"Miss Xu." Lu Hao looked at Mingyu and smiled, "Is your brother Mingye at home? I heard that he will do well in the exam."
"At home." The little girl nodded in a clear voice. "I'll ask him to come out to see you."
Lu Hao hurriedly said, "No need, I'll go over there." He still wanted to talk to Mingyu alone.
Mingyu led the way and walked in front. The original main door of the Xu family's main house was locked from the inside and outside. Mingyu knocked on the door and called Liu Mama. When Liu Mama heard Mingyu's voice, she took the key and unlocked the door. Seeing Lu Hao following behind, she was so shocked that she quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Lu Hao, but Lu Hao stopped her and said with a friendly smile, "No need to be polite."
Looking at Lu Hao's back, Mother Liu's face was full of sighs. Such a good and promising young man is hard to find even with a lantern, and she didn't know which girl would be lucky enough to marry him!
"Brother!" Mingyu shouted from the doorway of Xu Mingye, "Master Lu is here."
Xu Mingye was reading in the room. He came out immediately after hearing Mingyu's words. When he saw Lu Hao, he bowed and said with a smile, "I didn't know Lord Lu was coming to visit. I'm sorry for not welcoming you."
Lu Hao smiled and said, "It's okay. I thought I had to pass through the main gate of Xu's mansion to get to you. Otherwise..." As he spoke, Lu Hao smiled and shook his head. For this reason, his batch of high-quality tonic herbs was given to the old man Xu Changgong. Otherwise, if he had brought the things directly to Mingyu, I'm afraid Mingyu would be embarrassed. However, there will be better things in the future. Now he is in a high position and has seen many good things. He is no longer a small official in the Imperial Household Department. He doesn't care about these things.
Xu Mingye smiled. The division of the family was the Xu family’s internal affair and it was not easy to tell others.
Lu Hao was a smart man. Seeing that Xu Mingye was vague about this matter, he smiled and changed the subject, talking about the imperial examination that had just passed. Both of them had passed the imperial examination, so they had a lot in common about this matter. They talked happily, one said "I did this and that this time", and the other said "I did this and that in the past", which made Mingyu frown.
After talking for half an hour, both of them were a little tired. Li Xiang served tea. Xu Mingye also admired Lu Hao very much. He clapped his hands and said with a smile: "It's rare for Lord Lu to come here. Mingye doesn't have anything good to treat you. Why don't we play a game of chess so that Mingye can learn from Lord Lu?"
Of course Lu Hao was happy to do so. "Mingye, don't be polite. I heard that Mingye learned chess from Master Qi, so I should be the one asking you for advice."
Dong Yuan received Xu Mingye's order and went to the room to look for Xu Mingye's chessboard. However, Xu Mingye had not touched the chess pieces since he came to the capital. The chessboard, chess pieces and some of his miscellaneous things were piled in several boxes. Dong Yuan searched for a long time but couldn't find it. He came to report with a bitter face that he couldn't find it.
Xu Mingye apologized to Lu Hao and went back to his room to look for it.
Lu Hao and Mingyu were the only ones left in the yard. The little girl sat there quietly and gracefully, with a healthy blush on her fair face and two cute dimples at the corners of her mouth when she smiled. Her neck was small and slender, as tender as a lotus root just out of water, which made Lu Hao feel itchy.
Lu Hao stood up and walked to a meter away from Mingyu, then stopped and asked, "You...are not young anymore, what are your plans for the future?"
Mingyu was stunned for a moment and stood up in a hurry. She didn't expect Lu Hao to ask her this, and couldn't think of a good answer for a moment. She just smiled and said, "There are two shops at home, which my parents prepared for me. If I manage them well, my life will probably not be a problem in the future." As long as she doesn't act like a spendthrift woman, she probably won't starve herself.
Lu Hao looked down at Mingyu's clean and pretty face with an eager gaze. He took two steps closer, staring at her intently, and spoke slowly, "I'm not asking about your life, I'm asking if you want to get married."
Mingyu was shocked as if she had been electrocuted. She looked up and met Lu Hao's undisguised fiery gaze. Suddenly, she seemed to understand something. From the time she went to Tianshui Villa, when he sent her back to Lu'an, to the times he came to visit her, Mingyu's heart began to beat in panic. She lowered her head and dared not look at Lu Hao again. She had never thought that "Uncle Lu" would have such thoughts.
She had never thought that Lu Hao would become her marriage partner. Firstly, Lu Hao was a few years older than her and had always taken care of her as an elder. Secondly, Lu Hao's status and position were there. He was a favorite of the emperor and could have any kind of daughter he wanted. Why would he choose her, a divorced woman who was not worthy of his status
Lu Hao was also a little flustered. It was the first time for him to express his feelings so directly in front of a girl. Judging from Mingyu's reaction, she seemed to be scared. Yes, a little girl who had just divorced would be scared, but on the other hand, Lu Hao himself was also hesitant. Mingyu was a fierce girl, and she was not like those shy girls who would blush for a long time before saying a word.
