The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

"Is this Liu You?" Wei was sitting in the hall, looking at Liu You standing below the hall, who obviously looked like a butler, and her brows couldn't help but frown.

How could Zhi'er have such poor taste? There were a ton of people like him in the mansion. Even if they had a past friendship, she would have liked someone willing to take the imperial examinations. How could she have liked a housekeeper?

Wei turned her head to look at He Zhi. When the two of them came back, she had already been included in the family tree and her original surname had been changed. He Zhi just smiled slightly, as if she didn't care about the people in the hall at all.

Liu You politely bowed, and although there was nothing wrong with it, he was still a bit reserved. "That's right, Zhi'er and I have known each other for several years."

He Zhi didn't look at Liu You, but only said to Wei: "Grandma, Liu You and I have indeed had a relationship for several years."

"Since he is now my second sister's right-hand man, I thought I'd take this opportunity to come to the capital to see the world and learn some knowledge from my grandmother's housekeeper. This will help me improve my skills and manage our business in a more orderly manner."

When Wei heard this, she raised her eyebrows. The reason she asked Zhier to bring Liu You here was that she clearly stated that she wanted to meet her future "husband".

Zhi'er couldn't possibly not know about this. Then she thought about how she hadn't even glanced at the people in the hall just now, and now she said that Liu You was Xin'er's right-hand man. She was afraid that something might have happened between the two of them on the way.

Thinking this way, his brows relaxed, and he looked at Liu You with a much kinder expression: "In that case, then Manager Liu will learn from Manager He in the mansion for a while, and the mansion will also take care of your food, clothing and other expenses."

As soon as he finished speaking, a man with slightly silver hair walked out from the side door and nodded at Liu You: "You will study with me in the future. Your dormitory will be in the east wing."

When Liu You heard this, he panicked. He knew that Zhi'er and her friends' room was on the west side. This was the capital, and the east and west were so far apart. If he wanted to see her, there would be no chance at all.

He quickly said, "But this way it will be inconvenient for me to serve the Third Miss."

Steward He glanced over and said sternly, "The Third Young Miss has her own maids to serve her. How can a steward like you overstep your bounds? Even if we have a past relationship, you shouldn't tarnish my young lady's reputation like this. This is the capital, a place that values rules."

Liu You wanted to say something else, but He Zhi finally looked him in the eye and said calmly, "Manager Liu, our past friendship ends here. From now on, you will study hard under Manager He. We will not treat you or your family unfairly and will definitely give you a decent life."

A large area of paleness appeared on Liu You's dark face, his legs and feet went limp, and he fell to his knees. If he had been holding out hope for the restoration of their relationship these days, He Zhi's words were now the final word.

Wei's face changed from its previous sadness and seriousness. She looked at He Zhi on the side, her eyes full of satisfaction, and then she glanced at her little grandson who had remained silent with a reproachful look.

He Xi was confused when his grandmother gave him a cold look for no reason.

After Liu You and his men left, Wei waved her hand, motioning He Zhi and the other two to come over. She took her two grandchildren's hands and patted their heads: "You must have worked so hard on this journey. The mansion has prepared a welcoming banquet for you tonight."

After a pause, he cautiously probed: "Zhi'er, what's going on between you and Liu You?"

He Xi finally understood why his grandmother had rolled her eyes at him. Looking at the silent He Zhi, he explained for her, "Liu You hasn't even gotten married yet, but he's already thinking about swallowing up Third Sister's fortune so he can live a carefree life with three wives and four concubines."

"Is that so?!" Wei slammed the table with a loud bang, leaving a tiny crack. She glanced at the silent He Zhi and trailed off again, "So, Zhi'er, do you still want him to be your second sister's steward? Don't worry about there not being another steward to replace him. There are plenty of stewards in the mansion."

He Zhi looked at the two people surrounding her and suddenly smiled, "Grandma, although I feel a little regretful and disappointed about this relationship, I'm not stupid. Although Liu You's academic achievements are not as good as the stewards in the mansion now, he has always been with my second sister step by step to become bigger and stronger."

"The original relationship is over, but the ability is still there, and we have some old friendship, so naturally I should continue to use it. Moreover, I promised him to provide a decent life for his family. Using his guilt and my gift in exchange for a loyal steward, I think it is worth it."

Wei looked at He Zhi with pride in her eyes. This was indeed her granddaughter, just different. She looked at He Xi again and was about to express her concern.

The servant came to report: "Old Madam, someone else has come from the palace. He said he wants to reward the young master He Xi in the mansion."

Wei looked at He Xi with a questioning look. He Xi shook his head. He didn't know why there was a reward.

"By the Mandate of Heaven and the Successor of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: I have heard that a nation's people are its foundation, and that clean governance brings peace to the world. There is a scholar named He Xi from Jiangling Prefecture, whose character is noble and upright, and whose intelligence and wisdom are sharp. He assisted the Prince of Qi in thoroughly investigating corruption... He also used his benevolence to educate the people, and he won their respect. I hereby grant you the status of a Jinshi (Jinshi), appoint you to the position of editor in the Hanlin Academy, with a rank of sixth grade, and assign you to the Wenhua Palace as an advisor. I decree this."

He Xi knelt on the ground for a long time without coming back to his senses. Seeing this, Wei took the imperial edict from the eunuch's hand and said, "Please trouble the eunuch to make one more trip." The nanny beside him immediately stuffed the prepared silver bills into the eunuch's sleeve.

"Grandma, is this true?" He Xi came back to his senses and stared blankly at the imperial edict in his grandmother's hand. He was able to win such a big prize just by following his own wishes. Is it true that those who follow the will of the people will win the world, or is it just because he is his grandfather's grandson?

"Of course it's true, but grandmother is curious about what you did to make His Majesty make an exception and award you the status of a Jinshi, as well as the sixth-rank position of editor in the Hanlin Academy. You are only fifteen years old, really young." Wei sighed.

He Xi and the other two recounted their journey. Wei nodded, understandingly saying, "This is Fang Tairu's family doing you a favor."

Favor?

Wei saw the confusion in their eyes. "Although Fang Tairu nominally retired to his hometown, he was forced to resign because he chose the wrong side. Although there are many of his students in the court, most of them were unable to obtain important positions from His Majesty because of him. Now you have become a hot commodity."

He Xi took the imperial edict, opened it and looked at the words inside.

So, the people who came to visit him weren't Fang Peilin's fault, but were instructed by Fang Tairu? Now that he had the emperor's favor and was on the right side, his future was bound to be limitless. When necessary, he would help Peilin and allow Fang Tairu and his family to once again enter the officialdom of the capital.

He Zhi also understood the meaning instantly and exclaimed: "As expected of a great scholar, he is really good at scheming."