Although he had expected that the Prince of Qin might not want to see them, Xu Changqian could not help but feel regretful when the meeting came. He had no hope of getting promoted or getting rich in this life. He would not be able to achieve anything great if he stayed here. Besides, he had been in Lu'an for more than ten years, which was almost like his second hometown. Even if he spent his whole life as the magistrate of Lu'an County, he would not be dissatisfied.
But Mingye cannot repeat his old path. He has become more stable and mature over the years. His temperament is much smoother than his. He is also good at academics. He will definitely have a brighter future than him and may even be able to make a career for himself.
Xu Changqian thought about it and realized that besides his stubbornness, soft-heartedness, and thin-skinnedness, he could not bring himself to extort money from the people, and he was too poor to pay tribute to his superiors. There was another reason why he could not get promoted, that was that he had no one above him. Seeing that the Prince of Qin was willing to help this time, he must be an upright person. If Mingye could take this opportunity to make friends with His Royal Highness the Prince of Shang, it would definitely be of great benefit to his future career.
It's a pity that they regarded it as a great favor and wanted to come specially to express their gratitude, but the noble man did not take these few words seriously. Well, just consider it as they don't have this blessing.
After thinking about it, Xu Changqian bowed and thanked Lord Qi, saying, "In that case, we will not disturb your rest. I feel really sorry to trouble you to run around so late at night." Lord Qi was a famous scholar of the time, one generation older than Xu Changqian. Xu Changqian was a Jinshi graduate, so it was reasonable for him to call himself "student" in front of Grand Secretary Qi.
Lord Qi waved his hand and said in a loud voice, "Lord Xu, you are too polite." Seeing that Xu Changqian seemed to be regretful, he simply said to Xu Changqian directly, "Lord Xu, please don't think too much. His Highness the Prince has always been aloof and doesn't like to talk to others. I'm afraid he doesn't want to see you this time because he wants to be alone and avoids trouble. He definitely doesn't mean to look down on you."
"That's right." Qi Su said with a smile, "Mingye, you don't know, I accompanied him around Lu'an for the past two days, and the number of words he said to me can be counted on one hand. He is really a man of few words!" As he said that, Qi Su exaggeratedly stretched out his right hand, spread out his fingers and shook them, then shook his head and couldn't continue.
"How could I think too much about it!" Xu Changqian said hurriedly, bowing towards the courtyard where Prince Qin lived, and said sincerely: "Your Highness Prince Qin is willing to help save Mingye, we are already very grateful."
Lord Qi smiled and nodded, meaning that he believed what Xu Changqian said.
It was getting late, and since Prince Qin had no intention of meeting them, Xu Changqian took his children home. Mingyu fell silent after getting on the carriage, listening to Xu Changqian testing Xu Mingye's homework. She opened her mouth several times but was unable to tell him about her encounter with Prince Qin outside the yard.
She thought carefully about the scene just now. Under the dim moonlight, she couldn't tell whether the handsome and cold face was the Prince of Qin or Sima Xi. Didn't the Prince of Qin go to bed? Then what she saw in the yard might be her own illusion.
After arriving home, Madam Xu hurriedly came to greet them. When she heard Xu Changqian say that His Royal Highness the Prince had gone to bed, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Fortunately, her children and husband were all safe and sound. Madam Xu muttered a few words, and the family went to bed.
During these days back home, life was peaceful and sweet. When she opened her eyes, she saw her loving parents and brother. In addition, Xu Changqian and his wife felt very guilty about their daughter, so they became more caring and gentle to Mingyu. Mingyu no longer had to live in fear, and she felt very at ease every day. However, she was still a little scared, afraid that this was just a dream, and when she woke up, she would be back in Anxi Marquis' Mansion, and when she opened her eyes, she would face either Miao's nitpicking or Luo Lingxiu's bullying.
As time went by, Mingyu got used to living in her own home. She even thought of Tianshui City which had been burned into ruins and the proud Master Bao. She suddenly felt that it was all a dream and Lu'an was where she had always lived.
As the year draws to a close, by the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lu'an had already had two light snowfalls. The sky has been gloomy all day long these past few days, with sporadic snowflakes floating in the air. From time to time, the sound of firecrackers and the noise of naughty children playing can be heard outside the courtyard wall.
Mingyu still did not give up the habit of practicing calligraphy for an hour every morning. At first, she would be startled by the firecrackers lit by the naughty children outside the courtyard wall while she was writing calmly. Her hand would tremble, and the ink-stained brush would become an ink pimple on the paper.
Seeing that Mingyu had spent so much time on a page of calligraphy, but it was almost finished, Lixiang was so angry that she stamped her feet and turned to leave, shouting, "I'm going to chase these kids away and take them somewhere else to play!"
"Come back! It's not a big deal? How can you chase them away?" Mingyu put down her pen, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. There were residential houses behind the county government office, and these children must live nearby. After all, she was the daughter of the official in Lu'an. If she chased them away with such a glare, the image of a "stubborn daughter" would be immediately established in the minds of the people of Lu'an.
