A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination - Chapter 5

    Xiao Jingduo walked towards the study under the leadership of his servants.

    The servant stopped in front of the door, stooped to the back, and said softly to Xiao Jingduo, “Master, Lord Hou is inside.”

    Xiao Jingduo reached out and pushed the door, when his palm touched the warm sandalwood door, he couldn’t help but pause.

    The father he had been looking forward to for nine years now sits in this wooden door. Once the door is opened, he will no longer be that ordinary country boy, but will become the son of the prince of the dynasty.

    Xiao Jingduo calmed down, pushed open the wooden door that divides fate, and strode towards his father.

    Although it was still dark, candles were already lit in the house. Hearing the footsteps, Xiao Ying, who was flipping through the military newspaper behind the desk, raised her head, and her eagle-like eyes shot at the approaching person.

    Xiao Ying looked at him blankly and stayed on his face for a particularly long time. When Xiao Jingduo almost thought that he did something wrong to offend his father, Xiao Ying said, “You are… Xiao Jingduo?”

    Xiao Jingduo breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly replied: “Yes.”

    Xiao Ying nodded, a little smile appeared on her face: “Very good. How old are you this year, are you literate? What do you do on weekdays?”

    To be honest, when his subordinates came back and reported that there was a son left by him in his hometown, Xiao Ying didn’t quite believe it. It wasn’t until his subordinates brought Xiao Jingduo in front of him, and when he saw Xiao Jingduo’s face, Xiao Ying was more than certain in his heart.

    This child looks so much like him that everyone who sees this child will not doubt their kinship. After confirming that this was his own bloodline, Xiao Ying’s mood became clear. These years of war and chaos, Xiao Ying spent most of his time in the military camp, and really didn’t have the energy to take care of his family business. Although he is not very old now, on the contrary, Xiao Ying is at the peak of the balance between men’s power and physical strength, and some beautiful women give birth to him sons. But it is impossible for men not to value their children, and Xiao Ying is no exception. It is a secret regret in his heart that he has no descendants, but now someone tells him that he already has a nine-year-old son, and his sword eyebrows and eyes are very similar to him, Xiao Ying showed a rare smile, and looked at Xiao Jingduo with a much kinder gaze.

    This is his eldest son, a son who has been separated for nine years. In addition to being happy, Xiao Ying also quickly thought about his son’s upbringing. Although Xiao Jingduo has been living in the outside world these years, he is still very creative.

    After answering her father’s question, Xiao Ying did not speak for a long time, and Xiao Jingduo naturally did not dare to speak. He secretly thought to himself that his father deserved to be the founding general of the country by virtue of his military merits. He exuded the might of killing in every gesture of his actions. At first glance, he was a real soldier who had seen blood on the battlefield.

    The man in front of him was exactly the same as the image of his father in his imagination, even taller than his imagination. Xiao Jingduo worshipped his father even more, and kept peeking at his father from the corner of his eyes.

    What kind of person Xiao Ying is, he naturally noticed the little movements of the eldest son, he smiled lightly, and said to Xiao Jingduo kindly: “These days are busy on the road, you are also tired, go down and rest first. Your yard I’ve already asked Xue Lan to take care of you, if you still have something missing, just tell the next person.”

    For her only son, Xiao Ying is very generous.

    “Yes.” Xiao Jingduo promised that he should have left, but there was no movement on his feet. Xiao Jingduo raised his head and glanced at Xiao Ying quickly, and found that his father was still so easy-going and loving.

     “Father, son suspects that some people want to do something wrong to mother, and even poison her in medicine!”

    Xiao Ying’s eyes flashed, but his tone did not fluctuate at all, he just asked lightly: “Oh? How do you say this?”

    Xiao Jingduo told the story of the inn, from when he discovered that the medicine had been replaced, to testing it with a dog, and then going to the kitchen to check the dregs of medicine, all of them and Pan Xiang Xiao Yingtuo.

    The difficult childhood has greatly exercised Xiao Jingduo’s ability to live in the world. He clearly knows what can be said and what cannot be said. It’s fine to say anything about the poisoning, but I can’t say a word about things related to my grandmother and my father’s maid.

