Top Scholar

Chapter 223 Mountain Collapse

"I disagree!" Huang Ke said resolutely, "You are all people who have studied the Book of Rites. How can unmarried men and women meet and exchange gifts in private? Isn't that considered improper and transgressing the rules?"

“We are still minors,” Huang E said emphatically. “There is no great concern about the relationship between men and women who have not yet reached adulthood.”

"Don't give me that!" Huang Ke couldn't keep up the act any longer and slammed his fist on the table, roaring, "I believed that rule too much, which is why that little thief took advantage of the situation!"

“That’s right, little sister, you’re still young and haven’t experienced love yet. You were just fooled by that boy.” Huang Feng was practically a father himself, and he was just as furious at the thief who stole the cabbage.

“That’s right!” Huang Ke wholeheartedly agreed with her son’s words, nodding emphatically, “What do kids know about feelings? Stop fooling around!”

Without arguing with Huang E any further, he directly ordered, "Huang Feng, from now on, your sister is not allowed to go out!"

"Yes, confinement, it must be confined!" Huang Feng nodded emphatically and shouted outside, "Anyone who dares to let Miss out can pack their bags and get out!"

"Yes..." The maids and servants standing under the eaves hurriedly replied in trembling voices. This third young master is as formidable as his name suggests.

"Father!" Huang E panicked as soon as she heard this. She had thought Su Lu was a bit suspicious... but it turned out she was really naive. As soon as her father came back, he really did put her under house arrest.

"Go down and reflect on your actions!" Huang Ke waved his hand, no longer bothering her.

"Oops..." Huang E could only make a face in frustration and retreat angrily.

"Stay close to Miss!" Huang Feng hurriedly instructed the maids and servants, "Don't leave her side for even a moment."

“Yes…” The maids and servants followed reluctantly.

Huang Feng returned to his study, thought for a moment, and then slapped his thigh, saying, "Oh right, there's also that little girl who came to study with my sister. Don't let her surname fool you; she's actually that kid's sister. We can't let her come over again!"

He was about to give the order loudly when Huang Ke stopped him, saying, "Never mind, that would look too ugly."

"Father, without that little girl passing on messages, how did my sister and that boy get in touch?" Huang Feng asked in a low voice.

"It's no use." Huang Ke shook his head and said in a deep voice, "You can stop that little girl from entering, but can you stop She Yunluo from entering? She can still help pass on messages."

"That's true." Huang Feng said indignantly, "It's that Luo Luo woman who corrupted my sister! I heard that when the Luo Luo people take a fancy to a man, they just snatch him away."

"Don't talk nonsense." Huang Ke said speechlessly, "The She family has been a prominent family for hundreds of years. Don't talk about Miss She as if she were a savage."

"What respectable young lady would learn martial arts..." Huang Feng muttered.

"You better watch yourself," Huang Ke said in a low voice, "I still need to ask her mother for a favor, so don't mess with her."

"Yes," Huang Feng replied hastily.

"Furthermore..." Huang Ke sighed again, "Your sister has the same stubborn temper as me. You have to be gentle with her. If you restrict her too much, she might explode."

"Yes." Huang Feng nodded hurriedly, understanding, "So Father's idea is to prevent them from meeting for now, but leave them a small opening to keep my sister in check?"

“That’s right.” Huang Ke nodded and said, “The more you try to rush things, the more likely you are to provoke her rebellious mentality and make her go down a dead end.”

“Indeed, Father is the most shrewd,” Huang Feng praised. “It’s better to keep my sister calm for now. As long as the two of them don’t meet, relying solely on occasional letters won’t amount to much. Perhaps their relationship will gradually fade away…”

"It would be best if it were mild, but it doesn't matter if it's not mild. As long as we get through the year peacefully, everything will be fine when we return to our hometown," Huang Ke said in a low voice.

He used delaying tactics because it's only the end of the year, and there's really no need to make a big fuss about it...

"Why didn't Dad just tell my sister directly?" Huang Feng asked, puzzled. "You've already arranged for her to have the older Yang Shen, why would she still care about the younger Yang Shen?"

"What are you talking about? It's not even close to happening yet, how could I make such a fuss?" Huang Ke frowned.

"Father and Scholar Yang have been friends for many years, and our two families are well-matched. Even Yang Shen and my sister are a talented couple. It's a match made in heaven. What monster would dare to object?" Huang Feng curled his lips and said, "It's obviously a sure thing, okay?"

"Mrs. Han only said that the two children should meet, she didn't say anything else, don't take it too seriously." Huang Ke glanced at Huang Feng, this guy wished he could marry his sister off to the Yang family tomorrow.

"You've come all this way just to see me, doesn't that say it all?" Huang Feng said confidently. "Besides, with your looks and talent, there's no way Yang Shen wouldn't take a liking to you!"

"Alright, stop mentioning Yongxiu all the time. It'll be troublesome if your sister hears you." Huang Ke warned her son in a deep voice, "Once she finds out the real reason I stopped her from being with Su Lu, she'll definitely take her anger out on Yongxiu."

"Yes, yes, the first meeting is crucial. We absolutely cannot let her develop a prejudice against Yang Shen." Huang Feng nodded hurriedly. He really wanted to be Yang Shen's brother-in-law!
In those days, the wife's eldest brother was called the "eldest brother-in-law," while the other brothers, regardless of age, were collectively called "youngest brothers-in-law."

