Top Scholar

Chapter 254 Spring Has Arrived

In an instant, Miss Zhu was completely distraught.

God, are you playing a cruel joke on me? This is the first time I've ever resisted a blind date this way, and yet I've run into such a handsome and elegant man!

If you don't like me, just strike me with lightning. Why punish someone in this way?

Miss Zhu was so engrossed in her inner monologue that she forgot to bow, making her look even more awkward standing there.

As a result, while she was lost in thought, even Chun Ge'er was left standing there awkwardly. She felt quite embarrassed, thinking to herself: Is there something wrong with Mr. Zhu's daughter?
Fortunately, he didn't stand still. He stood up and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "This foolish brother greets his junior sister."

"Oh?" Miss Zhu finally snapped out of her daze, her face instantly turning as red as an apple. She hurriedly curtsied and returned the greeting, stammering:
"Little sister greets senior brother, senior brother is good, good..."

She struggled desperately to suppress the last word, "look".

"Alright, go down now." Zhu Jie waved his hand with a dark expression.

"Yes." Miss Zhu felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She bowed to Su Youcai and his wife and Su Man and said, "Senior brother, I will take my leave now."

Su Lu was also surprised. Was this still the dignified, beautiful, and composed older sister she remembered?
He couldn't help but glance at Zhu Zihe: "Is your sister drunk? How come even the family hierarchy is all messed up?"
Zhu Zihe shrugged lightly, looking completely bewildered.

"Okay." Fortunately, Su Youcai and his wife had seen many drunkards, so they smiled calmly.

"..." Su Man didn't know how to answer her, so she could only nod.

Miss Zhu realized she had completely lost her composure and, not daring to linger, quickly slunk away behind the screen...

As soon as she was out of everyone's sight, she covered her face with her hands and wailed, "How embarrassing..."

But he forgot that he hadn't gone far and everyone in the hall had overheard him.

Zhu Jie's face turned green. He gave Zhu Ziming a meaningful look, signaling him to get his sister away from him immediately. He didn't want her to embarrass herself any further...

Zhu Ziming went behind the screen and quickly pulled his sister, who had already lost her mind, away.

~~
After passing through the moon gate, Zhu Ziming asked in confusion, "Sister, what's wrong with you?"

Miss Zhu was utterly dejected at this moment, hanging her head in a gloomy voice, and said, "Isn't this all your fault?"

"How did it become my fault again?" Zhu Ziming said speechlessly, "I went through all the trouble of running errands and even kindly reminded you to pack! You really can't be a good person!"

"But you didn't mention the most crucial thing!" Miss Zhu said dejectedly, "It's the appearance of that eldest son of the Su family."

“Why didn’t I say that? You asked me if he was a blockhead, and I said yes.” Zhu Ziming cried out, “Look at him sitting there, not moving, not saying a word, not laughing. What else could he be but a block of wood?”

"Have you ever seen such a handsome piece of wood?" Miss Zhu questioned her unreliable younger brother.

"Handsome? I think he's far inferior to Brother Qiji," Zhu Ziming said dismissively.

“Nonsense!” Miss Zhu argued, “My brother is clearly more handsome! Although Hongzhi is not bad-looking, his facial features are not as delicate.”

"Shut up! You're not allowed to belittle my brother Qiji!" Zhu Ziming retorted angrily, "From now on, I won't interfere in your affairs!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Alright, alright," Miss Zhu called out to him again. "Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums each have their own merits, shall we?"

"That's more like it." Zhu Ziming's expression softened slightly.

"Alright, Xiaoming, do your sister a favor." Miss Zhu finally regained her composure and tried to salvage the situation:
"Go back and explain to the guests that I was busy in the flower field when I heard that Uncle Su's family had arrived. I was afraid of keeping them waiting, so I rushed out to meet them without having time to dress up."

"Hmm." Although Zhu Ziming knew that wasn't the case at all, the most important thing now was to salvage his sister's image, so he agreed to help her tell this lie.

"Also, tell them to wait for me to freshen up before I come out to meet them," Miss Zhu instructed.

"Again?" Zhu Ziming was dumbfounded.

"Nonsense, I need to show him my beautiful side so he can forget how awful I looked just now..." Miss Zhu said through gritted teeth.

“I feel like that’s the real you,” Zhu Ziming said.

"Get out!" Miss Zhu said irritably.

~~
After seeing Xiaoming off, Miss Zhu hurriedly returned to her boudoir.

As soon as we entered, the parrot named Peony exclaimed loudly, "The beauty is back! The beauty is back!"

Miss Zhu ignored it and shouted, "Haitang and Jasmine, hurry up and help me with my makeup!"

"Get dressed up! Get dressed up!" Peony mimicked.

"Shut up!" Miss Zhu glared at it and went upstairs.

Haitang and another maid named Jasmine quickly came out to greet them.

"Miss, why have you changed your mind again?"

"Aren't you trying to scare people away?"

"The plan has changed, we're going to take him down!" Miss Zhu sat in front of her dressing table and said fiercely, "Five years! Do you know how I've managed these past five years? I finally found someone I liked, I can't let him get away!" "We have to take him down!" Haitang and Moli were also excited when they heard this, and quickly rummaged through their drawers and cabinets, bringing out Miss Zhu's complete set of clothes and began to give her advice!
~~
in the living room.

After the minor incident, the guests and hosts resumed their pleasant conversation.

Madam Zhang led the proprietress and Xiao Tiantian to the flower hall to talk about women's topics. The men, on the other hand, talked about the upcoming provincial examination... Not only the three members of the Su family were present, but Zhu Jie's two sons, Zigong and Zihe, were also going to take the exam.

