Double Happiness (Revised)
Liao Yan had finished his answer sheet early and was now intently fiddling with the purple-haired brush in his hand. The brush handle was smooth all over, made of precious Xiangfei bamboo, with extremely fine tips and delicate edges. It was crafted from purple rabbit hair, which is extremely rare in both the north and south, making it as tough as a knife or awl. It was especially suitable for running script and regular script, and had always been highly sought after by famous calligraphers.
Song Jiaoling herself held a styrofoam shepherd's purse that she had used for a long time. It was already prone to ink staining, and coupled with her restlessness, the ink smudged even more dramatically.
As all the other students handed in their answer sheets to Dr. Fu Sheng, she was the only one who didn't. Fu Sheng's gaze frequently swept over her. Song Jiaoling bit her lower lip, pondered for a moment, and then steeled herself and crumpled her answer sheet into a ball.
The hall was already quiet, and her sudden action drew curious glances from several people sitting not far away. Fu Sheng's gaze swept over the people in their seats, and he said in a deep voice:
"Is there anyone who hasn't handed in today's homework?"
Song Jiaoling was always well-behaved in the school and had never been so slow before. So when she stood up from her seat with a pale face, it drew a chorus of quiet surprises from the crowd.
"Doctor, my pen nib is quite worn out from use. I accidentally stained the answer sheet I had already finished with. Could I finish today's assignment and hand it in to you tomorrow when I go to class?"
Her words were very sincere, and her attitude was as respectful as ever. On the table in front of her were two sheep-hair brushes, their tips worn and rough from long use. On the back of the crumpled answer sheet, large patches of ink were faintly visible, already soaked through.
"It's alright, it's just been soaked in ink. Just hand in your answer sheet, as long as it doesn't affect the legibility."
Fu Sheng was always strict in his teaching, but he wasn't harsh on his female students, especially Song Jiaoling, who was the most outstanding student in the school. His words were a way of indicating that she didn't need to worry too much about the details.
After all, copying the seventeen chapters of the Book of Rites again and writing a postscript would waste a lot of effort.
Instead of showing joy at Fu Sheng's leniency, Song Jiaoling's face grew paler. She lowered her head slightly and murmured softly:
"...However...the student's brush has been used for many years and is extremely smudged, so the entire answer sheet is probably unrecognizable."
Her pride prevented her from submitting a report that would be criticized and riddled with errors.
Fu Sheng's expression darkened, but he remained silent. The daily assignments at Zhiqiong Hall were all included in the ten-day assessment, and each ten-day period was ranked according to performance. Song Jiaoling consistently ranked first. Fu Sheng opened the flower book in his hand, flipped to today's list, and drew an X after Song Jiaoling's name.
"In that case, your answer sheet today will not be counted."
His words drew gasps of astonishment from everyone present. After all, it wasn't the usual Fifth Prince who was being criticized today, but rather the obedient-looking Song Jiaoling. It was as if the sun had risen in the west.
Fu Sheng remained calm. “All the students have completed their papers on time. Since you are unable to submit your paper, you cannot postpone it until tomorrow.” His gaze was deep as he swept over the students in the classroom, his expression becoming increasingly stern.
“I will treat all students equally. There are no excuses for not pursuing education. If one cannot even ensure that basic necessities such as writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones are in good condition, then there is no way one can devote oneself to learning.”
The students who had been watching the spectacle hurriedly lowered their heads and replied in unison, "We understand," upon seeing the doctor's stern attitude.
This was the first time Song Jiaoling had been criticized so harshly in public. She felt her cheeks burning and was filled with shame. Tears welled up in her eyes and soon rolled down her cheeks.
After school ended, everyone gradually left. Song Jiaoling hadn't stopped crying yet; her eyes were already red from crying. She sobbed as she packed her things, trying to avoid the crowd before leaving.
But then a gentle male voice sounded from behind:
"Miss Song, there's no need to be too upset about what happened today."
She held back her tears and turned around in astonishment. She saw Duan Jinru dressed in a moon-white robe adorned with fine silver floral patterns, looking at her with an elegant face and a hint of concern in his strong and healthy eyes.
Normally, she had never had much contact with this young master from the Mao Prince's mansion, so she couldn't help but feel a little taken aback. Duan Jinru was nothing like his maternal uncle, the imposing and awe-inspiring Prince Mao; on the contrary, he was extremely low-key and gentle in his dealings with others. Even in the academy, he was quite unassuming compared to the other nobles. She knew very little about him and never expected that he would stay to comfort her.
She paused, unsure how to respond, when she saw Duan Jinru pull a light blue handkerchief from his sleeve, embroidered with longevity and auspicious patterns, the embroidery exquisite. Duan Jinru smiled gently at her and said:
"Miss Song studies diligently and is one of the best students in the school. It's only natural that the brush tip would become dull and forked after a long time of use, so don't take it to heart."
