Wu Ning hurriedly pleaded, "Auntie, it’s not the fault of nurse Wei, it’s all because I was willful."
Nurse Wei had brought the cushion, it’s just that she refused, for she wanted to clear her mind in solitude.
Zhulan glared at Wu Ning, "You still know that you’ve been willful?"
Wu Ning hung her head low; she knew, but today she just wanted to be willful for once. She had been repressed for too long and just wanted to vent.
Zhulan pursed her lips. Wu Ning had lost a lot of weight lately. The pavilion was by the water, and it got even colder when a gust of wind blew. Seeing Wu Ning shiver, the anger in Zhulan’s heart extinguished instantly, leaving only heartache behind. She took Wu Ning’s hand, "Come back with me."
Wu Ning looked down at her aunt’s hand. Her aunt’s hand was so warm; she couldn’t help but grasp it tightly. The oppression and unease in her heart seemed to vanish.
Nurse Wei stood in the pavilion, exhaling a breath. She had long wanted to discuss with Madam Zhou, but had concerns. The Zhou family had already shown great kindness in raising the young lady, and she feared that Madam Zhou might become displeased with the young mistress. Now, she could be at ease.
Back in the main courtyard, Liu Ya had already brought the ginger soup. Zhulan said irritably, "Won’t you even take it to drink by yourself? Are you waiting for me to feed you?"
Wu Ning curved the corners of her mouth. Even though her aunt’s tone was harsh, she couldn’t help but feel happy inside, "I’ll drink it myself."
Zhulan waited for Wu Ning to drink the ginger soup, "Do you realize your mistake today?"
Wu Ning’s eyes smiled, "I do, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
Zhulan sighed. This girl kept everything to herself, which wasn’t good. She didn’t want to preach, as the girl understood better than anyone, "Since you admit your fault and accept the punishment, starting tomorrow, you will write ten pages of characters in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and recite an article."
She refused to believe that with all her time occupied, Wu Ning would still have time to let her thoughts wander. She was simply too idle.
Wu Ning was stunned. She also had to follow her teacher in learning the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with homework to do every day. Now, with the punishment added by her aunt, she wouldn’t have a single moment of spare time.
Zhulan was satisfied with Wu Ning’s dumbstruck appearance, "Let’s see if you still have the time to feel melancholic about autumn. Don’t just stand there foolishly; hurry up and go to class."
Wu Ning’s face turned red. Today, she had been willful and taken leave; she really shouldn’t have. Her aunt was right; she was simply too idle.
Zhulan waited until Wu Ning had left, then spoke to Nurse Song, "Take a trip to the Wang residence, and tell them I’m looking to hire another teacher."
The next day, the teacher found by the Tao family arrived at the Zhou residence. After meeting him, Zhulan was very satisfied. She called the girls of the household to meet the teacher, "This is Mr. Liu. He will teach you to read from now on."
Xue Han and the other girls hurried to pay their respects, "Good day, Teacher."
After Mr. Liu left, Zhulan said to the girls, "Starting today, if you need to take leave, you must come to ask me for permission. Only with my approval can you miss class; have you remembered that?"
Xue Han and the others chorused, "We remember."
Zhulan pulled her daughter’s hand, "Mother knows that with one more teacher, you are the one who will suffer the most. I believe you won’t fall behind in your studies, right?"
Xue Han clenched her teeth, "Mother, rest assured, I won’t fall behind."
Zhulan stroked her daughter’s hair, "Alright, it’s time for class; off you go."
The girls left the main courtyard, and Xue Han couldn’t help scratching her head, feeling a bit agitated, "I really am very busy."
She had to manage the affairs of the residence, and also had to deal with invitations from young ladies of other residences. Now, with an additional teacher, it meant more homework; just the thought of it made her anxious.
Wu Ning bit the corner of her mouth, feeling that it was all her fault, "It’s my mistake."
Xue Han was puzzled, "What did you do?"
