…
The next day, Jiang Rao woke up a little later than usual.
She rubbed her head and woke up with sleepy eyes. Mingshao saw that Jiang Rao woke up, so she called Yu'er over and helped Jiang Rao change clothes and wash up.
Sitting in front of the dressing mirror, Jiang Rao saw Ming Shao's slightly smiling face in the bronze mirror.
"What's going on?"
"I went to see some fun this morning."
Ming Shao used a wooden comb to comb Jiang Rao's hair slowly and carefully.
Her long hair falls like a waterfall to her waist.
When my fingertips touched it, it was as cool as satin.
She tied up Jiang Rao's bun and said, "The Madam was sent out of the house this morning. Before she got on the carriage, I took a look at her. Perhaps she hadn't slept all night. Her face looked awful, as if she was seriously ill. Her eyes were almost swollen like walnuts."
Yu'er also agreed, "It's a pity that the master didn't divorce her directly. If he really divorced her, she would probably cry her eyes out."
The two little maids were filled with indignation.
If she were a maid in someone else's courtyard, she would probably not dare to breathe when serving her master.
It’s just that Jiang Rao has been traveling outside for a long time, and she has seen all the different rules and regulations in Dazhao from south to north. The red tape made people feel uncomfortable, and she was too lazy to set so many rules for the yard.
What's more, when she was a maid serving Master Jiu in the dream, she was also a servant.
I have seen tall buildings rise and fall in my dreams. From then on, I no longer look down on those who are not as well-born as me.
She opened her round eyes, which were slightly squinted when she was sleeping, like a cat basking in the glaring sun, and looked through the bronze mirror at the two little maids talking back and forth.
I wasn't very curious about the content of their conversation.
Last night she dreamed of the scene where Liu was driven out of the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion and went to that remote and desolate farm to spend the rest of her life.
It was not until the two of them were tired of talking that they gave a gentle reminder.
"Evil deeds have been punished. There is no need to discuss this matter any further. Especially outside, do not mention anything about it."
Trouble comes from the mouth, so avoid causing criticism.
Ming Shao then inserted a silver hairpin into Jiang Rao's hair bun.
Jiang Rao looked at herself in the bronze mirror and said, "Change it."
She pointed to a jade hairpin on the table and said, "Change it to this one."
Ming Shao glanced at the hairpin and said, "Does the young lady like the hairpin that His Majesty the Ninth Prince gave you so much?"
Jiang Rao heard her pause in teasing her and shook her head to deny, "I like this hairpin."
For some reason, she just liked this hairpin particularly.
It was obvious that among the hairpins that were delivered together, the other styles were more exquisite.
But only this white jade hairpin looked familiar to her for no reason.
It's as if I've seen it somewhere before and liked it very much.
…
At one end of the table, there was a long box made of nanmu wood. Jiang Rao realized at this time, "This is..."
"Because of the eldest lady's fault, the master wanted to apologize for the girl. He asked someone to send this over, saying that he hoped that the harmony between the girl and his children would not be ruined because of the eldest lady's momentary confusion."
Jiang Rao frowned but did not touch the box.
harmony……
If she were her cousin, even if her mother was wrong, she would still be full of resentment towards the person who exposed her mother.
"I'll bring you a similar gift some other day."
She can't afford this gift. Harmony, no need.
After Jiang Rao finished speaking, she felt a little strange.
For her, it was natural that she wished that Liu, who wanted to harm her mother, would suffer as much as possible.
But for her uncle, his relationship with his first wife of more than ten years was not bad, and on the surface, everything seemed fine...
You just expel me and I don’t feel any pain at all?
Her only impression of her uncle was some vague moments of their time together before she was six years old, and her father's description of him.
According to my father, my uncle was kind and generous, and he would take care of his younger brother first even if he treated him badly.
When my father was a child, he made mistakes and got into trouble many times. Every time, my uncle lied and took the blame on him, and he took the blame for his younger brother.
Such a person sounds like the kind of person who would rather destroy himself than save his family.
Why did you suddenly become so hard-hearted?
Jiang Rao bit her lip, unable to figure out what was going on for a moment, and suppressed this strange emotion.
