Chapter 112 The Past Between Shi Qingchen and Yunxi

In order to keep Yunxi, I lied to her and said that I was just an unfavored illegitimate son who couldn't even go to the new residence of the Shi family, so naturally I couldn't help her fulfill her wish.

I thought I could use this excuse to keep Yunxi around for a long time. I never expected that something so difficult for me would be taken so lightly by Yunxi.

She told me she could help me become the young master of the Shi family. In return, all I had to do was help her accurately determine when the next solar eclipse would occur.

I don't believe Yunxi can help me become the young master of the family. After all, she's just a helpless orphan; how could she possibly control the succession of a centuries-old family?

But I was wrong. He could not only do it, but he could do it in a short time.

Three days later, Yunxi gave me three policy essays, which later enabled me to successfully enter the court as an official and become famous throughout the capital.

Then, she spent another month explaining everything to me in detail. She also had me copy it down, and then, holding these three policy essays, I waited outside the palace gates after my father finished court.

After Yunxi asked me to hand the things over to my father, she left immediately without saying a word.

It must be said that Yunxi's understanding of people's hearts is very accurate. The less I said, the more curious my father became.

As expected, he did not treat the stack of policy essays as ordinary things, but eagerly opened them and read them carefully in the carriage.

After delivering the policy proposal, I returned to my ancestral home with a heavy heart, awaiting news. Unexpectedly, no sooner had I returned than my father's carriage arrived.

I still remember that my father didn't even change out of his court robes after court, which clearly meant he hadn't replied. I suppose after checking the wheels of the carriage, he came directly to the ancestral home to find me.

I also saw a smile on his face, a smile that resembled that of a loving father. This was the first time since I was born that I had received a direct look from my father.

As Yunxi had predicted, my father examined me carefully for two hours with those three policy essays before he was overjoyed to confirm that they were indeed written by me.

My father immediately promised that he would personally come to pick me up and take me back to the Shi family mansion in three days. He also sent another son from a concubine to guard the ancestral hall in the ancestral home and to fulfill the filial duties to the ancestors on behalf of the younger generation of the clan.

After my father left, Yunxi told me to immediately hire a team of bodyguards. She instructed them to protect me day and night for the next three days.

As Yunxi had predicted, the next evening, four men in black broke into the mansion. They stormed into my bedroom and shredded the brocade quilt on the bed to shreds.

But they were captured alive by the bodyguards I hired. Yunxi asked me to wait at the palace gate after dawn, during my father's low tide, and hand over the four of them to him, without saying or asking anything.

I don't know how my father handled it. Only a day and a night later, the day before my father was to pick me up, on my way home from school, I suddenly encountered a frightened horse pulling a carriage, which rammed straight into me.

If I hadn't listened to Yunxi and hired a team of bodyguards, I would have been either killed in the accident or had my limbs crushed by the horses' hooves, becoming a cripple forever.

The bodyguard grabbed me and rolled on the ground. Although I wasn't seriously injured, I still scraped my arm, which stained my robe with blood.

Yunxi had told me long ago that if I encountered an accident during the day, I should immediately pretend to be unconscious and then have the bodyguards carry me back to the manor. On the way, I must make sure that all the neighbors can see it clearly.

So, three days later, when my father came to the mansion to pick me up, what he saw was me with bandages on my arms and bamboo canes between my legs.

I told my father about the accident that day, and I saw that his eyes were deep and full of anger. Later, my father sent people to inquire along the street and learned about the dangerous situation that day.

Upon returning to the manor, he immediately punished the First Madam by confining her to her quarters and had several servants in the manor beaten to death.

I followed Yunxi's instructions without saying anything or asking any questions. I just obediently played the victim, as if I would accept whatever my father gave me and wouldn't ask for anything he didn't give me.

After my father presented my three policy essays to the emperor, I was summoned by him. It was the first time in my life that I had seen the emperor, and I was extremely nervous.

But Yunxi had already explained the contents of the policy essay to me very thoroughly. So no matter how tricky the emperor's questions were, I was still able to answer fluently.

The Emperor was overjoyed and immediately appointed me as a fifth-rank Hanlin scholar, granting me special permission to accompany my father to court every day to discuss state affairs.

With Yunxi's help, my official career went very smoothly. In fact, back then, I could have found out the information Yunxi wanted in Qintian County.

But back then, I became greedy and wanted to keep Yunxi by my side forever. Yet, I could clearly sense that Yunxi had no love for me.

She even deliberately kept her distance from me on many occasions. I knew that I was mediocre and had nothing that could attract Yunxi.

He would do everything he could to be good to her, often buying her little trinkets to cheer her up. But she seemed listless about everything and showed no interest whatsoever.

She only showed real interest when she occasionally inquired about matters concerning the Imperial Observatory. But whenever she asked, I always deflected the question by saying that my official rank was too low.

Whenever Yunxi heard me say that, she would stare at me with a cool look, and then go back to her room without saying a word.

When I had almost sorted out the affairs of the court, Yunxi handed me an ice-making recipe. She told me to use the shop my father had given me to open an ice shop.

The ice shop was very profitable as soon as it opened. My father and the clan elders were extremely envious when they found out.

Yunxi told me that once wealth reaches a certain amount, it's impossible to keep it all on one's own. At that point, it's necessary to share the wealth with the family.

So, following Yunxi's instructions, I offered to hand over all the profits from the shop to the clan, keeping only 10% for myself to cover daily expenses.

After the family received real benefits, a voice began to circulate that, given my talent and vision, I should be chosen as the young head of the family.

Upon hearing this news, the Wen family, the maternal relatives of the First Madam, had a deep talk with the father, and the idea of ​​choosing a young master was immediately silenced.

Upon learning of this, Yunxi immediately produced another papermaking formula and woodblock printing techniques. Using the same method, she opened her own small shop.

When the bookstore became famous and made a fortune, it once again donated this lucrative business to the clan free of charge.

Since Yunxi promised to help me take the position of young master of the family, only three months have passed, and I have already become the most famous and talented person in the capital.

At this point, the First Madam's maternal clan could no longer suppress the voices recommending me. My father also felt that talent should not be wasted. For the sake of the Shi family's future, he overruled all objections and placed me in the position of young head of the family.

After becoming the young master of the family, everyone's gaze towards me changed. After all, who wouldn't want to befriend the future head of a century-old family?

During that period, I kept inviting people out every day, and my classmates became very enthusiastic about meeting me.

It wasn't until Yunxi approached me again and asked about the Imperial Observatory that I realized I had long forgotten about it.

Yunxi was very displeased with this, and without saying a word, she prepared to pack her bags and leave.