SLLBTT Chapter 9
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
⋇⊶⊰Chapter 9⊱⊷⋇
Liu Jiao finally realized that it was quite unreasonable for him, a carnivore, to dine at the same table with a snow sheep and a silk butterfly.
"Oh," Liu Jiao turned to Ah Ye and asked, "do we have honey and veggies?"
Ah Ye replied, "Yes, we do. I'll go get them..."
"There's no need," Leng Jiao said, "I've eaten enough. I'll take my leave."
Bai Juan also stood up and said, "Indeed, I am full as well."
Liu Jiao glanced over and noticed that they had only had a cup of tea. There was no way they could be full, right? But he didn't want to keep them anyway, so he awkwardly smiled and said, "Alright, go back and rest well. Was today's exam tough for you?"
Bai Juan and Leng Jiao both said, "Not tough, thank you for the concern, Beautiful Lady. We'll take our leave."
After saying that, Bai Juan and Leng Jiao left.
Watching them depart, Liu Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. "Socializing in the palace is so exhausting, isn't it? Can't even sit down for a proper meal!"
As Ah Ye poured tea for Liu Jiao, he said, "What's the big deal? You're in a high position, they should be the nervous ones, right?"
Liu Jiao, devoid of any sense of superiority as a "high-ranking individual," only felt that he had neglected the newcomers.
Leng Jiao, being a serene snow sheep, returned to the palace, expressing a desire to rest. His servant, Ah Mian, promptly attended to him, then he went to sleep early. As for Bai Juan, he stood before a mirror, admiring his exquisite beauty. Bai Juan's maid, Xiao Die, asked, "Is this Beautiful Lady Jiao easy to get along with?"
Bai Juan's lips twisted. "Of course not. Knowing well that we don't eat meat, he still insisted we sit there watching him feast. When we were about to leave, he sarcastically asked if our exams are tough, boasting about being admitted to the palace without an exam. Isn't that detestable?"
Xiao Die responded, "Well, there's nothing we can do. After all, he's currently in the highest position, right?"
"He entered the palace only a few days earlier than us," Bai Juan said. "Who knows who'll come out on top?"
Xiao Die asked again, "So... what's your plan to outdo him?"
"Certainly, it's to study diligently and strive for improvement every day!"
Inspired, Xiao Die said, "The sea of learning is boundless. I'm willing to embark on this journey with you!"
Bai Juan, touched by Xiao Die's loyalty, vowed, "I will definitely come in first in the final exams. I won't let down the expectations of our fellow villagers!"
Xiao Die wiped away a tear, advising Bai Juan to rest early as there was school again tomorrow.
Liu Jiao had also gone to bed early and, the next day, woke up early for school.
The teachers were highly knowledgeable individuals chosen from prestigious schools in the capital. Glancing at the classroom filled with faces like flowers and jade, a teacher thought to himself, "They all look so good, surely they won't study!"
The teacher cleared his throat and called, "Liu Jiao!"
Liu Jiao bounced up, nearly hitting the ceiling. "Here!"
The teacher asked, "Why jump so high?"
Liu Jiao stared blankly and said, "I'm most afraid of being called on in class. It scares me."
"Hmph. No manners whether sitting or standing!" the teacher criticized sternly. "I think you all need an etiquette class!"
"Yes," Liu Jiao apologized obediently, "I'm sorry."
Liu Jiao, as the highest-ranking student, was targeted by the teacher, who wanted to assert authority. Otherwise, the class might become unruly. Seeing Liu Jiao cooperate, the teacher was satisfied and quickly gave him an out, "However, it's also the nature of snow leopards."
Liu Jiao nodded blankly.
They just finished one class, but Liu Jiao already felt dizzy. Having grown up in a mountain village, he had never studied so many subjects. Listening to the lecture was like trying to decipher a foreign language. Initially, he could follow a bit, but soon he was completely lost, looking bewildered.
"So difficult..." after class, Liu Jiao rubbed his head, feeling a headache. He turned to see Bai Juan and Leng Jiao sitting behind him, so he asked, "Did you guys understand what the teacher was saying?"
Leng Jiao answered, "Somewhat."
Bai Juan smiled and said, "It's okay, isn't it? It's quite basic."
Liu Jiao's face turned green. He glanced around, seeing everyone seemed to understand the lesson, which only deepened his sense of inferiority.
"I believe Beautiful Lady Jiao finds it quite simple too, right?" the snow fox sitting beside him asked.
Liu Jiao stammered, "Uh, it's... it's alright."
After a while, the bell rang, and another teacher came in to start the next class.
After finishing a day of classes, Liu Jiao felt on the verge of collapse. As he was getting ready to leave, the class teacher walked in and mentioned they needed to memorize some passages. A palace person asked, "Do we only have classes for five days a week?"
The class teacher said, "Yes."
Upon hearing this answer, Liu Jiao's headache eased a bit. At least there were weekends off.
"Classes from Mondays to Fridays," the class teacher said, "and a little quiz on weekends."
Upon hearing this dreadful news, Liu Jiao felt like hanging himself with his tail right then and there.
While the palace consorts were diligently studying, the Snow Wolf King was also performing diligent governance tasks. Peace and tranquility pervaded within the palace walls.
The Snow Wolf King sat in his sedan chair, proceeding from his residence, to Qingque Terrace, where Queen Ming resided. Even while in the sedan chair, he didn't forget to attend to his diligent governance tasks.
Coincidentally, the snow fox and his attendants were about to pass by when they encountered the Snow Wolf King's royal carriage. They quickly paid their respects.
The AI-controlled sedan chair automatically came to a halt.
The Snow Wolf King set aside his laptop, glanced down, and said, "And you are...?"
The snow fox replied, "This humble one is named Suisui, bestowed the title of Talented Lady by the Great King."
"Ah, Talented Lady, a rank just below the Beautiful Lady," the Snow Wolf King remarked. "You seem to be doing well in your studies."
"Many thanks for your praise." Suisui was greatly moved. Indeed, knowledge could change destiny!
Suisui lifted his head and saw the Snow Wolf King towering above, majestic like a jade mountain. Suisui couldn't help but be entranced. "Great King, this humble one wonders if he is fortunate enough to receive your..."
"By the way," the Snow Wolf King interrupted what he was about to say, casually asking, "Have you finished your assignments?"
Suisui's face stiffened. "Um... in response to the Great King, not yet."
"Then you must hurry," the Snow Wolf King kindly said, "don't fall behind on your assignments."
"Suisui respectfully follows the Great King's guidance."
Nodding towards Suisui, the Snow Wolf King pressed the start button on the sedan chair, and it smoothly began moving forward.
These days, the Snow Wolf King had been burdened with numerous duties for the state, working overtime for several days. Finally having a bit of free time today, after leaving Qingque Terrace, he casually asked Hong Huli, "By the way, I don't have any state affairs scheduled for tonight, right?"
"That's correct," Hong Huli, perceptive as always, understood the ing's implication and added, "Do you plan to visit the consorts tonight?"
The Snow Wolf King nodded. "Yes, let's check in on them."
Hong Huli presented a tablet computer loaded with the "Harem Management System," allowing the Snow Wolf King to select the names he preferred.
Glancing at the options, the Snow Wolf King asked, "Why isn't the snow leopard's name here?"
Hong Huli explained, "You can check that in the system's backend."
Opening the harem system backend, the Snow Wolf King saw a line of red text: "Beautiful Lady Liu Jiao is on leave. Reason: doing homework."