Chapter 40, Chapter 18: The Heir Apparent's Wife
Xu Mingche was stunned, and vaguely understood something.
Although the Marquis of Chengqing's family held a prestigious position, in the eyes of civil officials, they were ultimately just military men who had come from humble backgrounds.
There is no first place in literature, but there is a second place in martial arts.
Even if they, a group of scholars, were to be suppressed by what they considered "brutes," what good would it do to them become the top scholar in the imperial examinations and successfully enter officialdom?
The Marquis of Chengqing's family had no connections among the civil officials. If those civil officials united, they wouldn't need to do anything; simply refusing to accept them would be enough to make them suffer greatly.
Seeing that he was deep in thought, Xu Qingzhou felt slightly relieved and continued speaking.
"Have you ever considered the consequences of a marquis's title being hereditary and perpetual, and the fact that two exceptionally talented child prodigies have emerged from a military family?"
Xu Mingche suddenly fell silent, his breathing becoming much shallower.
He wasn't stupid; he naturally understood the implications very quickly.
The Marquis's family already held considerable prestige in the army, boasting numerous military achievements, making further promotion impossible.
If two more people with exceptional literary talent were to emerge at this time, would His Majesty still tolerate the Marquis's family?
In a daze, Xu Mingche also remembered that it was three years ago, after he and Xu Qingzhou passed the imperial examination and became scholars, that his father finally returned the tiger tally to His Majesty.
He didn't understand why before, but now he understands a little.
Returning the tiger tally was probably a way for the father to use his military power again in exchange for the opportunity for his descendants to enter the civil service.
Otherwise, with the Marquis's family holding military power and the tiger tally, no matter how talented the brothers are, they would probably only be relegated to the sidelines in this provincial examination.
His Majesty will not allow a hereditary marquisate to be both scholarly and martial, advancing in both fields simultaneously.
Once he understood, Xu Mingche broke out in a cold sweat.
Xu Qingzhou asked casually.
"Now, what do you think of seventh and eighth place?"
Xu Mingche took a step back and bowed deeply.
"Seventh, it is still of great use; eighth, it can be kept as a reserve." Excellent!
Xu Qingzhou smiled, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Your coming-of-age ceremony is in a few days, so go back and rest well."
He also had to go back to find his mission objective.
I wonder if she'll be disappointed that after all the tutoring she gave him, he only got this one result.
But then you think about her intelligence.
She probably already knew very well what he had just said to Xu Mingche.
In fact, Yu Wanwan felt neither disappointment nor satisfaction.
She remained remarkably indifferent to his passing the imperial examination.
It even carried a hint of self-righteousness.
If he can't even pass the imperial examination, then he's wasted his time as the male lead.
She didn't bring it up herself, and Xu Qingzhou herself was too embarrassed to go up and show off.
Just as Yu Wanwan had expected, after returning to the Marquis's residence, the Marquis's wife called her even more frequently than usual.
Previously, they only occasionally gave her some light tasks to practice on, but this time they had to take her with them for everything.
What else could Yu Wanwan do but follow her, half-dead?
Because of this, she's been so busy lately that she hasn't had time to care about Xu Qingzhou's feelings.
Being the matriarch of a noble family is not a job that just anyone can do.
After a busy day, Yu Wanwan lay on the bed and sighed.
Next time, I must make Guoguo choose a proper identity for her, and not one that requires her to be in charge.
I'm exhausted.
She just wanted to freeload, wait for the male lead to die, and then reclaim the fragments.
I don't want to be a beast of burden.
While she was busy, Xu Qingzhou was not idle either.
During this period, Xu Qingzhou and Xu Mingche were always taken by Marquis Chengqing to social engagements.
While it was called a social engagement, Xu Qingzhou saw it as nothing more than showing off.
This was something Xu Qingzhou hadn't expected. The seemingly dignified and cold Marquis Chengqing would actually do something like showing off his son to others.
As soon as he returned to the room, Xu Qingzhou saw Yu Wanwan lying on the bed, hugging a pillow and sighing. He couldn't help but chuckle.
He sat down by the bed and reached out to brush the hair from her cheek behind her ear.
"What's wrong, Madam?"
Yu Wanwan glanced at him indifferently, then turned her head away, too lazy to pay him any attention.
"Get away from me, it stinks."
If it weren't for him, would she be suffering like this now?
Unfortunately, her fragments are still inside his body, so he has to protect them carefully. How infuriating!
Xu Qingzhou paused, then raised his hand to his nose and smelled it.
When Mingming came back, he had already tidied up in the bathroom and stayed in the yard for a while before coming in.
There's still a slight smell of alcohol, but it's so faint you can barely smell it. How could it smell bad?
She's just deliberately picking a fight, isn't she?
Xu Qingzhou gritted his teeth, then simply carried her to the inside, kicked off his shoes, and climbed onto the bed.
"There's nothing we can do about it, Madam, please bear with it!"
"..."
Yu Wanwan was speechless and choked with emotion, wishing she could kick him down.
Xu Qingzhou smiled, took her hand, and rubbed it in his palm.
"Alright, rest now. Tomorrow I'll need to trouble you to accompany me to my father-in-law's house."
This was planned long ago.
They've been back for two days now, but haven't yet visited the Changrong Marquis's residence.
It's not that we don't value it, but we still need to prepare some things.
Yu Wanwan rolled her eyes at him, pulled her hand away, and turned her back to him.
"Shut up and go to sleep!"
Xu Qingzhou curled his lips, raised his hand and released a burst of internal energy to extinguish the candle flame, then closed his eyes as well.
Anyway, she'll roll into his arms on her own soon, so he's not in a hurry.
Just as Xu Qingzhou had expected, when he woke up, the person who had been far away from him last night was now lying in his arms.
