Chapter Thirty-Three Opportunity

  Thanks for the rewards from a few friends, Xiaozui is very excited, thank you very much, and I'll continue to ask for collection...

  Guarjia had not yet thought it through when he heard the sound of a servant asking for permission to enter at the door: "Master, Fourth Master."

  Fourth Master? Is there such a person in their family? Shu Yao saw Ama Zhiyuan and Second Brother Shuyi entering the door one after another, and stood up to say: "Second Brother, how did you become Fourth Master?"

  Shu Yi lowered his head in contemplation, and upon hearing his sister's words, explained: "The four houses of the Duke's manor have seven grandsons. The eldest brother is the eldest grandson and is called Big Brother. I am fourth in line."

  "Didn't you go to the Ministry of Works this morning?" Guwalgiya directly approached Zhiyuan with a solemn face, ordered the maid to fetch water for washing, and asked tentatively: "Is something big happening?"

  As for the timing, it's now time to go to court. Zhiyuan didn't dare to sneak away. Shuyi returned to the mansion in this situation, and something big must have happened in the capital. After Zhiyuan took his seat, "The Empress Dowager is seriously ill, the Emperor has suspended court to attend to her at Cining Palace. I heard that the news is not good, and our household should make preparations early."

  Shu Yi nodded and said, "Mother, many of the consorts of the princes have gone to the Forbidden City to pay their respects and attend to her illness. Although the Empress Dowager had previously ordered that no imperial consorts were allowed to enter the palace to attend to her illness, the elderly consorts from the Princes' and Dukes' mansions had all entered the palace to see off the Empress Dowager on her final journey. I wonder if our mansion's elderly ladies will also be entering the palace?"

  "Who told you that? The old lady of the Prince's mansion is going to the palace, didn't you know?" Gua Erjia looked at her son Shu Yi with a glance, and it had only been a few days since she returned to Beijing. She had already gotten in touch with the Prince's mansion, and Gua Erjia poked Shu Yi on the forehead: "This is no small matter."

  Shu Yao nodded in agreement, "Second Brother, you are so powerful."

  Thanks to Shu Yao's gentle words, the atmosphere in the house was no longer heavy. Shi Yu habitually rubbed his sister's head and Shu Yao dodged to the side, complaining: "Combing hair is so troublesome."

  Shu Yi finally let go of Shu Yao's hair, laughing and saying: "It just so happens that after I returned to the capital, my first outing was meeting Kang Qianwang's fourth son, BalTu. My son gets along well with him, they have a good relationship, and BalTu wants to visit his mother, letting my son accompany him as a study companion."

  It is a great honor to be the study companion of the Prince's mansion. The current Kangxi Emperor, Jieshu, has made great contributions in the pacification of the three feudatories and has gained the recognition of the current emperor. As the study companion of Bartu Ake, Shuyi can enter the Forbidden City together with him to read books and teach the imperial princes. All the teachers who have taught the imperial princes are renowned scholars in the world, which is beneficial for Shuyi's learning. It may be possible for him to make friends with the imperial princes.

  Changing the subject, she would have been delighted, but Lady Gualgiya shook her head and said: "Mother does not want you to be Bartu's companion."

  "Elder sister." Shu Yi was taken aback. Gua Erjia asked: "Do you and Baertu A Ge have similar interests?"

  "Yes."

  "That's it, he may be of high status, but we don't have to fawn on him. If he truly regards you as a friend, then treat each other as equals. The famous scholars in the world can't necessarily teach out talented people, and besides, the people around him are extremely noble, you may come from a duke's mansion, but now the duke's mansion is not among the top aristocracy, the princes and young masters don't even notice you. Shu Yi, I'm not opposed to your making friends, just remember one thing: be independent, neither arrogant nor humble, stand tall like a great tree."

  "The son remembers his mother's teachings."