Huang Ke was not as excited as her son. Instead, she said with some regret, "If I hadn't promised Madam Han first and exchanged letters with Brother Yang, I really wouldn't want to be the bad guy."

"Father, could it be that you've taken a liking to that boy?" Huang Feng was taken aback and asked in confusion, "In what way can he compare to Yang Shen?" "Choosing a son-in-law isn't like picking goods. The best isn't necessarily the most suitable." Huang Ke shook his head, but said with even more regret, "Besides, putting family background aside, Su Lu might not be any worse than Yang Shen."

"Dad, what's wrong with you? Did you get bewitched during your trip to Hejiang?" Huang Feng asked incredulously. "Just because that kid solved a riddle and wrote a few pretentious essays, he thinks he can be compared to the world-famous Yang the Talented Scholar?"

"Isn't Yongxiu also reliant on his writings? It's just that those who praised him were the Grand Secretaries," Huang Ke said softly.

"But Su Lu is not only good at writing. The phonetic symbols he created when he was fourteen years old have been successfully promoted in Hejiang. In just three months, all the children in the county were able to open books on their own."

"Huh?" Huang Feng was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth. "Really?"

“It’s absolutely true. Your father and Prefect Jia went to Hejiang to investigate this matter.” Huang Ke said in a deep voice, “Soon he will become famous throughout the land, and for his meritorious service in educating people. His merits will be immeasurable!”

In fact, it wasn't just phonetic symbols. Huang Ke didn't tell Huang Feng that Su Lu had also offered a plan through Commander Ma, which could subdue the restless chieftain of Bozhou once and for all. Clearly, under the tutelage of the old scholar Pang, the boy had already demonstrated extraordinary strategic talent.

Without a doubt, given time, Su Hongzhi will surely become a brilliant new star!

"There's no point in saying all this. As your father, I can't possibly offend Brother Yang and Commander Han." Huang Ke said somewhat listlessly, "I can only say that we're not meant to be."

"That's for the best." Huang Feng breathed a sigh of relief...

~~
After that day, Su Lu never saw Huang E again. Fortunately, Xiao Tiantian was still able to go to class at the Military and Military Office as usual and bring back Huang E's letters so that he would know what had happened.

The two discussed it and decided that since the old thief was in a bad mood, they shouldn't provoke him anymore.

Huang E told Su Lu to focus on her studies first, and that after some time, when her father and brothers were less overprotective, the two of them could find a way to meet.

As Huang E had said, Su Lu put all his energy into his studies. But he wasn't waiting for Huang Bingxian to lower his guard. Instead, he was waiting for the phonetic symbols to become famous so he could have a good fight with that old scoundrel!
Before the phonetic symbols could even reach the emperor, a shocking piece of bad news arrived... the sky had collapsed!
Many years later, Su Lu could still clearly remember that it was May 19th of the 18th year of the Hongzhi reign...

That morning, he and Zhu Zihe went to the Linjiang Gate in the east of the city, preparing to go out of the city to the riverbank for their monthly Yangtze River viewing.

It was just dawn, and the two were lamenting that it was getting light earlier and earlier. By the time the city gates opened, the sun had already risen, and they would miss the magnificent sunrise over the Yangtze River.

Zhu Zihe laughed and said, "When I pass the imperial examination in the future, can I ask them to open the gate in advance?"

“You can try now,” Su Lu said with a smile. “Maybe they’ll open the door for you because you’re the nephew of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).”

"Let's give it a try!" Zhu Zihe was becoming increasingly reckless. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Open the door!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a creaking sound came from inside the city gate, and the heavy city gate actually slowly opened!

Zhu Zihe stared wide-eyed in surprise, "Do I really have that much influence?"

"No, it was someone outside who opened it." Su Lu pointed to the city gate, where the urgent sound of horse bells could be heard.

"A 600-li urgent dispatch!" Zhu Zihe understood immediately, but was even more puzzled, saying, "This is truly rare; it happens only once every ten years in the prefecture."

Before the city gates were fully open, a group of knights wearing white hemp turbans, coarse hemp shirts, and even white hemp leggings filed into the city!
Behind the leading knight was a three-foot-long white banner with four shocking characters written on it: "Urgent Report of National Mourning!"

The four-inch square red cloth plaque that he slung across his chest was temporarily replaced with black cloth, and even the copper bell was wrapped in white cloth...

The two quickly moved aside, and then they heard the weary messengers, together, wailing in despair:
"The Emperor has passed away!"

"Huh?!" Soldiers and civilians alike, both on and below the city walls, were stunned.

"The Emperor has passed away!" The messenger's wailing echoed through the city of Luzhou, leaving all who heard it utterly shocked and heartbroken...

The officials and citizens of the entire city were devastated by this terrible news and wept bitterly, as if they had lost their parents.

"Your Majesty! How could you leave so suddenly!"

"Heavens, you are blind! Why do good people always die young?"

"We've only had a few years of peace and quiet, have we?"

"How could this happen?" Even Zhu Zihe shed tears of disbelief: "His Majesty was only thirty-six! It was such a rare opportunity to have such a benevolent ruler, how could he just disappear like that?"

Although Su Lu didn't shed tears, he was incredibly saddened. He didn't have any particular feelings for the Hongzhi Emperor; he was simply realizing that his phonetic symbols would likely go unappreciated...

P.S. I haven't checked the next chapter yet.

(End of this chapter)