Thinking about another thing in his dream, his brows furrowed again and he asked about the time.
Hearing that it was the 15th hour of the morning, she sighed softly and said, "Hurry up, take me to the young master's yard before he wakes up."
…
Last night, Jiang Rao dreamed that Liu was leaving the house today.
She dreamed that her brother ran away from home with a small bag on his back.
When he was caught by the servant, he had tears on his shirt and cried and said, "I don't want to go to Bailu Academy."
When Jiang Rao was accompanied by her maid to the outside of Jiang Jinxing's yard, she just happened to see Jiang Jinxing packing a small bag, and finally avoiding his servant, and walking out of the yard with unsteady steps.
After dodging the servant, he bumped into Jiang Rao as he went out, and his little face instantly turned blue-gray.
Jiang Rao walked quickly,
He grabbed Jiang Jinxing's small bag as he turned to run away, "Why are you running?"
Jiang Jinxing hung his head and turned back to hug Jiang Rao's legs.
He blinked.
"I don't want to study at Bailu Academy."
He shed tears and pulled his small bag to prevent Mingshao from taking it away.
"I'll change it to that small."
“…”
Jiang Rao wiped away some of his tears and asked, "Who said that you will go to Bailu Academy?"
Jiang Jinxing shouted, "Mr. Yan! My father, at the banquet yesterday, Yan Nanxun said that he would take me to the Egret Academy to study, and he would not let me out until I finished reading all the books in the academy."
His tears were bigger.
"But Mr. Yan didn't take me with him when he left. I thought I could hide away and stay with my parents and sister, but my father sent a servant back with a message last night, saying that he would let me go to the academy today and there would be a special tutor to keep an eye on me."
Jiang Jinxing threw himself into Jiang Rao's arms and sobbed, "I'm not going to school, I'm going to visit my own grave. There are so many books, but I know so few words. I can't finish reading them in my lifetime."
"Even if you don't go to Bailu Academy, you have to go to another school. You are almost eight years old. If you hadn't been on the road all the time, you should have gone to school a few years ago, instead of relying on your father to teach you alone." Jiang Rao rubbed his head, "Mr. Yan likes to bully people verbally, but he is actually soft-hearted. Don't listen to him scaring you. He found a special tutor for you because he was afraid that you couldn't keep up with the others' lessons, so he found one specifically to teach you."
Jiang Jinxing listened, cried less loudly, and nodded.
Jiang Rao smiled lightly, somewhat helplessly, "I want to enter the Egret Academy, but I can't get in."
Her parents were open-minded and allowed her to live a life different from those women who had to stay in the boudoir and had few opportunities to go out before and after marriage. She could do many things she wanted.
But even so, as a girl, if she went to a place like the academy full of men, her reputation would be ruined.
Sometimes she worried that Rong Ting was being bullied in there, but she had no way to go in and take a look, and had no way to find out.
She sighed and looked at Jiang Jinxing's tear-soaked face. "I can't save you from this. When you are old enough, you have to go to the academy to study."
"However." Jiang Rao was also reluctant to leave her brother, "I will ask for you to stay at home for a few more days, don't leave so quickly."
Jiang Jinxing burst into laughter and held Jiang Rao's hand, so intimately.
…
"Mr. Yan even brought him along to a birthday banquet. I heard he kept him by his side the entire time. The prince... oh, he is indeed different."
"Just now in class, Mr. Yan was only friendly to him and was dissatisfied with the articles we wrote. But what can a disabled person learn from riding and hunting? Even if there are some truths in his articles, he can only be a useless prince in the end."
"Hey, the teacher has been clear-headed all his life, but he's starting to get confused as he gets older."
After the Chinese studies class, the students who were scolded by Yan Nanxun gathered together.
Those who were scolded severely were all dissatisfied and directed at Rong Ting, who was the only one who escaped the disaster in the class and won the praise of Yan Nanxun.
With a sarcastic tone, he took advantage of the fact that Rong Ting's leg injury was difficult to heal and would not pose any hidden danger in the future, and laughed at him wantonly.
