"If compared to Second Brother, I'm naturally no match. But I am far better than many noble sons. Who says I cannot play the zither? I know how to appreciate music, chess, calligraphy, painting, the Qiang flute, and the xiao. Brewing and tasting tea, while not my passion, is not something I'm entirely ignorant about either. When I was younger, I disliked these pretentious pastimes and learned little of them. But Mother said that noble sons must dabble in these arts. So I forced myself to learn a bit, just enough to scrape by. Why bother mastering them? Such things are mere embellishments—they won't help me win a battle; they're of no real use."
"If you were unwilling to study, did the Marchioness not intervene?"
