In the early morning, just as Zhuang Zhong got up from the bed, people outside the house knocked on the door and entered. The door of the room was opened, and the maids came in one after another, each holding a copper basin filled with warm water, a cloth towel, a toothbrush and so on.
It feels really good to be served by others. You don't have to go down the mountain to fetch water early in the morning every day, grow your own vegetables, and cut firewood yourself like before. But all this is not his, the person who should enjoy it has passed away, but the real culprit behind the scenes has not been found yet. Zhuang Zhuang's eyes dimmed, he wanted to seek justice for Yuanjue, and lived with Yuanjue's share. But the situation in the Hou's mansion is more complicated than he thought, and he needs to be cautious in every step.
"Young master, did you sleep well last night? Did you not take good care of him?" Zhuang Zhong didn't need the maids to take care of him, so Cui'er stood aside and asked.
Shaking his head solemnly, "Everything is fine, please trouble sister."
His ears turned red when his sister spoke solemnly. His actual age is much older than the teenage girl in front of him.
Cui'er thought that Zhuang Zhong would be shy when talking to women, so she couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled, thinking that this little monk was quite innocent and cute. I have to say that the solemn appearance is very deceptive, with red lips and white teeth, handsome appearance, fair skin, bright eyes, and an inexperienced appearance. In addition, today she is solemnly dressed in a silver-red gauze shirt, wearing a fairy peach scarf, covering her dazzling bald head, making her look even more lively, wealthy and charming. Good looks always win more favors when they are not close friends.
The breakfasts were brought in one after another. The dishes were rich and delicate, and the portion of each item was not much, but it was enough for three or four people.
Solemnly puzzled, "Shouldn't you settle down early in the morning?"
Cui'er was slightly startled, thinking to herself that the young master from the country is a polite person, "This is the rule set by Lord Hou, go to say hello after breakfast."
Wen Yuan Hou had to go to the morning court at the fifth watch, and the Chenpai could only come back. Sometimes there were important events in the court, and there were endless debates in the hall, and the time to disperse the court would be even later. Therefore, breakfast was already eaten on the fourth watch, so as not to faint from hunger in the hall. In this way, it is difficult for the whole family to get together for breakfast, and the second young master Zhuang Su also has to go to school early, and he is not in the morning for breakfast. Wen Yuanhou has always acted on the basis of convenience, that is, he stipulated that they should all eat in the courtyard before coming over to say hello.
The reasoning makes sense, but I don't know if it's solemn and careless, but I always feel that something is wrong. Zhuang Zhong didn't struggle too much, since he has just entered the mansion and knows a lot of things, it's better to fill his stomach first before looking for other things. The solemn life in the past was very irregular. Wherever there was a murder case, no matter it was windy, rainy or holiday time, I had to run there with my guy. Once I started working, I had no time to take care of the meal. Therefore, as long as Zhuang Zhong has the conditions, he will try his best to keep his work and rest normal, so as not to damage his body too much.
When Zhuang Zhong came to the main hall, only Mrs. Hou was alone, Marquis Wen Yuan had not yet come to court, neither had Yin Yuehan and the other three young masters and ladies in the mansion.
"Are you still used to it yesterday?" Wei Yuhua asked softly with a smile on his face, like a kind elder. Yesterday, the travel-and-dust servant felt that his solemn appearance was extraordinary, but today he was washing and wearing Chinese clothes, and he looked even more like a marquis. There are thousands of thoughts in my heart, but my face is impeccable.
Zhuang Zhong was quite awkward, it was fine that he hardly had any face-to-face dealings yesterday, but he was a little uncomfortable with today's behavior, in fact, he was about the same age as Wei Yuhua.
"Ma'am, don't worry, everything is fine."
The address seemed alienated, but Wei Yuhua had a higher opinion of solemnity in his heart. He was not a frivolous person. Yesterday, Master Hou's words were vague, but this kid didn't take advantage of the heat, but he was calm.
