Chapter 92: An Unpleasant Conversation

“Was the noise last night caused by you?”

Wu Yueling, who lived in the front mansion, was completely unaware of what had happened the previous night. She had been asleep at the time and only understood the situation after listening to the princess’s personal guards' report and Hua Chuer’s explanation in the morning.

“Chuer, you weren’t hurt, were you?”

Carefully scrutinizing Hua Chuer, dressed in a black dress, from head to toe and comparing her complexion, Wu Yueling finally confirmed that there was nothing amiss. She had intended to examine her closely but felt embarrassed and, having seen Chuer’s entire body long ago, was somewhat sensitive about it.

“My lady trusts Chuer completely. Last night, my lady’s bamboo landmine was fierce—it blew the enemy in all directions without a clue where to go!”

Hua Chuer didn’t dare tell her lady that her hand had been scratched by the opponent to avoid worrying her. In the martial world, life and death depended entirely on skill; such a minor injury was insignificant.

Wu Yueling nodded earnestly. It seemed there was no serious harm. However, hearing Chuer say all her hidden weapons had been used up still felt off. If the opponent really was as insignificant as Chuer claimed, there wouldn’t have been such a heavy expenditure. Given Chuer’s skills, she should have subdued them early on.

“Chuer, you’re lying. Were you hurt or not?”

“No!”

Staring into Chuer’s mischievous eyes for a long while, Wu Yueling sighed and took out a batch of bamboo darts she had crafted, reinforced with iron sheets. These bamboo darts were safer; even if they exploded prematurely, one needn’t worry about injury as certain safety measures had been taken.

As for the bamboo landmines, she had abandoned those unstable devices and replaced them with wooden hand grenades, laying a pile of equipment on the table.

“These are new-style bamboo landmines, now upgraded—not made of bamboo anymore but hand grenades! They still require lighting a fuse, so they’re not entirely safe to use yet. In the future, I’ll try to get the blacksmith to make an iron-plated revolver, which will be more convenient and safer for you. Even if you encounter enemies, it will be enough for self-defense!”

Hua Chuer picked up one of the hand grenades from the table. It was heavy, much heavier than the bamboo landmine, and the new bamboo darts were heavier too, probably because of the iron wrapping.

“You said the person last night was a barbarian connected to the Manichaeism cult. That explains it — he tried to contact Shao Qinglin but was stopped by you!”

“My lady, Chuer thinks it’s necessary to interrogate Shao Qinglin. Though he appears to be a teenager, he is clearly out of place among his peers!”

Wu Yueling tapped the table but didn’t answer. When teaching these children, every time she tried to instill ideas of equality, she could distinctly sense the hostility or disdain in Shao Qinglin’s eyes. Unlike the others, who accepted whatever she taught, he was different.

The silence didn’t disturb the atmosphere. How to interrogate? Arrest him? Tell him I know you are an undercover?

“If my lady finds it troublesome, Chuer can serve you and beat him until he submits!”

Sensing her lady’s hesitation, Chuer offered.

“No, I think instead of interrogating, it’s better to ask.”

After some thought, Wu Yueling ruled out arresting, beating, or torturing the boy. First, he was just a child; second, he was part of the princess’s mansion. Unless absolutely necessary, it was better to use softer methods.

“Why?”

Chuer was puzzled. Despite knowing her lady’s temperament well by now, she still didn’t understand.

“I want to talk to him face to face. Chuer, you don’t need to come.”

“But...”

“You’re worried he might hurt me? Don’t forget how that big bear died. Your lady is quite formidable!”

With a confident smile, Wu Yueling headed towards the rear mansion with Hua Chuer. Passing the main hall and crossing the playground, they saw the ground beneath the bamboo grove covered with dry bamboo leaves. Stepping carefully in cloth shoes on the decayed leaves, Wu Yueling noticed a bamboo shoot emerging from the yellow soil. Was this a winter bamboo shoot?

“Yu Chaoren, take some people to dig out some shoots. Have the kitchen make a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat! Tonight, I want to eat bamboo shoots! Once the spring equinox arrives, the vegetable garden and fields at the rear mansion can start operating. Then, those two thousand militia members can work the fields. Yes, that’s decided!”

“Yes, Princess!”

After dismissing Yu Chaoren, Wu Yueling and Chuer headed toward the dormitory building, a two-story wooden structure. Because of the wood’s sturdiness, they hadn’t built a third floor.

It was still morning; classes would begin in the afternoon. Wu Yueling tied the horse to a nearby wooden post and told Chuer to wait while she entered the building.

“Good morning, Teacher!”

“Hmm,” Wu Yueling smiled and nodded in response, continuing down the corridor. The first floor housed all the boys, while the second floor was for girls. So, all she saw were boys. Some obedient ones were writing in small notebooks in the hallway, while the unruly ones were digging in the dirt outside the wooden railing.

Looking at those kids building mud figures, she thought it was neither right to scold them nor to ignore it. After all, it was a child’s nature. She decided to turn a blind eye, realizing the task of nurturing them was arduous and long-term.

However, the mischievous children became frightened when they saw their princess teacher approaching. They quickly dropped their mud and rushed back to their desks to write.

She thought to herself that maintaining a stern image in their hearts was a good choice.

After glancing at the room numbers, she walked two more doors down to room 107. Listening to the intense cheers from within over an arm-wrestling match, it seemed Shao Qinglin had won again. She knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly.

“Princess... good morning, Teacher!”

“Good morning,” Wu Yueling greeted with a smile. She knew this boy named Yu Ping. Five boys lived in the dorm, including Shao Qinglin.

Entering the room, she saw Shao Qinglin sitting uneasily on the bunk bed. Their eyes met, and Wu Yueling sat down on a chair, silently watching his evasive gaze.

“I have something to discuss with the young master. You four should leave for a bit.”

Though unsure of the situation, the other four, each holding notebooks, obediently left.

“About last night...”

As she spoke, Shao Qinglin’s face darkened with discomfort, his expression unnatural. He hid one hand behind his back. Raising her eyebrows, fingers interlaced, Wu Yueling leaned forward slightly, maintaining her stern teacher demeanor.

“There’s no need to be nervous. We realized soon after you entered the princess’s mansion that you were different! I’m not here to expose or punish you today.”

She paused, cleared her throat, and continued.

“How do you find living here? With so many peers around, it should be quite nice, right?”

Shao Qinglin remained silent and guarded. He had been knocked unconscious last night, and the fox’s cry he heard was a signal from the cult leader.

“I know you have many questions. The one who knocked you out was Hua Chuer, and as for that barbarian, we injured him!”

“What?!”

Seeing his reaction, Wu Yueling grew cautious. Who knew if this eleven-year-old boy might act unpredictably?

Gathering her thoughts, she spoke casually.

“Don’t worry, he escaped. Think about it. I’m telling you this not to make you leak information but to show you that you’re sensible and more mature than the other children. Ask yourself honestly: if you continue to stay in the princess’s mansion, maybe you can arm-wrestle and be brothers with them! I’ll give you plenty of time to consider. If Manichaeism isn’t worth staying for, then stay here. At least I can promise you equality here!”

Having said her piece, Wu Yueling left. The first conversation wasn’t exactly pleasant, but she had extended an olive branch. How he chose to respond or act was his decision.