Top Scholar

Chapter 332 New House
Su Youcai stepped forward, knocked on the door knocker, and shouted, "Open the door! We're back!"

"You're here!" A familiar voice rang out in the courtyard. The gate opened quickly, and Steward Tian greeted them with a smile, saying, "Master and young master, you've had a long journey. Welcome home."

"Uncle Tian, ​​you've worked hard too." Su Lu greeted him with a smile, and followed Steward Tian past the blue brick screen wall carved with pine and crane. He found that the interior was quite spacious, with a corridor connecting the hall.

The courtyard in the inner circle of the corridor is paved with bluestone, and there are goldfish in two large water tanks, as well as pots of jasmine and roses. Although it cannot be described as luxurious, it is very livable.

"Brother Qiji!" Zhu Ziming arrived at lightning speed. He had grown into a young man, but his eyes were still only on Su Lu.

"Ziming." Su Lu gave him a happy bear hug and said, "I heard you got into Heshan Academy?"

"That's a piece of cake!" Zhu Ziming said smugly. "I'm still number one in the monthly exam."

"Alright, better than your brother." Su Lu laughed loudly, "Did you come here by yourself?"

"No, my parents and sister are all here." Zhu Ziming shook his head.

"Well..." Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for Kyoko and the two poor children... They went home excitedly, only to find that their family was all there.

"Father, eldest brother, second brother, third brother, Dan-ge, you're back." Xiao Tiantian also quickly came out to greet them. She was already thirteen years old and no longer looked like a little girl. She had grown into a gentle and well-mannered young lady.

"Yes, Tiantian, we're back." Seeing her, her father and brothers felt a surge of pride, as if their daughter had grown up.

The charming and radiant Athena Chu followed closely behind Xiao Tiantian, followed by Zhu Jie and his wife, but the proprietress was nowhere to be seen.

After exchanging greetings with his senior master, Su Lu couldn't help but ask, "Is there any news about the headmaster?"

“I just received his letter last month. He’s already settled in Qiongzhou.” Zhu Jie smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Lao Jiu is doing well. His injuries have healed completely… He said that Qiongzhou is a place where it’s summer all year round, which is perfect for recuperating.”

"That's good." Su Lu finally felt relieved. He had been very worried about the headmaster, but communication was just too inconvenient.

At this moment, Su Tai asked curiously, "Hey, where's Mother?"

“Ah, your mother has difficulty walking now…” Su Youcai blushed and said, “I forgot to tell you two, you’re going to be big brothers.”

"Really?!" Su Taisu exclaimed in surprise, "Why didn't you say so sooner, Father!"

Actually, they were already mentally prepared. Su Youcai and the boss's wife had been married for a year, and they were both young, so it would be strange if they didn't have children.

Sure enough, the proprietress, supported by Huang E, walked out of the hall with a slightly unsteady gait.

Even though she was wearing loose-fitting clothes, you could tell she was pregnant.

"Congratulations, Mother." Su Tai and Su Lu hurriedly stepped forward to bow, eagerly asking, "When will our family have a new member?"

The proprietress, her ears turning bright red, said, "September."

"Haha, it seems the Su family is about to have double happiness!" Zhu Jie laughed loudly.

The whole family entered the hall chatting and laughing. The rosewood octagonal table in the hall was so bright that you could see your reflection, and the rosewood armchairs had moon-white silk cushions embroidered with intertwined branches.

On the altar, a celadon vase holds fresh orchids, and in the central hall hangs a painting by Li Shinan, "Autumn Scenery in a Distant View." Distant mountains are rendered in light ink with clouds merging into the water, while sparse trees stand leaning against the water nearby. A fishing boat drifts on the wide waves, fully displaying the serene and timeless beauty of autumn.

"How elegant!" Su Lu couldn't help but praise. The family's aesthetic sense had improved dramatically, and there was no longer any trace of nouveau riche taste.

