Chapter 21: Foolishness

Chapter 21: Foolishness

Early in the morning, Yan Yingqi came directly to Jie Shi's place. Jie Shi was trying to get Yao Niang to drink goat's milk, but Yao Niang covered her mouth and refused, "I won't drink it, I won't."

"Be a good girl, just take one sip, okay?" Jie Shi coaxed.

Yao Niang shook her head, "I just can't drink this; it always has that unpleasant goat smell. Please don't force me to drink it."

Seeing that her daughter wouldn't drink it no matter what, Jie Shi was at a loss. Her daughter was fine with everything else, except she refused to drink goat's milk, much like how she wouldn't touch bitter melon or eggplant.

Seeing Yan Yingqi enter, Jie Shi quickly said, "Help me persuade your daughter; she refuses to drink the goat's milk again. She says she won't even if she pinches her nose."

It had to be said that Yan Yingqi's daughters seemed somewhat arrogant and willful, which was exactly what he wanted them to be. He himself was a proud man and didn't want his daughters to be desperate for men or easily swayed by small favors.

"Yao Niang, drink it. If you do, I promise to take you all to the City God Temple this year," Yan Yingqi smiled.

Yao Niang couldn't believe it, "Really? You weren't even home during the Lantern Festival the past two years. You were either watching plays or visiting other families. Are you just trying to trick me?"

"Really," Yan Yingqi assured her.

Yao Niang clapped her hands happily. Just then, someone mentioned that Yan Ningxin was coming over. Yao Niang wondered why her eldest sister hadn't come with their father, but when she entered, Yao Niang immediately stood up.

This was the first time Yan Ningxin had visited the third branch of the family. She hadn't expected it to be such a large residence. Hearing Yan Yingqi and the third sister interact outside, she realized that their father was actually quite kind. Would he care about her like this in the future?

Thinking this, she greeted Jie Shi, who quickly asked her to sit down and kindly said, "I didn't expect you to come over at this hour. Why don't you have breakfast with us and then spend some time talking with your third sister?"

Yan Ningxin replied, "Thank you, Madam, but I've already eaten."

"In that case..." Jie Shi glanced at her husband.

Yan Yingqi then asked, "How far have you gotten with your studies? At your age, you should have finished the Four Books, right? Have you decided on which of the Five Classics to study?"

The Five Classics generally refer to The Book of Songs, The Book of Documents, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals. Scholars usually specialize in one or two classics, and only exceptional people like Xu Shen from the Eastern Han Dynasty studied all five.

Yan Ningxin was taken aback; she certainly hadn't read the Four Books. Although she knew a few characters, she hadn't truly studied them. So she pursed her lips, afraid of being exposed, and looked at Yao Niang, "What about the third sister?"

"Mr. Yu specializes in The Book of Changes, but I find The Spring and Autumn Annals more suitable for me, so I'm currently studying it with Mr. Zou from our household. Mr. Yu also teaches parts of the Annotations on the Four Books, as well as the Twenty-Four Histories, The Book of Zhuangzi, The Book of Laozi, and The Book of Hanfeizi. Father and brother both specialize in The Book of Documents, so if you choose that, you can seek their guidance." Yao Niang thought that apart from the fourth sister, who struggled a bit, the second sister found it troublesome to study The Book of Changes. She now had to go out every few days, learning the guqin in the morning and The Spring and Autumn Annals in the afternoon.

Yan Yingqi nodded, "Your third sister is right. What are you studying?"

"I've only read The Biographies of Exemplary Women and The Twenty-Four Filial Examples," Yan Ningxin said, somewhat embarrassed.

Yan Yingqi wasn't bothered, "Ask Mr. Yu more questions and study hard."

In Yan Yingqi's view, catching up was just a matter of effort. Yao Niang had also started shallowly but worked hard to catch up after returning. Yan Ningxin clearly found it challenging but still agreed.

Yan Yingqi was pleased, "Good. Next time, I'll check on your progress. Now, I must leave."

Jie Shi and Yao Niang got up to see him off. After Yan Yingqi left, Yao Niang suggested, "Why don't you come to my place for a while, eldest sister?"

Yan Ningxin hurriedly declined. Looking at Yao Niang, she remembered how sweet and charming she used to be, and everyone liked her. But now, returning, she felt awkward.

Seeing that Yan Ningxin didn't want to stay, Yao Niang pointed out, "We have a greenhouse in the garden with many flowers blooming. Would you like to admire them before going to the main lady's quarters? At this time, she's usually gathering servants to handle household affairs."

Yan Ningxin had felt awkward earlier. When she arrived, Yan Yingqi and Jie Shi were laughing and chatting, but soon after, Yan Yingqi left. So, she sent two servants back with the gifts from Jie Shi and went to the flower house alone, not expecting to find a young man in a jade-colored robe smelling the flowers.

When he looked up, Yan Ningxin felt as if the gloomy sky had suddenly brightened.

Zhou Lingguang hadn't expected to meet a young lady here, especially one who looked at him with an appreciative and bold gaze, unlike the reserved gazes of the ladies of the Yan family.

