Prime Minister's Wrath
On the second day after returning to Yongjing City, Su Musong couldn't wait to return to school.
Since the change of the Grand Secretary to the head of the school, the academic atmosphere has become much more upright than before. Students' homework is often checked and classes are divided according to their learning progress.
Su Musong had not been to school for more than a year, and his progress was far behind Xiao Luochen. Originally, they could not be in the same class, but Su Musong coaxed the university scholar into doing so, and finally the university scholar had no choice but to give him the test paper and promise that as long as Su Musong passed the test, he would be allowed to be in the same class with Xiao Luochen.
Fortunately, although Su Musong was not in school, he had learned about the class division from Xiao Luochen's letter before, and had been begging Su Maoyi to teach him, so he did not fall behind in his studies. However, what Su Maoyi taught was not necessarily consistent with the test papers set by the teachers, but fortunately, Su Musong still managed to pass the test and became classmates with Xiao Luochen again as he wished.
However, Su Musong had never considered a career in government, so he wasn't serious about his studies. He only cared about passing the exam and wasn't willing to put in any extra effort. Therefore, despite his exceptional talent, he was mediocre in his studies.
After Su Musong came back and saw Xiao Luochen, he always felt that he was a little different from before. There seemed to be some unresolved sorrow hidden between his eyebrows. Although it was very faint, it was always out of place on the face of a young man.
He asked Xiao Luochen but got no answer. Later, he sent his servant to inquire and learned that Xiao Luochen's fourth brother was ill, and seemed to be seriously ill. He had not appeared in Kyoto for half a year and missed this year's special examination. Everyone originally thought that he would be the top scorer this year.
Su Musong wanted to visit, but was stopped by Xiao Luochen.
"Luo Chen, what's wrong with Fourth Brother? Why hasn't he recovered in such a long time? Is it serious? My uncle has countless rare medicinal herbs. If you need anything, please tell me and I will write a letter to ask for it immediately. I will definitely be able to cure Fourth Brother."
Xiao Luochen looked at Su Musong, whose eyes were shining and full of confidence, and asked with a wry smile
"Does your uncle have medicine that can regenerate severed legs? No, right? Where in the world is there such a medicine? So why are you asking?"
Su Musong was stunned when he heard this. Broken limbs regenerated? Did Fourth Brother actually lose both legs?
But he remembered that Xiao Luoqian was just a scholar, elegant and gentle, and had never been heard to have any enemies. He was also the son of the prime minister. When he went out to pick up himself and his mother a year ago, he was still fine and did not look sick at all. How could he have lost both legs?
Although Su Musong had thousands of questions in his mind, he couldn't bear to ask any more questions when he saw Xiao Luochen's red eyes.
"Mu Song, no one outside knows about Fourth Brother's leg injury. I hope you can keep it a secret and don't tell anyone."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. Can I go see him when he's better?"
"I will convey your wishes. Whether or not Fourth Brother is willing to see you is up to him. Thank you for the medicine you sent me earlier. You saved Fourth Brother's life."
After that, Su Musong never mentioned Xiao Luochen again, but from time to time he would give Xiao Luochen some of his newly acquired precious medicinal herbs that could help him recover from injuries. Xiao Luochen knew that this was Su Musong's good intentions, so he never refused, regardless of whether the herbs would help his fourth brother's leg injury.
A period of peace and tranquility passed, and in the blink of an eye, there were only three months left before the entrance examination.
Xiao Luochen has a gentle and steady temperament. Su Musong is inseparable from him and rarely sees him anxious or impatient. However, in recent days, Su Musong has clearly felt the changes in Xiao Luochen and can't help but worry.
"Luo Chen, are you worried?"
"Did you know that to advance from pre-primary school to junior high school, you have to take part in the entrance examination?"
"I've heard of it. Why are you worried about this? If you participated in the competition, you would definitely be the champion. Why are you worried about this?"
"Then do you know that 'Exegesis' is the most important subject?"
"I know. If you take the test, you'll definitely pass it easily."
