I Just Won't Play By The Book

"Have you studied the Eight General Studies?"

The Eight General Studies was similar to the Four Books and Five Classics. They had a profound and far-reaching influence on ideology, academics, and culture. They were books that all students had to read.

However, Mu Yao was a cultivator. These cultivators were really just studying so that they knew how to read. It was for the sake of understanding those peerless martial arts and mysterious internal cultivation method. As for these classic literatures, they had no interest in them at all.

That was why Jiang Beiran asked this question.

"I've learned them. I've also read some classics, rites, and literature."

"Oh?" Jiang Beiran was a little surprised when he heard it, and he saw Mu Yao in a new light.

So, he waved at Mu Yao and said, "Come here."

At this moment, Jiang Beiran was wearing an imperial robe and sitting on the dragon throne, and this was his bedroom. With this wave of his hand, his words made Mu Yao instinctively want to raise her hand to protect her chest.

"No… No! Why should I be afraid of him! He's only in the qi refining realm. If he dares to mess around, I'll break his hand! Yes! I I'm not afraid of him!" After convincing herself in her heart, Mu Yao walked to Jiang Beiran.

Pushing the candlestick forward and illuminating Mu Yao's face with the candlelight, Jiang Beiran asked, "Why did you learn this?"

"I can learn whatever I want." Mu Yao replied.

"Oh, I see," Jiang Beiran said as he moved the candlestick back, "Then you can go back and stand properly."

"? ? ?"

Mu Yao was full of doubts. She instinctively reached out to pull the candlestick back, but she saw Jiang Beiran looking at her.

Realizing that Jiang Beiran was looking at herself, Mu Yao immediately stopped and even her body froze.

"How can he have such an imposing manner… he's… He's just like father."

Mu Yao recalled Jiang Beiran's words "If you dare to offend your superior again, I'll teach you a good lesson." She immediately retracted her hand and stood up straight.

"I… I'm not afraid of him. Hmm! I'm not afraid of him!"

Taking a deep breath, Mu Yao looked at Jiang Beiran, who had rearranged the candlestick, and said, "Your… Your Majesty, did I say something wrong?"

Jiang Beiran picked up another book and answered, "I don't like to listen to nonsense."

"I, I understand. I will answer properly next time."

However, after Mu Yao finished speaking, she realized that Jiang Beiran had already opened the book and was reading it. He didn't have any intention of continuing to ask her.

This made Mu Yao extremely anxious. She had already stood by the side for half a day. She didn't want to waste her time like this.

But facing Jiang Beiran, she didn't dare to flare up at all.

"I'm not afraid of him, I'm afraid of father!"

Once again convincing herself in her heart, Mu Yao rubbed her hands hard and said, "Your… Your Majesty, what should I do? Give me another chance."

Only then did Jiang Beiran put down the book and look at Mu Yao and said, "When you beg someone, say please."

Rubbing her hands harder, Mu Yao used all her strength to say, "Please… Please give me another chance, Your Majesty. I will answer properly this time."

Jiang Beiran nodded in satisfaction and pushed the candlestick back to Mu Yao. "Speak."

"Father taught me… he said that being a person, even if you do hundreds of good deeds, you can't change the world. Only by truly understanding the truth of the world can you save the people from suffering."

Hearing this, Jiang Beiran realized that Yin Jianghong wasn't just fooling around by forcing this silly girl into the palace. At the same time, he also understood why Yin Jianghong told him about Mu Yao's background.

"You have ideals, so you want to display your knowledge after the demonic cult takes control of the Sheng Kingdom?"

"I, I didn't think…" Halfway through her words, Mu Yao changed her words again. "Yes, that's what I think."

"Very good, then your opportunity has come early. This palace is the best place for you to display your talents."

After hearing this, Mu Yao muttered, "Father only wants me to be a female official… what talents can I display…"

After hearing this, Jiang Beiran smiled and said, "Do you know the grand chancellor with hairpin?"

Seeing Mu Yao's confused expression, Jiang Beiran shouted to the eunuch beside him, "Prepare the brush and ink."

"Yes."

