There is no father and son in heaven.
Mu Lin finally understood that only mother's love is priceless.
Although she had to give up a lot, Mu Lin still agreed because she needed power. In exchange, the skinny and weak Tan Yixi moved into Qinghan Palace and was taken care of by Princess Jingxuan herself.
Mu Lin's life became more fulfilling than ever before. In addition to the Prince's tutor Song Yuan, she had more than a dozen teachers, and even Emperor Ming taught her by example for one or two hours every day.
The total time for sleeping and eating was no more than four hours a day. He was just beginning to learn the six arts of a gentleman, and had various courses to attend. He had endless policy papers to write, and even had to stand in the court in men's clothes and watch the game between his father and the courtiers, and between the courtiers themselves.
Mu Lin would occasionally be distracted. If she were an ordinary six-year-old child, could she do this? No.
In the fifth year of Xihe, Princess Jingxuan had a long talk with the emperor behind closed doors for half a day, and the emperor allowed her to go to Baihu Academy to study.
Baihu Academy is located in Bailuzhou, the center of the continent, which is recognized as one of the cultural centers of the continent. As a neutral state tacitly recognized by all countries, Bailuzhou does not belong to any country and is not affected by war.
Although Bailuzhou is only a small state, it is more famous than some small countries. It is said that countless talented hermits lived in seclusion here.
An official passed by here and met an ordinary farmer while taking a rest. After chatting for a while, he was surprised to find that the farmer was actually a master of agronomy. What's more, a prince who once went to Baihu Academy to study was amazed that any of the teachers in the academy were either geniuses or famous literary scholars.
Emperor Ming agreed to let Mu Lin go to school, and he also considered these benefits. He can still hold on for a few more years, why not let Lin'er go to Baihu Academy to gain some experience and see how big the world is at her feet
After all, it will be difficult to have this opportunity in the future.
Mu Lin did not go to school as Princess Jingxuan Tan Yining, but borrowed the identity of the second son of Emperor Ming's cousin, Prince Yan. Prince Yan has been highly valued in recent years, and this identity is neither high nor low, which is just right for her to disguise herself as a man and travel low-key.
After more than half a month of travel, the carriage finally arrived at Baihu Academy on the west bank of the Nanxiang River and at the foot of Baihu Mountain.
Mu Lin got off the carriage with the help of his servant Hui Xiang. The recommendation letter arrived at Baihu Academy earlier than them, and Gu Yao, one of the three deans, was waiting for them at the door.
Gu Yao is about forty years old, with a broad face and square mouth, wearing a tall hat and a wide belt. He is elegant and calm, and looks like a dignified yet tactful Confucian scholar.
Mu Lin lowered his voice and bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Greetings to Dean Gu. I am Tan Yizhen, a student who has come to report to Baihu Academy. Thank you for your help."
Gu Yao looked at Mu Lin calmly.
The eight-year-old girl tied her hair and changed her clothes. She behaved properly and it was hard to tell whether she was a man or a woman. With the ID card of Tan Yizhen presented by Jingsheng, her delicate appearance did not arouse suspicion.
Mu Lin had his own considerations for dressing in men's clothing.
After all, she was not an ordinary princess. The female students in Baihu Academy mostly learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework and cooking, which went against her original intention of traveling thousands of miles to study.
Gu Yao twisted his beard and nodded:
"Okay, follow me."
The rules of Baihu Academy were very strict, and outsiders were not allowed to enter. No matter their status, the students who came to report, even the crown prince or princess of the empire, could only bring a book boy or a maid.
Mu Lin would not make an exception, she only brought a twelve-year-old bookboy. In order to reduce the risk of exposure, she chose the young boy Fennel. On weekdays, he only helped her get some paper, pens and books, ran errands, and did some rough work, but he did not serve her closely.
The bag he brought was also very simple, containing only some change, two books and a few sets of clothes, which Fennel carried easily on his back.
Gu Yao nodded secretly, and was very satisfied with the attitude of this noble young man towards studying. You know, he hated those spoiled children who had countless servants, luggage that could not fit in more than a dozen carriages, and would cry, make a fuss, or even hang themselves if they were slightly scolded. Such people should not even think about entering the gate of their Baihu Academy.
Along the way, Mu Lin couldn't help but admire in his heart. Baihu Academy is indeed a holy place in the hearts of students all over the world. After three hundred years, the music and learning have continued.
The ancient traditional academy buildings look seamless from a distance and are pleasing to the eye when viewed up close. Every brick, tile, stele, stone, courtyard, and building are imbued with a simple and heavy style.
"The beams are made of laurel and orchid, the lintels are made of magnolia and the pharmacy is built on them." The study room is gently enveloped by the sunlight in the afternoon, and every flower and tree is exceptionally brilliant.
Students are busy and the sound of reading is clear. Everything is in line with Mu Lin's imagination.
If she had no ties, what would be wrong with letting her stay here for decades
If Xiao Muyun could come, he would be much more cheerful...
When Mu Lin thought of this, he felt depressed again.
It is not known whether it was an accident or fate that caused the young and beautiful Princess Hengyang to fall asleep forever in the Taiye Lake of the Tianlan Palace during the freezing cold last year. The first person to find her was her youngest son Xiao Muyun who entered the palace with her.
When the news came, Mu Lin was drinking tea. Her hand shook and she knocked over the cup, almost scalding her leg. Mu Lin looked at the maids frantically tidying up for her, with a look of confusion.
