The Grand Secretary's Child-Raising Diary

But now, holding the warm bundle in his arms, he felt as if he was truly experiencing the breath of this world for the first time.

Although Lu Youning was not even a year old, it seemed that he would get heavier when he was asleep. Even Lu Shiyan, a martial artist, found it hard to carry him for more than half an hour.

Fortunately, Shouyan stepped forward in time: "Master, we still have to accompany the elders for the banquet later, so let the young master go back first."

Lu Shiyan's right arm was numb, but he was reluctant to part with the warmth pressed against him. Shouyan pressed on, "The banquet was noisy, and the young master couldn't sleep well, so he's probably making a fuss."

Thinking back to the banquets of previous years, where some elders would get drunk and gesticulate wildly, spitting as they talked, Lu Shiyan frowned and handed Lu Youning to Shouyan: "Shihu and Kuandong are often seen moving around the mansion. You personally escort the Third Young Master back, and make sure he doesn't catch a cold."

Shouyan agreed to everything, thinking to himself, "He's definitely my biological son. I guess she was just resentful because of that incident before, which is why she treated the young master that way."

The sudden change in location and temperature caused Lu Youning to purse his lips and frown as if he were about to wake up. Lu Shiyan reached out and covered his eyes, and once he calmed down, he instructed Shouyan, "Go quickly."

As soon as Shou Yan left, Lu Chong and Lu Jingyan led the way to the front hall where the banquet was being held.

When Lu Youning woke up, she was already in her bedroom in Songtao Courtyard. Her stomach was rumbling, so it must be lunchtime. Sure enough, Zhang Shi soon brought in a steaming bowl of goat's milk.

Seeing him lying obediently in the cradle with his eyes open, Zhang praised, "Young Master is so good. Are you hungry? Wet nurse will pick you up and give you milk."

While drinking goat milk, Lu Youning's eyes kept glancing at the fragrant meat soup on the tray. Seeing his greedy look, Zhang didn't make him wait any longer: "Today is New Year's Eve, so our third young master should have a good meal. However, the doctor said that your spleen and stomach are weak, so you can't eat too much at once."

In reality, there was only a small half bowl of meat soup, and Lu Youning couldn't eat more even if she wanted to.

After Lu You had eaten a small bowl of meat soup, Mama Sun brought Banxia and the others in. Perhaps to match the New Year's atmosphere, they were all dressed in new clothes and looked very cheerful.

Seeing the two empty bowls, Madam Sun smiled and praised, "Oh my, our third young master is so well-behaved, he eats so well."

Banxia and the others chimed in, and Lu Youning accepted the praise without the slightest embarrassment. After all, he was now a genuine kid who got praised even for eating and going to the toilet.

Although the incident in the ancestral hall did not escalate into a major incident, it still reached Qin's ears. It wasn't just gossip among the servants, but Lu Jingyan himself who couldn't hold back and went to tell her.

Although it's called New Year's Eve ancestral worship, it's actually also a day when the men of the Lu clan sit together to exchange information and wait for the feast to end. After that, the benefits that each Lu family should give to the clan next year will be basically decided.

In the past, on occasions that could highlight Lu Chong and Lu Jingyan's status, Lu Shiyan would usually just sit to the side and remain invisible.

But that was before. Now, can't anyone with eyes see where the future of the Lu family lies?

After the banquet began, the clan elder whose beard Lu Youning had touched in the ancestral hall raised his wine cup and called out, "Songzhan."

Lu Shiyan, who had been staring blankly at the bottom of his head, looked up when he heard this. The clan elder stroked his beard with a sincere expression: "Songzhan, I have a youngest grandson who will be thirteen next year. He has some talent for studying, and his tutor said that he can take the imperial examination after the new year. I'm afraid that if he doesn't do well, it might make him lose heart, so I'm shamelessly asking you to give him some guidance."

Such things are not uncommon in clans; some clans even establish clan schools to teach their own children.

Although the Lu family did not have a clan school, the clan head would take the lead in allocating a portion of the clan's silver every year to specifically support impoverished students in the clan, which could be considered as contributing to the development of the family.

Since the clan elders had brought it up, Lu Shiyan couldn't refuse out of courtesy or reason, so he readily agreed.

He was the top scholar in the imperial examination of the 30th year of the Qianyuan era. His literary talent and knowledge were undoubtedly top-notch. He also served in the Hanlin Academy and the Censorate. With him as a tutor, even if you can't be sure of passing the exam, you will definitely gain something.

Upon hearing this, several other members of the clan whose families also had children preparing for the exams spoke up: "My third son is also preparing for the exams next year. If Songzhan is giving a lecture, could we ask him to come and listen?"

"I also have some at home..."

Before Lu Shiyan could speak, Lu Chong, sitting at the head of the table, waved his hand to agree on his behalf and said to Lu Xin beside him, "In that case, why not set up a school in the mansion? Anyone in the clan who is willing to attend the classes can come."

What started as a few individuals ended up encompassing the entire Lu clan, effectively creating a small clan school.

They also didn't consider whether Lu Shiyan, who is currently very busy with official duties, could spare so much free time.

The clan elders were delighted to hear this and exclaimed, "Lord, you are so generous! Over the years, we have been fortunate to have the Lord's Mansion. With the Lord's Mansion's protection, our Lu clan's sons have been able to study with peace of mind."

After drinking, Lu Chong was surrounded by people who kept flattering him, and his chubby face was flushed with excitement.

Although Lu Shiyan was reluctant to hold classes directly in the mansion, and even more dissatisfied with Lu Chong making decisions directly without his consent, he thought that since Lu Chong had agreed to the matter, it was ultimately up to him to decide whether or not to come. So he didn't bother to say anything more at this point.

Sitting to Lu Chong's left, Lu Jingyan almost crushed his cup as he listened to everyone praising Lu Shiyan's youthful talent.

"He's clearly the legitimate son; this entire manor will belong to him in the future, and he should be the head of the Lu clan. But these old fogies only have eyes for Lu Shiyan, a son born to a concubine. They've completely forgotten that even Father is still here."

During the banquet, people kept raising their glasses to have a drink with Lu Shiyan. Lu Shiyan felt extremely embarrassed and used the excuse of changing clothes to run directly to Chunhui Courtyard.

As soon as he entered the door, he began to cry to Madam Qin. Madam Qin valued the title of the Marquis of Chengen highly and was always on guard against Lu Shiyan trying to take away her son's things. When she heard that Lu Chong actually wanted Lu Shiyan to open a classroom in the mansion, her reaction was even stronger than that of Lu Jingyan.

After finishing this, Lu Jingyan, emboldened by the alcohol, continued, "What kind of place is the ancestral hall? I was just kindly reminding my second brother not to let my son make a fuss and disturb the peace of our ancestors, but my second brother didn't give his elder brother any face at all and dared to reprimand me in front of so many clan elders."

Madam Qin was absolutely furious. After a long pause, she gritted her teeth and said, "You scoundrel, how dare you!"

Despite her anger, this matter was decided by Lu Chong and the clan elders, and it concerned the future of the entire Lu clan. It was not something that could be dismissed by a woman crying and making a fuss.