Outside the window, a torrential downpour raged.
Lu Jinghan gazed blankly at the raindrops falling from the eaves like broken strings.
“You tell me, why did you have to go and anger the young lady for no reason? Two hours of kneeling punishment, and your body can’t take it anymore, can it?”
Li Dezhong sighed. He knew what had happened in the main hall. After being punished, the boy’s previous injuries hadn’t fully healed yet. He knelt until he fainted, and it was Miss Zhao who had someone carry him back.
Heaven knows, when he saw Lu Jinghan’s pale, unconscious face and the anxious Zhao Qingning behind him, he almost thought his own life was about to end.
Fortunately, the physician arrived promptly, and he woke up not long after.
Afraid the boy might have another incident, Li Dezhong simply moved in to sleep on the floor, watching over him through the night.
“Steward Li.” Lu Jinghan suddenly spoke up. “Do you know what a gentleman is like?”
“A gentleman?”
Li Dezhong was taken aback. “Why do you ask?”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Lu Jinghan recalled what Zhao Qingning had said before she left.
She said: “Xiao Jiu, I know you did it to stand up for me, but I don’t want this to happen again. I keep you by my side and teach you to read and write because I hope you can become a gentleman with both capability and compassion.”
“Now that you’ve come to the academy, you should seize the opportunity, forge ahead, cultivate your character, so that in the future you can secure a chance at survival for yourself.”
After saying this, she sighed and left.
But in truth, Lu Jinghan didn’t understand or remember anything about opportunities or elimination.
He only knew that Zhao Qingning wanted him to become a gentleman, so that he could stay by her side.
Having grown up surrounded by dirty, selfish people, his methods were underhanded. If not for testing Zhao Qingning’s tolerance of him, he would have made Liu Yiyi suffer dozens of times worse than being stung by hornets.
Therefore, he truly didn’t know how a gentleman should conduct himself.
Li Dezhong scratched his head: “The most renowned gentleman in the academy should be Young Master Pei. He always wears a smile, is eager to help others, and is very gentle with the servants too.”
Lu Jinghan was momentarily stunned: “Young Master Pei?”
“Yes, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo’s household. His character is as pure as the wind and clear as the moon. Everyone in the academy enjoys being around him. Even Miss Zhao, with her previous temper, was always amiable toward Young Master Pei.”
Li Dezhong pulled up his quilt: “But Young Master Pei and the others have gone south on a study tour with several princes. They won’t be back until next month, so you won’t get to see him for now.”
As he spoke, he yawned, and soon snoring could be heard from the floor.
Lu Jinghan silently committed the name Young Master Pei to memory.
Gentle, helpful, always smiling.
If he could just achieve these things, he should be able to stay by Zhao Qingning’s side forever, right?
Princess Manor.
Zhao Qingning threw down her brush and sighed: “Finally finished copying.”
Qiuhua handed her warm water: “Young lady, you should wash up and rest soon.”
Looking at the red marks left on her hands from copying texts, she sighed and couldn’t help but complain: “Despite you treating Xiao Jiu so well, he causes trouble for you and gets you punished.”
If they had known this would happen, it would have been better to let that Little Wild Seed die in the backyard.
Zhao Qingning didn’t seem to mind.
“He was set up by Chen Jinbao. Since he’s already been punished with kneeling, let this matter rest. There’s no need to mention it again.”
Qiuhua handed her a handkerchief to wipe her hands. “You’ve just become more tolerant lately, letting them bully you like this. Not to mention anything else, just take Second Young Miss’s words this morning—they were truly heart-wrenching. She never considered how those remarks would make you look.”
Zhao Qingning paused.
She had forgotten about the incident earlier, only recalling it now.
Before her father Zhao Junyuan took the Imperial Examination, he had been engaged in his hometown. After becoming the Imperial Son-in-Law, he abandoned his fiancée without a second thought. Unexpectedly, a disaster struck her hometown, leaving the woman with no family or home. She came to the capital seeking him out.
Fearing she would ruin his reputation, Zhao Junyuan took her in at the Princess Manor. She eventually stayed and bore him a son and a daughter.
Yongjia often devoted herself to spiritual cultivation, so the manor’s affairs, both major and minor, were managed by this Chen Shi, who essentially acted as the second wife.
The Second Young Miss from this morning, Zhao Mianmian, was Chen Shi’s daughter.
The original host had treated Chen Shi’s children fairly well. Although she acted domineeringly in the manor, she never bullied them because they flattered her just like Zhao Junyuan did—though they secretly harbored ill intentions the original host failed to see.
Yongjia also provided them with good food and comfortable lives.
