Yang Taohua was overjoyed—truly worthy of her granddaughter…
Madam Su wanted to argue back, but she couldn’t find a single point to refute.
At her age, if she had to kneel and copy Buddhist scriptures, her legs would probably give out. But if she refused, wouldn’t that be admitting she had deliberately made things difficult for Tang Mei?
She instinctively cast a pleading glance toward her son.
Li Yueze also sensed the awkwardness in the air. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, Tang Zheng’s cold gaze swept over him. “Speaking of which, a daughter-in-law isn’t as close as a son. If someone has to copy Buddhist scriptures for blessings, it would be more effective for the son to kneel and copy them himself.”
Tang Li suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. Her second uncle, as the male lead of the imperial examination story, was indeed not the rigid, pedantic type. Look at how cleverly he handled people—directly targeting the old woman’s weak spot.
Li Yueze’s eyes widened. Him, copy Buddhist scriptures?
“But I… I have to study…”
Tang Xun was quick to add fuel to the fire. “Study? Your mother has been ill for two months, and you still have the heart to study? Do you even care about your mother? Studying isn’t just about learning words; more importantly, it’s about cultivating the virtues of the sages. An unfilial person is beyond saving, no matter how much they study. Have you been studying for nothing?”
Wow, who knew he could be so righteous and imposing one day! His image must be towering right now.
In the past, Tang Xun was always the one being lectured from a moral high ground. Now he realized how satisfying it was to be the one morally pressuring others.
Good, he had finally discovered the benefits of studying. Tang Xun now had one more reason to hit the books.
And don’t blame him for being harsh—he refused to believe that among so many people in the Li family, no one had noticed the old woman tormenting his sister. Wasn’t it just because the knife hadn’t cut them, so they didn’t care?
Yang Taohua looked at her eldest son with approval. Despite his usual carefree attitude, he was reliable when it mattered. She was quite proud of how the whole family stood united.
With the label of unfiliality hanging over him, if word got out, Li Yueze’s reputation would be ruined, and his hopes of pursuing the imperial examinations would be dashed.
The color drained from Li Yueze’s face, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“I… I didn’t know my mother was sick… She kept it from me,” he could only say, though his excuse sounded feeble.
Tang Xun retorted, “Your mother has been ill for two months, and you, as her son, didn’t notice? If my mother so much as coughs, I worry so much I can’t sleep.”
Yang Taohua’s lips twitched—since when was her eldest son so filial?
Well, she wouldn’t expose him in front of outsiders.
Madam Su hurriedly interjected, “I made everyone keep it from him. It’s not his fault.”
She had only wanted to teach Tang Mei a lesson, not drag her precious son into this.
Why were the Tang family so difficult to deal with? If she had known, she wouldn’t have gone so far.
Forcing a smile, she said, “Your eldest daughter is right. Copying Buddhist scriptures should be done by oneself. I was foolish earlier.”
Yang Taohua felt a sense of relief seeing her so stifled. She said to her daughter, “Child, from now on, make sure to supervise your mother-in-law as she copies the Buddhist scriptures, so she can recover soon.”
If any problems arose from the copying, it would just prove her devotion to Buddhism wasn’t sincere.
Heh, her granddaughter’s words were truly useful.
Old Mrs. Li couldn’t bring herself to smile at all; she even wondered if it might be better to faint right then and there.
But if she really did faint, she feared her son wouldn’t be able to handle these ruffians.
She comforted herself: even if she suffered a temporary setback today, sooner or later she would reclaim her dignity. This time, she had simply been careless and let the Tang family seize on her words. Once this matter blew over, she would send some concubines to her son’s side to help him expand the family line. She refused to believe that Tang Mei wouldn’t come begging for mercy then.
Having won this round, Yang Taohua felt immensely gratified. Previously, she had been mindful of her daughter’s reputation and wanted to make a good impression in front of the Li family, but now she had abandoned that notion.
After this bout of confrontation, she was genuinely hungry, so she plopped down on a chair and began eating the pastries the servants had brought.
To be fair, the Li family’s pastries were quite delicious, made with genuine, quality ingredients. When she made pastries herself, she couldn’t bear to use so much sugar.
“This tastes quite good. Your mother would probably like it. Pack a portion for her.”
Tang Mei instructed the maid, “Steam two more baskets of these pastries.”
In the past, she would never have dared to do such a thing. But now that they had already torn into each other, no matter how gentle and filial she was, her mother-in-law wouldn’t appreciate it. She had finally seen the truth: all these years, her husband’s family only cared about superficial appearances and were too embarrassed to refuse.
Not only that, she also had the maid pack fabrics, medicinal herbs, and the like—especially the herbs, which could be exchanged for money. Having endured hardships these past few months, it was time she collected a bit of interest.
