Xie Qi: “…”
Madam, what you said sounds very reasonable.
But why did he feel something was weird
Seeing Xie Qi still hesitated, the lady was so angry that she took out her handkerchief, turned her back to Xie Qi, and tapped the corner of her eyes with the handkerchief. She sobbed softly, "I have only had three daughters in all these years. The last time I gave birth, I was injured. I have seen many medical experts who said that it is difficult to get pregnant again. How many people in the clan know about this? How much bullying, how much bullying, how much ridicule have I suffered, openly or secretly. Isn't every word they say a stab to my heart?"
Hearing his wife say this, Xie Qi's scalp began to tingle. He leaned forward to comfort her, "Tell me, why are you crying again? It's not like your husband doesn't want to make plans for the three children. Isn't it the right time yet?"
The lady didn't listen to his words.
She slightly turned her gaze away, just enough for Xie Qi to see the tears and red eyes at the corners of her eyes. Then she turned around crying and said, "My husband is still in his prime, and I am still alive and well. There are voices in the clan saying that they want to adopt a male heir to carry on the family line, so that we can discuss the marriages of the three female rulers in the future... Isn't this a way to kill me? There are also aunts in the clan who advise me to be magnanimous and let my husband take a maid as a dowry and give birth to a bastard. It is better than letting the family property fall into the hands of some bastard."
Xie Qi’s head got even bigger.
Madam continued to complain: "They bully me, a woman in the inner house, so much, isn't it because I gave birth to three female monarchs who can't practice cultivation and can't support the family? Didn't the master feel sorry for the fact that the female monarchs were smart, but had to be born as girls?"
Xie Qi tried to interrupt: "No, Madam..."
Madam raised her voice and slapped the table with her hand, drowning out Xie Qi's voice. Her eyes were determined and firm: "Now that you have the chance, why don't you go? Even if you repay a favor and get a bad reputation, as parents, how can a mere reputation be more important than your lady's future? If you, Xie Shizang, are shameless and don't want to go, then let me go."
After saying this, the lady pretended to get up and go out.
She didn't forget to say, "You are a man who cares about your reputation, but I am a woman in the inner house, I have no skin or shame. Let alone asking Tu Nan to repay her, as long as she is willing to accept my poor female monarchs, she can kneel down and kowtow to her three times and nine times!"
"If she still refuses to accept me, then that will be the fate of us four... In order not to become the culprit for the extinction of your Xie family, my Lord, please pick a day and choose one of my unmarried maids to carry the dowry."
Madam walked slowly, and before she could take two steps, Xie Qi, who had reacted, grabbed her sleeve. He said helplessly, "Madam, what are you talking about? How could a husband not make plans for our lady? Don't be anxious, at least wait until dawn."
Hearing this, the lady snorted coldly and sat back.
Xie Qi sighed again, observing his wife's expression while explaining things to her softly: "Finding a teacher for our daughter is a small matter, but if this teacher is Ning Tunan, the meaning is different. Madam, think about it... There hasn't been a woman who can practice for more than 200 years, and now two have appeared, and I estimate there are more than two... Is there no secret behind this? If we know this secret, can we get away easily?"
The lady rolled her eyes and glanced at Xie Qi: "What do you mean by escape? Didn't the master say he wanted to go to Longwu County?"
Xie Qi: “…”
The lady's face was filled with unhappiness. She said, "Either you go to Tunan and ask him to accept you as his disciple, or I will always be with the ancient Buddha and chant sutras for my master and the new concubine to pray for a son."
The subtext has risen to the point where she wants to divorce Xie Qi.
Xie Qi made the decision and said, "Visiting at night shows our sincerity!"
There were knocks on Ning Yan's temporary residence. If she listened carefully, she could hear the cry of a baby. However, wild cats were in heat frequently during this season, so it was possible that she had misheard. She lit the lights, got dressed, and opened the door. Outside was Xie Qi...
Uh, thanks to the Qi family.
On the left was Xie Qi, and on the right was Xie Qi's wife, who raised her hand and pretended to knock on the door again. Two girls, one tall and one short, stood on the left and right, with Xie Qi holding one in his arms, and the one crying non-stop was her.
Ning Yan was startled by this, and mistakenly thought that the child in Xie Qi's arms had a sudden serious illness, so she hurriedly said, "Come in quickly, I'll go ask a doctor to see the child..."
Xie Qi said awkwardly: "No need to call a doctor."
After a cup of tea.
Ning Yan coaxed the noisy child who wanted to sleep, and looked at Xie Qi and his wife in front of her with helplessness and amusement: "You are looking for me just for this matter? It would be fine if it was just the two older ones, but why did you bring this little one here as well, and want to leave it to me to raise?"
