Chapter 26, Chapter 4: The Heir Apparent's Wife
Xu Qingzhou shuddered.
It wasn't out of fear, it was the young master's body's instinctive reaction.
Xu Qingzhou remained silent.
If he's so afraid, where did he get the guts to do that kind of thing?
Yu Wanwan glanced at him with schadenfreude, then, holding Tinglan's hand, took a step to the side, exposing him.
"..."
Xu Qingzhou glanced at her, took a deep breath, and, under the wrath of Marquis Chengqing, lifted his robes and knelt on the ground.
He had just knelt down when Marquis Chengqing smashed another teacup in front of him.
The teacup shattered into pieces, and the splashed tea water spilled onto his clothes, instantly soaking them.
Xu Qingzhou forced himself to control his body's instinctive reaction, and instead of dodging, he obediently lowered his head and knelt on the spot.
"Xu Qingzhou! You've really made something of yourself! My Xu family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, and we earned this title through bloodshed on the battlefield. But you, with your hereditary title, dare to indulge in a life of debauchery in those filthy places!"
Marquis Chengqing was truly enraged. He spoke sharply and fiercely, and all the domineering and ruthless aura he had honed on the battlefield surged forth, pressing down on Xu Qingzhou.
Even if Xu Qingzhou was very successful in his previous life or even the world before him, he was still just a businessman.
He had never experienced a battlefield, and when had he ever felt such a fierce and ruthless aura?
Despite his reluctance, he instinctively sensed danger and felt a chill run down his spine under the murderous aura.
"Are you afraid your old man is having too good a time in the imperial court?!"
His Majesty is currently consolidating military power and controlling military generals.
As the heir of a marquis, his public patronage of prostitutes could be used against him by those with ulterior motives, and even with his family's illustrious military achievements, it would be enough to cause him serious trouble.
Xu Qingzhou understood this principle very well.
But he couldn't refute it, since these things were indeed done by this body.
Xu Qingzhou felt bitter, but he could only honestly admit his mistake.
"I know I was wrong..."
Marquis Chengqing gave a cold laugh.
"You know you're wrong, my foot! If you knew you were wrong, you wouldn't have ignored your wife's advice and done such a shameful thing in such a grand manner! I think all those years of your education have gone to waste! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll never learn! Guards! Bring out the family discipline!"
"..."
Xu Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed instantly.
The Marquis of Chengqing's family is a family of military generals, so there's no need to even think about what their family rules are.
He really wants to drag the original owner out and teach him a lesson!
Lady Chengqing, the wife of the Marquis, finally arrived in haste at this moment.
Lady Hou was a very dignified person, with an air of nobility about her.
Upon entering, he only frowned slightly upon hearing Marquis Chengqing's angry rebuke before calming down.
Without glancing to the side, she walked directly past Xu Qingzhou, who was kneeling on the ground, and gracefully went to the side of Marquis Chengqing, raising her hand to cover the back of his hand.
"What are you doing, my lord? Don't frighten Yao Yao."
When Yu Wanwan was mentioned, Marquis Chengqing paused for a moment, his anger subsiding somewhat.
Yu Wanwan raised an eyebrow and smiled as she met the Hou Madam's seemingly casual gaze.
"Mother is joking."
Lady Hou frowned almost imperceptibly.
Yu Wanwan didn't lose face, shifting her gaze to Marquis Chengqing.
"However, the provincial examination is in a few months, and using family discipline at this time may hinder the examination."
She was not intimidated by Marquis Chengqing's anger at all, and remained smiling gently, her attitude neither humble nor arrogant.
A hint of satisfaction flashed in the eyes of the Lady Hou, and she naturally went along with what she was saying.
"Yaoyao is right. The provincial examination is extremely important, and we must not make any mistakes."
Marquis Chengqing gradually calmed down, lost in thought.
"Then, in the Crown Princess's opinion, should we just let it go like this?"
"Of course not."
Yu Wanwan chuckled and shook her head.
"Your Highness's behavior is truly absurd; perhaps..."
Yu Wanwan paused briefly, then shifted her gaze to Xu Qingzhou, her smile deepening.
Xu Qingzhou's eyelids twitched, and goosebumps rose all over his body at her gentle smile.
The next moment, her calm and gentle voice rang out.
"Then have the young master copy the Four Books and Five Classics from beginning to end, and then randomly test him on a chosen day. If he cannot recite them from memory, he shall not be allowed to leave the house until he can. If the young master fails the provincial examination this time, we can settle the score later. What do you think, Father?"
Marquis Chengqing indeed began to consider the feasibility of this matter.
Xu Qingzhou's expression changed, and he looked up at the smiling Yu Wanwan in disbelief.
Does she know what the Four Books and Five Classics are, and how many there are?
This is not just about carrying!
It's plagiarism!
They even have to memorize it!
Is she a devil?!
It would be better to just beat him up with family discipline!
Lady Hou was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Yu Wanwan with admiration.
"Copying books and memorizing them can not only improve one's knowledge and memory before the provincial examination, but also temper Zhou'er's temperament. It is indeed a good method."
The more Marquis Chengqing thought about it, the better it seemed.
Xu Qingzhou's pale face and frustrated expression, which made him think it was even better.
This kid wasn't this desperate when he just said he was going to call in the family punishment.
Marquis Chengqing sneered, waved his hand, and agreed.
"Okay! Let's do it this way!"
At that moment, Xu Qingzhou felt that life was bleak and hopeless.
Or maybe we should just give up on the mission in this world and let things take their course.
Marquis Chengqing left with his hands behind his back, without even glancing at Xu Qingzhou.
Lady Hou then came to Yu Wanwan's side, took her hand, and gently patted it.
