Although there were no questions today, there was still homework. Mr. Du kept the two of them behind to read. He taught Yan Qiyu by first having Yan Qiyu memorize what he needed to learn before explaining it to him. He didn't have such high expectations for Yan Shujin, but Yan Shujin still had to listen in when he explained it to her.
Every afternoon, they have an extra hour to read on their own. Although the books are selected by Mr. Du, he will choose several more, and the two of them can pick the ones they like to read. If they don't recognize any words or can't understand them, they can go to Mr. Du to ask.
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."
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