"That medicine must taste awful, right?"
The Crown Princess didn't say anything, but Luo Yanfeng immediately expressed her sympathy: "My eldest sister is the same. She still drinks when she gets home, and after drinking, she has no appetite for food."
Xu Rong didn't know if the medicine Madam Xu brought was difficult to drink, but she was certain that Chinese medicine never tasted good—she had drunk enough of it when she first transmigrated and was lying in bed, and the fact that she didn't want to get out of bed was also related to the potency of the medicine.
She didn't need to say anything, only showing a lingering fear on her face. Luo Yanfeng understood immediately: "Sister Xu, you're so pitiful. But at least you have someone to drink with. Even if it's useless, it'll still make you feel better."
"..." Xu Rong almost laughed out loud. This was why she didn't find Luo Yanfeng's chatter annoying. She might not be in line with the times, but she was just like her era.
Strangely, this time the Crown Princess did not interrupt her. Instead, a soft sound of a teacup hitting the table came from behind the screen.
Xu Rong looked in the direction of the sound.
She couldn't see clearly, but she heard a clear male voice from the outer hall: "Come in."
This area was originally designated as a resting place for the Crown Princess, and it was not in the same place as the area for receiving guests, so the noise could not reach her. When people entered the hall, the soft clatter of their footsteps on the blue bricks could be clearly heard.
Xu Rong guessed who was sitting in the outer hall—several months had passed, and she couldn't quite remember the Crown Prince's voice anymore, but with the Crown Princess as a clue, the answer was self-evident. She just didn't expect to hear two more voices next.
"Your subject Xiao Lun pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Student Xiao Xin greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xu Rong was startled.
She and Xiao Xin had parted ways at the gate not long ago, and she didn't know why he would come over, especially with Xiao Lun.
"Please rise."
After the Crown Prince finished speaking politely, another person stepped forward, her voice carrying a light laugh: "This servant was ordered by Your Highness to summon Commander Xiao, but on the way I heard that the Commander's younger brother had also come. This servant was thinking that the other day, Minister Lin mentioned that one of the top scorers in this year's Shuntian Prefecture was from a family of hereditary meritors, which was quite surprising. Your Highness also asked a couple of questions about it, so this servant took the liberty of inviting him along as well."
With just a few words, the cause and effect were explained clearly, and Xu Rong understood: she did not know who this "Inner Minister Lin" was, but the term "Inner Minister" corresponded to the Grand Secretary of the Outer Court, and must be a high-ranking official in the Inner Palace Bureau.
Within the dynasty, there were two provinces, thirteen prefectures, more than one hundred counties, and over a thousand people. Each county examination would produce more than a thousand top scorers. Xiao Xin, as one of these thousand, would normally have gained some fame but wouldn't have been able to enter the inner palace. However, he happened to be from Wanping County. Shuntian Prefecture, as a prefecture under the capital, only had two counties under its jurisdiction: Wanping and Daxing.
In terms of the prefecture, Xiao Xin's status suddenly rose from one in a thousand to one in half. Moreover, being under the emperor's nose, it was not surprising that he would be noticed and discussed.
As the heir apparent, it's understandable that the Crown Prince would be concerned about the selection of talents. However, judging from the underlying meaning, he might not care much. It was the eunuch who delivered the message who was thoughtful and remembered his words. As soon as he had a chance, he quickly flattered him.
The only thing he didn't explicitly say was whether Xiao Lun came to see him on his own initiative or at the Crown Prince's behest, but it's not hard to deduce: if the Crown Prince summoned Xiao Lun, he wouldn't dare to bring Xiao Xin along on his own initiative, which means the Crown Prince probably had important matters to instruct him on; it could only be the former, since they were all brothers, the Crown Prince would see one or two of them as well, and to be precise, the Crown Prince had asked about Xiao Xin beforehand.
That's why he dared to take this opportunity.
Once Xu Rong had figured things out from the beginning, she relaxed.
The next two exchanges between the Crown Prince and Xiao Lun outside confirmed her guess. There was nothing substantial in them. Xiao Lun greeted her, the Crown Prince responded, and after a few routine exchanges, it was over.
Throughout this process, Xiao Xin stood quietly to the side.
Xu Rong could vaguely see his figure. As she was looking at him, she suddenly felt a poke.
She snapped out of her daze and saw Luo Yanfeng winking at her playfully, then covering her mouth and whispering, "Sister Xu, don't worry, the Crown Prince's brother-in-law has a very good temper, except for being a bit nagging."
Xu Rong smiled at her.
Was she worried? Not really, but it would be a lie to say she wasn't worried at all. To Luo Yanfeng, the Crown Prince was her brother-in-law, and to some extent, family, but not to them.
The emperor's word can decide life and death; the boundary between ruler and subject is as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm.
She spoke and laughed normally in front of the Crown Princess because she had no desires; as long as she didn't break the rules, that was enough. Xiao Xin, on the other hand, wanted to pursue his career and enter the imperial court, so how he behaved in front of the future emperor was very important.
Being polite is the bare minimum, being appropriate is just average, only being outstanding is worthy of this unexpected interview opportunity.
Are you the second child in your family?
In the outer hall, the Crown Prince had already gone through the motions with Xiao Lun, and this question was clearly directed at Xiao Xin.
Xu Rong heard Xiao Xin reply, "Yes, Your Highness."
His tone was concise and to the point, typical of his manner.
At what age did you start school?
Eight years old.
