Chapter 260 Like Honored Guests (Part 1)
"Oh, you've been so quiet about this, yet you're so formidable. Mother didn't even know you had such abilities," Du Yue'e teased.
"Mother, please don't make fun of me. I wasn't really thinking much at the time, and it just came out like that. Now that I think about it, I still feel..."
Ling Yuke recalled the situation at the time, which was a mix of joy and worry, but ultimately, she got the result she wanted.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you."
Du Yue'e was very happy, looking up at the god's face in the sky outside the window with great emotion: "Supreme God above, it's a good thing I, Du Yue'e, gave birth to a good daughter, and also secured such a good marriage for myself. It's truly wonderful!"
"Let me tell you, the most important thing for a woman in this life is to marry a good husband, and then, like me, to give birth to a good, ambitious daughter," Du Yue'e pinched her daughter's rosy cheek and said with a smile.
"Mother, but isn't my hard work studying, cultivating... and taking the Imperial Examination also very important?" Ling Yuke was a little confused.
"You don't understand, that's also to add weight to finding you a good marriage," Du Yue'e patiently explained.
Her daughter was growing up and couldn't remain so naive.
Then, she rolled her eyes at her daughter and said grumpily, "Besides, didn't you also choose to take this Examination in order to get closer to Young Master Wen? Originally, according to our wishes, it would have been safer for you to graduate smoothly from Chang'an Academy before taking the Imperial Examination."
"Mother! Stop talking," Ling Yuke said, embarrassed.
"You're still talking about it? Because of this, your father was half-dead with anger. Originally, your father was an examiner, and you were a candidate, which didn't sound good to outsiders."
"Hmph, isn't Xuanning Brother the same?" Ling Yuke was a little unconvinced.
"Yes, if his Wen Family can do it, why can't my Du Family's daughter do it?" Du Yue'e sneered, completely avoiding mention of the Ling Family, even though Ling Yuke's surname was 'Ling'.
This also represented a certain attitude of Du Yue'e.
Ling Yuke had long been accustomed to her mother's attitude towards the Ling Family and didn't mind this remark, but she did remember something.
"Mother, I remember you also scored very high back then, didn't you?"
Ling Yuke's mother was a first-class Jinshi back then. If she hadn't married father while studying at the National Academy, and then immediately married and became a virtuous wife upon leaving the National Academy, she probably could have become an official, big or small.
"Yes, if I didn't have this Jinshi status, how could I have been with your father?" Du Yue'e's expression changed slightly, then she forced out a stiff smile. "At that time, how many families were eyeing your father for marriage after the imperial Examination results? You know, the Zhuangyuan was very sought after."
"That's right! Father was already talented, and he was also the eldest son of the main branch of the Ling Family; his status was already noble."
Ling Yuke admired her father very much, and her head perked up when she talked about him.
However, Du Yue'e listened and then sneered quietly, "What a pity, a strong start but a weak finish."
"Mother, why do you say that? Isn't father very formidable now?" Ling Yuke frowned slightly.
Who in the world didn't know that Minister of Public Works Ling Fu was the Tang Country's foremost Sky Craftsman genius, inventing numerous Spiritual Artifacts that benefited countless common people?
Because of this, Ling Yuke had been doted on since childhood. Outsiders, knowing she was Ling Fu's daughter, would unconsciously give way, pay attention, and show a bit of favoritism.
"Formidable? That's just what outsiders see," Du Yue'e scoffed. "Think about who was the first to follow His Majesty when he was still in the imperial residence, who had the most merit in supporting the Dragon, and yet who is still a mere Minister today?"
"Your future father-in-law was originally far inferior to him, but what happened? He's already become the Shoufu," Du Yue'e said, her face full of disappointment and gritting her teeth.
The mention of "future father-in-law" made Ling Yuke blush again.
"Looking at the wind, soon, that Minister Li Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, who only knows how to follow the wind, will also climb above him," Du Yue'e said with a sneer.
Thinking of her unaccomplished Zhuangyuan husband made her angry. She had been drawn to his potential, but who would have thought that he would remain in the position of Minister of Public Works for more than ten years?
Hmph, as expected of someone from a small place, full of petty-mindedness, only knowing how to tinker with useless things.
Fortunately, he had recently become a little more enlightened.
But there was no need for Ling Yuke to know these things.
Du Yue'e quickly composed her expression.
"It's a good thing you're with Wen Xuanning. He has a good background and won't have any inexplicable poor relatives," she hinted, though Ling Yuke knew nothing.
"Remember, don't associate with people outside your circle, whether friends or men; they will only drag you down."
After listening to her mother's repeated emphasis, Ling Yuke's ears were calloused, but thinking of today's events, she nodded heavily: "Mother is right, your daughter will remember."
...
Du Yue'e walked out of her daughter's room; the night was already deep.
She wondered if her convenient husband had returned yet. He had been staying in the palace for several days, hadn't he?
She had originally thought he would return after the Examination, but unexpectedly, it dragged on for two more days. If it weren't for the palace messenger who truly informed her, she would have suspected it was a deliberate deception.
However, if he truly had a confidante outside, it wouldn't matter.
Anyway, the two of them now lived with masks, like thousands of other high-ranking couples in Chang'an.
However, upon returning to her room, Du Yue'e saw that Ling Fu had already bathed and was leaning on the soft couch, looking down at something.
"You're home?" Du Yue'e asked.
"Yes," Ling Fu replied with a single word, without raising his head.
"Didn't say anything?" Frowning, Du Yue'e asked again.
"Hmm, I thought it would be better to tell you in person when I got back," Ling Fu remained indifferent.
"What are you looking at?" Seeing Ling Fu still in the same posture, Du Yue'e walked closer and leaned over to look.
She saw a palm-sized square object, as thin as a spirit message, but made of what looked like metal and crystal, with clearly defined, polished edges and corners—a craftsmanship she had never seen before.
Ling Fu hadn't expected Du Yue'e to get close suddenly, and he coughed lightly, nonchalantly putting the object back into his Storage Pouch.
"Nothing, just a weird object collected by the Weaving Institute."
"Why did you bring this unclean thing into the room?" Du Yue'e was somewhat disgusted; she had always kept her distance from weird objects.
Back then, when Ling Fu wanted to go to the Weaving Institute to research weird objects, she had tried every means to stop him, which was why he was now the world-renowned Minister of Public Works.
Du Yue'e was quite satisfied with her actions back then. For things like men, one had to learn the Dao of control.
Only then could one live a comfortable life.
"It's fine, it's been purified. I just found it interesting and was playing with it," Ling Fu didn't mind Du Yue'e's attitude and replied indifferently.
Then, there was a moment of silence.
This was a common scene for them over the decades.
After a while, Ling Fu actually took the initiative to ask, "How is Yu Ke?"
Ling Fu saw Du Yue'e returning to the room so late, with lingering affection on her face and a smile on her lips. He guessed she had just returned from Ling Yuke's place, so he casually asked.
He hadn't seen his precious daughter in a long time and missed her too.
"Her, ah..." Du Yue'e didn't know what Ling Fu wanted to ask, but she chose a few things to say. "She didn't place among the top few, so she wasn't very happy after returning last night..."
Ling Fu fell silent, remembering how his daughter had been eliminated by Wen Xuanning's sword in the mirage. His heart also ached.
Three updates today!