Chapter 8, The small clan studies the dragon and the snake extensively

This fellow truly cannot produce ivory from a dog's mouth! Faced with such an exceedingly awkward individual, Zhang Yue was left utterly speechless. He simply slowed his pace, gradually increasing the distance between the two, and began to contemplate other matters in his mind

However, just as he was about to enter through the back door, he suddenly thought of how Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi had not been seen all day. How could he explain the whereabouts of those two guys when the three brothers had gone to school together but only he returned?

The most honest and useless illegitimate son ... Zhang Yue's heart trembled violently for a moment, suddenly realizing why his father, Zhang Zhuo, would help this family. He silently watched Liansheng hurriedly tidying up the various items such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and recalled the words that had just come from the corner.

One should exercise restraint in showing off, especially when others are experiencing misfortune, as it is particularly inappropriate to take excessive pride. Otherwise, going from being a fool to a prodigy, can one simply explain to others that it is because I fell from a tree that I suddenly became intelligent

The path from the academy to Zhangjia is a straight road, seemingly empty with hardly anyone around. Gu Bin is in front, while Zhang Yue follows behind with two young attendants. To Zhang Yue's surprise, the journey has been remarkably smooth, without even a ghostly shadow in sight; those mischievous youths who had threatened to cause him trouble seem to have vanished entirely. Upon reaching the back door of his home, he notices Gu Bin walking straight ahead, soon turning into a lane on the left, and he withdraws his gaze.

Who was the one mocking me that morning

As the afternoon sun sets, the day's classes have finally come to an end

Your esteemed assistance has greatly benefited my family, and I will not accept your money

Seeing that most of the people in the classroom had left, Zhang Yue glanced at the boy who was still packing his backpack and quietly asked Lian Sheng beside him, "Who is that guy in the white clothes sitting in the last row?"

Cousin!

Seeing someone drop such a blunt remark and turn to leave, Zhang Yue couldn't help but feel frustrated. He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but suddenly noticed Gu Bin take a couple of steps before stopping, not looking back as he uttered a single sentence

Zhang Yue allowed his two attendants, Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, to help him pack his belongings, while his eyes wandered restlessly among the students in the classroom. Spring is a time when one is prone to drowsiness, and after a brief half-hour break following lunch, many students ended up sleeping through two consecutive classes, some even snoring loudly. In such an extremely unsuitable environment for imparting knowledge and resolving doubts, Mr. Du maintained an unchanging expression and eloquently delivered the two afternoon classes.

"Young Master San, you have returned! The Old Madam, Second Madam, and Third Madam are all sending people to look for you!"

Upon lifting the door curtain and entering the main room, he saw the perfectly fine Zhang Chao and his brother Zhang Qi, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately felt a sense of relief. However, upon noticing that the two brothers were kneeling there with their heads bowed in despair, his heart began to race again. In this moment of distraction, he actually forgot to pay his respects, only reacting when he heard a loud bang.

Having glanced at the dimming sky and then at the servants who were casting furtive glances at him, he had no choice but to abandon the idea of meeting with Zhang Chao and his brother here. He decided that when he encountered someone later, he would just concoct a casual excuse to brush it off. However, after entering through the back door and not walking far along the narrow passage, he saw a woman rushing towards him in a flurry.

Seeing that the young man in white had already tidied up and left the classroom, Zhang Yue glanced around and found that the students had long since left, so he hurriedly called out to Lian Sheng and Lian Hu to catch up. After exiting, he squinted his eyes at the somewhat aloof figure and couldn't help but smile, thinking that the "he" from back then also seemed to have a somewhat awkward disposition.

As soon as Zhang Yue saw his grandmother lose her temper, he anticipated that the city gate catching fire would inevitably affect the innocent. At that moment, he hurriedly began reciting the two major sections of the Analects that had been discussed that day, and he had even memorized the illustrations with a slight stutter. After reciting only a small portion, he noticed the Gu family waving their hand, prompting him to quickly step aside and adopt a posture of observing his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.

