Mrs. Zhou came over from a distance and said distressedly, "You didn't get enough rest last night, and you're staggering today. It's broad daylight now, so don't rush to study. You can read the book later. It won't make a difference in a moment."
She just thought that Wen Tang's conversation with the well-educated Second Madam had aroused his ambition to do better than others.
Wen Tang had no time to argue and just urged her to go quickly. Now that she knew the secrets of the book, she felt like she was carrying a hot potato and felt guilty like a thief. If someone accidentally read the book, where would she put her face?
Mrs. Zhou was confused, and her resentment towards the uncle's mother surged up again. When the girl was in the countryside, she rolled in the mud every day, basking in the sun. At such a young age, she had to set up a small stall with her mother to sell needlework to supplement the family income. Who cared whether she could read or not? The arrogant uncle's mother had never been kind enough to hire a teacher to teach the girl poetry and literature.
Then the girl went to the city. Naturally, she didn't understand poetry, calligraphy, or painting, and was simply laughed at. After marrying into the Duke's Mansion, Mr. Qin was busy with external affairs at first, and his temper was as cold as an ice block in the coldest days of winter. The girl could only stay by his side, facing that cold face every day, and taking care of the whole family. It was rare for her to catch her breath, so how could she care about reading and writing?
After finally giving birth to the young master, her situation was a little relieved, but she started to compete with herself again. She had read the Thousand Character Classic countless times. Sometimes, Mrs. Zhou felt distressed when she saw that she had to take care of Master Qin while staying up all night copying books and practicing calligraphy.
Mrs. Zhou advised: "Grandma, go back and lie down for a while. You can't even stand steadily on your legs."
It would have been fine if she hadn't lifted her legs, but when she did, Wen Tang's face changed. As soon as she took a step forward, she felt a warm current coming out from under her body. Her first reaction was that her period had come, but she soon realized that the timing was wrong, and the feeling was even more wrong. This was not her period.
Wen Tang's face turned half dark, she felt embarrassed and annoyed. She hurriedly pulled Zhou Pozi's sleeve and whispered a few words in her ear. Zhou Pozi glanced at her quickly, then nodded and turned away.
Wen Tang was the only one left in the pavilion.
She had clearly cleaned it carefully in the morning, so why was there still this sticky feeling that made Wen Tang irritable, mixed with a hidden pain? She didn't like him leaving it inside, but it was like this every time, and for his personal reasons, it was always deep, making it extremely difficult to clean up afterwards.
Wen Tang simply sat down next to the beauty at the edge of the pavilion, hoping to use the breeze from the pond to dispel his boredom. Suddenly, he relaxed and the pain in his waist became more acute.
The worst thing after the confinement period was sleeping with Qin Gong again. When she was pregnant, she could still use her hands, but even with her hands, the rough and prickly touch made her disgusted. But now, Wen Tang actually felt a ridiculous amount of nostalgia.
Wen Tang supported his forehead with his hand and looked out at the pond. The green lotus leaves spread out on the water, wilted a little by the summer heat. Only the breeze blowing across the water brought a rare coolness.
Wen Tang just sat there quietly, and when he gathered some strength, he moved back to Qinghui Hall.
The Qinghui Hall was spacious and airy. A large rosewood Arhat couch was covered with a cool Xiangfei bamboo mat. In the corner, a half-human-high copper ice mirror was emitting wisps of cool air.
Wen Tang leaned on the couch with his eyes closed. After a while, Mrs. Zhou came in with a bowl in her hand. She first stuck her head out and looked around to make sure there was no one in the corridor. Then she closed the door and walked quickly to Wen Tang's side.
Mrs. Zhou skillfully handed over the bowl of black medicine with a strong bitter smell. Wen Tang remained calm and almost held her breath. The bitter taste spread from the tip of her tongue to the depths of her throat, making her face wrinkle. It was not until she took the pickled plums handed to her by Mrs. Zhou and put them in her mouth that her frown relaxed slightly.
"I'll get some water to wash you down."
Wen Tang handed over the empty bowl and asked, "Did you get the book back?"
"Ask Baochun to get them. Just those four books. I've told her the titles clearly."
Wen Tang: "Take it back and put it directly in the cabinet."
"yes."
As Mrs. Zhou helped her to her feet, Wen Tang remembered what he had to do: "I'll go in and clean up. While you're here, take the portraits of the potential young men and the family genealogy books to the fourth young lady and let her take a look at them first."
Mrs. Zhou was dissatisfied. "Why bother showing it to her? The Duke's wife has given you full authority to decide on this task, so just make the choice. With Fourth Young Lady's stubborn personality, if you let her choose on her own, who knows how many complications will arise. She'll probably find ways to annoy you again."
Wen Tang laughed: "If I don't let her see, will she obey me? Whichever I choose, will she be satisfied?"
