Top Scholar

Chapter 267 Where there is oppression, there is resistance
Now the three of them are all free. They don't need to attend the next two interviews; they just need to wait for the interview on the ninth day of the lunar new year.

When he returned home and told his family, the landlady and the others were naturally overjoyed. Su Tai, however, let out a long sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders…

"Second brother, are you under a lot of pressure during our exams?" Su Lu asked curiously.

“It’s huge!” Su Tai’s eyes were almost filled with tears. “Praying to our ancestors is hard work. I dare not relax for a moment, for fear of delaying your work.”

"Good, good, you've done a great job too." Su Youcai patted Su Tai on the shoulder happily.

"Hiss..." Su Tai flinched as if he had been electrocuted.

"Does it still hurt?" Su Youcai asked.

"Much better, it doesn't hurt when I don't touch it." Su Tai grinned and said, "Dad, don't worry, it'll be fine in a few days, and you'll even have more energy."

"Second Brother is practicing his moves here," Su Lu joked with a smile.

"It seems to be true!" Su Tai raised his arm, exerted a little force, and his muscles bulged, becoming thicker than an average person's thigh. "I felt my arms got bigger after the county exam."

With this change in perspective, Su Tai no longer felt it was a chore, and said with some regret, "This time the time is too short, I'm afraid the effect won't be as good."

"So, Father has delayed your training?" Su Youcai said with a smile.

"Of course," Su Tai said with a simple smile.

"Hahaha!" The family burst into hearty laughter. It felt so good to have just finished the game!
~~
The study on the west side of the main hall in the rear residence of the military garrison.

Huang Bingxian had just finished inspecting the preparations for the Chishui River project and returned to his residence. With the help of his concubines, he removed his mud-stained crimson official robe and black satin official boots.

As the concubine wiped his face with a warm cotton towel, she said softly, "My lord, you've worked hard."

"What hardship is this? I just took a walk by the river." Huang Bingxian shook his head, changed into his home robe and cloud-patterned shoes, and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about those unpleasant things."

He then sat back in his armchair, put his legs on the footstool, stretched, and said, "Nowhere is as comfortable as home."

"Yes." The concubine served him fragrant tea.

Huang Ke picked up her teacup and was about to take a sip when her gaze fell on the table and she saw a blank sheet of paper she had never seen before under the paperweight.

He picked it up casually and his pupils contracted sharply as he became deeply engrossed in the words on it. As he read on, it felt as if grit had flown into his eyes, causing them to turn red and his eye sockets to feel slightly sore.

"Master, the Third Young Master and Miss have come to pay their respects." The concubine brought him back to his senses.

"Let them in." Huang Bingxian pinched the tip of his nose and exhaled a deep breath.

The curtain rustled softly as Huang E followed the young man in to pay her respects. Having been confined to her chambers for nearly a year, the once plump and radiant young woman had grown considerably thinner. Her chin had become pointed, and her eyes appeared larger.

Her waist was so slender it could be encircled by one hand, and the sky-blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) she wore had a sash that wrapped around her waist more than twice, making the filigree and beaded hair ornament appear heavy.

"Welcome back to the manor, Father. You must be tired from your journey." She bowed with her eyelashes lowered, her voice clear and cold like an ice spring flowing over stone, revealing an undisguised indifference.

"Confucius said, 'It is difficult to maintain a pleasant countenance,' how absolutely right." Huang Ke couldn't help but frown. The relationship between father and daughter had plummeted to its lowest point in the past year; he hadn't seen Huang E smile once all year...

“Confucius said, ‘Filial piety and kindness.’” Huang E retorted without hesitation.

This means that parents must first show kindness to their children before children can show filial piety to their parents.

"Well, well, you're really quick-witted!" Huang Ke laughed in exasperation; this had become a regular occurrence for the father and daughter for the past year.

Every time we meet, we inevitably start arguing within three sentences.

“Little sister, Father just got back and you’ve already made him angry,” Huang Feng said regretfully from the side.

"Father didn't just put me in solitary confinement," Huang E snorted. "I'm furious about being locked up right now, so please bear with me."

She hasn't seen her lover since last Mid-Autumn Festival...

"What do you mean by confinement? A proper young lady should never leave the house. What's the point of running around outside all day?" Huang Feng muttered.

"On the third day of the third lunar month, the Daughter's Day, even the royal princess can go out!" Huang E sneered.

"Isn't that because that kid came back?" Huang Feng muttered under his breath, then raised his voice and said, "Why don't you say that? I was going to take you to see the lanterns for the Lantern Festival, but you didn't go out on your own."

"Isn't that because he's not here?" Huang E said matter-of-factly. "What would I be doing out there? To be reminded of the past?"

"Father, listen to this! Is this how a decent girl should talk?" Huang Feng was so angry that his nose was crooked.

"Would a good family lock up their daughter for a whole year?" Huang E didn't come away empty-handed this year; he thoroughly honed his skills in witty comebacks.

"Alright!" Huang Ke finally couldn't take it anymore and slammed his hand on the table, silencing the two. Huang Bingxian picked up the plain paper again and handed it to Huang E, saying, "Take this touching article on the table and read it. It will help you understand the principles of being a child and not to argue with your father all the time."

“There’s no need for that. I can recite this text from memory.” Huang E suddenly smiled, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering. “This is what I placed on Father’s desk.”

