Top Scholar

Chapter 352 Number One Fangirl
Inside the Zunjing Pavilion.

Su Lu was writing furiously, rapidly copying down the book titles. Instead of borrowing a few books as the King of Shu had suggested, he copied down all the relevant titles first.

He copied not only the Book of Rites, but also other books that might be useful, such as the Kaiyuan Rites of the Great Tang Dynasty, the Customs and Traditions, and the Record of Trades. He didn't finish copying them even after a whole afternoon.

During this process, Su Lu vaguely sensed that someone was secretly watching him, but he didn't take it to heart. How could such an important place not have surveillance cameras or something?
Su Lu didn't finish copying until it was almost dark. He was still looking through the table of contents by the dim light, searching for any other books that he could use.

It wasn't until the eunuch guarding the pavilion came over and gently urged, "I'm sorry, Master Su, we can't light lamps in the pavilion. If you want to borrow books, you'd better hurry up."

"Oh, okay, okay." Su Lu reluctantly handed over the catalog, then carefully piled up the stack of manuscripts on the table, discovering that it was more than an inch thick.

The eunuch guarding the pavilion twitched at the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself, "Are they going to empty out the Zunjing Pavilion?"

Fortunately, Su Lu wasn't that heartless. He simply handed him the first page and said politely, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

"You're too kind, Master Su. It's my pleasure." The eunuch in charge of the pavilion took the set and saw that there were quite a few, a total of twenty-four sets.

In fact, Su Lu did not know the rules of Zunjing Pavilion. It was always a one-for-one exchange here, but the eunuch guarding the pavilion glanced upstairs, did not dare to say anything, and quickly asked his subordinates to find books for Su Lu.

The children then brought ladders and climbed up and down to look for the books.

While they were at it, the eunuch in charge of the pavilion finished registering the books and asked Su Lu to sign and affix his seal. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir, most of the books in this pavilion are rare and ancient books. Even a prince would not have been able to obtain them easily. Not a single one can be lost."

“That’s right,” Su Lu said with a smile. “A true scholar loves books more than his own life. Don’t worry, he’ll return them exactly as they were.”

"That's good." The eunuch in charge of the pavilion smiled and said, "To be honest, I've been in the Zunjing Pavilion for more than ten years, and this is the first time I've ever lent out a book."

"Your Highness's extraordinary kindness and courtesy are deeply appreciated by this student," Su Lu said solemnly.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, twenty-four blue cloth book boxes filled the entire table.

The eunuch guarding the pavilion even covered each book box with a rainproof oiled paper bag and asked, "Shall we send someone to deliver this to the young master's residence?"

"Thank you for your trouble, but you can just see me to the door. I have a friend with me," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Alright." The eunuch in charge of guarding the pavilion then instructed the servants to carry the books and follow Su Lu.

After the eunuch in charge of guarding the pavilion escorted Su Lu out, the pavilion returned to silence. By the carved railing on the east side of the second floor, a beautiful figure quietly appeared—it was the princess who was Su Lu's admirer.

The golden afterglow bathed her, making her mauve palace dress appear warm and translucent. Her already sweet features were softened even more by the glow. Her long eyelashes cast soft shadows, but could not conceal the adoration filling her large eyes.

"Did you see that? This is how Young Master Su acquired his knowledge through hard work." The young princess murmured, leaning against the carved railing, her eyes still reflecting the figure of Su Lu hunched over his desk. "He was buried in his work all afternoon, without even looking up at me."

"Such focus is truly captivating." She gently cupped his flushed face in her hands, her eyes filled with adoration. "And yet, he is so handsome and charming. His eyebrows, his eyes, his nose, and his beautiful jawline are truly the most beautiful things in the world."

Then he sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that I only saw his right profile just now, and didn't get to see his left profile."

"Princess, didn't you see his face clearly when you were in the Empress Dowager's palace?" a palace maid couldn't help but ask.

“A frontal view has its own charm, and a side view has its own elegance. ‘Looking at it from the side, it’s a mountain range; viewed from the front, it’s a peak; it looks different from near and far, high and low.’ How could you possibly understand the beauty of this?” the young princess said matter-of-factly.

"Princess, you haven't given up yet?" the palace maid sighed helplessly.

"As long as I live, my heart will not die." The young princess said confidently, her eyes shining. "I still want to continue to read his masterpieces, see him pass the imperial examination with flying colors, and hear about his heroic deeds in turning the tide in the future."

"So you're just watching and listening?" the palace maid couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm." The young princess nodded and said, "Don't be so conventional. The more I like him, the more I want what's best for him, and the less I want to cause him any trouble. So it's better not to let him know how good I am to him."

"Isn't it a loss?" The palace maids felt sorry for her.

“It’s worth it.” The little princess’s eyes crinkled, her unique way of thinking leaving the palace maids speechless.

"He must be working so hard every day to make me like him. I can just quietly admire him from the sidelines, without having to do anything or even let him know. I'm the one who benefits, okay?"

"..." The palace maid was speechless for a moment, thinking to herself, "Really didn't do anything? Isn't this just blatantly lying?"
~~
Su Lu led the Little Fire Warriors to the entrance of Xiqing Academy, where all the adopted sons were indeed waiting for him.

"We've finally figured it out!" The crowd came forward to greet them.

"Quickly, take them." Su Lu instructed everyone to take the books, and then had Xiao Yu'er show them to the Little Fire Warriors.

After the young servants thanked them and left, the other students, carrying their books, followed the eunuch who had led the way and left the Shu King's Palace.

After coming out, Li Qiyu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I was so relieved. I didn't dare to say a word in there."

