The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 8

Busy rushing to a funeral, are you?¹

“Ahem, everyone is actually present today.” The elderly teacher teaching the class waited for them all to be seated before clearing his throat.

The three turned their heads at his words and fell silent. The other two Lin family sons of concubines were currently reviewing their lessons.

After the teacher began the lesson, Qu Sheng sat there, pretending to doze off from boredom. Once the morning lessons for these older children were finished, the teacher came down and walked over to Qu Sheng’s desk.

Qu Sheng was the youngest here. The two Lin family sons of concubines were only two or three years older than her; teaching so many children of different age groups was indeed difficult for this old teacher.

The old teacher walked to Qu Sheng’s desk, sat on the cattail hassock² in front of it, and looked at the tiny Qu Sheng slumped over the desk. He took the loosely held pastry from her hand.

“Quite the little hedonist.” The old teacher didn’t reprimand her for bringing snacks. The little doll was pretty, and she didn’t cry or cause trouble; she was just a bit gluttonous and fond of sleeping.

“Tap, tap, tap.” The teacher rapped his fingertips on Qu Sheng’s desk.

The drumming sound reached the ear Qu Sheng had pressed against the desk. She opened her hazy eyes, looked at the old teacher with his slightly white beard before her, and frowned. But in a fleeting moment of reaction, she remembered where she was.

Qu Sheng didn’t speak. She looked at the old teacher before her, quickly stood up, reached out her small hand, and took the pastry back from his hand.

Although she was somewhat disgusted that someone else had touched it, she still stuffed it into her mouth.

Seeing this, the teacher smiled and asked, “What have you learned?”

Hearing this, Qu Sheng’s guard, Feng Qi, who was sitting not far away, answered for her, “My lady has not learned anything.”

The teacher heard this, looked toward Feng Qi, and asked, “Are you her study attendant?”³

“Yes.” Feng Qi’s reply was crisp.

“Then what do you know?” The teacher’s sudden question made Feng Qi freeze for a second.

Feng Qi blinked and replied respectfully, “Whatever the teacher wishes to know, you need only ask.”

Hearing Feng Qi’s answer, the teacher didn’t press further. Instead, he lowered his head and continued to watch Qu Sheng, who was eating with great relish.

After Qu Sheng finished the pastry in her hand, the teacher picked up the brush and ink nearby and drew a picture on the desk.

A small mouse holding a large Peach of Immortality⁴.

The teacher set the ink brush aside, placing it in front of Qu Sheng. The peach and the mouse were drawn vividly, but their color was that of ink.

Qu Sheng blinked her eyes, looking at the teacher in confusion. The teacher was also watching her. After a short while, the teacher tore the paper to shreds. Qu Sheng still hadn’t figured out what this old man meant.

Just as Qu Sheng was about to use this as an excuse to throw a tantrum, the old man before her spoke, “I will accept you as my student.” After saying this, the teacher left his seat and paid her no more mind, though he thoughtfully had someone prepare another plate of pastries for her.

Qu Sheng didn’t understand. Suddenly interrupted by the old man’s words, she didn’t know what to do for a moment. She picked up a nearby pastry and continued to stuff it into her mouth, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what the old man was trying to do.

During the break, Zhao Jiayu gathered around. Although she walked with difficulty, she could still endure it when it came to joining in on the excitement.

“Sheng-meimei, why are you always eating this stuff? If you turn into a little fatty, you won’t be cute anymore.” Zhao Jiayu said laughingly, trying to scare Qu Sheng. Qu Sheng seemed to only half-understand, but her hand hesitated as it reached for another pastry.

“Jiayu, don’t talk nonsense. Sheng-meimei is still young and growing,” Lin Xizhao, now free, had someone bring over some goat’s milk.

Qu Sheng sat to the side, unafraid of the people gathering around her. With a milk mustache now on her lips, she placed her small mouth on the bowl and began to drink.

She drank her fill in one go and let out a little milk-burp. The group around her burst into laughter, and Qu Sheng’s face turned red unconsciously.

“Oh, you’re getting shy!” Zhao Jiayu joked, and the more she spoke, the redder Qu Sheng’s face became.

Lin Xizhao looked at Qu Sheng’s peach-colored cheeks, the corners of her lips curling up as she said softly, “Don’t mind Jiayu, she’s just teasing.”

Qu Sheng didn’t speak, pretending not to understand, but she was, after all, a three-year-old child, and the blush on her face couldn’t lie. However, everyone just saw her as a child. After the laughter died down, Lin Xizhao had her two younger brothers of concubines return to their seats.

“Hey, do you still have to go to dance practice later?” Zhao Jiayu asked whatever came to mind.

“Not anymore. Mother has invited the female instructor to our residence.” Lin Xizhao was helping Qu Sheng tidy her sleeves when she heard Zhao Jiayu click her tongue and say, “You have to learn the zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting⁵, and even dance. Just what kind of person do Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin want you to marry?”

After finishing tidying Qu Sheng’s dress, Lin Xizhao glanced sideways at Zhao Jiayu, with whom she had been familiar since childhood, her eyes darkening slightly. Lin Xizhao had always had a good temperament, gentle and mild, and had never argued with anyone. She had thought about Zhao Jiayu’s question before, but she had no say in the things her parents wanted her to do.

