Favoring a concubine and destroying the wife? I'll abandon my husband and children and wipe out

Zhao Shize left the side courtyard and immediately went to Guantang Courtyard.

At that time, Cheng Nanzhi was having dinner.

Zhao Ye went to deliver the invitation to Zhou Xiangru, unlike before when he would always try to get closer to her after the incident. With no one in the way, Cheng Nanzhi had a good appetite for the meal.

Who would have thought that Zhao Shize would come?

"Mother, what happened during the day? Did Aunt Ye really steal the money?" Zhao Shize couldn't help but ask, but out of consideration for Ye Ruyue, he didn't directly ask Cheng Nanzhi if she was framing Ye Ruyue.

Cheng Nanzhi could tell what he was thinking just by listening to his thoughts, so she didn't bother to speak and just glanced to the side.

Qingdai and Jianlan understood each other and vividly recounted the events of the day to Zhao Shize, subtly criticizing Ye Ruyue for going too far.

Lianruo didn't notice Cheng Nanzhi's signal, but she was indignant and said that Ye Ruyue had many things belonging to Cheng Nanzhi. She added, "They say it's because of the old lady's name, but I think it's just something they made up. They're just deliberately bullying you, Madam, taking advantage of your good temper and not holding a grudge."

Cheng Nanzhi sighed softly, "Don't talk nonsense. My mother-in-law and the others have already explained it."

Lianruo muttered to herself that Cheng Nanzhi only cared about people's good points, and that she would suffer sooner or later if things continued this way.

Zhao Shize felt guilty upon hearing this.

He had seen his father give things to Aunt Ye before, but his mother didn't know, which meant his father had kept it from his mother and lied to her. So, was his mother innocent too?

Zhao Shize was now truly confused, unsure of whom to trust.

Cheng Nanzhi saw through it but didn't say anything. She had someone bring Zhao Shize a bowl and chopsticks and gently asked him if he had been studying hard lately.

Zhao Shize's eyes immediately welled up with tears: "You've worked so hard. Mother, you're the only one who cares about me. If it were anyone else, I would be scolded for just playing for a little while."

Cheng Nanzhi asked him what he was playing.

Zhao Shize remained cautious and stammered, not mentioning the gambling.

Cheng Nanzhi already knew, and she thought to herself that she couldn't be happier for Zhao Shize to gamble more.

"It's fine to play around a bit. Even if you work hard, you still need to know how to balance work and rest. Otherwise, if you ruin your health, not only will playing around harm your health, but your mother will also feel sorry for you."

Cheng Nanzhi said gently, "Don't take other people's words to heart. You should study when you need to, and don't hold back when you want to play. Actually, as long as you are happy, that's enough for your mother. Your future is not important compared to your happiness. If you are afraid of being punished by the old lady and the others, you can come and rest in my courtyard."

Zhao Shize was deeply moved: "Mother, you are still the best to me."

Cheng Nanzhi found it ironic.

In his dream, she truly cared for him, thinking of him every day and urging him to improve. He didn't understand at all, only feeling that she was harsh and abusive to satisfy her own selfish desires, and that she was unworthy of being a mother.

Now, her feigned concern is actually pushing him down a path of depravity, yet he finds her to be a better person.

However, the feeling of gaining favor without putting in any effort is indeed quite nice. No wonder so many people enjoy being a pushover who only needs to say a few words.

Cheng Nanzhi twitched the corners of her mouth and smiled, "If your mother doesn't treat you well, who else can she treat well?"

Zhao Shize was even more moved, and his affection for her deepened significantly. He lingered in Guantang Courtyard for a long time before leaving.

Cheng Nanzhi was exhausted by the end of the day and asked someone to clear the table so she could rest.

“Madam, a servant came to report that when you and the young master were having dinner, the young lady came by, stood outside for a while, and left without coming in,” Qingdai added. “She didn’t seem to be in a good mood when she left.”