"Anyway, let her take a look first. If she picks one she likes, I won't have to argue with her anymore, and the old lady will have less gossip."
Mrs. Zhou was aware of this and knew that the old lady doted on the fourth young lady, so she knew that Wen Tang was thoughtful and it would be a good thing to let her take a look at it herself.
"The dullness is so obvious that it shows through the back of the paper. He is just a bookworm. How can he be called a talented person? I don't think it's possible." Qin Ruoyue casually pushed the scroll and let it roll to the edge of the table.
The maid Ah Xi standing nearby was quick-witted and quick-handed. She quickly bent down to pick it up with extremely familiar movements. This was the sixth portrait that the fourth girl had casually flicked off.
"This face? With this appearance, you dare to submit a portrait to the mansion?"
"This is just another empty shell..."
"Walking on Zhangmatai, a dandy who fights cocks and runs dogs..."
"Thick eyebrows and broad eyes..."
"Shanghuzi?"
Roll after roll of young talents were swept away in disgust. Ah Xi picked them up in a hurry and carefully brushed off the dust, making sure not to get them dirty, as he had to return them to his grandmother in the same condition later.
"Is this what my sister-in-law carefully picked for me?" Qin Ruoyue's tone was full of impatience and pickyness.
The maid Ah Xi answered honestly, "Miss, they were all carefully selected by the old lady and the Duke's wife."
How could the old lady not be attentive? Every one of them is handsome, of noble family background, and well-educated. They are truly the best among men. However, the gentlemen of the Duke's Mansion are too outstanding in appearance and character. The eldest master is a powerful official in the court, the second master is a famous scholar in the capital, and the third master is a brave and extraordinary general. No wonder the girl has high standards.
Qin Ruoyue glanced at her and Ah Xi immediately fell silent. A clever maid named Yinzhu beside her brought a cup of freshly ripe cherries at the right time. Each of them was bright red and plump. They were placed in a clear glass cup and drizzled with snow-white cheese and crystal clear sugar syrup.
Qin Ruoyue picked up one casually, chewed it twice, frowned, and spat it directly into the glass cup held by Yinzhu. "It has a sour and rotten smell. It's really disgusting."
Cherries are precious and difficult to transport. There is a market every ten miles and a checkpoint every five miles, so the share in the Duke's Mansion is also limited.
But for the fourth girl, who was the apple of the old lady's eye, it was just an ordinary thing that she was tired of eating.
Yinzhu was new here. She saw an opportunity and saw that Ah Xi, the capable man beside Qin Ruoyue, seemed unhappy, so she quietly took a half step forward. The overly eager smile on her face really attracted the attention of her master.
"You, come forward and talk." Qin Ruoyue said lazily.
Yinzhu was delighted and stepped forward immediately, "Fourth Miss, have you heard of the number one scholar in the imperial examination three years ago? He was in the same class as Second Master. He was exiled to the south of the Yangtze River a few years ago and established a great reputation as an official, supervising countless major cases. He will soon be returning to the capital by imperial decree. He will surely be a great favorite with the Emperor. He is not only extremely talented and eloquent, but also comes from an aristocratic family, is extremely handsome, and is a truly unique and beautiful man."
Qin Ruoyue, who had been leaning lazily, straightened up slightly: "Is there really such a person, and he's not engaged?"
There are quite a few people who want to be married off under the list.
The maidservant Yinzhu said, "Fourth Miss, there's only one thing about this man. His previous fiancée was unlucky and died early, so this number one scholar is still unmarried."
Ah Xi's face changed drastically. "How dare you mention a man who kills his wife in front of a young lady?"
"Shut up." Qin Ruoyue glanced at her coldly.
Yinzhu continued, "My previous fiancée was simply unlucky and unfortunate, unable to enjoy this great fortune. In my opinion, this destined match was destined for someone like our Fourth Young Lady."
Qin Ruoyue said nothing, but Yinzhu could see the curiosity and agitation in her eyes and urged her at the right moment, "Why don't you take a look for yourself, Miss?"
Ah Xi was anxious: "A foreign man..."
If the Duke and his wife knew that he had secretly met a man outside his family, it would be considered a violation of family ethics. If the matter got out of hand and was discovered and spread by someone with ulterior motives, the consequences would be disastrous. The Duke might even be impeached by the censor for failing to manage his household properly.
"Ms. Miss, are you willing to settle for just one of these people?"
Qin Ruoyue found this interesting. A rare talent? She had seen many, and she wanted to see a man whose talent and appearance were truly as good as her eldest brother's.
If she wants to marry, she wants to marry the best.
"The fifth young lady is here." The maid outside announced.