"well!"
Xiao Luochen looked at Su Musong's test paper, which had been altered beyond recognition by the teacher, and sighed helplessly. He closed the book in his hand and left silently.
Su Musong didn't know how he had offended Xiao Luochen, but he could clearly sense that Xiao Luochen was unhappy, so he chased after him without giving it much thought. When he reached the entrance of the academy, he happened to see Xiao Luochen and his fifth brother, Xiao Luokun, talking about something. Curious, Su Musong found a secluded corner to hide and listen to their conversation.
"You absolutely must take part in this year's entrance exam. You missed it last year. If you don't get into Junior High School this year, you won't be able to explain to your father."
"I……"
Seeing Xiao Luochen's hesitation, Xiao Luokun couldn't help but feel a little irritated. His seventh brother, who was clearly the most talented among the brothers, had now become the one who had been in the children's school the longest. He really didn't understand what had happened to his always proactive and enterprising seventh brother.
"What are you hesitating about? With your knowledge, it wouldn't be difficult for you to get into the Shixue Academy right now, but you're still hanging around in Tongxue, wasting your time and attracting criticism."
Xiao Luochen was speechless. His fifth brother was right. With his talent and knowledge, staying in the Tongxue school would be of no benefit to him at all.
"Have you been hanging out with that kid from the Su family for so long that you've forgotten your own ambitions?"
"No."
Xiao Luochen wanted to retort, but he had no nerve. While he hadn't forgotten his own ambitions, he stayed at Tongxue because of Su Musong. Although Su Musong lived a life of luxury today, Xiao Luochen could still occasionally see the same look in his eyes he had seen that year in the snow: lonely, sad, yet determined. Every time he saw that look, Xiao Luochen felt that Su Musong was still the lonely, helpless little beggar in the snow.
"He is the son of the Duke of Anguo. He has inherited the title and the family business to support him. But my Xiao family's future depends entirely on our own efforts. Don't go down the wrong path."
In the imperial examination in Xiangping, Prime Minister Xiao was well-known for his integrity and selflessness. Xiao Luochen had six brothers. Except for the fifth and sixth brothers who were still studying, the other brothers were either civil officials or military generals, and all of them had established themselves with their own abilities.
Fifth brother's words made Xiao Luochen suddenly feel ashamed. Influenced by his family's tradition since childhood, he was determined to become a good official who cared about the world and benefited the people. But now he was wasting his time and making no progress in this place that brought him no benefit at all.
"Luo Chen, you must be aware that father has high hopes for you, especially now that Fourth Brother has... Sigh..."
Xiao Luochen had six older brothers. In his early years, Prime Minister Xiao was serving in a remote border region and left his sons with him, entrusting them to his uncle, a military instructor. Consequently, Xiao Luochen's eldest, second, and third brothers all joined the army and became generals. When Xiao Luochen was born, Prime Minister Xiao was transferred to the post of Governor of Qinzhou, and from then on, the sons were personally raised by the Prime Minister and his wife. Prime Minister Xiao had high hopes for the gifted Xiao Luochen, but his legs were crippled, making it impossible for him to carry on his ambitions. Xiao Luochen's fifth and sixth brothers, while equally talented, aspired to become a scholar in the Hanlin Academy and an inspector in the Sikou Palace, respectively. This left Xiao Luochen as his father's only hope.
"Fifth brother, I understand. My ambition has never changed."
Seeing Xiao Luochen's confidence, Xiao Luokun said no more. He believed that his seventh brother could still distinguish the important from the unimportant.
The coachman drove the carriage over. Su Musong watched the two Xiao brothers get on the carriage together before coming out from the dark.
Su Musong heard the conversation between Xiao Luochen and his fifth brother clearly, and with a little guess he roughly understood why Xiao Luochen was in a bad mood.
It must be that the teacher who teaches "Scripture Interpretation" recently gave a quiz, and Su Musong did very poorly on it, as expected. Xiao Luochen knew that Su Musong's current condition would make it impossible for him to pass the entrance exam and enter the Junior College, and he himself had to go to the Junior College. If he went, he would feel sorry for Su Musong, but if he didn't, he would feel sorry for his father. This put him in a dilemma.
