Chapter 64 is too long, I can't wait.
The story of Eunuch Wei is a mix of truth and falsehood, and Chu Yanqing did indeed stay at the Prince's residence last night.
The Empress had already concluded that Zhou Chuanxing was in love with Miss Chu, so she not only had no doubts about what Eunuch Wei said, but also imagined many things for herself.
Both Zhou Chuanxing and his brother are in love with Chu Yanqing; this is going to be interesting.
It would be best to add fuel to the fire and make the two brothers fight.
They are brothers born of the same mother. If they become enemies, the Wang family can reap the benefits.
"Eunuch Wei has performed well; I will reward him."
Taking advantage of the situation, Eunuch Wei said, "Your Majesty, this old servant has dedicated half his life to the palace. Now that I'm old, I also want to get a title and have some glory."
The empress cannot directly confer official titles, but she is, after all, the most honorable woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
If the emperor had a son, she could rule from behind the curtain; how could Zhou Chuanxing be allowed to act so recklessly?
"I wonder what title Eunuch Wei desires?"
Eunuch Wei made an outrageous demand, saying, "This old servant thinks the Duke is quite good."
The empress loved greedy people the most, because they were easy to control.
"As long as you do as I say, the title is no problem."
Eunuch Wei hurriedly knelt down to pledge his loyalty, saying he was only loyal to the Empress, willing to give his life for her...
Just keep spouting any honest advice you can think of.
The Empress was delighted to hear this.
"Eunuch Wei, you usually have more contact with the second and third sons and know them best. Can you give me a way to make them estranged?"
Eunuch Wei fell into deep thought for a moment.
It was at this time that Prince Duan entered the palace.
He had met the Empress before, and without beating around the bush, he directly stated his purpose: "Sister-in-law, I implore you to do me justice. I clearly took a liking to the third young lady of the Chu family first, but my second brother is shameless and actually tried to take her from me. He even had someone stay at the Prince's mansion last night. Fortunately, I had already noticed and kept a close eye on her all night."
"Your Majesty, you must stand up for me! Chuan Jin has no parents, and my elder brother is ill. If you don't stand up for me, I'll have no choice but to go and keep vigil for my father and mother."
The Empress gave Eunuch Wei a meaningful look.
Eunuch Wei, as if he had just come up with a solution, gave the Empress a look.
"Ahem," the Empress deliberately declined, "Chuan Jin, you and Chuan Xing are brothers, how can you fight over a woman? Be careful not to hurt your brotherly relationship."
Prince Duan refused to budge an inch, saying, "If Second Brother had ever treated me like a brother, he wouldn't have taken my woman."
The Empress hesitated, "You were raised by my sister-in-law, so naturally she'll side with you, but..."
Prince Duan actually knelt down, "I beg Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree to grant us this marriage."
The Empress looked at Eunuch Wei again, and Eunuch Wei continued to nod.
"Your Majesty, the Regent is far too domineering. He even tries to steal the woman his own brother likes. Your Majesty should give him a good talking-to, otherwise he won't know who's in charge of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
The Empress intended to sow discord between Zhou Chuanxing and his brothers, and Prince Duan's proposal to marry him was the best solution.
The rivalry between brothers for a wife is comparable to a life-or-death feud.
She didn't believe Zhou Chuanxing could swallow this insult.
If the brothers start fighting, they will inevitably both suffer heavy losses. Would it be difficult for the Wang family to take revenge?
"Very well, Your Majesty will make the decision for you. Someone, draft the decree to bestow a marriage upon Prince Duan and the Third Miss of the Chu family."
Emerging from the inner palace, Prince Duan couldn't help but admire his second brother's cunning.
And so easily, she got engaged to Chu Yanqing.
Why didn't he think of such a good idea?
By the way, his fiancée was also incredibly clever to be able to guess his second brother's scheme.
From now on, his Prince Duan's mansion will no longer be in complete chaos.
The wedding date was set very close together, on the same day as Prince Rui.
The second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Imagining what it would be like after Chu Yanqing married him, a warm picture of the young couple getting along already appeared in his mind.
Since their father passed away, their eldest brother hastily ascended the throne, their mother fell seriously ill, their second brother went to war, and there was also a little sister who was crying for milk. The family was beset by internal and external troubles, fearing that one day their eldest brother would be dragged off the throne and the whole family would be wiped out.
For years, I've lived in dire straits, my greatest wish being to live a peaceful life like any other ordinary family. Suddenly, I have a fiancée, and it seems this wish is about to become a reality.
My mood is more fulfilling than ever before.
He figured Chu Yanqing felt the same way, and he had to tell her the good news immediately.
