Chapter 91 Then I leave?
Chen Yi truly didn't want to move, much less get into trouble.
But the current situation of the Xiao family forces him to make some preparations in advance.
Baicaotang is one, and he himself is another.
"Since when did a son-in-law have to rely on his own efforts?"
"I reckon there aren't many people who have lived off women to this extent."
With that in mind, Chen Yi bought a few things on Kangning Street, picked up the calligraphy copybooks that had been delivered in advance from the mounting shop, and went straight home.
Tomorrow is Li Huaigu's wedding, and he can't very well go empty-handed.
Back at the mansion, he bumped into Liu Si'er, who was leading a carriage and preparing to leave.
Chen Yi called out and walked inside.
Liu Si'er was taken aback. Today was supposed to be his turn to go to the East Market to pick up this gentleman. Why was he back so early?
I thought about it.
Liu Si'er returned the carriage and went to the back room with a natural expression.
Ding, ding ding.
The door creaked open, and Uncle Gui stared at him with a gloomy expression. "This is the second time."
Liu Si'er's expression remained unchanged, still using the excuse of borrowing something.
While loudly expressing his gratitude, he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth:
"The fledglings have returned ahead of schedule. Is the hawk's plan still in progress?"
Uncle Gui was somewhat surprised. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "I'll go to the East Market later."
Liu Si'er understood, said "as soon as possible," and turned to leave.
After he walked away, Uncle Gui remained silent for a moment, took some things, closed the door, and slowly walked out of the mansion.
The fledgling seems to be having a good day; let's wait another day.
Chen Yi had no idea that his leisure time would save him from a lot of trouble.
Even if he knew, he would probably just say "troublesome" and wouldn't mind this extra trouble.
When he leisurely returned to Chunhe Garden, he saw two elderly men, even more leisurely than himself, sitting in the pavilion playing chess.
As usual, Xiaodie was serving by his side.
Xiao Wuge sat to the side watching, and it was not hard to see his mood from his furrowed face.
That appearance was probably due to Sun Fu's examination.
Upon seeing Chen Yi approach, Xiao Die quickly came over, took out her handkerchief, and patted him a few times to remove the dust.
Xiao Wuge, looking relieved, rushed over with a smile, "Brother-in-law, you're back so early today?"
Chen Yi asked with a smile, "Then shall I leave?"
Xiao Wuge looked up and said pitifully, "Take me with you."
Chen Yi chuckled and said to Sun Fu and Zhang Xuan, who were looking over, "Teachers, look how you've bullied our young master."
If someone else had said such a casual tone, Zhang Guogong would probably have been slapped across the face.
But Chen Yi... is just a brat who thinks he's above everyone else because he's a bit talented.
Thinking it over, Duke Zhang pointed directly at Sun Fu and said, "What a mess he's made! Instead of focusing on playing chess properly, he insists on examining the old history of the Wuge Dynasty."
Sun Fu laughed and scolded him, saying, "What do you know?" but he didn't say anything to Chen Yi.
After all, he still needed someone's help.
"Learning more about history has many benefits, and it can help you avoid detours in your future growth."
Sun Fu didn't ask the question casually.
He examined Xiao Wuge's life story based on that of a military marquis from the previous dynasty. The family's circumstances were similar to Xiao's, both having a long history and both passing down their martial arts skills.
However, the former Marquis Wu only went out to lead troops when there was a battle, and usually stayed in the imperial city.
This is quite suitable for Xiao Wuge's future hostage situation in Jinling.
Such a rigorous examination process can be described as painstaking.
Chen Yi, of course, understood his thoughts. He patted Xiao Wuge's head, led him to sit next to the two old men, and said with a smile:
“Learning from history can indeed be very beneficial.”
Sun Fu looked pleased, then turned to Duke Zhang and said fiercely, "It's your turn. Take back your move one more time, you try?"
Duke Zhang picked his nose, then took back the white piece he had just played. "You can't go back on your word."
"..."
The two bickered again, but the atmosphere was quite cheerful.
At least Xiao Wuge was all smiles.
This alone made him admire Chen Yi.
I wonder when he will be able to chat and laugh with a duke or an old gentleman like my brother-in-law.
Chen Yi didn't feel anything was wrong; perhaps this is what it means to be invincible when one is without desires.
He doesn't offend others, nor does he ask anything of others, so he can naturally remain neither arrogant nor humble.
To put it bluntly, there aren't many people in this world that he cares about.
Inside Jiaxingyuan.
Xiao Wan'er, who was also sitting in the pavilion enjoying the cool air, looked up from a pile of account books when she heard the laughter.
After listening intently for a moment, a look of confusion appeared on her face.
"He's back?"