She stared blankly at the tall and handsome man in front of her, her cheeks suddenly flushed, and she didn't know what to say for a moment. She could only carefully take the embroidered handkerchief and say hesitantly, "Thank you, Young Master Duan."
Duan Jinru spoke with a gentle smile, his voice as clear and refreshing as a spring breeze: “I just happened to acquire some rabbit fur the other day, which I haven’t used yet. If Miss Song would like, I can bring it to you tomorrow.”
A gentle breeze wafted in from the half-open Yinghua window of Zhiqiong Hall. Song Jiaoling gazed at Duan Jinru's face, which appeared even more handsome and elegant in the sunlight. After a long while, she blushed and nodded gently.
.
Before they knew it, it was late June, and the capital city of Mu was celebrating two joyous occasions.
One of them was the marriage of Dou Yanzhou, the eldest son of the Grand Historian Dou Huai.
Dou Huaisheng was serving as the Grand Astrologer, a fifth-rank official, in charge of observing astronomical phenomena and assisting in the revision of the calendar. Although his rank was not considered high in Mujing, he gradually gained popularity through forming cliques and currying favor. He was able to please Emperor Su whenever he met with the emperor, making him a favorite of the emperor.
His eldest son, Dou Yanzhou, was also a handsome and talented man. He had only been serving in the imperial court for a short time but had a promising future. He was on good terms with the young men of the prominent families in Mujing, and his proposal to marry Lady Feng became the talk of the town.
Because the Feng family is not simple either.
Rumor has it that the Dou family's newlywed daughter-in-law is from a prominent family in the northern frontier. Few in the Central Plains knew of her, but according to one or two who had witnessed her beauty, she was stunningly beautiful with an exotic charm and a captivating figure, truly a beauty that could topple cities. Moreover, she possessed an extremely spirited nature, her horsemanship dazzling and in no way inferior to that of a military general.
As the story spread, people became even more curious. On the day of the wedding, the Dou residence was packed with people. It is said that some people even climbed a towering ancient poplar tree outside the Dou residence in order to catch a glimpse of Feng's beautiful face. However, due to the crowd, not only did they fail to see her, but they also accidentally fell from the ancient poplar tree and became disabled for half their lives.
This added a touch of legend to the rumors circulating in the streets and alleys about the newlywed bride of the Dou family.
Although the Feng family had only recently entered the Central Plains, they were incredibly wealthy and extravagant, sending off Dou Yanzhou with a ten-mile-long red dowry. From then on, Dou Yanzhou and his new wife became newly favored officials in the court. Even the next day, when Dou Huaisheng went to court, he was teased by Emperor Su, who was in a rare good mood. Everyone envied Dou Yanzhou's bright future and the good fortune of having a beautiful wife kept in a golden house.
In contrast, Lin Fu's marriage to Gao Youyi was much more low-key.
Because it was a second marriage, the Lin family did not hold a grand banquet, but only invited relatives from both sides and close friends in the court. Gao Youyi herself also disliked these elaborate customs, so she repeatedly declined her brother Gao Yanbang's various pomp and circumstances and gifts. She simply rode in a bright red sedan chair with a jeweled roof, bringing ten chests of rosewood as dowry and six maids, and married into the Lin family in a very low-key manner, becoming the new mistress of the house.
.
Lin Xu was engrossed in her books, oblivious to the fact that the Huizhou white tea that had been sitting on the table for a long time was now cold. Only when she picked up the teacup did she realize how cold it was to the touch.
With a pained expression, Granny Qin quickly replaced the old tea with fresh, steaming tea before saying, "Miss has been working too hard lately. Her studies are exhausting and her body can't take it. She should rest."
Lin Xu rubbed her aching shoulders, but still refused to rest. With only ten days left until the promotion exam in early July, she naturally couldn't afford to slack off.
The results for this period are now in, and she ranks third, following closely behind Princess Kunrou and the Third Prince. Song Jiaoling's grades suffered last time due to the ink stain incident, but if Lin Xu can achieve a first-class grade in the subsequent examination, she can naturally become the first and only companion student of Princess Kunrou, ranking first among the attendant students.
Of course, she also remembered Fu Sheng's advice that this matter ultimately needed the princess's approval.
She took a sip of tea, and after a short while, she heard voices outside the door, followed by the maidservant standing guard at the door saying respectfully:
"Greetings to the Madam."
Gao had been married into the Lin family for some time. Apart from seeing her once when Lin Xu paid his respects to his new wife on the second day, they had missed each other because of her busy schedule of going in and out of the palace every day. So far, they had only met briefly a few times in the mansion.
Now that Gao Youyi has suddenly come to visit, she is naturally very happy to welcome her.
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