After my luck was stolen, I led my whole family to defy fate and change our destiny.

"Who wants your jade thumb ring?" Shen Qingqing thought to herself with disgust.

"How could you think of Qingqing as that kind of person? I just wanted to discuss this business deal with Brother Jia privately."

The herbal medicine merchant waved his hand: "No, no need. I'm fat and bloated, I'm not worthy to do business with Miss Shen."

Shen Qingqing's face turned pale and then flushed.

The others also looked grim. After all, they came from Xinglin Hall, and they were people they had once liked, yet...

Ah Sheng helped Gu Liyao walk out, saying, "Brother Jia, we'll be going now."

The herbal medicine merchant nodded in response.

Ah Sheng turned around: "You all need to protect Gu Ziming and Little Sister."

"Don't worry, senior brother."

Take that mandarin duck teapot with you; it's really expensive.

Gu Ziming's eyes darted around, and he pretended not to notice as he passed by and swiped it.

Ah Sheng helped Gu Liyao into the carriage: "Back to the clinic."

Gu Liyao opened his eyes: "No need, Senior Brother. Take me to the charity hall. I'll treat all the fellow disciples to a meal next time."

Ah Sheng touched his forehead: "Are you alright?"

"It's okay."

"Hey, you did that on purpose, didn't you, kid?"

Gu Liyao scratched his head innocently: "What?"

"What are you pretending for? I'm not blaming you at all; on the contrary, I'm thanking you. My family thinks I'm getting old, and it's not easy for them to find a girl I like. They've already prepared the dowry and everything, but thankfully, we haven't gone to propose yet."

"That would be so embarrassing. I only found out today that they never even liked me."

Gu Liyao patted him on the shoulder, unsure how to comfort him, since he had also been deceived before.

"I'm glad you're not blaming me. I did intentionally want you to see her true colors."

"There are plenty of good girls out there, don't rush things, learning real skills is what matters."

Ah Sheng nodded: "I'm already practicing medicine independently now. My master asked me if I wanted to take the imperial physician exam."

Gu Liyao's eyes flashed. He thought, "If I go, the Sixth Prince should be willing to take care of me."

"Go for it! This is such a great opportunity!"

Ah Sheng: "Even if I pass the exam, I'll only be doing odd jobs. I'll need someone to guide me there. Do you think treating important people is so casual?"

Gu Liyao smiled and said, "Being an imperial physician is not easy, but I will support whatever you do. Being an imperial physician is a great honor for your family. Of course, staying at Xinglin Hall is also a good option."

Ah Sheng nodded and fell into thought.

Ah Sheng dropped the group off at the entrance of the charity hall and left.

Gu Linglong was being held by the nanny. She turned her head to look at her second brother, but there was nothing unusual about him.

My second brother wouldn't be pretending, would he?

Gu Liyao was indeed faking it; the servant and Gu Ziming he left behind were sent by Xinglintang.

He instructed Gu Ziming to take the letter inviting his fellow disciples to dinner.

Let them see Shen Qingqing's true colors, so they won't be fooled and betray Xinglintang in the future.

That also cut off her fish supply.

As for the alcohol, I didn't drink it; I poured it all into my sleeve. I only had a few drinks before leaving the house.

He kept timing his senior brothers' arrival to elicit information from them.

Hey……

The Gu family of the past would never have acted this way.

"Brother Liyao, have you eaten yet?"

A table was set up in the yard with two bowls on it: one with brown rice and the other with stir-fried cabbage and meat.

It's more like minced meat stir-fried with cabbage than cabbage stir-fried with pork. The bits and pieces are so small you can barely see them if you're not looking closely. It's hot now, and it hasn't rained in a long time, so everything is going up in price.

It's probably because Gu Liyao came that there's this little bit of meat.

"Not yet, can I eat with you?"

"Okay, okay, Brother Liyao has meat today! I don't want any, you can have it all."

"I'll give mine to Brother Liyao too."

"I'll give the cabbage to Brother Liyao too, I'll just eat some rice."

Gu Liyao smiled with satisfaction and patted the children's heads.

