Xue Rui left Yu Shu's house and returned to the Xue residence. Because he did not return last night, he only sent a message back home. When he came back, he heard that his grandfather was going to attend court. He went to the main room of the north courtyard to greet the old man.
Minister Xue had already heard from the servants that he did not return last night because he was on official business. When he saw him in the study, he did not ask for details. Xue Rui did not mention Yu Shu either.
However, Xue Lingnan gave him another task: "The day after tomorrow is the Seventh Prince's coronation birthday. Send the congratulatory gift on behalf of this old man. Stay at the banquet for a while and wait for the Emperor to bestow the title before returning."
The princes of Da 'an were not like the previous dynasty. They all lived in the capital. When they were fifteen, they would leave the palace to build a prince's residence. Before they were twenty, they would not be bestowed the title of Prince. On the coronation day, they would be bestowed the title of Prince.
The Seventh Prince was the son of Consort Yin Shu. When he was still studying in the palace, the Emperor had assigned him several tasks. He had won the favor of the Emperor. On the coronation day, it was not convenient for Xue Lingnan to personally attend. Sending his eldest grandson to attend was considered giving him face.
However, Xue Rui had just heard from Yu Shu that he should close his door and not go out the day after tomorrow. Now that he heard Xue Lingnan's words, a thought came to his mind and he hesitantly said, "Grandfather, I just had a falling out with the Seventh Prince at the Dingbo Hall not long ago. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to appear at his coronation ceremony?"
Xue Lingnan sat behind the desk and flipped through the official documents on the table. Without raising his head, he said: "This old man wants you to find an opportunity to break off your previous friendship with him. I did not say that you cannot have dealings with him. You are now an official in the court and are not as free as before. At a birthday banquet like this, as long as your ears and eyes are sharp, you will be able to learn something. You must go."
His words made Xue Rui know that he had to attend this banquet no matter what. Xue Rui lowered his head and said, "I understand."
"Go. You did not sleep last night. Today is your turn to rest. Have a good rest."
Xue Rui exited the study. He didn't return to his own courtyard. Instead, he went to the west courtyard with a manservant.
Behind the small garden, there was a courtyard. Two maids were whispering to each other at the door. When they saw Xue Rui, they hurriedly separated and greeted him. "Eldest Young Master."
Xue Rui stopped at the door. "What is Mr. Zhao doing?"
"She's painting in the yard."
"Go in and inform them."
"Yes."
A maid hurriedly ran in and came out after a while. "Young Master, Mister Zhao invites you in."
Xue Rui left the Manservant to wait outside before entering the courtyard. After around 15 minutes, he came out from within, and his expression didn't change at all compared to before, but if one were to look carefully, one would be able to notice a strand of bewilderment between his brows.
This Mister Zhao, who was worshipped in their mansion, was a famous Da Yi Master in the capital. He was proficient in physiognomy and astrology. He used to have many visitors. Later, because he offended a noble, Xue Lingnan helped him out. That was why he stayed in the Xue mansion and became a guest of the Xue family.
Yu Shu predicted that he would be in trouble the day after tomorrow. However, he had asked Zhao Yanlin to read his fortune for him. Zhao Yanlin said that he didn't look fierce.
Could it be that she was wrong?
Yu Shu's foot was swollen, so she couldn't go anywhere. She waited at home leisurely for Xue Rui's news. She asked Yu Xiaoxiu to write a letter. She planned to find a time to go out and find a courier to send it to Yiyang by horse.
It rained last night and the weather became colder. When Yu Shu woke up, she sneezed three times and found that one of the quilts was missing. Fortunately, she was prepared. After breakfast, she asked Yu Xiaoxiu to take out the new quilts from the cabinet and sent one to Jing Chen's room. Then, she removed the quilt from Xia Mingming's room and replaced it with hers.
The winter in the north was cold. If one didn't have two quilts during the winter, they would freeze.
Yu Shu was sitting at the table and instructing Yu Xiaoxiu to make the bed. When she heard the knock on the courtyard door, she asked him to go out and see who it was. Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected guest.
"Brother Jing, Brother Yu, I'm here to see you. Come out quickly. I brought tea eggs cooked by my mother for you to try. It's delicious."
As soon as she heard the voice, Yu Shu felt a headache. She stood up with the help of the table and looked out the window. She saw Zhou Fangfang standing in the courtyard with a basket.
Couldn't she just let her sleep peacefully for a day? "Brother Jing, what happened to your hand!"
Yu Shu limped out of the room and saw Zhou Fangfang standing at the door of Jing Chen's room. She screamed at Jing Chen's heavily bandaged right hand.
"…" Jing Chen didn't know how to explain. He turned his head and saw Yu Shu coming out. He gave her a questioning look.
"I chopped firewood yesterday." Yu Shu casually made up a story. She smiled and glared at Yu Xiaoxiu, who was rolling his eyes at the back of Zhou Fangfang's head.
Zhou Fangfang also thought about it carefully. The firewood Yu Shu bought at home was ready-made. She didn't need someone to chop it. She just pouted and scolded Jing Chen, "How can you be so careless? Your hand is used for writing. Why did you chop firewood? Is it serious? Have you seen a doctor?"
"…" Jing Chen didn't know how to lie and didn't know how to answer, so he simply kept silent. However, the little girl was too talkative and kept complaining. In the end, she even talked about Yu Shu, "Brother Yu, you're too much. Brother Jing's health isn't good. Why did you ask him to do such rough work?" Yu Shu also couldn't help but roll her eyes. The little girl only looked at her Brother Jing. Why didn't she see that she was limping?
