"Look at me in this state, can I go to class?" Cheng Xu pointed at his legs and said to Da Su disapprovingly, "When you see Mr. Zhang, tell him the truth. Say that I was punished by my grandmother and I can't walk well. I can only go to the clan school in the afternoon. Although Mr. Zhang is strict, he is not unreasonable. Just ask for leave for me, he will definitely agree."
Dasu was still a little hesitant.
Cheng Xuyi said, "Why don't you go quickly - the class will start in two quarters of an hour. Even if you ask for leave for me, according to the rules of the clan school, I will be considered absent. Mr. Zhang has always been impartial in enforcing the law, and he won't care why I ask for leave!"
Dasu is more familiar with the rules of the clan school than Cheng Xu.
He didn't dare to delay, so he said "yes" and rushed to the clan school.
Huanxi was trembling with fear and said, "Master, are you really not going to the clan school this morning? If my wife knew about this, she would definitely kick me out..."
Cheng Xu glanced at him contemptuously and said, "If you make me unhappy, believe it or not, I will kick you out right now? There's no need to wait for the lady to know!"
"I believe it, I believe it!" Huanxi said with a sad face, "I'm just afraid that Madam will know... Then where should we go now? If we go back to Duojia Pavilion, that girl Biyu will definitely inform Madam. If Madam knows, then Madam Tai will also know. How about going to Chunze Pavilion? There are still guests at home. The old ancestor of the second house likes it the most. I'm afraid he will entertain guests there... How about going to Tingsongfengchu? No, no, Master Shi from the second house often goes in and out there. If you go there, the servants there will definitely tell him, and he will definitely tell Madam Tai when he gets the chance... Where else can we go..."
Cheng Xu slapped him in anger and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Of course we are going back to Duo Jiaxuan. When mother heard that I didn't go to class, she was only worried about my legs. How could she think that I didn't go to class? It doesn't matter if grandmother knows. Don't look at her stern face. In fact, she is the softest at heart. Knowing that I didn't go to class because of leg pain, she will definitely send someone to see me quietly... The most dangerous place is the safest place. You still have a lot to learn!"
"Otherwise, why do people praise my uncle for being smart?" Huanxi said flatteringly, "My mother said that since I followed my uncle, my brain has become more useful than before."
"Be careful not to flatter the horse." Cheng Xu laughed, then whispered, "Hey, let me ask you, if you offend a girl, is there any way to make her not angry with you?"
Huanxi was stunned.
He was half a year younger than Cheng Xu. Because he served Cheng Xu, the maids would smile at him on weekdays... If he offended someone... it was others who offended him.
Huanxi thought about it carefully and it seemed that he had never offended anyone!
Even if there is, who would dare to give him a hard time
Is there anyone who dares to show me such displeasure
Huanxi recalled what she overheard outside Yuru's house a few days ago.
Uncle, are you really in love with the second cousin of the Zhou family
Thinking about it this way, he felt that it was right.
The second cousin of the Zhou family is so beautiful, who wouldn’t like her
He had even seen Cheng Ju, a member of the side branch of the fifth house, secretly hiding in the woods and spying on the second cousin of the Zhou family!
However, he really didn't know how to please the second cousin of the Zhou family.
The second cousin of the Zhou family was a rich lady, so she couldn't be like Xiao Liu who was sweeping the front yard. She offended her and spent five big bucks to buy two bags of melon seeds, and Xiao Liu would be happy with her again...
Thinking of this, he asked tentatively: "How about you buy something for Miss Zhou's second cousin?"
This time it was Cheng Xu's turn to be surprised.
He knocked on Huanxi's head and said, "How do you know that I offended the second cousin of the Zhou family?"
"This, this," Huanxi couldn't say that he had heard Yuru and Biru's private conversation. In a hurry, he had an idea and said, "I thought about these ladies in the family. Apart from the second cousin of the Zhou family, you can't possibly offend anyone else, right?"
Cheng Xu knew that he might have heard some rumors.
The thought flashed through his mind and his mouth opened wide.
Even Huanxi guessed it, so my grandmother... must have guessed it too...
But his grandmother exempted him from coma from now on.
In other words, he is forbidden to meet Zhou Shaojin... What should he do
Cheng Xu suddenly felt like sitting on pins and needles.
He thought for a moment, called out "Huanxi," and said, "Let's go to Fourth Uncle's place!"
Huanxi shrank back after hearing this and said, "Go, go to the Fourth Master?"
"Yeah!" Cheng Xu murmured.
Zhou Shaojin accidentally entered Sanzhixuan, and it was her fourth uncle Cheng Chi who helped her out.
My fourth uncle must know what I am thinking.
Since he was a child, he has admired his fourth uncle.
While others were studying hard, he was traveling around, visiting Taoist temples and looking for immortals; while others were writing furiously in the examination hall, he was unrestrained, lingering in the palaces and halls... Logically speaking, for a family like theirs, even if Fourth Uncle was not expelled from home, he would be punished and reprimanded, but neither his father nor his grandmother seemed to be able to control Fourth Uncle, and could only coax him with nice words. Even the ancestor of the second house, Cheng Xu, could not do anything about Fourth Uncle - five years ago, Fourth Uncle decided to take the imperial examination. At that time, everyone thought it was very funny. Uncle Yi from the third house even joked: "If Si Lang can pass the imperial examination, then those of us who have studied hard for ten years will have to jump into Mochou Lake!"