The two older ones have already begun to learn to read, their stuttering is clear, their speech is decent, their eyes are bright and clear, and they are much more intelligent than Xie Qi.
But the little one...
He couldn't even call "Father" and "Mother" clearly.
Ning Yan held her for such a while that shiny saliva hung from the corners of her mouth and her eyelids were half closed.
He looked like he was sleepy but trying to stay awake.
After hearing Ning Yan's teasing, Xie Qi just wanted to cover his face, and said in a pleading voice: "If you don't come, this family will fall apart."
For the sake of family harmony, it cannot be postponed to tomorrow.
Ning Yan looked at Madam Xie Qi, who had a resolute look on her face, and sighed. She was also a mother, so how could she not know the other party's urgent thoughts? She said, "Parents love their children and plan for them in the long run. I can empathize with them."
If not, she would not have used such a decisive way to unite the literary spirit. This feeling can only be resonated by women. If she were given another chance, she would still make the same choice.
"Tunan, what do you mean..." Mrs. Xie Qi suddenly opened her eyes wide, with uncontrollable ecstasy in her eyes.
Ning Yan nodded: "It's not difficult to accept a disciple."
She is the dean of the college, and she has many students, so adding two more students is no problem. The only problem is -
Ning Yan turned her gaze to Xie Qi himself.
"Shizo, have you thought it through?"
Xie Qi smiled bitterly and said, "Of course I have thought about it, but you know my ability level. I am not a great talent."
His talent has been mediocre since childhood, and he is ordinary, which cannot be compared with the seedlings like Yan An Ning Yan. Among all the students of Master Yan, Xie Qi can only be ranked in the middle. However, Master Yan said that he has a down-to-earth character and it is enough for him to be able to work for the benefit of the people with peace of mind.
His initial plan was to be sent to a remote place to hone his skills and gain experience step by step. However, the Xin Kingdom was destroyed as soon as it was said, and Zheng Qiao, who was in power, had a perverted desire for control, so Xie Qi had been acting as a hostage for the past few years.
If Ning Yan was counting on him...
Xie Qi can only say that he will disappoint the other party.
Ning Yan disagreed and said, "Why belittle yourself?"
No matter how mediocre Xie Qi's talent was, he was still a scholar with a complete and orthodox education. Isn't he the normal subordinate that the lord dreamed of? He was also down-to-earth. When he was punished to copy books for fighting in a group, Xie Qi copied them honestly, stroke by stroke.
You know, Lian Xingning also used some tricks.
Xie Qi didn't know what Ning Yan complained about, so he bowed and thanked her, "In that case, please help Tu Nan to introduce me to one or two."
Ning Yan tested the root bones of Xie Qi's two daughters and said, "Shi Zang, your two daughters' root bones are much better than yours."
There was a hint of surprise in the words.
Xie Qi nodded: "Yes, much better."
That's why he always felt sorry that his two daughters were not boys. It's not that he disliked their gender, but it was a pity that they had talents but had to waste them. Now that things have turned around, he has finally solved a lifelong regret in the hearts of the couple.
Ning Yan looked at the two new students lovingly. Their parents had given her two talented students and were very grateful to her. She wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. "If you want to become my disciple, you should be serious. I will invite the master to watch the ceremony tomorrow."
Xie Qi understood what Ning Yan meant: "Okay."
Although all the students in the academy are Ning Yan's students, the master-disciple inheritance in this era is more intimate than that. Ning Yan officially accepted the two students as her disciples, and they were the heirs of her mantle, nominally equivalent to her daughters, more like blood relatives than blood relatives.
Inviting the lord to watch the ceremony is also a sign of seriousness.
Chen Tang really gave me face.
She looked at Ning Yan, then at the two students.
"Change your household registration?"
It only counts if the household registration is moved to her place of governance.
Ning Yan said: "Of course."
When Chen Tang heard that it was Xie Qi who came to Ning Yan in the middle of the night with his family to ask her to accept him as his disciple, Chen Tang's face became strange for a moment, and he whispered to Ning Yan, "Xie Shizang... he should be normal, right?"
Ning Yan also whispered: "He doesn't have the ways of a scholar."
Since Xie Qi's talent and understanding are very ordinary, and he lacks a bit of luck, it is normal that he does not have the way of a scholar.
However, Shen Tang was surprised for a moment after hearing this.
"No?"
Ning Yan said: "The way of scholars is not common."
Chen Tang scratched his nose: "Yuan Liang and the others misled me."
