Chapter 94: I"ll Test You First
Su Wen went straight home after leaving the Profound Language Pavilion.
Although he was going to lecture in school the next day, it was still Su Wen"s wedding night.
Let"s have some fun first!
When they reached home, Su Wen saw that the interior of the residence was almost fully decorated.
Although it was not to the extent of having a huge banquet, at least there was a sense of ritual and ceremony.
As the firecrackers were set off, the servants cheered, even though it only those within the residence itself.
In the room, Xie Yiyi had covered her head with a red veil.
She was wearing a beautiful wedding dress, waiting quietly in the room.
Su Nuannuan also came along with Su Wen"s mother and Su Changqing.
"Brother, I want to sleep with my Sister-in-law," Su Nuannuan said sweetly.
Su Wen squatted down and asked with a smile, "You haven"t met your new sister-in-law. What if she doesn"t look good?"
Su Nuannuan"s eyes shone with shrewdness as she grinned, "Brother is lying. If she wasn"t pretty, why would you ask mom to speak up for you? You even gave me snacks to help you?!"
"Haha!" Su Wen was seen through. However, he rubbed Su Nuannuan"s head and smiled. "You should sleep with your sister-in-law Yumian! She misses you!"
Su Wen"s mother also persuaded, "The bride can only sleep with the groom on the wedding night."
Su Nuannuan helplessly relented, "Alright then! I"ll sleep with my new sister-in-law tomorrow."
Su Changqing walked to Su Wen"s side and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty is angry. He a.s.signed you to the Profound Language Pavilion because he has the intention to temper your character. During this period of time, be more obedient and don"t cause any more trouble. When you reach that place, don"t act recklessly or you will be punished!"
Su Wen smiled. "I understand."
He knew that Su Changqing would not lie to him.
Su Changqing then said, "With your literary talent, it"s too far fetched to have you act as a lecturer. I already invited talented individuals to prepare a lecture script for you in advance. When the time comes, just memorize it and speak directly. This way, it won"t be too embarra.s.sing."
Su Wen shook his head and smiled. "There"s no need."
Su Changqing looked into Su Wen"s eyes and asked seriously, "Can you handle it?"
"Yes, I have an idea!"
Seeing how confident he was, Su Changqing said, "Then it"s up to you. You just have to remember that no matter what those fellows say, it"s fine as long as you laugh it off. Keep your anger in your heart, remember their names and deal with them one by one."
At this point, Su Changqing s.h.i.+fted the topic to Xie Yiyi.
"Are you sure you can handle that bride? Be careful not to fall for her tricks."
Su Wen smiled and said, "Don"t worry, Father. When she entered the mansion, she didn"t bring any servants with her. She came in my carriage. In the afternoon, Ning Shuang had also checked all her belongings. There are no problems."
Su Changqing laughed coldly and said, "Don"t be careless. This woman married you, but that Honorable Xie didn"t tell you the truth. Her motives aren"t pure, so she must have a backup plan. You must return to the residence every three days. I will order people to examine your body. If there are any problems, we will immediately deal with it."
"Okay!" Su Wen knew that this was Su Changqing showing his concern for him.
Su Changqing continued, "However, since this woman has entered the residence, we have to think of a way to make her submit willingly. Being on guard all day is not a solution."
After a few reminders, the banquet officially began.
Su Wen was about to leave after a few compulsory gla.s.ses of wine when Cui Yumian pulled him back and whispered, "Husband, take pity on Sister Yiyi tonight."
Su Wen gently patted her hand and smiled. "Don"t worry, I will control myself."
Su Wen entered the bridal chamber.
The dishes were already prepared on the table.
Su Wen walked to the bed and lifted the red veil. He smiled and said, "You must be hungry. Eat something first."
Xie Yiyi nodded and sat by the table as instructed. As the two of them ate, Su Wen asked with a smile, "Now that you"re married, tell me, why did you choose to marry me?"
Xie Yiyi smiled. "Isn"t it because of Young Master Su"s background and power? You know it yourself."
"And? What do you want from this?"
"Wealth and glory!" Xie Yiyi said with a smile in her eyes. "Isn"t that enough? How many people desire a life of luxury but can never obtain it?"
Su Wen narrowed his eyes. "Nothing else?"
"What else?" she retorted.
Their eyes met and Su Wen placed his hand around Xie Yiyi"s waist.
"Are you full?"
"Not yet!"
"Then how about… changing what you"re gonna eat?"
"I"ll… listen to you…"
The red muslin danced in the air, its jade ridges rising and falling.
The forest was quiet and the water flowed. A red flower blossomed, indicating the arrival of springtime.
The next day in the capital of Great Zhou, the various scholars in the Profound Language Pavilion were discussing animatedly.
"Have you heard? That Su Wen became our lecturer!"
"Hehe, who does he think he is? An ignorant and incompetent hedonistic son can give us lessons?"
"That"s right. If he comes to give a lecture, I"ll definitely put him on the spot."
In the eyes of the scholars from the Profound Language Pavilion, Su Wen was an ignorant and incompetent person.
How could such a person lecture them?
Excitement flashed across Zhuang Qingbei"s eyes. He knew that his father"s status in the court was inferior to Su Changqing, but what would happen if Su Wen decided to hit someone at the Profound Language Pavilion because he was mocked for his lack of knowledge, just like how previously Su Wen had attacked him due to his defamatory remarks against Su Changqing?
If that was the case, even the emperor could not protect him!
Hehe, Su Wen, this time I will let you know that having talent is the most important thing.
Once you enter the Profound Language Pavilion, even if you were the son of the prime minister, you will still be looked down upon if you lack talent.
At this moment, Su Wen walked in and the room fell silent. Everyone looked at him.
He walked in front of everyone and introduced himself. "My name is Su Wen. Perhaps many of you here know me. I was a little tired last night, so today, I"ll do a small test to test your knowledge."
Just as he finished speaking, Zhuang Qingbei stood up and said, "Su Wen, you have never taken any examinations. What right do you have to lecture here?"
Su Wen sneered. "His Majesty gave me the right to do so. If you"re unhappy, you can go and talk to him!"
"You…" Zhuang Qingbei was furious, but when Su Wen mentioned the emperor, how would he dare to say anything bad about Emperor Zhou?
Su Wen said with a smile, "Everyone here is a person of great scholars.h.i.+p and erudition. Today"s test will question you regarding one of the five cla.s.sics written by Master Chen, a famous official from the previous dynasty, the Gra.s.s Hut Enlightenment Record!"
This article was written by Master Chen when he was demoted. It could be considered as an entry-level cla.s.sic.
Zhuang Qingbei sneered. "Is there a need to take the exam? Who here can"t memorize this essay? I think we can even recite it backwards!"
Su Wen glanced at him and said, "Why don"t you recite it to me?"
Zhuang Qingbei was at a loss for words. At this moment, another person stood up and said, "It might not be possible to recite this essay backwards, but everyone here knows this essay by heart, so what is there to test? Even if it is just an essay, it has long been understood. Mr. Su, you have underestimated us!"
Su Wen smiled and said, "We"ll know once we do the test!"
With that said, he distributed the papers!
Everyone looked at the test paper and saw the original text on it. Everyone found it even more ridiculous. If the original text was written, what else was there to test?
Further down were the examination questions.
"Question: in the first paragraph of the article, the author wrote: In front of the straw hut, there is a pine tree. What is the meaning of this sentence?"
Everyone: "???"
What Su Wen took out was exactly the method of testing the understanding of the readers about the excerpt!
Even the original author could not answer the questions, but they were presented to these scholars!