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

With Zhou Xiangru's casual urging, Wen Chengnan agreed to set off early the next morning.

Zhou Xiangru also ordered his page to prepare the carriage and other necessities as soon as possible.

As dawn was breaking, there was a knock on the door.

Wen Chengnan, as usual, stayed up all night copying the rare book and had not yet rested. Hearing the sound, he went to open the door and saw Zhou Xiangru outside.

Zhou Xiangru glanced past him and inside, then smiled and said, "I knew you must have been up all night again, Brother Wen. But no matter how important this rare book is, it's not as important as your health. If you ruin your health, how will you copy and read other rare books in the future? Wouldn't that be a loss?"

"Brother Wen, listen to your foolish brother. Let's put down breakfast for now, and then take a nap in the carriage after we set off. We can continue later once we've rested."

Wen Chengnan had originally planned to set off later, but after hearing Zhou Xiangru's words of concern, he felt it would be difficult to refuse, so he agreed.

Zhou Xiangru immediately helped him organize the manuscripts and books, then dined with him, and afterwards personally escorted him to the door, watching him get into the carriage and leave, agreeing to meet again at Lanshan Academy in a while.

Wen Chengnan left with a heavy heart and a sense of reluctance.

However, as the carriage traveled further away, the smile on Zhou Xiangru's face vanished completely.

Back in his room, the pageboy discreetly observed his expression and cautiously said, "Sir, you don't need to be sad about the separation. Just as you said, you will see Mr. Wen again in a while. At that time, you will still be able to ask Mr. Wen for advice on literature and scholarship to use in your own studies."

Zhou Xiangru gave him a cold look.

The pageboy realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly lowered his head.

Zhou Xiangru scoffed: "Who said I was going back to Lanshan Academy?"

The pageboy looked up at him in surprise.

“Since he is taking on a disciple as his last disciple, it is only natural for me to keep him in a place he is familiar with and teach him, to show that I value him. Besides, the Zhao family only has one son, Zhao Shize, and they cherish him dearly. How could they bear to let me take him to another place? So, I am only keeping him here at the request of the Zhao family,” Zhou Xiangru said calmly.

The pageboy asked in astonishment, "But without Mr. Wen, what if the Zhao family looks down on you because you can't produce any good articles..."

"Snapped!"

Zhou Xiangru was furious and interrupted the page with a slap.

The pageboy stumbled and nearly fell, his cheek swollen badly. But he ignored the pain and hurriedly knelt down in fear.

Zhou Xiangru sneered, "I, Zhou Xiangru, am renowned throughout the land. Why would I need Wen Chengnan to enhance my reputation? Without him, I can still be even more famous!"

He stared coldly at the pageboy.

"If I hear you say those words again, you'll regret it!"

The pageboy's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly kowtowed in agreement.

On the other hand, Wen Chengnan did not disappoint Zhou Xiangru's kindness; as soon as he got into the carriage, he lay down to catch up on sleep and rest.

However, he hadn't slept for long when the carriage suddenly jolted violently, throwing Wen Chengnan off the seat and causing him to stumble.

"What happened?" he asked as he got up.

The coachman quickly lifted the curtain and explained, "Two children suddenly ran out to play in the street, and I was in a hurry to go around them, which caused the carriage to lurch." He apologized in a flustered manner for not driving the carriage properly and for startling Wen Chengnan.

Wen Chengnan waved his hand and said it was nothing, then asked how the child was.

The driver said, "It's alright, a young man rushed out and carried them away. But the young man seemed to have fallen quite hard while protecting the child."

Wen Chengnan was kind-hearted, so he poured some loose silver from his purse and gave it to the coachman to give to the young man so he could go to the clinic for a checkup.

The driver did as instructed.

Wen Chengnan lay down to catch up on his sleep when he suddenly heard a young male voice: "Thank you for your kindness, but I am fine and need not trouble myself. This was an accident and cannot be blamed on you."

Sounds a bit familiar.

Wen Chengnan immediately opened his eyes and, as if possessed, lifted the curtain to look.

