Chapter 82 - Silver Bean

Xie Qiao was rather surprised.

She did not expect the Royal Academy to have so many tricks under their sleeves.

"I've never heard about all these. Young lady, can you tell me more about it?" Xie Qiao's tone was soft as she looked at Fang Muxue.

"You've no idea at all?" Fang Muxue was surprised.

Everyone in the Imperial City knew the Royal Academy's rules, no!?

"I've only been in the Imperial City for a short period." Xie Qiao seemed calm.

"Impossible. I bet you're pretending! Since you're already here, how can you not know the academy's rules?" Xia Yayun did not believe her at all..

There were three academies in the Imperial City. Not all who came all the way to the Royal Academy were here just to study!

Especially ladies, they mainly came for the Royal Academy's strictness and good reputation!

Before coming to the academy, she had learned every single rule there were. She had been worried that she would go against any rules at all!

Xie Qiao felt very helpless.

"I just heard that the academy's library has many extant copies. So I thought I'd read them." Xie Qiao kept it short and sweet.

Everyone looked at Xie Qiao in a rather strange manner upon hearing that.

"I think… you've made a mistake." Fang Muxue shook her head. "One cannot simply read the books in our academies."

"What do you mean?" Xie Qiao raised her brows slightly.

"If everybody could read the extant copies and rare books, they might have been torn by now." Fang Muxue sighed.

Xie Qiao nodded. "That makes sense."

"The regular students can only go to a few small study rooms. Only a few people will be allowed to go to the real library each month. If you want to get in, you'll need enough gold nuggets or silver nuggets."

Fang Muxue took out a purse as she spoke and poured out the nuggets inside.

Xie Qiao looked at them.

They were silver, gold, and round. There were some simple patterns on them as well.

"Here they are. Ten silver beans would add up to a tael. Although you can bring your own brush, ink, and inkstone, you'll have to use the stamped paper every time you pass up your homework to the teachers, or they'll become invalid. You'll need to buy the paper with silver beans. We need silver beans for our daily snack as well. Meanwhile, these gold beans are mainly used at the library."

Fang Muxue was rather patient.

However, Xie Qiao was annoyed.

Her body was… weak. She did not want to waste her effort.

All she wanted was to take care of her body and drop by the library to read occasionally. However, it seemed like… she could not do that now?

She frowned.

Fang Muxue thought this Young Lady Xie was pretty pitiful.

She definitely could not catch up to the syllabus since she had only come at such an age. If she wanted to read like she said…

Nobody would take her seriously.

Xie Qiao could not help but mumble, "Oh, well… Did that rule start when the academy was built?"

"That's right. It has always been like that," Fang Muxue nodded.

Xie Qiao sighed.

"Young Lady Xie, we're actually doing this for your own good. Peony Courtyard and Orchid Courtyard have extraordinarily high requirements. The fee is high as well. However, it's different at the Begonia Courtyard. The ladies over there are young, and the requirements for good deeds are low too. As long as you're smart about it, it's easy to make money," Fang Muxue added.

Xie Qiao raised her brows slightly.

"You're too nice, Sister Muxue! Xie Qiao, we don't like you! Isn't your sister at the Begonia Courtyard? Go be with her!"

"I'm not going," Xie Qiao shook her head.

"What did you say!? Do you not understand human language!?" snarled Xia Yayun.

"I said I'm not going. Young Lady Xie doesn't understand human language, yet you're blaming my listening skills for being bad?" Xie Qiao suppressed her tone. She did not seem like she was stressed.

She was unhealthy, so she should not get angry easily.

Nonetheless, she was irritated by this Xia Yayun.