Chapter 8 Very good. Upon hearing the voice, Lord Chen came forward and said with a bow: "...
Upon hearing the voice, Lord Chen came forward and said, "This humble official greets Lord Xue."
The gentlemen present here are young and still studying. They have heard about the fame of Wenquxing like Xue Yu since they were young, and their ears are callused. Now that they see the real person, they sit up straight unconsciously.
The little girls looked at each other and quietly lifted the bamboo curtain, only to see that their elder brother was wearing a plain robe, which made him look more radiant than wearing brocade clothes, but a little too serious.
"The eldest young master speaks nicely and slowly." The daughter of the Xue family's branch branch whispered.
"Big brother, can you please ask the teacher from a few days ago to come over? That teacher's lectures were very interesting." The young Shisiniang suddenly said.
Liu Niang tugged at her sister's skirt and whispered, "Don't blame me, my dear. Shisi Niang is still young and she only thinks about interesting stories about knights."
Xue Yu first greeted several of his clan sisters' elders, and then said, "Whether it's the way to govern the world or the anecdotes of knights, it's all knowledge."
He paused, then added, "Respect your teachers. Even if you don't understand, you must not be disrespectful to them."
Yun Yang stood with his back to him, sweat oozing from his forehead.
He had clearly listened attentively, but what the teacher was saying was too profound. The more he tried to understand, the more confused his head became. It was as if those numbers were flying around, making a buzzing sound that made him drowsy.
Xue Yu caught him red-handed. Although he didn't mention anyone by name, Yun Yang felt uncomfortable all over. He couldn't make any excuses. If he did, Yun Yang could imagine Xue Yu's stern face saying that it was all an excuse.
Xue Yu was quite impatient with the bureaucracy, so he chatted with her for a few words and then left. After he left, Master Chen also felt tired and asked everyone to rest for a while before continuing to study.
It was clearly break time, but the atmosphere was far from relaxed. Just like when Xue Yu was here just now, everyone was silent and reserved, not talking.
After a while, the young Shisiniang spoke first: "Big brother actually remembers us?"
"My father said that he passed the imperial examination and often served in front of the emperor, waiting for his advice. The emperor would ask for his advice on everything. So it's not difficult for him to remember which branch we are from..." said another girl from the Xue family.
Yun Yang secretly complained that he had a good memory and held grudges.
"If there is anything we don't understand, can we go and ask big brother?" asked the young master of the seventh room.
Xue Jin's words were still as unpleasant as ever, and he sneered, "Big Brother is the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor. You, a young boy, are still dreaming of becoming a fellow disciple of the Crown Prince?"
After school, Yun Yang returned to his residence and sighed deeply. He hadn't done any heavy work, yet he felt exhausted all over... Was this what it meant to burn out his spirit?!
After lying on the bed for a while, I felt hungry after using my brain so much, and my stomach started to growl.
Yun Yang glanced across the table. The Xue family had regular meals, and since it was not yet dinner time, the only thing he could fill his stomach with was the snacks he had bought when he went out for a trip yesterday.
She drank a sip of tea, ate a few snacks, patted the snack crumbs on her hands, lay back on the bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, the room was dark, with a faint candlelight shining through the window paper. Yun Yang looked at everything in front of him, and for a moment he didn't know where he was and felt confused and abandoned.
Yun Yang held his forehead and calmed down.
I slept too long, and slept until night, even missing meal time.
"Miss, are you awake? I saw you were sound asleep, so I didn't call you." The maid said softly, walking forward and pouring a cup of hot tea. "Miss, you must be thirsty."
I'm not thirsty, I'm hungry!
Yun Yang sighed. He felt dizzy and nauseous from sleeping so much that he wanted to go out for a walk to get some fresh air.
He glanced at the remaining snacks on the table. If he didn't eat them now, they would go bad. Yun Yang was frugal, so he wrapped the snacks in a handkerchief before leaving and ate them while walking.
In the evening, frogs croaked beside the Qing Lake, and the dim candlelight, like a bean, outlined a thin silhouette of the clouds.
As they walked, they came to the water corridor. Yun Yang looked up and saw the black tiles and white walls standing quietly under the green waves.
Isn’t that Fushan Pavilion, where Xue Yu lives?
In Fushan Pavilion, Xue Yu changed into a light, fine linen Zen robe.
What he held in his hand was a letter that the prince had handed to him when he came out of the East Palace just now. It was written by the prince's biological mother, Concubine Li in the palace.
The reason why he was able to take on the position of the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor was not only because he was indeed talented, but also because Concubine Li was from the Xue family and was his aunt.
He is actually a relative by marriage.