Cheng Nanzhi said lazily, "Let her be. I'm already tired enough dealing with these people today, and I'm not in the mood to deal with her anymore. By the way, Qingdai, tomorrow you should quietly leave the mansion and have someone start circulating those poems. After Zhou Xiangru comes to the apprenticeship banquet the day after tomorrow, I want to hear them spread to the point that all the guests know about them."

Qingdai had been preparing for this moment for a long time, and nodded while suppressing her excitement.

the other side.

When Zhao Ye personally delivered the invitation to Zhou Xiangru, Zhou Xiangru declined several times before reluctantly agreeing after Zhao Ye's repeated and earnest invitation.

“Mr. Zhou, I entrust my son to you from now on. If my son achieves great things in the future, he will never forget you, his mentor. You will always be a distinguished guest of the Zhao family,” Zhao Ye said.

Zhou Xiangru was quite pleased with the compliments and, maintaining a composed and self-possessed demeanor, said, "I only accept disciples to impart knowledge and skills, fulfilling my lifelong aspirations, and I have no worldly intentions. However, since Lord Zhao has made such a request, I have no choice but to accept it. Lord Zhao, rest assured, I will do my utmost to teach your son."

Zhao Ye was very satisfied with what he heard.

"By the way, I wonder who your family invited to the apprenticeship banquet?" Zhou Xiangru asked casually.

Zhao Ye had already looked through the guest list and told Zhou Xiangru about each guest.

Zhou Xiangru's eyes grew brighter as he listened, but he finally said with a straight face, "Lord Zhao, this seems a bit too grand. I am not one to care about face, so there is really no need for so many people to be present."

“Yes, yes, if you’re willing to teach my son Ze, then the Zhao family must also show our sincerity. Besides, my son Zhao Ye is more than qualified for these things,” Zhao Ye said.

Zhou Xiangru remained silent.

After another round of casual conversation, Zhao Ye got up to say goodbye.

The page boy returned after seeing the man off and said, "Master, you're really going to become famous in the capital now. Few teachers at Lanshan Academy have the same grand ceremony when accepting their last disciple."

"Shut up. I'm not someone who cares about empty fame. This is what the Zhao family insisted on doing. I couldn't persuade them otherwise, so I had no choice but to agree. After you return to Lanshan Academy, you must keep your mouth shut and not gossip or brag." Zhou Xiangru pretended to glare at him.

The pageboy quickly bowed his head and said, "Then I will go and inform Mr. Wen that he will attend the banquet the day after tomorrow. Mr. Wen also appreciates that young master Zhao quite a bit, and the Zhao family also respects Mr. Wen very much. I think they would not want to miss this banquet."

Zhou Xiangru's eyes flickered slightly, but he stopped him and went to find Wen Chengnan, who was copying a rare book in his room.

Seeing Wen Chengnan's actions, he took the opportunity to persuade Wen Chengnan to return to Lanshan College, where it would be more convenient to transcribe rare manuscripts and there would be no need to worry about accidents to the manuscripts.

Wen Chengnan was actually waiting for Zhao Shize's apprenticeship banquet.

Although he hadn't been able to take Zhao Shize as his apprentice, he knew his friend's scholarship was also considerable, and Zhao Shize had benefited greatly from studying under Zhou Xiangru. He could still visit Zhao Shize when he had free time. Now, Wen Chengnan didn't want to miss the opportunity to feast with someone he admired.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiangru said, "Brother Wen, if you want to see Shize, you can see him when I take him back to Lanshan Academy. There's no need to rush. But if you delay copying this rare book, there's no guarantee that something won't happen later. Brother Wen, these rare books are more important."

Wen Chengnan looked at the rare book on the table in front of him and thought it made sense.

No matter how good Zhao Shize is, he can't compare to the rare book he finally obtained.

We can't delay such an important matter.

We'll talk about the rest later.

Wen Chengnan nodded.

Zhou Xiangru immediately took the initiative to arrange the carriage and travel expenses for Wen Chengnan.

Wen Chengnan was somewhat moved: "Brother Zhou, you've gone to a lot of trouble. I wish you a successful apprenticeship banquet and that you will be able to teach this last disciple with ease in the future."

Zhou Xiangru immediately waved his hand and said it was a trivial matter.