Chapter 405: Chapter 405: Wishful Thinking

Mr. Han rose to his feet.

"Ningning, you’re finally here. Let your teacher see what good deeds you’ve all accomplished."

Ye Shangyi submitted their report. She pulled Shen Ningning forward, beaming with vicarious pride. "Mr. Han, Ningning discovered a hot spring deep in the mountains!"

Several of the young ladies beside Xie Yuanjiu snickered.

Ye Shangyi frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

One of the young ladies shook her head, covering her mouth.

"It’s nothing, Miss Ye. Please don’t misunderstand. I was just wondering if you might have misinterpreted the assignment Mr. Han gave?"

"That’s right," her friend chimed in. "Didn’t Mr. Han say the report had to be about a good deed? Discovering a hot spring doesn’t seem to have anything to do with that, does it?"

Xie Yuanjiu glanced at them, feigning a reproachful tone.

"Don’t speak nonsense. The Princess always has her own way of thinking. How could she possibly not understand the assignment?"

Ye Shangyi clenched her fists and stomped her foot in anger. "Hey! What’s with all the sarcastic, backhanded comments?"

Shen Ningning had no time to argue; she’d just been incredibly busy!

She pulled out her waterskin and took a couple of big gulps.

*Phew~* ’Finally, a chance to catch my breath.’

Her little face was fair with a rosy blush, looking utterly adorable.

She shot a sideways glance at Xie Yuanjiu and her cronies.

"Don’t be in such a rush," she said. "Just wait until Mr. Han finishes reading. Then you’ll know whether we did a good deed or not!"

With that, she handed her waterskin to Ye Shangyi. "You drink too. Don’t pay them any mind!"

Everyone watched as the look in Mr. Han’s eyes shifted from confusion to surprise, and then gradually turned to delight.

Xie Yuanjiu keenly observed Mr. Han’s changing expression, and the mocking smile in her eyes vanished.

’It can’t be, can it? Did Shen Ningning really use the hot spring to accomplish something special?’

Mr. Han exclaimed in admiration:

"Not only did you solve the mystery of the haunted mansion, but you also discovered a hot spring behind the Red-Tiled Estate?"

"And you negotiated a price with the estate’s owner to convert the residence into a hot spring villa?"

"And you recruited strong, able-bodied commoners to work at the hot spring villa?"

"Excellent! This is truly excellent work! A rich man’s estate is put to good use instead of being left to decay, and it provides more common folk with opportunities for employment."

As soon as he finished his praise, the surrounding students erupted.

"The Red-Tiled Estate!? The one where legend says anyone who enters either dies or goes mad! The Princess actually conquered it!"

"A hot spring? I haven’t seen a hot spring in ages, not since the drought began!"

Ye Shangyi puffed out her chest and raised her head proudly. "Fellow students! Ningning has already made a deal with the owner of the hot spring villa. All students from our National Academy get a fifty percent discount!"

The crowd erupted in joyful cheers.

The expressions on the faces of Xie Yuanjiu and her friends were absolutely foul.

"You call this a good deed? It’s not like she’s letting us in for free."

Someone said it, their voice just loud enough to reach Mr. Han’s ears.

His eyes flashed as he stared them down, saying sternly, "This is the correct way to do it. If it were always free, who do you expect to bear the cost?"

The young lady who had spoken lowered her head, looking guilty.

Mr. Han conferred with the other teachers, and they all agreed that the good deed performed by Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi was excellent.

It solved a problem and helped people at the same time.

After all, it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

What Xie Yuanjiu did, on the other hand—fussing about by catching fish and moving them around—hardly counted as a good deed. In Mr. Han’s eyes, it was just pointless busywork.

Lu Shaoyuan squeezed through the crowd to Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi’s side.

His handsome brows furrowed in mock anger. "You two went to explore a haunted house and didn’t even invite me? You do a good deed and leave me out? Some friends you are!"

Shen Ningning covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. Ye Shangyi shot him a look. "What’s your hurry? Look at this."

She reached out, took the report back from Mr. Han, and held it in front of Lu Shaoyuan.

At the bottom, among the signatures, were the names of Shen Ningning, Ye Shangyi, and Xu Jingxi—and there, too, was Lu Shaoyuan.

His face immediately lit up with a grin. "I knew you guys wouldn’t leave me out."