In recent years, he has devoted himself to his official career, only to find that there are too many things to weigh in the circle of power, and it is difficult to maintain his own moral integrity.
Nothing is black and white. It is not easy to be a loyal minister.
Xue Yu opened the letter. The handwriting on the letter was beautiful, and the style of the pen could vaguely be seen.
It was definitely the girl from Xue’s family.
What was written in the letter was that he should choose a girl from his clan of suitable age to enter the palace to accompany him.
The emperor was getting old, and all the families in the capital who had some connections started to marry off their daughters of marriageable age before the selection, or to arrange marriages with others in advance.
However, his aunt, Concubine Xue Lifei, wanted him to send his young cousin to the palace to consolidate her favor.
Xue Yu put down the letter and stood in front of the window, gazing at the vast Qinghu Lake.
After his father retired, he took over as the new head of the Xue family. He knew that he would always have to deal with trivial matters besides studying.
I don't know how my father handled such situations. From what I recall, he wasn't diligent or ambitious, even a bit casual and undisciplined. But even though he held the title of Grand Tutor, he rarely made enemies at court and earned the unanimous respect of all branches of the Xue family.
He suddenly felt that there was a lot to learn, but he didn't have much time left and had already entered the game.
In the court, the eldest prince and the queen were pressing hard. The emperor's aunt, Concubine Li, had a deep affection for him when she was young, but the emperor's health was getting worse year by year, and too many civil officials were concerned about Xue's attitude.
Xue Yu had always been hailed as a favored child of heaven and had never felt lost or frustrated. But now, he felt as if he could do too little and the responsibilities on his shoulders were much heavier than he had imagined.
This melancholy was broken by the smiling face of the girl standing on the nine-curve corridor.
She waved at him with a smile and shouted, "Brother-in-law!"
Si Qing came in and said, "Master, Miss Yun said she didn't understand what she learned in class today and wanted to ask you for advice."
Xue Yu said: "Let her in."
Yun Yang's original intention was to take a walk by the lake, but as luck would have it, he saw Xue Yu looking at the lake from the window.
She knew very well that Xue Yu didn't want to see her.
Thinking of the discomfort she felt in school, she wanted to make him unhappy even more.
"Brother-in-law, the math we learned today is too difficult. Can you teach me?" Yun Yang said.
Xue Yu was wearing casual clothes, and the sense of distance brought by his usual cold face was shortened a lot, making him no different from an ordinary nobleman. Yun Yang suddenly wanted to see how knowledgeable he was.
Xue Yu sat down at the desk again, his bony hands picking up the pen. "What do you not understand? Tell me, and I'll explain it to you again."
Si Qing brought a chair and Yun Yang sat opposite Xue Yu.
Strangely enough, the profound content that the teacher taught in the school became simple and easy to understand after he broke it down in this way.
In particular, his voice was clear and his pronunciation was pleasant. When he talked about the key points, he would knock on the table with his folding fan to attract her attention. After all the explanations, Yun Yang had no chance to be distracted.
By the time Xue Yu put down his pen, it was already dark.
Si Qing came over and replaced the pot of hot tea, reminding him, "Young Master, it's time to eat."
The young master had just returned from the East Palace and had not eaten yet. The small kitchen had prepared food, but Second Miss Yun came over to disturb him again. Seeing that the young master was speaking seriously, Second Miss Yun was also very eager to learn, so the meal was completely delayed.
"Brother-in-law, have some of this snack first to fill your stomach." Yun Yang said.
She didn't want to give the snack to Xue Yu, but it was obvious when she came in with it in her hand. If she hid it, people would think she was stingy.
"I brought this especially for my brother-in-law. He worked hard teaching me my lessons."
Xue Yu's eyes fell on the delicately wrapped pastry and he frowned, "But was it made in the mansion?"
Old Madam Xue likes sweet food, so the snacks made by the kitchen in the mansion are too sweet and too soft.
But Xue Yu doesn't like sweet things.
"No, no! I went outside the mansion in the hot sun to buy it. It's the Yiji shop in the west of the city. There were so many people lining up! I waited in line for a long time before I could buy it." Yun Yang pushed the snack forward and said, "Brother-in-law, try it quickly. It's not very sweet."
This is the truth. I queued up under the scorching sun, so I bought quite a lot. But no matter how delicious the dim sum is, it is easy to get sick of it if you eat too much. Apart from these few pieces, the rest of Yun Yang was distributed to the young girls and boys in the clan school.
Looking at the girl's bright eyes under the candlelight, Xue Yu took it and said, "...Okay."
The dim sum was exquisitely made. Xue Yu picked up a lotus-shaped piece and put it in his mouth.
