lived a second life, Fu Chun'er naturally didn't take such trivial behavior to heart. Compared to the nightmares she had experienced, the behavior of these students was childish. Besides, what was the point of making friends when studying was so much more interesting? She called out to the system in her mind: "What is today's study task?"

The system happily chimed in: [Starting from "Xue Er" (Learning), understand and memorize up to the third volume.]

Fu Chun'er: "..."

*The third volume?* She retracted her statement about studying being interesting.

[Then, combined with the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, consolidate everything learned over the past two days. Also, fully study ten entries each of "Dui Lei" and "Yun Shu," mastering the key points using the supplementary books "Li Weng Dui Yun" and "Sheng Lv Qi Meng." Once completed, you will earn the permission to modify single characters/words!]

Fu Chun'er: "...Wonderful."

The study load was heavy, weighing down on her like a mountain. Throughout the morning, Fu Chun'er studied diligently. She was very worried about her progress, especially with the hardest parts still ahead of her, so she utilized her lunch break as well. Fang Juexia, sitting nearby, tried to speak to her several times but never found the chance.

Jiang Rongrong and her sisters had 'accidentally' encountered others for a long time without seeing Yin Lingxiao, and they were feeling frustrated. Upon returning and seeing Fu Chun'er, their spirits lifted, and they became cheerful again.

"Look, everyone, Fu Chun'er is pretending to study again. She's so ugly that no matter how hard she tries, no one would dare marry her."

"I heard the Fu estate is sending out invitations for their third young master's birthday banquet today, and Young Master Shangguan will be there. Do you think this village girl will attend?"

"Her? Don't make me laugh. She reeks of poverty; wouldn't the Fu family be embarrassed?"

Jiang Rongrong looked smug. "Fu Xiaolian has already sent an invitation to my house. I'll tell you all about any interesting things that happen."

"Oh my, I'm so envious of you, Rongrong, getting to see both young masters!"

Although the students of Bailu Academy admired Yin Lingxiao more, the legitimate sons of high-ranking officials were all Yin-students at the Imperial Academy—nobles they rarely saw. Not to mention that both men were famous gentlemen in the capital, with top-tier family backgrounds, looks, and talent. They were all incredibly envious of Jiang Rongrong.

Fu Chun'er didn't know what they were gossiping about behind her back. Before the academy dismissed for the day, she was finally close to completing her tasks. This was all thanks to the supplementary books provided by the system, which had been a great help; they were apparently written during the Qing Dynasty.

However, come to think of it, what kind of dynasty was the Qing Dynasty?

[Congratulations to the host, progress is 80% complete. Keep working hard, keep going!]

Indeed, she had to work harder. She hadn't even finished reading the Four Books, let alone mastering a single classic. At this rate, even with three years, she wouldn't pass the government student exam or be able to write decent eight-legged essays or policy papers. Once the school was officially dismissed, Fu Chun'er grabbed her bag and walked away briskly.

Fang Juexia wanted to strike up a conversation, but seeing Fu Chun'er's spirited back disappear, his expression turned dejected.

His classmates from the 'Ren' class sympathized with him. "Brother Fang, it's been hard on you. It must be very uncomfortable sitting with her."

Fang Juexia sighed up at the sky. "Yes, it is unbearable."

The beauty was too cold; he hadn't even managed to get in half a sentence!