"Of course, it was all arranged by Ruoheng and Xiumei," the proprietress said with a satisfied smile. Ruoheng is Zhu Yin's courtesy name.

"How was it? Not bad, right?" Zhu Yin asked Su Man expectantly, as if seeking praise.

"The wild waters rise and fall, leaving uneven marks; the sparse woods lean, their roots exposed to frost. Where does my small boat go with a single oar? My home is in a village of yellow leaves south of the Yangtze..." Su Man exclaimed in surprise, "Was this poem written by Su Dongpo?"

"Mm." Athena Chu nodded happily, quite satisfied with his reaction.

“My disciple has a good eye. This is indeed an authentic work by Su Dongpo.” Zhu Jie pretended to be heartbroken and said, “After Su Dongpo wrote the poem, this painting was collected by our ancestors and has been kept as a family heirloom ever since.”

He pointed at Athena Chu and said, "Hey, girls are so outgoing. She said it was an authentic work by the Su family's ancestor, and she just asked for it."

"Is it that valuable?" The shopkeeper was startled. "Then quickly take it off."

"Oh dear, I've already given it to her as part of her dowry while it was hanging there." Zhu Jie waved his hand and laughed, "I still have a few pieces of Su Shi's calligraphy at home, I'll give them to her when we get married."

"Senior Uncle is truly magnanimous!" Su Lu said with a smile, flattering Zhu Jie.

"What, do you think your father-in-law isn't magnanimous enough?" Huang Ke's voice rang out from behind, and the military commissioner had also arrived.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Su Lu quickly stood up and said with a smile, "My father-in-law has already given me his most precious treasure, I have no other requests."

"Haha, with that mouth of yours, no wonder my daughter was completely charmed." Huang Ke was in a good mood. After greeting everyone, she said to Su Lu with a smile:
"Don't worry, I only have one daughter, and her dowry won't be meager."

"Hahaha!" The elders burst into laughter.

After tea was served, Su Youcai, Huang Ke, and Zhu Jie drank tea in the main hall, while Madam Zhang and the proprietress went to the flower hall to talk. The younger generation, however, went to the back to admire the garden's scenery with great interest…

~~
In the hall.

Huang Ke asked Zhu Jie, "Has your family set a wedding date?"

"What's wrong, is the Military Commissioner in a hurry?" Zhu Jie joked.

"Isn't it okay if I'm worried for you?" Huang Ke was in a good mood and even cracked a joke.

"Don't worry, it definitely won't interfere with your plans. I've discussed it with my in-laws, and we'll get things done for the two children after the autumn imperial examinations, regardless of whether they pass or not," Zhu Jie said with a smile.

"It's no use if your family isn't delayed; we still have to wait for Xia-ge's side." Huang Ke asked Su Youcai with a smile, "In-law, what are your plans for your second son and his wife?"

"Oh, it's fine anytime after Chun-ge'er gets married," Su Youcai replied.

Seeing the dignified Huang Bingxian sitting on equal footing with him, chatting and laughing, he still felt like he was dreaming...

"Is Governor She no longer concerned about the Yang family?" Huang Ke asked.

"There shouldn't be any problem. Your in-laws must know that Yang Bin has resigned from his position as Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, right?" Su Youcai asked.

"Hmm." Huang Ke nodded and said, "I heard that he was very uncomfortable in his position as the provincial judge, and his subordinates deliberately made things difficult for him. But I didn't expect him to resign so quickly... It is said that he asked for leave and went home before the court even approved his resignation."

“Actually, before he went home, he went to Longchang Post Station to pay his respects to Mr. Yangming,” Su Youcai said.

"Why did he visit Master Yangming?" Huang Ke asked, puzzled.

"Because it was Mr. Yangming who wrote the letter advising him to resign from his official post," Su Youcai exclaimed in a startling voice.

