Chapter 118: One Night Passes
When Wei Jiao opened his eyes again, the carriage was entering the Captain’s Mansion.
“Did we wake the Captain?”
An Embroidered Uniform Guard outside the carriage asked somewhat nervously.
Wei Jiao had been unable to sleep earlier, so he had the carriage pulled around the street, trying to see if he could fall asleep.
But after several days, he still could not.
However, tonight after leaving Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, the Captain really fell asleep.
He had finally fallen asleep with difficulty, and if he woke up from the jolting at the gate, the Embroidered Uniform Guard felt very guilty.
Hearing the question, Wei Jiao said nothing and jumped directly down from the carriage.
“Have the imperial physicians come see me at dawn,” he said, heading straight inside.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard acknowledged, slightly relieved; the Captain’s posture as he dismounted was much more spirited, not like the ethereal, neither human nor ghost state from before.
Last night he slept very well, not only in the carriage; earlier at Duke Ding’an’s Mansion he had also slept.
Wei Jiao stood before the bath pool; the sky was not yet bright, and without lighting a lamp, the lingering night darkness was like water, blending with the rising steam from the pool.
It was not the first time falling asleep at Duke Ding’an’s Mansion.
But this time was somewhat different from before.
He had not dreamed.
Ever since falling ill in Qin’an City, he had been unable to sleep day or night because closing his eyes would bring dreams, chaotic and endless.
In dreams he suspected they were real, and in reality he suspected he was dreaming; he could only force himself not to sleep.
The night he entered Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, though he still dreamed, perhaps because it was a familiar place with lingering familiar scents from the past, he had managed a good sleep.
Last night, it seemed like a very terrifying dream, but also like a very reassuring one.
Moreover, when he woke up, he surprisingly could not remember what he had dreamed.
The imperial physicians had said normal people were like this, not remembering every event that happened, and dreams especially were forgotten upon waking.
Had he become a normal person? Impossible. Wei Jiao let out a scoff, undoing his nightclothes and looking at the back of his hand and arm.
There were fresh wounds.
Originally these days he had stopped self-harming, so there was no need to bind his hands and feet.
New wounds meant he had another episode last night.
Wei Jiao frowned.
After that dog thing was exposed by one sentence from him, it started rambling nonsense, which he ignored before falling asleep.
When he woke up, he saw that dog thing curled up in the corner of the courtyard, also asleep.
If he had an episode, how could that dog thing sleep so soundly without perceiving it?
He must have perceived it but didn’t dare come forward.
Or perhaps this episode was short.
Wei Jiao looked at his hands and arms; there were plenty of tear and bite marks…
After leaving Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, he returned to the carriage and slept a little more with its rocking.
That bit of sleep in the carriage still had no dreams.
Could it be that the medicine from those stupid imperial physicians finally worked this time?
He stopped thinking about it; whatever.
Wei Jiao shed his clothes and stepped into the bath pool; the water submerged his body, and the fresh wounds on his arms and hands stung, his neck also transmitting pain…
Wei Jiao abruptly stood up from the water, wanting to turn his head to look at the back of his neck, but helplessly his gaze was obstructed; he needed a mirror, but remembering he didn’t want to see his own face, there were no bronze mirrors in the place.
Wei Jiao extended his hand to touch the back of his neck, soon feeling bite marks with his fingertips.
Tooth bite marks.
These were not his bites; besides the position being unreachable for him, the wound marks were also different from his habits.
This mark had no tearing, just biting down and holding still, ruthlessly into the flesh.
So the wound was not large, but more painful.
Who?
Who dared to bite him?!
……
…….
“A Luo, wake up.”
The sky was fully bright, and with the noise outside the carriage, the National Academy had arrived; Mo Zheng was also pushed awake by Liu Chan.
Mo Zheng sat up straight and saw Yang Hui’s disdainful face nearby.
“A Luo was studying late into the night,” Liu Chan first rolled her eyes at Yang Hui, then looked at Mo Zheng and instructed, “But you can’t sleep in class; the exam is coming up soon, and missing the instructor’s key points would be a great loss.”
Mo Zheng nodded: “I know, I’m not that sleepy; I’m seizing the time to rest and gather strength.”
Liu Chan smiled: “A Luo, you’ll definitely be fine.”
Mo Zheng reached out to smooth her furrowed brows: “You’ve loved learning since childhood; you’ll be fine too.”
Now they were admiring each other like heroes; Yang Hui sneered beside them. This exam was precisely to kick you few out; enjoy your happiness for two more days. She flung the carriage curtain and jumped down.
Mo Zheng followed closely, then after dismounting reached out to help Liu Chan.
Liu Chan held her arm and jumped down, seeing Mo Zheng grimace…
“What’s wrong?” Liu Chan asked hurriedly.
Mo Zheng shook her arm, a bit embarrassed: “I was just sleeping with it as a pillow in the carriage; it’s numb.”
Liu Chan pursed her lips in a smile and reached out to massage it for her.
Mo Zheng hurriedly pushed her forward: “I can do it myself, I can do it myself.”
Liu Chan didn’t insist and walked forward; Mo Zheng behind her rubbed her own arm and grimaced again.
That dog thing Wei Jiao bit really viciously.
Almost tore off a chunk of her flesh.
Next time he goes mad, she wouldn’t care; let him bite himself to death.
……
…….
However, after this time, Wei Jiao did not come again at night.
After two days of good sleep, the end-of-month exam arrived.
To show solemnity, the exam venue was set in the main hall used for grand lectures; a dozen women scattered within appeared very small, and the exam atmosphere was even more solemn.
Wang Zaitian also came personally, standing at the forefront with a solemn expression.
“Everyone has come to the National Academy for various reasons, which I all know in my heart.”
“But since you’ve come, you must have a desire to learn.”
He looked at everyone in the hall and smiled faintly again.
“So please everyone boldly give it a try, and enter the gate of sage learning together with me.”
Princess Pingcheng thought, the Libationer knew she had a true desire to learn, so she would give it her all.
She picked up her brush and lowered her head to look at the exam paper.
Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong exchanged a glance, thinking this old man was warning them: if not qualified, they would be labeled as lacking desire to learn and kicked out, which would be disastrous before Father Emperor.
The two gritted their teeth and picked up their brushes.
Yang Hui thought this old man spoke quite frighteningly, but actually without knowing the inside story, he was in charge of the exam, the Emperor after; besides, once the Emperor told him the three cheated into the National Academy, his proclaimed sage learning would also lose face.
She casually picked up her brush and subconsciously glanced at Yang Luo beside her.
Yang Luo was already writing calligraphy.
What the Libationer said, what others thought, Yang Luo didn’t care; if told to take the exam, she answered; if passed, good; if not, then deal with it.
This time she was not alone; A Sheng was helping beside her.
She glanced to the other side and saw A Sheng not picking up her brush, but studying the exam paper.
Since she had come, she should boldly give it a try.
Mo Zheng felt like laughing; this Mister was pointing at her.
He said he knew everyone’s thoughts for coming to the National Academy.
He knew her real identity, and knew she changed identity not truly to read books.
Despite that, he still extended the invitation.
Since she had come, please enter the gate of sage learning together.
She had been fleeing for her life since birth; with such identity she dared to live, so did she not dare to go all out on one exam?
Moreover, he wasn’t afraid and dared to invite her; did she not even dare to respond?
Mo Zheng set down the exam paper, lowered her eyes, and picked up her brush.
Another month ended; thank you everyone for following along.