"How is it? Is it delicious?" Yun Yang smiled and picked up another piece shaped like a stone lion. "This one is filled with red bean paste. It's also delicious. Come and try it, brother-in-law."
Xue Yu paused and took it.
"Young Master, did you actually have some snacks before dinner?" the maid outside the door asked in surprise.
"Yes, after finishing one piece, Miss Yun offered another piece." Si Qing held his forehead with his hand. "I don't know if it was really delicious, or if the young master couldn't bear to refuse Miss Yun's kindness."
"Can you still eat the meal?" The maid stretched out the bowl and plate in her hand. "What should I do?"
"Young Master, you shouldn't be hungry anymore... You've eaten three pieces, aren't you sick of them?" Si Qing said.
"Hey, brother-in-law, aren't you going to have dinner? Why haven't the dishes been served yet?" A girl's excited voice came from the room.
The maid responded and pushed the door open to serve the dishes.
Yun Yang came out of Fushan Pavilion burping, feeling instantly refreshed.
Not only was the numerology problem solved, but the extra snacks were given away and exchanged for a meal.
There is a small kitchen in Xue Yu's yard, and the dishes are all prepared according to his light taste, and they are indeed better than those cooked in the Xue Mansion kitchen.
Xue Yu assigned Si Qing and a maid to lead the way, with the maid holding a lamp and walking in front.
"Second Miss, are those snacks really that delicious?" asked Si Qing.
Yun Yang showed her empty handkerchief and happily said, "Look, my brother-in-law has finished eating it all. How could it not be delicious? I bought it specially for you."
"Yiji's dim sum is very famous, and it's indeed difficult to buy them." The maid interrupted, "Second Miss went out of her way to buy these for the young master. How thoughtful of her to do so."
After the young master had his snacks, he ate less for dinner.
Yun Yang chuckled, "It's just a small matter, a small matter."
In the room, Xue Yu finished washing up, sat at the desk, dipped the pen in ink, and spread out the snow-white rice paper.
Si Qing returned and reported, "Second Miss Yun has been sent back to Jinxiang Pavilion. Second Miss is very thoughtful. Sister Zhu'er knows about Yiji and said that their dim sum is indeed hard to come by and that you have to wait in line for a long time."
Xue Yu didn't say anything, and the pen in the air didn't move.
Smoke curled from the Boshan stove by the window, creating a cool and quiet atmosphere. Moonlight streamed in from outside, and the gurgling sound of Qinghu Lake and the occasional chirp of cicadas filled my ears.
In the silence, Xue Yu's voice was clear, "Send someone to buy more tomorrow and send it to Jinxiang Pavilion."
*
"Jingshu is only sixteen. I'd like to keep her for a few more years." The fourth wife was a little nervous and looked up at Xue Yu. "I don't know why the eldest master suddenly asked this. But... is there any family that you think is suitable for her?"
Matters such as weddings and funerals within the clan should have been handled by the wife of the eldest house, but Xue Yu's mother died early and the new bride was not at home, so these matters fell on the old lady. However, today it was Xue Yu who came to ask...
The fourth wife rubbed her white hands on the hem of her skirt, as if trying to rub out all the embarrassment. It was really strange to discuss the marriage of her children with the head of the Xue family who was in his twenties.
She asked tentatively: "Is there any news..."
"Sister Jingshu is sixteen this year, and is old enough to discuss marriage. I hope Fourth Madam can arrange it as soon as possible." Xue Yu's face was calm, and he tapped his fingers on the table a few times, saying indifferently, "The palace's triennial selection is coming soon."
The Fourth Lady was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what was going on. She was secretly terrified that she had completely forgotten about this matter. Was Concubine Li crazy, actually asking the young women of her clan to serve the old emperor?
"Jingshu has someone she loves, she does! I wanted to keep her for a few more years, I was greedy at the time. I will arrange a marriage for her soon!" The Fourth Madam stood up and poured a cup of hot tea for Xue Yu, then pushed the snacks on the silver tray forward, "Sir, please have some tea, and these snacks, they are not from the stove in the mansion, they are not sweet or greasy and are very delicious..."
Xue Yu's hand, which had taken the cup, froze in mid-air. He lifted his eyelids and looked at the exquisite snacks, saying with a half-smile, "This snack is quite exquisite. Where did it come from?"
"It was sent by the second Miss Yun in the mansion yesterday. She and Jingshu are studying in Fengjian Mingyue Hall together. The second Miss not only gave a copy to Jingshu, but also gave a copy to the young men and women who were studying with her. The second Miss was very thoughtful." The fourth lady said.
The hand holding the cup tightened, and Xue Yu said calmly, "Very good."
The author has something to say:
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Meibao: Huh? I bought it specially (but not for you).
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