"Really?!" Huang Ke exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes.” Su Youcai nodded and said, “When Mr. Yangming heard that the Yang family was blocking the Chishui River, he was very angry. He said that the Yang family relied on nothing more than Yang Bin, the provincial inspector, so he wrote a letter to persuade Yang Bin to resign.”

"Then, not long after, Yang Bin came to thank me in person, saying that he had resigned from his position as Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, as you advised." Su Youcai said with admiration:
"After a deep conversation with Mr. Yangming at Longchang Post Station, he said that upon returning, he would immediately depose the ambitious Yang Ai, and from then on, his descendants would serve the court faithfully and never interfere with the navigation on the Chishui River again."

"Was Mr. Yangming really that amazing?" Zhu Jie was extremely shocked.

“At the beginning of the year, I met Wang Yangming a few times. He was indeed upright and open-minded, and had great insight, but he wasn’t that intelligent to the point of being almost supernatural, was he?” Huang Ke was also quite surprised.

“Master Yangming attained enlightenment in Longchang and created a new field of study,” Su Youcai said with pride, “Let it be called the Wang Su Zong School!”

"Wang Suzongxue?" Huang Ke and Zhu Jie asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

“Wang is the Wang of Wang Yangming, Su is the Su of Su Hongzhi, and Zui is the Zui of 'superior things and inferior mind',” Su Youcai replied. “In short, this is a discipline that integrates mind and matter, knowledge and action, and authority and responsibility!”

"Impressive..." Zhu Jie said, feeling both amazed and impressed, "Your son-in-law is quite remarkable. He's already becoming a great Confucian scholar at such a young age."

As he spoke, he joked, "I think soon the nickname 'Little Yang Shen of Luzhou' will be gone, and 'Little Su Lu of Xindu' will be more appropriate."

"Hehe, there's no need to always compare them." Huang Ke also began to take pride in Su Lu, saying, "Su Lu is Su Lu, and Yang Shen is Yang Shen. The two are completely different."

"Yes." Zhu Jie nodded and said, "Yang Yongxiu is good at poetry and prose, and he follows the path of a talented scholar. Our Su Hongzhi is good at literature and scholarship, and he follows the path of a Confucian scholar. The difference between the two is getting bigger and bigger."

In other dynasties, this statement might have implied that Su and Yang were equally matched, but in the Ming Dynasty, the implications were all too clear...

"Alright, let's stop with the self-praise." Huang Ke coughed and brought the topic back on track, saying, "In-law, since that's the case, why don't you discuss the wedding date with Governor She? That way, we can finalize it."

"It's already been agreed upon with Governor She. As long as the Yang family's problem is resolved, we'll set the wedding date, and she'll cooperate." Su Youcai hurriedly said, "I was thinking of holding the wedding for the two brothers as soon as the eldest brother gets married. If the brothers pass the imperial examination and go to the capital for the exam, who knows when the wedding date will be postponed."

"That's what I meant too." Huang Ke stroked his beard and nodded, unable to resist revealing slightly, "My days in Luzhou are numbered..."

"Oh?!" Su Youcai and Zhu Jie exclaimed in surprise, "The military commissioner is getting a promotion?"

"I suppose so," Huang Ke said reservedly. "I've already received the imperial decree, and at the beginning of the month, the court recommended me as the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shanxi."

"Congratulations!" The two quickly stood up, clasped their hands in congratulations, and asked, "Is this a reward for the military commissioner's merit in repairing the river?"

"Perhaps," Huang Ke said. "We'll only know the specifics after we go to the capital to meet the Emperor."

"When do we set off?" the two asked hurriedly.

“It will probably be around October when Lord Chu, who will be taking over, arrives from Liaodong,” Huang Ke said to Su Youcai. “So, shouldn’t we get married before I leave office? Otherwise, that kid will have to go to Shanxi to fetch his bride.”

"Yes, yes, yes." Su Youcai nodded repeatedly.

P.S. Half a chapter left...

(End of this chapter)