But in the original plot, after Zhao Junyuan rose to become Prime Minister and gained real power, Chen Shi was honored as a First Rank Lady. When Yongjia met a tragic end, Chen Shi even mocked her.
Zhao Mianmian married into a noble family and lived well. Upon hearing of the original host’s death, she was utterly delighted.
Zhao Qingning frowned.
The Princess Manor was truly unsettled, with so many troublemakers waiting for her to deal with them.
Seeing that it was late, she yawned and set these matters aside for the time being, going to bed.
The next morning, as she left for the academy, she encountered Zhao Mianmian at the entrance.
The young girl, dressed in a pink brocade gown, greeted her timidly, “Greetings, Eldest Sister.”
Her demeanor was pitiful, her expression delicate, as if she were afraid of offending her.
Zhao Qingning glanced her over but said nothing.
Behind her, a youth in luxurious robes bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Eldest Sister.”
This was Chen Shi’s son, Zhao Yuyang.
Three lavish and spacious carriages bearing the Princess Manor’s emblem were parked at the entrance, exquisitely furnished inside with pastries and chilled tea on the tables in case their masters grew hungry or thirsty on the journey.
One carriage belonged to Zhao Qingning, another to Zhao Mianmian, and the third to her brother Zhao Yuyang.
At a glance, the three carriages appeared identical, but upon closer inspection, one could see that while Zhao Qingning’s looked luxurious, its chassis was too high, making it less comfortable than the other two.
This had been arranged by Chen Shi.
As Zhao Qingning stepped up to her carriage, she suddenly paused. “Ah, yes.”
The steward hurried forward. “What are your orders, Young Miss?”
“My mother mentioned recently that we should practice frugality and reduce all expenses in the manor,” she said leisurely. “This carriage is rather too ostentatious.”
“Shall this old servant have it replaced for you immediately?”
“No, no.” Zhao Qingning shook her head and pointed. “Replace their carriages. Ordinary ones will suffice.”
The steward turned and saw Zhao Mianmian and Zhao Yuyang.
They had sensed trouble when Zhao Qingning pointed at them, and sure enough, she began to make things difficult for them.
Feeling both wronged and angry, Zhao Mianmian protested, “Eldest Sister, if we’re to be frugal, why are you still riding in this carriage?”
Shouldn’t everyone change together?
“You dare compare yourself to me?” Zhao Qingning scoffed. “Zhao Mianmian, have you forgotten your place?”
With that, she glanced at the steward. “Why are you still standing there?”
The steward grimaced. “Miss, all household matters—including carriage arrangements—are managed by Aunt Chen. If I change them without consulting her, I’ll have trouble explaining this.”
Since Yongjia spent most of her time in Buddhist devotion away from home, Zhao Junyuan had schemed to hand household authority to Chen Shi. Her attitude toward Zhao Qingning mirrored Zhao Junyuan’s, which had previously led Zhao Qingning to view this concubine favorably.
But times had changed.
Zhao Qingning found it astonishing. “Steward, how long have you been here?”
“Over three years.”
“So long already,” she said deliberately. “How is it you still can’t read? Look at the plaque behind you—what does it say?”
The steward turned. The words “Grand Princess Manor” gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight. This plaque had been personally inscribed by the current emperor.
“When I say change it, it gets changed. If you can’t manage it, have Chen Shi come see me herself. I’d like to know when she became the mistress of this Grand Princess Manor.”
Zhao Qingning’s cold tone made the steward shiver. He’d been promoted by Chen Shi and naturally obeyed her. But now that Princess Yongjia had returned, he suddenly remembered where he was.
“I’ll arrange for the change immediately.”
Only then was Zhao Qingning satisfied.
Watching her spacious carriage being replaced by a cramped one without any snacks, Zhao Mianmian flushed red. “Are you angry about what I said yesterday, Eldest Sister? But Father and our tutor both said one should be honest. Mianmian didn’t say anything wrong!”
She really had seen Zhao Qingning with that Little Wild Seed looking at a wasp nest under the tree.
Zhao Yuyang’s gaze darkened. “If you’re upset, Eldest Sister, why not take it up with Father instead of taking it out on us?”
Zhao Junyuan disliked Yongjia but favored Chen Shi, extending his partiality to these two. If brought before him, he’d only make Zhao Qingning apologize while secretly compensating them doubly.
They’d get all the benefits—that wouldn’t do.
“Why should I take it up with Father?” Zhao Qingning smiled. “When have you ever known me to be reasonable? Either get in the carriage now, or don’t go to the academy today—I’ll request leave for you. How about that?”
She might as well have written “I simply can’t stand you” across her face.
Zhao Yuyang gritted his teeth. Zhao Qingning could skip classes whenever she wanted, but they couldn’t. If they angered their tutor, their future would become difficult.