  Guar Jia smiled and nodded, Shu Yi practiced martial arts. His future was not in front of the imperial princes, Guar Jia could not tolerate her own son being humble and flattering in front of the powerful, even if he had to kneel, he would have to kneel before the greatest master of the Qing dynasty - Emperor Kangxi.

  Zhiyuan stroked his whiskers, apparently very much in agreement with what Gualjiasi had said, and didn't forget to add a sentence: "We also have our own family learning..."

  Guar Jia's eyebrows stood up, and she gave Zhiyuan a slanted glance. In front of the children, Guar Jia still gave Zhiyuan face. Zhiyuan coughed twice, "Yes, our family learning has been neglected for some time, but aren't we back in the capital now? I will ask Ama to reopen our family school, hire literary and martial arts masters. The Duke's Manor must establish itself in the capital, it cannot rely solely on its title. Only if our descendants are talented and numerous can the Shu Mu Lu clan last long. I'll go talk to Ama about this right now."

  Zhiyuan strode away with a fierce wind, and Shuyao widened her eyes to go find that lecherous old man to discuss family matters. Shuyao was very suspicious whether Ama would be beaten by him. Except for when Zhiyuan's family came back to pay respects to the old master, Shuyao hadn't seen him again, not even at meals. However, Shuyao still heard some gossip that the old master was a person who loved beauty extremely, having inherited the legacy of his flirtatious ancestors.

  Shu Yao always thought that the deceased ancestor was probably a time-traveler, fortunately, Ama Zhiyuan did not inherit this trait. As a woman, she was a third-class official, equivalent to a department-level cadre in modern times, and also held the rank of senior colonel in the military. Throughout his life, Zhiyuan only had one wife, Guwalgiya, which is rare whether in ancient or modern times. Shu Yao expressed her doubts, wondering if Zhiyuan was too afraid to take a concubine. She secretly glanced at her mother, who was sitting upright and drinking tea, and thought: Is she easy to provoke? The great Tang dynasty noblewoman couldn't even control her husband, what a joke!

  Xiu Yao's dog legs were hammering against Guajia's shoulder, softly calling out: "Mother, mother."

  "Good girl." Guajia's heart softened a bit, and no matter how she looked at her daughter, it was all pleasing to the eye. Shuyi twitched at the corner of his mouth beside him, but Mother was shrewd, however... *cough*... it wasn't good to say in front of his sister.

  "Mother, shouldn't we also make some preparations at home?"

  "Yes, if it's really a national funeral, things should be prepared early on, so that when the time comes, even with money, they can't be bought."

  "Do you want your son to help?"

  Guarjia shook his head and said, "What you need to focus on now is studying and practicing martial arts. In a couple of days, I'll take you to meet your maternal grandfather. I reckon there will be war in the next few years."

  Shu Yee's eyes lit up, and Shu Yao looked even brighter than a light bulb. The aura of the Gual Jia clan was overwhelming, "Hmph, these barbarian tribes from outside still dare to resist the imperial court, they don't know life or death. They should have long ago surrendered and become vassals. How can they afford to provoke the heavenly kingdom?"

  Shu Yao leaned on Gual Jia's shoulder, and if she were to wear modern clothes, she would be a female general, a strong woman. Unfortunately, there are few women like her in the modern world who can see Gual Jia's obsession with Tian Chao Shang Bang.

  Shu Yi touched his nose and suppressed the reminder, "The Eight Banners of Manchu are also barbarians in the eyes of Han people." "Madam, Miss Biao has arrived."

  Li Ziqing? Shu Yao and the other two furrowed their brows at each other, what is she doing here? Shu Yao was puzzled, having just heard gossip that since Empress Dowager didn't come to pick up Li Ziqing to enter the palace, wasn't Second Aunt very angry? She didn't comfort Second Aunt, so why did she come to their courtyard?

  Guarjia's eyes flashed, and she helped Shu Yao up, saying with a hint of meaning: "Her ambitions are not small, she knows how to seize opportunities, it seems that outside the Duke's mansion, there are also arrangements, the news of the Empress Dowager's serious illness, even the old lady may not know."