Chapter 109 Untitled
Sheng Hong, who had been somewhat confused by Lin Xiaoniang's series of tricks, suddenly became more clear-headed after hearing this. He frowned and said, "The exam is about to start. Wouldn't this delay Bai'er?"
If Sheng Hong were to rank things, family and his face would definitely come first.
The second is Sheng Changbai, because Sheng Changbai is the continuation of the family.
And Sheng Changbai himself also worked hard.
Although he loves his son Sheng Changfeng equally, Sheng Hong knows in his heart that even if we put aside the issue of legitimate or illegitimate children, Sheng Changbai is much better than Sheng Changfeng in every aspect.
"Master, I naturally know that my second brother's studies are equally important. I just wanted to let Feng'er study with Bai when he comes back from school or when he is at home on vacation. If my second brother has free time, I will teach Feng'er, otherwise forget it. My second brother has been very steady since he was young, but Feng'er is far behind in this regard. It would be good for him to be influenced by my second brother." said Lin Xiaoniang.
Her idea was very simple. She judged others by her own experience. She thought that even if Sheng Changbai knew the questions of the imperial examination, he would not tell Sheng Changfeng. It would be useless to tell Sheng Hong about this.
Therefore, he just wanted Sheng Changfeng to stay with Sheng Changbai, so that he could make a rough judgment based on what books Sheng Changbai reads and what articles he writes.
Even if it doesn't work, reading the same book as Sheng Changbai will always be useful.
Sheng Hong's expression relaxed when he heard this. The method proposed by Lin Xiaoniang had no effect on Sheng Changbai, so he agreed.
When Lin Xiaoniang saw Sheng Hong agreed, she was overjoyed and said, "Master, I heard that the old lady invited an old maid from the palace to come home to teach the fifth and sixth sisters the rules. Can Molan also go and learn from her? Molan is not as lucky as them to be able to enter the palace to serve the prince, but if she learns some rules, she will be able to find a better marriage in the future."
Sheng Hong frowned again when he heard this and said, "Mother asked Madam Kong to teach us the rules of the palace. What's the point of Mo'er learning these?"
If the original development had gone according to plan, Mrs. Sheng would have invited Madam Kong to her home to teach Minglan and the others the rules and techniques for making tea.
However, because Rulan was chosen as the prince's concubine, Old Lady Sheng had been teaching her personally for many years.
However, Old Lady Sheng still invited Madam Kong to her home, firstly to reminisce about the past, and secondly to let Madam Kong teach her the rules of Rulan Palace.
Moreover, Nanny Kong works in the Eastern Palace and understands the prince's temper and character. She can also help Rulan get to know the prince a little before entering the palace.
Old Madam Sheng had discussed these with Sheng Hong. In Sheng Hong's opinion, since Molan was not going to enter the palace, there was no point in her learning these things.
"Master, she is a nanny in the palace. Molan can learn from her. Even if she doesn't learn anything, people will look at her with higher regard when she tells others about her marriage in the future." Lin Xiaoniang said.
Sheng Hong thought about it and felt that what Lin Xiaoniang said made sense, so he said, "I'll talk to my mother later."
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Lin Xiaoniang stopped talking and served Sheng Hong wholeheartedly.
……
"Zhong Huai, what do you want from me?" Zhao Xing asked.
It was a day off today, and Zhao Xing dealt with all the needles that were sent to him in the morning. He took a nap after lunch, and when he woke up he wanted to go fishing to relax, and then Gu Tingye came.
"Your Highness, I..."
Gu Tingye had a strange look on his face and found it difficult to speak.
"Zhong Huai, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Why are you hesitating?" Zhao Xing asked curiously.
Gu Tingye gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, today is a day off. I would like to invite Your Highness to go out for a walk together."
"Let's go out for a walk?" Zhao Xing smiled and said, "I thought it was something else. I'm a little bored. Where do you want to take me?"
"Your Highness, don't you like reading storybooks? I heard that some new storybooks have been published recently. I will accompany Your Highness to the bookstore to have a look." Gu Tingye said.
"Okay! Let's go and take a look." Zhao Xing nodded.
