Chapter 3: Chess Game "You are all good children, don't wait at the door, go into the mansion first...
"You are all good children. Don't wait at the door. Let's talk in the mansion first."
Rubbing his fat belly, Uncle Xiao smiled kindly.
"Second uncle, Wangshu has something to ask for your help."
He avoided the hand that was pushed towards his back by Second Uncle Xiao and ignored the warning look from Xiao Huaian. In front of outsiders, Xiao Wangshu's expression showed no flaws.
After hearing this, Uncle Xiao frowned.
"But it's a family matter. If it's a family matter, we should go back home and discuss it. If not, there's no need to rush now."
This is an excuse.
“It is a family matter, but it is also not a family matter.”
As he spoke, he lifted his robe and knelt on one knee.
"I also ask Second Uncle Xiao, the Xiao family's acting patriarch, to take charge of the overall situation. Wangshu has requested to be adopted into the third branch of the Xiao family in Liuzhou."
Everyone was in an uproar.
“Nonsense!”
The second uncle in front of him shouted with an ugly look on his face, while Xiao Huaian on the side watched coldly.
As for Mo Shu behind Wangshu, he rolled his eyes and knelt down immediately, kowtowed three times.
"Second Master is in charge. Young Master has been ridiculed and bullied by villains in the Xiao Mansion. Not having enough to eat and not having warm clothes is a small matter.
On weekdays, the young master would have to personally serve tea and water, and even the luggage they had to carry was carried by him himself!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Seeing that he was about to get into trouble, Zhou Bo quickly stopped him and wanted to take action.
Mo Shu dodged nimbly, lunged forward and knelt at Uncle Xiao's toes, still talking.
Under pressure from Uncle Xiao, Uncle Zhou dared not make any more moves. He just wished he could go up and cover Mo Shu's mouth.
"My young master's talent is well known in Liuzhou, and even the governor has praised him highly!
He passed the imperial examination and was awarded the title of Liyuan as the top candidate, but he was treated so coldly after returning to Beijing!
Not only did they not come back, but they also made things difficult for me. One of them is not the master, and the other one took the silver first. I still ask the Second Master to make the decision!"
"Master, you are being wronged. This is completely fabricated. No matter how powerful I am, I dare not instruct you!"
After saying that, he also started to kowtow. Mo Shuben had exaggerated the facts and was unwilling to confront Zhou Bo. At this time, he just kept asking the master to make the decision and kowtowed as well, but he was just forcing Uncle Xiao to make a decision.
From the moment Mo Shu started speaking, Uncle Xiao's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Before he could think of a countermeasure, the words of the people below the stairs had already reached his ears.
"I saw it clearly before. This servant of the Xiao family is indeed excessive."
"Who says it's not true? If it were you, I'd say this servant also depends on his master's mood. That young master was disrespectful to his brother just now. From what I hear, I'm afraid the people in charge of the family don't like the eldest young master either."
"And didn't they say that this young master passed the imperial examination? He even topped the list!
This is truly extraordinary! If an ordinary family had treasured their child so much, they wouldn't have to endure such torture. No wonder the child wants to leave."
Uncle Xiao was now in a difficult situation. He glanced to the side, and the servant who was supporting him nodded and ran into the mansion.
I was just about to say a few words of comfort to buy time.
Seeing the servants running into the mansion, Xiao Huaian, knowing that they were going to ask for his father's help, suddenly felt more confident. He questioned:
"Nonsense, this is all nonsense! What evidence do you have to say he passed the imperial examination? Or that he was the top scholar? That's just your one-sided statement. If he really passed, why didn't he write a letter, and why didn't the officials come to announce the good news?"
Xiao Huaian was complacent, thinking he had caught something in Mo Shu's words. The people below also turned their eyes to Xiao Wangshu, waiting for his explanation.
Zhou Bo, who was kneeling on the ground, had his eyes brightened. He felt that he still had hope. However, he did not think that Xiao Huaian's action just confirmed that they had known for a long time that the servants had oppressed Xiao Wangshu, otherwise why would they not ask about it.
