.

  The son was able to take the top spot, firstly because he was intelligent and had studied hard, secondly it also shows that the Duan family did not treat their sons unfairly, treating them equally with the other children of the Duan family. With this kind of magnanimity, as Wu Songnian said "it should be a close friendship between families".

  The Duan family was also extremely delighted.

  Over the years, many people from the Duan family have sought knowledge and education, but those who excel in their studies are always the children of the Duan family. Those talented young men from humble backgrounds can't help but feel envious. Now that Wu Shan has emerged, even more people will come to seek knowledge, and the Duan family's school will be able to select and cultivate even more young talents. This is a vast fortune for the Duan family that cannot be measured in gold or silver.

  Dou Shi Jiong specially dispatched an aide and Second Lady Dou, Dou Shi Bang to discuss this matter: "...relocate the several families living around the clan school, expand the clan school by half, invite a few famous Confucian scholars to teach, but there is no need to rush to recruit many students, ensure that most of those who graduate from the Dou family clan school can pass the Imperial Examination and become Xiucai."

  The second lady nodded repeatedly, and Dou Shi-bang specifically handled the matter. The second lady set up a stage at the entrance of the Dou family's house and invited a troupe from Kyoto to perform ten plays in a row. Throughout June, Zhending County was like New Year's Eve, extremely lively.

  The Dou family's backyard was lush and green, with the faint sound of gongs and drums and the cheers of the crowd making this corner of the world even more serene.

  Dong Qijun, who had become as dark as charcoal, was furious in Dong Zhengchang's study: "...... It's simply corrupting the imperial court! A bunch of parasites! Drawing a salary for doing nothing!"

  His voice startled the magpie under the eaves. Frightened, it flapped its wings.

  Dòu Déchāng blinked and handed a bowl of iced sour plum soup to Dòu Qǐjùn: "Cool off!"

  Dòu Qǐjùn took over the sour plum soup and drank it all in one gulp.

  The cool soup instantly reduced his anger.

  He sat in the armchair opposite Dou Dechang, leaning forward and saying: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. On the south side of the valley, there are actually over 600 black households hiding there to open up wasteland, most of whom are young and strong men. Over 600! Fortunately, in recent years, the weather has been favorable, but if it were a year of disaster, those people would have nothing to eat, and they could do anything. It's even possible to trigger a peasant uprising!"

  Dòu Qǐjùn said, shivering with cold.

  He looked at his good friends again, and they were all staring at him with their eyes wide open, as if looking at a monster.

  Dòu Qǐjùn couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

  What's the point of saying these things to them? They don't understand either. Even if they did, it doesn't mean they would have their own feelings and sensations.

  He suddenly felt embarrassed and asked them listlessly: "What are your plans for the future?"

  The exam is over, they can also relax now.

  Duan Zhengchang sat in the house. Duan Dechang, Duan Qiguang and Duan Qitai all felt Duan Qijun's emotions, but Duan Qijun had just denied the suggestion to tell County Taeye about this matter, so everyone didn't know how to comfort him. Now he changed the subject, Duan Zhengchang quickly took over: "Father wrote a letter back and asked us to take a summer break first, after Mid-Autumn Festival go to Kyoto to see the sights, and then visit a few seniors." Then he asked Duan Qiguang: "Do you want to come with us?"

  This is for them to prepare for the trial.

  Dòu Qǐjùn nodded silently.

  Dong Qiguang shook his head repeatedly: "I'm not going. I've already spoken with Du Fuzi, and he'll be guiding me in crafting from now on."

  Dou Qitai sighed and said wistfully, "I'd love to go, but my dad said that if I don't pass the xiucai exam, I'm not allowed to go anywhere."

  His words had just fallen when a voice that didn't belong to them sounded in the house: "Where are you going?"

  Everyone turned around and saw Wu Shan wearing a plain white silk robe with an ivory-colored lining, walking in with a radiant complexion.

  Everyone in the house exclaimed "Oh!" in unison. They shouted "Wu Anshou" in a hurry, their voices tangled together.

  Wu Shan was overjoyed, smiling and nodding casually, bowing everywhere: "Thank you! Thank you!"

  "You rascal!" Du Zhengchang couldn't help but laugh, "Not humble at all!"

  "Life is short, enjoy it to the fullest. Don't let the golden cup be empty when facing the moon." Wu Shan suddenly opened the folding fan in his hand with a "whoosh", shook it twice, and sat down unceremoniously on the taishi chair opposite Duan Zhengchang, saying to Duan Qijun: "It's so hot outside and noisy, let's go to the Great Ci Temple to have some vegetarian dishes?" His face even showed a few hints of anticipation.

  Dòu Déchāng snorted disdainfully, saying: "What's good to eat at the Great Mercy Temple? It's not as good as going to Jingfu Spring for a cold dish."

  Dòu Zhèngchāng nodded repeatedly.

  Only Duan Qijun stared tightly at Wu Shan and said slowly, "Want to eat vegetarian dishes? Can your parents agree with you?"

  The "Fourth Son Visits His Mother" sung today was pointed out by Mrs. Wu.

  His tone was extremely cold, and Wu Shan's eyes were piercing and sharp, revealing a few points of sharpness. Duan Zhengchang and others were all stunned, and they couldn't help but calm down.

  "I succeeded in the first case, and I just hoped that my mother would agree to let me go to the Dahci Temple to eat vegetarian food," Wu Shan lightly put away his folding fan, and his smile gradually faded from his face, becoming serious and solemn. "If my mother didn't agree, I had already thought of seven or eight ways to persuade her. Fortunately, she agreed." As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably, and the higher they curled, the more he smiled, until he was grinning from ear to ear.