She was not in the residence yesterday, could something have happened that she was unaware of?
Wu Ning recounted the events of yesterday, "That’s what happened."
Xue Han was speechless, Sister Wu Ning really had quite the imagination, no wonder their mother was so angry. Then she shivered and thought to herself, this is why one should not provoke Mother. Xue Han comforted her, "Sister, don’t overthink it, actually having one more tutor is good, you can learn even more."
Wu Ning was full of self-reproach, she saw just how busy Xue Han was, and she felt she had let her down, cursing herself inwardly, she couldn’t help but her eyes reddened, "I definitely won’t do it again in the future."
Xue Han felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Why hadn’t mother told her about it yesterday, why did she only tell her not to fall behind in her studies? It must have all been mother’s calculation, otherwise, how could she not have heard even a whisper of news yesterday? Mother had anticipated her reaction, she just wanted to make Sister Wu Ning feel guilty, and this time, Sister Wu Ning certainly wouldn’t dare to overthink things again.
Xue Han had thought she had seen enough schemes and that she had learned well, but today, after witnessing her mother’s ’soft knife,’ she realized she had so much more to learn.
Zhulan was in good spirits, playing with her son; she truly wasn’t worried about her daughter. She was well aware of her daughter’s resilience, and she thought it wouldn’t hurt for her to study more while she was still young.
In the afternoon, at the government office, Zhou Shuren was reviewing tax records when Yao Zheyu arrived. Zhou Shuren took a book cover and placed it over the records, and Yao Zheyu entered.
Zhou Shuren and Yao Zheyu didn’t interact much in the Prectural of Jingzhou, so if Yao Zheyu had come, it must be for a reason. After the tea was served and they were alone, Zhou Shuren asked, "For what reason does the Princely Heir come?"
Yao Zheyu’s back was covered in cold sweat, he drank the tea and felt a bit more settled. He regretted coming over impulsively today, he took a moment to compose himself, "I haven’t had anything particularly important recently, so I came specifically to ask if you, sir, need any help."
Zhou Shuren looked at Yao Zheyu as if saying, do you think I’m a fool? Clearly, this man had discovered something alarming, "Heh."
He truly detested the crafty old fox.
Zhou Shuren watched Yao Zheyu unblinkingly, yet inside he wondered what could have caused Yao Zheyu to lose his composure, how deep were the schemes of this man?
Yao Zheyu couldn’t hold up any longer, but he really couldn’t speak of it, he hadn’t confirmed it yet, and at the same time, his heart skipped a beat. Why had his first thought been to turn to Lord Zhou? Had he already come to trust Lord Zhou so much?
This was certainly no good sign. Yao Zheyu’s back broke out in cold sweat again, and he stood up saying, "I just remembered, I have some matters to attend to, I must leave first."
Zhou Shuren’s fingertips tapped on the table, this feeling of not being in control was truly unpleasant!
Outside the door, Yao Zheyu left in a rush, almost bumping into Official Wang, who said, "Princely Heir?"
Yao Zheyu’s teeth hurt, "I have matters to attend to, I must be going first."
Official Wang was another crafty old fox; he noticed that those around Lord Zhou seemed to be quite cunning as well.
Watching the Princely Heir leave, Official Wang noticed his steps were somewhat disordered. Something must be up, he thought as he looked at the sky, truly a time of many troubles!
In the evening, Zhulan spoke to Zhou Shuren several times, but he was lost in thought. Zhulan waited until it was time to rest in the evening, "Have you encountered some difficult issue?"
Zhou Shuren spoke about Yao Zheyu’s visit today, "That’s the situation."
Zhulan was counting the days, "Based on the days, the fifth Prince should have arrived in Jinzhou Province by now, Miss Yao should have met him, don’t you think she discovered something?"
Zhou Shuren’s mind was filled with accounts, he had had a recent breakthrough, indeed he had overlooked the fifth Prince. He kissed Zhulan, "Absolutely."