Tang Xinuan didn't pay much attention to her cousin's wedding because she was busy preparing for the challenge.
Li Pixiu is very efficient. He has already started advertising, setting the date for two days later, and whoever beats Hanxi will receive a thousand taels of gold.
Once this gimmick was publicized, Caiyuelou quickly attracted a group of people inquiring about the details.
Among them were students, curious onlookers, court officials, and people who simply enjoyed joining in the fun.
Li Pixiu simply set up a stage at the entrance and ordered people to beat drums and gongs to promote the event all day long.
Chu Yanqing and Yao Lin were responsible for organizing and classifying the mathematical problems that had appeared in the Great Zhou Dynasty over the past 150 years.
Sun Qingzhao continued to study matters related to the academy.
Everyone had a clear division of labor and was extremely busy.
In the evening, Tang Xinuan gathered everyone together.
She selected three topics and planned to give a trial presentation to everyone.
This was her first time being a husband, and she was both nervous and excited.
Before the start of Warm Little Classroom, Tang Xinuan came to the study in the Little Diligent Government Hall. "Second Brother, I'm going to give a lecture. Do you want to listen?"
Zhou Chuanxing hesitated.
Actually, he was more nervous than the little girl.
They worried that her talent was too high and her thinking too unconventional, making it difficult for others to keep up with her pace.
He simply couldn't bear to see the little girl fail.
But it seemed unreasonable for him not to attend the girl's first class.
"Listen, I'm coming right now."
This was indeed Tang Xinuan's first time giving a lecture, but she had a teacher and remembered how he had taught her back then.
She imitated her teacher's lectures and then repeated them to several adults.
The first question wasn't difficult; Chu Yanqing, Yao Lin, and Sun Qingzhao all understood it immediately.
Prince Duan only half understood.
Unlike Sun Qingzhao, Wei Minzhao did not have a talent for mathematics, but the Wei family was a family of meritorious officials and always attached great importance to the education of their children. Wei Minzhao had a broad range of knowledge in astronomy, geography, mathematics, and music.
Tang Xinuan listened to the first question with ease.
Zhou Chuanxing has been leading troops in battle all these years. He only learned to read and write in his spare time during battles, so he doesn't know anything about arithmetic.
Fortunately, after the refugees were resettled, he secretly took extra classes.
He actually knows more than Prince Duan.
Noticing that Prince Duan was dazed, he quietly kicked him under the table, saying, "I'm telling you to study properly, study properly..."
Of the seven people in the room, only the two brothers were poorly educated.
Prince Duan glanced behind him.
Xiaoqian, dressed in men's clothing, stood at the door, ready to refill water for anyone who needed it.
It was obvious from that glance that Xiaoqian was far inferior to him.
Zhou Chuanxing couldn't bear to look; how could a prince like him dare to compare himself to a maid?
The second question was more difficult, and no matter how hard Zhou Chuanxing tried, he couldn't understand it.
Prince Duan was even more confused than him.
Wei Minzhao was better than Prince Duan, but he didn't understand much either.
When the third question was presented, neither Chu Yanqing nor Yao Lin understood it. After listening to Tang Xinuan's explanation, they suddenly realized the answer.
Chu Yanqing and Tang Xinuan are from the same school, which gives them a significant advantage.
Yao Lin relied entirely on his own abilities.
Sun Qingzhao is a natural talent; he was already able to solve the problem. After listening to Tang Xinuan's words, his thinking became even clearer.
What is talent?
People like Tang Xinuan are born to be teachers.
Even Zhou Chuanxing, a complete novice who had never been exposed to mathematics before and had only recently begun to explore it, was able to understand it after listening to Tang Xinuan's explanation.
Prince Duan also had a sudden realization.
"If my teacher had been my sister-in-law..." Zhou Chuanxing reminded him, and he quickly changed his words, "If it had been someone like Young Master Han, I could have become the top scholar in the imperial examination."
Tang Xinuan felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders.
Receiving Zhou Chuanxing's approving look, her tense mood vanished, and she was now very happy.
Chu Yanqing was happier than anyone else than that her cousin was so outstanding.
"With Young Master Han's teaching style, those students who are truly eager to learn will surely understand and make great progress before the exam."
Sun Qingzhao consistently defended his viewpoint, stating, "Therefore, the difficulty of the imperial examination questions remains unchanged, with no impact whatsoever."
Chu Yanqing didn't give him a friendly look.
Sun Qingzhao pretended not to see it.
Yao Lin and Wei Minzhao both stated that if they could understand it, then the students who came to participate in the imperial examination should naturally understand it as well; otherwise, what was the point of entering the examination hall?