"It's not what he asked me to do." Jing Chen finally said something after a long time. He turned his head and looked at Yu Shu, who was standing on one leg, and said, "Go back to the room and sit. Doesn't standing hurt? Yu Shu grinned at him and shook her head. She reached out and supported Yu Xiaoxiu's shoulder. Zhou Fangfang then realized that Yu Shu couldn't walk properly," What's wrong with you? "
"Didn't your Brother Jing hurt his hand when he chopped firewood? The axe fell and hit my foot." Yu Shu casually made up a story.
Zhou Fangfang firmly believed it, so she didn't blame her anymore.
Yu Shu asked, "We're visiting relatives today. Isn't Aunt Xu at home?"
Zhou Fangfang raised the basket in her hand, "Yes, I'm here to give you tea eggs. My mother came back from my grandmother's house and asked me to thank you for helping her calculate her calendar last time."
"Don't be so polite. We're neighbors," Yu Shu asked Yu Xiaoxiu to take the eggs from the basket and take them to the kitchen. She asked her, "Is there anything else?"
Zhou Fangfang said angrily, "I wanted to ask Brother Jing to write a letter for me, but his hand is injured, so I can't do it."
"Then should I write it for you?" Yu Shu wanted to quickly send her away, so she suggested.
Unexpectedly, the young girl was unwilling, "Don't. Brother Yu, your handwriting isn't as good as mine. I'm afraid that people won't recognize it if you give it to them."
"Pfft," Yu Xiaoxiu snickered. Yu Shu secretly pinched him and said to Zhou Fangfang helplessly, "Then there's nothing I can do."
"Don't we still have Xiaoxiu? Xiaoxiu, help me write a letter."
Yu Xiaoxiu was upset that Zhou Fangfang had just ridiculed his sister, so he deliberately said, "My handwriting is ugly too."
Zhou Fangfang had indeed never seen Yu Xiaoxiu's handwriting, so she couldn't tell if he was lying. She frowned, "Then what should I do? I still want to send a letter later."
When Yu Shu heard this, she quickly patted Yu Xiaoxiu's shoulder and said to Zhou Fangfang, "Hehe, Xiaoxiu is just teasing you. His handwriting is not bad. Go, help him write a letter. Make his handwriting look better."
After being pushed by Yu Shu, Yu Xiaoxiu reluctantly led Zhou Fangfang into the big room to write the letter.
"How come I didn't know that I hit your foot with the firewood I chopped." Jing Chen whispered behind Yu Shu.
Leaning against the door frame, Yu Shu turned her head and blinked her eyes, "Didn't I lie to her?"
Jing Chen lowered his head and looked at her, "You like to lie to people."
Hearing this statement, Yu Shu was not unhappy, nor did she try to hide anything. Instead, she said to him in a serious tone, "In this world, who hasn't lied to others? It's just a matter of how much you lie to others and how little you lie to others. It's not wrong to lie to others, but it depends on what you lie to."
Jing Chen thought for a moment and felt that it made sense, so he nodded, "You're right."
Seeing that he accepted her theory so easily, Yu Shu had some doubts. She thought that he should stop listening to her words and learn to lie in the future. She coughed lightly and got closer to him, "Jing Chen, that's what I said, but under normal circumstances, it's better not to lie to others. It's fine for someone as smart as me to lie without being found out. But for someone like you who doesn't lie often, if your lie is found out, it won't be fun."
Jing Chen shook his head, "I don't lie to others." He paused, then added, "Especially you."
Hearing this, Yu Shu was very happy. She praised Jing Chen for being smart, but deliberately made things difficult for him, "Why didn't you lie to me? I don't know who was the one who secretly practiced swordsmanship behind my back."
Jing Chen said, "It wasn't a lie. I told you at the beginning, but you didn't believe me. Later on, you asked me, did I hide anything from you?"
Yu Shu looked at his honest eyes, but she felt a little guilty. She thought that he also had times when he was so eloquent. Her eyes looked left and right, then she touched her neck and said, "I'll go see if they finished writing."
After she finished speaking, she jumped away on one leg. Jing Chen looked at her back and gently curled up the corner of his mouth, letting out a low laugh.
Zhou Fangfang got the letter and said goodbye with satisfaction. Yu Shu let Yu Xiaoxiu send her out, so she didn't jump around and just sat in the central room. She saw that when the little girl reached the door, she turned around and ran back to Jing Chen's room. She took something from her basket and gave it to Jing Chen, then she shyly turned around and ran away.
Yu Shu raised her eyebrows and lightly clicked her tongue. When she heard the door open, she shouted, "Jing Chen, you're here."
When Jing Chen heard this, he walked towards the big house. In his hand, he was still holding the thing that Zhou Fangfang had stuffed into his hand. Yu Shu narrowed her eyes to take a look. It was a pair of white soles with cotton pads. The corners were even embroidered with patterns. It looked like a girl had painstakingly embroidered it. The size was perfect for Jing Chen.
Yu Shu saw the insoles and smiled. She said to Jing Chen, "This Miss Zhou is really biased. I also treat her well. Why did she give it to you?"
Jing Chen sat at the table and put the insoles on the table. He frowned and said, "Next time she comes, return it to her."
Hearing this, Yu Shu's eyes sparkled. She held her chin and asked, "Why should I return it to her?"
Jing Chen turned his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression. "The book says that men and women should not touch each other. What's wrong?"
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