Chapter 10, the hearts of parents are filled with compassion for all under heaven

Mr. Du?" Zhang Zhuo raised an eyebrow in surprise. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly reopened the book, staring intently at the elegant handwriting on the title page and the slightly faded red seal for quite some time. Before long, his eyes lit up, and he abruptly seized Zhang Yue's wrist, anxiously asking, "Is this really a gift from that Mr. Du to you?"

Forced down by Qiu Hen without any explanation, Zhang Yue had no choice but to reluctantly lie down again. However, not only was he unable to sleep at this hour, but he also found the pillow beneath his head uncomfortable, feeling a persistent unease. Therefore, when he saw her about to leave, he was surprised by the sudden surge of strength he possessed, instinctively grabbing one of her hands and pulling her back.

Zhang Zhuo was beaming with a smile at this moment. Seeing that his wife and son looked puzzled, he explained: "Xuan Zhenzi is the alias of Scholar Song Lian from the Hongwu period. If I hadn't helped someone collect a few of Scholar Song's books, I wouldn't have recognized this. The annotations in this book seem to be written by two different people. If one of them is indeed Scholar Song, then this Mr. Du is likely not an ordinary clan school teacher."

Madam, it was the servant who accidentally tripped.

A copy of "The Analects with Commentary" has a bookplate on the title page that surprisingly belongs to Xuan Zhenzi

Seeing her husband in such a state, Sun's anger was instantly cast aside, replaced by a sense of curiosity. Noticing Qiu Hen kneeling below in confusion, she waved her hand to dismiss him, then stepped forward to ask: "Sir, what book did Mr. Du give to Yue'er?"

Zhang Yue was completely unaware of how he had mindlessly agreed to this request, yet he had a profound understanding of his father's intentions. Just by observing today's situation, it was clear that the weak position of the third branch in the Zhang family could not be changed in the short term, so Zhang Zhuo had placed all his hopes on him.

Young master, where did this book come from

What is going on

Zhang Zhuo did not even glance at Qiu Hen, who was kneeling on the ground, and directly sat down at the head of the bed. He snatched the book from the dazed Zhang Yue's hands. Upon seeing the cover, he was slightly taken aback, and after flipping through a few pages, his expression changed even more. Looking up at his son, who had a sheepish look on his face, he closed the book and asked nonchalantly: "Where did this book come from, and which *illustrated* book is it from?"

Although he had some foundation in classical literature, Zhang Yue was not accustomed to reading in such dim light. At that moment, he was straining to discern the characters, and thus he paid little attention to Qiu Hen's words: "It was Mr. Du from the clan school who lent it to me, saying that I should return it to him after I finish reading."

However, a learned scholar, even if unwilling to take up an official position, would not be content to remain in the Zhang family academy merely to deal with those unruly children

"Yue'er, don't you want a horse? As long as you study diligently and manage to have Mr. Du take you as his disciple, I will give you a fine horse!" Seeing that Zhang Yue was almost wide-eyed in surprise, Zhang Zhuo immediately added, "There is still a month and a half until the old lady's birthday, so you must find a way to become Mr. Du's student within this time. This will be greatly beneficial for your future, do you understand?"

After a sound of footsteps, Zhang Yue quietly opened his eyes and half-raised his body to peek outside. At that moment, Qiu Hen happened to walk over and, upon seeing this scene, scolded, "My young master, although it is spring now, the nights are still chilly! Just now, if the master and mistress had seen this, it would have been a serious matter for me. If you catch a cold, it would be even worse! Quickly lie down!"

Suddenly receiving such preferential treatment, Zhang Yue felt a bit bewildered. When Zhang Zhuo pulled the confused Sun away, he looked at the book in his hand and finally realized that he had inadvertently stumbled upon a treasure. Of course, this greater treasure seemed to be Mr. Du

Qiu Hen was initially reluctant to agree, but could not withstand Zhang Yue's persistent persuasion. In the end, she had no choice but to fetch the book, go to light the lamp, and did not forget to drape a coat over him. Seeing him engrossed in flipping through the book in his hands, she could not help but curiously lean in to take a look. Noticing that the blank pages were densely filled with words, she was immediately a bit puzzled

Qiu Hen had always been a homebody, rarely stepping outside, and was not familiar with any scholars from her family background. However, she knew that what Zhang Yue was looking at was serious business, which made her feel unexpectedly happy. She quickly took off the hairpin from her head and adjusted the wick in the lamp to make the light brighter. As she gazed at Zhang Yue's unusually serious face, she found herself lost in thought, completely unaware when someone entered the room.

He had just settled down when the voice of Sun reached his ears

Regarding the attitude of his father and the *picture* book, Zhang Yue was utterly perplexed, and immediately corrected, "Father, it is not a gift, it is a loan"

He did not care whether his wife understood, and he patted Zhang Yue's head vigorously. Then, with a serious expression, he instructed: "Yue'er, opportunities are hard to come by. You must read Mr. Du's book carefully. Hmm, you seem unable to sleep even if you go to bed early. Therefore, from now on, delay your bedtime by one hour each night and finish reading this book first."

Mr. Du

I will go to the main room with the master, you take good care of Yue'er, be cautious, and do not wake him up!

Zhang Zhuo and Sun deliberately made a trip to the main house, yet they hardly spoke at all, serving entirely as mere background figures. Now, returning together, their expressions were naturally not pleasant. Sun originally intended to check on how her son was sleeping, but upon entering, she was met with such a scene, which made her even more furious. Just as she was about to explode with anger after a reprimand, Zhang Zhuo quickly intervened, stepping forward briskly.

Pity the hearts of parents everywhere... Zhang Yue could not help but feel that in this lifetime, having such a pair of parents meant that even if he wanted to be lazy, he could not. He did not know whether this was a blessing or a curse

Seeing his parents unexpectedly return at this moment, Zhang Yue couldn't help but silently lament, regretting that he had been too engrossed in his reading and had forgotten to ask Qiu Hen to keep a lookout. Qiu Hen, on the other hand, was even more nervous; standing up, he didn't know how to handle the lampstand and, in the end, was so frightened that he simply knelt down.

Suddenly caught off guard by the autumn chill, her feet gave way, and she fell onto the bed. Noticing Zhang Yue staring at her intently, she couldn't help but feel a hint of unease in her heart. She quickly composed herself and said sternly: "Young Master, if you continue like this, I might just reveal that you were eavesdropping on the conversation between the Master and Madam!"

Zhang Yue understood that the autumn traces were merely a way to scare himself, so he shamelessly pleaded: "Autumn Traces, I can't sleep. My parents are not here. Could you please bring me the book I brought back today?"

Sir, Madam

At this moment, the lantern had already been taken away by Qiu Hen. He was unsure whether his father's special privilege started today or tomorrow, and for a moment, he didn't know whether to read or to sleep. However, before long, the curtain was lifted again, and the person returning was not Qiu Hen, but his father, Zhang Zhuo, who had come back after leaving.

At this point, Zhang Yue could only honestly say: "It was given to me by Mr. Du from the clan school. He asked me to take a good look at it and return it to him after I finish."

What is this doing