boyutpedia Chapter 206: Red Mansion Lady Xing 26
Chapter 206: Red Mansion Lady Xing 26
Xing Yuling carried the token in her arms and carefully came to a courtyard. The courtyard looked a bit old, but it exuded a peaceful and elegant atmosphere.
An important person once lived here - the former prince's teacher. After the prince's unfortunate death, the teacher was also implicated and demoted. Faced with the exclusion and pressure from the officialdom, he finally chose to resign due to illness, away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, and found this villa not far from the suburbs, where he lived a leisurely life of growing flowers and fishing every day.
Xing Yuling stood in the yard, feeling a sense of tranquility. Surrounded by green trees and blooming flowers, she felt as if she were in a secluded paradise. She took a deep breath and prayed in her heart that this visit would yield some useful information or help.
I knocked on the door and the gatekeeper asked who was looking for me.
"Ma'am, who are you looking for?"
Xing Yuling greeted the old man politely.
"Is Mr. Lu at home? Let me know that an old friend is visiting."
She knew very well that it was the right person to ask this gentleman to teach her son. After all, this old gentleman had been with the prince day and night, so he could see the clues at a glance. Moreover, Jia Ying's appearance was obviously more like the prince's, and even if he didn't point it out, the old gentleman must know the reason.
After a while, the door opened and a white-haired but vigorous old man came out. He looked at Xing Yuling with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Excuse me, who are you?" the old man asked in a low and steady voice.
Xing Yuling hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully, "Old sir, my name is Xing Yuling, and I am the wife of Jia She from Rongguo Mansion. I have come to visit you today because I want to ask you to teach my son how to start learning."
Mr. Lu frowned, looked up, and asked doubtfully, "Aren't you afraid of being implicated? I used to be the former prince's tutor."
"Why don't we go somewhere else to talk? It's not very convenient outside." Xing Yuling felt that there were too many people here and they were all gossiping, so she didn't want to make it public.
Mr. Lu slowly brought her to the main hall, sat in the main seat, and motioned for her to sit down.
Xing Yuling directly took out a token in her hand and showed it to him.
Mr. Lu’s eyes widened and his whole expression was full of shock.
"You...how come you have this thing?"
But now, it appeared in the hands of the lady in front of him. What made him even more confused was that he had never seen this lady before.
There was a trace of sadness in his eyes, and he said softly: "This is what he gave me before he died. He also told me that if I need anything, I can ask you for help."
Mr. Lu couldn't help but fall into deep thought. He knew that the former prince gave this jade token to this lady to tell him that their relationship was extraordinary. So, what charm did this lady have that made the prince cherish her so much and give her such a precious token?
"Since you have taken out the token, I will not refuse, but I have to make it clear that I will not go to Rongguo Mansion to teach!" Mr. Lu said with a frown. He really didn't like the fence-sitting style of Rongguo Mansion, and he didn't want to have too much involvement with such a family.
"Old sir, I have a small courtyard not far from Rongguo Mansion, two streets away. It is a quiet and peaceful place, very suitable for reading!"
"My son is too young, and I don't feel comfortable letting him go to school so far away in the suburbs."
"Since there is a suitable place, I won't refuse it. Wait until I pack my things before going over."
"But I have to make it clear in advance that after I get there, I will first take a look at his talent. If he really has no talent for studying, then you can bring him back. But if he does have talent, then I will do my best."
Mr. Lu felt that this lady was very strange and planned to go over and check on her first.
"Thank you for your hard work, old man." Xing Yuling bowed to the old man with a smile on her face to express her gratitude. She was secretly glad that she had finally found a suitable person to teach her son. This way, she could feel more at ease. The issue of her son's education had always been a big stone in her heart, and now the stone had finally fallen to the ground.
After three or four days, Mr. Lu came to the small courtyard, and the housekeeper who had followed him for many years also began to arrange people to clean the courtyard and put the items away.
"Where are we going?" Jia Ying looked at the lively scene outside with excitement on his face.
"Today is your day to study, go visit your teacher first"
Sitting in the carriage, Xing Yuling held her son's arm to prevent him from moving.
Mr. Lu, who had already prepared everything and changed his clothes, was sitting in the living room waiting.
"I haven't met you yet, sir." Xing Yuling gently pushed Jia Ying.
Jia Ying immediately bowed to Mr. Lu and said, "Student Jia Ying greets you, sir."
Mr. Wu looked at the child in front of him, a little stunned.
(Yes, they are too similar)
(If you hadn’t seen the former crown prince as a child, you wouldn’t have recognized him at all. This child’s eyes and nose are too similar to the former crown prince’s.)
He seemed to have understood something, and his whole body softened.
Mr. Lu smiled and nodded, "Stand up, let me test you first, do you know what 'learning and practicing from time to time' means?"
Jia Ying thought about what his mother had taught him and replied, "After learning, you should review it frequently so that you can remember it firmly."
Mr. Lu's eyes flashed with admiration, "Not bad, although you only got half of the answer right, it is not easy for someone of your age. You must study hard with me in the future."
"Yes, sir." Jia Ying answered respectfully.
Xing Yuling heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. "Thank you, sir. I'll leave the child to you."
Then he signaled the maid beside him to present the six gifts of marriage package, which included red beans, celery, lotus seeds, red dates, longans, and meat strips.
Mr. Lu accepted it and said, "Madam, rest assured. I will do my best."
(I didn’t expect that both the father and the son would become my students. I just hope that the prince can protect this child if he is still alive.)
Afterwards, Jia Ying followed Mr. Lu to the study and began teaching.
Seeing this, Xing Yuling did not dare to disturb them and arranged for a coachman to pick them up every day.
Not long after returning to Rongguo Mansion, Mrs. Wang received news that the eldest wife had found a teacher outside, so she went to inform Lady Jia and complain.
Grandmother Jia immediately sent someone to the main room to ask Xing Yuling to come and see him.
Xing Yuling walked into Rongqing Hall nonchalantly, looking calm and composed. Everyone was surprised to see her so calm and composed.
"Mother and sister-in-law, what do you want me for?" Xing Yuling asked with a smile.
"I called you here today because I heard that you asked the teacher to teach Ying'er to read and write." Grandmother Jia sat upright on the couch and said calmly.
"Yes!" Xing Yuling nodded.
"This is the cost of inviting you, sir..." Mrs. Wang looked at Xing Yuling.
Xing Yuling understood what she meant and replied with a smile: "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I have asked a teacher to teach Ying'er to study. All the expenses will be paid from my dowry, and no money from the public treasury will be used."
"Hmph! You are quite good at using an abacus." Mrs. Wang snorted coldly, feeling somewhat dissatisfied because her own Zhu'er had not even hired a teacher to teach her on her own.
"If you feel it is inappropriate, you can use your dowry to ask the teacher to teach Baoyu." Xing Yuling raised the corners of her mouth slightly, with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.
"You!" Mrs. Wang was so angry that her face turned pale, but she could not refute Xing Yuling's words.
Seeing that the eldest wife was so sharp-tongued, Jia's mother didn't know what to say.
On the other hand, Mr. Lu began to teach Jia Ying to read and write seriously. He found that although Jia Ying was young, he was smart, had a high level of understanding, and had a strong thirst for knowledge. Mr. Lu was secretly happy and decided to train this child well. Days passed, and Jia Ying's knowledge improved day by day under Mr. Lu's careful teaching.