Reborn as a concubine's daughter and entering a noble family: Xie Lang, don't be too seduc

Xie Lin wasn't stupid; he had suspected it from the beginning, and that feeling only intensified after hearing his elder brother say that.

But it was indeed his elder brother who had pushed Sang Hua into the marriage with him, and when he tried to run away, he was caught and forced to marry Sang Hua.

If it's said that the eldest brother also admires Sang Hua...

That's a bit too unreasonable.

But if we say no, then what exactly do all these things mean, along with what I just said?

"Big brother..."

“Sang Hua is a good girl, but unfortunately she was born at the wrong time. If it weren’t for… the Huo family’s misfortune, she would have been a pampered and spoiled noblewoman raised by her parents. You must not mistreat her because of this misfortune in her family.” Xie Shu paused deliberately, observing Xie Lin’s reaction.

It seems they wanted to confirm Xie Lin's feelings for Sang Hua.

The Huo family is in trouble... Xie Lin stared straight into his elder brother's eyes; something about what he just said seemed off.

He was certain that his older brother didn't mean that.

Before the "Huo family's misfortune," the eldest brother clearly wanted to say something else... But if you connect the preceding and following meanings, he was clearly talking about the misfortunes that Sang Hua suffered in her childhood and Sang Hua's background.

It was only when it was almost on the tip of my tongue that it became "the Huo family suffered a calamity"—

It sounds like a reasonable explanation.

Does my elder brother know something? About Sang Hua's background?

Those bright, inquisitive eyes staring so directly at him made Xie Shu feel extremely uncomfortable.

Xie Shu knew very well that Ah Lin was getting old and had probably heard some of the rumors outside. Since he had already come to the study, it meant that he himself had doubts about those things.

Slowly, Xie Shu moved aside.

He didn't look at Xie Lin.

In Xie Lin's view, this move made it seem as if his elder brother knew something.

As the two brothers remained silent in a stalemate, Huo Sanghua, who had changed her clothes and rushed back, interrupted them. She had been too embarrassed earlier and was afraid Xie Shu might say something to Xie Lin, so she had hurried back and forth, running all the way...

Standing still inside the doorway, the moment my feet came together, beads of sweat slid down my forehead, shining through the morning light outside—

The scalding sweat released a faint mist in the cool morning air.

She also keenly noticed that the atmosphere in the study seemed strange.

Could it be...?

"So fast." Xie Lin subtly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at her.

Even though she changed her clothes, she still looked disheveled.

"Since you're here, sit down and rest for a while..." Xie Shushi changed the subject, but when she turned her head, she saw Xie Lin push Sang Hua to sit down, and then moved a chair from the side and placed it on one side of Sang Hua's desk.

Xie Lin noticed his elder brother's confusion and pointed to where he was sitting, indicating that he could just sit there.

This also saves Liao Bin the trouble of having to dig out another set of tables and chairs from the warehouse.

Xie Shu had no choice but to agree since Sang Hua didn't object.

Liao Bin, who had been waiting outside the door, listened intently to the sounds coming from the study. He was quite displeased with Xie Lin's sudden arrival, his arms crossed over his chest, muttering something but making no sound.

It wasn't that she had forgotten that Huo Sanghua was already the second wife, but rather that she felt she should have married the eldest son in the first place.

It was a series of unforeseen events that led to this situation.

In the study, Xie Shu first assessed Hawthorne's literacy level...

She is not completely illiterate, nor does she only recognize some simple characters.

Most people can recognize about 60-70% of the common characters, but there are also some who are not familiar with the characters and may mistake the radicals, thus completely changing the meaning of the characters.

"......he knows quite a lot." Xie Lin was surprised; Huo Sanghua knew far more characters and their meanings than he had expected.

"You studied in the palace, didn't you?"

Xie Shu ignored A Lin's astonishment and instead asked about Sang Hua.

Huo Sanghua nodded, explaining that she had few opportunities to learn to read in the palace. When she was young, Li Lang and the other princes had special classes for them to study and learn to read and write. If she tried to go in, she would be kicked out as soon as the palace servants noticed.

They were afraid she would disrupt the princes' classes.

When she grew older, Li Lang also moved out of the palace when he turned 12 and established his own residence.

Only on rare special occasions could one stay overnight at Consort Qi's Yaohua Palace.

Few of the other palace servants in Yaohua Palace were literate, so her opportunities to learn to read were limited...

Fortunately, although Li Lang had moved out, Consort Qi, missing her son, had stored some of his belongings in a small room on the west side of the warm pavilion. These included books Li Lang had read and calligraphy he had written...

She would occasionally sneak over and "borrow" a book or two to look at. Since no one taught her, she learned on her own, guessing the words she didn't recognize.

Then find an opportunity to verify it.

Over time, I actually managed to learn a few things from them.

He only learned how to hold a pen, but he couldn't write. His strokes looked like scribbles.

"...But you were raised by Consort Qi's side. If you want to study, Consort Qi can find a female tutor for you." Xie Lin had some guesses about Huo Sanghua's previous experiences, so he still asked tentatively.

In Shengjing, there are many female teachers who teach young ladies from noble families. These female teachers are all from famous families and are very knowledgeable.

It wouldn't be unusual for Consort Qi to choose a female tutor for her.

But Huo Sanghua shook her head. It wasn't that she hadn't mentioned it to Consort Qi, but Consort Qi was clearly making excuses, and so it was delayed.

Li Lang also disapproved of her studying...

"The food and drink were not too demanding, but reading and writing... Perhaps Consort Qi felt that reading and writing were not the most important things for women," Huo Sanghua said.

Although she hadn't been able to compare with Consort Qi and Li Lang in terms of food and clothing during her years in Yaohua Palace, or even with the favored maids in Consort Qi's service, at least she had food to eat and clothes to wear, and she hadn't starved or frozen to death.

When Li Lang was young, he would share some of the rewards he received with her. Later, when he left the palace, he would occasionally bring her clothes, rouge, and the like when he returned.

It's about reading...

Neither Consort Qi nor Li Lang wanted her to study.

She once wanted to learn painting from Li Lang, but Li Lang was unwilling to teach her. Apart from that, whenever she asked... he would do things for her.

Having heard about Hawthorne's story, Xie Lin was very curious, "So, you learned all these characters on your own?"

"Hmm..." Hawthorne thought for a moment, realizing that he really didn't have any skills he could boast about.

He lowered his head in self-consciousness.

"But you know how to do business, you understand the flow of money and goods, and you're familiar with the ways of the palace. Even without anyone teaching you, you can learn what you want to learn and accomplish what you want to accomplish. That's quite impressive. As long as you maintain your thirst for knowledge, you have plenty of time in life to learn what you love." Xie Shu closed the book. "Alright, that's enough for today. If you'd like to stay and read some other books, that's fine too, but remember to rest. I have a general understanding of your knowledge today, and I'll consider where to begin teaching you. Tomorrow, we'll officially begin."