Shen Huatang, who had heard the voices earlier, replied, "Second son-in-law just returned and is currently talking with Duke Zhang and Old Master Sun."
Xiao Wan'er looked at the account books on the table, "Has the business of Jishi Pharmacy not been affected?"
But that's not right.
She had just seen the account books that Liu Quan had reported yesterday, and the pharmacy's business income had been decreasing for two consecutive days.
Shen Huatang recalled Chen Yi's questions a few days ago about "Knife Madman" challenging Xiao Jinghong, and his inquiries about matters of the martial world. He hesitated, then said:
"Miss, perhaps the young master's mind is not on the pharmacy at all."
Xiao Wan'er hummed in agreement, then continued to flip through the account books, before taking out a piece of pine paper and writing delicate, pretty characters on it.
After finishing writing, she handed the paper to Shen Huatang and instructed, "Send this to the second steward and have him contact the medicine merchant as soon as possible to prepare all the medicinal materials listed above."
Shen Huatang took it and left Jiaxingyuan.
Xiao Wan'er packed up her paper and pen, her eyes gazing in the direction of Chunhe Garden, lost in thought as she pondered:
My brother-in-law is not a businessman and has never been a manager, so he probably doesn't know the long-term impact of Linglanxuan.
Sigh, I wonder if the people who robbed the medicinal herbs are related to Linglanxuan.
She always felt that this matter was too strange.
"We'll need to ask Second Grandfather later. The Criminal Investigation Department has been investigating for several days; they should have some information out by now."
As she pondered these thoughts, Xiao Wan'er heard the laughter from Chunhe Garden, and a complex mix of emotions welled up within her.
Does he really not care about the affairs of Jishi Pharmacy?
...
Even outside the pharmacy, Chen Yi felt incredibly refreshed.
Don't be fooled by the fact that they only stay in the Spring Lotus Garden.
But the presence of flowers, grass, water, and people chatting and laughing is irresistible.
So he was in a good mood all afternoon.
It wasn't until after dinner that he started packing up the gift for Li Huaigu.
There are many rules for weddings at this time of year, especially for people like Li Huaigu who have achieved academic success and hold official positions. The elaborate rules last from morning till night.
Even the guests attending the wedding banquet were subject to numerous rules.
Ordinary people wouldn't need to pay too much attention, but Chen Yi's current status requires some caution.
Firstly, he has the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), and secondly, he represents the Xiao family's reputation when he goes out, so he needs to pay attention to etiquette.
Therefore, he specially flipped through the books and prepared a calligraphy copybook and an inkstone for Li Huaigu according to the rules.
The calligraphy copybook was handwritten by him, and it was the completion of the poem "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may."
The inkstone wasn't expensive either; it cost two taels of silver.
That does suit his identity as a student and a son-in-law.
After everything was ready, Chen Yi told Xiao Die to put it away, and said with a smile that he would take her to a banquet the next day.
Little Die, the little glutton, nodded happily.
She truly has absolutely no resistance to food.
Xiao Wuge also wanted to go, but Chen Yi refused, the reason being that he should go and keep Xiao Wan'er company.
With the events at Linglan Pavilion these past few days, Xiao Wan'er must be having some headaches.
Although Xiao Wuge was somewhat disappointed, going to Jiaxingyuan was better than having him stay with Sun Fu.
After nightfall, they each returned to their rooms.
Chen Yi glanced at the light screen and then began to cultivate the Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique.
After his cultivation reached the eighth rank, the Qi within his body transformed into true essence, and his martial arts cultivation underwent some changes.
It is no longer primarily about increasing physical strength.
Or rather, stance training has had little effect on increasing strength.
Therefore, his next focus should be on enhancing his true energy, filling his dantian and tanzhong acupoints, and continuing to open up the twelve main meridians in his body, including the Ren and Du meridians.
This allows the body to form a microcosmic circulation of true energy.
Neither the Great Spear Stance Technique nor the Xuanwu Breath Concealing Technique are methods for cultivating true essence.
However, he doesn't yet have a suitable method for cultivating true essence, so he'll have to make do for now.
In comparison, the Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique allows for faster progress.
And so, Chen Yi stood in the Xuanwu stance until midnight:
[Daily Intelligence - Mid-Grade Profound: Noon, Luoyi Lane. The third-ranked scholar, Li Huaigu, marries Yunxiang. A small amount of good fortune may be obtained.]
Chen Yi glanced at it, and it didn't surprise him.
The hot news of the third-ranked scholar's wedding has arrived, albeit belatedly.
However, upon closer reflection, he also felt a bit of a headache.
"Those gentlemen from Guiyun Academy look like they're going to cause a lot of trouble. I reckon they won't give up on getting the calligraphy copybook."
(End of this chapter)
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