Young master... I just mentioned that his father is a born of a concubine, and he is the most honest and useless illegitimate son

When Liansheng looked back, a hint of disdain immediately appeared on his face. He curled his lips and explained: "Young Master, that is the great-nephew Gu Bin from the old lady's maternal family, but he is a branch family member. His father had many children in his generation, with two legitimate sons and five illegitimate ones, so his family did not inherit much of the family fortune and is barely maintaining itself thanks to our family's master."

Seeing Lian Sheng and Lian Hu staring at each other, their expressions clearly indicated that they too were at a loss as to what to do. Zhang Yue immediately lost the last shred of hope he had for these two seemingly clever yet ultimately useless attendants. They were neither capable of fighting nor of offering suggestions; it seemed that these two little fellows could only serve as sycophants, gathering information for others

Early in the morning, the three of you went to school together, but the two of you sneaked out of the city to go hunting. If it weren't for someone happening to catch you, the whole family would probably have been kept in the dark!" Gu's family slammed the armrest of the armchair heavily and then shouted at Zhang Yue, "Brother Yue, what did the school teach today? Recite it back to me!"

What do you want from me? Zhang Yue felt somewhat perplexed. However, as he followed that woman towards the main house of the Gu family, a rather ominous thought suddenly crossed his mind—could it be that something happened to the Zhang brothers, Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi? No way, those two were accompanied by six burly men, and the Zhang family was the foremost prestigious family in Xiangfu. How could anything possibly go wrong?

In the region of Henan, apart from King Zhou, there are also his nine sons, totaling one prince and nine dukes. This means there must be a considerable number of relatives. In other words, if one is not careful when going out, one is likely to encounter a royal relative

Upon hearing such a call, Gu Bin did not associate it with himself at all, and continued to walk forward. It was not until he felt a hand patting his shoulder that he turned in surprise. Upon seeing it was Zhang Yue, he frowned slightly, but soon returned to his previous indifferent expression

Is this boy his cousin? Is his family still relying on his father Zhang Zhuo to make a living? These two facts left Zhang Yue somewhat bewildered, and he foolishly asked, "Isn't he a relative of the old lady? Why does he need my father’s support?"

Whether it is the students or the teachers, the performance from both sides has left him in awe

Lian Hu, who had been smiling cheerfully, immediately looked around upon hearing this, and upon realizing that no one was paying attention to this area, he lowered his voice to a whisper akin to a mosquito's buzz: "Young Master, people say that our Zhang and Tu families are the foremost noble families in Xiangfu, but this statement is not entirely accurate. Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan is a fief of the Zhou King, and the other counties are also granted to the various sons of the Zhou King. Qian Jia is a relative of the Xin'an Wang family, and he came here to study because of the reputation of our Zhang family's scholarly achievements, so... Henan Kaifeng Prefecture is a fief of the Zhou King, and the other counties are also granted to the various sons of the Zhou King. Qian Jia is a relative of the Xin'an Wang family, and he came here to study because of the reputation of our Zhang family's scholarly achievements, so..."

At this moment, Lian Hu leaned closer to Zhang Yue's ear and said with a grin: "Young Master, the 30th of this month is the day of the clan school’s monthly exam. Most of the students rely on copying Gu Bin's answers to pass. His grades are among the best in the clan school, and the price is fair... cough, those young masters are afraid their families will find out that they are unruly in school and face family discipline, while those poor relatives from the auxiliary school are eager for the subsidies from the school, so they are willing to give him half... If you are worried about the monthly exam, Young Master, you might as well seek him out."

Is it about the monthly exam? Rest assured, I will naturally have the answers to give you at that time

After standing at the back door and looking around for a long time, he still did not see a single person. He could only turn his gaze to Lian Sheng and Lian Hu: "Eldest brother and second brother haven't returned yet. What do you think we should do?"

Therefore, the subsequent words need not be spoken for Zhang Yue to understand. He had thought of himself as coming from a well-established and prosperous family, but now it seems there are even more influential backgrounds in this place. He feigned indifference and casually inquired further, only to nearly choke on his own saliva as a result.