Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Hearing Zhou Luo's words, Xia Yu didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Having been emperor for only a few months, Zhou Luo's youthful innocence was already slowly disappearing. She gently patted Zhou Luo's head with a touch of heartache, sighing inwardly, but aloud said...

"Luo'er is right, we should choose a few study companions. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"I have four candidates in mind, but I still need to conduct further investigations in secret."

Xia Yu noticed that Zhou Luo hadn't told him the names of those people, and didn't ask. He was growing up, and there were some things he needed to learn to handle on his own.

Time passed by at a leisurely pace, and Changyun finally arrived in Beijing before the New Year, accompanied by Xingche.

"Nephew greets Uncle and Aunt." Zhang Xingche respectfully greeted Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi.

"No need for such formalities while traveling." He then looked at the two equally dark-skinned young men and asked with a smile.

"Where did you and Changyun go? You both look so tanned!"

When the two of them came in, everyone noticed that they were much darker than before they left. Who knew that Zhang Youtie would ask them directly like that.

Xingche and Changyun exchanged a glance, their eyes both filled with smiles.

"Uncle and Aunt, Changyun and I went to the beach and went fishing on a boat. The sun was very strong there, so I got this tan."

He spoke lightly, but he terrified everyone in the room.

"You've gone out to sea to fish?" Liu unconsciously raised her voice.

"Yes, that's right." The driver nodded in response.

"You guys are incredibly reckless! Do you know how dangerous it is to go out to sea to fish? One wrong move and you might not come back!" Old Master Zhang pounded his cane on the floor tiles, making a loud thud.

"We only went out because the weather was good, and we didn't go into the deep sea. We just cast the net not far from the shore," Changyun explained in a low voice.

"We still can't go out to sea!"

"Speak nicely, the children have just returned, and you're already throwing such a tantrum!" Liu said quickly, seeing that the old man seemed genuinely angry.

“I’m not angry, it’s just that these two kids are too bold. If I don’t teach them a lesson, they won’t learn their lesson.”

"Alright, alright, the two children are now scholars, you can say a few words, but the servants are still here. Don't you know how to give the children some face?" Liu muttered. During this time, she had learned a lot from the palace maids.

Although Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi didn't say anything in public, they privately approached Changyun to discuss their thoughts on the two going to sea. Ultimately, all parents feel the same way; they didn't approve of the two doing such dangerous things again.

Changyun knew he had really worried his parents, and immediately said he wouldn't do it again, and would even advise them to drive more carefully. After saying this, he proudly took out two boxes from his luggage.

"Mother, I bought a lot of pearls there. You and Xiaxia each have a box. I have some more here, which I will give to my two younger sisters, Qiuyu and Dongyu, tomorrow." As she spoke, she stuffed the two boxes of pearls in her hand into Liu's hands.

Liu opened one of the boxes, which was filled with pearls of all sizes, some as large as longans and others as small as soybeans. Moreover, the box contained not only white pearls, but also pink, gold, and even a few black ones.

"What beautiful beads! Your sister will love them." Madam Liu looked at the beads in the box with delight.

Changyun was overjoyed to see how much Liu liked it.

The Zhang family was quite lively this year, and Changyuan, who usually lived at the school, also came back.

Upon returning to the capital, he was rewarded by the emperor with one hundred taels of gold and a sinecure as a sixth-rank military officer for his meritorious service in the initial campaign. Xia Yu didn't waste any time and immediately sent him to the most famous elementary school in the capital. His classmates were all four or five-year-old children, making sixteen-year-old Changyuan stand out among them. He repeatedly asked to transfer to a class of students his own age, but even the lowest-ranking students his age were scholars, and he, a beginner, couldn't keep up with their pace.

To keep him in check, Xia Yu promised that if he passed his teacher's exam, he would be transferred to a higher-level class; however, if he failed, he would remain in the beginner's class. So, eager to escape the group of little kids as soon as possible, everyone studied diligently until late at night. Even his teacher praised Xia Yu's efforts more than once.

He wouldn't have wanted to go home if the school hadn't been on holiday. But even after returning, he didn't stay idle. He pestered Xingche and Changyun to help him study every day, preparing to stun everyone in the first school test after the New Year.

Changyun was surprised by his transformation and quietly told Xia Yu about it.

"Xiaxia, after this long trip, you've really become more sensible. You're studying very hard. If you keep this up, you'll definitely pass the imperial examination and become a scholar before you turn twenty."

Xia Yu's lips moved, as if to say that he wasn't being sensible; he just wanted to learn more characters so he could understand military texts as soon as possible and then get to the battlefield to fight.

However, despite thinking this in her heart, Xia Yu didn't say it out loud.

On New Year's Eve, a palace banquet was held, and all the families of nobles and ministers were required to attend.

At the banquet, Xia Yu saw several ladies and young women she had met briefly at the Shen residence before. However, the patriarchs of those families generally held low-ranking official positions, and they sat far away from Zhou Luo and Xia Yu. Xia Yu had no interest in catching up with them; what had happened at the Shen residence that day was not a pleasant memory for her and Zhou Luo.

Fu Fen'er sat at a table very close to the palace entrance, secretly watching Xia Yu and Zhou Luo sitting in the main seats. She almost bit her lip until it bled, feeling extremely resentful. But no matter how resentful she felt, she dared not show any emotion.

She was no longer the pampered young lady of the Fu family, cherished by her parents. Her mother was now half-mad, and her father's concubine, Xue Niang, was cunning and manipulative. She had thought more than once that if it weren't for her capable uncle, she might have died in that courtyard long ago. Thinking of her mother, she glared hatefully at the people on the platform; her mother's current state was all their fault.

“Fen’er, I advise you to watch your words and actions. Those two are not people you can afford to offend. They’re not going to hold your previous slander against you now, so you’d better not go looking for trouble.” Miss Murong walked to Fu Fen’er’s side with her wine glass and advised her in a low voice.

"I wouldn't dare trouble you, sister." Fu Fen'er raised her wine glass and clinked it with hers, a smile on her face, but her words were firm and unyielding.

Miss Murong shook her head and sighed, then picked up her wine glass and returned to her seat. She was willing to persuade her out of consideration for past friendships; if her daughter truly wouldn't listen, then there was nothing more she could do.

"Hmph, who needs your hypocrisy? Everyone in the capital knows that your Murong family is nothing but the Princess's dog! Utterly hypocritical!" Fu Fen'er thought viciously, staring at Miss Murong's back.