The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

Mrs. Lu put down her chopsticks, her face full of worry.

"Right now, the palace hasn't issued any decree regarding arrangements for my fourth brother. What should I do? I heard outside that most of the Jinshi scholars have found official positions, and some of those who were sent out have already left the capital. Otherwise, I will go back to find my father and ask him to help find a solution. If all else fails, I can just send him out for a few years and then come back."

Duan Jingzong thought about it and agreed, "We can ask my father-in-law for help. We basically don't have anything to do right now. We have to think of a way, otherwise we'll have to send him out."

Song Shengfu finished her last bite, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, put it down and said, "Why are you so anxious? He's not fully recovered yet, and you're rushing to find him a job."

Mrs. Lu was a little speechless. After all, whether this was her mother-in-law's biological son or not, she, as his sister-in-law, was more anxious than she was.

But it is said that the eldest sister-in-law is like the mother. When she married in, Duan Jing'an was just born.

At that time, she learned how to be a housekeeper from her mother-in-law's side every day. Sometimes when her mother-in-law was busy, she would take care of Duan Jing'an. In a sense, Duan Jing'an was raised by her.

Therefore, emotionally, she treated this brother like a son, and naturally paid great attention to Duan Jing'an's affairs. Especially since the marriage was about to be arranged, she couldn't be careless about her career. It would be best to find a wife from the maternal family who was capable, which would also help Jing'an's career.

Lu's mind was full of calculations, but Song Shengfu ignored her and thought that there would be opportunities in the future to defeat Lu and Duan Jingzong's plans.

Seeing this, the two of them could only give up their thoughts. However, Lu still secretly asked her brother to find out if there were any vacancies in the court. She would wait and see, just in case the emperor forgot about their family in the future, there would still be a way out.

"Brother, this is the snow glutinous rice paste that grandma asked someone to make. I brought it from home. Try it."

"Why does this snow glutinous rice paste taste a bit sticky?"

Today, Chu Qinling wore a wide-faced royal blue satin robe with a dark blue border, a silver moon-shaped white ribbon hanging from his chest, and his hair was tied up with a golden crown. He was struggling to bite the food in his mouth, and Kang Ge'er, seeing this, fell on the couch with laughter.

"Hahahahahaha, it was the same when I first ate it. Look at my teeth."

Kang Ge'er opened his mouth, and his teeth were all red, which made Chu Qinling start laughing. His teeth were also covered with red paste when he laughed. The two of them looked at each other and kept laughing.

Next door, Concubine Ning's mood brightened when she heard the laughter of the two children in the next room. Ling'er was feeling much better than before, and her face was especially healthy.

Mrs. Duan would occasionally send in some dietary supplements, and Chu Qinling also liked to eat this kind of food. Recently, Ling'er's face had gained some flesh, and it was rosy and white, no longer as pale as before, but he was still very thin.

Unlike the boy from the Duan family, he is becoming more and more plump, with black eyebrows, round eyes, a face like a jade plate, and a very full face, just like the child under the seat of Guanyin.

Chu Qinling saw that it was almost noon. Kang Ge'er would usually go home at this time, so he felt a little depressed.

"Brother Kang, can you stay for lunch today before going home? We finally made it to the palace, can't we play a little longer?"

Kang Ge'er was about to go back, but after hearing what Chu Qinling said, he remembered that he could go out and play at home, where he had his fourth uncle, teacher, and younger sister and brother.

It seemed that your brother only had him as his playmate, and he could only go to the palace to play with him for half a day every three days. Suddenly, he felt that he seemed a little pitiful.

Kang Ge'er looked outside the door and ran over to hold Chu Qinling's hand.

"The wisteria flowers in the mansion are blooming today. The teacher and Fourth Uncle have made an appointment with friends to enjoy the flowers, so they probably won't be attending evening classes. I'll stay with you for a while today."

"Really? Your master won't say anything to you, will he?"

“I don’t think so.”

Kang Ge'er grabbed his clothes uncertainly

Seeing this, Chu Qinling said, "Then let mother send someone to ask. If you don't have classes, then you can play in the palace and then go back."

When Chu Qinling said this, Kang Ge'er thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.

The palace maid beside him saw this and went to report the matter, and Duan Chengkang and Chu Qinling soon started playing together again.

When they heard that there would be no classes during lunch, Chu Qinling and Kang Ge'er were extremely excited. They chattered about where to go for fun in the afternoon.

"Brother Kang, what does it feel like to read?"

Chu Qinling was a little curious. Kang Ge'er was playing with the Nine Rings and tilted his head to think for a while.

"I used to feel so bored and just wanted to sleep. Now I realize that studying is not just about reading textbooks. There are so many things to learn." He sighed.

"Is the teacher strict? Will he hit people?"

"Hmm...it's okay. The teacher teaches me a lot of things. Besides teaching, he also teaches me to make tea, play chess, and many other things. Sometimes he even takes me to collect nectar. Besides sitting in the classroom and studying, everything else is quite fun."

Chu Qinling was a little envious and looked lonely, saying that it was really great.

Kang Ge'er noticed that his friend's face looked strange and he was a little confused: "What's wrong?"

"I want to study, too."

Kang Ge'er was shocked!

The first time he heard a child say he wanted to study, he was so scared that he looked Chu Qinling up and down.

"Are you okay? Studying isn't fun at all. And can't you already read a book? Why are you still studying?"

Chu Qinling rolled his eyes at Kang Ge'er. His good brother was talking about studying as if it was his life, and he leaned back in his chair.

"I was taught by a Grand Secretary, but it was different."

"How are they different? Aren't they both learning to read?"

Kang Ge'er asked stupidly, and Chu Qinling didn't know how to respond. For the first time, he was hesitant and embarrassed.

"I want to study with you. I'm usually alone in the palace, which is not fun at all. The storybooks are not interesting, and they are not as exciting as your stories."

Kang Ge'er suddenly realized that he had heard that his teacher was very good and wanted to study with him. However, the prince seemed to have a special teacher, so he should not be able to go to their house.

Kang Ge'er asked this question just as he was thinking about it. Chu Qinling just then remembered this and suddenly became depressed.

His father and mother said he was not fit for physical exertion, so they only allowed the Grand Secretary to come and teach for an hour or two. He was also bored. He heard Duan Chengkang say that he could not only read but also enjoy flowers and drink tea, which made him envious. He also wanted to...

Time always passes quickly, and when it comes time to say goodbye, both of them feel reluctant to leave.

Before leaving, Kang Ge'er looked at his younger brother, who was leaning against the Imperial Concubine and looked a little lonely. He felt that his younger brother was like a canary trapped in a cage, with no freedom at all. For the first time, he felt a little uncomfortable.

So he said, "When the weather gets hot, I will ask the teacher to postpone the evening class. Then I will come to the palace to play with you."

Chu Qinling smiled after hearing this and quickly nodded and said, "I'll wait for you."

Concubine Ning felt a little sad watching this scene. How could her Ling'er be so pitiful? If her health was better, would she be able to go wherever she wanted like Kang'er and even study at the Imperial Academy?

Concubine Ning looked at Chu Qinling, who was eating lily and lotus seed soup, and her restless heart slowly calmed down. It's okay, take your time, her daughter will be like a normal person sooner or later, there's no need to rush...