  Dòu Qǐjùn hummed and said: "Are you sure your mother agreed?"

  Wu Shan laughed happily: "Of course!"

  Dòu Qǐjùn's expression slightly relaxed.

  Kuang Zhong and the two monks were baffled, and Kuang asked in confusion: "What's going on with you guys? It's just a meal of vegetarian dishes... do we need Auntie's approval for this?"

  Dòu Zhèngchāng seemed lost in thought.

  Dòu Déchāng's eyes rolled around, revealing a hint of cunning.

  Wu Shan smiled and said to Dou Qiguan, "I think that since we're going out to have fun, why not invite the four younger sisters to come along too..." His eyes were fixed on Dou Qijun.

  "Ah!" Du Qiguan suddenly said, "One person's joy is not as good as everyone's joy. You want to invite the four aunts and others to eat vegetarian dishes together, so you chose Da Ci Temple, and then told Auntie. If Auntie is willing to take the four aunts and several sisters together, wouldn't that be even better!"

  "It's exactly that reason." Wu Shan said with a brilliant smile, his face shining brighter than the summer day outside.

  But Yu Ya was so angry that her mouth was pouting, and she said indignantly: "Since we're going to the Great Mercy Temple to eat vegetarian dishes, why can't I go just because Shou Gu can? Brother is being too biased! Just because he's been living in the Duan family for two years, he actually treats the people of the Duan family better than me. I'm his own sister from the same mother...!" As she spoke, tears fell down her face, "It's so infuriating!"

  "Alright!" Mrs. Wu's face didn't look good either, she scolded Wu Ya in a low voice and said solemnly, "You also know that you and your brother are born of the same mother, he has been living in the Duan family for several years, definitely owing many people favors. You follow your mother to live a good life in Kyoto, how can you still blame your brother? The weather is too hot, I'm not feeling well, you go take a nap too. Later we still need to go pay respects to the second madam. Be careful not to be rude."

  Wu Ya Hong's eyes were red, and she reluctantly gave her mother a courtesy, then retreated.

  Mrs. Wu suddenly leaned back against the large pillow behind her.

  Mrs. Wu's personal maid hastily cried out "Madam", worriedly saying, "What's wrong with you? Should I add a few drops of the Aurantii Fructus fragrant water to your tea?"

  "It's all right." Mrs. Wu rubbed her forehead, thinking of her son's stubborn face earlier, and her temples were throbbing with pain, "You also saw it, he looked like that just now, as if I wouldn't agree... What else is good about Du Zhao besides being beautiful?"

  "Who doesn't like beautiful things? This is already the best possible outcome."

  Mrs. Wu was stunned, and after a long while, she said: "Flowers do not bloom for a hundred days, people are not good for a hundred days. He was so young when he knew how to point at the Buddhist temple wall painting of the Arhat saying 'color is emptiness', but now that it's his turn, everything has changed? The Duan family is naturally very good, but that Wang woman is unbearable. Do you want me to be in-laws with her? What face will I have to see people in the future?"

  "A daughter married is like water splashed out." Madam Bi said, "Fourth Master also said that he studied hard and got first place in the exam, hoping you can fulfill his wish. In the future, Fourth Master will take the imperial examination for jinshi, if he can continue to study hard like now, it's not a bad thing."

  "How could I not know!" Mrs. Wu's eyes flashed with a cold light, "If it weren't for that child still being honest and innocent, how could I tolerate him behaving like this! But where in the world is there someone who doesn't rely on their maternal family..."

  "Madam," said Bi Auntie with a smile, "aren't the Sixth Mistress and Fourth Miss's maternal relatives? Aren't we also Fourth Miss's maternal relatives?"

  Mrs. Wu remained silent.

  "Since you're not close to your husband's family, it's natural that you'd be closer to your mother's family. You only have one son, the fourth young master, wouldn't it be good to have a daughter-in-law who is close to your heart?"

  "That's also true!" Mrs. Wu nodded.

  A young maid reported: "Madam, the fourth miss from the Western Mansion sent her personal maid over to say that the eleventh and twelfth young masters are going to the Great Compassion Temple to eat vegetarian dishes. They have also invited the fourth miss, as well as Yi Miss and Shu Miss from the Eastern Mansion. The fourth miss would like to invite our seventh miss to join them for an outing, so she has come to ask for your and seventh miss's opinion."

  "Ah!" Mrs. Wu's eyebrows arched high.

  "Ah, madam, how is it? Our Fourth Miss was indeed raised in the presence of Old Lady Duan's sixth daughter-in-law, and she's not a reckless person, she knows her manners!"

  Mrs. Wu nodded and couldn't help but laugh, saying to the little maid: "You go ask Seventh Miss, if she wants to go," glancing at Bi Xiuzhu, "then you accompany her together!"

  The old lady smiled and replied "yes", then left the hall.

  A quick-witted young servant hastily came forward and asked in a low voice, "What did madam say?"

  The old lady showed a slightly proud smile: "Tell the Fourth Master that this old slave is lucky to have not disgraced herself!"

  The little servant smiled and said: "No wonder everyone says that the nanny is the first red person in front of the lady, there's nothing that can't be done without the nanny!"

  Old Lady's face sank: "Little rabbit, dare to talk nonsense again, be careful I tear off that mouth of yours!" But the smile couldn't help but overflow from the bottom of her eyes.

  "Little one dare not again!" The little servant chuckled and said, "I'll go inform the Fourth Young Master right away." He ran off in a flash.

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  o(n_n)o~

  Doesn't everyone like Wu Shan?

  ※