He is usually apparently bored and likes to read some storybooks to relieve his boredom.
However, he soon felt something was wrong. Gu Tingye didn't usually accompany him out. If he just asked him to go out and play, there was no reason for him to be hesitant.
Zhao Xing was not worried that Gu Tingye would do something bad to him, so he did not ask any further questions. Instead, he wanted to see what Gu Tingye was up to.
When Zhao Xing changed his clothes and arrived at the gate of the East Palace, Gu Tingye and a group of guards had already changed into casual clothes and were waiting at the door.
After Zhao Xing got on the carriage, Gu Tingye climbed on the horse and followed the carriage.
The carriage, under the protection of the guards, went around and around and arrived at a bookstore. Zhao Xing had been to this bookstore several times and was already a familiar customer. When the shopkeeper saw Zhao Xing coming in, he smiled and said, "Mr. Zhao and Mr. Gu are here."
The shopkeeper only knew that Zhao Xing's surname was Zhao, but he didn't know Zhao Xing's specific identity.
Although Zhao is the royal surname, it does not mean that there are no ordinary people with the surname Zhao.
"Yeah." Zhao Xing nodded and asked, "Are there any new stories recently?"
"Yes, yes, yes. There are quite a few."
The shopkeeper called a waiter and asked him to take Zhao Xing to choose books.
Zhao Xing followed Xiao Si away, but Gu Tingye did not leave. Instead, he followed the shopkeeper and whispered something.
Zhao Xing took a look and didn't think much about it. He selected some scripts and asked Sanshui to pay.
"Your Highness... Young Master, have you made your choice?" Gu Tingye came forward.
"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded and asked, "What did you just say to the person in charge?"
"I didn't say anything. I just wanted to ask about some books." Gu Tingye said.
Zhao Xing didn't think much about it and asked, "Where are we going now?"
"I heard that Guangyuntai recently produced a Wei Xingshou who is more beautiful than any other girl. She is not only proficient in poetry, but also an expert in folk art. How about going to see her?" Gu Tingye said.
Zhao Xing looked strange and asked, "You want to take me to Guangyuntai?"
Although Guangyuntai and Fanlou are both brothels, Fanlou is the kind that would be considered a formal entertainment venue even in later generations, but Guangyuntai is different.
Guangyuntai was the largest erotic venue in Bianjing, and all the people who came and went were high-ranking officials and nobles.
If Gu Tingye dared to take him to that kind of place and the censors found out, it would be strange if they didn't impeach him.
Moreover, even if the emperor knew about this, he would not forgive Gu Tingye.
Wait, could this be something that the Emperor ordered?
Before, Gu Tingye was a companion reader in the Eastern Palace, and now he works in the Eastern Palace. He is not a frequent visitor to brothels like in the original drama.
Given Gu Tingye's personality, he would never take him to a brothel for pleasure, and Gu Tingye also knew the consequences of doing so.
"Go out and say it!"
Zhao Xing said as he walked out of the shop. When Gu Tingye caught up with him, he said, "Tell me, did your father ask you to do this?"
"I knew I couldn't hide it from Your Highness!" Gu Tingye said with a wry smile.
To be precise, it was the emperor who hinted at this matter to Gu Yankai. The emperor was reluctant to speak up, and thinking that Gu Tingye had been with Zhao Xing for many years, he asked Gu Yankai to instruct Gu Tingye to do it.
Gu Yankai found it difficult to talk about this kind of thing, so he hinted to Gu Tingye.
Gu Tingye understood the general meaning and thought about how to tell Zhao Xing about this.
After thinking it over, he decided that it would be inappropriate to speak directly, so he thought of taking Zhao Xing to Guangyuntai for a visit.
Of course, he didn't want Zhao Xing to really favor those brothel girls, he just wanted to take him there to feel the atmosphere.
Zhao Xing laughed and scolded: "If you have anything to say in the future, just tell me directly, don't have these little thoughts."
"Yes, I know I was wrong." Gu Tingye quickly admitted his mistake, and then asked: "Then will His Highness Guangyuntai still go?"
"Go to hell, go back to the East Palace!" Zhao Xing said unhappily.
(End of this chapter)