As soon as Mu Qing asked that question, Headmaster Qin immediately found himself at a loss for words. He coughed and stroked his beard, clearly trying to come up with some excuse to deflect, but Mu Qing gave him no such chance.
She deliberately sighed and said, “Could it be that even someone as esteemed as you, Headmaster—a scholar of great renown—would go back on his word?”
Headmaster Qin instantly refuted, “Of course not.”
Mu Qing smiled. “I knew it. A man like the Headmaster surely isn’t like those narrow-minded, pedantic old scholars. You are open-minded and magnanimous, never afraid to keep your word, nor the type to weasel out of a bet or deny a loss.”
Headmaster Qin gave a cold snort. “Naturally.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he straightened proudly. “How could this old man lose to you young brats? In any case, if those two boys don’t pass the imperial exam within a year, Qin Qin—you must obediently listen to your father and enter the palace for the selection.”
Only now, after being directly named, did Qin Qin realize her father had agreed to let her study again.
And what’s more, the bet from before seemed to still be valid—it was an unexpected delight.
She was momentarily speechless until Mu Qing gave her a light tug, prompting her to quickly nod. “Yes, Father, I understand.”
Mu Qing immediately adopted a solemn demeanor and said seriously, “As expected of the renowned Headmaster Qin—your word is your bond. Truly admirable. No wonder you were able to establish Bailu Academy, a place scholars across the land aspire to attend.”
After being flattered by Mu Qing’s words, Headmaster Qin’s pride and sense of honor were thoroughly satisfied.
Especially that last line—struck exactly the right chord. Through all the ups and downs of his life, the one thing he was most proud of in his later years was founding this academy.
Mu Qing didn’t need to say much else. Just praising the academy was enough to get him feeling a bit giddy, completely unaware that he was being played.
By the time he realized something wasn’t quite right, it was already too late.
As an elder of his status and reputation, once he had spoken, there was no going back.
Even if he was thoroughly annoyed, there was no way he could lose face and renege on his word in front of these juniors.
He once again tugged thoughtfully at his beard, only to realize he’d lost several hairs today alone just from dealing with this girl—his already meager beard was growing even thinner. It was, frankly, a considerable loss.
Still, he had to admit, though this little girl looked cheerful and radiant, she was sly and full of schemes—not ordinary at all. No wonder that noble from the capital had specifically sent a message urging him to keep an eye on her. Perhaps there were certain… intentions at play.
Thinking of the palace situation, Headmaster Qin had some idea—perhaps the noble was finally preparing to select suitable candidates for the imperial princes.
This girl may be a merchant’s daughter, but her appearance and character weren’t bad. Not quite suitable as a primary wife, perhaps, but as a secondary consort? Definitely enough.
He wondered which prince might be lucky enough to have her.
Could it be… the one she currently shared a room with?
While silently scrutinizing Mu Qing, his thoughts wandered further and further from what he actually wanted. Combined with the earlier embarrassment, he grew increasingly irritable. No longer wishing to have Mu Qing in his sight, he waved them off impatiently.
“Enough flattery. Go now. Starting tomorrow, attend your classes properly and focus on self-cultivation.”
What?
Did that mean… they were allowed to join regular classes too?
Old man, have you lost your mind from rage? Not only did you fail to regain control, but now you’re giving away benefits like a buy-one-get-one-free promotion.
Thanks, really.
Mu Qing nearly burst out laughing, but on the surface, she remained serious and respectful, nodding repeatedly. And just like that, the matter was resolved perfectly.
Since Headmaster Qin had now officially sent them off, there was no point lingering.
The two girls politely bid him farewell and left the courtyard hand in hand.
A few steps out, Qin Qin exhaled deeply as if released from shackles and said with a grin, “Sister Qing, you’re amazing. I’ve never seen my father rendered speechless like that before.”
Mu Qing offered a wry smile. “I’m not amazing. It’s just that the Headmaster cherishes you, his beloved daughter, so he gave me some face.”
Qin Qin’s smile faltered slightly at those words, and she quickly changed the subject—clearly not buying the explanation.
Mu Qing didn’t mind. After all, emotional rifts don’t form overnight. Though they seemed close as father and daughter, they clearly misunderstood each other deeply.
There was still a whole year ahead of them. Time would heal.
Anyway, since Liu Feng had already married her cousin, Qin Qin was safe—for in the original story, Qin Qin didn’t want to be a second wife and only relented after the efforts of the main wife, Mu Qing.
Now, Mu Qing wasn’t about to help Liu Feng.
And her cousin? Even less likely.
So if, over the course of the next year, she could help Qin Qin find a like-minded suitor at the academy, wouldn’t that solve everything?