The Fifth Young Lady was born to a concubine of the Duke, who was not worthy of being seen in public. Qin Ruoyue didn't even raise her eyelids, but Yinzhu understood and immediately picked up the cup of cherries, smiling and greeting her: "Fifth Young Lady, the Fourth Young Lady knew you were here to help her choose, so she specially saved this cup of cherries for you."
The fifth girl walked along with a blushing face, a bit timid and flattering, and smiled shyly at Qin Ruoyue.
--
Dusk was falling. To avoid a repeat of the previous night, Wen Tang had already changed into a tight-fitting formal suit. Worried that she might get too hot, Mrs. Zhou followed behind her, fanning her gently.
"The fourth lady didn't like any of the people in those portraits." Mrs. Zhou replied unhappily. When she took the portraits from the fourth lady's maid, she noticed that the tops of several scrolls were covered in dust.
Listening to the maid's tone of reply, her words revealed that the eldest lady was not careful in selecting people and neglected the fourth young lady.
Wen Tang was not surprised at all. If Qin Ruoyue could choose the right one in one go, then it would be a miracle.
You don't like any of them? There must be one that you like a little better. Wen Tang sipped his red date tea. "These are all carefully selected by the old lady. Is there not one that she can barely accept?"
Mrs. Zhou shook her head.
Wen Tang seemed to be thinking about something, "Pay more attention to the developments in her courtyard." Maybe he had already made up his mind.
Mrs. Zhou nodded.
Summer day, child's face.
At night, the wind outside suddenly turned strong, the sky quickly became gloomy, and raindrops as big as beans fell down with crackling sounds, soon forming a curtain of rain and rumbling thunder.
The rain splashed high in the large water tank in the yard, and then rolled down along the broad green banana leaves.
Qin Gong didn't come back too late tonight, arriving just as it was getting dark.
As soon as he entered the room, he took off his damp outer robe. Several maids immediately came forward to help him change into a loose and cool indigo Taoist robe and took the book from his hand.
The book was placed on the small table.
Wen Tang stepped forward and handed him some warm tea. "Master, let's use a cup of hot tea to drive away the dampness first."
"Um."
"Sit down."
Wen Tang naturally would not stand if she could sit down. She followed Qin Gong's instructions and sat down on a rose chair covered with brocade cushions below him. There was an arm's length between them, neither far nor close.
Qin Gong noticed her approaching, glanced at her sideways, and then casually picked up the book on the desk.
Originally, Wen Tang didn't notice the book at all, but when he picked it up, she felt that the cover was very familiar. Wen Tang subconsciously tilted her head, and the more she looked at it, the more she felt that the words on it were strangely familiar.
Wen Tang's head moved closer and closer, almost touching Qin Gong's arm, and then a cool finger pressed against his forehead.
"What are you doing?" Qin Gong's voice sounded above his head.
Wen Tang stared at a book, feeling terrified.
Logically speaking, no, those four books are now lying in the cabinet.
It can't be that Qin Gong himself reads this kind of books, right?
Wen Tang looked at him with hesitation, but Qin Gong's expression remained stern. Wen Tang shook his head and asked tentatively, "Master, what book are you reading?"
"Scriptures?"
Qin Gong turned a page without raising his head, "Tongdianjing." A compilation of rules and regulations.
It really was exactly the same name as a book in the book. Wen Tang looked at him with a pause.
Wen Tang didn't realize that when he looked up at people, the slightly upward curve at the corners of his eyes contained a hint of wateriness, and carried a kind of unconscious grievance and inquiry.
Qin Gong had interrogated many prisoners and was very sensitive to people's gazes. Wen looked at him for a long time.
"Want to learn more?"
Wen Tang saw him slowly push the book towards her, and she looked down. Inside was densely packed, neatly arranged text, not the pictures and text as Su Yi had said.
This is a serious book disguised as a serious book.
But Wen Tang didn't expect that Qin Gong would test her next.
"You should have learned a lot of words these days. Why don't you read it?" He casually pointed to the first line of the page.
Then Wen Tang was stumped by the first word.
Wen Tang only breathed a sigh of relief when Qin Gong got up to take a bath.
After Qin Gong came out of the bath, Wen Tang went to the inner room to wash.
Qin Gong, wearing a loose Taoist robe, walked straight to the rosewood armchair behind the desk and sat down. Outside the window, the sound of rain was still pouring down, with occasional thunder.
It was raining heavily tonight, so he didn't need to go to the study to handle important official business. He just planned to read a few classics in the room.
"Bring me that Tongdianjing."
Baochun, the maid who had just been called in by Mrs. Zhou and was standing by to add tea and water, responded immediately. She remembered the location of the book, walked to the cabinet against the wall in three or two steps, opened the cabinet door, accurately took out the "Tongdian Jing", held it in both hands, and respectfully placed it on the desk in front of Qin Gong.