met free Chapter 1 Imperial Academy
Chapter 1 Imperial Academy
Mount Cangwu stands majestically with steep and precipitous terrain.
The Imperial Academy was located halfway up this mountain.
Ancient trees stand tall all around, their branches and leaves lush and verdant, sheltering most of the academy in their shade.
Further on lies the vast Mirror Lake, its surface perpetually shrouded in mist, its calm surface resembling a giant silver mirror reflected among the mountains.
There are many different stories circulating about the origin of the Imperial Academy.
It is said that this academy has a history of over a thousand years. Long before the establishment of the Seven Kingdoms of the Central Plains, the Imperial Academy was already situated on Mount Cangwu. Since ancient times, an ironclad rule has been passed down within the royal families of the Seven Kingdoms:
"Imperial power does not extend beyond Mirror Lake; emperors must dismount upon encountering a stele."
More than three hundred years ago, the Divine Martial Emperor of the Western Chu Kingdom, with his noble birth, reached the Grandmaster realm and came to the Imperial Academy to request an audience with the Grand Master, but was forcibly stopped in front of the Seeking the Dao Stele at the foot of the mountain.
The emperor stayed outside the mountains for a full month.
As a result, they couldn't even get through the gates of the Imperial Academy and had to leave in disgrace.
These legends have become so numerous and difficult to distinguish between true and false in the process of being passed down that they have also shrouded the Imperial Academy in mystery.
However, for the vast majority of people at the Imperial Academy, this school was no different from other schools, and its management was even more relaxed.
at this time……
The afternoon sun slanted down, shining on the bluestone square in front of the Imperial Academy, making the ground slightly hot.
A handsome young man wearing a brocade robe with cloud patterns.
Holding a beautifully carved sandalwood food box, he waited eagerly outside the vermilion gates of the academy.
A short while later, a burst of cheerful laughter came from inside the gate. Several elegantly dressed young women escorted one person out.
The woman walking in the middle was wearing a moon-white long dress.
Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and her facial features were exquisite.
Even though most of the students around her came from wealthy and noble families, this woman still stood out like a crane among chickens, extremely eye-catching. She not only possessed the beauty of an ordinary woman, but also had a very rare heroic spirit between her brows.
Upon seeing the woman appear, the young man's eyes lit up.
He quickly stepped forward and handed over the sandalwood box in his hand.
"Miss Chen, this is osmanthus cake that I specially bought from Baiweizhai in the south of the city. I know you usually like sweets, and this cake is fresh out of the oven and still warm."
Chen Heng stopped and glanced down at the exquisite food box, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"Thank you for your kindness, Third Prince, but I don't have a good appetite today. Please leave."
Her voice was cold and flat, without a single inflection, and she didn't even bother with a polite word. After speaking, she walked right past the man and left quickly without looking back.
The man froze on the spot, his hands still in the gesture of handing out the food box.
Upon seeing this, the students who were watching the commotion burst into laughter.
"I never expected that the third prince of the Great Yin Dynasty would be such a devoted lover, waiting here under the scorching sun every day."
"What a pity, the falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is indifferent."
"A prince of a nation, yet even the daughter of an ordinary civil official dares to give him attitude in public. I think the Great Yin Dynasty is doomed, and it won't be long before only six kingdoms remain in the world."
"Who says otherwise? I heard that the barbarians from the far north have invaded the south again, and the Great Yin has lost three border passes in a row. The soldiers are fighting bloody battles on the frontier, but this Third Prince is hiding in the Imperial Academy, indulging in women."
If this gets back to the front lines, I wonder what the border soldiers will think.
The surrounding onlookers were buzzing with discussion.
The young man standing in the center of the crowd suddenly became somewhat dazed. His eyes gradually lost focus, and he stood there like a wooden stake, as if his soul had been ripped away.
The surrounding laughter grew fainter and fainter, finally receding like a receding tide.
After a while.
Zhao Cheng'an's eyelashes trembled slightly twice, and his unfocused pupils refocused.
The sun felt warm on my skin, and the air was filled with the unique sandalwood scent of wood that had been baked in the sun.
He looked at the antique building in front of him. There was a stone lion on the left and another stone lion on the right of the gate. The sky was a clear blue, and several pigeons were preening their feathers on the branches, making cooing sounds and staring at him.
He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the brocade robe he was wearing.