"Why did it take you so long to come out?" Su Man asked Su Lu.

"That's right, we thought our senior brother had been kept as a prince consort." The classmates laughed as well. "By the way, do you know who bestowed it upon him now?"

"It's a reward from Her Majesty the Dowager," Su Lu said.

"Hey..." The classmates all sighed in disappointment. "It wasn't the princess after all."

"Alright, we won't see two women fighting over a man anymore," Li Qiyu said. "Get lost," Su Lu said irritably, "You just want to stir up trouble, don't you?"

“Yes, Senior Brother already has enough pressure with his father-in-law, the Provincial Judge. If a princess were to suddenly appear, he wouldn’t be able to live a normal life!” Bai Yunshan laughed. “Then he’d be caught between a prince and the Provincial Judge. He can’t afford to offend either of them. Just thinking about it makes me feel sorry for him.”

"Hahaha! Actually, we're still single. If a princess really comes rushing over, we can shield our senior brother." The group of frivolous scholars then entered a fantasy phase.

"Let alone a princess, I'd even marry into a county princess's family if you asked me to," Li Qiyu said dreamily.

"Nonsense. The Prince's Palace Attendant is a second-rank official with a real salary. Why would he look at a monkey like you?" Cheng Wanfan sneered. "Keep dreaming!"

"You're the one talking nonsense, I was just dreaming!" Li Qiyu laughed.

"Then you're too cowardly; you wouldn't even dare to dream of becoming a prince consort."

"Isn't it because the Emperor doesn't have a sister?"

"Wow, you really remembered!" The classmates burst into laughter.

Back in the east wing of the prefectural government office, everyone brought the books they had brought back to Su Lu's room. Su Dan looked at the covers and exclaimed in amazement, "Good heavens, these are all classics from the Han and Tang dynasties. Brother, are you planning to prepare for the imperial examination?"

"No, and you shouldn't look at it yet, or it'll mess with your mind." Su Lu shook his head and smiled, "Borrow it back first, and we'll talk about it after the exam."

Then he said to everyone, "You all have to help out then."

"Of course!" the classmates laughed. "Do you think our senior brother can just eat and drink for free all day long?"

"Alright, everyone go and rest." Su Lu ushered everyone back to their rooms, then said to Manager Tian, ​​"Uncle Tian, ​​find a sturdy camphor wood box and store these books properly... These are treasures of the Prince's Mansion, we can't let them be ruined."

"Understood." Steward Tian nodded and accepted the task, then closed the door and chuckled softly, "The Prince of Shu's mansion is too good to the young master. This afternoon, Eunuch Song came over again to deliver it, saying that it was a gift from the Dowager Consort to the young master and Miss Huang."

“Those jewelry pieces and jade artifacts are styles that are rarely seen in ordinary people, and I don’t know how to appraise them.” He lowered his voice and said, “Anyway, I think they’re worth at least ten thousand taels of silver.”

"Okay." Su Lu nodded and said, "I've put them all away. We'll see how things go later."

So-scholarship emphasizes the unity of rights and responsibilities, and the balance between giving and receiving.

What he meant by "considering the situation" was the condition of the King of Shu. If the King of Shu could recover, then he would be worthy of the title.

If it doesn't work, we'll talk about it again...

"By the way, where is my second brother?" After finishing his business, Su Lu still hadn't seen Su Tai.

"Oh, Miss She has arrived. The Second Young Master went to see her," Steward Tian said with a smile. "But Miss Zhu and Miss Huang did not come."

"Oh." Su Lu nodded with some disappointment: "I asked Xiu Mei if she wanted to come along, but she said that one should be with classmates when taking the exam, and it's improper to bring female relatives."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I thought she was going to give me a surprise."

"Miss Zhu and Miss Huang are both well-bred and sensible young ladies; they are just worried that the two gentlemen might be distracted," Steward Tian comforted them.

“She actually wanted to come, but I told her I wouldn’t see her even if she came.” Then Su Man said quietly, “The second son’s wife is too willful, and the second son doesn’t do anything about it.”

"How can we manage things before they're officially married? Let's talk about it after they're married," Su Lu said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

"I'm afraid it will be the same after she marries into the family." The eldest grandson of the Su family has already begun to worry about the next generation's domestic etiquette.

~~
There is an inn on Buhou Street, about half a mile from the Luzhou government office.

Two warriors stood at the entrance to the main house in the backyard.

Inside the room, Su Tai was happily eating a lion's head meatball.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." She Yunluo felt sorry for him and asked, "Isn't Chef Hu here? Why is your food so bland?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it. The Prince's mansion sends me imperial meals every day, but Uncle Hu has no chance to use his skills." Su Tai slurped, his mouth greasy, and said, "They just make up all sorts of fancy things. The scholars are happy, but I haven't had a single full meal."

He took another big bite, looking satisfied, and said, "Solid lion's head meatballs are still the best. One bite is so satisfying!"

"Eat, eat, eat! We'll eat here every day from now on!" She Yunluo said happily, but couldn't help but wonder, "But why does the Prince send you such a feast every day?"

"It wasn't a gift from the Prince, nor was it for me; it's for Qiu-ge'er," Su Tai exclaimed. "They even sent fruit, snacks, clothes, and other necessities, and even toilet paper for wiping his bottom..."

"Oh no!" She Yunlu exclaimed with unprecedented alertness, "Someone has taken a liking to your brother."

"Really?" Su Tai asked innocently, "Male or female?"

"Who cares if it's a man or a woman, I have to write a letter to Sister Huang to report it to the police right away!" She Yunlu slammed her hand on the table and said, "We can't let that little vixen take advantage of the situation!"

(End of this chapter)