"May I ask which lady you are? You don't seem to be a Yan family lady," Zhou Lingguang asked. The ladies of the Yan family usually traveled with attendants and kept a respectful distance from outsiders. In the nearly three years he had lived in the third branch of the Yan family, he had rarely seen the third lady.

Yan Ningxin smiled, "No, I am the eldest lady of the Yan family."

Zhou Lingguang realized, "So it's you. You're quite different from your sisters."

Yan Ningxin pointed to her face, "Don't we all have eyes and noses? What's so different?"

Zhou Lingguang found her amusing and laughed heartily. Then he heard her ask, "And you? Who are you?"

After she spoke, he saw a fleeting shadow of gloom in Zhou Lingguang's eyes. He turned around, standing with his hands behind his back, "Me? Just a nobody."

Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Yan Ningxin understood, "If you don't want to say, then don't. Everyone has things they don't want to talk about, whether they're commoners or high officials."

Zhou Lingguang found her words strange, "As a young lady, you know quite a lot."

"Just a momentary insight," Yan Ningxin smiled.

Zhou Lingguang pondered for a while before saying, "My name is Zhou Lingguang. I was originally the son of the Imperial Academy's chief priest, but my father offended the emperor and was forced to resign. To protect me, he sent me to live in the Yan family's residence."

Sensing that Zhou Lingguang wasn't happy, Yan Ningxin softly asked, "Are they treating you well here?"

Zhou Lingguang was surprised by her question. After all, Jie Shi managed the household, and she treated him courteously, following the same standards as Yan Jingzhao. However, the servants often gossiped, and he had to give part of his monthly allowance to them, making life difficult.

But the Yan family had taken him in and treated him well, so he couldn't complain.

"The Yan family has been very kind to me," Zhou Lingguang said, his gaze drifting into the distance, recalling the past.

Yan Ningxin was about to say something when her maid called her, and she apologized to Zhou Lingguang before leaving. After she left, Zhou Lingguang suddenly felt a chill.

**

Another snowfall came in winter. This was the last day of school for the year, as the upcoming events included Yan Jingzhao and Yan Jingzhang's weddings, followed by the New Year.

When Yao Niang met Ying Niang on the way, she noticed she had two hand warmers and teased her, "Is it really that cold? You'll warm up after walking a bit."

"Cold, how could it not be? Third sister, I heard that Third Aunt arrived last night. Why are you still coming to school today?" Ying Niang asked, seemingly mocking her.

Yao Niang smiled, "My grandmother is still sleeping. Today is the last class, so how could I miss it?"

Upon entering, they saw Xin Wan had arrived and remarked that she was a rare visitor.

Xin Wan had been avoiding the cold these past few days and hadn't dared to come out. Now that she looked better, she said to them, "I heard we have new arrivals here?"

"Yes, even our eldest sister will be studying with us now," Yao Niang said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qian Niang chuckled and remarked, "Anyone tutored in this princely residence must surpass us all. I am genuinely eager to witness their proficiency."

Everyone shared this sentiment. Even Yao Niang thought Yan Ningxin was just pretending to be humble and needed to show her true abilities. Ying Niang rolled her eyes; being the youngest and finding studies the most challenging, she feared being overshadowed by someone more knowledgeable.

Mr. Yu started by lecturing on *Han Feizi*, and after finishing, he smiled and said, "This is our last class of the year. Seeing the camellias outside our study still blooming brightly, why don't you write a poem about the camellia?"

"Mr. Yu, I thought you would assign an essay," Yao Niang said with a smile.

Writing poetry was not difficult for her, and Xin Wan was also skilled at it, eager to showcase her talent. Qian Niang's poetry was decent, but her forte was calligraphy and painting. The one most worried was Ying Niang.

After everyone finished writing and waited for Mr. Yu's evaluation, they were surprised to find that Yan Ningxin, whom they considered the best, had written a poem full of errors, and her handwriting was poor.

It was awkward, and Mr. Yu glanced at Yan Ningxin in disbelief.

Ying Niang burst out laughing, "Eldest sister, what did you write? And your handwriting is terrible!"

She was happy to finally have someone worse off than herself. Yan Ningxin blushed and became angry. Knowing that Qian Niang was always timid and self-preserving, and Xin Wan was a guest, Yao Niang said, "Let's not talk about this. Our brother is getting married the day after tomorrow, and his new sister-in-law will be joining us. The Guan family's dowry will be arriving soon. Let's go watch the excitement."

By changing the subject, Yan Ningxin felt much better.

After leaving the study, Yan Ningxin specifically thanked Yao Niang. Yao Niang smiled and said, "There's no need. We're all sisters. However, Father once said that our Yan family does not fear ambitious women. Therefore, he kept all books and articles accessible to us, so we could focus on our studies. He wanted us to understand the classics and principles, so we can take care of ourselves and discern right from wrong, and in the future—"

"We can also teach our own children and others in the clan, earning their respect."

Yan Ningxin felt her prospects were gloomy, and Yao Niang started to question this sister. How could a princess nurtured in the royal mansion be so inept? Could she be a fraud?