Fu Rou retrieved the pouch from her sleeve. “Someone asked me to give this to him. Since he is not around, could I trouble you to pass it to him?”
The handsome man replied, “You have to at least tell me who it is from.”
“Xiahan.”
The handsome man took the pouch and turned to leave.
“Wait.” Fu Rou called him back, learning from him quickly. “You have to at least tell me who I am passing the pouch to.”
“It is just a pouch. Are you afraid that I will keep it for myself?” However, he continued to answer, “My name is Chen Ji. Got it?”
“Got it.” That’s a nice name.
In the Duke Lu Residence, it was bustling with activity like before. However, it was slightly bewildering. Although it was still the same three brothers, instead of playing and drinking all day, cries of anguish from studying filled the room.
Sheng Chumu held a huge rod in one hand and a small lash in the other. When it came to disciplining his two younger brothers, he was unrivalled, even against Niu Wudi. He forced them to study in the day and train in the night, refusing to let them rest.
This kind of activity made Madam Sheng anxious whereas Sheng Xiaojing was smiling. Both of them came to the same conclusion – Sheng Chumu was finally acting like an elder brother.
However, when there is oppression there would always be resistance. On this day, the two brothers could not stand it any longer as they crawled to their mother for help. Grabbing onto her legs, they cried to her for help. Although Madam Sheng could tell that they had lost weight, her two younger sons still seemed to be filled with energy. She did not know how to comfort them and instead chose to side with her eldest son.
“Chumu is doing this for your sakes.”
Sheng Chuling pointed at his eyebags. “Mother, he has already thought of where our graves should be.”
Sheng Chujun had a medicinal tape stuck on his nose. “He has already decided on the shape and material of our coffin.”
“This…” Madam Sheng held back. “Your elder brother is like your father…”
“He is even fiercer than Father!”
“Ten times fiercer! He has beaten us to a pulp!”
“King of hell!”
“An executor!”
“Mother, if you don’t help us, we will…we will start fighting amongst ourselves!”
“That’s right! We are going to rebel against Elder Brother. We will resist to the end!”
The two brothers let out complaint after complaint. They stick their heads out, looking like geese crying out.
Sheng Chumu suddenly entered the room. “I have been looking all over for you guys. Are you all here to greet Mother?”
Sheng Chumu kneeled down as he took a tea cup and offered it to Madam Sheng. “Mother, please have some tea. Be careful, it is hot.”
Madam Sheng reached for it in a daze. She took a sip, feeling slightly uncomfortable with how polite her son was behaving. Sheng Xiaojing had just returned from a court meeting and walked through the door. He looked at the scene in front of him, lighting up with interest.
Having caught sight of him, Sheng Chumu thought that he would make use of this opportunity. He could show off to his parents and brothers.
“Have you all memorised the books that I asked you to?” Sheng Chumu let out a dry cough.
Sheng Chujun and Sheng Chuling immediately answered. “Yes!”
“The water bird calls as it resides by the sandbank. A nobleman desires a beautiful virtuous woman.”
“The lush reeds are covered with snow. The one I am looking for is somewhere nearby.”
“This is not the homework that I gave you both last night.” It was not easy to trick Sheng Chumu.
Sheng Chujun and Sheng Chuling exchanged fearful looks. Sheng Chumu narrowed his eyes in a smile. “You didn’t memorise it? Okay, then…”
“Oh oh! I remember it now!”
“I remember it too!”
Sheng Chuling and Sheng Chujun recited what they had memorised simultaneously. “A truly knowledgeable person will behave magnanimously while an ignorant person often chooses to harp on petty things. Bragging is meaningless while small speech is tickling.”
Sheng Chumu sneered. “What small speech is tickling? Small speeches are powerful.”
The two brothers immediately clasped their fists together and bowed politely. “Yes, yes, small speeches are powerful. Thank you for your corrections, Elder Brother.”
Sheng Xiaojing rubbed his hands together and walked in. “The saying goes: A filial son is raised by a rod. In our Duke Lu Residence, it seems like the rod is producing virtuous brothers. It seems like you all have studied quite a bit. How about your martial arts? Are your shoulders still hunched and your arms too weak to carry anything other than women’s shoes?”
Sheng Chumu replied, “It is not possible to train both riding and shooting in such a short time. I have only asked them to follow me and strengthen their bodies. Cough, cough!”
The moment Sheng Chumu coughed, his two younger brothers immediately sprung to action. They both took on a horse stance as they shouted. Ho ho!
Sheng Chumu attempted to curry favour with his parents. “Father, Mother, are you all satisfied with this?”
Sheng Xiaojing and his wife nodded in synchrony, unable to close their mouths because of the huge grin plastered across their faces.
Madam Sheng was touched. “I have always believed that all my sons had potential. Especially you, Chumu. You don’t take any action, but the moment you do, you amaze us all. With you in the lead, I am not worried about your two brothers.”
Sheng Chumu continued asking, “Now, I am no longer the hedonistic son you had in the past right?”
Madam Sheng did not know that this was a trap. “Of course not.”
Sheng Chumu pressed on. “Then can I start to settle down?”
Madam Sheng answered smoothly, “Of course.”
Sheng Chumu finally brought up the main point. “Then can I marry Fu Rou?”
“Of—” Madam Sheng managed to stop herself in the midst of her sentence. “No!”
“What?” Sheng Chumu could not understand. “Why can’t I? I am studying, training martial arts, teaching my brothers and remaining filial to you. What haven’t I done enough such that you are still not satisfied?”
Madam Sheng had something to say. “You have done well and I am very pleased. That is why all the more you cannot marry Fu Rou.”
It was rare that Sheng Xiaojing sided with his wife. “In the past, you did not have the qualifications to be picky. But it is different now. You are from a family of Dukes, well-read and skilled in martial arts. You are good at both studying and fighting. You are the kind of son-in-law that everyone wants. How can you take a commoner as your wife?”
Madam Sheng was filled with confidence. “That’s right. Chumu, you should marry Princess Xinnan.”
Sheng Chumu froze. After putting in so much effort to increase his own qualifications, they wanted him to marry Princess Xinnan! He was furious!
Chapter 10.1: Chasing the Beauty
The biggest drinking house in Chang’an was packed with customers. All the tables were filled except one huge table. Only two guests were seated around the table. One was crazy while the other one stared blankly. Although they were talking, they could not understand one another.
The crazy one shouted, “I spent so much effort but why is the result like this? Not only does Father and Mother object against Rou’er, they are adamant on me marrying the Princess!”
The blank one muttered, “Today morning, I went to look for Yin’er. However, she told me that her mother had always wanted her to marry an official. But I love my freedom.”
“I miss my Rou’er!” The crazy one was Sheng Chumu.
“Which is more important? Yin’er or my freedom?” The blank one was Du Ning.
“What must I do for my mother to agree?” Sheng Chumu was on the brink of tearing off his own hair in frustration.
“I have decided to participate in the Imperial Examination.” Du Ning elegantly poured tea.
“Rou’er must miss me so much her heart hurts.”