After being delayed for three years, has the misfortune finally been pushed back on the right track
What an irony of fate.
Soon after, news came that there was no clue to the death of Princess Hengyang, and the Hengyang Palace had no way to investigate. It seemed that the princess just "accidentally" fell into the lake and drowned at a young age. Prince Hengyang was drunk every day, and his decadent appearance was even reprimanded by Empress Tianlan.
She felt a little compassion and worry in her heart. How was Xiao Muyun, who had experienced all this, doing? What could he do? No one knew the sorrow and despair better than she did, having witnessed the sorrow on her mother's face when she died.
Mu Lin once again hated her own weakness - locked up in the deep palace, with too many spies around her and her own power was weak. Not to mention helping Xiao Muyun who was thousands of miles away, she couldn't even comfort him.
Mu Lin hated being at the mercy of the vicissitudes of life, which was one of the reasons why she insisted on coming to Baihu Academy.
Many years later, she recalled the original intention of coming here, but she just felt ridiculous. The unpredictable fate did not treat her as an outsider. From the moment she entered the world, all the trajectories had been rewritten.
"Bai Hu Academy is divided into Tian Xuan Academy, Tian Ji Academy and Yu Heng Academy. The first two academies train male students aged eight to fifteen and sixteen to twenty-four respectively, while Yu Heng Academy trains female students aged seven to fifteen."
Mu Lin nodded slightly, "Named after the Big Dipper, how wonderful."
Gu Yao sent Mu Lin to the temporary guest room and said, "You should have a good rest first, and go to Jingxinzhai to take the assessment early tomorrow morning. If you pass the assessment, the gentlemen will assign you a class and senior brothers based on your assessment results." If you fail the assessment, you will naturally go back to where you came from.
Listening to Gu Yao's words, Mu Lin was a little surprised. Dividing the class is fine, but what the hell is the assignment of senior brothers
"May I ask Dean Gu, what is the meaning of assigning you brothers?"
She hadn't heard of this when she arrived.
Gu Yao twisted his beard and said with a smile:
"This is a new rule implemented this year. Many teachers are old and lack energy, and it is difficult for them to take care of you naughty boys. The headmaster proposed a one-to-one strategy. All new students in Tianxuan and Yuheng academies will be assigned a senior brother or sister to take care of them for two years. It's good to have a brother to help you get familiar with the environment, tutor you in schoolwork, and take you out to play."
"… Yizhen is shy and not used to interacting with strangers. If Yizhen passes the assessment and stays, can we not assign a senior brother?"
Gu Yao looked at her meaningfully, "Bai Hu Academy is all about performance."
“The students understand.”
Mu Lin smiled and bowed.
Fennel tidied up the guest room a bit, looking a little confused. How could their magnificent princess live in such a simple old house? Except for the new bedding, there was nothing else she wanted...
Mu Lin placed two books on the table and said calmly:
"When you and I are out, we should keep things simple and not be too particular about material possessions."
"Slave...Hui Xiang understands. Are you hungry, sir? It's not time for dinner at Baihu Academy yet. Would you like to have some snacks first?"
“No need.”
Mu Lin opened the "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books", and coincidentally, this book was compiled by Zhu Yuanhui, the former principal of Baihu Academy.
In this book, Zhu Gong rearranged the reading order of the Four Books, with the Great Learning first, followed by the Analects and Mencius, and finally the Doctrine of the Mean. His intention was to have people read the Great Learning first to determine its scope; then read the Analects to establish its foundation; then read Mencius to observe its development; and finally read the Doctrine of the Mean to seek the subtleties of the ancients.
This was the third time Mu Lin had read this book, and she had different insights every time she read it. She felt that she had some talent, and although she didn't have a photographic memory, after reading it twice, it wasn't a problem for her to memorize all the content.
Tomorrow's test shouldn't be a big problem, right
In the evening, Fennel went to the nearest canteen to get some food. One meat dish, one vegetable dish and one soup. It didn't look very exquisite. Mu Lin took a bite of the eggplant and it tasted pretty good.
The next day, Mu Lin got up early, washed and dressed, and a neat and tidy young man with red lips and white teeth appeared. He sat down and flipped through two pages of a book, watching Fennel come in with breakfast.
The cafeteria served pumpkin porridge and mushroom chicken buns this morning.
Mu Lin slowly drank half a bowl of porridge and ate a meat bun. Looking at the sky, he knew that there was still half an hour left before the test.
The assessment for an eight-year-old child couldn't be that difficult. Mu Lin didn't feel like reading, so he simply put the book down and went out for a walk to help digest his food.
I walked further and further with Fennel, and before I knew it, I was in a beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains. A breeze blew, and the light golden lake surface shone with a faint luster, rippling into the deep forest beside the lake.
There is a stone tablet standing by the lake, and the words on it are like wandering clouds and startled dragons.
"Yongyue Lake..."
It is indeed a good name. Mu Lin looked up at the sky, wondering what a beautiful scene it would be if this gorgeous lake dissolved all the moonlight under the quiet night sky
The lake gradually returned to calm. Mu Lin leaned over and lightly tapped the lake with his fingertips, feeling a soft and cool feeling from his fingertips.
Mu Lin became interested and stood up and winked at Fennel.
"Fennel, have you heard a saying? Lao Tzu said something about water..."
Fennel made a bitter face, "Sir, Fennel doesn't know."
“The highest good is like water. Its virtue holds all things in its arms.” A chuckle came from somewhere, and a young man slowly walked out of the forest with a warm smile on his lips.