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Lin didn’t say anything more, dipped his brush in ink, and focused on writing his essay.
It was a new eight-legged essay.
The one he had casually given to Xu Qingyi had been written some time ago, and he wasn’t very satisfied with it.
Lin didn’t care whether Shen Zhijie thought highly of him or not, but he didn’t want Xu Qingyi to think he was incapable.
That would make him very upset.
After finishing his essay and dismissing school for the day, he decided to personally deliver it to Shen Zhijie.
As he approached the study in the outer courtyard, he saw Xu Qingyi and Shen Zhijie standing under the eaves, laughing and chatting.
The sight made Lin stop in his tracks, unconsciously frowning.
He hadn’t met Shen Zhijie before, but he had heard from the servants that he was very handsome.
Now that he saw him, he was indeed charming and elegant, with a distinguished air.
Xu Qingyi and Shen Zhijie weren’t standing close together, and their conversation seemed to be about essays, so there was nothing objectionable about it.
But Lin still felt a pang of resentment and found the scene irritating, because Xu Qingyi was his father’s wife.
And his father was in his current state…
“Ahem.” He made a sound to announce his presence and quickened his pace.
Xu Qingyi saw him and smiled even brighter. “Lin, you finished school early today?”
Lin scowled at Xu Qingyi, his reply abrupt. “Yes, the master dismissed us early today.”
Approaching Shen Zhijie, his expression softened, and he bowed respectfully. “This must be Mr. Shen? I am Xie Lin, Heng’s older brother.”
Shen Zhijie returned the greeting. “Master Xie.”
Lin presented his essay. “My mother took an essay from my desk yesterday. That one was written some time ago. I wrote a new one today, and I would be grateful if Mr. Shen would offer some comments.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Shen Zhijie humbly accepted the essay. “I’m merely relying on my experience taking a few examinations to offer some humble opinions.”
Xu Qingyi sighed helplessly beside them. “Sigh.”
Perhaps that’s just how scholars are; she didn’t quite understand.
“Thank you for your time,” Lin politely finished, then turned to Xu Qingyi. “Mother, what are you doing here?”
Xu Qingyi, fanning herself, heard the accusation in his tone and paused, surprised.
She didn’t understand where his anger came from.
Then she glanced at Shen Zhijie beside her and understood what he was bothered about.
Really…
“I came to pick up your younger brother from school and ask Scholar Shen for his opinion on your essay. What’s wrong with that?” Xu Qingyi retorted.
Lin kept his face straight. “Since you’re here to pick up my younger brother, just call him out.”
Shen Zhijie sensed the tension between mother and son and didn’t quite understand the situation, but he quickly laughed to smooth things over. “Young Master Heng still has a final stroke to finish. Young Madam Xie is waiting for him.”
“That’s right.” This was a perfectly good excuse. Xu Qingyi nodded in agreement.
She and Shen Zhijie were simply having a normal conversation, yet Lin acted as if he had caught them in the act of adultery!
In reality, she had no such feelings for Shen Zhijie. She merely admired his appearance, which made their conversation more pleasant.
Seeing her so calm and self-assured, Lin’s expression darkened.
“I’ll go take a look.” Shen Zhijie wasn’t sure if he was the cause of the tension, but it was best to leave, so he turned and went inside, leaving the space to the mother and son.
As soon as he left, Lin turned his head away and snorted.
“What did I do to you?” Xu Qingyi asked knowingly, fanning herself and smiling. She simply found his reaction amusing.
“Flirtatious,” Lin muttered.
Having teased him enough, Xu Qingyi turned serious, needing to defend herself. “Where was I flirtatious? You’re the one who’s being unreasonable. Shen Zhijie and I were having a normal conversation. Even if your father were standing right next door, I would be completely innocent.”
Lin hesitated to speak.
“If you want to say something, say it,” Xu Qingyi said, hands on her hips.
Lin whispered, “You might be innocent, but others might not be.”
What if Shen Zhijie misunderstood? What would he think of Xu Qingyi?
That’s why Lin was concerned. Even if Xu Qingyi didn’t care about her reputation, she should care about his father’s.
Xu Qingyi felt a mix of emotions. She decided to take Lin’s words as a compliment. She touched her face; she was indeed very beautiful.
But it was useless.
Thinking of the situation, she sighed. “Don’t worry. Your mother has a bedridden husband and three children to care for. My market value isn’t that high.”
Shen Zhijie was handsome and talented. Once he became a high-ranking official, he would have his pick of women. There was no way he would be interested in a married woman with children.
Lin said softly, “It sounds like you’re quite disappointed.”
“No,” Xu Qingyi quickly dispelled his doubts, solemnly declaring, “I am completely faithful to your father. Besides, even if your father weren’t around, I still have you all.”
Meeting Lin’s scrutinizing gaze, she smiled warmly. “I don’t need any men. Mother will spend the rest of her life with you all.”
It sounded like a comforting lie, but Lin chose to believe it, his expression softening considerably.
At that moment, Shen Zhijie came out with Heng.
“Teacher, I’m leaving,” Heng bid farewell to his teacher politely, then turned and rushed to Xu Qingyi, reaching out for a hug. “Mother.”
“Here you are!” Xu Qingyi happily responded, bending down to pick up her youngest son.
Lin didn’t bother watching the tender mother-son moment. He turned and went back to his courtyard.
Xu Qingyi was a little worried about his behavior. Would he go and tattle to his father?
After observing for a while, thankfully he didn’t.
It seemed that some kind of camaraderie had been built up over the past few days.
That evening, Xu Qingyi received a message from the Marquis: she needed to attend a banquet with Madam Qin the following day.
The host was Xie Yunzhi’s maternal aunt, a noblewoman—the current Imperial Concubine Xue, who enjoyed the Emperor’s favor.
Speaking of Imperial Concubine Xue, Xu Qingyi only remembered that she and her elder sister, Xie Yunzhi’s biological mother, were once known as the “Two Stunning Beauties.”
It was no wonder she had given birth to Xie Yunzhi, such a stunningly beautiful man.
Imperial Concubine Xue had two princesses, who had already established their princess mansions outside the palace. Tomorrow’s banquet would be held at one of the princess mansions.
Imperial Concubine Xue highly valued her sister’s only son. Since Xie Yunzhi had been in a coma for half a year, he had been twice posthumously conferred titles by the Emperor, thanks in no small part to her influence.
With Xie Yunzhi suddenly marrying, it was only natural that the Imperial Concubine would want to meet his wife.
In other words, tomorrow would be Xu Qingyi’s first public appearance since marrying Xie Yunzhi…
Considering her husband’s popularity, Xu Qingyi felt unusually apprehensive. What kind of scene would it be?
Logically, since Xie Yunzhi was incapacitated, nobody should be jealous of the woman who married him, right?
On her way back to the courtyard, Xu Qingyi thought, if anyone was indeed jealous, she, as the main wife, would be generous and arrange for her husband to take a concubine.
She wouldn’t mind having more lady to take care of the Young Master together.
(Hello readers! I replaced ‘Shen Juren’ with ‘Scholar Shen’. I made a mistake about it, but thank you for understanding. Happy reading, everyone.))