Chapter 131 Famous

Perhaps sensing the awkward feeling of his adoptive mother, Mu Mu ran forward and hugged her legs, shaking hard while pleading, “Mom, I beg you, let’s keep Dalang!”

The little monkey seemed to have received special training. First, he sniffed the smell on Guan Suyi’s body, after making sure that he was not looking for the wrong person, he then climbed to a peach tree, picked up a peach blossom, and handed it over with a grin, looking very attentive.

Jinzi and Minglan were greatly surprised, and exclaimed “This monkey is really divine! Miss, you might as well keep it, and it can accompany the young master to play. He is the only child in the house, it’s indeed a bit lonely.”

Guan Suyi was still hesitating, just because when she saw this monkey, she would think of Hunnar, if she keep it, it would seem that there were shadows of that person everywhere in the mansion. However, she was even more reluctant to disappoint Mu Mu. After all, this was the first time he asked her for something.

Seeing that his adoptive mother’s expression was slightly soften, Mu Mu quickly wrapped his short legs around her, pleading with a milky voice. The little monkey was even smarter, picked a lot of peach blossoms and sprinkled it on her head, making it full of colorful falls. Guan Suyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry by these two’s antics, so she had to agree.

While  the Emperor Teacher Mansion was full of laughter and joy, the Zhao Mansion was still gloomy and depressed. The door between the East and West Mansions was completely locked. If people between the two mansions wanted to communicate with each other, they had to go outside the mansion and knock on the gate. Zhao Luli was always go out for business, rarely returned home, and when he finally came back once in a while, he would stay in the tea house opposite the Emperor Teacher Mansion for a whole day. If he could occasionally saw Guan Suyi while she went out, and look at her from a distance, he would be able to pull himself up.

The old madam had been wore down by the toxins, and fell ill every three days, and now she could only lie in bed. Zhao Chunxi wanted to take care of the matter both outside and inside, and also take care of her grandmother and Zhao Huai’en. Because of that she grew up rapidly, and her face has been covered with a layer of twilight before she even reach marriageable age.

Knowing that Lu Fengming hurriedly packed up and left Yanjing without stopping, she guessed that something had happened, and immediately sent someone to inquire. Just after receiving the exact news, Zhao Wangshu actually returned to the mansion and rushed to Penglai Garden to talk to Ye Zhen. She sneered while looking forward to it, stood in the corridor listening.

There was a buzzing sound inside, it should be Zhao Wangshu reporting Lu Fengming’s scandal, and then she heard Ye Zhen’s hoarse voice, “Am I not doing it for your own good? No matter how talented Qi Yu is, does anyone in Wei Kingdom know his name? If you think Guan Suyi have your best interest, why didn’t she just take you back to the Guan’s family and let you worship her grandfather or father as your teacher? As long as the two of them pull you along, you won’t be what you are now!”

Become closed disciple*refer to the last disciple accepted by the teacher and after that the teacher won’t receive anymore direct disciple. Generally speaking closed disciple is the teacher’s favorite, so it has a special status among the disciples? You wish! In Wei Kingdom who doesn’t know that Old Master Guan and Guan Father never accepted mediocre talents. If people cannot not pass the initial test of the two of them, they would even be kicked out. First send to the Guan clan’s first disciple to lay the foundation, and in the future when his talents were more profound, then enter the Emperor Teacher or Chief of Ceremonies’ place, this is the way to fight steadily. Do you think that everyone is like you Ye Zhen, with a mind to climb high branches while taking shortcuts? Zhao Chunxi mused sarcastically.

Perhaps Zhao Wangshu also said the same, causing Ye Zhen to smashed a lot of things, and repeatedly scolded him for repaying kindness by stabbing people in the back. Vaguely, Zhao Wangshu’s bitter voice came intermittently, to the effect that at this literary gathering, the students had different performances, the good and the bad were mixed. The Emperor Teacher was deeply aware of this big problem, and had decided to submit report to the emperor, dividing the triennial imperial examination into regional and hierarchical and progressive style, from easy to difficult, step by step, first pass the preliminary exam, then pass the second test, and then the third exam, finally select the best group of students, who would be selected by the emperor himself. This was the same way the Guan clan selected their students, only on a larger scale.

In other words, except for winning the first place in one fell swoop in the next imperial examination, they would have to take it slowly in the future. If they missed it this time, the students would have to wait for another three years, if they fail one test, they would also have to wait another three years, so on and so forth.

Ye Zhen was completely mad, and screamed, “Three years? You have to wait another three years? You useless waste, what did you do earlier, you can’t even write a single article! You immediately moved all the Four Books and Five Classics to my room, I will watch you study, go, go!”

Zhao Wangshu’s sobbing voice came, as if very aggrieved. Zhao Chunxi obviously didn’t want to care about him, but her toes involuntarily kicked open the door, and said sharply, “Waste? What qualifications do you have to call him a waste? You blame him for not working hard, so why did you go away in the past? Why didn’t you come back and discipline him? Who forced him to betray his master? Who forced him to worship a drunkard as a teacher? Who made him lose his face in Yanjing now? It’s you! It’s all you! What will happen in three years? In Guan Suyi’s arrangement, originally Zhao Wangshu will have nothing to do with this imperial examination, he’s not even qualified to test the water. After three years, when the foundation is solid, he can participate in the first exam and move forward step by step. Now you want to force him to study all night, is it for him to become a talent, or for you to spit out your resentment? Do you treat him as a son, or as a cow and horse?”

