Chapter 28, Chapter 6: The Heir Apparent's Wife
Xu Qingzhou choked up and raised his hands in surrender.
"I was really wrong, please forgive me this time, madam!"
How can someone hold a grudge for so long?
She looks exactly like her!
Xu Qingzhou paused, suddenly feeling somewhat lost.
Like whom?
However, before he could think about it further, Yu Wanwan chuckled and changed the subject.
"There's no need to copy the Four Books and Five Classics anymore. With your appearance, even if you memorized them perfectly, you still wouldn't pass the exam."
Xu Qingzhou slumped onto the table, put his arm under his head, and sighed.
"I'm not that useless, am I?"
In the past, he wouldn't have been so insecure.
But for the past two weeks, he has been outsmarted by his wife in every way in terms of knowledge, and she has shown him all sorts of impressive skills.
He wasn't quite sure anymore.
Yu Wanwan glanced at him.
Want to be on the list?
"Of course I want to!"
Xu Qingzhou answered without hesitation and with conviction.
This isn't a question of whether he wants to or not; it's a matter of him having to win!
He had to charge into danger, no matter what.
"Then I'll do as I say."
Xu Qingzhou blinked, then suddenly stood up and bowed to her in a very formal manner.
"Then I'll trouble you, Madam!"
"Um."
With Yu Wanwan gone, Xu Qingzhou finally had a chance to rest and went out for a stroll.
He didn't go outside; he just wandered around the garden of the Marquis's mansion.
I've been in this world for over half a month, and I haven't even had a proper look at this luxurious mansion yet.
It must be said that the Marquis's mansion is truly enormous, and the scenery is exceptionally pleasant.
It's early summer now, and the garden is full of colorful flowers, a feast for the eyes.
In the center of the garden, a large lake was dug, in which lotus flowers were planted. The buds swayed in the wind, not yet in bloom, and the emerald green lotus leaves floated on the lake, creating a unique scene.
A pavilion was built on the edge of the lake, with gauze curtains hanging on all four sides, swaying gently in the wind.
Xu Qingzhou suddenly stopped, staring at the figures in the pavilion with a hesitant expression.
Before he could decide whether to go over and say hello, the people in the pavilion spotted him first.
"Big brother?"
Xu Qingzhou gripped his folding fan tightly, and was about to respond with a flourish when the other person turned around at the sound.
A plate flew out of the pavilion and flew straight at Xu Qingzhou's face.
Xu Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat. He quickly dodged aside, unfolded his folding fan, and held up the plate to prevent the pastries from spilling.
"You bastard!"
A familiar angry shout came from the pavilion, carried by the breeze into Xu Qingzhou's ears.
Xu Qingzhou looked helpless. Wasn't the original owner's father just too hot-tempered?
But thinking about what the original owner had done, he calmed down.
Forget it, with such a troublesome son as the original owner, it's no wonder he couldn't have a good temper.
but……
Xu Qingzhou, carrying the plate, strolled into the pavilion and placed it on the stone table.
Why is Father so angry?
His gaze drifted almost imperceptibly to Xu Mingche, who had just spoken and caught the Marquis's attention.
Was it intentional or unintentional?
Xu Mingche was unaware of what happened in the front hall that day.
He only saw him and instinctively called out, never expecting that Marquis Chengqing would get so angry.
Noticing Xu Qingzhou's glance, Xu Mingche touched his nose and didn't dare to say a word.
He doesn't know if it's too late to explain now.
It was obviously too late, and even if it had been, Marquis Chengqing wouldn't have given him a chance to speak.
Upon seeing Xu Qingzhou's nonchalant and irresponsible demeanor, he flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the stone table.
"I didn't tell you to copy books, and you're not allowed to come out if you can't recite them from memory? What? You can recite the Four Books and Five Classics from memory now, huh?"
Xu Qingzhou spoke with righteous indignation.
"My wife allowed me to come out for some fresh air!"
Marquis Chengqing choked on his words, his anger escalating even further.
"Your wife agreed, but your father didn't!"
Xu Qingzhou's eyes widened.
"That's just sophistry!"
"snort!"
Marquis Chengqing snorted coldly, ignoring him completely, and pointed at the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone in front of Xu Mingche.
"Now that you're out, you must have memorized the Four Books and Five Classics perfectly. I said I would do a spot check, so let's do it now."
"???"
Xu Qingzhou was speechless at Chengqing Hou's unreasonable demand.
Xu Mingche finally realized what was going on, glanced apologetically at Xu Qingzhou, packed up his books, and silently got up to give him his seat.
"..."
Xu Qingzhou glared at Xu Mingche.
Okay, regardless of whether he did it on purpose before, he definitely did it intentionally now!
Xu Mingche lowered his head and remained silent, pretending not to notice his murderous gaze.
Marquis Chengqing slammed his hand on the table again.
"What are you looking at your brother for! Mo!"
"..."
Xu Qingzhou gritted his teeth and angrily sat down in the seat that Xu Mingche had previously occupied.
Damn it, I finally got a chance to rest, and here comes this mess!
If I had known, I would have just stayed in the study and slept. What was I doing out here?
"Which book? Which chapter?"
Xu Qingzhou was also frustrated, and his words carried a hint of anger.
Surely you can't expect him to memorize all four books and five classics in one day?
He's not a god!
Marquis Chengqing choked, momentarily bewildered.
He was a military general who grew up fighting on the battlefield alongside his father and his generation, learning by riding on horseback.
He's good at talking about military strategy, but he doesn't understand the more literary stuff like the Four Books and Five Classics.
Marquis Chengqing remained silent for a few seconds, then looked at Xu Mingche with a stern face.
"Mingche, you speak!"
"..."