Huai Qing followed behind Rong Ting, and when he heard a few words of gossip, he looked a little unhappy. He glanced at Rong Ting, but found that he looked normal as if he had heard nothing.
Or rather, numbness.
Huai Qing didn't know whether Rong Ting took those words to heart. Rong Ting didn't say anything. As a eunuch, he didn't dare to rashly provoke the grandson of Elder Liu and the son of Prime Minister Qian.
At this time, Fourth Master Jiang stepped over the moon gate and walked into the school. He only heard one or two words of gossip. He frowned and glared at those students who gossiped behind the teacher's back.
"I didn't do my homework well, but I complained that the teacher was biased. What a bastard Miaozi who couldn't distinguish the main from the secondary."
Although Fourth Master Jiang did not hold an official position, there was order of seniority and those scholars did not dare to be disrespectful.
What's more, they only dared to talk about Yan Nanxun behind his back and didn't dare to say anything bad about Yan Nanxun in front of his best friend. They were like quails, shrinking their heads and keeping silent.
Huai Qing felt somewhat grateful when he saw Fourth Master Jiang's eyes, but he did not expect that when Fourth Master Jiang's gaze swept over him, it was so cold.
After a careful look, I realized that he was looking at Rong Ting.
Huai Qing began to feel confused again.
I don't understand why Fourth Master Jiang helped the Ninth Prince, but when he looked at the Ninth Prince, he had an expression as if he wanted to kill him a thousand times.
Huai Qing was not the only one confused.
The head of the Xu family, the father-in-law Xu Shanqing, who came to the academy to visit the seventeenth prince today, was also a little confused.
He heard that Jiang Xingzhou had come to the Egret Academy, and today he came here under the pretext of visiting the Seventeenth Prince to see if Jiang Xingzhou gave Rong Ting a letter of recommendation in order to help Rong Ting, or if it was just a move by Concubine Yun to compete for her favor, as his daughter said.
Today, when Jiang Xingzhou looked at Rong Ting, it was as if there was a knife hidden in his eyes. It was definitely not displeasure or warning that could be acted out.
I just supported and tolerated those words, but I didn't
Making excuses for Rong Ting seems more like helping his old friend, Yan Nanxun.
The father-in-law gradually came to agree with what Queen Jiahe said.
But when he looked at Rong Ting from afar, even though he was sitting in a wheelchair, he could not hide his handsome demeanor, and his eyes were as cold and gloomy as a poisonous snake.
A tiger with broken teeth is still a tiger.
There was a hint of fear in Xu Shanqing's eyes and he frowned.
Bailu Academy is the best academy in Dazhao.
Previously, he had given his daughter many instructions and warnings, not giving Rong Ting any chance to study, but he accidentally learned enough knowledge to be accepted as a disciple by Yan Nanxun.
Letting him stay in Bailu Academy would be like nurturing a tiger to cause trouble.
This can't go on any longer.
Yan Nanxun was very satisfied with his disciple Rong Ting and could not start with him.
He could only let his life in the academy become so miserable that he was forced to admit defeat.
It wouldn't hurt to let him have a good time in the academy these days.
There was a hint of shrewd sarcasm in the father-in-law's gloomy vulture-like eyes.
People are all mean.
Let him experience sweetness first and then have to endure bitterness, no one can bear it.
…
At lunch time.
Huai Qing felt overwhelmed when he saw the food being delivered from the academy's canteen.
The food we are given has been getting less and less recently. As of today, who can eat these few green vegetable leaves and a small bowl of rice?
It's just like dealing with a beggar.
He chased him out to question him. The worker who brought him food looked at him with contempt. Yang Yang said in a weird tone, "Nanzhang is suffering from famine right now. Food is scarce everywhere. Even though His Highness is the only son of an emperor, he should be more considerate of the people and set an example."
"But His Highness the Ninth Prince's injury has not healed yet."
"Yeah, I sit in a wheelchair all day and I don't feel tired, so I don't have to eat so much."
Huai Qing walked out angrily, wanting to find someone to argue with, but when he arrived at the kitchen, the steward said in a light tone: "Everyone's meals are the same, why does your master want to be special? Don't be so ignorant, if the rice is not enough, I will give you another bowl of rice, be frugal, the prince should set an example for the princes."