Watching the carriage leaving the Xiao Mansion, Su Musong made a secret decision in his heart.
It was already dawn in the east, and the servants were still fast asleep. However, Su Musong, who usually stayed in bed late, got up early for the first time. He practiced the punches and kicks that his father had taught him yesterday in the yard several times, and then returned to the study to review his lessons.
Seeing this, the maid Juan'er who came to help Su Musong get up in the morning ran out of the house in disbelief to take a look at the red rising sun.
Well, the sun rises in the east,
He bit the back of his hand hard again
Well, it hurts.
Finally, he returned to the room and touched the young master's forehead with concern.
Well, there is nothing unusual in the body temperature.
After confirming that everything was normal and that she was not dreaming, Juan'er asked tentatively:
"Sir, why did you get up so early today?"
"From now on, I will get up at 1:05 AM every day to practice martial arts and review my lessons. Remember to prepare everything in advance."
"yes."
Juan'er didn't know why the young master suddenly became so concerned about his studies. Since her master had given her orders, she just followed them. The rest was not her concern.
Changsun Qinan listened to Juan'er's report but did not interfere. In her opinion, although Su Maoyi always thought that Master Zixue's teaching was pedantic and dull, he was not without real talent. It would be a good thing if Su Musong really worked hard in his studies. After all, at Su Musong's age, it was indeed time to cultivate his perseverance and determination.
Not only at home, but also at school, Su Musong's attitude has improved. He arrives early every day and no longer sleeps in or slacks off. He really studies very hard.
Xiao Luochen was quite surprised by Su Musong's change. He thought he was just in a momentary mood and would return to his old ways after the interest wore off. However, he did not expect that this continued for several days in a row. Xiao Luochen understood that Su Musong was serious, but he did not know the reason for his sudden change.
"Mu Song, don't you always say that Master Zhang's lectures are pedantic and long-winded? Why are you listening so attentively these past few days?"
Su Musong answered nonchalantly
"It's too boring to stay in this kindergarten. I want to go to school and have some fun."
Su Musong said that he wanted to go to junior high school. Xiao Luochen was naturally happy to hear that, but with Su Musong's current level, he was afraid that it would go against his wishes.
"The entrance exam is only two months away. If I study hard now, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch up."
"In order to catch up, I would like to ask you to be my tutor. Are you willing?"
"If you really want to learn, I will teach you."
"I'm not really interested in studying, I just want to go and have some fun with you."
Xiao Luochen didn't care what Su Musong's real intention was. As long as he wanted to enter the junior school, it was enough. With his talent, it was not impossible for him to be promoted to the junior school after two months of preparation.
So from that day on, Su Musong and Xiao Luochen became more inseparable than before. After school, the two of them would review their lessons together and often returned home after the second watch.
The Su family knew that Su Musong had been studying very hard recently, so they simply said he was studying with his classmates and was late, and no one questioned him further. But Xiao Luochen was different. He had always been well-behaved and rarely came home late. He considered one or two times an accident, but three or four times was abnormal. Soon, Prime Minister Xiao learned of this.
Although Prime Minister Xiao was busy with many affairs of state, he never neglected the discipline of his sons. He became concerned when he learned that Xiao Luochen had been acting abnormally recently.
After noon that day, Su Musong mysteriously dragged Xiao Luochen to the gate of the academy, saying that he wanted to show him some treasure, but what arrived was the carriage from the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.
"Musong, what exactly do you want to show me?"
Su Musong got on the carriage and lifted the curtain to invite Xiao Luochen to get on.
"I've had it put in the carriage. You can see it when you get on."
Although Xiao Luochen didn't know what Su Mushong was up to, he still got on the carriage as he was told.
"Where's the baby?"
"Luo Chen, sit down!"
Su Musong pulled Xiao Luochen to sit down, and even held his shoulders with both hands, as if he was afraid that he would run away.