Lu Hao struggled with his emotions for a long time, then took two steps back, widened the distance between them, coughed, covered up his embarrassment, and said softly: "Don't be afraid, I'm just asking..."
At this time, Dong Yuan's voice was heard from Xu Mingye's room, and he said with a smile: "Found it, Master, found it! It's under the box!"
Lu Hao took one last look at Mingyu, who looked down at him, not knowing what she was thinking. He turned around and returned to his seat, not seeing Mingyu's answer, and he felt a little disappointed.
Xu Mingye came out with the chessboard and chess pieces. When Lu Hao looked up at him, his face was still smiling as warmly as the spring breeze. He asked Xu Mingye to sit down and the two of them played chess.
After the game, Lu Hao had to admit that Xu Mingye was indeed a good chess player, and he had cleverly won by only half a point. Lu Hao smiled and picked up the chess pieces one by one into the chess box, ready to play another game.
As expected of a disciple of Master Qi, Lu Hao admired him in his heart. When he was born, the Lu family was at its peak. However, the good times did not last for a few years. His father was dismissed from office and exiled. After his family was destroyed, he was lucky to be able to study. How could he have the opportunity to meet a famous teacher and learn these elegant things? Whenever he thought about it, Lu Hao could not help but feel regretful. Therefore, the one he disliked the most was Sima Hong, a dandy disciple who had everything but did not know how to cherish anything.
Thinking of this, Lu Hao's thoughts went off topic. When he looked back at where Mingyu had been sitting, the pretty figure of the little girl was no longer there. He didn't know when she had left, and Lu Hao was filled with regret.
Until Lu Hao said goodbye and left, Mingyu hid in the room and never came out again.
Mingyu tossed and turned in bed at night, unable to sleep. She lay silently in bed, counting the shadows of the branches outside the window, thinking of Lu Hao's words today. Speaking of getting married, Mingyu's mind flashed a purple cold shadow. It was really strange. I thought others were cold, but I didn't expect... Thinking of her throwing Qin Junwang to the ground, Mingyu blushed, frustrated, and suddenly pulled the quilt over her head, covering it tightly.
What the future holds, we won't know until the future arrives. Things will work out when the time comes. It's not like she will be homeless and hungry if she can't get married, so why think so much
After the joint examination is the palace examination, which is held at the end of September. However, this year's palace examination is different from previous years. It is said that it has increased the emperor's impression points. Someone will observe this group of tribute scholars who have passed the joint examination. During this time every year, in addition to reviewing their lessons, the most favorite thing for the high-spirited tribute scholars to do is to get together to discuss international and domestic affairs and make high-profile speeches. In fact, in Mingyu's view, it is nothing more than a few young people criticizing which official is not authentic and which official is just so-so based on their own opinions. It is quite like a young man who is full of vigor and wants to give advice on how to deal with the country.
Because there is such an "impression point" item this year, many tribute candidates have tried their best to perform well during this period in order to catch the emperor's eye. The discussions among the tribute candidates this year were several levels higher than in previous years. Even Mingyu heard about it. Several of the most active tribute candidates not only discussed current affairs, but also jointly wrote a thick stack of ten thousand words to advise the emperor.
Naive, too naive! Mingyu sneered. Even she, who didn't understand politics, felt that this group of people were too high-profile. A tribute scholar who wasn't even an official was making trouble everywhere, and the officials who worked in the court were just eating for free? Isn't this just making people hate each other! Even if he really became an official in the future, he would inevitably be tripped up by others. So, young people's impetuosity is the most annoying thing.
Xu Changqian was well-informed and had warned Xu Mingye several times not to try to show off at this time, but to stay quiet and be more careful with his words. Even if the emperor had no impression of Xu Mingye, Xu Mingye still had his own cultural foundation, and he would definitely become a Jinshi. It didn't matter if he ranked low, he could just climb up slowly.
Xu Mingye smiled and agreed. He was no longer the age of a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers. He could not stand those high-profile scholars who lost their minds when they were successful. In recent days, Xu Mingye rarely went out. However, being too low-key seemed unsociable. Xu Mingye accepted the invitation from the same scholar, but he only went out occasionally, and he had to make an appointment with Qi Su to go together.
Just two days before the palace examination, Xu Mingye went to see Qi Su, leaving only Mingyu and Madam Xu at home. At this time, someone knocked on the door.
Li Xiang hurried to open the door. Through the small door on the main door, she saw two girls who were about fifteen or sixteen years old. She opened the door and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Mingyu just came out of the house and walked up to Lixiang. She looked at the two visiting girls. The leading girl had a fair and delicate face, round almond-shaped eyes, a crystal hairpin on her head, and an apricot-yellow dress. She was pretty and cute.
"Hey, where is your young master Xu Mingye?" the girl asked in a bad tone.
Mingyu's eyes widened, and he and Lixiang looked at each other, and asked slowly: "What do you want to see him for?"
The girl clenched her fists in anger, "I want to duel with him!"