Chapter 37:The Wise Jinshi x The Obsessed Emperor 16

Early June.

Prince Duan officially welcomed Jiang Wan as his princess consort. The wedding was a grand spectacle rarely seen in the capital.

At the same time, the Yun family was also celebrating a wedding, albeit a much more subdued affair with fewer guests than the Prince Duan’s grand celebration.

The bride was Yun Shu, the eldest daughter of the Yun family, and she was marrying into the family of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

The Vice Minister of Rites, Zhou Yong, was an official of the third rank, the same rank as Yun Ai. In that sense, Yun Shu’s husband’s family was not considered a disgrace to the Yun family’s reputation; the Zhou and Yun families were well-matched in social status.

However, Yun Shu’s husband was not a handsome and dashing young man, but rather a middle-aged widower of forty years old, with two sons and a daughter from his late wife. He had not remarried since his wife’s death many years ago.

This Lord Zhou happened to take a liking to Yun Shu and was willing to welcome her into his household as his legal wife, regardless of her past romantic entanglements with Prince Duan.

In Yun Ai’s view, he was lucky that his eldest daughter, who had been so entangled with Prince Duan, could even get married at all. She had no right to be picky.

Moreover, Zhou Yong was considered a good match. His first wife had passed away early, and he had no concubines in his household, only the three children left behind by his late wife.

As long as Yun Shu was willing to settle down and live peacefully, she would have a bright future. Even if she couldn’t become Princess Duan, she could still become a third-rank Madam, and if she were to give birth to a son or daughter in the future, her position would be secure.

This was already the best possible match that Yun Ai could find for his eldest legitimate daughter.

Compared to his eldest daughter, who was fortunate enough to marry into the Vice Minister’s household, his second daughter could only marry an ordinary juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level). His second son-in-law did not even have an official position, and his appearance was average, making him far worse off than his elder sister’s husband.

Yun Ai finally managed to marry off his two daughters and put an end to the rumors in the capital.

Whenever he thought of his two troublesome daughters, he couldn’t help but think of his outstanding and successful eldest son, and his face would show a hint of regret.

“Ah, such is fate!”

“Truly, the way of Heaven revolves, and retribution is inevitable!”

Who would have thought that the young Master Yun, whom His Majesty entrusted with important tasks, was actually Yun Ai’s eldest son born of a concubine? Unfortunately, he was no longer considered a member of the Yun family, as he had been foolish enough to listen to the women in the inner court and kick such a promising son out of the family.

“If I had paid more attention to Huai’er, perhaps the outcome would be completely different now.”

He had to admit that he had been negligent or, perhaps, had never cared about him.

Yun Huai had a very low presence in the Yun family and rarely went out. He spent most of his time reading and had no intention of competing with his two younger brothers.

And so, Yun Ai naturally forgot about him and never even thought of him.

Now that he did, all he felt was regret.

Capital City, Verdant Bamboo Pavilion.

Yun Huai was chatting with a new friend, holding a newly acquired biography of a famous person in his hand.

“Lu Xiao, after I finish reading ‘Wanderings of the Clouds,’ I will lend this book to you.”

The young man in green robes sitting next to him gritted his teeth, staring at him somewhat irritably.

“You were so confident today, you must have known that Lady Cui’s ‘Wanderings of the Clouds’ would be presented as a prize at this afternoon’s poetry gathering.”

“I don’t know where you get your information.”

Even as the son of the Minister of Rites, he didn’t know about it, but Yun Huai actually knew about it.

Yun Huai propped up his chin and said, “I naturally have my own channels~”

Lu Xiao struggled for a while and then gave up. “Anyway, my poetic talent is not as good as yours, so even if I knew about the poetry gathering, I wouldn’t be able to win against you.”

“Just remember to lend it to me after you finish reading it, so I can ease my mind.” Since he couldn’t get the original copy, he could always borrow it from Yun Huai.

Yun Huai nodded lightly. “No problem.”

He put down the book he had won at the poetry gathering and picked up his chopsticks to taste the delicacies of the Verdant Bamboo Pavilion.

Lu Xiao ate while sizing up the other party.

His new friend’s appearance and character were impeccable, possessing an upright and noble aura, like a pine or cypress tree. He was also quick-witted, knowledgeable, and more outstanding than most scholars he knew.

Moreover, he was easily satisfied; a book or a meal was enough to make him happy.

Lu Xiao picked up the wine pot on the table and poured a cup of wine for Yun Huai. “Don’t just eat the dishes; try the wine here. It’s truly the best in the capital!”

Yun Huai looked at the cup of wine in front of him, and he recalled the scene where he had drunk too much in the palace and made Zhou Dehai recite books, and his scalp tingled a little.

He said with embarrassment, “I have a shallow capacity for alcohol. If I drink too much, I’m afraid I will lose my composure.”

It was also because his body rarely drank alcohol, so he would easily get drunk after drinking a few cups.

He didn’t act crazy when he was drunk; he just grabbed the person closest to him and made them recite books.

Lu Xiao raised his eyebrows. “How could such a small amount of wine make someone drunk!”

“Yun Huai, don’t worry, just drink it.”

Yun Huai believed that the wine wouldn’t be intoxicating, so he drank three cups, and his eyes became blurred.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Xiao’s arm, saying clearly to Lu Xiao, “Arrogance should not be encouraged, desires should not be indulged, ambitions should not be fully realized, and pleasure should not be taken to the extreme. Respect and revere the virtuous, fear and love them.”

Lu Xiao: Are you kidding me? Only three cups!

The chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and the sound of reciting echoed in his ears.

It was as if he had returned to the classroom, not a restaurant!