“A-jie⁶, I want to eat the meat jerky⁷ from Houxiang Tower⁸.” Zhao Jiayu’s body was slumped as she looked at Xiao Bingying. She suddenly felt a little hungry.

Xiao Bingying heard her and stopped her hand that was turning the pages of a book. She looked over and asked, “Do you want to eat it now?”

Zhao Jiayu nodded, her lips pouting slightly as if acting spoiled.

Seeing this, Xiao Bingying didn’t ask any more questions. She stood up and was about to go out.

“Bingying, the teacher will be here soon. If he doesn’t see you, he’ll start nagging again.” Lin Xizhao looked at Zhao Jiayu’s off-key⁹ appearance as she lay there crookedly and knew she was deliberately making things difficult for Xiao Bingying.

“It’s fine, I’ll be back soon.” Xiao Bingying smiled, not minding at all.

“Hey, have Ah Fu¹⁰ go with you.” Zhao Jiayu genuinely wanted to eat, but she also genuinely wanted to deliberately torment Xiao Bingying.

Xiao Bingying was almost always responsive to this younger sister’s requests. She nodded with a smile, “Alright.”

After Xiao Bingying left, Lin Xizhao shook her head and chided her, “Why must you make her run the errand?” She could have just sent a servant; there was no need to make Xiao Bingying go personally.

Zhao Jiayu huffed arrogantly, “Serves her right for not coming to see me.”

Lin Xizhao didn’t respond. Qu Sheng, over on her side, had been eating and drinking. Her little stomach was now full of sweet things. Even if she wanted to keep up her act, she couldn’t. So, she picked up an ink brush and began to doodle randomly.

Seeing Qu Sheng pick up the brush, Zhao Jiayu felt the urge to play the teacher for a moment and said with a playful smile, “Does little sister need Jiayu to teach you how to hold a brush?”

Qu Sheng heard this, looked up at her with a slightly dazed expression. She had seen the way Zhao Jiayu held the brush just now; it was even worse than her own.

“You should just rest.” Lin Xizhao didn’t dare let her mess with¹¹ Qu Sheng. She reached out, held Qu Sheng’s small hand, and said softly in her ear, “You don’t need to use too much force to hold the brush. For now, just do it however feels comfortable.”

One had to get used to it first.

Qu Sheng didn’t speak or look up, allowing Lin Xizhao to hold her small hand and write the two characters for ‘Qu Sheng’ on the paper.

After writing the characters, Lin Xizhao released Qu Sheng’s hand, her gaze lingering on it for a moment. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Qu Sheng’s grip on the brush seemed very practiced.

Half an hour later.

“Young Miss, the meat jerky you wanted.” The young servant Zhao Jiayu had brought with her held up a bag of meat jerky and presented it to her.

Zhao Jiayu first glanced at the wrapped meat jerky, then looked back and scanned the area. Not seeing Xiao Bingying, she asked, “Where’s my A-jie?”

“Cousin¹² was taken away by Madam Xiao,” the young servant, Ah Fu, replied.

“Why?” The smile on Zhao Jiayu’s face vanished, her brows knitting together. There were still classes this afternoon.

The young servant glanced at Lin Xizhao and replied in a low voice, “Madam Xiao said that Cousin wasn’t sent here to study, but to…” to show off. The young servant didn’t dare say the last part, but Zhao Jiayu had already guessed it.

Xiao Bingying was fair-skinned and beautiful, and her maternal uncle doted on her. But precisely because of this affection, his wife was always finding fault with her, picking on her in various ways, while her own uncle didn’t dare make a peep to protect her.

“You didn’t explain to her that I was the one who asked A-jie to buy it for me?”

“I did, but Madam Xiao didn’t believe me.”

Hearing the servant’s reply, Zhao Jiayu understood the situation. If she didn’t go to their door to explain in person today, Xiao Bingying would likely get a beating. She had to clarify things before Xiao Bingying got hit.

Zhao Jiayu scrambled to her feet, pulling at the wound on her bottom, and bared her teeth and grimaced in pain. Qu Sheng heard the sound and glanced up at her. She knew who Xiao Bingying was, having already inquired about everyone before she came. However, it had nothing to do with her, and she wouldn’t concern herself with it.

Qu Sheng reached for the meat jerky that had been placed on her desk, unwrapped it, and stuffed a piece into her mouth.

“Hey, Sheng-meimei, leave some for me.” Zhao Jiayu didn’t stop Qu Sheng from eating her jerky, but she had to leave some for her. This little one could really eat.

Qu Sheng didn’t answer. Zhao Jiayu didn’t linger either, rushing out in a hurry, only to nearly collide with someone who had just arrived.

“Busy rushing to a funeral, are you?”

Hearing the familiar and annoying voice, Zhao Jiayu looked up, her brows furrowed so tightly her eyes nearly popped out. She said with displeasure, “What are you doing here?”

The daughter of State Uncle Cheng, Cheng Mianrong, had appeared with her entourage outside their classroom.

---

The author has something to say:

Qu Sheng: “My wife learns everything, of course it’s so she can marry me.”

Zhao Jiayu: “…”

Xiao Bingying: “…”

Secretly adding an extra update.

---

---