"Set off!"
The driver received the order, whipped his whip lightly, and the carriage drove away from the college gate.
"Where are you going? You have classes in the afternoon."
Xiao Luochen has always been a role model for students and would never skip classes. He was a little panicked for a moment.
"Don't worry, I've already asked the teacher for leave for you."
"But……"
Su Musong interrupted Xiao Luochen and said, "Luochen, look at me."
Xiao Luochen was a little confused
"Am I not looking at you?"
"Take a good look at me. Have you seen any changes in me?"
Xiao Luochen looked at Su Musong seriously, but he didn't see anything, so he just shook his head in confusion.
"Haven't you noticed that I've been looking haggard lately?"
"No. On closer inspection, it seems his face has gotten rounder."
"Uh..." Su Musong suddenly felt a little embarrassed and could only make up his own story. "These days, you've been leaving early and coming back late every day to accompany me to study. It's really hard work, so today I want to thank you."
"I don't want you to thank me, as long as you can successfully enter the Junior College."
"Going on to higher education is inevitable, so thanking you is also natural. Now that you've gotten out, don't overthink it. I'll treat you to a circus. Yuelong's troupe is a rare sight."
Xiao Luochen cares little about food, drink and entertainment, but Su Musong knows everything. Judging from this aspect alone, he has the potential to be a playboy.
The acrobatic troupe rented the largest theater in Yongjing City and will perform there for half a month. Today is the first show. Although the ticket price is shockingly expensive, it is still hard to get a seat. However, this is easy for Su Musong.
After watching the acrobatics, Su Musong dragged Xiao Luochen to stroll around the commercial street for more than half an hour and bought a lot of things. The accompanying servant ran back and forth twice before loading all the things onto the carriage.
In the evening, Su Musong's carriage stopped in front of Wangjing Tower. This restaurant, which used to be packed with guests, seemed particularly deserted today. The waiter at the door enthusiastically welcomed Su Musong and Xiao Luochen in. Only then did Xiao Luochen realize that it was not that the restaurant was deserted, but that there were no guests at all.
"Musong, what's going on?"
"The shopkeeper asked me to help taste the food, so I'm closed today."
Su Musong said it calmly, but from the attitude of the shopkeeper and the pomp and circumstance in front of him, Xiao Luochen guessed that Wangjing Tower seemed to be the Su family's property.
After Su Musong and Xiao Luochen went in, another carriage stopped at the entrance of Wangjing Tower.
The guests who got off the car looked clean and elegant at first glance, but had a natural majesty when they looked closer.
The waiter rushed forward to stop them
"Sir, I'm sorry, but we don't accept outsiders today."
Being stopped outside the door, Prime Minister Xiao was not angry, but a little puzzled.
"I just saw someone enter. How come they can enter your huge Wangjing Tower but I can't?"
"As you can see, our store is only accepting those two young masters today. Please come back the next day."
Prime Minister Xiao and the Minister of Revenue were on an incognito tour when they happened to see Su Musong and Xiao Luochen leaving the theater after watching a variety show. It wasn't a holiday, and Xiao Luochen's absence from the academy had already irritated Prime Minister Xiao, not to mention the fifty taels of silver required to enter the theater. Thinking of Xiao Luochen's recent antics, Prime Minister Xiao immediately abandoned the Minister of Revenue and followed the two of them all the way from the commercial street to Wangjing Tower.
Prime Minister Xiao did not know that Wangjing Tower was the property of the Su family. He just thought that Su Musong had rented Wangjing Tower. He thought that Su Musong was indeed born in a wealthy family. He thought that he was so extravagant at such a young age. Thinking of what he had just seen Su Musong spending money lavishly in the shopping street, he suddenly felt a little contempt for him.
His son was actually hanging out with such a playboy, and Prime Minister Xiao couldn't help but feel angry.
"What if I must go in?"