"That's ten years of hard study," the Crown Prince said with a smile. "It's truly remarkable that you, born into such a family, haven't become addicted to wealth and status."
Xiao Xin paused for a moment: "This student dares not accept Your Highness's words. In the past ten years, this student has wasted eight years."
Crown Prince: "..."
Even through the screen, Xu Rong could sense that he seemed stunned.
Luo Yanfeng stared at her with wide, round eyes.
Xu Rong nodded calmly at her.
This cannot be hidden from anyone. Xiao Xin had never studied hard before. When Mr. Su first met him, he described him as a "child prodigy." If someone else had said this, it would have been fine to accept it as a polite remark. But since it came from the Crown Prince, there was no room for ambiguity.
When things are peaceful, all is well; but when the situation flares up, even a grain of sand can make a person unable to sleep day and night.
“Erlang,” the slightly lower voice belonged to Xiao Lun, which sounded like both a reminder and a warning, “what nonsense are you spouting in front of His Highness?”
“I’m telling the truth,” Xiao Xin said coldly.
He actually harbored an uncontrollable hostility towards Xiao Lun, but in this context, it was made more believable—that's just how stubborn and outspoken he was, it was simply his nature, so it couldn't be considered disrespectful to his elder brother.
The crown prince chuckled at this moment, his surprise mixed with a hint of interest, and asked, "Oh? How did you manage to become the top scholar in the county?"
Xiao Xin said in a serious tone, "I studied hard later and found a good teacher."
"Was it Marquis Changxing who invited him for you?"
"No, it's my wife."
Xu Rong: "..."
She wanted to rub her forehead.
There's no need to be so honest.
Luo Yanfeng covered her mouth and whispered, "Wow, Sister Xu, are you that amazing?"
Xu Rong shook his head helplessly, not knowing what to say.
She couldn't just rush out and correct it.
After a moment of silence outside, Xiao Lun finally couldn't bear it any longer and said, "Second Brother, Mr. Su was found by Father."
Xiao Xin recognized it quickly this time: "Yes."
Xu Rong's brows relaxed, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
Mr. Su was found by Lord Xiao, but it was his wife who invited him. The combined meaning of the two sentences is that Lord Xiao knew there was a good teacher, but he didn't invite Xiao Xin.
Originally, Xiao Xin's words wouldn't have caused much of a stir. Marquis Xiao was a military officer, so it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't care about literary matters. But Xiao Lun added that sentence, making things worse and essentially confirming that Marquis Xiao was a scumbag father.
Xu Rong realized that she didn't need to worry too much about Xiao Xin. Not only could he protect himself, but he could also trick others. He seized the opportunity perfectly, without getting himself involved, yet leaving the other party with no way to complain.
His "yes" wasn't a rebuttal to Shawn, but an agreement. Shawn couldn't very well say that he shouldn't agree with him.
Xiao Lun clearly realized what was happening, and for a while afterward, Xu Rong didn't hear him speak again, only the conversation between Xiao Xin and the Crown Prince.
"Two years of hard work is enough?" The Crown Prince's tone was slightly amused. "So you're going to remain silent until you make a stunning debut?"
Xiao Xin's reply this time was somewhat ambiguous: "More or less. This student dares not accept such praise."
The two answers corresponded to the two questions, which was perfectly proper. However, the Crown Prince reacted in a certain way. The eunuch who had spoken earlier smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Second Young Master, it is not proper to answer His Highness in such a half-hearted manner. You come from a prominent family and should know this etiquette."
Xiao Xin finally said, "I only started studying behind closed doors after I got engaged last year."
In other words, "about" does not mean two years as the crown prince said, but one year.
The crown prince suddenly burst into laughter.
"As expected of the top scholar!" the Crown Prince laughed. "I underestimated you."
Xiao Xin bowed and said, "I am ashamed. As you said, my foundation is too shallow. Although I have realized my mistake, there is no other way but to make up for my shortcomings with diligence. Therefore, under your guidance and my wife's supervision, I have not dared to slack off day and night, and I have made every day count. Your Highness was right to say that it would take two years."
The crown prince couldn't help but laugh again: "You've calculated things quite well."
Xu Rong: "..."
She couldn't laugh; she genuinely wanted to go out and cover his mouth.
Xiao Xin's response was textbook perfect, honest, humble, and yet still possessing the sharp and spirited demeanor expected of a young scholar. He also subtly smoothed things over for the Crown Prince.
He was completely different from how he was in front of Lord Xiao and Lady Xiao.
The only question is, why did he bring her along again?
Xu Rong had to realize that he must have heard her earlier fabricated story, but even though he knew it was completely unreliable, he was still determined to reciprocate by bringing her along.
There are three things in the world that cannot be hidden: love, a cough, and poverty.
The moment the quote, which she had somehow come up with, popped into her head, Xu Rong couldn't help but cough lightly.
Whether or not the people outside heard her commotion, the Crown Prince noticed Xiao Xin's second mention and laughed, "It seems that not only do you have a good teacher, but you also have a virtuous wife at home."
Xu Rong was about to pick up his teacup to suppress the itch in his throat when he heard this. He unconsciously gripped the cup tightly, a vague, irritating premonition rising in his heart. No one else had told him this, and he would have to say it himself. Now that the Crown Prince had finally delivered the message, what was going to happen?
Sure enough, soon she heard Xiao Xin say earnestly, "I dare not hide anything from Your Highness. My wife and I are inseparable day and night, and our love remains unchanged."
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