Aunt Liu served Gu Liyao and Gu Ziming a bowl of vegetables with a lot of meat, which made Gu Liyao feel very bitter.

Everyone was eating at the long table when Gu Ziming spat out a mouthful of food.

He always ate white rice at home and had never eaten such unpalatable brown rice before. He swallowed a mouthful and it felt like his throat was being cut.

There wasn't even a single piece of meat in the bowl that he usually ate, and it didn't have any oily or fishy smell; it tasted like it had been boiled in plain water.

"Second brother, I don't want to eat this. There's not even any meat."

Aunt Liu looked embarrassed: "There's still a little left in the basin, I'll serve it to Zimo."

"Aunt Liu, don't worry about him."

After saying that, she turned to Gu Ziming and said, "That's all. Take it or leave it."

Gu Ziming crossed his arms, sulking. His second brother had bullied him, and he was going to go back and complain.

The children from the charity hall saw this and said, "Brother Zimo, don't be angry, I'll give you my meat."

"I don't want that, I want a chicken leg!"

Upon hearing this, the child ran into the room and brought out a small bag: "I have New Year's money. If you beat me, I'll give you my New Year's money so you can buy chicken legs."

"Really?"

"Yes, but if you lose, you have to eat the same food as us."

Gu Ziming raised an eyebrow: "You have to keep your word. Don't cry if you lose. Now, what's the test?"

The child looked at Chen Xining and said, "Sister Chen is here to take the exam. Sister Chen is very knowledgeable."

Gu Linglong slurped her milk in the nanny's arms, smiling as she looked at her third brother. [Hey, this is going to be good.]

"Me?" Chen Xining pointed to himself.

"Okay, Sister Chen, please give me the question."

Chen Xining looked at Gu Liyao and saw that the other party nodded to him.

She suddenly felt a surge of pressure. She looked at Gu Ziming: "What have you studied?"

Gu Ziming replied, "I've learned the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and elementary poems."

Chen Xining nodded: "Then let's test you with the Three Character Classic."

Gu Ziming's eyebrows were full of joy; he had only seen it today.

"When humans are born, their nature is good. Their natures are similar, but their habits are far apart.

If you don't teach, your sex will change.The way of teaching is expensive.

Once upon a time, Mencius' mother chose a good neighborhood. When her son neglected his studies, she cut the threads of her loom…

I memorized it smoothly at first, but it became a bit difficult as I went on, but I still managed to memorize it.

"It's your turn"

They eat so badly, they definitely won't have money to go to school. He's bound to win.

The child put down his chopsticks: "At birth, people are inherently good. Their natures are similar, but their habits differ. If they are not taught, their natures will change. The way to teach is to focus on one thing at a time..."

The more the child recited, the more nervous Gu Ziming became. He could actually recite it, and so quickly at that.

Anyone with eyes could see that the child recited it more smoothly, so the child won this round.

After the child finished reciting, Gu Ziming interjected, "We've all memorized it, this sentence is even."

"But you didn't recite it as fluently as I did, so I won."

Gu Ziming argued, "It didn't say that the one who recites it fluently wins."

The child almost cried in anger: "You're cheating!"

"That's how it is."

Chen Xining: "Since that's the case, then I'll give you one more question. Let's decide the winner in one game, and I'll be the referee."

The two children nodded in agreement.

Chen Xining: "What is the profound meaning of the phrase '典谟有训诰有誓命书' in the Three Character Classic?"

Whoever raises their hand first answers first.

Gu Ziming's mind went completely blank. What did that mean? How did he know what it meant?

The child raised his hand and answered: "The Book of Documents is divided into six parts: First, the Canon, which is the basic principle of establishing a country; Second, the Plan, which is the plan for governing the country; Third, the Instructions, which is the attitude of the ministers; Fourth, the Proclamation, which is the proclamation of the ruler; Fifth, the Oath, which is the proclamation of raising troops; Sixth, the Command, which is the command of the ruler."

Gu Ziming turned pale upon hearing this. He had lost to a child who had never been to school? How could that be?