Wangjing Tower usually had many dignitaries and nobles coming here, and the waiter who greeted them knew almost all the dignitaries in Kyoto. Although Prime Minister Xiao was obviously not an ordinary person, he did not like luxury and had never set foot here, so the waiter did not recognize the Prime Minister.
The waiter replied in a pleasant and dignified manner.
"Wangjinglou is open for business and welcomes guests from all over the world. We have our own rules. If you insist on causing trouble, we are not afraid of it."
As soon as he finished speaking, six burly men suddenly appeared from nowhere, stood in a row, blocked the door, and prevented Prime Minister Xiao from moving forward.
In Wangjing Building, the chef's new dishes have been neatly placed on two large square tables.
Su Musong happily served food to Xiao Luochen, completely unaware of what was happening downstairs.
"Luo Chen, try this 'Golden Floss', the snack Yu Feng brought."
Xiao Luochen took a bite and was filled with the crispy fragrance. The dim sum was certainly good, but Xiao Luochen could not savor the food as wholeheartedly as Su Musong.
"Is it not to your taste?"
"no."
Looking at Xiao Luochen with a slightly frowned and absent-minded look, Su Musong thought for a moment and guessed why he was not in a good mood.
"Master always teaches us to balance work and rest. Resting for half a day doesn't count as being lazy or slacking off. Luo Chen, you don't have to feel guilty."
"Father seems to have known that I come home late every day. If I help you study every day, I will naturally have no regrets. But if it's like today..."
"With delicious food in front of you, why think about those things? The Prime Minister is busy with government affairs, and you have six brothers to take care of. I'm sure he won't be able to take care of you. Just stay here and relax."
"But……"
"When I asked for leave, I agreed with the teacher that I would not tell your family. If anyone asks, I will just say I went to buy books."
As Su Musong spoke, he stood up and added a few more dishes for Xiao Luochen.
Although Xiao Luochen felt uneasy, seeing that Su Musong was so attentive and attentive, he didn't want to say anything to spoil his fun.
"Boss... Boss, the Prime Minister is here."
The waiter who had been greeting guests downstairs stumbled over to the shopkeeper. Before he could finish his words, he saw Prime Minister Xiao, his face grim, his hands behind his back, followed by two teams of soldiers, walking towards them.
When he suddenly saw his father, Xiao Luochen's mind went blank. He stood up unconsciously and stood beside Prime Minister Xiao with his head down.
Prime Minister Xiao took a quick look and saw that the scene was quite grand. The eldest son of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion sat in the main seat, with five chefs standing on one side and twenty waiters on standby.
Prime Minister Xiao advocates simplicity and hates extravagance the most. Therefore, he has never had a good impression of the Su family, who are wealthy and have businesses in many countries. After witnessing Su Musong's behavior today, he feels even more disgusted than before.
However, Su Musong was just a child after all. Although Prime Minister Xiao disliked it, he did not say anything. Besides, the purpose of his visit was to teach his son a lesson, not to discipline other people's children. So he just glanced at him and turned away.
Su Musong knew that Prime Minister Xiao was always strict in managing his family. Looking at the situation, Xiao Luochen would inevitably be punished when he returned. Although he knew that Prime Minister Xiao might not have a good impression of him in this situation, he had dragged Xiao Luochen out today. If he was punished for this, he would be sorry for him. Therefore, he could not help but speak up for Xiao Luochen.
"Uncle Xiao..."
But Prime Minister Xiao seemed unwilling to give Su Musong a chance to speak.
"Luo Chen, you must remember that the Xiao family has a long tradition of poetry and literature. The sons of our Xiao family are not allowed to associate with merchants and playboys."
Prime Minister Xiao did not look at Su Musong. His sharp eyes stared at Xiao Luochen, and the words he uttered were like nails, piercing Xiao Luochen's heart.
As far as Xiao Luochen could remember, his father had never looked at him with such a stern gaze. Under such a gaze, Xiao Luochen felt as if he had been slapped twice by his father. In an instant, tears welled up uncontrollably, and he felt extremely ashamed in his heart.