Huai Qing had a hard time.
He could smell the aroma of meat cooking in the kitchen. How could the food be the same?
He went back feeling very angry.
I was furious but there was nothing I could do.
Relay what he and the kitchen manager said to Rong Ting.
But there was no ripple in those cold eyes.
It was as if he had expected these things to happen, and he said to Huai Qing, "If something like this happens again in the future, there is no need to argue about it."
Arguing only gives others more opportunities to slander you.
An opportunity to say white as white and white as black.
His pupils were as lonely as a cold night.
“No matter what I hear others say about me, there is no need to argue.”
…
Huai Qing didn't understand Rong Ting's meaning at first.
When he heard the noisy discussions in the academy, he suddenly understood, but he was also shocked and angry.
Since the day he went to the kitchen to question, rumors began to spread among the students in the academy that Rong Ting did not care about the people and was only interested in a comfortable and enjoyable life.
But he was the eunuch serving Rong Ting.
No matter what he said, others said he was blindly loyal to his master.
No one listened to his words.
Huai Qing was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and suddenly he thought of someone.
…
Outside Bailu Academy, in the private room on the top floor of the restaurant, Jiang Rao and Jiang Jinxing were waiting for her father to come in.
She watched Jiang Jinxing doing something furtively in the corner. She endured it for a long time before finally moving over to take a look.
The child was holding a peeled red pepper in his hand and rubbing it against his eye sockets, his eyes already filled with tears.
"What are you doing?"
"I will cry and cry for a while, if Daddy has pity on me, I won't have to study anymore."
Jiang Jinxing's nose was itchy from the chili pepper, and he sneezed a few times while crying. He used his hands and feet to hold Jiang Rao tightly and refused to let go, "Sister, I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave mother."
Jiang Rao: “…”
You changed fine before going out, why did you start making trouble again when you were about to enter the academy?
The wooden door of the private room opened at this time, and the wind from outside blew in.
It was both spicy and cold, and Jiang Jinxing cried even more happily. Looking at her father walking in, Little Pepper hid in the small pocket on her clothes and ran over to rub against him, "Daddy, I miss you so much, you don't have to worry about me, woo woo woo."
Last time, tears were very effective with my grandfather.
Jiang Jinxing was looking forward to his father taking care of him as soon as possible, just like his grandfather did.
But Fourth Master Jiang glanced at him indifferently.
Cold voice
"Since you don't want anyone to control you, go to the window and get some fresh air to calm down. If you cry so ugly, don't tell anyone that he is my son."
Jiang Jinxing felt a chill and sour feeling in his eyes, and his heart was in turmoil. He watched his father walk away heartlessly, and cried even louder. This trick was useless.
Jiang Rao felt more distressed for him. She ran over and hugged him in her arms. She wiped away the tears from his eyes with a handkerchief, asked the maid to take him to wash his hands and face, and said to her father, "Dad, Jinxing just changed his life because he is not used to studying in the academy."
Neither she nor her brother had ever stayed in one place for a long time. She was more flexible and had lived in Jinling until she was six years old. For Jiang Jinxing, it was common to move to a new place every few months. It would be difficult for him to be trapped in the academy.
Fourth Master Jiang thought of the crybaby who had just cried so hard that the whole restaurant was shaken, and his beard curled up in anger, "You're not used to it even before you enter the academy?"
"If he's not used to it, I'll beat him until he gets used to it."
After washing his face, Jiang Jinxing was brought back by the maid and was so scared that he hiccuped.
Jiang Rao hugged him again, "Daddy was just threatening you, when did he really hit you?"
Jiang Xingzhou refused to lose face in front of his son. "If he doesn't listen, I will really beat him."
Jiang Jinxing shrank his head and quickly admitted his mistake, "Daddy, I'm used to it. I'm used to it now."
But he held Jiang Rao's fingers tightly and looked at Jiang Siye eagerly, "Dad, can I let my sister go with me?"
"You wish."
Jiang Jinxing pursed his lips, "But my sister said that she wanted to go, but couldn't."