Madam Su trembled with rage—their home was being robbed! Yet, having been in the wrong earlier, she was too embarrassed to stop them, as it would make their family seem petty and stingy over such things. She suppressed her anger until her head ached.
Seeing their side achieve a great victory, Tang Xun was pleased, but he didn’t forget that he still had twenty classes to attend today and couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
Judging by his mother and daughter’s combativeness, there was no need to worry about them suffering any losses.
He tugged at his younger brother’s sleeve. “Shouldn’t we be heading to the academy?”
Tang Zheng nodded.
Once the pastries and other items were packed, they left the Li residence and headed for Siqi Academy. As it happened, the women’s academy was located very close to Siqi Academy. Tang Zheng first took his elder brother to pay respects to Master Jiang at the academy.
Tang Zheng had earned his Xiucai (Licentiate) at a young age, ranking quite high, and having come from this very academy, Master Jiang was naturally all smiles upon seeing him. Master Jiang had become a Juren (Recommended Man) in his forties but repeatedly failed the higher examinations afterward, so he simply returned to his hometown to open an academy and take on disciples.
Master Jiang had also heard of Tang Xun’s reputation—rumored to be idle, ambitious yet unaccomplished, and lacking in learning, he was practically the antithesis of Tang Zheng. Now, seeing that he seemed repentant and eager to learn, Master Jiang set aside his original prejudices.
Yang Taohua paid her son’s tuition fee for the year, hoping her eldest wouldn’t waste her silver.
After passing the Xiucai examination, Tang Zheng no longer attended this academy but instead enrolled at Bailu Academy in the prefectural city. The headmaster of Bailu Academy was Wei Shouzhuo, a great Confucian scholar of the Jing Dynasty, and its teaching resources were naturally beyond what their county academy could offer. Because his second uncle had entered as the top candidate, not only was his tuition fee waived, but he also received a monthly subsidy of one tael of silver. The academy held minor examinations every month, and if his second uncle fell out of the top ten, the subsidy would be revoked.
His second uncle would set off for Bailu Academy next month.
Next, they went to the Zhimei Hall, the girls’ school. The female teacher at Zhimei Hall was Master Jiang’s elder sister. This Aunt Jiang had lost her husband early, and her daughter had also passed away young, so she simply opened a girls’ school with her maidservant.
On the carriage, Second Uncle had told Tang Li that Aunt Jiang’s knowledge surpassed even Master Jiang’s.
Compared to paying Tang Xun’s Tuition Fee, Yang Taohua was clearly much more willing to spend this money for Tang Li.
In addition to the Tuition Fee, gifts had to be given to the teacher during festivals—things like meat and rice.
Yang Taohua was skilled at using others’ resources for her own benefit and even kept some pastries she had taken from the Li family.
Only then did Tang Li learn that the annual Tuition Fee for Siqi Academy was ten taels of silver, while Zhimei Hall charged twelve taels per year. Her grandmother had even paid two years’ Tuition Fee for Zhimei Hall upfront.
Tang Li knew the purchasing power of twenty-four taels of silver—it was no small sum in this era. Their family could afford to support Second Uncle as a scholar, which meant they had some financial foundation. Regardless of whether her grandmother was making an early investment, her actions were undoubtedly quite touching.
Tang Li thought it over. She currently had twelve taels of silver on hand and could contribute six taels, which would also help reinforce her persona. That way, if she ever had money in the future, she could simply say it was given by heaven.
With the schooling matter settled, they took the carriage home again. Tang Li would attend Zhimei Hall in a few days, as her body still needed a couple more days to recover. Having just recovered from a long illness, she couldn’t overexert herself. Besides, Yang Taohua insisted on quickly making two new sets of clothes for her so she wouldn’t be looked down upon at school. As for Tang Xun, he would start school tomorrow and could wear Tang Zheng’s nicer clothes for the time being.
[Host has completed the task, successfully leading the out-of-school child Tang Li to attend school. Reward: two taels of silver and two points of Intelligence.]
The System’s voice echoed in his mind, and Tang Xun felt the weight of silver in his hand. He placed the silver in the System’s storage bag and saw that it now contained nineteen taels of silver.
He had money again! How touching! Looking at the Intelligence section, adding the rewards from previous tasks, his Intelligence was now one hundred nineteen… As long as he completed today’s daily reading task after returning home, it would reach one hundred twenty, right?
Tang Li also noticed her father’s current numbers.
She thought for a moment and poked the System—Dad was really impressive today and deserved a reward.
…
Tang Xun remembered the matter with the Li family and couldn’t help but ask his mother, “Mother, what are your plans regarding Little Sister’s situation?”