Zhou Bo’s ending is foreseeable, and what matters now is Xiao Wangshu’s side.
"Since the Second Young Master didn't take the provincial examination, he probably doesn't know that the officials in Liuzhou are only responsible for the students in their own area.
The Xiao family's ancestral home is in Liuzhou. When the young master returned to his hometown for the imperial examination, he lived in the Xiao family's old house. The official who announced the good news would naturally go to the old house to announce the good news. Otherwise, the journey to Bianjing is too long, and the official is not stupid enough to come here to announce the good news."
The implication is that Xiao Huaian is stupid.
Xiao Huaian had already heard the sarcasm in Mo Shu's words, but because of his uncle Xiao, he had to endure it. He just looked at Mo Shu as if he wanted to cut him into pieces.
As for Mo Shu, he was probably just throwing in the towel, or maybe he thought Xiao Wangshu could escape from the Xiao Mansion, so he didn't care about anything else and continued to speak.
"Letters," he said sarcastically, "the mountains are high and the roads are long, and letters often get lost. Even if they were received, I'm afraid no one would read them carefully."
This has lifted the last fig leaf of the Xiao family.
"Huaian! Isn't it embarrassing enough?"
The man walked out of the main gate slowly with steady steps and a sharp look in his eyes. It was hard to tell that he was over 40 years old.
This man is none other than the current emperor's favorite, Xiao Jingshan, the Minister of Rites, and the father of Xiao Huaian and Xiao Wangshu.
Hearing the voice, Xiao Huaian moved with grievance, taking two steps at a time and said to Xiao Jingshan aggrievedly:
"Father."
Xiao Jingshan walked straight to Xiao Wangshu and ignored him. Instead, he helped Xiao Wangshu, who was half-kneeling on the ground.
"Shu'er, your father was so busy with government affairs that he didn't realize you had suffered so much injustice. Don't worry, your father will definitely take care of things for you!"
After patting Xiao Wangshu's hand three times, Xiao Jingshan smiled casually and cleared himself of any responsibility with just a few words.
But this attitude clearly shows that it should be handled with care, and similar things have happened before.
At that moment, Mo Shu was so angry, or perhaps simply for himself, he subconsciously argued.
"Master, you..."
"How dare you! Is it your turn to speak here?"
The sound was deafening, and it was like a gust of wind blowing in the face, making the face bleed.
Mo Shu was so frightened that he crawled on the ground with his head lowered as low as possible.
"Shu'er, they are certainly wrong in this matter. As a father, I have to say something to you. It's unacceptable to let this servant ride on your head. This is so unruly. Let's find an opportunity to get rid of him another day."
With his hands behind his back, his words were unquestionable; he was the authority of the Xiao family.
Unfortunately, Xiao Wangshu was born fearless. He thought that all he had wanted in his life was to be laughed at, but there was no need to tear his face apart now. He chuckled lightly, and spoke nonchalantly.
"Father is right, but there is still one thing that has not been resolved, this..." He took out a letter from his lapel. He always carried this letter with him, even when he was asleep.
His voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.
"Father, this is a handwritten letter from my Third Uncle. I'd better read it before I deal with all the matters."
His eyes narrowed slightly, and three seconds later, Xiao Jingshan took the letter.
He read three lines at a glance, and the expression on his face was wonderful, but in the end it all turned into smoke and dissipated with the wind. After putting the letter away, he looked up at Xiao Wangshu, and his tone was as if he was meeting his son for the first time.
"Wangshu, I understand, but I need to think about this matter again."
He put his hands behind his back again and glanced at Uncle Zhou who was kneeling beside him.
"Uncle Zhou,"
"Slave is here!"
It's hard for him to crawl over on his knees at his age.
"Go and ask someone to move the young master's luggage back to the yard. As for your fault, go and ask the eldest young master for help."