The eunuch was very agile. In an instant, he placed the four treasures of the study on the table and started to grind the ink.

Jiang Beiran sniffed and said, "I don't like to use oil ink when writing. Go and exchange it for pine ink."

The eunuch was so scared that he quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "I don't know what Your Majesty likes. I deserve to die. I deserve to die."

Seeing the eunuch scared out of his wits, Jiang Beiran didn't know whether it was because he was acting very scary or because Deng Bo had left a deep psychological scar on them.

"Those who don't know aren't guilty. Just remember this. Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! I'll go get the pine ink now."

After saying that, the eunuch kowtowed and retreated.

Mu Yao looked at the eunuch and thought that serving the emperor was really a scary thing.

But when she thought about herself, although she wasn't as humble as the eunuch, she was already pitiful enough when she met the righteous sect disciples.

"Father really punished me severely this time, but I did make a huge mistake. If father hadn't come to save me, I would have definitely ruined father's great undertaking, and I would be the blame forever."

However, when she thought about that incident, Mu Yao couldn't help but think of what his father said afterward.

"Someone else saved me, but father doesn't know who that person is. But that's impossible. Even father couldn't find me at that time. Could there be someone more powerful than father in Fengzhou? Hmm… I still think father was lying to me, but why did he lie to me…"

While Mu Yao was thinking, the eunuch had already helped Jiang Beiran grind the ink again.

Rolling up his wide sleeves, Jiang Beiran dipped the brush in the ink and wrote four big words on the Xuan paper.

At the same time, Mu Yao, who had already come back to her senses, immediately looked at the paper.

"His calligraphy seems to be better than the last time…"

Looking at the word ‘hairpin' on the Xuan paper, Mu Yao could not help but sigh in her heart. The last time they went to investigate the Yellow Gang, she had seen how good Jiang Beiran's calligraphy was. Now that only half a year had passed, he had actually improved again.

Even the eunuch sucked up to Jiang Beiran, "Your Majesty, your calligraphy is really the best in the world. Those calligraphy masters and calligraphy maniacs were not comparable to Your Majesty at all."

Jiang Beiran ignored him and wrote down the words ‘grand chancellor with hairpin' in one go.

"This is the grand chancellor with hairpin that I mentioned just now. Can you understand what it means?" Jiang Beiran put the pen back on the pen rack and asked.

Mu Yao was stunned at first, then she nodded and said, "I can understand it. Where does this word come from?"

"In a book that you have never read before."

"My knowledge is shallow. May I ask who this grand chancellor with hairpin describes?"

When she saw these words, Mu Yao felt a surge of warmth in her chest for no reason. It could be said that she liked these four words very much from the bottom of her heart.

"Shangguan Wan'er, her position is the female official that you disdain of."

"Female official!?" Mu Yao exclaimed, "But I've never heard of her great name."

"There are many things that you don't know. This Shangguan Wan'er is not only the sole ruler of the imperial court, but she is also very outstanding in the literary world. If you perform well enough, I can bring you the book that records her legend."

"I will do my best."

Mu Yao blurted out. She really wanted to understand this strange woman.

"Yes, so don't look down on female officials. There are many things that the male officials cannot do, but female officials can."

After saying that, Jiang Beiran suddenly felt a little hungry, so he said to the eunuch next to him, "Do you have food?"

"Of course. Whatever Your Majesty wants to eat, I will immediately get the kitchen to make it."

"Make some red bean soup, if…"

"Bang!"

As soon as Jiang Beiran finished speaking, a crisp sound of something colliding suddenly came from the second floor, as if something was hit.

When the eunuch heard that, he shouted, "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!!!"

However, Jiang Beiran shouted, "Protect what Emperor? Go out and tell those guards not to come in."

"Yes! I deserve to die. I obey the order." Hearing Jiang Beiran's unhappy tone, the eunuch immediately scrambled out.

After all, the guards in the palace were just ordinary people. Even if the invaders came in, Mu Yao could kill them effortlessly. The imperial guards were basically useless.

Moreover, when a "Bang" was heard, Jiang Beiran used his mind power to sense it. After knowing what was going on, he did not know whether he should laugh or cry.