Chapter 120: Profoundly Enlightened Once More

Chapter 120: Profoundly Enlightened Once More

Upon hearing Lady Qi’s words, Qi Er was completely dumbfounded. His father had actually vied with Xiao Er’s father for Xiao Er’s mother and had been unsuccessful.

Involuntarily, he glanced at his own father. A man forced to marry the Princess Changping would naturally be handsome. However, Xiao Er’s father was also not lacking in appearance, making them equally matched in this regard. But back then, his father was a top imperial exam scholar!

Even so, he had not succeeded, which was somewhat...

With these thoughts, his gaze towards Qi Liangsheng changed, now tinged with a hint of disdain.

Qi Liangsheng, already feeling embarrassed about the mention of his youthful affairs, now saw his own son looking at him with such a disdainful gaze. His anger flared. He abruptly stood up, causing Qi Er to quickly hide behind Lady Qi, who also immediately braced herself.

Qi Liangsheng, seeing their reaction, grew even more furious. He glared at Qi Er and commanded, "Come outside with me."

Qi Er, having just poked the tiger's behind, dared not move. He hid behind Lady Qi, fearing a beating from his father. At this point, Lady Qi said, "Go with your father; he won't hit you."

Her words were meant for Qi Er as well as a reminder to Qi Liangsheng. Huffing, Qi Liangsheng turned and left, and Qi Er could only drag his feet and follow. Outside in the courtyard, he saw his father standing under a brilliantly red plum tree, hands clasped behind his back, exuding a truly charismatic presence.

How had he lost back then?

"Aren't you coming over?"

Qi Liangsheng's stern voice rang out, and Qi Er quickly scurried over, grinning sheepishly at him. Seeing this, Qi Liangsheng sighed internally. His first wife had been frail, falling seriously ill after giving birth to Qi Er, and he had no choice but to leave the child in his mother's care.

At that time, his career was at a critical juncture, and he was too busy to look after him. Gradually, Qi Er had grown into what he was now. Reflecting on this, Qi Liangsheng felt somewhat responsible, and his tone softened considerably.

"What exactly happened?" he asked.

Qi Er did not conceal anything, recounting how they learned about the Kong family being dealt with by the Second Prince, how they plotted to become royal merchants, raised the funds, and how Tang Shuyi found out and gave them a thorough lecture.

After listening, Qi Liangsheng probed into some details, suspecting from the start that this was a trap. But after his interrogation, he found not a single flaw. He narrowed his eyes, pondering if this was truly just a coincidence the boys stumbled upon and decided to act on, or if someone behind the scenes was so adept that they left no traces.

After a moment, he said, "Visit the Marquis of Yongning’s residence more often."

Qi Er asked in surprise, "Why?" Hadn't his father always frowned upon hearing about visits to the Marquis of Yongning’s residence?

Qi Liangsheng replied, "To broaden your mind."

After speaking, he turned and left, suggesting that the matter required further investigation. Meanwhile, Qi Er scratched his head, wondering if a visit to the Yongning Marquis Mansion would enlighten him.

………

Yan Wu found himself in a similar situation to Qi Er, being escorted back to his home by the guards and stewards of the Yongning Marquis Mansion. The Earl of Nanling happened to be at home. Upon seeing the steward from the marquis's mansion and hearing about the misdeeds of the three reckless youths, he grabbed a feather duster at hand and started to chase Yan Wu, who fled in terror towards his mother, the Countess of Nanling.

The Countess of Nanling, witnessing the commotion between father and son, clutched her chest and lamented, "Stop this ruckus, my chest hurts."

Earl of Nanling: "......"

Yan Wu: "......"

Regardless of whether the Countess of Nanling's chest pain was genuine or feigned, the father and son ceased their quarrel and sat down in the room to talk quietly. Yan Wu recounted the incident, after which the Countess said, "I must pay a visit to the Yongning Marquis Mansion and thank the lady of the house. If she hadn't discovered the situation early, who knows what trouble you might have caused."

With his head bowed, Yan Wu remained silent, while the Earl of Nanling pondered, "I should have a talk with Lord Qi. This matter might have been a deliberate setup."

"Humph, who would dare?" said Yan Wu.

The Earl of Nanling considered striking him again, retorting, "If Xiao Yuming dares to scheme against Liang Jianan and the Second Prince, what's stopping someone from targeting you or me?"

Yan Wu's eyes widened in shock, "Xiao Er plotted against Liang Jianan and the Second Prince? How did I not know about this?"

The Earl of Nanling, with a look that said 'this is not my son', nevertheless explained the intricacies of the incident and concluded with, "You should learn more from Xiao Yuming."

The Countess of Nanling thought to herself that she needed to communicate more with the lady of the Yongning Marquis Mansion. Reflecting on recent times, she noticed a significant change in Xiao Yuming, who had grown much sturdier and emanated a commanding presence in his walk. It was clear that he was genuinely practicing martial arts, whereas her own son was still preoccupied with frivolities.

Yongning Marquis Mansion

After dinner, the family of four gathered for a chat. Tang Shuyi brought up the day's incident involving Xiao Yuming and the others, "Whether or not there was a deliberate setup behind this matter, let's not dwell on it for now."

She looked at Xiao Yuming and asked, "Do you know why I asked you earlier about what Qi Er and Yan Wu were up to?"

Xiao Yuming shook his head, equally curious, for it was this very question that had thrown him off balance and exposed the matter.

However, Tang Shuyi turned to Xiao Yuxin, who was sitting aside, and said, "It was to find a teacher for your brother."

This revelation surprised both Xiao Yuming and Xiao Yuxin. Tang Shuyi smiled and continued, "Lord Qi was a top scholar in his imperial examinations and has years of experience in the bureaucracy. Yuxin will soon face the imperial examinations after his travels. Lord Qi, being exemplary in both academia and governance, would be an invaluable mentor for Yuxin, who stands to benefit greatly from his guidance."

"Although our families have some interactions, we haven't reached the point where Mr. Qi would take the initiative to tutor our children. So, I thought of starting with Qi Er. He wants to engage in commerce but lacks resources. Coincidentally, I'm about to start a club and thought of letting the Qi family invest in it. In this way, Qi Er will have a proper job, and if the club is managed well, they will have a decent revenue. Under such circumstances, if I suggest Mr. Qi guide Yu Chen occasionally, he shouldn't refuse."

Xiao Yuming and Xiao Yuzhu were both stunned. This was a grand strategy!

Xiao Yuchen was visibly moved. Standing up, he looked at Tang Shuyi and said, "Mother, you've gone to great lengths for us."

Tang Shuyi gestured for him to sit, saying, "I am your mother. It's only natural for me to think about your future. Besides, what else do I have to do every day but to plan for the three of you?"

"Mother, you've played a grand game of chess!" exclaimed Xiao Yuzhu.

Tang Shuyi smiled, "Strategy is essential in all endeavors. If I directly approached Mr. Qi now to guide Yu Chen, he would likely refuse. But if I bring him benefits first, he will have no reason to reject. Human interactions often revolve around the exchange and bundling of interests."

The siblings once again learned a profound lesson.