Chapter 2389: Chapter 2364: News (April Monthly Ticket Extra 20)
Liu Huan raised his hand. First, he looked at it himself and felt something was off, so he rubbed his palm vigorously on his clothes until it turned red before showing it to Bai Shan and Bai Erlang, crying, "Look, my grandfather did this. If it weren’t for me needing my right hand to write, he’d probably hit that too."
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang seriously looked at the palm and found two or three shallow red marks after a while. Bai Shan couldn’t help but nod, "Indeed, Minister Liu is too harsh. If we had come a bit later, these marks might not be visible at all."
Bai Erlang tilted his head back and laughed heartily, very amused.
Liu Huan couldn’t help but shout, "Hey, aren’t we brothers who stick together come rain or shine?"
Of course, they were. So Bai Shan started earnestly guiding him with his studies, tested some content, and checked his progress over the past few days, nodding, "The teacher Minister Liu got for you is decent."
Although Minister Liu confined his grandson to study, he did not let him study to death alone; he hired a teacher.
Yesterday, Bai Shan received a note from the Liu Residence stating that they would be visiting today, so the Liu Residence gave the teacher a day off to rest.
But Minister Liu didn’t expect Bai Shan and his friends to teach Liu Huan much; he’s just concerned that staying indoors for too long might be counterproductive.
So today’s excuse for the teacher’s day off while letting Bai Shan and the others instruct Liu Huan was actually to give Liu Huan a break, allow him to relax for half a day to adjust his mood and continue studying effectively.
Aside from Old Madam Liu, Bai Shan and the others didn’t realize this intent, so Bai Shan took out a thick stack of draft papers for Liu Huan. "Look, I collected these for you over this period. These are the exam questions we predicted with the teacher."
"Predict questions?" Liu Huan exclaimed and then covered his mouth, looked around, and whispered, "Didn’t Libationer Kong say we must study solidly and are not allowed to predict questions?"
Bai Shan nodded, "The words are right, but isn’t your study not solid enough?"
Bai Erlang laughed and bumped his shoulder. "Are you foolish? If everyone followed Libationer Kong strictly, how many people could take the Ming Classic exam? Everyone who participates but isn’t selected lacks solidity. Should they not take the exam?"
Liu Huan whispered, "Exams and predicting questions are two separate things."
Bai Shan said nothing. Bai Erlang said, "It’s clearly the same thing. What’s the purpose of the exam? To gain fame and wealth, right? What’s the purpose of predicting questions? To guarantee you successfully gain fame and wealth—it’s the same thing!"
Bai Shan commented, "But what Libationer Kong said makes sense. To serve, your studies must be solid. Maybe we should..."
Liu Huan snatched them, "Give them to me."
He hesitated, "You guys put effort into writing these; if I don’t use them, isn’t it wasting your hard work?"
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang chuckled.
When Yin Huo arrived, he saw the two grinning mischievously at Liu Huan. He knocked on the door, waited for the three to notice him, then walked in and curiously asked, "What are you guys doing?"
Bai Shan fibbed with a straight face, "We’re teaching him life lessons and important knowledge for the Ming Classic exam."
So by the time the Bai Family’s servants delivered the letter from the imperial estate, the four were genuinely studying seriously in the study.
Of course, Bai Shan and Yin Huo were testing Liu Huan; when he couldn’t answer, they taught him...
That’s right, a direct question-and-answer mode: with over ten days to go before the exam, Liu Huan had studied the books used for the Ming Classic exam, just that some he couldn’t remember and some he couldn’t comprehend.
So Bai Shan and Yin Huo posed questions. Whether it was because his pals were asking or the questions weren’t too difficult, Liu Huan answered most smoothly, and for the remaining few, he hesitantly managed some key points.
Even Yin Huo raised an eyebrow in surprise, asking, "Since you can do this, why does Minister Liu still hit you?"
Liu Huan was a bit dazed, "I can answer when looking at you, but facing my grandfather and teacher, my mind’s a mess; I can’t think straight, let alone answer."
The three looked at Liu Huan, who also stared back at them, eventually showing a pitiful expression. "You guys aren’t attending Chongwen Pavilion right now. How about you come daily to study with me?"
Bai Shan said slowly, "You better not word it like that again; at least say it differently when going out. ’Let us be study companions’—do you know whose companions we are?"
Liu Huan immediately said, "How about you come teach me reading?"
Just as Bai Shan was about to agree, servants from the Liu family and one from the Bai family came, bringing a letter.
They had corresponded earlier in the morning, so Bai Shan, worried something might’ve happened to Manbao, hurriedly tore open the letter.
Yin Huo, sitting to the side, glanced over and paused momentarily, while Liu Huan couldn’t help shouting, "Manbao is going to do a procurement business with the imperial estate?"
Bai Shan emphasized, "It’s not Manbao; it’s Brother Zhou Wu."
But aren’t they the same?
However, Liu Huan didn’t dwell on it and nodded, "Fine, it’s Brother Zhou Wu. Are they starting a procurement business?"
"Yes, why?"
Liu Huan scratched his head, "Nothing much; you arrived late. At noon, my grandfather returned home for lunch."
Bai Erlang asked, "Isn’t there lunch provided for officials in the imperial city?"
Liu Huan said, "My grandfather went home to avoid disaster."
He continued, "My grandfather said, this morning, His Majesty was inexplicably furious, ordered the Ministry of Revenue to help the Palace Eunuchs Department and Department of Palace Affairs audit the accounts, and lashed out at Lord Luo who manages the inner vault, even reprimanding his subordinate, Lord Xin. I heard that Eunuch Tong, the chief of the Palace Eunuchs Department, who’s been sick, even dragged himself off the sickbed to apologize."
Liu Huan smacked his lips, "My grandfather said it’s a thankless job. Even if done well, His Majesty won’t be pleased, and instead will be annoyed, having offended all those in the Palace Eunuchs Department, Department of Palace Affairs, and the group managing the inner vault."
Bai Shan pondered briefly, thinking Director Xiao is quite formidable, and asked, "Can Minister Liu just avoid this by going home?"
"Not really; he just came home in a bad mood, to enjoy some good food and vent." Speaking of which, he picked up his left hand, which no longer showed any marks, and cried, "Like at me; during lunch, he suddenly asked me about the I Ching, how could I answer? He instantly hit me three times with the ruler, and I barely ate any lunch, still hungry now."
Bai Shan, Bai Erlang, and Yin Huo together glanced at his side’s empty snack plate.
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