Shen Ningning clasped her hands behind her back and swung her little feet, her eyes sparkling. "We can’t just add your name for free, though. I’ve already figured it out. We’re going to invest in the hot spring villa, so we’ll take the one thousand taels from our joint investment in the shop. What do you think?"

"No problem at all! You’re in charge of the shop’s finances. I’ll just happily follow behind you and collect the profits." Lu Shaoyuan beamed, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

’No wonder Mother always told me to spend more time with Shen Ningning.’

’She was absolutely right. Shen Ningning is simply the cleverest person alive.’

The teachers deliberated and announced the final result. The group consisting of Shen Ningning, Xu Jingxi, Ye Shangyi, and Lu Shaoyuan had performed exceptionally well. Everyone was thoroughly convinced by their achievement, so they won the opportunity to dine with the Emperor.

Xie Yuanjiu’s face was taut, her complexion ashen, yet she still had to force a smile to comfort her friends.

"It’s fine. Just let her go."

However, Shen Ningning turned to Mr. Han and said, "Mr. Han, I’d like to give my spot away."

"What? Ningning, you don’t want to go to the palace to dine with the Emperor? His Majesty knows about the National Academy’s arrangements and has specially ordered a feast of rare delicacies. It will be held in Qingping Hall in the middle of next month. There will even be fireworks for you to watch," Mr. Han said, trying to persuade her with a gentle smile.

Shen Ningning still shook her head.

"I don’t need this opportunity. I can come and go from the court whenever I please." ’After all,’ she thought, ’I’ve lost count of how many meals I’ve had with Mo Lingwei and the Emperor.’

So, the little girl wanted to give this opportunity to someone who needed it more.

Hearing this, the students around her were filled with envy.

They edged forward, one by one, deeply regretting that they hadn’t tried to get on good terms with Shen Ningning before.

If they were friends with Princess Funing, the opportunity might have fallen to them.

Mr. Han chuckled. "That’s true. Very well, Ningning. Choose a classmate to go to the palace in your stead."

Shen Ningning scanned the crowd.

Xie Yuanjiu pursed her lips. One of her close friends whispered, "Do you think the Princess will choose Yuanjiu?"

"I think she will. Shen Ningning always likes to show everyone how magnanimous and kind she is. She might just give the opportunity to Yuanjiu to prove it."

They spoke with such conviction that even Xie Yuanjiu noticed Shen Ningning’s gaze had indeed landed on her.

She was momentarily stunned.

’Would Shen Ningning really give the opportunity to her?’

’Still... hmph. Even if she does give it to me, she shouldn’t expect me to thank her. She’s the one offering it freely.’

Shen Ningning stretched out a small hand. "Mr. Han, I choose her."

Xie Yuanjiu pursed her lips, suppressing a smile, and took half a step forward.

Just as she was about to make a show of refusing, she heard Shen Ningning’s soft, sweet voice continue, "I choose her. Princess Rongshu, Liang Yici."

Both Xie Yuanjiu and Liang Yici froze on the spot.

Xie Yuanjiu stiffly turned her head to look behind her.

Liang Yici was actually standing right behind her!

’So, that means Shen Ningning wasn’t looking at me just now... but at Liang Yici?’

The surrounding students had already seen Xie Yuanjiu take that half-step forward. They now stared at her with mocking eyes, huddling together and whispering amongst themselves.

Every now and then, a piercing snicker would break out, each one a dagger in Xie Yuanjiu’s heart.

’Shen Ningning must have done that on purpose to embarrass me!’

Mr. Han smiled. "Princess Rongshu, since Ningning has given you this opportunity, then..."

"I don’t need it." Liang Yici snapped back to her senses and refused coldly.

She looked at Shen Ningning, her gaze distant and cool.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Princess. However, I, Liang Yici, only accept opportunities that I have earned myself. So, while I appreciate the sentiment, it is quite unnecessary."

Seeing Liang Yici’s attitude toward Shen Ningning, the crowd couldn’t help but break into a clamor of discussion.

"What’s her problem? The Princess didn’t do anything to her."

"Oh, you don’t know? A long time ago, Second Master Xie almost ended up with Liang Yici’s mother. But then that whole incident happened, and General Fang tearfully broke things off and left the Capital City. Princess Rongshu is Grand General Liang’s daughter, so of course she hates the Xie family!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.