Chapter 80

Chapter 80

As the saying goes, interest is the best teacher, and indeed, this proved true.

Shen Huaizhi was now in his early twenties. Though not young by ancient standards, he was still at that rebellious, dramatic age.

After Han Zhang painstakingly set up the "nut-carving old man" for him, the fellow immediately immersed himself in the fantasy of being the chosen protagonist, bursting with motivation to study.

What used to take Han Zhang ten repetitions to teach him, he now picked up in just two or three tries, and could even extrapolate and apply it to other cases.

This made Han Zhang so irritated that he couldn't resist sneaking over in the middle of the night to rough him up a bit and vent his frustration.

He had said it before—he had even expended his power to rewire this brother-in-law's brain and give him an edge. How could the guy still be so forgetful and dense?

Turns out the guy just didn't want to study, plain and simple.

Look at him now—perked right up, didn't he?

Having finally figured out how to handle his brother-in-law, Han Zhang began to play the role of the nut-carving old man to spark Shen Huaizhi's motivation while putting in the effort to tutor him.

He was a seasoned tutor, explaining things clearly and vividly with wit and humor.

Especially in mathematics, where Han Zhang excelled—few people in this era could match his teaching skills. His advanced modern mathematical logic was incredibly appealing to scholars of this time who loved numbers.

"Brilliant! So math can be worked out this way? Brother Han, no, no—Teacher Han! You're the true hidden genius! I want to learn this. Bro, you gotta teach me—teach me now! If you'll only teach me these math formulas, I'll... I'll memorize an extra essay on statecraft today!"

Shen Huaizhi was skilled in business and had a real passion for mathematics.

Now there was no need for the 'nut-carving old man' to motivate him—he was already self-motivated.

But the way he said it was truly exasperating.

Han Zhang couldn't help but drop the classic teacher line: "What do you mean, 'memorize an extra essay for me'? Like you're studying for my benefit or something!"

"Oh dear, no, no—of course it's for myself, heh heh... Bro, don't be mad, don't be mad. I'm slow on the uptake, and I've been a real handful lately!"

"Later, I'll sing your praises to Lan Geer and let my Lan Geer serve you tea and keep you company... Bro, just teach me your math tricks, okay?"

Shen Huaizhi massaged his shoulders, pounded his back, and put on a shamelessly cute act.

Han Zhang couldn't help but laugh.

Mainly because this fellow and his husband, Shen Qinglan, were indeed brothers—they shared the same sly, clever streak.

Thinking of his husband, he felt a warmth that extended to the brother-in-law, and he couldn't stay mad at him.

"If you want to learn my math skills, you must first complete the practice tests I assign daily. I'll teach you with whatever time is left. So how much math you learn each day is up to you..."

Han Zhang took the chance to lay down some conditions.

Shen Huaizhi thought he was being too harsh, taking advantage of the situation, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and went along with it: "Fine! I'll study! I'll do it."

He was the chosen one picked by the 'nut-carving old man'—with his intelligence, mastering a few Confucian classics would surely be no problem!

In fact, it wasn't just Shen Huaizhi who wanted to learn Han Zhang's math skills.

Madam Shen and Shen Qinglan were also eager to learn once they found out.

Because using Han Zhang's math methods to review account books cut their work in half, greatly reducing the time and effort they spent on daily bookkeeping.

Since his husband and mother-in-law wanted to learn, Han Zhang naturally held nothing back and taught them everything.

Madam Shen beamed and said: "What a good son-in-law!"

Shen Qinglan happily bounced and playfully called out: "Husband!"

Shen Huaizhi, who had to bust his butt to learn, thought: So unfair!

And so, Han Zhang's daily little class now included Madam Shen and Shen Qinglan in addition to Shen Huaizhi.

The three of them could fall asleep at the drop of a hat during the classics, but were more spirited than anyone during math—genes really do run strong.

And so, a month flew by.

The Imperial Academy's monthly exam finally rolled around. Shen Huaizhi strode into the academy with confidence, fully certain he'd top his class.

After all, most of the students in his class were lazy rich kids, and those who did study were of ordinary talent.

And since learning requires the right atmosphere, the teachers wouldn't dream of mixing promising scholars with such a bunch of slackers.

So, with Han Zhang's special training, Shen Huaizhi aiming for the top spot in his class wasn't exactly a tall order.

The exam results finally came out.

Shen Huaizhi and his group of rich-kid buddies immediately cheered and celebrated: "Old Shen, impressive! You're a goddamn genius after all!"

The Imperial Academy's teachers were also greatly surprised, never expecting that Shen Huaizhi, this blockhead, had actually wised up.

Madam Shen even teared up: "Top of the class? My son actually got top of the class?"

Old Master Shen couldn't believe it either: "This... this... our second son actually did it?"

Though the students in the second son's class weren't exactly top-tier, the second son had previously ranked near the bottom even among them—which showed just how clueless he'd been.

After the shock passed, Old Master Shen was delighted.

Though he hadn't had high hopes for the second son before, he was still his own flesh and blood—how could a father truly not want the best for him?

