When Ming Shuiyun stepped into the classroom, she felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Actually, earlier in the dining hall while having breakfast, she vaguely sensed something was off, but since class was about to start, she ate quickly, even eating half a bun on the way, so she didn't pay much attention.

However, after arriving in the classroom, the unease within her grew stronger and stronger.

Just as a martial artist's spiritual power is enough to allow them to foresee and dodge bullets, essentially, spiritual power can sense others' 'malice'. Killing intent is undoubtedly the strongest form of 'malice', but apart from that, other forms of 'malice' can also cause a weak reaction in spiritual power.

Like now, the reason Ming Shuiyun feels uneasy is because she vaguely senses 'malice' directed at her all over the classroom. Sitting in the seats toward the middle and back row, she casually glances around the classroom only to find that no one is actually looking at her.

Perhaps she's just being paranoid... Ming Shuiyun comforted herself in this way. It was already very close to class time, and Professor Zhang Yuan, the old teacher of "Heavenly Calculation", was already on the teaching platform preparing the lesson plans.

In Huiyao, mathematics is graded, the Mongolian Studies and Middle School are all "Human Calculation", meaning you can use it in your life, such as when buying vegetables. And "Heavenly Calculation" is something you won't use in daily life at all; even if you can use it, it requires very professional research scholars to achieve it.

If intending to study mathematics, in the third and fourth year you can also opt to take an elective "Truth Art Calculation", which is the frontier research area of mathematics. No one knows what application their formulas have, and it is even quite difficult to understand.

One minute before class, Qin Yueshi, Qian Yuya and others finally came for class. Because of Li Ying, who is lazy, they often come crashing in at the last minute, while Ming Shuiyun arrives early to secure a seat.

"Good morning!" After nodding to each other in greeting, Kuai Nianruo and this group of day students all sat down around Ming Shuiyun.

As the class bell rang, Professor Zhang Yuan coughed once and just picked up the chalk when suddenly a voice resounded through the classroom——

"The future Empress is just sitting at the back listening to the class?"

Zhang Yuan slightly frowned, raised his head, and swept his gaze over the classroom: "Who is talking?"

No one responded, everyone sat upright. But because of that sentence just now, everyone intentionally or unintentionally looked toward Ming Shuiyun, even Zhang Yuan was no exception.

Ming Shuiyun uneasily lowered her head, Lin Xue looked displeasedly around, Li Ying directly opened her mouth to map the cannon: "We can see clearly sitting at the back, maybe some people are blind thinking others also need to sit at the front to see clearly, really pathetic."

"Quiet!" Zhang Yuan said sternly, "It is class time now, if you want to chat, go outside to talk! Turn to page thirty in the book, last time we talked about the computation of determinants in matrices..."

Zhang Yuan is an old professor who has taught at the Imperial Academy for over twenty years and quickly regained control of the class rhythm.

Qin Yueshi nudged Ming Shuiyun's elbow and spoke quietly, "Something seems a bit off."

Lin Xue said: "Ever since the leaderboard came out, it has always been a bit off. Some people like to admire Shuiyun, some feel Shuiyun is undeserving, it's normal..."

"No."

Qian Yuya shook her head firmly: "It's different from before."

"Xiaoyu is right," Li Ying also said: "You guys might not have noticed, but that sentence just now wasn't random complaining, it was someone deliberately using Combat Technique to say it, even Professor Zhang didn't know who said it—among us merchants, this is called deliberately inciting gossip using a 'plant'."

Kuai Nianruo looked puzzled: "But, why? What's the point of doing this?"

"I will pick one classmate to come up and do a problem."

Zhang Yuan lectured and suddenly entered a tense and exciting problem-solving session, and the classroom instantly became polarized—most people looked down, afraid to meet the teacher's eyes, like Li Ying, only a small portion of top students, like Lin Xue, Qian Yuya, and Kuai Nianruo dared to lift their proud chins to look at the teacher.

Generally speaking, Zhang Yuan would usually pick one among the students who raised their heads, but this time he paused and looked at Ming Shuiyun: "Ming Shuiyun, please."

"Ah?"

Ming Shuiyun stood up, a little confused. She looked at the problem on the blackboard, thought for a while, and directly shook her head: "Sorry, I don't know."

Sparse laughter echoed in the classroom. Normally, this would be a very common occurrence, if a top student made a mistake, everyone would laugh louder, but Ming Shuiyun felt the laughter was full of disdain and scorn—she didn't think it was her imagination.

"Okay, then Lin Xue beside you can answer," Zhang Yuan gestured for Ming Shuiyun to sit down, "Ming Shuiyun, studying mathematics helps with developing insight and the ability to deconstruct problems, if you have time, you might want to study more."

"Yes." Ming Shuiyun nodded and sat down, feeling her face burning hot. Qin Yueshi placed her hand on hers, gently shaking her head, "Don't mind it."

"I'm okay." Ming Shuiyun forced a smile.

For the rest of the class, Zhang Yuan didn't ask Ming Shuiyun to answer questions again, but the lesson was far from peaceful—the rear intermittently echoed with sparse laughter and unsettling comments.

"Turns out it's just luck..."

"If it weren't for Professor Qin being too amazing..."

"Our future emperor seems to be poor at learning..."

"I heard she wasn't wealthy growing up and never received imperial education..."

"Another doll on the throne..."

"Why her, though?"

Ming Shuiyun's face grew increasingly pale. Li Ying and Lin Xue frequently turned around to glare at the people behind, but couldn't pinpoint the speakers—perhaps everyone was whispering privately.

When the mathematics class reached halfway, Qin Yueshi finally couldn't hold back, abruptly standing up and slamming the desk!

"Imperial Academy students can only badmouth others behind their backs? What kind of hero hides in the shadows? If you have the guts, come out and criticize openly! Huh!?"

Interrupted in his lecture, Zhang Yuan frowned looking at the classroom, students secretly chatting was very common, as long as the noise wasn't loud, Zhang Yuan wouldn't care. But now, with Qin Yueshi's sudden outburst, Zhang Yuan didn't intervene but instead quietly observed.

"Ha."

A sneering laugh from an unknown direction was piercing: "Children of copper stench, who sneak into the Imperial Academy like royalty without royal destiny, dare to call themselves Imperial Academy students?"

Qin Yueshi's face turned white, yet Qian Yuya, Lin Xue, Li Ying, and Kuai Nianruo also stood up.

"Do I have such qualifications?" Qian Yuya said lightly, "Come, step out."

"Is it fun to curse people with snide remarks like that? Still hiding and sneaking around like mice," Li Ying rolled her hands into a megaphone shape and yelled loudly: "I'm now cursing you in front of everyone in class—no! balls! stinky! dumb! fool! Learn from me, cursing like this is interesting!"

The classroom fell silent, other students watched them without speaking. After a while, Zhang Yuan suddenly said, "Can I continue with my lecture?"

Qian Yuya and the others sat down, Zhang Yuan said leisurely: "Oh, Li Ying, cursing violates school rules. Write that curse a hundred times and hand it to me next class, okay?"

"No problem!" This was probably Li Ying's most cheerful acceptance of punishment.

Ming Shuiyun gratefully looked at this group of friends and quietly said: "Thank you."

"Don't thank us yet," Li Ying sighed: "This might be just the beginning."

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