Bailu Academy was basically this era’s Qingbei.
A prestigious school filled with the best students from across the nation—there were plenty of options. Faced with an entire flourishing forest, who would still be interested in a crooked tree like Liu Feng?
As for Headmaster Qin’s ideal son-in-law, Mu Qing didn’t know what kind of man he had in mind. But birds of a feather flock together—if he liked someone, that person was probably just as pedantic.
Even if he was a romantic, he’d probably be a rigid scholar—likely the type who imposed all kinds of outdated expectations on women. Poor Qin Qin’s marriage…
Maybe it was the relief of finally shaking off Liu Feng, but Mu Qing felt completely at ease. She even found herself with extra mental energy to worry about other people’s business.
Besides, Qin Qin really had grown on her—okay, okay, maybe she was just soft on pretty, kindhearted girls. If it didn’t take too much effort, why not help?
She made up her mind during the walk from Headmaster Qin’s residence to their student dorms. After bidding farewell to the still-ecstatic and totally oblivious Qin Qin, she returned to her room.
Today was “return day,” so other dorms were slowly filling up again, and the academy was getting a little noisy.
However, since Qin Qin had chosen a dorm closest to Mu Qing’s, it was also the most secluded area.
They had to walk from the liveliest part of campus to the quietest. The two of them were both striking in appearance, drawing plenty of admiring glances along the way.
But they were too engrossed in their own private chatter to notice any of it.
And so, they didn’t see the one poisonous, venomous gaze among the many admiring ones—a gaze like a snake’s, locking onto them, only to retreat silently before being noticed.
Qin Qin was too innocent to notice such things. Mu Qing, on the other hand, did sense something off. But when she subtly turned to check, all she saw were bashful or fervent young students.
Suspicious, but without clues, she left it alone for now and pulled Qin Qin back to their courtyard.
When Mu Qing saw her room’s door open, she realized someone was already inside.
No need to ask who—it could only be her husband.
Though they usually got along well, after the confusion earlier that felt suspiciously like a confession and rejection rolled into one, she suddenly felt it might be a little awkward seeing him again.
Still, aside from Qin Qin, all rooms at Bailu Academy were shared between two students. She had nowhere else to go. Avoiding him over something so trivial would be silly. So she steeled herself and went in.
The room smelled faintly of an elegant incense.
Before, Mu Qing had once asked her husband about the faint, clean scent he carried.
He had looked surprised and said he wasn’t in the habit of burning incense.
They lived together for a while after that, and she never smelled that scent again—she figured it must have been some fragrance from the wild.
Fortunately, she had a nose as sharp as a hound’s and, with nothing better to do, had tried to recreate that scent.
Her family had been in the spice and fragrance trade for decades, dating back to her grandfather, so she had some inherited skill.
During her chaotic month at the academy, she’d started fiddling with perfume formulas as a form of relaxation.
She’d managed to recreate several new blends, though they weren’t yet for sale since their Tongzhou shop hadn’t opened. Still, she had started burning one of the blends in their room.
Among all her creations, only this one was closest to the scent she remembered on him—so she kept using it. He never commented or objected.
But for him to light the incense himself?
That was unprecedented.
Given the awkward events earlier, this was definitely suspicious.
Mu Qing’s internal alarm bells rang as she stepped cautiously inside. She saw her husband sitting by the window reading a book.
When he noticed her, he didn’t say much. Just a cold, flat, “You’re back,” and resumed reading.
That polite indifference stung for some reason.
Mu Qing had no idea what to say either. She gave a dry laugh and quietly got to work preparing for class.
Normally, they’d chat endlessly—or sit in comfortable silence. But today, the quiet was suffocating. Mu Qing almost wanted to dig a hole in the floor with her toes.
Pretending calm but internally squirming, the silence lasted half an hour before she couldn’t take it anymore.
She was just thinking of how to break the ice when her fingers brushed against a sachet hidden in her sleeve.
She suddenly remembered what was inside and had a flash of inspiration.
Standing up, she pulled it out and, like offering a treasure, went over and chirped, “Husband, husband, look—what do you think of this?”
Her husband maintained his frosty indifference, but Mu Qing was persistent. She shoved the item into his hand, forcing him to look.
Reluctantly, he glanced at it—
And immediately froze.
Mu Qing thought he was touched and quickly added, “I saw it while shopping yesterday. It might not be as good as your jade, but it’s an antique… The tassel’s a bit old though. I brought some extras—see if any of these match…”
Before she could finish, he suddenly grabbed her hand.
Hard.
Mu Qing almost cried from the pain.
Just as she was about to yell at him to let go, he beat her to it, his voice cold: “Where did you get this?”