In this way, Zhou Chuanxing set the difficulty level of the questions.
Next, Chu Yanqing and Yao Lin will be in charge of teaching courses at the academy.
Tang Xinuan and Sun Qingzhao prepare for the competition.
Wei Minzhao was in charge of recruiting students.
Prince Duan requested an imperial decree to grant him marriage today, and upon returning to his palace, he immediately informed Chu Yanqing, but unfortunately, Chu Yanqing's reaction was indifferent.
At this moment, the initial form of the academy was completed.
Prince Duan brought up the old matter again, saying, "My wedding is set for the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival. I would like to invite everyone to the Prince's Palace for a celebratory feast."
His eyes and brows were full of the joy of becoming a groom.
The crowd was still unaware of what was going on. They were first taken aback, then offered their congratulations, and finally asked him, "May I ask which family the Princess Consort of Duan is from?"
Prince Duan stared directly at Chu Yanqing, saying, "So far away yet so close at hand."
Chu Yanqing, a young girl just beginning to experience love, was both shy and timid when marriage was suddenly mentioned, but she was much calmer than Prince Duan.
Instead of talking about this, you should study arithmetic properly. When Young Master Han is teaching, you should participate in the whole lesson so that you can deal with any problems in time.
Prince Duan was not really interested in this, but since his fiancée had spoken, he naturally obeyed.
"knew."
A strange unease settled in her chest. "What's wrong? You're not very interested in our marriage?"
Chu Yanqing remained calm. "You know what happened."
It's not like we're destined to be together forever, so what's there to be happy about?
She would never have married Prince Duan if she hadn't been forced by her brother.
Once the crisis had passed, she proposed a divorce to Prince Duan.
From now on, let's live in peace and not interfere with each other.
Prince Duan's face gradually fell.
He knew that Chu Yanqing and he had an agreement.
Even if it's just an agreement, she'll still have to become his queen.
How could the response be so bland?
Tang Xinuan was slow to react, but she finally caught on to the important question, "You two...are getting married?"
She overheard her cousin's conversation with Prince Duan last night and learned about Erlang's plans.
It actually worked.
Is her marriage to Erlang also imminent?
After the warm reception ended, Tang Xinuan leaned close to Zhou Chuanxing and asked him with a smile, "Did I do well?"
Zhou Chuanxing couldn't deny it even if he wanted to: "Nuan Nuan is the most outstanding gentleman in the world."
Tang Xinuan's little tail wagged again, "Is there a reward?"
Zhou Chuanxing curled his lips into a malicious smile, "Would it count as repaying me with my body?"
Tang Xi snorted softly, "Erlang, being too stingy will make it hard to find a wife. You offer yourself to me once, then twice, how many times do you have to offer yourself?"
The young girl was intelligent and beautiful; there was not a single part of her that Zhou Chuanxing could not love.
He reached out and pinched the other person's little nose. "Dislike it?"
Tang Xinuan's eyes sparkled. "Actually, I also really like jewelry."
This was no longer a hint; Zhou Chuanxing suddenly realized that he had wronged his little girl.
"Here's the key to the storeroom. Take whatever you like."
Tang Xinuan refused: "I want you to choose it yourself and give it to me personally."
Zhou Chuanxing readily agreed, "This is the only wish of our little girl, of course we should fulfill it. I was the one who overlooked Nuannuan's feelings."
Tang Xinuan understood that he was busy, and she wasn't being willful and demanding that he do something.
Seeing that he always gave in to her wishes, she couldn't help but feel regretful.
"By the way, I heard that the Empress will oppose our marriage. What do you plan to do?"
Zhou Chuanxing had planned this all along, but the reason he hadn't carried it out until now was entirely because he didn't want to wrong his little girl.
But this is the fastest and safest approach.
Otherwise, the two people will forever remain engaged in a private life, without any official status.
"It might be unfair to you..."
Tang Xinuan wasn't afraid of being wronged. "I want to marry you. I can endure any grievance."
Zhou Chuanxing also longed to marry her as soon as possible.
"But... give me some more time, maybe there will be a better way."
Tang Xin felt sorry for Erlang Chaozheng, who was so busy with politics, yet still had to worry about their marriage.
"Erlang, it's not impossible to wait three years."
When her brother returned, someone stood up for her.
The eldest brother is like a father, and thus the parents' wishes are fulfilled.
“No,” Zhou Chuanxing refused without hesitation. “It’s too long. I can’t wait.”
He just wants to marry her now, even if they do nothing, just sleep in each other's arms at night and see her every morning.
This precious time of life is well spent.
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