Yang Taohua said, “Your sister has suffered such a great injustice. Our family must stand up for her. If that old hag changes her ways, of course, I hope your sister can live well in the Li family.”
Tang Xun curled his lip dismissively. “That old woman doesn’t seem like the type to change.”
Tang Li nodded in full agreement. After their family’s recent confrontation and her aunt’s newfound assertiveness, the Li family probably wouldn’t dare bully her for now. She could even issue a task for her father to search for clues about the mistress.
Yang Taohua sneered, “It doesn’t matter what she thinks in her heart, as long as she doesn’t dare bully her openly. With people like this, we have to take a firm stance.”
The day after tomorrow was the fifteenth, when many women from wealthy households in the city would go to Qingniu Temple to offer incense. Yang Taohua planned to go then and give that old hag Madam Su a good public shaming.
Tang Xun thought for a moment and added, “Tomorrow, when I go to school, I can ask my classmates which doctor in the city is good at treating bruises.”
Li Yueze, that kid, was also studying at this school. Tang Xun wanted to see if he had the nerve to show his face in front of him. Don’t think Tang Xun couldn’t tell—that kid looked down on him in his heart.
Yang Taohua praised her son, who had performed well today. “You did a good job today.”
Tang Zheng nodded. “Big Brother can be quite reliable when he wants to be.”
Usually, neither his mother nor his younger brother praised him much. This praise made Tang Xun feel as if his bones had lightened by several pounds, and he couldn’t suppress the corners of his mouth from curling up.
[As the eldest son of the family, the host has taken on the responsibilities of an elder brother and a son today, moving one step closer to possessing virtuous and outstanding qualities. Reward: two points each for Intelligence and Stamina.]
In Tang Xun’s personal data column, Stamina now appeared as well. His initial Stamina was 114, and it jumped to 116.
As for Intelligence, it increased to 121.
At the same time, the small figure representing Tang Xun in his mind was enveloped by a golden halo, which lasted for a full quarter of an hour.
Tang Xun found it hard to describe how he felt at that moment—his entire body was warm and comfortable, so much so that he felt like yawning.
When the quarter of an hour ended, he felt his mind clearer than ever before. Now, he felt that even without the System’s help, he could stay up all night!
[Congratulations, host. With Intelligence exceeding 120, your memory has greatly improved. You only need to read a book five times to memorize it.]
Tang Xun: !!
Tang Xun was shocked. In the past, even after reading something twenty times, he might not have been able to memorize a single passage. Now, he only needed five times…
[Am I becoming a genius?]
He found an unfamiliar book in his Spatial Dimension and started memorizing it. Hey, it really only took five times to memorize it, and he remembered it crystal clear.
Tang Xun felt that he wasn’t actually stupid—at least, he was much smarter than others in the village. But now, he truly felt the sensation of becoming a genius.
[At most, the host’s memory has improved a bit. That doesn’t make you a genius.] The System was quite honest in this regard.
[How is my younger brother’s memory?]
Not only Tang Xun, but Tang Li also wanted to know the answer to this question.
[Tang Zheng only needs to read something three times to memorize it. Moreover, his comprehension and ability to apply what he learns far exceed that of ordinary people. If the host wants to surpass him, you’ll have to keep working hard.]
Tang Xun’s happiness index plummeted. He comforted himself, thinking that with the System’s help, as long as he studied diligently, he would eventually surpass his younger brother.
His gaze fell on his inventory column, and the curve of his smile widened again.
Hahaha, he now had twenty-one taels of silver! He had become rich again.
He was so overjoyed that when he arrived home, he nearly twisted his ankle.
Yang Taohua couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. Why was her son grinning so foolishly? Could it be because she had praised him earlier?
If she had known he was so receptive to praise, she would have found more opportunities to compliment him in the future.
As they entered the courtyard, Tang Li poked the System again.
A few seconds later, silver suddenly fell from the sky, landing right in Tang Li’s instinctively outstretched hand, in full view of everyone.
Tang Li exclaimed joyfully, “Silver is falling from the sky!”
Yang Taohua rubbed her eyes and realized it was true. Overjoyed, she thought, “That’s my granddaughter for you!”
Tang Zheng, on the other hand, began to wonder if he was seeing things or hallucinating.
Just moments ago, Tang Xun had been quite pleased, but now, looking at his effortlessly rewarded daughter and recalling how he had to attend twenty classes every day and pass exams just to earn a single tael of silver, he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to smile anymore.
Author’s Note:
Stamina 116, Intelligence 121. After today’s classes, it’ll be 122.
Fifteen minutes ago, Tang Xun: Hehe.
Fifteen minutes later, Tang Xun: Not hehe.