CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: YOUNG MASTER LU

Granny Song was distracted and nodded repeatedly, asking if he wanted to eat.

Yuanbao was salivating, not waiting for his grandma’s question, and rushed to the kitchen door like a gust of wind.

He saw Wen Wan and Song Fang busy inside, and Yuanbao grinned, "Mom, Aunt, I’m hungry."

Song Fang glared at him, "Even if you’re hungry, you’ll have to wait. The chicken won’t be ready for a while!"

Wen Wan turned back and smiled at him.

Yuanbao looked at Wen Wan resentfully, muttering softly, "Dad and Mom promised to visit me and bring me treats, but none of them went. They all fooled me."

Wen Wan was stunned for a moment. In the past ten days, she had indeed thought about visiting Yuanbao, but Song Wei stopped her, saying Yuanbao was already eight years old and should learn to be independent. He had just transferred to the town school, so he should adapt first. They should not spoil him too much; otherwise, what difference did transferring schools make?

It was because of Song Wei’s words that Wen Wan was not in a rush to go to the town school.

She had not expected the little fellow to complain as soon as he returned.

Wen Wan was conflicted about how to explain it to him.

"If Dad and Mom don’t visit you, you can’t even last a day at the town school?"

Hearing Song Wei’s voice, Yuanbao was startled and turned his head to see his father’s somewhat stern eyes. He shivered but quickly retorted stubbornly, "Dad always says honesty is the foundation of being a person. If you say one thing and do another, that’s not keeping your word."

Song Wei glanced at him nonchalantly, "If I remember correctly, there was a capability test when you first transferred to the town school. Have you been so busy complaining about me in these ten days that you forgot about the exam?"

Mentioning the exam, Yuanbao pursed his lips and didn’t make a sound.

Song Wei’s eyes showed some understanding, "Didn’t do well in the exam?"

Yuanbao lowered his head and took a long time before squeezing out a low sentence through his teeth, "I overestimated myself."

Song Wei was not surprised, "It’s good that you can recognize your weaknesses. Learning requires a solid foundation, progressing step by step. If you just scratch the surface and dare to be arrogant, you’re no different from the frog at the bottom of the well."

Yuanbao listened carefully to the lecture, and his earlier complaints about his parents not visiting him had vanished, leaving him full of shame.

During dinner, Granny Song asked her eldest grandson why he had lost weight just after a few days there.

Yuanbao said there was a capability test right after enrolling, and he had been busy with the exam, not eating or sleeping well.

In fact, when he received the exam notice, he thought that following his father for so many years had taught him more than what the town school master taught. A small capability test was no challenge, so he ate and slept as usual, not reviewing his books or considering possible questions.

When he got to the exam hall and the test paper was distributed, he was dumbfounded at the master’s questions.

After three consecutive exams, Yuanbao’s mentality collapsed completely.

Without needing the master’s comment, Yuanbao already knew in his heart how well he had done.

So, he lost not because he was busy with the exam but because, after the exam, he couldn’t eat or sleep.

Granny Song asked him how he did on the test.

Yuanbao glanced nervously at Song Wei and forced himself to say it was all right.

Granny Song praised him, saying her eldest grandson had always been smart since he was little. Going to the town school and putting in more effort, he would definitely get the top spot in the age exam, just like his father did back then.

Hearing this, Yuanbao suddenly found the chicken soup tasteless.

...

He still remembered the first day of enrollment. As soon as the masters heard he was Song Wei’s son, they looked at him like he was a genius, with their eyes brightening.

So when he occasionally nodded off in class, the masters felt that the son of a genius must also be a genius. Yuanbao had been by Song Wei’s side for many years, and things like the Four Books and Five Classics had surely been covered. He probably came to the town school just to hang around, waiting to take the field exam directly when older. The masters were confident Yuanbao would excel and become the town school’s star student, with no need for interference.

However, this capability test shocked everyone, and even Yuanbao himself did not expect it.

For Yuanbao, who had always been proud, the setback was significant.

Fortunately, his mentality did not completely collapse. Within a few days, he reassessed his abilities and studied diligently, hoping to do better in the next exam, not daring to aim for the top spot but at least not to embarrass his father.

——

After entering summer, torrential rains continued, and there was no sign of clearing after more than ten days.

Wen Wan and Song Wei chose a day with lighter rain to visit Yuanbao at the town school, buying things at the market on their way.

In a private room on the third floor of the Fulai Restaurant next door sat a few noble young men.

A man in a lake-blue cross-collar brocade outfit, with a somewhat pale face, looked at the person opposite, "Young Master Lu, we might have gone too far this time. With consecutive rains, there has already been a mountain collapse at the coal mine, and I just received news that workers have been injured."

The one called "Young Master Lu" was Lu Yanqing, only twelve years old, exuding an arrogant demeanor. Upon hearing the news, he sneered coldly, "What are you afraid of?"

The man’s face turned even paler, "We secretly opened the coal mine without the court’s survey and approval. Although we’ve suppressed the Magistrate and County Magistrate here, if any fatalities occur and it reaches the Emperor’s ears..."

"A bunch of useless cowards, leave if you’re so afraid of death!"

The man immediately fell silent.

The entire Capital knew Young Master Lu was the Empress Dowager’s beloved grandson, unruly and domineering. Whenever he caused trouble, the Empress Dowager would cover for him, giving even the Emperor a headache.

This time, they dared to privately join Young Master Lu in opening a coal mine for large profits, banking on the assurance that even if casualties occurred, the Empress Dowager would handle it. Forget the Magistrate and County Magistrate of Ningzhou, even the Emperor would have no solution.