Chapter 331 Provocation
Mu Yuanzhen, having yet to receive the imperial decree for the marriage, knew his wish would not be fulfilled. For several days, he ransacked the house and punished everyone, causing unease among the servants of the princess's residence.
When Emperor Jinghe heard about it, he smiled indifferently and completely forgot about the matter.
There was more than one court attendant in the palace, so Xu Jinnian didn't have to go to the palace every day; he usually only got to go once every three days.
However, Emperor Jinghe was keen to cultivate him, and even on days when it wasn't his turn to be on duty, he would occasionally summon him from the Hanlin Academy to serve as his tutor, reading aloud to him.
As for the actual attendants, the number of times they read to Emperor Jinghe throughout the year could be counted on one hand. They stayed in the Hanlin Academy drinking tea in a very Buddhist manner and did not feel the slightest bit of jealousy towards Xu Jinnian.
Seeing that Xu Jinnian was about to surpass all the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), naturally some people were unhappy about it.
However, since they didn't dare to make any underhanded moves against Xu Jinnian, they went to Song Zhihang and Lord Meng to stir up trouble.
Lord Meng, as the second-place scholar, is not lacking in talent and ability. However, he lacks support from behind and is somewhat lacking in interpersonal skills. After spending half a year in the Hanlin Academy, he is not much better than an invisible person.
At first, he didn't realize their intentions and thought they were simply envious of Xu Jinnian.
After belatedly realizing what was happening, Lord Meng flicked his sleeves and said with a stern face:
“Those who are accomplished can be my teachers. I am not as capable as Lord Xu, but I am very willing to follow in his footsteps, do my duty, and share His Majesty’s burdens!”
He couldn't stay in the Hanlin Academy forever; sooner or later he would find an opportunity to be transferred to a local post, even if it was just as a minor county magistrate. He was willing to do practical things for the people.
Besides, at his age, he already has several grandchildren. Why would he be jealous of a younger generation who is old enough to be his son?
These people went blind at such a young age, yet they thought he was such a petty and narrow-minded person.
This is absolutely outrageous!
These people, having been rebuffed by Lord Meng, were unwilling to give up and approached Song Zhihang to speak on his behalf, implying that he was the top scholar and the son of a marquis, and should not be overshadowed by Xu Jinnian.
Song Zhihang, who indulged them, retorted without any politeness:
"Who do you think you are? You dare to stir up trouble in front of me. It seems you're all too idle. I'll personally ask your superiors if you're just collecting salaries without doing any work!"
Every single one of these people was stunned by Song Zhihang's words, and they all ran away like rabbits, afraid that he would complain to them.
"Tsk, what a spineless coward!"
Song Zhihang rolled his eyes and, after finishing his shift in the evening, made a special trip to the palace gate to wait for Xu Jinnian.
Upon seeing Xu Jinnian emerge, he immediately jumped off the carriage and stepped forward to remind him:
"You are favored by His Majesty, and countless people are envious. Be careful not to get carried away by their flattery and make a mistake in front of His Majesty."
Xu Jinnian accepted Song Zhihang's kindness, patted him on the shoulder, and extended an invitation: "I'll treat you to drinks another day when you have a day off."
Song Zhihang's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together like a fly: "Great, great, great! I've been looking forward to your cooking skills. I'll definitely come over for a drink sometime!"
Xu Jinnian was speechless: "You're overthinking it. I'll treat you to drinks at a restaurant."
An'an is already exhausted from taking care of the child every day, so how could she let this kid eat at home?
Song Zhihang was greatly disappointed and turned to leave: "Go to the restaurant by yourself, I'm not keeping you company!"
Calling Xu Mingyu a stingy person was indeed an understatement; he wouldn't even let him come over for a meal. All his good intentions were ultimately wasted.
Song Zhihang was still indignant when he got home.
Tan Qingrou assumed he had been mistreated at the Hanlin Academy, so her tone became concerned: "Who upset my husband?"