Compared to her initial bewilderment and unease, Xu Qingzhou is now used to this situation and even somewhat enjoys it.
After having breakfast, the two set off for the Changrong Marquis's residence.
Once inside the carriage, Yu Wanwan pulled a book from her sleeve and tossed it to Xu Qingzhou.
Xu Qingzhou took it and glanced at it, somewhat surprised.
"You just gave it to me like that?"
The book she threw at him was none other than the "Feibai Imperial Brush Calligraphy," the very book Xu Mingche had lost to her in that horse race.
The reason he agreed to Xu Mingche's horse racing invitation was because of this book.
He had already decided then and there that he would give this book as a gift to Changrongbo, who loved poetry and books.
I just didn't expect her to interfere.
Yu Wanwan nodded, completely unconcerned.
"I have no use for it."
Xu Qingzhou didn't know what to say.
He could tell that she genuinely didn't care, and wasn't deliberately trying to help him.
Xu Qingzhou pursed his lips, put the book away, and leaned forward to kiss her.
"Madam is so kind!"
Regardless of whether she gave him the book out of indifference or not, he'll just assume she did it for him!
Yu Wanwan glanced at him, and Xu Qingzhou shamelessly winked at her.
Yu Wanwan chuckled and kicked him.
"If this happens again, you'll be sleeping on the floor!"
Does he really think she's someone he can kiss whenever he wants?
Xu Qingzhou clutched her waist and sat silently to one side, withdrawing into herself.
He really couldn't understand her. She could accept sharing a bed with him, but she couldn't accept these intimate little gestures with him.
well!
My life is miserable.
Upon arriving at the Changrong Marquis's residence, Xu Qingzhou felt even more miserable, facing the coldness of his in-laws and the disdainful looks of his half-brother-in-law.
Fine, he'll have to bear the consequences of the sins the original owner committed!
The day after they returned, they had already sent out invitations. The Earl's family knew they would come today and had been waiting for them for a long time.
Like other couples, after a brief chat, Yu Wanwan went to the backyard with Xi Qingyao's mother for a private chat.
As for Xu Qingzhou, he went to the study with Changrong Bo.
Yu Wanwan had no idea what they talked about, nor was she interested in finding out.
Judging from the expressions of Changrongbo and Xi Qingyao's half-grown younger brother, they must be quite satisfied with Xu Qingzhou.
At least they weren't as cold as when they arrived.
They didn't stay long at the Earl's residence. After having dinner, they took their leave and returned to the Marquis's residence.
After seeing the couple off, the aunt looked at Uncle Changrong.
"how?"
Uncle Changrong rubbed his fingertips together, recalling the conversation in the study.
"A person who can admit their mistakes and correct them, and who has a broad vision, is useful."
He turned and went back to his residence, his steps steady and his demeanor distinctive.
"Let's add a few more gifts for the day after tomorrow."
The lady understood and felt a little relieved.
It seems that what her daughter said was not meant to comfort or deceive her.
That's good, at least they didn't misjudge.
Xu Mingche's coming-of-age ceremony was a grand affair.
The scale of the banquet was several levels smaller than that of Xu Qingzhou, the heir apparent, but it was still comparable to that of the legitimate son of an ordinary official.
However, given his status as a second-generation scholar, no one could object to such a banquet.
Before leaving the capital, Yu Wanwan had already arranged the banquet for this event. After reviewing it, the Lady of the Marquis was extremely satisfied and did not make many changes.
This coming-of-age ceremony was entirely organized by Yu Wanwan.
Lady Hou naturally wouldn't hide her achievements, and took the initiative to praise her repeatedly in front of various noble ladies.
Lady Bo saw all this and was even more pleased, becoming more affectionate towards Lady Hou.
Xu Mingche's courtesy name was the one that Yu Wanwan had made up on the spot to appease Marquis Chengqing.
Yanhe.
Xu Mingche was unaware of the origin of this courtesy name, but he savored and appreciated the two characters.
Those who knew the inside story, of course, could not come forward to speak.
The coming-of-age ceremony went very smoothly.
The Marquis of Chengqing's residence gained prestige, and the guests who came and went were also very satisfied with the hospitality.
Yu Wanwan became famous in the capital after the banquet because of the Marquis's undisguised praise.
Previously, they only knew that she was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Changrong and the heir apparent of the Marquis of Chengqing.
But now, when people mention her, it's not just about her background, but also about her abilities and skills.
How could someone who had only been married for less than a month and had already experienced the horrible events of her husband's womanizing and his public pursuit of prostitutes, not only without any embarrassment but also managing to keep her husband's entire family under her thumb, possibly achieve this solely through her family background?
From then on, invitations to the Marquis's residence arrived like snowflakes.
Not only were there military families who were already on good terms with the Marquis of Chengqing's family, but also ladies and young women from civil officials' families.
It can be said that before Xu Qingzhou and Xu Mingche had even passed the imperial examination and officially entered officialdom, Yu Wanwan had already used her own methods and superior family background to pave the way for civil officials in the Chengqing Marquis's mansion.
Seeing this situation, Lady Hou and Marquis Chengqing became even more convinced of what their third uncle had said in the letter: that she was destined for nobility, that good fortune would come naturally to her, and that she could bring blessings to her family.
Therefore, Marquis Chengqing specifically sought out Xu Qingzhou again, giving him a detailed warning and telling him not to do anything that would betray Yu Wanwan.
Xu Qingzhou was completely bewildered after being inexplicably scolded.
Has he been behaving unruly enough lately?
But what could he do? He could only shoulder this heavy burden and dutifully accept it.
"Father, rest assured, I will never do anything to betray Madam again!"
Author's Note: Don't go! There will be an extra chapter at 6 PM tonight! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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