No one expected that in just three years, my fourth uncle would pass the imperial examinations from a scholar to a juren, and finally become a double-listed Jinshi in the Renchen year of the 15th year of Zhide.
At that time, everyone in the family was shocked.
But what was even more surprising was that after Fourth Uncle passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he did not participate in the selection of Hanlin Academy students. Instead, he went straight back to Jinling City after the Qionglin Banquet, as if he took the imperial examination just to shut up the second uncle and others and stop controlling him.
Then, he continued to do whatever he wanted... There was a time when he even wore a Taoist bun and Taoist robes, which made his grandmother afraid that he was going to become a Taoist monk.
In Cheng Xu's eyes, such a character was like a knight in a chapter novel who traveled the world with a sword, taking pleasure in revenge and being upright and unrestrained, which made him yearn for it.
If he could convince Fourth Uncle about his relationship with Zhou Shaojin, then... he would definitely be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort with his father and grandmother!
Although he had less contact with his fourth uncle since he started school due to his hard work, he still remembered how his fourth uncle often took him around to play when he was a child... His fourth uncle would definitely help him!
For a moment, Cheng Xu felt that his future was full of hope again.
He ran to Cheng Chi's house "Small Hill Conggui" on the east side of Jiuru Lane, and said to Huanxi as he walked: "Why does Fourth Uncle live in such a remote place? Why is it called 'Small Hill Conggui'? There are many hills made of Taihu stones, but there is not a single osmanthus tree. Could it be that there was a field of osmanthus trees planted before, and then they were all cut down? But why did they cut them down? Qin Zian in our clan school is the tall and thin guy. It is said that his family planted more than a hundred osmanthus trees and became a wealthy family in the village. It can be seen that osmanthus trees are also very valuable... Since the osmanthus trees have been cut down, why not change the name? I don’t know when this name was given? Who gave the name... "
The small osmanthus bush on the hill is located at the junction of the first and second houses, at the northernmost part of the garden, separated only by a wall from the back street of Jiuru Lane.
He kept talking, but no one responded.
Cheng Xu turned around and saw Huanxi following him tremblingly.
"What's wrong with you?" Cheng Xu asked curiously, "You look like your parents are dead?"
Huanxi muttered with a bitter face: "If my mother dies, I will just take care of the funeral... What do I have to be afraid of!"
"What do you mean?" Cheng Xu stopped and looked at him with a frown.
Huanxi felt a chill on her neck and said, "You know that last time, Duofu, who was next to Master Wen of the Fifth House, helped Master Wen to lend money in the name of the Cheng family. Later, the matter was reported to the Fourth Master, who pinned Duofu to the ground and beat him half to death. Master Wen not only did not dare to say a word for Duofu, but he also had to smile at the side and even invited the Fourth Master to dinner afterwards..."
"What does this have to do with you? I didn't beat you." Cheng Xu said angrily, "Besides, Fourth Uncle is in charge of the household affairs. If we don't beat this kind of person to death and make an example of him, do we have to wait until others report him to the government office before we can help Uncle Wen clean up the mess?"
The problem was that afterwards he was called by the Fourth Master and asked, "I heard that Huanqing is your brother," and then he was left alone in the study... and stood there for nearly two hours before coming out.
If Nanping, the maidservant beside the Fourth Master, had not reminded him, "If this matter didn't involve people around the Master, our Fourth Master wouldn't care", he wouldn't have known that the Fourth Master was warning him!
Huanxi never dared to tell Cheng Xu.
At that time, Duofu told the servants of his several rooms to contribute a share, so that everyone can share the wealth. His brother Huanqing, who was in charge of the carriages and horses in the outer courtyard, contributed a share in his name without informing him...
What he didn't know, the Fourth Master knew.
In the past few years, it felt like a sword was hanging over his head, scaring him so much that he never did anything against the rules.
When I meet the Fourth Master later, I wonder if he will remember what happened back then...
With his calves trembling, he followed Cheng Xu to the Conggui Courtyard on the hill.
Not everyone can come to the place where the Fourth Master lives.
The last time Huanxi came, he was very nervous, and when he left, he was very nervous, so he didn't notice what the Hillside Conggui Courtyard looked like. This time, with Cheng Xu's presence, he felt a little relieved, and dared to look around.
Just as Uncle Cheng Xu said, there are quite a lot of mountains made of Taihu stones in Xiaoshan Congguiyuan, one group in the east and one group in the west, with various shapes, some are exquisite, some are heavy, some are light, and some are simple. In addition, there are towering trees, overgrown wild grasses, and gurgling springs. People who don’t know would think they have walked into some deep mountains and old forests, but there is not a single osmanthus tree.
As soon as they stepped onto the bluestone path in the yard, Qingfeng, the servant beside the Fourth Master, appeared on the path in a blue Taoist robe.
"Sir!" He bowed to the two of them, "Why are you here? Please go to the flower hall for tea. I will go and tell Sister Nanping right away."
Cheng Xu stopped and asked, "Is Fourth Uncle not here?"
Otherwise why let Nanping come to entertain the guests.
Qingfeng smiled and said, "The Fourth Master and Gu Liuye went to Jiming Mountain. They said they would be back the day after tomorrow."
Cheng Xu was disappointed and said, "Well, when Fourth Uncle comes back, send someone to tell me that I need to see Fourth Uncle. I won't go in today."
Qingfeng smiled and replied "yes", and sent Cheng Xu and Huanxi out of the Hillside Guiyuan.
※
The weekend is here again.
I wish you all a happy weekend!
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)