    After Xiao Jingduo finished speaking, he waited eagerly for his father to make a ruling. However, Xiao Ying’s reaction was very dull. Instead, he asked, “Do you understand pharmacology?”

    Xiao Ying nodded and said, “Okay, I know about this, you go down first.”

    Xiao Jingduo saw that his father cared so much about him, so he thought that his father would be very angry about the murder of his mother. However, he never expected that his father would pass this chapter in such a lighthearted manner. Xiao Jingduo frowned and wanted to speak, “Father…”

    “Okay.” Xiao Yingbi made a stop gesture and said flatly, “I will handle this matter, you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

    Since his father said so, no matter how unwilling Xiao Jingduo is, he can only swallow it back. “Follow your orders, and retire.”

    After Xiao Jingduo left, Xiao Ying stared at the shaking candle and suddenly sighed.

    He is willing to admit Xiao Jingduo, but it does not mean that he will admit Xiao Jingduo’s mother, son and woman are not the same. Xiao Ying and Zhao Xiulan didn’t know each other before they got married. Not long after they got married, he left home to join the army, so in all counts, Xiao Ying and Zhao Xiulan didn’t get along for a few days.

    He was not worried about leaving Zhao Xiulan in his hometown. First, he would give others a hand. Second, he was afraid that something would happen to Zhao Xiulan, and it would be inconvenient to bring her to Chang’an. It’s even worse if the family knows.

    So the best way is to let Zhao Xiulan die unexpectedly on the way to Beijing. It is normal for a weak woman to die due to illness on a bumpy journey, and on the way, many traces will disappear naturally, and he does not even need to deal with the aftermath. For this reason, he suppressed his homesickness and did not send anyone to visit when the King of Qin was ordered to attack Zhuo County. It would be tricky if his colleagues in the military knew that he had a family in his hometown.

    Unfortunately, why did Zhao Xiulan come to the capital alive? Xiao Ying reached out to pick up the fallen fire core, thinking with regret in her heart. Xue Lan did not succeed on the road, and it would be much more difficult to do it next.

    As soon as Xiao Jingduo entered the mansion, he was called by the Marquis.

    Xiao Yuli put down the curtain, and said with some taste: “The biological and the next room are different. Just entered the house, the eldest brother was called away by the uncle.”

    Xiao Yufang said: “That’s not it, can it be the same for your father and Xiao Yumang?”

    “I haven’t seen the eldest uncle yet. I don’t know what the uncle looks like.” Xiao Yuli looked at the furnishings of the Hou mansion, lowered her voice and said to her sister, “Eldest sister, you said Hou Will these things in the house belong to the big brother in the future?”

    Unfortunately, she could only think about it, so Xiao Yufang quickly put this idea aside, instead she moved Xiao Jingduo’s idea.

    I heard from the maid that the eldest uncle has only one son, the eldest brother, and looking at the situation just now, the eldest uncle also values ​​him very much. If Xiao Yufang wanted to live well in the Hou Mansion and no longer be kidnapped by Xiao Yuli, a traitor, then Xiao Jingduo’s attitude towards her would be particularly important.

    Until she retired from Gao Shoutang, Xiao Yufang was thinking about how to please Xiao Jingduo. Xiao Yufang’s eyes were opened to the magnificence of Gao Shou Tang. The three of them were secretly looking at the vases and jade objects on both sides. Hearing Xue Lan said that Gao Shou Tang was the most respected yard in Hou’s residence, and only grandmothers were qualified to live there. Xiao Yufang felt discouraged. All the good things are not hers.

    They were fiddled with the etiquette of the morning and evening, and finally after the toss, Xue Lan let the female relatives go out.

    Xiao Yufang has an honest temperament and has no temper when being manipulated like a doll. Although the family said that her temperament would suffer, but Xiao Yufang knew that many times, the loudest was not necessarily the loudest, and the honest people who kept silent would bite the most. When Xiao Yufang, an honest man followed her mother, she was keenly aware that her aunt Zhao Xiulan was gone.

    Even the people from the second and third bedrooms are guarding their grandmother in Gao Shoutang, why is the eldest aunt, the serious Mrs. Hou, disappearing? Xiao Yufang sensed something was wrong, but she sullenly said nothing and stepped back obediently.