"Good child, I'll trouble you to take care of Zhou'er."
Yu Wanwan nodded with a smile.
"It's not hard work."
She was so happy to see the male lead's misfortune, how could she possibly feel tired?
Lady Hou looked at Xu Qingzhou and sighed. Without lingering, she left the front hall.
That's just how families like theirs are.
Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. Even though Lady Hou was Xu Qingzhou's biological mother, she would not be overly intimate with him.
Her concern for her son was mainly reflected in his food, clothing, daily necessities, carefully selecting an excellent wife for him, and planning for his future.
After the Marquis and his wife left, Yu Wanwan nudged Xu Qingzhou, her expression somewhat excited.
"Let's go, young master, it's time to go back and copy the books!"
"..."
Xu Qingzhou really wanted to roll up his sleeves and fight her.
However, in the end it was just a thought.
He still hung his head, looking utterly hopeless, and followed her back to the courtyard that belonged to the young master.
The Marquis's mansion was very large and luxurious.
As the only legitimate son of the Marquis's mansion, Xu Qingzhou was petitioned by the Marquis to be named the heir apparent when he was fifteen years old.
His courtyard was naturally exceptionally luxurious.
Marquis Chengqing was not fond of women; he had only three concubines in his entire mansion.
He had one legitimate son, two illegitimate sons, and three illegitimate daughters.
In families like theirs, the population is dwindling.
It should be noted that even the Changrong Marquis's family had two legitimate sons, not to mention the illegitimate children.
The man before me, Xu Mingche, is the eldest son of a concubine in the Marquis's household. In the original story, he was the one who replaced Xu Qingzhou as the heir after the Marquis rejected him.
Unlike Xu Qingzhou's handsome and dashing appearance, Xu Mingche looks more like his aunt, with delicate features and a scholarly air about him.
Upon seeing the two, Xu Mingche did not approach them too closely, but simply stood still and bowed to them.
"Big brother, sister-in-law."
Yu Wanwan nodded slightly, not really paying him any attention, and walked forward casually.
Xu Qingzhou, on the other hand, hid all his scrutiny and probing under a flippant expression, and just pursed his lips.
"Pretending to be something you're not!"
It wasn't that he really thought that way, but the young master had always looked down on this eldest son born out of wedlock, so he had to maintain his public image.
Xu Mingche lowered his head and remained silent.
He had long been used to his eldest brother's cold words.
In short, aside from his apparent dislike for him, he wouldn't do anything too outrageous to him.
Yu Wanwan turned around and glanced at him with a half-smile. She had originally intended to leave, but now she stopped.
As soon as she stopped, Xu Qingzhou was forced to stop as well, looking at her with confusion, wondering what kind of trouble she was up to now.
"Where is Mingche going?"
Xu Qingzhou and Xu Mingche were both stunned, neither of them expecting her to stop and talk to them.
Xu Mingche, in particular, felt extremely uncomfortable when he noticed Xu Qingzhou's gaze, which seemed to pierce through him.
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Xu Mingche braced himself and bowed again before answering respectfully.
"Reporting to my elder sister-in-law, I'm running low on ink and brushes and I'm about to go to the bookstore to buy some."
Yu Wanwan smiled, seemingly quite satisfied.
"You are indeed diligent, but you can just get the pen and ink from the accounting office. Why bother making this trip yourself?"
Lady Hou also came from a prominent family, and she ignored her concubines and their illegitimate children, without bothering to mistreat them.
While she didn't show much concern for her two sons born out of wedlock, she was quite generous when it came to matters of education and scholarship.
Xu Mingche lowered his head, not daring to look at her face.
"I'd also like to stop by the bookstore to see if they have any new books."
Yu Wanwan's smile grew even gentler as she glanced meaningfully at Xu Qingzhou.
"He's more diligent and ambitious than your older brother."
Xu Mingche was completely at a loss for words. He could only smile awkwardly, keeping his eyes down and his mind at ease.
Unfortunately, Yu Wanwan still hadn't let them off the hook.
"I remember, after the provincial examination came Mingche's coming-of-age ceremony, right? Has the courtesy name been chosen yet?"
Xu Mingche felt bitter inside and was almost in tears.
"Never..."
"In that case, how about I choose a name for you?"
"..."
Xu Qingzhou finally couldn't take it anymore.
He glared at Xu Mingche, grabbed Yu Wanwan's arm, and left without looking back.
"Xi Qingyao! Do you think I'm dead?!"
Let's just forget about all the irrelevant concern, sarcastic remarks, and veiled criticisms mentioned earlier.
Should we even give him a courtesy name?
Who is she to him?
Yu Wanwan lazily followed his lead, not frightened at all, but laughing even more happily.
"How could that be? The young master is still breathing."
Xu Qingzhou was speechless, a breath stuck in his throat, unable to come up or go down.
He simply pretended not to hear and forcefully steered the conversation back on track.
"His courtesy name is naturally decided by his father. By what right do you give him a courtesy name?"
“It is said that the eldest brother is like a father and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, so I naturally named him after the eldest sister-in-law.”
"..."
Xu Qingzhou was completely speechless and unable to refute.
In the end, all he could do was glare at her angrily.
"I won't allow it!"
Yu Wanwan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? On what grounds?"
Xu Qingzhou gritted his teeth.
"I am your husband! You haven't even given me a courtesy name, yet you want to give him one? You're dreaming!"
Seeing how angry he was, Yu Wanwan was somewhat surprised.
She glanced at him up and down, pulled her arm away, and stretched out her hand. Xueya immediately understood and stepped forward to support her.
Yu Wanwan scoffed.
"My dear husband, if you're out of your mind, go see a doctor. The Marquis's mansion isn't short of money!"
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