"You've turned against the Heavenly Gang, and you still want to lecture your father?!" Huang Feng said.

"Alright..." Huang Ke stopped her son again, and after a long pause, asked in a low voice:
"Could it be that he was the one who did this?"

"Of course!" Huang E proudly raised her pointed chin, her large, clear eyes sparkling with pride.

"This is the work of Su Hongzhi, whom Father looks down upon. His essay for the provincial examination made the whole of Luzhou weep. I specially brought it to Father to test whether you are truly heartless?"

"..." Huang Bingxian remained silent for a long time, whether because he was rebuked by his daughter or because he was shocked that the boy could actually write such an amazing article.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Father isn't heartless..."

"Then Father, please let me go out for some fresh air. I promise I won't do anything to embarrass you." The girl's voice softened, filled with a resentful dampness. The handkerchief in her sleeve was crumpled, and she choked out, "..."
"What terrible law has my daughter broken? Why is she locked up in this mansion, not even allowed to step out of the gate?"

"Sigh..." Huang Bingxian's throat bobbed, and he finally let out a long sigh: "You're about to come of age, and everything will be arranged then. Just be patient for a few more days..."

"Hehehe!" Huang E finally broke down when she realized that her pleading and cajoling had failed. Before her father could finish speaking, she turned and ran out of the study, her extremely frustrated shouts echoing down the corridor.

"If I stay locked up any longer, I'm going to suffocate!!"

After her daughter's indignant figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Huang Ke glanced helplessly at Huang Feng: "You, as the older brother, why are you keeping your little sister so tightly under control? Letting her go out and get some fresh air would be good for everyone..."

"Father, I'm just worried that she and that boy might get carried away and start a relationship," Huang Feng whispered. "What if they do something shameful? How will we explain that to the Yang family?"

"Nonsense! How old are they!" Huang Ke slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Your sister wouldn't do such a thing."

“Sigh, we’ve been really screwed over by the Yang family. They were supposed to come at the end of the year, but then they didn’t come…” Huang Feng also had something to say: “If we had met Yang Shen back then, my sister wouldn’t have blamed us.”

“Isn’t this a time of national mourning?” Huang Ke sighed. “Brother Shizhai is at a crucial stage in his career, how can he let his son go on a blind date in the year the late emperor passes away? His competitors will definitely use it against him.”

"Yes, yes, my son knows they're a target of criticism, so they have to be careful with their every move." Huang Feng wasn't really blaming the Yang family; he wished he could knock his sister out and send her to Yang Shen for free. He was just shifting the blame.

He then asked, "Surely no one will have any complaints this year? When will Yang Yongxiu arrive?"

"He is currently in Chengdu taking the prefectural examination. After the provincial examination, he will come to Luzhou to visit relatives as soon as possible," Huang Ke said calmly.

After saying this, a subtle emotion arose in his heart: the two boys had actually taken the imperial examination in the same year.

He himself didn't realize that he had already compared Su Lu to Yang Shen...

Huang Feng, however, only had Yang Shen in his heart. Upon hearing this, he exclaimed happily, "Chengdu is the first stop for the provincial examination, and it will be no later than May. Does that mean he can come in June?!"

He then encouraged his father, saying, "Dad, let's hold on for another two months. We can't be soft-hearted, especially in times like these!"

"What about two months from now?" Huang Ke asked, tapping her fingers lightly on the table.

"Yang Yongxiu is here, and everything will be over!" Huang Feng said with absolute certainty, "I don't believe that if the real Yang Shen came, my little sister would still be interested in an imposter?"

"Who said he's an imposter?" Huang Ke frowned.

"Everyone calls him Little Yang Shen from Luzhou? What else could he be but a fake?" Huang Feng said.

“He’s no imitation of Yang Shen.” Huang Ke shook his head and said in a deep voice, “The two can only be described as equally brilliant at the time…”

Huang Ke couldn't say for sure who was Yu and who was Liang. He only knew that Yang Shen was more famous, but he didn't have Su Lu's solid achievements...

"Isn't Dad's evaluation of that kid too high?" Huang Feng said in disbelief.

"It's because you're so focused on becoming Yang Yongxiu's brother-in-law that you can't properly view Su Hongzhi," Huang Ke shook his head and sighed.

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Yang Yongxiu’s arrival in Luzhou won’t be the end, but the beginning of trouble. If your sister doesn’t take a liking to him, I’ll be in for a lot of worry…” Huang Ke rubbed his temples in distress, clearly having been troubled by this problem for quite some time.

"What's there to worry about, Father? Yang Yongxiu is far superior to that kid in terms of talent, and he can't even compare to him in terms of family background!" Huang Feng saw that his father was wavering and quickly tried to make him stand firm. "Even if my sister is being a little temperamental, we can't let her have her way!"

"I'm not selling my daughter, none of that matters." Huang Ke shook her head, picked up the plain paper, stared intently at the barely suppressed rage emanating from it, and murmured, "Actually, if I hadn't made a promise to Brother Shizhai beforehand, I really wouldn't want to be the bad guy..."

He sighed again, "How many people dream of having such a perfect son-in-law! What a pity..."

Huang Feng wanted to persuade him further, but Huang Ke had already closed his eyes and waved for him to leave.

(End of this chapter)