Seeing that she was taking the initiative to care about him, and was no longer as polite and distant as before, Song Zhihang was happy, but complained aloud:
"It's all because of Xu Mingyu. He invited me to dinner himself, and I accepted. But then he took me to a restaurant, making it seem like I couldn't afford to go!"
Tan Qingrou hadn't expected it to be such a small matter, and was momentarily at a loss for words:
“Sister An’an is already tired enough taking care of the children every day. If you come to our house for a meal, she will inevitably suffer. Brother Jin Nian only thought of inviting you to the restaurant because he felt sorry for Sister An’an.”
Song Zhihang was not a narrow-minded person, and his frustration disappeared on the way home.
But now, hearing his wife's gentle words of comfort, he pretended to be extremely aggrieved: "Hmph, only he cares about his wife, all other men are heartless."
Tan Qingrou didn't see through the man's little scheme. She smiled and coaxed him softly, "My husband is also a man of deep feelings. You can't confuse yourself with those who are truly heartless."
Song Zhihang was pleased and couldn't suppress his smile: "Hmm, I also feel sorry for Madam."
After saying that, he pulled Tan Qingrou toward the bedside and said, "Xu Mingyu won't let me be Zhuozhuo's godfather, so I'll be Zhuozhuo's father-in-law. Madam, please work hard during this time and give me a son as soon as possible."
Tan Qingrou: "..."
If Jin Nian knew her husband's thoughts, she would probably break off all ties with him in a fit of anger.
Despite her complaints, Tan Qingrou was completely under Song Zhihang's control.
Living in a large, secluded mansion, she needed to have a son to solidify her position.
A spring rain brings warmth; after several days of continuous spring rain, all things on earth smell the breath of spring and slowly revive, even the air becomes fresh.
The eight-month-old baby shed his bulky, thick clothes and began to practice sitting and crawling with his tender white limbs.
With the encouragement of the adults, she mastered two new skills in just half a month, her hands and feet became stronger, and pulling people's hair hurt even more.
Sheng An accidentally discovered that she could read people's expressions, so he immediately stopped indulging her and slapped her palm every time her hair was pulled.
After being hit four or five times, the little guy finally learned his lesson and dared not pull her anymore.
However, she was selective in her approach to people, and she still targeted Grandpa Sheng and his group.
The three elders couldn't bear to scold her, so they let her do as she pleased.
Sheng An was furious. Ignoring the three elders' attempts to stop him, he slapped their palms every time he saw them, leaving them red and raw each time.
The little guy cried loudly after being hit, looking at his mother, then at his great-grandparents and grandfather with a pitiful expression. Tears welled up in his long eyelashes, making him look incredibly pathetic.
Grandma Sheng felt a pang of pain in her heart and couldn't help but stop her again: "The child is still young and doesn't understand. Why are you arguing with her?"
Sheng An didn't stop, and slapped the little dumpling's palm again:
"Grandma, this girl is very clever. If you indulge her little quirks, she will take advantage of you and dare to slap you in the face next time."
Unintentional bad behavior in infants can be tolerated, but intentional misbehavior needs to be corrected promptly. We cannot spoil them without limits, otherwise they will become more and more difficult to manage as they grow older.
Grandma Sheng was about to say something more when Grandpa Sheng tugged at her sleeve: "An'an is Zhuozhuo's biological mother. How she raises the child is her business. We two old folks shouldn't interfere."
Grandma Sheng opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed her words.
Fortunately, Sheng An caught her red-handed a few times and taught her a lesson, which completely changed her habit of pulling people's hair.
The little one's daily activity level has increased, and his appetite has also grown.
Sheng'an's milk supply decreased, and she couldn't even get enough milk for one night's feeding, so we weaned her and started adding fish, chicken, and other meats to her complementary foods.
The baby tolerated this well, ate with great interest, and rarely experienced any adverse reactions.
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