After all, the Federationâs Education Act had strict, mandatory provisions. Jiang Qiuqiu was required to be in school. A violation of school rules should have landed her in a disciplinary center for re-education, and any further academic advancement would have been through internal exams. It was impossible for someone of her age to participate in the public pre-admissions process. Something illegal must have happened.
Jiang Qiuqiu looked at the young man questioning her in a low voice. âShould I try to hide it?â she wondered for a moment. âNah, forget it. Itâs not some top-secret affair anyway.â
Besides, he had already asked. "I was in university before, but thenâ"
"I violated a rule, so I was expelled."
"Which rule?" Mo Siâs eyebrows were already raised high, and a solemn air settled over him.
Jiang Qiuqiu maintained a relatively calm demeanor. "I offended someone I shouldnât have and got expelled."
Just as heâd suspected.
Even without investigating, Mo Si had already guessed as much.
After graduating from the military academy, he had rushed straight to the front lines. The Insect Race had been very active in recent years, and he had been constantly fighting on the battlefield, so he didnât know much about the situation on the home front.
Only when he returned home for New Yearâs Eve dinner during lulls in the fighting would he occasionally hear the elders or younger members of his family, who worked in other fields, discussing it:
The previous emperor had established a constitution that was perfectly suited to the Federationâs circumstances. He was a true sovereign for the people. Everything about his life was good, except that his reign had been far too short.
He had risen to power amidst conflict, promoting a large number of new nobles like the Mo Family, establishing the Senate, and implementing a compulsory education system, giving every citizen of the Federation with potential a chance to change their destiny.
He had heard from his grandfather that the emperor had originally planned to completely transform the Federation within fifty yearsâabolishing the planetary ranking system, the system of inherited succession, and the aristocracy itself. But...
But the brilliant are often taken too soon, and the emperor passed away before his time.
His son, Li Ershi, ascended to the throne. And then, all those changes were brought to a screeching halt.
The nobles received covert support and naturally grew more brazen. They even dared to have a young girl, still of school age, expelled over such a trivial matter.
"Who was it? Whatâs their name?" His tone had turned completely grim. He was so serious that not even his small, round eyes could diminish the murderous aura radiating from him.
Jiang Qiuqiu shook her head. "The reason I never mentioned this to you or Sister Chengyu is because I want to resolve this myself." This had been the original ownerâs deepest obsession. She wrote letters every day, every week, every month, year after yearâ
Even while struggling so desperately to make a living, she never forgot to go to the school and the inspection department to submit her complaint letters. Right up until she lost consciousness, her last thought was whether someone would ever read the letters she had sent.
âLetting Mo Chengyu, Black Hole, or Little President Qian step in would certainly be simple and effective,â she thought, âbut that feeling of just pulling rank and crushing them from above wasnât what the original owner wanted.â
Jiang Qiuqiu wanted to do it herself.
Besides, if quietly submitting complaint letters didnât work, she would just move on to her Plan B.
If working from the shadows didnât work, she would step into the light.
Mo Si started to say more, but when he saw the resolve on Jiang Qiuqiuâs face, he suppressed the urge to step in for her. But!
"Fine. You want to handle it yourself, so I wonât ask for that personâs name." Mo Si looked at her and continued, "Putting that person aside, can you tell me the name of the school you attended?"
"An individual can be detestable, but the school that set this precedent is even more so."
"The influence of a single noble is limited. But a school that would bow to them is truly pathetic," Mo Si said. "I want to know who is in charge of this school that has lost all sense of fairness and justice."