"According to custom, the announcement should be issued in the middle of next month to confirm the date of the prefectural examination," Zhu Jie explained. "The specific time depends on the prefect's schedule, but education is of paramount importance, so it's generally better to start early rather than late."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Su family members and decided to speak frankly. "We're all family, so I'll be frank... Last time Yingzhi failed the exam, his writing was indeed lacking, but among the hundred or so people at the long table, no more than ten wrote better than him."

"Really?" Su Youcai, an old novice who had never taken the state examination, could only play the straight man.

“Yes.” Zhu Jie nodded and said, “I brought Yingzhi’s article back and showed it to my third brother as well… He is the most learned in our family, and he shares the same views as me.”

"Yingzhi's luck is really bad," Su Youcai said with a wry smile.

"It's not a matter of luck. Unless his writing surpasses his peers to the level of Hongzhi, to the point where it would be unreasonable not to admit him, he might still fail this year," Zhu Jie sighed.

"But there is only one Su Hongzhi in Luzhou. Neither Yingzhi's son, Gongzi, nor he can reach that level."

"..." Su Youcai thought to himself, "Then I'm even more doomed."

Su Youma could not hide his shock. Although he knew that Qiu Ge'er was powerful, he did not expect that she was so powerful that no one in the entire Luzhou could compare to her.

"Besides, Zihe is at least the top scholar, and his abilities are decent, so he doesn't need to worry about us." Zhu Jie said, looking at Su Man and Zhu Zigong, "But you two need to be more careful."

Su Youcai knew that Zhu Jie was saving face for him. Those who needed to play it safe naturally included himself…

"So next, you will have to attend more literary gatherings with me, firstly to learn about the current literary styles, and secondly to showcase yourselves and try to let our grandfather know about you." Zhu Jie spoke very subtly, but the meaning was almost the same as what Su Man had said back then.

"Although the state examination is a selection of talents based on their literary skills, those who can enter the examination are all top talents who have passed through layers of selection. When the difference in writing skills is not that great, whether the old master knows you or not makes a huge difference."

"Yes." Su Youcai and the others nodded, without any objection.

Seeing that they were clearly aware of the chaos surrounding the provincial examinations, Zhu Jie was happy to stop talking. He had thought he would have to use a lot of persuasion to convince them to accept reality.

At this moment, the butler came in to report that the luncheon was ready.

"Then let's eat and chat." Zhu Jie invited the Su family to move to the flower hall and take their seats. Madam Zhang also returned with Tian Tian and her daughter.

As soon as everyone was seated, a graceful, elegant, and beautiful young woman emerged from behind the carved rosewood screen.

She wore a light yellow vest and a pale green pleated skirt. A gold-inlaid jade hair ornament adorned her two black, glossy buns, and pearl flowers trembled gently at her temples, making her skin appear as smooth as jade and her face as beautiful as a peach blossom.

She was naturally beautiful, and had carefully applied light makeup. Her eyebrows were delicate, her eyes were lightly tinted with pink, her lips were painted with a touch of sandalwood, and her cheeks were subtly flushed with dimples. Her posture was also dignified, with her hands clasped in front of her abdomen and her back straight. Her gaze was level, and there was a calm and composed air about her beauty.

Everyone was taken aback when they saw her. Su Youcai exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Brother Shi has a daughter?"

"No, there's only this one." Zhu Jie said with a wry smile, "It was her just now too."

"Look at my eyesight, I'm totally face-blind," Su Youcai said embarrassedly. "Sorry, niece."

"It's not Second Uncle's fault, it's all my fault for being too abrupt just now." The transformed Miss Zhu shook her head gently, then bowed again, her every move exuding elegance.

"My niece greets her second uncle and aunt."

Then she turned to Su Man, bowed apologetically, and said, "I was so sorry for what happened just now, brother. Please accept my apology."

"Junior sister, you flatter me. I don't remember what happened just now." Su Man smiled and shook her head, but in her heart she thought, "Is this person schizophrenic?"

"Alright, take your seats now." Zhu Jie's expression softened slightly; at least he looked presentable now.

"Yes, Father." Miss Zhu obediently took her seat. Her behavior was impeccable until the end of the meal.

She just couldn't help but glance at Su Man every now and then, feeling that every inch of this man was etched into her heart. He was truly more and more lovable the more she looked at him…

~~
The luncheon was a great success, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely until past noon.

Zhu Jie then took Su Youcai for a walk in the garden to sober up, clearly intending to have a private conversation.

Seeing that Zhu Jie hesitated to speak, Su Youcai took the initiative to say, "We can't do anything about the literary gathering, so our family will cover all the expenses."

"What are you talking about? No need, no need." Zhu Jie, seeing that he had misunderstood, couldn't help but laugh and said, "My Zhu family has to pay money for such a small favor? It's simply laughable!"

"Then just say what's on your mind, brother," Su Youcai said with a smile.

"Alright then." Zhu Jie nodded and said in a low voice, "Look, Yingzhi is almost twenty, and my daughter is getting on in years too. Why don't we let them..."

Su Youcai suddenly realized and slapped his thigh, saying, "This is a good thing! My older brother and sister-in-law were so worried!"

"That's wonderful! But forced love is never sweet; the children need to give their consent first." Zhu Jie then said, "Brother, go back and ask your nephew what he thinks of my daughter..."

He paused for a moment, then emphasized, "It's the one from the banquet; the one from the beginning doesn't count."

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(End of this chapter)