Especially now that it seemed the eldest had passed the imperial exams but was book-smart yet somewhat dull in handling affairs, Old Master Shen was even more pleased with Shen Huaizhi's progress.

If the second son could make something of himself, it wasn't too late to shift the family's resources and invest in him instead!

With that thought in mind,

Old Master Shen immediately decided: "Madam, quickly invite our good son-in-law to the mansion for a feast. This time, the second son's improvement is all thanks to Han Zhang, our good son-in-law. We must show our gratitude properly."

"That boy Zhang helped our son so much, and all you're doing is throwing one banquet?"

Madam Shen never missed a chance to get perks for her son.

Old Master Shen knew his wife well and, surprisingly, wasn't angry but smiled: "Naturally, I won't be stingy. I still have one Imperial Academy slot available—I'll give it to Little Zhang."

With this good son-in-law urging the second son to study daily, at this rate, the second son passing the imperial exams in the future might not be out of the question.

"That's more like it. I'll send someone to tell our Lan Geer right away..."

Having gotten what she wanted, Madam Shen immediately hurried off to send word to Han Zhang and his husband.

...

A small courtyard.

Han Zhang received word that Father Shen had invited the couple to return to the mansion for a banquet, and he wasn't particularly surprised—it was exactly what he'd expected.

Shen Qinglan, however, was different. He immediately leaned in joyfully and pressed a kiss to Han Zhang's cheek, his face lit up with smug triumph.

"Hubby, I knew you were the best! Father going out of his way to host a banquet for us shows how much you matter to him now."

"Dad used to look down on me, but now my choice has totally slapped him in the face, right? The husband I chose is the most outstanding man in this world!"

The young lad was beaming, so thrilled with vindication he was practically strutting.

"My hubby's taste is naturally the best in the world..."

Seeing his husband so happy filled Han Zhang with contentment.

He didn't see anything wrong with Lan Ge'er's smugness. In life, how many people can truly ignore what others think or say about them?

Even sages love praise, so why shouldn't his little husband enjoy showing off and soaking up compliments?

His father-in-law's approval was just the first step.

In the future, he'd make his husband the envy of everyone.

After their sweet moment, the couple headed off to the Shen mansion together.

At the Shen mansion, knowing the bad blood between the eldest and second sons, and that the eldest daughter-in-law had it out for Lan Ge'er, they decided not to invite Shen Huairen and his wife this time, to avoid any squabbles that might cause offense.

Only Shen's parents, Shen Huaizhi and Li Huilan, and Han Zhang and Shen Qinglan were at the banquet.

As they drank and chatted, Shen Huaizhi was feeling mighty pleased with himself, deliberately bringing up old grievances with his father to get back at him for all the times he'd been looked down on.

"Father, I told you long ago I'm quite clever, didn't I? You always said I was useless and would only ever have eldest brother to lean on—do you know how much that killed my drive?"

"Now look, with just a little effort, I've come in first in my class... So you see, your son might not be a born genius, but he's certainly brilliant and has a great future ahead!"

He lifted his chin, looking so smug he was practically begging for a smack—like he was pointing at his father and saying, "Old man, you were blind."

What he said was true enough, but it was utterly insufferable.

Not just Shen's father—even Han Zhang wanted to punch him. The guy was a real pain in the neck.

But dealing with Shen Huaizhi was easy enough.

Shen's father nodded gravely, with a look of earnest acceptance, and sighed.

"Huaizhi, my boy, you're right. It was your father who was blind, not seeing that you were a rough diamond, wasting your God-given talents..."

"Your father was wrong—utterly wrong! So now, I've decided to pull back from the brink and make it right, to add to your brilliant future."

Shen Huaizhi: "..."

He had a sinking feeling about this.

And sure enough—

The next moment, Shen's father turned to Han Zhang and said earnestly:

"Worthy son-in-law, Huaizhi's progress is all thanks to you. I hardly know how to thank you."

"As it happens, I have one more spot at the Imperial Academy, so how about I recommend you for it? I just ask that once you're in, you keep an eye on this wayward son of mine—I'd be very grateful."

Shen's mother also said seriously: "If Huaizhi misbehaves at the academy, don't hesitate to scold or discipline him, son-in-law."

Li Huilan also nodded eagerly: "Second brother-in-law, please look after my husband..."

At that, Shen Huaizhi was struck dumb: "What? Brother Han is coming to the Imperial Academy with me?!"

How was he supposed to slack off anymore?

Han Zhang didn't refuse. He stood up and clasped his hands in salute: "Thank you, Father-in-law, for your support. I won't let you down."

Shen Qinglan also gave his father a rare smile, hurriedly piling food on his plate: "Here, Dad, have a chicken leg!"

He tacked on a sweet smile for good measure.

"Ah, good, good..."

Even though he knew this was his son's sugar-coated cannonball, Shen's father was still pleased, taking the chicken leg with deeper laugh lines at the corners of his eyes.

Everyone was happy—except Shen Huaizhi, who was the sole casualty of the world's cruelty.