Su Musong, who was being ignored, felt as if cold water had been poured over his head upon hearing this. Prime Minister Xiao was ostensibly admonishing Xiao Luochen, but he could clearly hear that this was a warning to him, saying that he came from a merchant family and was a dandy, unworthy of being associated with Xiao Luochen.
He had heard such words from his classmates before, but he hadn't paid much attention to them then. But now, when Prime Minister Xiao said them, Su Musong truly felt the grievance. He was powerless to refute them, because his actions today were indeed typical of the dandy behavior of Yongjing City.
Xiao Luochen shed tears silently. Although he tried his best to control them, the tears seemed unwilling to listen to him. He lowered his head and followed his father out of Wangjing Tower without saying a word, without looking at Su Musong again.
Su Musong followed Xiao Luochen like a walking corpse. He was full of guilt at the moment, but he didn't know what to say. The gloomy expression of Prime Minister Xiao made him feel scared. The words he just said were like a sharp blade, cutting all his courage.
After watching Prime Minister Xiao's carriage leave, Su Musong stood under the Wangjing Tower archway for a long time until the shopkeeper realized something was wrong and brought the man in. In the shopkeeper's eyes, the eldest son was just sitting there blankly, but he didn't know that Su Musong was struggling with his conscience at the moment. He blamed himself for bringing Xiao Luochen out, blamed the waiter at the door for not informing him earlier, worried that Xiao Luochen would be punished, and blamed Prime Minister Xiao for being too strict. His thoughts were in a mess and he didn't know what to do.
Su Musong didn't remember how he returned to the Anguo Mansion, nor did he know how he went to school the next day. He was like a puppet being controlled by someone. Everything seemed normal to him, but his thoughts were still stuck on yesterday.
When Su Musong saw Xiao Luochen's empty seat, he suddenly came to his senses. He was sure that Xiao Luochen must have been punished by Prime Minister Xiao, otherwise why would he not even go to school.
For three consecutive days, Su Musong failed to see Xiao Luochen in the school. He was worried and had to go to Xiao Luochen's sixth brother Xiao Luoyao to ask for news.
Xiao Luoyao is only two years older than Xiao Luochen. Among all the brothers, he has the best relationship with Xiao Luochen and is also the most familiar with Su Musong.
"Sixth brother, how is Luo Chen? Did your father punish him?"
"I was just about to ask you what happened. Why was Luo Chen punished? Did you make any mistakes while bringing him along?"
Su Musong told Xiao Luoyao everything that happened that day.
After hearing the whole story, Xiao Luoyao suddenly understood. Thinking of the punishment his seventh brother had received, he couldn't help but blame Su Musong.
"I see. Luo Chen has been badly hurt by you this time."
"So how is he now?"
Xiao Luoyao looked around, as if he was afraid of being seen by someone. After confirming that there was no one around, he said
"He's injured and still lying in bed. Father used the family law and punished him with twenty lashes. He was also ordered to kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours every day to reflect on his mistakes after his injuries healed. He was also confined to the house until the entrance examination. He was also ordered not to have any contact with you again, otherwise his name would be removed from the Xiao family tree."
Although Prime Minister Xiao was very strict with his sons, Xiao Luoyao had never seen his father punish anyone like this in his memory. It seemed that his seventh brother had really made his father angry this time.
"That's all I can say to you. You don't have to come to me again. If my fifth brother sees me and tells father I saw you, I might be punished too."
Xiao Luoyao hurried away, leaving Su Musong standing there, his heart sinking. He hadn't expected Prime Minister Xiao to dislike him so much. He'd simply taken Xiao Luochen for a stroll, so why was that considered an unforgivable offense in Prime Minister Xiao's eyes? Or perhaps, like those classmates who had bullied him before, Prime Minister Xiao simply disliked him because he was the son of a businessman?
At this time, Su Musong still didn't understand that the reason why Prime Minister Xiao was angry was not because of him as a person, nor was it related to his identity. Naturally, he didn't understand what kind of burden Prime Minister Xiao was going to give to Xiao Luochen.
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