CHAPTER 122: CHAPTER 122: THE QIN FAMILY’S CHILD

When Wei Sui sat there, he looked as if he had no bones, making it hard to tell his height. But when he stood up, it made Tang Xiaobai raise her head and look up at him.

He put his hands on his hips, looked down with a domineering gaze: "Trying to fight me for the seat? Who isn’t from the Duke Mansion?"

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback: "And then?"

This was a question, with the main intention of amicably negotiating an exchange of seats.

However, as soon as she spoke, the little ancestor behind her took a step forward, and a tense atmosphere swiftly spread around them.

Tang Xiaobai felt a tingling in her scalp.

What’s going on? She didn’t plan to start a fight on the first day of school! Would she be expelled?

But would pulling the little ancestor back be too humiliating? How would she face her sister if she messed up the Duke Yan Mansion’s reputation?

As Tang Xiaobai evaluated the situation between being expelled and reporting back to her sister, she suddenly heard Wei Sui snort another "Hey," as he moved out from behind the seat: "Then I’ll let you have it? Can I really fight a little girl for it?"

With that said, he swaggered towards the front row’s center seat.

After sitting down, he noticed Tang Xiaobai staring blankly at him, then tilted his head and winked at her.

Tang Xiaobai burst out laughing and ran forward to bow to Wei Sui: "Thank you, Brother Wei, for your concession!"

Wei Sui chuckled and said: "Call me brother, from now on I’ll look out for you—"

...

Tang Xiaobai didn’t actually call him that.

Calling someone without a blood relation "brother" felt too flirty.

Even though she was still young, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

However, Wei Sui left a good impression on her, and even after school, she talked to the little ancestor about Wei Sui: "... We hadn’t interacted much before, I didn’t expect him to be quite endearing—"

"Unprovoked acts of kindness, either a traitor or a thief!" Li Mu replied coldly.

Tang Xiaobai coughed twice and said: "Don’t be so tense, this is the academy, we’re here to study."

Li Mu remained indifferent: "Second Miss might be here to study, but others might not be."

He had Zhang Yin and Lin Xujiji establish Huntian Academy, partly to attract talent, but he didn’t expect to gain much yet.

The current task of Huntian Academy was to support the upcoming plan and to survive the impending storm.

This batch of students was a mixed bag, and truly coming to study may only be Second Miss Tang and Cheng Zi.

Tang Xiaobai pondered over his words and asked in a low voice, "Do you mean... some are here to make trouble?"

Li Mu glanced at the person approaching and said quietly, "In any case, don’t trust easily."

Tang Xiaobai followed his gaze and felt a sudden thump in her heart.

But seeing the person ahead walking directly towards her, she had no choice but to brace herself and meet them.

Both stopped simultaneously five steps apart.

For convenience, Tang Xiaobai wore men’s clothes to school, so she clasped her hands and bowed: "Greetings, Prince Jin!"

She wasn’t sure if she seemed calm enough, but inside she was extremely nervous.

Prince Jin Li Shu wouldn’t come to study here, and he had little interaction with the few instructors at the academy, so why was he here?

Last time he was staring at her asking about Ah Xiao, could it be that he’s here for Ah Xiao?

"Is this Ah Xiao?" Li Shu asked, indeed towards the young man behind Tang Xiaobai.

Tang Xiaobai could only nod: "Yes." She turned to the little ancestor to greet him, secretly signaling with her eyes.

Stay calm!

Thankfully, the little ancestor was exceptional and seemed calmer than she expected when stepping forward to greet.

Li Shu stood with his hands behind his back, looking deeply at this young man.

It was long said that there was a handsome young man beside the Second Miss of the Tang Family, and today was his first time seeing him.

Indeed, he was handsome.

His eyes like ink dots, lips like painted vermillion, the green jade mask contrasted with his white jade-like skin, more exquisite than most young women.

"How old?" Li Shu asked indifferently.

Tang Xiaobai quickly replied: "He’s fourteen!"

Almost turning fourteen in three months, close enough!

Though she wasn’t sure what Li Shu had discerned, in personal information, as much as possible, she wanted to distinguish between the little ancestor and Qin Xiao!

Li Mu couldn’t help glancing at her, his heart secretly delighted.

Second Miss was covering for his identity again...

He wasn’t actually worried about Li Shu recognizing him.

Every time he saw Li Shu at the Crown Prince’s Mansion, he was lying sick. Li Shu had no clue about his build.

This year, he happened to have grown in age, and his voice had changed significantly, making it very different from before.

As for looks, firstly covered by a mask, secondly with slight cosmetic adjustments, given how few times Li Shu had seen him, even if he felt familiar, he wouldn’t suspect him.

If it were Second Miss, maybe...

"Which Xiao?" Li Shu asked again.

Tang Xiaobai choked a bit, regretting why she named the little ancestor with his original name.

"The Xiao from Yuanxiao," Li Mu answered himself, "Second Miss picked the name."

Li Shu frowned slightly and glanced at the young Miss Tang.

The young Miss Tang nodded like a chicken pecking rice, saying: "I picked it, my sister gave me two options, one Ah Yuan, one Ah Xiao, I like eating Yuanxiao." She then giggled bashfully, revealing two dimples, very charming.

Li Shu also smiled and further asked: "Original surname?"

"Originally Mu," the bashful young lady still answered, "now he follows my family name Tang!"

Li Shu lazily responded "Oh" and seeing Gu Hui and Zhu Qi heading over, he stopped questioning.

He didn’t want to alert the enemy.

Age fourteen, not much different from thirteen;

surname Mu, possibly due to a hidden identity;

his mother was legendary for her beauty, having such looks was proper—

Everything matched up, it seemed Zhao Jing hadn’t lied to him.

The orphan of the Qin Family was indeed in the Duke Yan Mansion!

...

"Prince Jin might be looking for the orphan of the Qin Family!" Li Mu said.

When Li Shu asked "which Xiao," he realized it.

"Qin Family? Which Qin Family?" Li Xingyuan didn’t immediately respond.

But being glanced at by Li Mu, he recalled: "The former Crown Prince’s Tutor’s family? They still have living descendants? Weren’t they all executed?"

It’s no wonder he didn’t know, as when the Qin Family fell he was still young, and no one mentioned it to him since.

"When the Qin Family was convicted, Vice Minister Qin had a daughter convalescing in Suzhou, later reported deceased; another son, only five years old, was escorted by loyal servants to escape, whereabouts unknown."

"So Prince Jin suspects Your Highness is that child of the Qin Family?"

Li Mu nodded: "The orphan of the Qin Family is the same age as me, and happens to be named Qin Xiao."

Upon saying this, he suddenly felt something was off.

"It can’t be that he suspects just because of a name, Prince Jin must have some clue," Li Xingyuan suddenly displayed a peculiar expression, "Could it be Zhao Jing again? That guy knows plenty of secrets!"

Li Mu shook his head: "Zhao Jing has spent few years in the capital, likely knows little about the Qin Family, maybe it’s something Prince Jin noticed himself."

"What did he notice?" Li Xingyuan’s interest was piqued, "Could it be... the Qin Family’s child really is at the Duke Yan Mansion?"