Walking on the road.
Recalling Bai Shizi's words, Xue Shilang couldn't help himself and turned around to punch Anning Hou, startling him.
Marquis Anning rubbed his aching arm and roared, "Have you lost your mind? Two hours isn't enough? You want to fight again? Come on, let's go back and fight."
Vice Minister Xue sneered, "You still have the nerve to ask me why I hit you? I just want to beat you to death right now! Do you know how much potential you've ruined? In two hours, Qingzhou barely even caught his breath. He's a martial arts prodigy! And what have you done to such a promising talent? I hit you, and you're acting all aggrieved?"
Marquis Anning blushed, his eyes filled with embarrassment. "I'm his father, how could I possibly harm him?"
“I told you before, the child is still young, don’t be so harsh. What did you do? You either punished or beat the child. It’s a miracle the child hasn’t been scared crazy by you!”
"you……"
Beside her, Ding was already weeping uncontrollably, but dared not cry out loud. She could only pull Li Mama along quickly to avoid being noticed for her loss of composure.
Then, Vice Minister Xue stopped and repeated exactly what the Crown Prince had said.
Marquis Anning also stopped and listened quietly. The more he listened, the more his heart ached. He finally admitted that he was wrong. It was not Qingzhou who was incompetent, but him; it was not Qingzhou who was useless, but him.
On the contrary, Qingzhou has superhuman endurance and talent. He was able to withstand the insults and suppression, and now he can even achieve the top score in the county exam, proving his strength in every aspect.
He must have been out of his mind to think his son was incompetent.
He regretted it!
He was filled with remorse, as if someone had ripped his heart out and was slowly being tortured to death.
Seeing the pain on his friend's face, and remembering his injury and disability, Xue Heze patted him on the shoulder sympathetically and comforted him, "Alright, what's past is past. Besides, you know the current situation of the court. Qingzhou's decision to become a civil official isn't necessarily a bad thing. We military officers aren't afraid of shedding blood on the battlefield or dying on the battlefield; what we fear is our compatriots killing each other. Now the emperor is becoming increasingly... who knows what will happen in the future."
The following sentence was spoken in a very low voice.
Marquis Anning also sighed and nodded.
Xue Heze then remembered something else, "Oh right, your family mustn't mistreat that concubine. I think that girl is very generous and a good girl."
Martial arts practitioners don't like timid girls. When Marquis Anning insisted on a marriage alliance with the Jiang family, Xue Heze had subtly reminded him of this.
Mentioning the Crown Prince and Jiang Yinjin, Marquis Anning frowned again—was he wrong? Was he wrong again?
Xue Heze: "Let's go. When are you leaving Beijing?"
"tomorrow."
"Then let's invite Qingzhou to dine together? You might not be back tonight."
"Alright."
Afterwards, the two arrived at the main courtyard. Marquis Anning sent someone to find Bai Qingzhou. Upon seeing Madam Ding, he casually asked, "Where's Yin Jin? Why haven't I seen Yin Jin?"
Ding replied, "Yinjin seems to have gone out early this morning; she might be making an inspection of the store."
Marquis Anning hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Mm."
Xue Heze thought to himself, "The Anning Marquis's residence is really something else. The young master has finally returned, and the wife, instead of accompanying her husband, goes off to inspect the shops? On the other hand, the concubines have been keeping him company the whole time, and they even practice martial arts together."
Recalling Jiang Yinjin's dignified appearance, it seemed to me that she was a guest of the Marquis of Anning's residence.
She was still that beautiful young girl, and she was a perfect match for Qingzhou.
...
We've had lunch.
Bai Qingzhou chatted with the guests for a while longer, and after seeing them off, she rushed back to Mingyue Courtyard as soon as possible.
"Mianmian, it's my fault for not being able to have lunch with you. Don't be angry."
Shen Mianmian, who was looking at calligraphy practice books, looked up, her beautiful face full of confusion. "I'm not angry. Why would I be angry?"
Bai Qingzhou was still uneasy. "Because...because...because I didn't invite you to dine with me in the main courtyard."
Shen Mianmian's lips twitched, then she said seriously, "Your Highness, please listen to what I have to say. Let me tell you what's on my mind. Putting aside the fact that men and women are different and it's inappropriate to dine together, I just want to say that I don't feel at ease eating with a stranger, so please don't be so suspicious, okay?"
What Bai Qingzhou didn't say was that when entertaining guests, the principal wife could attend such an informal family banquet, even though Jiang Yinjin wasn't at the Marquis's residence today.
His guilt ultimately stemmed from the feeling that Mianmian's status as a concubine was beneath her.
"Mianmian, let's go out of the manor. We'll find a restaurant for dinner and eat out."
Chen Mianmian asked in confusion, "Aren't you supposed to be studying?"
"Mr. Ouyang told me to rest for three days and not to study. I can read for a while tonight. My mother asked me to go out with you to relax, and my father agreed."
"??????"
Chen Mianmian was stunned. "The Marquis of Anning agreed?"
Why would the dignified Marquis of Anning concern himself with such trivial matters of personal feelings?
Thinking of what had just happened, Bai Qingzhou was also surprised. "Yes, when Mother heard that I would be back in a month, she said that she would take you out for a walk this afternoon to relax. Father nodded."
He never expected that his usually serious father would actually nod.
I don't know if that nod was just a coincidence.
Chen Mianmian declined several times, but finally couldn't resist Fengchu's insistence. The two changed their clothes and then left the Marquis's residence with Hanrong, Guanshui, and several guards.
Bai Qingzhou asked Chen Mianmian where she wanted to go.
Shen Mianmian said that she was unfamiliar with the place and didn't know where to go.
Shen Mianmian meant that she was not familiar with the Southern Chu Kingdom, so Bai Qingzhou assumed that she was not familiar with the capital. The bad thing was... he wasn't familiar with it either, since he rarely went out before.
Bai Qingzhou asked where she went to play in her spare time when she was in Jiangnan.
Chen Mianmian recalled the time before she transmigrated into the book. After filtering out entertainment venues such as movie theaters and KTVs, she talked about shopping and eating with her friends.
Bai Qingzhou immediately understood and took Chen Mianmian to Chang'an Street, where they browsed from shop to shop, marking their first official date.
When you go shopping with a woman, you naturally have to buy her things.
Bai Qingzhou had a lot of money, not because the Marquis of Anning's mansion was rich, but because he ate, dressed, and lived in the mansion and rarely went out. Although he spent money on books, his wife would send him money as soon as she found out.
Over the years, he unknowingly amassed a considerable sum.
Shen Mianmian didn't want Bai Qingzhou to spend money, after all... she couldn't take it with her.
At first, Bai Qingzhou kept asking which one she liked. Later, when Mianmian wouldn't answer, he went so far as to have someone wrap her up and send her back to the Marquis's residence if Mianmian glanced at her even twice.
In the end, Chen Mianmian was so frightened that she didn't even look at it anymore. She quickly strolled around the streets, found a restaurant, and prepared to eat something casually to complete this "date".
When Chenmianmian goes out, she wears a veiled hat because it attracts too much attention.
To avoid the trouble that beauty might bring, Bai Qingzhou took Shen Mianmian to Yuelaiju, the most secretive restaurant in the capital.
Yuelaiju is the restaurant that Jiang Yinjin frequents most often.
As luck would have it, the two ran into Jiang Yinjin when they arrived at the entrance of Yuelaiju.
Beside Jiang Yinjin was a handsome young man.
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