Wei Yuhua pretended to be angry, "Why do you still call me madam? Yesterday, Master Hou recognized you as his son. You should call me mother or mother."
Zhuang Zhong pursed his lips and did not speak, Wei Yuhua sighed when he saw this, "Forget it, I was indeed a bit sloppy yesterday, let's wait for Master Hou to come back today to see what the regulations are."
Yin Yuehan came slowly after solemnly drinking a cup of tea, followed by an eight-year-old boy on the left, holding a five- or six-year-old girl in his right hand, and the nanny beside him was holding a two-year-old boy. The three children are all sculpted in pink and jade, and their appearance is very outstanding, combining the advantages of their parents.
"My concubine pays my respects to my wife."
"Greetings to mother, baby."
Seeing the appearance of the three of them, Wei Yuhua only felt chest tightness, and the salute was very perfunctory, with no sense of respect at all. Every day, she was scratching her heart, but her face was indifferent, "Get up. Brother Chong, you haven't seen me yesterday. Let’s pass these three little monkeys. They are all your younger brothers and sisters. This is brother Su, brother Jun, and this is sister Ning. Brother Su, from now on you will be Erlang, and brother Jun will be Sanlang. Brother."
The three children were indifferent, and looked at Zhuang Zheng with probing eyes. Zhuang Su is the oldest, and his ranking as the boss has been taken away, so he looked at Zhuang Zhong very unkindly. Zhuang Su Ning raised her chin even more and her eyes were critical. Only the youngest Zhuang Jun blinked at the big brother in a daze. None of the three children listened to what Wei Yuhua said, and kept silent, as if they had never heard of it.
Although Yin Yuehan had been prepared for a long time, she couldn't help but clenched her fist secretly when she heard this, but she smiled like a spring flower on her face, "What are you doing in a daze, listen to Madam and call me Big Brother."
Zhuang Su and Zhuang Suning's puckered mouths were filled with displeasure, and they dawdled for a long time without any movement, but when Zhuang Jun heard what his biological mother said, he called his brother obediently. Then, he vaguely called his brother.
Faced with the hostility of the two children, Zhuang Zhong didn't take it seriously. Children's wills are mostly influenced by adults, and Yin Yuehan's dislike for a competitive person like him directly reflects on the children.
What Zhuang Zhong was surprised was that according to Dayou's rules, concubines, even noble concubines, do not have the right to raise children by themselves, so why did Wen Yuanhou put the three children beside Yin Yuehan to raise them? Although it can be seen that Marquis Wen Yuan dotes on Yin Yuehan and loves the children, so he does not want to separate their mother and child, but according to Dayou's customs, it should not be so.
Dayou has distinct ranks, and the status of wives and concubines is very different, even for noble concubines. For a respectable family, when receiving guests or attending banquets, the concubine's room cannot represent the family, and their parents cannot regard themselves as relatives. A man without a wife, even if he has many concubines around him, is still called a widower. A concubine does not have the right to raise children, and a biological child cannot be called a mother, but only an aunt. The children are also raised by the side of the main wife. If they are brought up by concubines, they will be looked down upon. It will hinder the future of men, and it is not suitable for women to marry.
Even he, an outsider, knows this truth, so why does Wen Yuanhou, a native, make this mistake? That's all for Wen Yuanhou, Yin Yuehan's arrogant attitude, even showing off on purpose, isn't she afraid of revenge from Mrs. Hou's reaction? Wei Yuhua only needs to reveal a thing or two in front of outsiders to put the three brothers and sisters in an embarrassing situation. Could it be that Madam Hou's status is so low that Yin Yuehan is so fearless
Zhuang Zhong pondered in his heart, and became more and more sure that the murderer was one of the two, and they both had motives for committing the crime. No matter which one it is, it will not be easy for him to overthrow it. First, he must make himself strong enough.