    Gao Shou Tang.

    Xue Lan helped Old Madam Xiao to sit down, and a maid in a lake blue dress gently stopped beside Xue Lan. Xue Lan just glanced at it lightly, and then said indifferently: “Is everything cleaned up?”

     “Yes, the second lady wanted to eavesdrop, but I sent it back.”

    Old Mrs. Xiao showed an embarrassed look: “Xiao Yuli, this girl is ignorant, I made you see a joke.”

    “What’s the matter.” Xue Lan didn’t care, she just said softly, “Old Madam, Hou Ye’s happy event is just around the corner, so I’m busy picking you up. We’re in a hurry, disrespectful. Please forgive me old lady!

    “It’s fine.” Madam Xiao waved her hand and said carelessly, “Dalang wants to marry a wife, it’s a sea of ​​swords and flames, and I will come after this old life. , of course, to marry the right lady of the official family!”

    Xue Lan smiled and corrected: “Old lady, our new lady is not a lady of the official family, she is a daughter of an aristocratic family, the daughter of the dignified Qinghe Wu family. The prestige of the family is even today. The royal family can’t compare, it is a great blessing for our Marquis to marry the Wu family daughter!”

    Old Mrs. Xiao can’t understand what Xue Lan said, isn’t her new daughter-in-law the lady of a high official? What is the difference between aristocratic and official? But these old ladies didn’t care, she only knew that Xue Lan and Xiao Ying both agreed, then this marriage would be excellent, and all the people and things that prevented her son from marrying a high-level daughter-in-law would be ruthlessly swept away.

    Neither Xue Lan nor Mrs. Xiao mentioned the missing original spouse. In their hearts, the position of Mrs. Xiao’s daughter-in-law was already vacated. To be able to enjoy a handful of glory and wealth before death is already a great creation, and the rest is really not something she should expect as a peasant woman.

    Old Mrs. Xiao was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked: “Xue Lan, what do you want to do with Duoer?”

    “Darang-Jun is the son of the Marquis, and naturally he is the master of our mansion. There will be no less of what he should have.” Xue Lan said, “Darang-Jun will live separately from that man in the future. , anyway, Langjun is not too big now. After a few years, these things will be forgotten. Moreover, Dalangjun is smart and clever. When he grows up, he will understand the painstaking efforts of Lord Hou. There is a man from an aristocratic family. Mother, this is a blessing that no one can ask for!”

    Finally, as if trying to convince someone, Xue Lan repeated: “Master Hou, this is for his own good.”

     “Yes, it’s all for Duoer.” Mrs. Xiao murmured.

    Old Mrs. Xiao paused for a moment, then closed her eyes suddenly, and said in a low voice, “In the past few days, you should continue to give her medicine. This time, it will be chronic, although it will take longer, But at least it won’t be suspicious.”

    “Slave understands.” Xue Lan also agreed in a low voice, “Last time we were ill-conceived, and this was the clue to Da Langjun. This time we must deal with it neatly.”

    “Okay.” The old lady nodded, and she thought of the woman who was always weak. Although she didn’t like her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Xiulan lived with herself in the same courtyard for ten years. The old lady felt heart palpitations when she thought that her life would be sacrificed at her hands. On the way, Xue Lan had backed everyone up and secretly relayed Xiao Ying’s meaning to Mrs. Xiao. Although Mrs. Xiao hesitated, she was definitely towards her son, not to mention that Mrs. Zhao also thought from the bottom of her heart that Zhao Xiulan was not worthy of Xiao Ying.

    So soon, the old lady agreed to Xue Lan’s plan and poisoned Zhao Xiulan at the inn. It is a pity that the poisoning plan was ruined in the hands of one and a half children of Xiao Jingduo.

    Xue Lan was still talking to the old lady about the details of the chronic poison. During the conversation, Zhao Xiulan’s life and death had already been decided. At this time, Zhao Xiulan, who was brought to the side hospital, didn’t know that her life was no longer in her hands.

    In the line of life and death, a hurried shout suddenly sounded outside the house: “Da Langjun is here!”