Xiao Bei’s eyes lit up, and he happily said, "Really?"
Xin He said irritably, "Why would I lie to you? Anyway, my private relationship with Lady Song is not bad, so this matter shouldn’t be difficult. But..."
But apart from Song Yalin, all the other girls in the second branch were base-born, and although Xin He didn’t remember which girl was the sixth one, she could still tell this much.
Frankly, Ji Xinhe cherished Xiao Bei quite a bit, her only biological younger brother. Although she didn’t necessarily want him to marry a noble lady from a prestigious family, at the very least, the girl ought to be a legitimate daughter.
If Xiao Bei hadn’t brought it up this time, she might have found someone for him herself.
Hearing Xin He’s words, Xiao Bei’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "I don’t mind if she’s base-born; after all, they’re just girls!"
Seeing his attitude, Xin He was helpless: "Do you even know what’s good about her? You’re so protective of her, yet she might not even recognize you."
With a red face, Xiao Bei said, "She must be able to recognize me!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Oh?" Xin He raised her eyebrows with interest, could she recognize him or not?
But Xiao Bei did not want to say any more, shyly turning around and running away.
Ah Guai softly said, "Why is my little uncle blushing?"
"Because he’s shy." Song Xi laughed.
Ah Guai asked, "Brother Xi, have you ever been shy?"
Song Xi coughed lightly: "I don’t think so."
Ah Guai then looked at Little Nan: "How about Brother Nan?"
Little Nan raised his eyes and glanced at Xin He, then silently lowered his head, not replying.
Ah Guai blinked, tilting her head. Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel so weird?
Xin He laughed and patted her little head, "You are such a mischievous little girl."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and said to Little Nan, "Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you too, isn’t it time for you to settle on a marriage? You and Xiao Bei are the same age, do everything together, now that Xiao Bei wants to discuss marriage, we can also arrange your matters as well."
Little Nan’s eyes flickered, and he immediately bowed his fist: "I don’t have any plans to get married for now."
Xin He laughed and said, "Why are you so nervous? I’m not forcing you. It’s just that it’s a good idea for a young man to establish a family before pursuing a career. Having someone by your side who knows how to care for you will make you appreciate the benefits of having a wife."
Little Nan pursed his lips and remained silent, but his determination was clear.
Finally, Xin He gave up: "All right, then."
In fact, Xin He also wanted to find a wife for Little Nan. This boy had such a bland personality that it seemed nothing could arouse his interest. That’s why he seemed so lifeless. He grew up with Xiao Bei, and Xin He loved him as if he were her own brother, wanting to give him the best. Unfortunately, the boy never showed much interest in such matters.
This left Xin He feeling rather helpless.
At times Xin He felt like she couldn’t understand him or see through him.
Only then did Little Nan seem to breathe a little easier, saying, "If I meet a girl I fancy, I will come to ask the princess to help me."
Xin He smiled, "That’s good, I was afraid that I would never see the day when you would show some interest in marriage."
Little Nan’s eyes darkened a bit. Indeed, that day would never come.
"Let it go, it’s getting late, you should go now. The imperial examination is coming soon, so don’t waste your time here. We’ll talk about everything else after the Autumn Examination, all right?" Xin He said.
Little Nan nodded respectfully: "Yes."
Before leaving, Xin He couldn’t help but remind him, "Prepare well for this Autumn Examination and seize the opportunity. Strive to win the title of scholar in one go. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another three years."
"I know."
After Little Nan left, Xin He sighed softly, "This child, though he’s more sensible and well-behaved than Xiao Bei, why does he always seem to make people worry?"
Ah Guai looked up at Xin He and asked, "Mother, will Brother Nan pass the examination this time?"
If it had been a few years ago, Xin He would have confidently said, he will pass!
But now....
Looking at her husband’s increasingly disappointed eyes, Xin He couldn’t bring herself to make such a bold claim. She could only shake her head helplessly: "Let’s leave it to fate."
After all, who knows what twists and turns life holds?
Song Xi silently sat there, fiddling with a brush in his hand, thinking to himself: He won’t pass.
He won’t pass in this lifetime.
Little Nan returned to his room, opened the massive bookcase by his bed, and tossed another book in there indifferently.
The storage was already full of what he had learned over the years. All his books were inside, never to see the light of the world again in his lifetime.
He knew he would never pass the examination, let alone become a Jinshi or the top scholar.
His life would only halt at the small title of scholar. He would exist in this world in obscurity, always staying by her side.
Pursuing a successful career through examination meant taking the imperial examination and going far away to the capital city. All of these things were unnecessary and even a waste of time. He had always known what he wanted, and he would never waste his time on things he didn’t need.
She had once said that pursuing a successful career through examination was the best path for him, providing a chance to take control of his own fate. She thought he would yearn for this path, but in the end, she wasn’t him and didn’t understand him.
What he wanted was very little, very simple, and very pure. He just wanted to stay by her side, even if it meant only helping her with little things. In his eyes, that was the best path.
With an indifferent look in his eyes, Little Nan closed the case, without any hesitation.
---
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and the Yu State had been peaceful during this time.
The peace was almost enough to make Ji Xinhe forget about the existence of Duan Lan in the Yu State.
Strangely enough, Duan Lan had shown no abnormalities during these days, spending his time sightseeing with the officials of Yu State. His schedule was so transparent that even Marquis Mu’s dark line didn’t really need to follow him. Everyone in Yuzhou City knew where he was sightseeing today, and even bold girls would go block and try to steal a glimpse of him.
After all, he was a prominent figure who came from the capital city and was also so good-looking. Who wouldn’t want to take an extra look? Maybe catching his eye would change their lives.
Xin He laughed when she heard about this: "Don’t they know that Duan Lan is already married? Do they still hope to marry him? What’s there to gossip about?"
If he were unmarried, pursuing him wouldn’t be a problem. But now that he’s married, what’s there to see?
Shulan said with a smack of her lips, "It’s even more popular now that he’s married. Those girls say that as his wife has been married for five or six years without having any children and Duan Lan hasn’t taken a concubine so far, he must be deeply infatuated."
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