Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 73 Daiyu! (Add points!)
The outer study of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence.

"Father, I just visited Mr. Xing. He caught a cold and is in pain all over. He will probably need to rest for a few days."

Li Chen pushed open the door and entered, bowing to his father before slightly raising his eyebrows to observe his expression.

Li Chong's brows furrowed slightly as he nodded and said, "Mr. Xing has been adding several times the amount of lamp oil to your room these days for your studies. I have long advised him not to work so hard, but to little avail. Perhaps all scholars have this stubborn streak."

Li Chong smiled faintly, but there was little joy on his face; he could not hide his fatigue.

Li Chen didn't say anything, but went straight to the bookshelf, took down the top chess set, sat down opposite his father, and started setting up the chess pieces.

"I'm so bookish all day, my brain's all stiff. How about Father plays a game of chess with me?"

Li Chong was also troubled and had nothing to do. Seeing his son's sincere invitation, the old father naturally had no reason to refuse.

He felt even more gratified when he realized that his son had come to keep him company because he looked unwell.

This kid is definitely different from the old one.

"Alright, I won't bully you anymore. You go first."

"Headshot!"

Without hesitation, Li Chen raised his hand and struck a forward strike.

The father and son exchanged several moves until the middle of the game, when Li Chen suddenly changed tactics, abandoning his horse to attack.

After Li Chong moved his vehicle back to defend, he realized that his son's central artillery seemed poised to fire, and the situation was already somewhat unfavorable.

"Father, what's the status of the thief's case?"

Li Chen casually remarked, "It caused quite a stir in the capital. Although it didn't actually kill many people, shouldn't Father be credited for his efforts?"

Li Chong paused in his chess game, and couldn't help but sigh, "Let's put aside the merits for now. This villain has been roaming freely in the capital for dozens of days. After posting arrest warrants, he still wanted to commit more evil deeds. He openly provoked the government, and in the end, it was all ended so hastily."

"How should this be resolved?"

"Lord Zhao instructed that this matter need not be investigated further, and that I should not dwell on it any longer."

Upon hearing this, Li Chenxin was filled with doubt. "The Lord Zhao that Father mentioned should be the same Lord Zhao who is in the same patrol division, Father's superior, the Western Camp Lieutenant General. Why would he step in to suppress this matter? And what benefit would it bring him?"

"Could it be that there's someone even bigger involved? Or is there some hidden secret about this thief that's so captivating? It can't just be his ability to disguise himself as a woman, can it?"

Li Chen's lips twitched slightly, but he saw that his father in front of him was distracted and looked gloomy, no longer paying attention to the chessboard.

Li Chen truly understood his father's upright character and his deepest dislike for such injustice, so he naturally couldn't remain calm.

They exchanged hands a few more times.

Suddenly, Li Chen charged straight at the sergeant from the second rank, shouting, "A slash to the heart! Father, you've lost!"

Li Chong then came to his senses, stared at the chessboard for a long time, threw the chess piece he was holding onto the board, and smiled wryly.

"I thought you were just trying to make your old man happy, but you distracted me first, then unleashed your killer move without holding back. You're something else."

The father and son burst into laughter.

Li Chen poured tea for his father and said, "That's not the case. I didn't come here to make my father happy."

"Oh?"

"My father's career was not going well, but did he feel like a pawn on this chessboard?"

The topic suddenly changed so quickly that even Li Chong's expression hardened and he became serious.

"When you're in officialdom, you're bound to be subject to circumstances beyond your control."

Li Chen shook his head and said, "That's not the case. The officialdom is like a game of chess. Some people are willing to be the vanguard, while others are willing to be the bodyguards."

"But what we need to do is play the game. No matter how fiercely they fight on the surface, there are rules and regulations governing it. What do these things have to do with us?"

Pointing to the sky, Li Chen added, "These injustices that Father perceives are being watched over from above."

After a moment's thought, Li Chong smiled and patted his son's shoulder heavily. "Chen'er is right. Come on, your mother is returning home today and has prepared a family feast. Let's have a couple of drinks together."

……

In the hall, she listened to her mother, Madam Zou, talk about many everyday things, including the lives of relatives and friends in the county and the countryside. Her joy was evident in her words.

When asked about politics, Li Chen and his father tacitly changed the subject, and the family atmosphere remained as warm as ever.

After Li Chen returned to his room, he focused on writing his book again.

The two books left by Lin Daiyu contain very refined annotations on "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean," which made Li Chen marvel at the Lin family's profound scholarly tradition.

Therefore, there's no need to delete or modify too much.

All Li Chen needs to do is connect the profound meanings of the scriptures with some vivid stories.

It took Li Chen seven or eight days to finally finish the manuscript.

Li Chen was quite satisfied. As his debut work, it was a lengthy piece of work with tens of thousands of words, rich in content, illustrations, and a compelling story. He had fully utilized his experience in writing online novels from his previous life.

He meticulously divided each stage of elementary education into three levels: "Enlightenment," "Foundation Building," and "Enlightenment." Each level was followed by a series of challenging questions, much like a cultivation method that progresses step by step.

It allows people to experience growth step by step.

This is the role that supplementary educational books should play.

“Excellent, excellent. This book could be called ‘The Ladder to Classics: From Elementary Education to the Primer’.”

With a deep sigh, Li Chen thought to himself, "How well it sells depends on Lin Daiyu's ranking. You mustn't let me down."

After leaving some information for Lin Daiyu, Li Chen continued to enjoy Xiangling's service as usual.

The two have been getting along well lately, which is also a result of Li Chen sharing a bed with them.

However, if the relationship between the two remains the same on the last day before the body swap, it would likely be a very difficult situation for Lin Daiyu.

This is not what Li Chen wants to see.

He also hoped that Lin Daiyu could play a full role.

After Xiangling massaged his body, she was about to take off her clothes and get close to Li Chen to burrow into the quilt to warm him, but Li Chen stopped her again.

Xiangling's expression darkened.

Just as expected, that hot-and-cold young master is here again.

Seeing her dejected and unsure of what to do, Li Chen couldn't help but smile.

"Sister Xiangling, don't worry."

Xiangling stared blankly at Li Chen, her hands covering her collar and clutching her undergarments tightly, feeling completely lost.

"The county examination is in a few days. If I continue to indulge in my sister's tenderness, how can I take the exam?"

Li Chen lifted Xiangling's chin and whispered affectionately in her ear, "Sister, you don't want me to fail the exam, do you?"

Xiangling blushed deeply, her ears turning bright red, and she murmured in agreement, "Young Master, I understand."

Li Chen gently lifted Xiang Ling's head, staring intently at her, stroking her cheeks which were already almost bleeding, their lips only a finger's width apart.

"What should Sister Xiangling do now? Does she want me to ask for some interest first?"

Xiangling felt as if she had been electrocuted. Without even fastening her buttons, she hurriedly grabbed her dress and fled from the bed.

Li Chen smiled and relaxed as he lay down on the bed, closing his eyes and thinking to himself, "As expected of me, I've done everything perfectly through my own efforts! The upcoming county examination is also..."

"Daiyu, add more points!"

(End of this chapter)