Finally, it landed on the food box he was carrying.
who am I?
Where am i?
Teacher Ma, what happened?
As a flood of memories came, it was as if a layer of fog had been lifted.
Zhao Cheng'an's expression gradually cleared, then he became somewhat speechless.
crossed!
Good news! The original owner of this body was born into a noble family; he was the third prince of the Dayin Dynasty.
Bad news: the original owner of this body was a simp.
Moreover, this matter was common knowledge within the Imperial Academy.
Even worse news: the original owner's Great Yin Dynasty is now facing annihilation. Barbarian armies are pressing in, border passes are being breached one after another, and the country's situation is extremely precarious.
Under such circumstances, the original owner was idle all day long, trying every trick in the book to please women, and seemed to be a typical playboy and good-for-nothing.
No wonder people point fingers and laugh at him.
However, as the memories continued to merge, Zhao Chengan discovered that the matter was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
In the original owner's memories.
Although Chen Heng was exceptionally beautiful, the original owner of this body did not have any particular fondness for her.
The reason he did this was not because of romantic feelings, but because his father had secretly given him a command.
Ordered to be a bootlicker?
This is absolutely outrageous!
Zhao Cheng'an found the whole thing utterly absurd and even doubted whether his memory was playing tricks on him.
After repeated confirmation, it was found to be true.
Weird!
Why would such a bizarre order be issued?
"Could it be... that I've actually transmigrated into the world of a female-oriented novel?"
Zhao Cheng'an frowned in thought.
The more I think about it, the more bizarre and mysterious this matter seems.
He ignored the pointing and whispering of those around him and turned to walk out of the square.
A guard dressed in black hurriedly followed. "Your Highness, the carriage is ready. Where are we going next?"
"Let's go to the teahouse."
Zhao Cheng'an answered casually, his mind still sorting through those jumbled memories.
The Imperial Academy was built on Cangwu Mountain, covering a vast area. They walked out along a tree-lined path paved with blue bricks, preparing to take a horse-drawn carriage down the mountain.
He hadn't gone far when Zhao Chengan suddenly stopped.
A sharp pain shot through his chest, as if something had pierced deep into his flesh. He frowned involuntarily, instinctively reaching out to clutch his chest, his breathing becoming rapid.
"Your Highness? What's wrong?"
The guard noticed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward.
Zhao Cheng'an waved his hand, signaling the guards to step back. He turned around, his back to the guards, and unbuttoned his clothes, looking down at himself.
On his left chest, where his heart beats, was a dark blue handprint. The purple veins around the edge of the handprint were clearly visible, slightly bulging and protruding from the flesh, as if some kind of toxin was spreading outwards along the veins.
Zhao Cheng'an stared in disbelief at the scene, while a picture flashed through his mind.
That was a few nights ago.
The original owner was drinking in a pavilion on Cangwu Mountain.
A dark figure suddenly darted out from the woods and slapped him in the chest.
The force didn't seem particularly strong, but the original owner immediately fell into a coma.
When I woke up, I didn’t find anything unusual about my body. Even the memory of that time was a bit blurry. I just thought that I had accidentally fallen while drunk.
"Gulp!"
Zhao Chengan swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Such palm strike power is definitely not something an ordinary person could produce.
In the original owner's memories, the ability to strike with a single palm strike, channeling internal energy into the heart meridian and leaving a poisonous mark that only slowly manifests several days later, is simply miraculous. Only legendary grandmasters could achieve such a feat.
Looking at the entire Great Yin Kingdom...
People at this level can basically be counted on one hand.
Each of them is a terrifying being capable of taking the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army.
Such a master would forgo worldly riches and honors to infiltrate the Imperial Academy and assassinate a disfavored, spoiled prince.
You think too highly of me!
Zhao Cheng'an was breathing heavily, and his chest was still throbbing with pain.
He hurriedly straightened his clothes and walked towards the carriage, but just as he was about to board the carriage...
A chilling sense of being watched suddenly came from behind, as if being targeted by a venomous snake.
It seems to be due to the fusion of two souls.
Zhao Cheng'an's perception was several times more acute than that of an ordinary person; goosebumps were almost rising on his neck.
However, he did not turn around, but simply slowed his breathing.
By the time he boarded the carriage and sat down, the back of his clothes was almost soaked with cold sweat, bringing a fine chill.
The person who assassinated him is nearby!