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

The one keeping watch outside is Spring Rain.

After the confrontation, Ye Ruyue regarded Chunyu as a confidante and no longer hid her secret meetings with Zhao Ye from her.

Hearing the embarrassing noises coming from just a door away, Chunyu's face turned bright red, and she quickly covered her ears.

That night, water was called twice, both times prepared by Chunyu, who also had to stay on night duty, which exhausted her.

At dawn, fearing that the servants in the mansion would discover the secret, Zhao Ye got up early, drank some hangover soup, and spent some more time with Ye Ruyue before leaving.

"Miss, did you convince the master to let you go with him today?" Chunyu asked, fighting off her sleepiness to get down to business.

This was something she had urged Ye Ruyue to do. If she could go with them, Ye Ruyue's status in the household would rise dramatically, and the servants would no longer dare to look down on her, which would be beneficial for her future advancement!

Ye Ruyue's cheeks were rosy, and she was in a good mood. She didn't get angry that she hadn't convinced Zhao Ye.

"Ye Lang is right, I am not suitable to go, let's wait for another time. Besides, Ye Lang said that Cheng Nanzhi is not going either, so I won't go. After all, Cheng Nanzhi is not any different from me."

Ye Ruyue perked up and said, "Chunyu, go and prepare two kinds of snacks that Zege'er likes. I want to go see him when he comes back from school this afternoon."

Chunyu nodded hurriedly: "Yes!"

Ye Ruyue was really tired after a night of tossing and turning, so she waved her hand and told her to leave.

Just as Chunyu was about to leave, Ye Ruyue casually asked, "Where's Sanmei? Is she still not better?"

As for the shop, she'll get started after the Spring Festival banquet and once Yu Jie'er's tutor is decided!

Although Ye Ruyue trusted Chunyu, she didn't trust her enough to let her know about the shop's affairs. She still wanted to ask Sanmei to come out of the mansion to handle it for her.

Chunyu paused, "Reporting to Miss, Sanmei's injuries are still very serious. She is still unable to get out of bed and cannot perform any tasks for you. Please feel free to tell me what you need, and I will do it even better than Sanmei."

Ye Ruyue did not want to say more and told her to leave.

A hint of resentment flashed across Chunyu's eyes.

On the other side, Zhao Ye returned to his own courtyard to catch up on some sleep. When it was time, Qian Yidong woke him up, made him a pot of strong tea to refresh himself, and then he changed and went to the front hall.

He skipped breakfast with Madam Zhao and her two siblings so he could sleep in a little longer; by then they had already finished eating and were waiting for him.

Zhao Shize wore a new set of clothes today, and his accessories were also very elegant and expensive. They were specially selected by the nanny who served him from the things that Cheng Nanzhi had given to Zhao Shize in the past.

This outfit makes one look very dignified and distinguished.

Zhao Huaiyu, who was standing next to her, had also dressed up nicely. However, compared to Zhao Shize's excitement, she was much calmer, her eyes darting around and occasionally glancing at the screen wall at the courtyard gate.

"Where's Nanzhi? Ye'er, you're all here, why hasn't Nanzhi arrived yet?" Old Madam Zhao assumed that Zhao Ye was late because he was busy with official duties, and thus became dissatisfied with Cheng Nanzhi.

Zhao Shize also muttered a few words of displeasure.

“Mother, Cheng Nanzhi said she’s preparing a gift for Abbess Fang Xi today and won’t be able to come.” Zhao Ye’s face darkened as he thought of Cheng Nanzhi.

Old Madam Zhao asked reflexively, "From whose storeroom did she pick out the gift?"

"Her own."

"That's good."

Madam Zhao immediately lost the idea of ​​having Cheng Nanzhi come.

Don't come. It's best not to show your face in front of her until before the Spring Banquet, lest you start eyeing her storeroom!

Before long, Zhou Xiangru arrived, and the group hurriedly went up to greet him and invite him to sit down and exchange pleasantries.

But at this moment, Zhou Xiangru was in a very gloomy mood.

He hadn't slept well all night, and just as he was about to close his eyes, he remembered the embarrassing words Wen Chengnan had said to him.

The more resentful Zhou Xiangru became, the more determined he was to prove himself right.

"There's no need for that. Go to your Zhao family's clan school and start teaching right now. Ze'er has talent, so we shouldn't delay. The sooner he learns, the more confident he'll be compared to others in the future." Zhou Xiangru turned and got into the carriage, accompanied by a page named Zhao Ye, whom the others didn't recognize.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ye took Zhao Shize away.

Madam Zhao had no intention of going, so she returned to Shou'an Hall to rest.

Only Zhao Huaiyu remained standing at the gate of the mansion, gazing in the direction the carriage had departed. Even after it disappeared from sight, he did not move.

It wasn't until the gatekeeper reminded him that Zhao Huaiyu seemed to snap out of his daze and entered the mansion, a cold smile playing on his lips.

My dear brother, please don't disappoint your sister.

