Lu Xu nodded blankly and followed Jin Shu's movements, imitating her in a very convincing way.

Jin Shu had pinched his bones, and it really proved the saying that when God closes a door, he always opens a window.

Lu Xu's IQ is only that of a five or six-year-old, which is not particularly high, but his physique is indeed good for martial arts. As long as she gives him more guidance and helps him straighten his bones and stretch his muscles while he is still young, he will be able to make a name for himself in the world in the future.

"Lesson 1: Horse stance."

Jin Shu changed into a skirt and pants, tied her hair up, spread her legs neatly, lowered her stance, placed her fists on her waist, and squatted down steadily.

Lu Xu did as instructed, and after Jin Shu helped him correct his posture, the mother and son began practicing horse stance in the cold outdoors.

Inside, Lu Huai and Lu Gu looked out the window at the two people.

Lu Gu pursed his lips dismissively.

"A waste of time."

Lu Huai turned his gaze away and focused on his textbook, ignoring Lu Gu.

Lu Gu sneered.

What's the use of trying harder? He is the true direct descendant of the Lu family. When his parents come back, he and Lu Xu will both be kicked out.

Even if he doesn't try, it won't change his true background.

As evening fell, Jin Shu gave Lu Huai a recitation test, and he recited everything she asked him to do with perfect fluency. He could even apply what he had learned to answer other questions.

When it was Lu Gu's turn, he not only stumbled over his words, but he also failed to answer any of Jin Shu's questions.

"You learned so little after a whole afternoon of being taught by the same teacher?"

"Yes, I tried my best."

"You did your best... That's a pity. There's no such thing as 'doing your best' here. If you don't achieve your goal, you'll be punished."

"You're not allowed to eat dinner tonight. You'll be kneeling outside for two hours as punishment. You're not allowed to sleep until you've memorized it all."

Lu Gu remained stubbornly silent with a stern face, turned around and walked out, then knelt firmly on the ground.

This matter quickly alarmed the old lady. Although it was time for her to go to bed, she rushed to Jin Shu's courtyard. She saw her own grandson kneeling in the cold wind, shivering. This broke her heart, and despite her advanced age, she ran over to him.

"Oh dear, why are you arguing with such a small child! Get up, get up! It's so cold on the ground. If he gets sick from the cold, it will be hard to recover later!"

When Lu Gu saw the old lady, his eyes reddened, and his pitiful and aggrieved appearance almost melted the old lady's heart.

"What are you standing there for? Get up now! Are you starving? Come on, let's go warm up at Grandma's!"

Just as Lu Gu was about to get up, Jin Shu's voice came from behind him.

"This makes you move? If you get up today, you're out of the manor tomorrow. Our Duke's manor doesn't want a lazy and useless child like you!"

Lu Gu paused, his whole body trembling slightly with anger.

The old lady wanted to say something, but Jin Shu shut her down with a single sentence.

"Mother, don't treat him like your own grandson. If you favor him so much, he'll lose his chance at the Duke of Dingguo's position if he falls behind!"

The old lady used to be a woman of absolute authority, but now that Jin Shu is in charge of the household, she manages everything in an orderly manner, and the old lady's position has long been a mere formality.

She sighed, secretly wiped away a tear, and could only let go of Jin Shu's hand for fear of arousing suspicion.

"The child is still young, so take it slow. Being too eager for quick success is not good for your relationship as a mother and child."

Jin Shu smiled.

“I have three sons, and there’s bound to be one who can both meet my expectations and be well-behaved and sensible.”

However, I am doing this for your own good. Nowadays, noble families have declined, and the days when we could live off the government's stipend while doing nothing are gone forever.

If you don't work hard today, you'll end up like your father, forced to go to the battlefield and die a horrible death.

"Mom, from now on, I'll discipline them, but you don't need to interfere, understand?"

The old lady muttered to herself, suppressing her anger.

"It seems I have no say in this house! Fine, you're the matriarch, do whatever you want, and just kick this old hag out tomorrow!"

With Mingqian gone, it seems I have absolutely no say in this family!

In the past, if the old lady made any unreasonable demands and the original owner refused, she would bring up Lu Mingqian to play the victim.

The original owner, who was unyielding to both soft and hard approaches outside, couldn't bear to see her beloved's mother say such things, so she had no choice but to agree.

Today she's resorting to the same old tricks again. Before, it was to use the Duke's mansion's money to help her maternal family; now it's to protect her own grandson.

The paths the original owner took were generally not good ones, so Jin Shu naturally wouldn't repeat them.

She remained indifferent as she watched the old woman wipe away her tears.

"Back when the Duke's mansion was suppressed by other aristocratic families, you, as the mistress of the house, did not stand up to speak out. Instead, you kept saying that you wanted to become a nun."

I was forced to take on this mess, forced to confront those ruthless and heartless aristocratic families in the capital. Why didn't you use the same energy you have now to speak back then?

"Mother, how can a person have all the good things? Wouldn't that be shameless?"

His slow and deliberate words left the old lady speechless, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing her face turn red from holding it in, Jin Shu clapped her hands.

"Don't waste any more time. You'll have to kneel in two hours no matter what. Hurry up before it snows, or it will be even harder when it starts to snow."

The old lady left in a huff, seething with resentment.

Without his backer, Lu Gu couldn't help but feel afraid when he saw Jin Shu's cold eyes. In the end, he could only obediently kneel down again, carrying her back while kneeling. After kneeling for two hours, Jin Shu sent someone to help him into the house.

Lu Gu, who had been indignant and resentful, was now shivering from the cold. Jin Shu sat at the head of the table, looking down at him.

Have you memorized it?

"I...I've memorized it..."

"Hmm, recite it and let me hear it."

"The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to abide in perfect goodness..."

In the end, Lu Gu still managed to memorize it, albeit with trembling hands.

Jin Shu didn't have a textbook; she just listened quietly and then pointed out a small problem he had in his recitation.

Lu Gu was surprised that Jin Shu, an inner court woman, was so familiar with the contents of the Four Books and Five Classics.

Seeing that she didn't have a book, he thought that even if he memorized something wrong, he wouldn't be found out.

Unexpectedly, Jin Shu could even spot his mistakes in pausing. As he recited the rest, he became so nervous that he trembled all over and his back broke out in sweat. Even after he finished reciting, he didn't dare to look up at Jin Shu's expression.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

Lu Gu waited anxiously for a long time before Jin Shu finally spoke slowly.

"Well, you've memorized it, but you're not very proficient. You're not allowed to eat dinner. You'll have to keep memorizing it tonight."