When Wen Yuan returned from the court, Zhuang Jun struggled out of the nurse's arms, ran over on short legs, and called Daddy sweetly.
The corners of Wen Yuanhou's mouth curled up slightly, as if seeing greenery from melting ice and snow. Zhuang Suning also walked around Wen Yuanhou very happily, chattering about what she had done in the past two days and how she was praised. Zhuang Su is calmer than his younger siblings, saluting well, with the appearance of a young adult.
Wen Yuanhou checked Zhuang Su's homework first, and Zhuang Su held his head high and held his chest up and answered the questions fluently, which made Wen Yuanhou very satisfied. After finishing, he turned to Zhuang Zhuang aside, "Are you literate?"
"I know."
After the solemn words, both Wei Yuhua and Yin Yuehan were slightly surprised. Although schools were established in various places in Dayu, there are still very few people who can read and write. I didn't expect that a young monk like Zhuang Zhong who came out of the mountains could also read, but considering that he needs to read scriptures on weekdays, it's not surprising that he can read. Reading books and knowing a few words are two different things.
Wen Yuanhou nodded, "Apart from Buddhist scriptures, what other books have you read?"
Zhuang Zhong paused, this is really difficult to answer, he has read too many books, most of these people probably can't understand. And what these people admired, although he covered them all, he didn't read them all, and the research was not deep, and his liberal arts were not outstanding.
"I can read whatever books there are in the temple. Many of them are left by pilgrims in the past. They are incomplete, so I don't know what books they are."
Wen Yuanhou started the exam from the simple ones, as long as he didn't memorize them by rote, Zhuang Zhong could answer them fluently at the beginning. Wen Yuanhou didn't have any hope at all, he just asked casually, it can be seen that Zhuang Zhong is not a country boy who knows nothing, but he just got interested and asked deeper questions little by little until Zhuang Zhong couldn't answer.
Wen Yuanhou was quite satisfied. Although the solemn words were vulgar, the foundation was not solid, the things he learned were complicated, but the principles were clear, and the insights were even more unconstrained but very reasonable, some of which were even beyond his imagination. To be able to do this on your own is already amazing. If you can get the guidance of a famous teacher, you will definitely do something in the future.
Wen Yuanhou didn't show it on his face, he just asked, "What are your future plans?"
Zhuang Zhong didn't answer directly, "How does Lord Hou plan to arrange me?"
Wen Yuanhou laughed, "Since you are so knowledgeable, it's not good for me as a father to disappoint you. You are a monk who has returned to lay life, so you don't have to think about taking the imperial examination. There is only one way to go."
Although the imperial examination does not show family status, there are also regulations on the qualifications of candidates. Those who have committed capital crimes below the ancestors of the family, as well as those who are unfilial, unfraternal, monks and monks, and disabled people are not allowed to participate. This is also one of the reasons why Zhuang Zhong had to pretend to be crazy and foolish to recognize this father. If he wants revenge, he must be powerful, so he must be an official. The road of imperial examination is not feasible, he can only rely on connections. Otherwise, he has no connections, no money, and no power, and it will be difficult to find out the real culprit, let alone bring down the other party. In this age of power and oppression, even if he finds out who is behind the scenes, he will not be able to bite the other party, at most he will introduce a scapegoat.
Hearing this, Zhuang Zhong became more and more sure that Wen Yuanhou knew that he was not his own son, as for why he admitted it, I'm afraid he had other plans. There is no time to think about whether to take a serious bite back in the future. Although this road is dangerous, it is also the fastest, and he is willing to take this risk.
Zhuang Zhong didn't say anything, waiting for Wen Yuan to speak later.
The corner of Wen Yuanhou's mouth twitched, "You are still young, even if you are favored, you will not have any good places to go. It is better to enter the Guozi School first, and then find other things when you finish your studies."
After the words fell, everyone on the field was shocked. Yin Yuehan even pinched Zhuang Jun out of control, and Zhuang Jun howled and cried out loud in pain.