Yan Shujin had never attended a private school and didn't know how others were taught, but she quite liked Mr. Du's method. Yan Qiyu, on the other hand, attended a private school where one teacher had to teach many students, so everyone learned the same things. Sometimes Yan Qiyu felt he had already mastered the material, but the private school teacher was still teaching the same things. He couldn't be picky, after all, his family had spent a lot of money to get him into the private school, and he also liked Mr. Du's teaching method.
Mr. Du was pleased to see Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu sitting in their seats reading. Both children were able to sit still and were reading very attentively. "I will mention the Six Arts of a Gentleman to your father and hire a few more tutors for you."
Neither Yan Shujin nor Yan Qiyu had any objections.
Mr. Du said, "You'll have a lot more to learn in the future. Aren't you afraid of getting tired?"
Yan Qiyu said, "I'm not afraid. I'm afraid I won't learn anything."
Mr. Du smiled. Actually, when Yan Zhili first said he had found his wife and children, Mr. Du didn't take it seriously. Xu Shi in the mansion was no pushover either. Children who grew up outside, no matter how talented, were wasted. He just didn't expect that Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu would be so capable.
Yan Shujin smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir."
Mr. Du nodded.
Yan Shujin suddenly remembered what she had seen on her way back from the palace, and briefly recounted it before asking, "Does the master know who they are?"
Mr. Du thought for a moment and said, "You mean there's a very handsome young man surnamed Han among them?"
“Yes,” Yan Shujin said, “She’s really beautiful.”
Mr. Du said, "He should be the young master of the Han family, Han's cousin."
Han family?
Yan Shujin paused for a moment before remembering and asked, "Is it your uncle's concubine?"
“Yes,” Mr. Du said. “If I’m not mistaken, it should be him. I don’t know who the other person is.”
Yan Shujin exclaimed, "The Han family members are all very good-looking."
Mr. Du smiled but did not refute. The Han family was indeed known for producing beauties; there were members of the Han family in the harems of previous emperors. "Judging from your description of his 'personality,' he should be Han Dalang's son."
"Han Dalang?" Yan Shujin was curious, but more so she wanted to know about the Han family. She liked her aunt, but Han Shi clearly didn't respect her. With her son by her side, the two were bound to clash sooner or later. Yan Shujin wanted to know the details so she could deal with them more easily.
Mr. Du nodded. Although he was not from the capital, he was very well-informed: "Han Dalang is very talented in literature, but unfortunately he has always been weak and sickly. Moreover, he is the son of Master Han's first wife. Master Han's first wife died when Han Dalang was four years old. Master Han remarried and his current second wife has given birth to two sons. The Han woman in the palace is from the second wife's family."
Yan Shujin sensed there was more to it than met the eye. Mr. Du, aware of the situation in the palace, continued without changing his expression, "Besides that, Han Dalang's *censored keyword* is the legitimate daughter of a former imperial merchant..."
Yan Qiyu asked, "Sir, isn't the Han family a prominent family?"
“Naturally, they are a distinguished family.” Mr. Du smiled and said, “What would you like to ask?”
Yan Qiyu said, "The previous dynasty looked down on merchants the most. Even imperial merchants were still merchants. Logically speaking, Han Dalang should be the eldest son of the Han family. Why would he marry... Oh right, because his mother was a stepmother."
Mr. Du nodded: "Han Dalang was in poor health, so it took him many years to have a son. Unfortunately, Han Dalang passed away when his son was seven years old. Han Dalang's son was then raised by Han's second wife."
Yan Shujin scoffed. This really was like a wolf walking into a tiger's den. Even she, an outsider, felt that something was wrong: "Both of Master Han's second wife's sons married women from prominent families, right?"
"right."
Yan Shujin asked, "What about Han Dalang's *censored keywords*? They can't be gone too, can they?"
"I don't know," Mr. Du said. "After Han Dalang passed away, we couldn't find any news about him. We only heard that the Han family doted on Han Dalang's only son. No matter how much trouble he caused outside, no one dared to say a word against him. Even when his cousin beat him up, no one in the family said anything to him."
Yan Shujin looked at Mr. Du and asked, "Mr. Du must know the inside story. If it really hurt, Han Dalang's son wouldn't have turned into the little tyrant he is now."
Mr. Du sighed and said, "It is said that Han Dalang was so heartbroken by her husband's death that she voluntarily prayed for the Han family in the Buddhist hall."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Yan Zhili still had to attend court. Before leaving, he went to see Yan Shujin again and instructed the guards to remember to call the imperial physician before departing.
The imperial physician arrived, and after reviewing the prescription, he made no changes. He simply started a few more dietary supplement recipes before going to rest in another courtyard. He wanted to stay and wait for Yan Shujin to recover.
Yan Shujin woke up with her fever gone, but she was feeling a bit listless and sat on the bed hugging her blanket.
Liu Qin sat by the bedside the whole time, and reached out to touch her forehead: "Is Baojie feeling any better? Aunt Yu, go and fetch the imperial physician."
Yan Shujin was too lazy to move and said, "I want to eat shredded chicken noodles."
Liu Qin remembered that the imperial physician had told Yan Shujin to eat something light: "I had someone prepare millet and red date porridge for you, and you can have shredded chicken noodles tomorrow."
Yan Shujin nodded: "I'm hungry."
Liu Qin had someone bring over some porridge: "Brother Gui came to see you a few times, but I sent him away."
"There's no point in him staying," Yan Shujin said softly. "Let him focus on his studies."
Liu Qin reached out and gently tapped Yan Shujin's forehead: "Don't say that in front of Brother Gui."
Yan Shujin yawned and said, "I've said that before."
Liu Qin didn't know what to say. No wonder Gui Ge didn't hesitate when she asked him to leave, but he would come to ask about it from time to time.
The imperial physician arrived quickly, took Yan Shujin's pulse, and told her to rest well. Liu Qin thanked him and personally escorted the physician to the door.
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