Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

After the Marquis passed away, Jiang Huaiyu carefully arranged for Wei Fenghui to study at Yueming Academy in the capital.

Yueming Academy, one of the four great academies of Jindu, was renowned. Its students were either from wealthy and noble families or talented young men who had already passed the imperial examinations at a young age.

They were all working hard for the imperial examination three years later, hoping to become Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Wei Fenghui had previously studied at a private school in the suburbs of Beijing, founded by an old scholar. Due to its remote location and the fact that it was run by a scholar, the tuition was relatively low.

Two years ago, he passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), but by then the knowledge of the old scholar could no longer meet his needs, so he could only study at home.

Now, Jiang Huaiyu has generously donated money to allow Wei Fenghui to study at Yueming Academy, which is undoubtedly great news for Wei Fenghui.

These four academies were already renowned, and he had long been filled with longing and anticipation for them.

However, in Yueming Academy, the illegitimate son of the Marquis of Jiaxing who joined midway through the program was naturally met with coldness when facing a hall full of powerful and influential people.

These illustrious direct descendants looked down on him, as if his existence was not enough to attract their attention.

Even the rising stars who had already achieved the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) kept their distance from this student who had only entered the place through family background, because they held themselves in high esteem. Wei Fenghui appeared extremely isolated between these two camps, like a fallen leaf swaying in a strong wind.

However, Wei Fenghui didn't care about any of this; he devoted all his attention to his books. Such a good learning environment and such learned teachers were once unattainable dreams for him, so how could he not cherish them all the more?

On this day, during his monthly break, Wei Fenghui, unusually, did not stay in his study buried in his books. Instead, he carried a simple book box and a few volumes of books to the bustling Jingjiulong Street, intending to set up a stall to sell them.

Wei Fenghui is not only erudite but also possesses admirable calligraphy skills, excelling in various calligraphic styles. Last night, he spent the entire night using precious pine soot ink and delicate wolf-hair brushes to create more than a dozen vigorous and powerful calligraphy works, including poetic quatrains and auspicious "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) characters.

Those elegant, flowing, and unconventional handwritings soon attracted the attention of many passersby.

"Young man, how much do you price your calligraphy works?" a curious passerby asked.

Wei Fenghui pointed to his calligraphy and said with a warm smile, "These long scrolls are priced at ten taels of silver each, while those large calligraphy works are five taels of silver each."

"This is too expensive! Nowadays, a book costs only one or two taels of silver, but one word of yours costs five taels!" A passerby couldn't help but exclaim.

The onlookers behind them shook their heads: "Indeed, even if the handwriting is pleasing to the eye, selling each character for five taels of silver is a bit too absurd."

"How about we price this 'Fu' character at one tael of silver? What do you think?"

Wei Fenghui knew in his heart that his calligraphy and paintings were indeed expensive, but he had absolute confidence in his calligraphy skills, and the ink he used was top-quality pine soot ink, which was extraordinary.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I may speak frankly: these calligraphy works are all created using pine soot ink and carefully selected wolf hair brushes, so it is not unreasonable to price each character at five taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked surprised.

"Pine soot ink? Since this impoverished scholar has come here to sell his calligraphy, where would he find the need for pine soot ink?"

"Indeed, judging from his attire, he doesn't seem like someone who can afford pine soot ink."

Amidst the crowd, murmurs arose, all expressing doubt about Wei Fenghui's explanation.

The argument attracted even more onlookers, making the area in front of the stall as congested as a metal bucket.

At the edge of the crowd, two young scholars curiously peeked out and started talking to each other.

"Hey, isn't that Wei Fenghui, the eldest son of the Marquis of Jiaxing?"

The other person hurriedly looked over there. "It's him! Why is he selling his calligraphy here? Has his family fallen on hard times and he's struggling to make a living?"

"Perhaps that is the case. I don't know if it was because the Lady of Jiaxing was harsh to him, or if the Jiaxing Marquis's mansion had really declined to such a miserable state."

"I'm afraid the latter is unlikely. The Marquis of Jiaxing just passed away. The Marquis's mansion wouldn't go bankrupt so quickly. I think it's most likely that the Marquis's wife withheld his monthly allowance."

"If his money was withheld, then why did the Lady of the Marquis still kindly send him to the renowned Yueming Academy for further studies?"

"Forget about these trivial matters. Let's go and tell Young Master Li. He will definitely have some insightful opinions on this matter."

Facing the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Wei Fenghui calmly proclaimed, "This pine soot ink has a refreshing woody fragrance, as if one were in a pine forest, wandering amidst the smoke. May I ask if any of you experts would be willing to step forward and smell it to verify the truth of my words?"

They searched each other's eyes, each yearning to find someone knowledgeable about pine soot ink.

"I have come."

A sudden announcement was made, and an elderly man with snow-white hair and a thick, black beard stepped out.

Immediately, some people in the crowd recognized the old man and began to whisper among themselves:

"Isn't this Master Zhang from Luzhou Academy?"

Luzhou Academy, one of the four major academies in the capital, differs from Yueming Academy in that it only uses students' talent and learning as the evaluation standard, without setting any other conditions.

With a kind smile, Master Zhang bowed to the surrounding crowd and said, "I am a teacher at Luzhou Academy. The academy happens to have a piece of superior pine soot ink in its collection, so I can identify it. If you would not mind, I will take on the responsibility of identifying it."

Immediately, someone in the crowd responded, praising, "Of course we have complete faith in Master Zhang."

"Master Zhang, please come out of seclusion."

Wei Fenghui also bowed deeply to Master Zhang and respectfully held up a scroll of calligraphy for the master to appreciate.

Mr. Zhang stepped forward slowly, gently sniffed the writing, then lightly stroked the paper with his fingertips and nodded slightly.

He then turned to the crowd and said, "This calligraphy is indeed made with pine soot ink. Pine soot ink has a lasting color that does not fade and is also waterproof. Coupled with the writer's profound calligraphic skills, it is truly priceless."

Hearing Mr. Zhang's explanation, their confidence increased, and they all wanted to purchase a piece for future enjoyment. It should be noted that while pine soot ink is rare and precious, a piece of calligraphy written with it is still attainable.

Wei Fenghui bowed deeply to Mr. Zhang and said gratefully, "I am grateful that you stepped forward to appraise my calligraphy."

Mr. Zhang smiled slightly, reached out a helping hand to gently help Wei Fenghui up, and asked gently, "Young man, what's your name, and which school do you attend?"

He carefully examined Wei Fenghui's handwriting and saw that the strokes were vigorous and the characters were elegant and unique, which made him feel a sense of appreciation for Wei's talent. Furthermore, he guessed that the student was selling his calligraphy at a stall because he was short of money and could not afford the high tuition fees of other academies, so he had the idea of ​​enrolling him in Luzhou Academy.