She walked into the house and smashed whatever she saw, her hair was messed up and her eyes were red, she finally gasped for breath and said word by word, “The Ye family died because of you; the second aunt was dragged to death because of you; grandmother’s life has been shorten because of you; mother was forced to reconcile because of you; daddy was forced to have a home but could not return because of you. Are you satisfied? Are you going to drive your son, the only one who cares about you, crazy? Why don’t you die in the palace? You bitch should die in the palace!”

Zhao Wangshu, who was kneeling in the pile of ruined porcelain, was already frightened and dumbfounded. He looked at her with his mouth open, and tears gradually soaked into his eyes. It was not that he couldn’t feel his mother’s paranoia and madness, or that he felt he wasn’t as strong as he wished to be and unable to move. He just couldn’t let go the blood ties.

He called “sister” full of hope, hoping that she could stay in the East Mansion and give him some support and encouragement, but after she vented her grievances, she left without looking back, leaving only an indifferent sentence, “If you’re still persist going on the wrong way, you will die in Ye Zhen’s hands sooner or later.”

This seemed to be a curse, but it didn’t seem to be, making Zhao Wangshu cold to his bone marrow.

—–

At the same time, the main entrance of Xu Mansion was full of guests. After the literary gathering, Xu Guangzhi invited all the disciples to come to his house to socialize. The huge courtyard was full of people inside and out, and there were even some busybody lying on the wall to watch the fun. He sat in the middle and talked eloquently, his every move was in the style of a great scholar, made people fascinated.

Xu Yayan stayed in the inner house with her mother Lin shi, looking out through a bamboo curtain.

“This is the article you wrote at the literary gathering. Your father quietly put it away and asked me to burn it quickly. As a woman, how can you show your face and compete with others? It can’t be like this in the future.” She took out a manuscript from the bag and reprimanded.

“But other women have also written articles, why am I the only one who can’t write? Am I inferior to them?” Xu Yayan’s face was full of grievances.

“On the contrary, it is precisely because you are better than them that your father doesn’t allow you to associate with them. Women should be chaste and virtuous and keep their duties, and they should not show their faces easily, otherwise they will look lowly. Look at that Guan shi woman, one moment make this trouble, one moment make that trouble, the rumors in Yanjing is all about her, the result? Isn’t she reconcile? In the future, even a decent husband cannot be found, can only stay alone at home for a lifetime, desolate until death, this is exactly the ending of a restless woman! If she is honest and abiding by women’s morality, she should take Madam Ye in and take the initiative to be an equal wife. Madam Ye originally is the di first wife, one head higher than her, could it be she still feel wronged? Look at now, Madam Ye is sick, Old Madam Zhao is also sick, Zhao Luli never returns home, leaving the two children alone, this is all the fault of that Guan woman!”

Xu Yayan was a little conflicted in her heart, and asked back, “Mother, if you encounter this situation, will you take the initiative to back down and ask  to become an equal wife with Madam Ye?”

“Naturally. Women should be faithful unto death, regards their husbands as heaven. A husband’s first wife should be respected, whether she is dead or alive. Of course, the daughter of our Xu family can never be a concubine. You have also reached the marriageable age, this is the manuscript left over by your grandmother, which is full of the summary about the principle of being a daughter, a wife, and a mother. You take a look at it.” Lin shi opened the wooden box on the table and took out a stack of yellow papers.

Xu Yayan took it cautiously, flipped through the two pages, and a bright light appeared in her eyes. Lessons for Women? Female virtue? Great word! There was an urge in her heart to summarize it and write it into a book. Didn’t Guan Suyi say that virtue is heavier than talent? Men have the virtue of a gentleman, and women should also have the virtue of a lady. If looking at her words and deeds, how could it be worthy of the four characters “Mingde Weixin”?

She read a paragraph carefully, as if gained the most precious treasure.

Seeing this, Lin shi was very pleased, opened the money box, locked the things sent by the students, and said in a low voice, “Your father has really turned things around this time. The silver sent by the disciples alone is more than a thousand, not to mention silk, antiques, jade and other items. In the future  you no longer need to copy books at night and sell them. I heard that Grand Astrologer and Supervisor of Attendants, those two masters, want to recommend him to preside over this imperial examination. Even if he cannot be the chief examiner, still can also get a deputy post, and later on, he will become a true high-level official.”

“The examiner? I’m afraid it won’t work, right? The Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies are on top, so it’s not father’s turn yet.” Having said that, Xu Yayan was extremely unwilling.

“What do you know? First push as the main examiner, and after being rejected by His Majesty then push to become the deputy, the chance of being appointed will be greater.” Lin shi smiled disapprovingly. In her opinion, it was already very good for her husband to have a half-official position, and he must not be too greedy.

“That’s true. If father can participate in presiding over this imperial examination, he can attract many students, and when they become officials next year, they will be able to help father. When climbing in court, the network is the most important thing. Our family has no background, fortunately father can think of this way.” Xu Yayan admired her father very much, and there was a bit of pride in her tone.

“That’s not it. Master Yun only accepts children from noble families, and Guan’s father and son only accept outstanding talents, but how can there be so many noble families’ children and outstanding talents in the world? Where should the rest of the students go for advice? Your father as the model of this generation and a worthy teacher, will be widely praised and famous all over the world in the future.”

Xu Yayan pointed to the lively scene outside, and said with certainty, “Mother, you are wrong, father is already the gate wall of peach and plum*it means a teacher respected by many students, famous all over the world.”

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