Xu Mingche was stunned for a moment, then cautiously glanced at Xu Qingzhou.
this……
If he dared to say it, this older brother who already disliked him would probably tear him apart.
But Marquis Chengqing still had a stern face and was staring at him menacingly, so he dared not remain silent.
Xu Mingche felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked down at the book in his hand and tentatively spoke.
"Then...the Analects, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), what do you think, elder brother?"
Before Xu Qingzhou could speak, Marquis Chengqing spoke first.
"This is it! Mo!"
Xu Mingche: ……
Xu Qingzhou: ...
Xu Qingzhou glanced at Xu Mingche, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write from memory with gritted teeth.
His writing flowed smoothly without the slightest pause.
The handwriting on the paper was flowing and sharp, lacking the original owner's slightly soft and elegant style.
He sat opposite Marquis Chengqing. When Marquis Chengqing glanced at the paper and saw the writing on it, his brows relaxed and his eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Xu Mingche, standing to the side, had a much clearer view than Chengqing Hou.
He and Xu Qingzhou studied at Chengxi Academy together, so he had naturally seen Xu Qingzhou's original handwriting.
His elder brother used to have beautiful handwriting, but in his opinion, those words were flashy but superficial, just like him.
But now, his characters, though unchanged in form, have shed their frivolity and become more solid, subtly carrying a sense of unrestrained freedom.
It is said that one's handwriting reflects one's personality.
It seems his older brother has really changed.
Xu Mingche's eyes were filled with admiration, and he couldn't help but stand over and carefully observe him writing from memory.
Marquis Chengqing himself didn't understand, but he was very clear that his son, born out of wedlock, was quite accomplished in his studies and had a very upright character.
His only shortcoming was his background.
The very word "illegitimate" destined him to be unable to inherit the future of the Marquis's mansion, no matter how learned he was.
Marquis Chengqing had lamented countless times why Xu Mingche was an illegitimate son.
Fortunately, although Xu Qingzhou was absurd, he was not entirely useless, and Marquis Chengqing himself was not one who could not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children.
He buried his vague regret for Xu Mingche deep in his heart, and even the Lady Hou never noticed his remorse.
Seeing Xu Mingche's reaction, Marquis Chengqing realized that Xu Qingzhou was probably right.
Marquis Chengqing was finally somewhat satisfied, but on the surface, he still kept a straight face and maintained the airs of a marquis, so that no one could tell.
Time passed slowly, and for as long as Xu Qingzhou remained silent, Xu Mingche stood and observed.
Marquis Chengqing, however, couldn't help but feel sleepy in this quiet atmosphere, and almost fell asleep several times.
Finally, Xu Qingzhou rubbed his arm and put down his pen.
Xu Mingche took a step back and sincerely bowed to him.
"Mingche used to be proud of his handwriting, but seeing your beautiful handwriting today, I finally understand what it means to have 'elegant strokes hidden in bold lines and subtle variations in ink density.' Mingche has learned a lot!"
Xu Qingzhou paused for a moment, then looked up at Xu Mingche.
His attitude was devout and respectful, and his eyes shone with clear admiration and praise.
Xu Qingzhou lowered his eyes imperceptibly and hummed in agreement.
Clearly, in their two previous meetings, he had been respectful and had not overstepped his bounds in the slightest.
Xu Qingzhou could sense that deep down, he didn't really think much of this young master.
But now, simply because he admires his handwriting, Xu Mingche has changed his attitude towards him from the bottom of his heart.
Scholars.
As Xu Qingzhou pondered these two words, he gained a new understanding of literati for the first time.
Startled by the two voices, Marquis Chengqing suddenly came to his senses and coughed lightly.
"Is everything settled?"
"nature."
Xu Qingzhou composed himself, pushed the thick stack of papers over, tapped them twice with his fingertips, and a flirtatious smile appeared on his lips.
"Does Father wish to have a check-up?"
Marquis Chengqing nodded with a stern face, picked up the paper, and began to read it in a seemingly serious manner.
The sight of the book filled with classical Chinese sayings reminded him of the fear he felt in the imperial court, dominated by the Confucian classics.
Unfortunately, his two sons were right there beside him, so he couldn't just abandon his post and give himself away.
After finally managing to flip through the book, Marquis Chengqing's mind was filled with endless chatter, and he had no idea what the book was about.
Xu Qingzhou knew very well what kind of person Marquis Chengqing was, and asked with a forced smile.
"How is it? Has Father found the mistake?"
"..."
How could he possibly know what the original text was?
Considering Xu Mingche's reaction just now, Marquis Chengqing put down the paper and nodded.
"That's right, I'll let you off this time. But if there's a next time, even if your wife speaks up for you, I will never forgive you!"
Xu Qingzhou suppressed a laugh, stood up, put away her flamboyant manner, and bowed to him properly.
"I've remembered!"
"snort!"
Marquis Chengqing was too lazy to stay any longer, fearing that if he stayed any longer he would have to read those classical Chinese sayings and proverbs again, so he left the pavilion with his hands behind his back.
Xu Qingzhou glanced at the sky, sighed, and decided not to stay any longer.
Just as he stood up, Xu Mingche spoke up from behind.
"Big brother, wait a minute!"
Xu Qingzhou paused, not really wanting to talk to this cheap younger brother who had wasted his free afternoon.
"do what?"
Xu Mingche could see that Xu Qingzhou didn't like him, but he now genuinely felt that his older brother was different from before, and he wasn't afraid anymore.
"I wonder if you've hired a new tutor recently, elder brother?"
Author's Note: Random thoughts: It's been so hot lately, I feel like I'm going to faint. All I want to do all day is lie around doing nothing. [melting emoji]
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