The young man outside was dressed in simple cloth robes, yet he possessed a dignified appearance and an air of gentle, polite scholarly refinement.

Isn't that Song Yanlan, the first person in Xiangchun Tower to write a masterpiece?

“It’s you.” Wen Chengnan had a good impression of talented people.

Song Yanlan was slightly taken aback. "Sir, you recognize me? Oh, I remember now, you are the gentleman who wrote and hosted the poetry gathering at Xiangchun Tower!"

His eyes gleamed slightly. "Your handwriting is truly remarkable, the best I've ever seen in my life."

Wen Chengnan immediately became interested and was no longer sleepy. He lifted the carriage curtain higher and said, "If you believe me and are not afraid that I am a bad person, come up and talk. I will also take you to the clinic for a private talk. The imperial examination is in a few days. You should be a student taking the exam. You should take care of your health and not cause any delays or problems."

Upon hearing what followed, Song Yanlan no longer declined, thanked him, and sat down properly opposite Wen Chengnan.

He secretly planned that once they arrived at the clinic, he wouldn't prescribe any medicine unless there was a serious problem.

He's running low on funds right now, so he'd better save as much as he can.

"How old are you this year? How old were you when you started school? And when did you start participating in the imperial examinations?" Wen Chengnan suddenly asked.

Song Yanlan cupped his hands respectfully and said, "I am twenty-two years old this year. I was taught by my father when I was three years old and passed the provincial examination at the age of thirteen."

Wen Chengnan was slightly taken aback: "You passed the imperial examination so early, you should have gone to the capital to take the exam long ago. Why are you only here this year? Have you failed the exam several times already?"

Song Yanlan shook his head: "I should have gone to the capital to take the imperial examination five years ago, but I felt that I was too young and my foundation was not solid enough. I wanted to study for a few more years to improve myself. In addition, I was young and inexperienced at that time and did not understand the purpose of taking the imperial examination to enter officialdom. After a few years of experience and reflection, I have an ideal in my heart, so I went to the capital to take the imperial examination."

Wen Chengnan's eyes immediately showed more appreciation.

He is intelligent yet humble and modest, a promising talent.

Wen Chengnan then asked, "Then why did you enter officialdom?"

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Song Yanlan's handsome face: "It sounds like boasting, but I hope to be a good official who serves the people, so that they can live in peace and prosperity, free from the suffering of war."

Wen Chengnan nodded secretly again, his goodwill towards him growing even stronger. He said, "Your character and aspirations are evident from the poems you wrote at Xiangchun Tower. After years of diligent study, your current talent truly lives up to your efforts."

Song Yanlan sat up straight and seized the opportunity to say, "Sir, I have some questions that I would like to ask you. You can write such beautiful characters, you must be a very learned person. I hope you will not hesitate to teach me."

Wen Chengnan was in high spirits and readily agreed.

The two began chatting about scholarship right inside the carriage. They discovered they had many things in common, and their views often coincided.

This made them both feel like they had known each other for a long time.

Upon arriving at the clinic, the driver repeatedly reminded them before the two finally snapped out of their reverie and ended their discussion with lingering satisfaction.

"It is my great fortune to meet you today, sir. I would be eternally grateful if I had the opportunity to learn from you in the future." Song Yanlan bowed and stepped off the carriage into the clinic.

Wen Chengnan felt a pang of regret for his lack of talent.

For some reason, Song Yanlan made him even more eager to take him on as a disciple than Zhao Shize.

“Let’s go back to the inn. I’m not leaving,” Wen Chengnan said.

The driver looked at him in surprise, somewhat embarrassed: "But Mr. Zhou instructed me to make sure you get to Lanshan Academy. If I go back like this, how am I supposed to explain it to Mr. Zhou..."

Wen Chengnan didn't think too much about it, but hesitated when he heard him mention Zhou Xiangru.

It's really not good to agree to something you promised a friend and then go back on your word.

Wen Chengnan quickly made a decision: "Find another inn to stay in. Don't tell Brother Zhou. Let him think I'm going back. After the spring examinations are over in a few days, I'll return to Lanshan Academy myself."