Lixiang also felt that she had been rude just now. She came back embarrassedly, poured some water into the inkstone, and started to grind ink for Mingyu, muttering, "Really? Such a good piece of calligraphy is ruined like this!" Lixiang had never been to school before she was sold to the Xu family, and she could not read a single word. After she followed Mingyu, Mingyu would teach her a few words every day when he had time in Tianshui. However, she was old after all, and her heart was not in learning. In addition, she had to work, so her handwriting was always crooked and ugly. Therefore, she envied and liked Mingyu's handwriting. Seeing such a good piece of calligraphy being ruined by a naughty boy, she felt anxious and angry.
Mother Liu brought in a small bamboo basket, which contained a pair of scissors and several cut red window paper-cuts. The moment she opened the curtain, a fresh breeze blew in. Seeing Mingyu practicing calligraphy, Mother Liu smiled and said, "Young lady, are you writing again? With such great knowledge, you will be the top female scholar in the future!"
Mother Liu is a native of Jiangnan and speaks the beautiful Wu dialect. Mingyu also smiled and replied, "When I pass the exam and become the top female scholar, I will take mother with me to wear the top scholar's red robe and ride a horse with a big red silk flower in the parade!"
Hearing the pretty and bright girl's soothing words, Mrs. Liu was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She said, "Then you old woman should wait patiently. I will put up the window paper-cuts for you first!"
Soon, the thick window paper was covered with bright red window paper, which made the room more festive and lively. Mother Liu was skillful and cut the window paper vividly.
After Mama Liu left for a while, she brought a small iron basin back into the room, placed it next to Mingyu, and said with a smile, "Miss, these sweet potatoes are freshly roasted. Eat them while they're hot!"
After Liu Ma left, she still had a smile on her face. As she walked, she muttered to herself, "Young lady is really lovable. I am willing to do anything for her!"
Mrs. Xu just came in from the outer courtyard with a few account books. When she heard what Aunt Liu said, she couldn't help but shook her head and laughed. Mingyu, this little girl, is bright and cute, and her mouth is as sweet as honey. She calls everyone sweetly when she sees her. Everyone in the county government likes her very much. I think my daughter is sensible and cute, but the Anxi Marquis Mansion, who has eyes on the top of their heads, can't see the good of Mingyu. They have no vision! Mrs. Xu couldn't help but feel angry when she thought about it. However, she changed her mind and thought that her daughter was back after all. It was enough for her to know the good of her daughter. Whether it was the Anxi Marquis Mansion or the Andong Marquis Mansion, why should she care about them!
When Mingyu saw Madam Xu enter the house, she immediately went to greet her with a smile and took the account book from Madam Xu. Lixiang stepped forward and took the thick robe that Madam Xu took off. Mingyu smiled and said, "Mother went to the store again?"
Mrs. Xu nodded. Seeing her well-behaved and sensible daughter, she felt relieved. She said, "The New Year is coming soon, and the store has no business. I will take the account book back and calculate the accounts so that I can pay the employees."
After Mingyu took the account book, she sat at the table and started to calculate. Madam Xu sat in front of the charcoal stove and warmed her hands. When she first calculated the accounts, the business had just started and the small business could not afford to hire a special accountant. Although Madam Xu came from a merchant family, she herself had little experience in this field and her father rarely taught her, so it was very difficult for her to calculate the accounts. Mingye was smart, but he basically studied in the academy. He came back occasionally, and Madam Xu loved him so much that she was reluctant to let him spend his brains calculating the accounts. As for Xu Changqian, Madam Xu did not expect him at all, because he was not as good as her at moving the beads on the abacus.
Mingyu, on the other hand, gave her a big surprise. She didn't need an abacus, but just took a pen and drew some random numbers on paper, and she was able to figure out the accounts. It was equivalent to her moving the abacus beads for a whole day, and she would forget where she was as she was moving.
Mingyu was too lazy to explain to Madam Xu that the numbers she drew on the paper were Arabic numerals, and she just said that it was called mental arithmetic. In ancient times, accounts were simple and clear. Buying and selling goods, and paying money were nothing more than simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Although Mingyu was only a kindergarten teacher in her previous life, the four arithmetic operations were not difficult for her.
Seeing her daughter calculating for a while, flipping through the pages of the account book very quickly, Madam Xu raised her head and said, "Mingyu, take a break before calculating again. Don't get too tired."
Mingyu said without even turning her head, "I'm not tired. It will be over in a while." At least let her do something, otherwise she would just eat and sleep all day, like some kind of animal that was kept in captivity, fattened up, and then slaughtered for meat.
"Alas." Madam Xu sighed, unable to speak. When her daughter first came home, she was very confident, but now she thought that there was a problem. If the Anxi Marquisate refused to give in, her daughter would be convicted of "running away from her husband". If she was lucky enough not to be found out by the Marquisate, it would be very difficult for her to remarry. It would be good if her daughter could do something. Even if they were gone in the future, Mingyu could still make a living by running the two shops she left behind.
Mingyu turned around and saw that Madam Xu looked worried. She quickly jumped off the chair, walked to Madam Xu, took her hand and said, "Mom, if you have something on your mind, just say it."
Mrs. Xu touched her daughter's fair face, thought about it but didn't say it. After all, her daughter had been married once and was no longer a carefree girl. This world would not allow her to be carefree. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe to Qidian Mobile Network () and give me a reward. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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