Because Qi Shan and the others all have the ways of a scholar, and each one is more deceiving than the other, Chen Tang has the illusion that the ways of a scholar are rampant. In fact, the proportion of scholars with the ways of a scholar is low. Ning Yan doesn't know what she is thinking, and is worried that Chen Tang will despise Xie Qi because of this - although Xie Qi's talent is mediocre, his mind is very sharp, and she is worried that he will misunderstand.
So Ning Yan added: "My lord, although Xie Shizang is not good at military formations and tactics, he has a lot of experience in government affairs."
In short, Xie Qi doesn't like wandering around the battlefield.
A traditional scholar of literary mind.
When Chen Tang heard this, his eyes brightened several times.
He clapped his hands and said, "This is exactly the talent we are in urgent need of!"
There were not many people in Chen Tang's group who liked to deal with official documents. Luan Xin could barely be considered one of them, but he was slow to react. It was hard to say whether he really loved official duties or was just too slow to refuse. Now that Xie Qi was here, he still didn't cheat his lord at all.
Her favorability towards Xie Qi soared.
At this time, Xie Qi was anxiously thinking about how to make a contribution. He quickly stood on his feet and met Chen Tang's loving gaze.
Xie Qi: “…???”
Although they were two daughters, Xie Qi and his wife did not neglect their education. When they became apprentices, they were well-mannered, which made the spectators jealous: "Although the two girls' talents are not as good as Lingde's, they are also very rare. Tunan is so lucky..."
Ning Yan smiled and said, "Do you want me to share one with you?"
Xun Zhen waved his hand: "A gentleman does not take away what others like."
Mrs. Xie Qi, who was watching the ceremony, was very competitive. When she heard that her daughter was not as good as others, she couldn't help but prick up her ears and secretly inquired about who Lingde was. When she was told that Lingde was also a female monarch, with a literary mind of the second rank, she secretly imagined what rank her daughter would be in, which would definitely not be much worse than Lingde...
When Ning Yan drank the apprenticeship tea, she also straightened her back.
When her two daughters become successful, she will definitely take them back to Xie's and show off to those gossipy people.
Who said the daughter she gave birth to was not good
Ning Yan: "Shi Zang has a little daughter. She is too young to tell her physique, but I think three sisters from the same mother will not be too different when they grow up. Han Zhang can wait."
Xun Zhen was also very considerate and reserved a student.
Xie Qi heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. He clenched his sleeves and went over the contents he had prepared in the second half of the night. He was relieved only when he was sure that everything was correct. Little did he know that a pair of eyes were fixed on him for several breaths during the ceremony.
After the apprenticeship ceremony, Ning Yan hosted a banquet for the guests.
Chen Tang also stayed for a meal.
Before he had taken two steps, he saw Gu Chi approaching.
The other person was in a very good mood, with a smile on his lips.
Chen Tang asked, "Did you find any money when you went out today?"
Gu Chi: "It was not Chi who picked up the money, but the Lord."
Chen Tang followed his meaningful gaze and looked over: "You mean Shi Zang? Well, he did find the money."
Her crappy company has been in business for four or five years, and this is the first time that HR has hired a normal clerk. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, she would have laughed out loud.
See, her luck isn't that bad.
Could it be because Kang Jishou, the plague god, is not here
Gu Chi smiled mysteriously: "More than that."
According to the ideas of orthodox scholars, if you want to join a new master, you must show some real ability, or have bargaining chips that can impress the other party and win the other party's favor. Otherwise, it is easy to be hidden and ignored. Since Xie Qi is an orthodox scholar, he is naturally no exception.
Chen Tang was curious: "More than that?"
He said, "Which bride doesn't have some dowry?"
Chen Tang: “…”
Oh my god, she has three wives and four concubines now
Chen Tang looked at Gu Chi with a bit of weirdness in his eyes. Gu Chi said shamelessly: "Chi followed the master and started from humble beginnings."
He has worked diligently for so many years in handling government affairs. The master and his subjects have been through hard times together. What is there to talk about as a "dowry"
Chen Tang said: "Oh, the wife of the poor and the poor."
Gu Chi's face was thicker than Chen Tang had imagined: "A wife who has shared the hustle and bustle of life is still a wife, one of the three wives, as long as she is not a concubine."
Chen Tang: “…”
She really wanted to ask who the three wives were
The apprenticeship ceremony was just a side dish, the real feast was still to come. With Ning Yan's help, Chen Tang and Xie Qi met privately. Because both parties were interested, the atmosphere was very harmonious. But Gu Chi's jokes made Chen Tang very distracted.
She inexplicably felt like she was on a blind date.
"What is this?"
Chen Tang silently put away his messy thoughts and looked at the object presented by Xie Qi, which should be a map.
Xie Qi said: "Where the granary of Qianzhou is located."
Chen Tang: “…”
Wow, that’s a really generous “dowry”.