novelhk Chapter 80: He politely declined.
Chapter 80: He politely declined.
Zhongtian picked up the invitation from the table and looked at it. The handwriting was neat and polite, and it invited Zhongtian to go out and enjoy the spring scenery. The invitation ended with the name of Lexingxi.
"Mu Ning, Le Xingxi is using me as a cover."
Zhongtian recounted his encounter with Le Xingxi at the banquet in detail, even analyzing his expressions at the time with Xia Muning.
"I'm just guessing. Recently, His Majesty has been selecting consorts, and both of the Le family's sons have reached the appropriate age. I think Le Xingxi doesn't want to enter the palace to become His Majesty's concubine, so he's using me as a cover. His invitation is just for show. There's nothing wrong between us."
After listening to Zhong Tian's explanation, Xia Muning was no longer angry. It was common for a woman to have three husbands and four concubines. Since Zhong Tian was willing to explain, he naturally couldn't throw a tantrum.
He said with distress, "How should I refuse him?" This invitation was truly a hot potato.
Zhongtian thought for a moment, then picked up the calligraphy brush on the table and handed it to Xia Muning: "You decide this. Write however you feel like."
Xia Muning sat up in bed, and Zhong Tian picked up the cloak next to him and put it on him. The night wind was strong and it was still a bit chilly.
Xia Muning picked up the brush, thought for a while, and wrote only four words in her reply: "My husband won't give in."
Zhongtian chuckled: "Aren't you ruining your own reputation by writing like this? If this reply gets out, people will definitely say you're a tigress."
Xia Muning smiled and said, "I'm not afraid of that. This private reply won't be spread around. As long as you have fewer unwanted suitors, I don't care about my reputation."
Zhongtian held Xia Muning's hand and looked at him closely. He noticed that although Xia Muning was smiling, he was clearly not very energetic. He must have been busy and tired recently.
She said with concern, "You've been feeling listless and have a poor appetite lately. Should you see a doctor?"
"No need." Xia Muning already had a guess in mind, but she wasn't quite sure yet.
"I've been busy lately, so please take good care of yourself."
"it is good……"
Today, the Zhong family mansion was filled with the warmth of spring. The husband and wife were having a heartwarming conversation in bed, and even Shen Qingyu, squeezed into the crowded room, felt the warmth.
Shen Qingyu felt particularly lucky lately. Ever since she was kicked out of the bookstore by the clerk that day, all her bad luck had reached its peak, and her life seemed to have turned around.
She was taken back to Tian Anju by the kind-hearted manager Xia and moved into a simple room. After arriving in the capital, she heard that Manager Xia of Tian Anju was the kindest person and often helped the poor.
Although the place was dilapidated and crowded with four people, it was not a place where she would end up homeless.
Tian Anju only provided one meal a day, but she was grateful enough that she was able to calm down and read properly.
Books are very expensive.
She had no choice but to endure the glares and go to the bookstore to copy books. Paper, pen, and ink all cost money, so she had to be even more frugal and only eat the meal provided by Tian Anju.
Whenever she was unbearably hungry at night, she would remember crying and saying to her mother, "How can a peasant who toils from the fields be worthy of studying?"
At this point, her mother would slap her in exasperation, then hug her and cry, "My daughter is a genius! It's your mother who has dragged you down!"
She showed her talent early on; she could compose poetry at the age of six, and when she was ten, she took the provincial examination and came in first place. When she was sixteen, she took the metropolitan examination and came in first place as well.
The reason she has only come to the capital now is simply because her family is unable to raise the travel expenses for her.
Her father went blind from embroidery, and her mother toiled tirelessly to save enough money for the journey. It took her five years to reach the capital.
The capital city is so vast, and the people are so indifferent. She felt she couldn't hold on any longer; she didn't even think she could make it to the day of the exam.
Go back! So many geniuses have been wasted, what difference does one more make?
Just then, someone found her. It was a girl even younger than her, who told her with a smile, "Shen Qingyu, you've met a benefactor."
Many years later, when Shen Qingyu stood atop the high temple, she would still remember the benefactor who had helped her when she was poor and destitute.
This benefactor will provide them with food and drink, and will offer them writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones until the day they pass the imperial examination with flying colors.
Shen Qingyu asked, "What price do I need to pay?"
The girl looked her over very seriously: "What do you have that we could possibly want?"
Yes! She had nothing, but she would give her life for it, even if it meant sacrificing her flesh and blood, just to try it once.
She was taken to a remote manor, where she met other impoverished students like herself. Seeing each other's kindred spirits amidst their shared hardship and emaciated faces, they all looked around warily and uneasily.
But after a few days, that wariness disappeared, replaced by a sense of shared misfortune.
There was an elderly scholar among them, a woman in her seventies, who was remarkably spry. She would get up at dawn and go to bed at dusk every day. Everyone understood that she needed less sleep due to her age, but she would still wake them up at that exact time every day without fail.
Shen Qingyu originally thought this person was a great Confucian scholar, but it turned out to be a pedantic scholar who had never passed the imperial examination in his entire life. She was just very strict, extremely strict. He had to write three articles a day, and if he didn't finish them, he wouldn't be allowed to eat or sleep.
If you secretly go to sleep, this old man can stand by your bedside and stare at you with his dark eyes. Everyone who sees him like this becomes suspicious and develops nervous breakdowns.
Without good teachers, students have no choice but to study on their own.
Every day, all sorts of materials are delivered continuously: past years' imperial examination papers, the latest books on the market, and the latest articles written by the great scholars of the Shulu Academy.
Quick! Fast! Efficient!
Shen Qingyu felt like a giant sponge, constantly absorbing new knowledge.
Zhongtian secretly observed from outside. There were 12 candidates inside, all from impoverished families and of good character.
Looking at the dark circles under their eyes, Zhongtian smiled slyly. It's time for the ancients to experience the bitterness of modern exam-oriented education!
They are talented and hardworking; given a platform, they can thrive.
Xichun was managing the manor. Zhongtian came quietly and was also planning to leave quietly.
These are a group of seeds that have already sprouted. What kind of flowers they bloom and what kind of fruit they bear depends on their own destiny.
It's about 10 miles from the capital, a distance that's neither too close nor too far. When Zhongtian went out, he didn't bring any servants with him. Now, with a lush green landscape, butterflies and bees fluttering about, the spring scenery suddenly came into view, so Zhongtian slowed down and strolled around at his leisure.
When you have time, bring Mu Ning out so we can enjoy the spring scenery together.
The flowers along the road were exceptionally vibrant, and foxtail grass grew everywhere. Zhongtian casually plucked a handful and wove it into a lifelike fox. Just as she was enjoying it, she suddenly heard a frantic cry for help: "Help!"