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master Jiang frowned deeply and looked at Jiang Rao, "Really?"
Jiang Rao nodded, but lowered her eyes.
She knew that her idea was irrational and could not be realized.
If a girl goes to the academy not for the purpose of studying, others would laugh at her to the extreme extent when they hear about it.
She said to Jiang Jinxing, "Sister can't get in, so you should study hard. If there is anything I want to know, I can ask you."
"Why can't you get in?" Jiang Xingzhou was very dissatisfied with her words, and said in a deep voice, "Women in this world live too hard. Although I can't change this world, but if I can't even take you into the small Bailu Academy, wouldn't I have lived in vain for nearly forty years?"
The more he spoke, the more indignant he became.
A pair of big round eyes, similar to those of his son and daughter, looked at him, shining brightly.
They said in unison: "Dad, do you have any solution?"
…
"Women can't enter, but if it's a man, isn't it okay?"
Jiang Rao looked in the bronze mirror, at the yellow mud and powder her father had smeared on her face and neck, the makeup she had put on, her hair tied up in a bun and the hairpin she wore, her eyes were filled with curiosity and amazement.
——It turns out that if she were a man, she would be born like this.
"No wonder mother always asks daddy to draw her eyebrows. Daddy is really an expert in painting."
Fourth Master Jiang was very proud, "Although you are not as skilled as those who can disguise themselves, at least people won't know that you are a woman."
"Then what mother said about you pretending to be a woman to trick her into becoming your best friend is also true?"
ginger
The fourth master choked heavily, his eyes were complicated, his face was embarrassed, he coughed awkwardly a few times, and retorted: "That's not true."
He said to Jiang Rao, "I will take you in as my adopted son. Since you are not tall, I will say that you are eleven years old and have been sickly since childhood. Don't speak and pretend to be dumb to avoid being discovered. Let Jiang Ping follow you, and I will feel at ease."
Jiang Rao nodded, "What's my name then?"
"Think about it yourself."
Jiang Rao thought about it carefully.
Seeing her deep in thought, Fourth Master Jiang asked, "You are thinking so hard, what good name have you come up with?"
"I've made up my mind." Jiang Rao sat upright, "I want to call you Jiang Youfu."
“…”
Fourth Master Jiang smiled helplessly, "Okay, local names are easy to raise."
Jiang Jinxing came over with a powder box in hand, "Dad, you have a daughter and a son, and now my sister is the son. What do you think, can I be the daughter who doesn't have to go to school?"
Mr. Jiang Si immediately felt a little overwhelmed.
If he hadn't had a stick ready to hand, he would have chased this son of a bitch around the room and yelled, "Don't think you don't have to go to the academy just because I turned you into a girl. If you try to escape from the academy again, I won't let you rest for a day once you're in."
Jiang Jinxing pursed her lips and put the powder box back tremblingly.
…
In order to dress up as a man, Jiang Rao not only put a thick layer of makeup on her face that even changed her face shape, but also had to think about clothes.
She was too small.
But her breasts were already beginning to show signs of fullness.
But...binding the breasts is too painful.
Jiang Rao looked at the bronze mirror and saw the male makeup her father had put on her. Her skin was dull and her facial features were plain. She really didn't look good. She instantly lost her obsession with beauty.
Anyway, Jiang Youfu is not her Jiang Rao, so she stuffed some cloth into his stomach, tied it up, and pretended to be a fat little boy with a lot of flesh.
After a long time, when Jiang Rao came out of the small compartment of the restaurant wearing the men's clothes bought for her by Mr. Jiang Si, Jiang Jinxing looked at her.
He looked down at himself again, lost in thought.
It was as if I saw what I would look like in the future.
I suddenly felt some resistance.
Jiang Xingzhou was very satisfied with his daughter's appearance.
Walking with them to the outside of Bailu Academy, he suddenly remembered something and asked Jiang Rao, "Why do you suddenly want to study?"
The plump and naive little mute Jiang Youfu pursed his lips and blinked his eyes.
She went to the academy without wanting to study.
She just wanted to see if the poor little thing was doing well.
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