Chapter 21 The number one scholar’s father is a charlatan who always wins in gambling!
After realizing Li Changqing's ability to avoid danger and seek good fortune, Li Changwen naturally followed Li Changqing's footsteps without making a sound.
However, he did not show it openly, because it would make him look like a fan of Li Changqing. His parents would never allow him to learn to act like Li Changqing. They would only ask him to surpass Li Changqing and surpass Li Changqing, but never be inferior to Li Changqing.
Because of his parents' attitude, Li Changwen always keeps a distance from Li Changqing, his cousin who should be like a brother to him.
No one would like a 'other people's child' who is always used as an example by his parents to suppress himself. He is obviously very good, but just because there is a better Li Changqing, he never hears any words of praise from his parents.
Comparing with how Li Changqing's parents praised him in various ways, Li Changwen felt that they were the same person but had different fates. From a secular perspective, he, the son of a fifth-rank official, had a much higher status than Li Changqing. After all, Li Changqing's father was just a commoner.
But if it could be changed, Li Changwen would rather his father was a commoner, and hoped that his father could love him like Li Changqing's father, instead of always giving him harsh reprimands when they met, as if he was a tool to defeat Li Changqing, rather than his own son.
His mother, Mrs. Tan, did care about him more than his father, Li Jingyuan, but his mother still cared more about his studies and his future. If there was no Li Changqing for comparison, he would have been content. However, after seeing the selfless and pure love of Li Changqing's parents for him, it was difficult for him to satisfy his mother, Mrs. Tan's demanding love for him.
His desires became more and more insatiable, and he became more and more envious and jealous of Li Changqing, his cousin who was not much older than him.
Therefore, Li Changwen's attitude towards Li Changqing was hot and cold. Sometimes he felt that Li Changqing, his cheerful and optimistic cousin, was really good and worthy of making friends, so he was warm to him. Sometimes, because he was scolded by his parents at home and took his anger out on Li Changqing, he became cold towards Li Changqing again.
This resulted in the relationship between Li Changwen and Li Changqing being only bland, not as good as the relationship between Li Changji and Li Changqing.
Li Changqing had many friends, so he just worried for a while about why his cousin Li Changwen was so difficult to deal with, and then he put the matter behind him. He still treated Li Changwen with a normal attitude towards his cousin, but no longer expected to become good friends with Li Changwen.
Therefore, Li Changqing did not notice that while Li Changwen was answering the gentleman's question, he was still secretly observing his attitude.
After the teacher finished his lecture, Li Changqing took a carriage back home after school.
As soon as he got home, he went straight to his own garden, which had the best sunlight. At this time, his old father must be basking in the sun or sunbathing in the garden.
Li Changqing walked quickly into the archway of the garden and shouted loudly before he saw anyone: "Dad! I'm back! Let's have a bet!"
Si Yuan, who was drowsy from the warm sun, opened one eye and looked around, but did not see his son. This kid had already arrived before his voice.
Then the eyelid of the eye that he had barely opened closed again with a click.
At this time, Li Changqing rushed to the side of Si Yuan's recliner and squatted down. He kneaded Si Yuan's shoulders attentively and said in a pinched voice: "Father, give me some advice. Today, the teacher asked me whether I would participate in this year's imperial examination. Father, can you bet with me? Will I have a smooth time in the imperial examination this year?"
Si Yuan ignored him, just sighed, and then stretched out his long legs: "Oh, I'm getting old, my legs are always numb."
Li Changqing diligently changed his position and massaged his legs: "Dad, how is the strength?"
Si Yuan lazily raised his hand and placed it above his eyes, then opened his eyes, squinted and said, "Well, not bad, go faster."
Li Changqing quickened his pace and continued to ask earnestly, "Father, let's play a bet. Let's play a bet. Should I take part in the imperial examination this time?"
Si Yuan squinted his eyes and looked at his face, then said casually: "I bet you will take part in the imperial examination this year."
Li Changqing immediately smiled happily: "Hehe, thank you, father. I will reply to you right away. I will take part in the imperial examination this year!"
After saying this, he ran away.
Si Yuan, who only had one leg pinched, said: "..."
Si Yuan sat up and looked at Li Changqing's impetuous back, shook his head helplessly and smiled: "This kid really can't keep his composure at all."
However, such a lively, cheerful and optimistic young man is much better than the sensitive, silent and inferior Li Changqing in the original plot.
Moreover, Li Changqing's instability is only shown in front of people he is familiar with and recognizes. When facing outsiders, Li Changqing will not be so impatient.
Li Changqing told the teacher that he had decided to take the imperial examination. The teacher was very pleased: "Your knowledge is already mature enough. If you try your best in this imperial examination, you will definitely not fail. As for whether you can become the champion, it depends on the preference of the chief examiner of this imperial examination."
