"I haven’t bribed him; I’d say I’ve subdued the lad," Gu Qingheng laughed, extending his hand towards her.
"Right, Ruxin’s brother-in-law is impressive," Fang Tianze nodded hurriedly.
Yang Ruxin took Gu Qingheng’s hand, then glanced at Fang Tianze, "Your body is well recovered now, isn’t it? How about trying for Champion to make your sister Ruxin happy?"
"Sister Ruxin wants me to take the imperial examinations?" Fang Tianze’s eyes sparkled.
"With a bright child like you, not taking the examinations would be a waste, wouldn’t it?" Yang Ruxin flicked Fang Tianze’s forehead, "Besides, your father is an official, but not of high rank, so your mother probably hopes you can bring her an Imperial Edict..."
"Sister Ruxin..." Fang Tianze suddenly felt a touch of sadness, "You are my life-saving benefactor..."
"Enough of that," Yang Ruxin hurriedly waved her hand, "Don’t give me that cheesy talk. You are my brother, just like Xiaofeng, and when I get old I’ll be counting on you to take care of me. Forget this benefactor thing; we’re family..."
"Right," Fang Tianze nodded quickly, pressing down the moistness in his eyes— they were family, for a lifetime. "I’ll study for the imperial examinations. Whatever Sister Ruxin asks me to do, I will do it..."
"Xiaofeng," Yang Ruxin’s face darkened as soon as she heard that, "You’ve got it wrong, it’s not about doing whatever I tell you to, but about doing what you like. My suggestions are just that—suggestions. Anything you like, as long as it’s not eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, smoking, cheating, kidnapping, tricking, stealing—I’m all for it..."
Fang Tianze’s mouth twitched.
Gu Qingheng couldn’t help but laugh, "Tianze, your Sister Ruxin just wants you to pursue what you love. If you don’t want to take the exams, don’t. Don’t force yourself just because she says so..."
"I understand; I like studying, it’s just that I lacked focus before," Fang Tianze quickly explained, "I want to learn from Brother-in-law Ruxin now."
"Well then, isn’t that settled?" Yang Ruxin chuckled, "If a fellow like Yang Rusong can become a Scholar, and Guan Qingshu can be first, you can surpass them in a couple of years... Easily crush them..."
"You think being the top of the list is as common as turnips?" Gu Qingheng couldn’t listen anymore, "But for now, I can teach them."
"Never mind that, all my kids are smart..." Yang Ruxin giggled, "And with a genius teacher like you, becoming Champion should be too easy. But..."
Fang Tianze quickly straightened his expression, looking earnestly at Yang Ruxin.
"But now, the imperial examinations turn everyone into fools, all sour and insipid, so while it’s fine for you to go for the examinations, you can’t just study blindly. Those Four Books and Five Classics need to be learned, but so does everything else..." Yang Ruxin let out a breath. The only way out in this society is through the examinations, but she also didn’t want her children to become pedantic scholars; hence, she decided to start teaching them about science as soon as she got a handle on these traditional characters, "Remember, practice leads to true knowledge. Practice is the only standard to test truth. Don’t fuss over those fluffy nonsense. Soon, I’ll set up a study plan for all the children to learn together..."
Fang Tianze’s smile was radiant, "I definitely won’t let Sister Ruxin and Brother-in-law down." In the days spent with Sister Ruxin, he had discovered that life was colorful and, at last, he felt he had something to aim for.