Chapter 113: Chapter too, Tear Off _1
Daohua felt exhausted, this Aunt Lin really never forgot to drag her along in everything, even when the grandmother had already let her go, she still didn’t forget to forcibly bring her into it because of the thoughts in her heart.
Such talent!
But in her eyes, was she nothing but a harmless little white rabbit, to be used as a raft by Aunt Lin?
Yan Zhiyuan, seeing that the old lady’s expression was becoming increasingly impatient, and knowing that Aunt Lin had yet to mention the matter of Wangyue Academy, took the opportunity to smooth things over, “Mother, don’t be angry, Aunt Lin came to pay her respects to you out of filial piety, give her a chance to correct her mistake.”
Daohua looked up at her Second Uncle. He was able to get along well with the people from the County Governor’s Office and the Prefectural Governor’s Office despite his common status—there was no denying he was a capable man.
But to say he was very shrewd, that wasn’t necessarily the case.
If he had really understood the situation clearly, he wouldn’t have spoken up at this moment.
The incident before, when he stopped her from brewing wine—if it was just him playing the elder wanting to show his influence within the Yan Family, then speaking up for Aunt Lin now was simply being muddled.
He wished to secure an opportunity for Yan Wenjie to study at Wangyue Academy, which was understandable, but he could have plainly stated so, in which case, she would have thought better of him.
But instead, he chose to side with Aunt Lin—didn’t he know about the strife between the wives and concubines of the main house?
He knew, yet he still did it.
It was just that he thought because she was a younger member of the family, he and Aunt Lin could jointly pressure her weaker father to force her into submission.
What a laughable and foolish idea!
Yan Zhiyuan had wanted to scold Daohua as well, but seeing the mocking look in her eyes, he found himself suddenly at a loss for words.
He couldn’t speak, but the Sun Family had no such reservations, laughing as she said, “Daohua, for the sake of your fifth brother and third younger sister, stop holding Aunt Lin’s slip of the tongue against her.”
So it had become her holding a grudge!
With no smile on her face, Daohua said bluntly, “Second Aunt seems very good at being generous with others’ affairs.”
The Sun Family’s face stiffened, knowing that Daohua could be sharp-tongued, but she didn’t expect her to be so merciless—a simple word from a second aunt was enough.
Seeing their mother spoken to that way, Yan Yile felt indignant and was about to speak when Yan Yihuan pulled her back.
Yan Yihuan shook her head at Yan Yile and whispered, “Today our goal is to get Second Brother into the Academy, don’t add to the chaos.”
Yan Yile felt unconvinced, biting her lip with an unhappy expression, “Look how capable our eldest sister is; now everyone in our family has to look at her face.”
Yan Yihuan glared at Yan Yile, signaling her to stop talking, but in her heart, she agreed with her sister’s words.
Because of the Little Prince, Eldest Sister’s status in the family was getting higher and higher.
If it had been before, the eldest sister’s disrespect to the elders would certainly have already elicited criticism from the uncle.
But this time, the uncle said nothing.
Kneeling on the ground, Aunt Lin felt a sense of relief as Yan Zhiyuan and his wife spoke up for her.
Thankfully, this time her interests aligned with those of the second branch, all for the sake of sending their sons to the Academy to study.
Hearing the sounds of meal preparation coming from the dining hall, Aunt Lin dared not delay any longer. If she didn’t speak now, there might be no chance later.
This time, Aunt Lin did not address Daohua but turned her gaze to Yan Wenxiu.
“I heard the Prince is going to Wangyue Academy to study. This concubine would like to offer congratulations to the Prince. Back when Lin Di taught the Prince his first characters, he said the Prince was exceptionally talented, and in the future, he would certainly succeed greatly, even reaching the highest honors of the imperial examination.”
On hearing this, Yan Wenxiu frowned briefly, but quickly hid his reaction.
Being taught by a concubine’s brother was something that, as years passed and he became more aware of etiquette and rules, increasingly became a thorn in his side, and he also harbored some resentment towards his father.
Did his father not realize this would put him in an embarrassing and difficult situation?
How would his peers view him and the Yan Family if they knew about this?
The legitimate eldest son taught by a concubine’s brother—did the Yan Family have any sense of propriety?
Moreover, if he got close to Master Lin, he would be betraying his mother; if he distanced himself from Master Lin, he would be accused of being ungrateful and lacking respect for his elders and mentors.
Ever since he became a Scholar, he had avoided Master Lin when possible, fearing it would tarnish his reputation.
At Yan Zhigao’s side, when he heard Aunt Lin mention the matter of his eldest son’s enlightenment, his face turned slightly sour. Back then, he had been too busy to teach his eldest son, and seeing that Master Lin seemed well learned, he casually asked him to tutor his son.