Upon arriving at the clan school, Zhao Ye first gave Zhou Xiangru a tour.

"Currently, there are only five Zhao family children studying here, including Ze Ge'er. However, they are still in their early years and have other teachers assigned to them. Mr. Zhou does not need to pay attention to them. Teaching Ze Ge'er alone is enough."

Zhao Ye led Zhou Xiangru to a room that had been specially reserved for him and Zhao Shize to study.

When Zhao Ye hired someone to repair it, he only had one requirement: it had to look presentable enough. He didn't care whether the materials used were genuine or whether the ornaments were real.

Those below thought he had done a good job, and Zhou Xiangru was quite satisfied with the place where he taught. Although the clan school was a bit small, the space where he taught was not to be underestimated.

"I understand, Lord Zhao, please rest assured." Zhao Ye went in and had his page bring the prepared books.

Taking the opportunity, Zhao Ye instructed Zhao Shize: "You must listen attentively in class and not displease Mr. Zhou. Also, don't let Mr. Zhou notice anything amiss. If he tests you, just ask more questions and answer less, and say that you haven't read the book he's teaching."

Zhao Shize nodded emphatically, being very obedient. He was also embarrassed that Zhou Xiangru had discovered his lack of real talent and learning.

Zhao Ye watched Zhou Xiangru lecturing for a while through the window. The lecturer was indeed very good, which made Zhao Ye very satisfied.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, but Zhou Xiangru didn't ask any questions. Instead, he put all his effort into lecturing, as if he wanted Zhao Shize to learn the book in his hand in a short time.

After looking at it for a while and finding no problems, Zhao Ye went back to handle his official business.

But Zhao Shize was in a terrible predicament.

He had heard Confucius lecture before and thought Zhou Xiangru would be like those old scholars, but who knew that the other man's lectures were even more obscure, complex and profound, full of classical Chinese phrases. He couldn't understand a word and couldn't keep up at all.

Zhao Shize, remembering Zhao Ye's instructions, tried his best to appear to understand.

But less than fifteen minutes later, Zhao Shize became dazed.

This isn't a lecture, it's clearly chanting scriptures, and chanting a mantra that tightens the headband!

Between him and his sister, who should be chanting Buddhist prayers?

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhao Shize forced himself to interrupt, "Sir, I got up early this morning and waited for you for a long time, so I drank a few extra sips of tea. Now I need to go to the restroom, is that alright?"

Hearing that the man respected him so much and had been waiting for him so early, Zhou Xiangru's expression softened. He nodded in agreement and gestured to his page to pour him a cup of tea to quench his thirst.

Zhao Shize hurriedly went out and asked a servant to lead him to the backyard.

But I don't really want to take over; I just want some fresh air.

"If I had known studying would be like this, I would never have studied," Zhao Shize said dejectedly. The thought of having to listen to lectures all day long, and having to be constantly on guard against Zhou Xiangru testing him, made him even more listless.

He wanted to go back to the manor, but his father and the others would definitely not agree.

He was also a little afraid of Zhou Xiangru.

The servant's expression shifted slightly. He pulled out a few dice from his sleeve and said ingratiatingly, "Young master, how about I play a game with you to relax? It won't take long, and you can go back to your studies when you're happy. It won't interfere with your studies."

Over the past few days, Zhao Shize had been gambling almost every day and had become somewhat addicted. He was immediately tempted when he heard about it.

Upon further reflection, it indeed wouldn't take much time, so he nodded.

But once the gambling addiction kicks in, it's not something that can be stopped in a short time.

Zhao Shize got so caught up in the gambling that he forgot the time, and the servant didn't remind him either. As a result, he lingered in the backyard for a long time, making Zhou Xiangru wonder if Zhao Shize had eaten something bad.

He cared deeply about this disciple who had been spared at great cost, and went to the backyard to look for him. There he saw Zhao Shize and his servant squatting on the ground, their eyes bloodshot from gambling.

For a moment, Zhou Xiangru thought he had misread it.

But he was jolted awake by Zhao Shize's desperate shout of "Again!"

“…Zhao, Shi, Ze!”

Zhou Xiangru shouted sternly.

Zhao Shize shuddered, and the dice in his hand fell to the ground, rolling shakily to Zhou Xiangru's feet.

I looked up and met a pair of eyes filled with anger.

Zhao Shize panicked immediately, "Sir, I..."

Zhou Xiangru's chest heaved violently with anger. He was used to hitting those around him, and without thinking, he slapped Zhao Shize, knocking him to the ground, and cursed, "Instead of going back to study, you're here gambling! How dare you!"

This was the first time Zhao Shize had been hit so hard, and he was stunned for a moment.

Realizing what had happened, he burst into tears, scrambled to his feet, and shoved Zhou Xiangru hard.

"Even my father and grandmother never hit me like that, so what right do you have! I only gambled a few rounds!"

Zhou Xiangru staggered, staring at Zhao Shize in disbelief, then laughed in anger.

"Good, good, is this the Zhao family's tradition? Men, bring Lord Zhao back to me!"