"Miss Zhong, how could you raise your voice when you knew how weak she is? What if you startled her?" Shiliu finally found an opening to interrupt. She glared at Zhong Wanying with fire almost spewing from her eyes.
"Miss, are you okay? Please don't fall sick." Pingguo was on the brink of tears as she helped Gu Fenghua. She turned to say to Zhong Wanying, "Miss Zhong, Young Mistress is unwell, so why don't you see yourself out?"
The moment she finished her sentence, Shiliu and Pingguo hurriedly helped Gu Fenghua away.
Even the guards nearby looked at Zhong Wanying reprovingly as she stood where she was. It was abundantly clear that all of them felt that she was wicked for bullying Gu Fenghua.
Zhong Wanying was utterly embarrassed and left indignantly.
After Zhong Wanying was some distance away, Gu Fenghua pushed her maids' hands aside and headed over to the study on her own.
Little White Flower's voice rang in Gu Fenghua's mind. "Mistress, I'm sure you know what Zhong Wangying is up to. Are you going to keep letting her do this to you? You could have made her shut up with one wave of your finger."
"What's the hurry? My fourth older brother said people like her were classic pretentious b***hes when I first befriended her. He told me to observe her more," replied Gu Fenghua nonchalantly. "My second older brother said Zhong Wanying was very good at what she did and told me to observe and learn. If any other pretentious b***hes appeared in the future, I could destroy them in a second."
"What does it mean to be a pretentious b***h?" asked Little White Flower quizzically.
"I told you to read more. You haven't read a single book my brothers gave me, right?" said Gu Fenghua disappointedly. "The only thing you're interested in are fights. Pretentious b***hes can't be defeated with brute force alone. You have no idea how much damage creatures like them can inflict when they attack."
Little White Flower was at a loss and asked hesitantly, "How do we deal with creatures like them?"
"We have to beat them at their game. Did you think my brothers allowed her to enter our perimeter just to make us puke?" scolded Gu Fenghua in disdain. "Even though we are stronger than them, the public will sympathize with them and blame us for attacking. If we want to attack, we should only do it when everyone will cheer us on and want to beat them up as badly."
How could a demon plant understand human ways? Initially, Little White Flower was baffled. In time, it gradually grasped the essence of pretentious b***hes and quickly surpassed them by outwitting them.
"Well, I agree that she is disgusting. Even though I feel like vomiting when I hear her talking phonily, she acts completely normal and isn't disgusted." Little White Flower contemplated.
"Like I said, pretentious b***hes are dangerous creatures. From now on, just pretend you are watching a show. My big brother said Zhong Wanying's acting skills are on par with the Best Actress. Oops. I forgot you don't know what that is. Just remember the actors from the theater can't even compare to her." After Gu Fenghua explained this to Little White Flower with unexpected patience, she went to the study to read.
Her older brothers have given her a lot of books. Since the books did not seem to exist in present times, it was inappropriate to read them openly, so she stored them in her interspatial bracelet and read them in private. This time, Little White Flower read with her. Although it was disinterested in these human activities, it decided to join in since his mistress said it was good to read.
***
No one knew how Gu Fenghua managed to get into Celestial Academy and come in first among all accepted candidates, so everyone kept speculating what happened. Before long, the school term started.
Gu Fenghua gave Prime Minister Gu a hug as he saw her off from the entrance before she turned to board the horse carriage and left. Prime Minister Gu watched from behind as the carriage left with tears welling in his eyes until they finally trickled down his face. His beloved Fenghua was finally going to spread her wings and find a rightful place for herself out there.
The Celestial Academy entrance was filled with people. Most of them were either there to report for school or send their loved ones off.
After Gu Fenghua got off the horse carriage, she waved to her maids and driver. "Okay. Go home." Students were not allowed to bring servants or maids into Celestial Academy, no matter how influential their families were.
The driver, Shiliu and Pingguo looked at their frail Young Mistress worriedly as she walked towards the Celestial Academy's entrance. The entrance seemed like a ferocious, bloody mouth as it devoured Gu Fenghua.
"How could Master Gu let Young Mistress attend the academy all by herself?" Sobbed Shiliu as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"Precisely. What if she got bullied at school? Why haven't Young Masters come home yet?" Even the tall brawny horse carriage driver wiped tears from his eyes. Gu Fenghua was frail and never suffered in her life before, but she was going to the academy all by herself now.
A lot of people in the academy had gotten into conflicts with Gu Fenghua, such as Feng Yuanshi, the daughter of General Feng, Shi Ping, the daughter of the Minister of Defence, Zhang Yuxue, the daughter of the Deputy Minister of Rites, and Prince Li's daughter, County Princess Chen Meirong…
The more the maids contemplated the danger Gu Fenghua was in, the more worried they became.
No, she had to come back. She should not attend school. She had to come home! Come back!
Gu Fenghua had already entered the campus. She was unaware of how her maids and horse carriage driver howled in their hearts and felt about school.
After entering the school gates, it felt more peaceful. After all, family members here to send their children off were not allowed to enter the campus. Gu Fenghua walked in and looked at the campus with a lot of history. The moment she entered, she saw a sign directing the freshmen. Just as she was about to follow the sign, hurried footsteps came from behind and gradually came closer to her.
"Gu Fenghua!" A shrill cry came from behind.
Gu Fenghua ignored it and continued walking. Instead, the woman behind hurriedly walked up in front of Gu Fenghua and stopped her.
Gu Fenghua looked at the person in front of her but remained expressionless. She sure looked familiar. Who was she? Although Gu Fenghua was uncertain of her identity, it was clear that it was not good news.
"Who are you?" Gu Fenghua's question nearly made the woman cough blood. Gu Fenghua felt indifferent when she saw the awkward expression on the woman's face. Plenty of people in the capital did not like Gu Fenghua. Would it not be tiring if she had to pay attention to every single one of them?
The woman seemed a little familiar. She seemed to be one of the people waiting for Gu Fenghua to disgrace herself when the entrance exam results were released.
"Gu Fenghua, cut the act. No matter how you entered the academy, just you wait," said the young woman with her face contorted.
She was none other than Feng Yuanshi, daughter of General Feng. She had also made it into the Celestial Academy.
Gu Fenghua sighed in her heart as she griped to Little White Flower, "People like her won't even make it out of the first chapter of a palace intrigue novel alive."
"Are you talking about those novels your oldest brother gave you? Then again, it certainly seems like it. What are stupid people like her called? A passer-by? No, hang on. They are called cannon fodder." Little White Flower relished over the stories about palace intrigue and adored all the unscrupulous plots in them.