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"Hurry up," Jin Ling hisses when they've completed their mission. "They'll be back from their night hunt any time."
The four juniors are like shadows as they creep their way across the floor.
"Wait," Lan Jingyi hisses as they're about to slip out of the jingshi, leaving the way they'd come—through one of the windows at the back. "We forgot to write a note!"
Jin Ling makes a disgusted sound. "Do you really want to leave written evidence that we were here?" he demands. "What if someone else finds it? He'll guess it was from us anyway."
With a silent sigh, Lan Sizhui motions them both to be quiet, and Ouyang Zizhen shoots him a grateful look. They're already breaking about a dozen Lan rules as it is; they really don't need to add making noise past curfew to their list of crimes.
Lan Qiren will have them copying scrolls for years. Who's idea had it been to sneak Wei-gongzi a bottle of Emperor's Smile for his birthday, anyway?
"Wait," Lan Jingyi says again, coming to a sudden stop. When Lan Sizhui follows his line of sight, it's to find a stack of scrolls sitting on a desk. "Are those our essay assignments? Hold on, I just want to add a couple things I forgot to—"
Jin Ling reaches out and snags a hand in Lan Jingyi's robes. "Don't you dare," he says icily. "There's no way I'm letting you get a higher score than me by cheating."
"It's not cheating," Lan Jingyi whines. "Hanguang-jun probably hasn't even had a chance to look at them yet!"
"Can't you do something?" Ouyang Zizhen whispers into Lan Sizhui's ear, and Lan Sizhui is happy to say he can.
He's never been so glad to cast the silencing spell in his life.