The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1290 - 1290 627 The Second Watch

Chapter 1290: 627 The Second Watch Chapter 1290: 627 The Second Watch Gu Jiao was dozing off, unaware of what the master was lecturing about.

She made a signal to Zhong Ding, who silently opened his own book, subtly pointing at the annotations he’d written.

Gu Jiao’s mouth twitched, brother, your annotations are in Zhao Country script…

In the end, Gu Jiao couldn’t give the right answer and was punished by the master to copy the lesson text fifty times.

Gu Jiao clenched her teeth and sat down.

Great.

Everything’s going against me.

However, what was even more vexing was that after class, Gu Jiao was summoned to the master’s chamber at Mingxin Hall and received a demerit from the Academy.

Gu Jiaojiao’s body froze: “Why a demerit?”

Master Jiang of the Mingxin Hall declared, “All students of the Academy are prohibited from entering pleasure districts; otherwise, they shall receive a demerit!”

Gu Jiao: “…”

Tianqiong Academy had its own Dining Hall where Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun would eat at noon.

The cost for meals was included in the tuition Silver, no extra fee required.

“Sister!” Gu Xiaoshun came bounding up to the entrance of Mingxin Hall.

Gu Jiao put aside her displeasure at the demerit and looked towards Xiaoshun, “How did your class go today?”

Xiaoshun said, “Not bad.”

Gu Jiao asked, “Did you doze off?”

“Cough, yes.” Isn’t dozing off a part of every lesson?

Gu Jiao paused, “You weren’t called out by the master, were you?”

Gu Xiaoshun quickly shook his head: “That, no.”

So, the same act of dozing off, yet why was she the only one caught by the master?

It was all because of Mu Qingchen.

She knew he wouldn’t let her off so easily—that night she took him hostage was an everlasting shame to him as Young Master Qingchen, and he was determined to regain face.

Gu Jiao looked indifferently at Mu Qingchen’s receding figure, squinting slightly.

“Sis, why do you keep staring at him?” Xiaoshun noticed Gu Jiao’s gaze.

Gu Jiao withdrew her eyes: “It’s nothing, he’s good-looking. Let’s go, it’s time to eat.”

“Oh.” The mention of food energized Xiaoshun, who then leaned closer to Gu Jiao and whispered, “But sis, how can you find another man good-looking? Brother-in-law will be jealous.”

Wasn’t that just a casual comment? You’re the one who kept asking.

Fortunately, Xiaoshun was more interested in food and quickly stopped caring about that, “We’ve paid so much Silver; I wonder if the food in the Dining Hall is good.”

The two arrived at the Dining Hall, where Mu Qingchen was present as well. Everyone in the Dining Hall was looking at him, yet he emitted such an unapproachable aura that nobody dared to bother him.

“Qingchen!”

From the second floor, a young scholar waved to Mu Qingchen.

Mu Qingchen glanced at the person, then stepped up the stairs.

Lunch consisted of Steamed Buns and a combination of three dishes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, served to satisfaction. You could eat as much as you wanted, with additional helpings available if needed.

The first floor was crowded and noisy, whereas the second floor seemed more tranquil. Gu Jiao decided to take Xiaoshun upstairs, but as soon as they reached the staircase, they were blocked by a man with a square face and his entourage.

The square-faced man, having been snubbed by Mu Qingchen but not daring to take it out on him, decided to vent his anger on Gu Jiao instead: “Xiao Liulang, where are you going?”

“He’s trying to go up and find Young Master Qingchen!” said another with triangular eyes, laughing.

The square-faced man crossed his arms, pointing his thumbs upstairs arrogantly, “That’s not a place for people from lower countries like you.”

Zhong Ding, seeing Gu Jiao being stopped at the staircase from a distance, hurriedly put down his work and came over. He pulled Gu Jiao by the arm to turn around, whispering, “Upstairs isn’t meant for us common students.”

Only heirs of noble families like Mu Qingchen were entitled to go there.

Gu Xiaoshun murmured, “What kind of Academy is this, with so many rules?”

Gu Jiao simply sought a quiet place, not lusting after the food upstairs. If it was off-limits, so be it.

“Xiaoshun, let’s go,” Gu Jiao said.

“Eh!”

Xiaoshun quickly followed.

The square-faced man and his companions were dumbfounded.

The triangular-eyed man pointed at Gu Jiao’s retreating figure: “Wait, she… she just walked away like that?”

Shouldn’t we have traded a few barbs? So what if we come from a lower country? Does your Academy still practice discrimination? Can you even go upstairs? If you can’t, why puff yourselves up?

Not even a quarrel could be stirred?

The triangular-eyed man puzzledly said, “Did she just not take us seriously at all?”

Gu Jiao found a peaceful corner to have a meal with Xiaoshun.

Xiaoshun loved meat, so Gu Jiao gave him all of the Braised Pork from her bowl.

Though you’re supposed to be fully fed, a delicacy like Braised Pork was limited to one spoonful per person.

Gu Xiaoshun: “Sister, you eat it.”

Gu Jiao replied, “You have it, I can’t finish it all.”

In a private room on the second floor, a handsome young man with a white band across his forehead smiled at Mu Qingchen sitting across from him, “What wind has blown you here? In the past, when I asked you to come for classes, you wouldn’t show up, but now you’ve been here two days in a row, even coming to the Dining Hall for meals. Am I seeing things?”

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