Li Changqing bowed respectfully and said, "I will try my best. Thank you for your teaching over the years. I am very grateful."
The teacher stroked his beard and said with a smile: "This is because you are talented and hardworking. Okay, I can't teach you anything anymore. You should prepare for the examination at home. If you need any advice, come to me. You don't have to come to class every day. I don't have anything to teach you."
Now the small classroom in Jingyuan Marquis' Mansion is mainly for Li Changji, the academically backward heir of the Marquis' Mansion, and his younger brothers.
The two scholars, Li Changqing and Li Changwen, could have graduated long ago.
Li Changqing also planned to make more preparations before the examination, so he agreed and bowed to the teacher again to express his gratitude.
When Li Changqing returned home, he prepared for the imperial examination by asking his father to help build a special room for the examination, taking a mock examination and asking his father to simulate the invigilator to invigilate him.
This method of preparing for mock exams was taught to him by his father. He had tried it during the previous provincial examination and it was very useful. At least when he took the provincial examination for the first time, he felt more accustomed to the examination environment than those candidates who had taken the examination several times. As a result, Li Changqing performed quite well and directly won the title of Jieyuan in that provincial examination.
Naturally, he wanted to strive for the first place in this imperial examination. If he succeeded in passing the examination, his "three major championships" would include the first place and the second place. Then, when the palace examination came, the emperor would help him and appoint him as the top scorer.
It can be said that if he passes the exam, the top spot will also be in his pocket.
While Li Changqing was taking the mock exam, Li Changwen also heard from his teacher that Li Changqing had returned home to prepare for this year's imperial examination.
So Li Changwen studied harder. Since Li Changqing would be taking part in this imperial examination, nothing would go wrong. He wanted to surpass Li Changqing in the ranking of this examination.
As long as he beats Li Changqing in the exam, his parents might be willing to praise him.
When he becomes an official in the future, he will have the help of his father, a fifth-rank official, and his career will definitely be smoother than Li Changqing's. As for the help from the Jingyuan Marquis's Mansion, he and Li Changqing are both grandsons and nephews of the old Jingyuan Marquis, so they have the same status and can get similar amounts of help from Jingyuan Marquis. It is definitely impossible to tell who is better in this regard. So the competition between him and Li Changqing in external forces is only left with the help of their respective parents and their mother's and wife's families behind them.
When Li Changwen was studying hard in order to outperform Li Changqing in the imperial examination, his mother Tan received her brother and eldest niece.
Father Tan glanced at his eldest daughter, Tan Zhuyue, who was urging him with his eyes, and sighed silently in his heart, but he still patiently exchanged pleasantries with his sister for a while before getting to the point: "I came here today to discuss Zhuyue and Changwen's marriage with you..."
Normally, the discussion of such a marriage should be left to the wife, but Mr. Tan was overwhelmed when he thought of the recent quarrels between his eldest daughter, Tan Zhuyue, born to the original wife, and his second wife. His wife would definitely not be willing to discuss the marriage for Tan Zhuyue, so he, as the father, had to come in person.
Fortunately, his mother-in-law was his own sister, so Mr. Tan did not feel embarrassed to talk about it.
In fact, Tan had also heard about the dispute between her step-sister-in-law and her eldest niece, and she was somewhat dissatisfied with Tan Zhuyue.
She wants to match her son with her niece. Does she really like her niece Tan Zhuyue? Of course not. She wanted her mother's family to be closer to her son, and for her to have a daughter-in-law who was close to her, so that her son would not forget his mother after getting married.
But now knowing that Tan Zhuyue had been fighting with her stepmother in the Tan family, Tan was naturally not very satisfied with this niece who was not easy to deal with. After all, who would want to marry a powerful daughter-in-law to fight with them?
Moreover, although Tan Zhuyue was the eldest daughter born to the original wife and seemed to have a noble status, the Tan family did not think highly of her status.
Because Tan Zhuyue's biological mother only gave birth to her and no son, the future heir of the Tan family must be the son born to the second wife. After the death of Tan's father, the head of the Tan family will be the son of the second wife.
Can Tan Zhuyue, the eldest daughter who has a bad relationship with her stepmother, have a good relationship with her stepmother's younger brother?
By marrying a daughter-in-law who has a bad relationship with the future head of the Tan family, wouldn't Tan's plan to get closer to her parents' and husband's families be ruined?
Neither Tan's father nor Tan Zhuyue knew what Tan was thinking.
Tan Zhuyue was full of expectations. She was reborn at the right time and did not fall into the vicious stepmother's plan. She also asked her father to come to her house and propose to complete the marriage in advance before her cousin graduated from high school, so that she would not be despised after her cousin graduated from high school.
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