Jun Hua remained standing in front of her classroom when she heard another girl's voice calling her. She turned her head and faced with an older girl she met at the imperial party, Lin Yuan.
"Jun Hua, you finally decided to attend school."
Lin Yuan smiled widely, showing her perfect set of white teeth. She hadn't heard anything from Jun Hua for two months now, so she was honestly happy to see the girl again. Without them meeting here, she probably wouldn't have any chance to get close with that person at all.
Jun Hua had noticed her real intention long ago, but she allowed Lin Yuan to get close with her. Lin Yuan didn't do any actual damage to her and only tried to gain her favor. Besides, Jun Hua knew that this girl's wish could never come true, so there was no harm in befriending her.
Lin Yuan stared at the classroom, her brows creased. "Right, have you met with Lin San? She must have made some trouble to you. Don't really mind it. She doesn't have any evil intention."
No evil intention? Jun Hua was pretty sure that all Lin San hoped for was for her to die along with her family. Furthermore, her pair of arrogant eyes had never even once looked at her properly.
The next second, Jun Hua stared at Lin Yuan. She got a feeling that there was something strange with Lin Yuan. Why was she protecting Lin San? Given the innate jealous character of Chun Maora, there was no way she would have left Lin Yuan stay out of trouble. Shouldn't Lin Yuan feel any hatred towards them?
"Why are you being protective of her all of a sudden?"
Lin Yuan didn't expect Jun Hua to point the matter out so openly. In all honesty, she too didn't want to do this, but she didn't have any choice.
"My marriage was set after my lesson is over. It's only 4 months away," Lin Yuan answered reluctantly.
Realization dawned on Jun Hua. In this era where a woman only lived for the sake of her man, marriage was something that is bound to change the entire course of her life. Whether she lives well or not would depend on her husband. Because Lin Yuan was merely a concubine-born, her marriage would be set by Chun Maora being that she was the main wife. If Lin Yuan wanted to get a better groom, she could only latch onto her good side.
Jun Hua stared at the girl in front of her. It was no wonder that she wanted to get into the good side of Lin San. Lin Yuan certainly was incapable to get a man of higher status, but at least she could get a decent low-ranking official to be her husband. That is, if Chun Maora and Lin Tang both agreed. Otherwise, she would probably just become someone else's concubine.
"Have they chosen a partner for you?"
Lin Yuan shook her head no, "To establish a marriage, you need consent from both parties. Up until now, there still hasn't been anyone suitable enough."
Somehow, Jun Hua had a sense that they would choose someone who will make Lin Yuan's life miserable. No matter how generous Chun Maora seemed to be, she had once tasted how low that woman would go to in order to gain power within the Lin family. With every cruel methods and underhanded means, she would unhesitatingly do them all just to eliminate her opponents.
"Be patient, I'm sure your mother won't let them choose someone bad for you."
Lin Yuan passed a wry smile. She knew that her mother will definitely choose someone good, but what about Chun Maora?
Jun Hua stared at the girl as she thought about a few things. There were far too many ways that could possibly affect a woman's marriage, but all of them would lay in the decision of their parents. Since they were not really that close, Jun Hua didn't feel obliged to help her. In the end, Jun Hua only consoled Lin Yuan a little bit more before the two of them parted.
Jun Hua stepped inside the classroom and sat on one of the empty seats. Soon after, the teacher arrived and the girls all stood up to greet him.
Jun Hua looked at the teacher with keen interest. Their teacher was young, only in his late twenties with clean and fresh-looking appearance. His face may not be as well-defined and handsome as some prominent young generals, yet his polite and neat demeanor would make some of the girls in class fall for him. Though they were deemed nobles, they still loved to see handsome and refined men.
"Teacher Pei, who is the new student you told us about?" one of the girls asked. They heard that there is a new student arriving that day, so they were really curious.
Teacher Pei smiled. "She is here, her name is Jun Hua. Please stand up Lady Hua, so we could recognize you."
Jun Hua stood up gracefully. Her face was still covered with a veil; however it did not lessen her charm in the slightest. Rather, it added a layer of mystery to her already mesmerizing beauty. Her clear eyes swept across the girls in the classroom.
All the girls were staring at her with curiosity, wondering how this famous girl would look like since there were a lot of rumors about her. In addition, her story had been spread among the nobles from the time she made such a big commotion when she came to the Jun family. They said that she was a timid girl, a useless and good-for-nothing, a waste that shouldn't appear in front of the public.
However, when they saw those clear and beautiful eyes, they were all stunned silly!
Eyes as clear as water, skin as white as snow, her slender and elegant form exudes undeniable youthfulness. How many women in the capital could contend against her? Suddenly, they all felt that the heavens were unfair. Why did such a useless girl have such a beautiful body?