Tan Biao glanced with disgust at the butler, Zhen Quede, who was lying unconscious on the ground with blood all over his right cheek.
"Useless thing, you fainted after just one slap from me."
"A grown man, so frail?!"
He pushed open the study door, waved impatiently, and ordered the servants to carry Zhen Quede out.
"Let the physician in the manor take a look at him, lest he die."
Zhen Quede is still useful. Now that he can't freely enter and leave the Tan residence, there are many things that still need Zhen Quede to handle.
Moreover, the most capable person in the household, the one who knew where to find his confidants and how he acted, was Zhen Quede.
"Yes, Lord Marquis." The servants bent down, lifted Zhen Quede up, and carried him to the backyard.
Watching the servants carry Zhen Quede away, Tan Biao returned to his study. He stood by the window, gazing out into the distance, lost in thought.
Judging from the paper and ink, this flyer came from Fang Yi, the owner of Jixian Bookstore.
Fang Yi is the son-in-law of Guan, a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Academy.
[Years ago, when I went to the Guan residence to propose marriage but was rejected, I was brutally beaten with my head covered. I heard it was done by someone sent by Grand Secretary Guan.]
[That old geezer! I never imagined my daughter wouldn't marry me, but instead married this frail scholar.]
"Hmph, old man Guan, I'll settle this score with you sooner or later!"
Tan Biao clenched his fists, let out a cold snort, and his gaze was chilling and ruthless.
...
Inside the school of the Nanyang royal family.
After finishing her Confucian classics class, Yun Duoduo, feeling groggy, slumped onto her desk.
Heavens above, earth below! Ancient Chinese is truly obscure and difficult to understand!
Why use classical Chinese phrases like "之乎者也" and "嗗乎哀哉"? Isn't vernacular Chinese better?
It's too difficult. The effort required for a classical Chinese class is four times that of an arithmetic class.
[Nanfu batteries: one battery is better than six.]
[Ahem, Nanfu Battery, settle your PR and advertising fees...]
"Princess, Princess, wake up." Just as Yun Duoduo was about to drift off to sleep, a gentle voice rang in her ears.
"Huh? Who?"
"Princess, Princess, wake up."
Ah Xiang gently nudged Yun Duoduo's shoulder and spoke again.
Yun Duoduo reluctantly opened her eyes and squinted at A Xiang.
"Aunt Xiang, is it swollen? Let me sleep for a while, just a little while."
"Aunt Xiang, please have someone carry me back to my bed in Fu Shuang Palace. Anyway, I've finished my lessons, and I'm so sleepy!"
Yun Duoduo yawned widely.
"Little princess, Aunt Jingxi, who teaches etiquette, has been waiting outside for you for quite some time."
[Learn etiquette?]
Why do we have to learn etiquette right after just finishing the classics class?
It was pretty sudden...
This is no longer a case of teachers extending class time; it's more like forcibly adding extra classes.
Don't they even ask the person involved for their opinion before adding extra classes? Does my opinion not matter?!
"They are people from the Empress Dowager's side, who came specifically to teach the princess etiquette."
[Ah? The person beside the Empress Dowager must be a very strict teacher!]
"Aunt Xiang, can we learn again tomorrow? Duoduo is so tired."
Yun Duoduo could already picture the strict nanny in her mind, as well as the aches and pains in her back after practicing walking and sitting upright.
Ugh, this is so hard for me.
"Princess, hang in there a little longer. The Empress Dowager said that Zhuangzhuang, Guanguan, and Huohuo will accompany you to learn etiquette."
Emma, I'm so sorry, everyone. Because of me, you've all been forced to work overtime.
[In the classics class, Huo Huo could still slack off while getting paid, but in the etiquette class, which was essentially one-on-three instruction, she was under the teacher's constant supervision, making it impossible to skip or slack off.]
[Thinking about slacking off is even more impossible. I've heard that the discipline mothers all carry a ruler, specifically for disobedient princes and princesses.]
"Aunt Xiang, Duoduo doesn't want to go." Yun Duoduo continued to lie on the table, acting spoiled and unreasonable.
“Duo’er, I think you could learn from her,” Sun Huohuo, who was watching the melons from the side, said.
"You say that although you are a princess, you don't stand properly, you don't eat properly, and you always steal food from me. Your manners are not as good as my mother's head maid. You should learn some manners."
Sun Huohuo shook his head, looking regretful.
"Otherwise, you'll be laughed at by your husband's family after you get married."
[It has little offensive power, but is extremely insulting.]
"I thought the princess was only this good?!" Sun Huohuo said loudly, and the other students who were packing their things and hadn't left yet all turned around to look at them.
Think about it, really think about it...
Yun Duoduo wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"You've dragged down the outside world's perception of the princess."
I'm not taking the blame for this...
"Sun Huohuo!" Yun Duoduo slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"Are you being polite? Have you finished speaking?!"
"You've taken a few classes on classical Chinese studies and learned a lot of new words, haven't you?!"
"Are you asking for a beating?!" Yun Duoduo raised her hand to slap Sun Huohuo on the head.
"Ninth Princess, be dignified."
A calm, mature voice came from behind me.
Yun Duoduo's hand froze in mid-air. She turned around and had a premonition that the person speaking was her nanny.
"Aunt Jingxi." Ah Xiang leaned forward slightly to show her respect for Jingxi.
Aunt Jingxi looked to be quite old, probably a woman in her thirties or forties. She was not tall, slightly plump, and dressed in a light gray dress. Her hair was tied up and adorned with hairpins and ornaments, giving her a very composed and dignified appearance.
There seemed to be a certain majesty between her brows, which made Yun Duoduo stand up straight involuntarily, clasping her hands in front of her, looking very obedient.
Oh no, the teacher's coming.
My grandmother really arranged everything perfectly for me.
[Oh well, what can I do? I'm the Queen Mother's most beloved little princess.]
"Greetings, Aunt Jingxi." When Yun Duoduo heard A Xiang address her as Jingxi, she also greeted her very politely, forcing a smile.
Zhuangzhuang, Sun Huohuo, and Guan Guan behind her also curtsied slightly.
"Aunt Jingxi, Huohuo is a boy, should he also learn from him?"
Just moments ago, Sun Huohuo was gloating and joking with Yun Duoduo, but now, looking at the stern disciplinarian in front of him, he stood respectfully to the side.
"The Empress Dowager said that Young Master Sun should also study with her, and that this is also what Lord Sun hopes for."
My dad?
"Let's go, Granny will take you to the main hall."
After the palace maids tidied up the things on the desk, they followed the group to the main hall.
In the open space in the center of the main hall, Aunt Jingxi stood in front of them, demonstrating the movements and teaching them etiquette.
"When taking your leave in front of His Majesty, you should take two or three steps back before turning your head to leave. You should not turn your back directly to His Majesty."
"Like this?"
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