After saying this, without waiting for everyone's reaction, he flicked his sleeves and walked into the mansion. Second Uncle Xiao naturally followed. As for Xiao Huaian, he wanted to mock him, but he was unsure as his father had just left, so he stomped his feet and headed towards the backyard.
"Thank you, father."
Facing Xiao Jingshan's back, Xiao Wangshu bowed slowly with a normal expression.
In the reception room of the Xiao Mansion, Xiao Jingshan's face darkened as he entered the room. He slammed the table in anger, scaring his second uncle Xiao, whose hair was half white, who came in later, so much that he almost jumped up.
After calming his heartbeat, Uncle Xiao asked tentatively:
"Brother! What did my third brother write in the letter? What made you so angry?"
The clothes were lifted up, making a rustling sound, and the two of them sat down one after another.
"Isn't it that bastard? A prince isn't enough. I didn't even know he had gotten to..."
Before he finished speaking, a servant came in with a tea tray. Xiao Jingshan stopped talking, waved his hand to send the servant out, and then ordered:
"Guard outside the door! No one is allowed to come in without my permission! And tell the Madam that if you don't discipline me properly, you'll be grounded for a month. No, let Old Lin go and tell him that I'll go and apologize to the Madam later.
And my son was also fined for one month, let’s say three months, and we told everyone that he was allowed to study and calm down.”
"yes."
The servant naturally agreed and retreated.
In the backyard of the Xiao Mansion, when Xiao Huaian arrived at his mother's yard, an old woman was already kneeling outside the door. Huaian recognized that she was from Zhou Bo's family.
When he reached the door, a maid opened the curtain for him. The room was filled with fragrance and warmth.
"mother!"
He came to complain, but when he turned around, he saw the pink-dressed girl on the kang smiling at him. He immediately stopped talking and said embarrassedly:
"My sister is here too."
The girl in pink looked exactly like him. She was his sister Xiao Yanran. He didn't say anything, but Yanran guessed his purpose.
"My dear brother, I'm afraid you've gotten into trouble again."
"Sister~ Mom, please take care of her~"
She pouted and ran to her mother's arms unhappily to act coquettishly.
After all this commotion, before the main business was even discussed, someone from my father's side came. It was Lao Lin, a close confidant of my father who had followed him for many years.
"Greetings to the mistress, young master, and eldest lady."
He bowed deeply when entering the house and naturally did not put on airs in front of Old Lin and Mrs. Wang.
"Get up, I understand what happened. I know what the master said."
After blowing on the tea, Wang took a sip and gave a wink to the maidservant beside her, who then brought a stool and placed it behind Lao Lin. Lao Lin thanked her before speaking:
"Master said that this is not a big deal, but for the sake of the young master's future reputation and career, he will have to put on a show for outsiders. Those villains should be sent away. Keeping them around is a nuisance. As for Madam, try not to leave the house for the next month."
Nodding, Wang Shi was not an unreasonable person. Moreover, it was for her son's future. What she cared about more than herself was:
"What about the young master?"
"Young Master, you must concentrate on your studies in the next few months. The Master will also examine your knowledge from time to time, so that you can pass the imperial examination as soon as possible and become a scholar.
Besides, the Spring Examination is approaching, and if the eldest young master gets a good score again, the young master will be upset too."
Xiao Wangshu, who was used to inspire Huai'an to study, was pushing open the gate of his courtyard which he had not returned to for a long time. A gust of wind blew, and the white pear petals fell like rain, and under the golden light of the setting sun, it looked like stars covering the ground.
Did the pear blossoms in his yard bloom that day?
"Ah! What a good omen! This pear blossom tree is also congratulating the young master!"
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and went to clean the house with a few maids who had just been sent by the Xiao Mansion.
Xiao Wangshu was the only one left in the courtyard. He looked around and slowly walked into the hexagonal pavilion not far from the pear tree.
There was a stone chessboard with two or three pear petals scattered on it.
He brushed it away with his sleeves, and the chessboard was brand new. He took a black piece from the chess bowl and dropped it in the middle of the stone board.
The game has begun.
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