Chapter 4: A Dog's Eye Looks Down on People

At that time, he will be a wealthy merchant in Sui City, living as comfortably as one could imagine

Elder brother, our father holds an official position in the court, having risen to the rank of a first-class official. You, too, are young and accomplished, having attained the rank of a fourth-class official at such a young age. The Qin family truly shines with honor. I suspect that the prominence of our father and brother has drawn envy from others, who are intent on bringing disgrace to our family

Seeing her son show respect to his elder brother, Liu felt a deep discomfort in her heart. Years ago, she became a concubine due to her beauty, which was already a tremendous blessing for the daughter of a merchant. At that time, she was content.

After turning sixteen, Qin Feng no longer had to accompany his mother to pay morning respects to his stepmother. He tidied his attire, had breakfast in his room, and prepared to set off for the medical clinic

Qin Feng laughed heartily in his heart, thinking that this woman was quite good, although her personality was somewhat weak, she truly cared for her son

In front of Qin Feng, he can put on a grand display

According to the thinking of modern individuals, such matters are not worth worrying about; however, being in this era and context is unavoidable

Upon hearing these words, Qin Yun's lips twitched, and his eyelids could not help but twitch several times.

There is a matter at the medical clinic, I will go over. If it is too late, I will rest there. Qin Feng returned home, and it was another day of putting on an act.

Her son, who practices medicine, is merely a doctor; how could he possibly be considered for the position of a prince consort? It must be the work of someone with ulterior motives!

Qin Feng smiled lazily, dismissing the matter. His greatest headache at the moment was dealing with the Supervisory Office. He paid no attention to the chaotic remarks from the government, waiting for the day when he could spread his wings and establish himself independently outside the government.

With this gentle call, Qin Feng saw his mother, Liu, who was not yet forty. Although she had given birth to a son, her waist remained slender. Unfortunately, her face was filled with sorrow. Upon seeing him, she grasped his hand and said, "Feng'er, where did you go last night?"

Official rank and face are more significant than the heavens

Qin Feng looked at his mother, thinking that given her personality, she must be regretting her moment of impulsive speech, and next, it was likely to lead to a fiery confrontation.

Now, looking at her frail and weak son, Liu only wants to slap her own face

She could only wait until her son was born, always having to bow to the first wife of a lower status. This left her feeling quite uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but regret her decision from years ago

"Mother, rest assured, I will do my utmost and cannot bring shame upon you," Qin Feng said. After speaking, he suddenly coughed, and saw that his mother's expression was even worse than before. However, in order to comfort him, she still managed to force out a smile that was more sorrowful than crying.

Since the establishment of the medical clinic three years ago, he has gradually walked onto the right path. Although the officials of the Grand Tutor's residence are unaware of the extent of his assets, their attitude has become somewhat subtle, and they do not dare to openly humiliate him. However, Qin Yun is the legitimate eldest son and an official

Upon reflection, the desire to establish independence and leave the household has become even more urgent

It is indeed a matter of speaking the truth, forcefully pricking at the heart of others

Qin Feng understood the principle of decentralization of power. Once the medical clinic gained a reputation, he recruited a group of well-known local physicians, allowing him to free up time to manage his private business. By applying contemporary financial management concepts to this era, he thrived.

If one were to follow the family's arrangements and marry someone from a well-matched family as a legitimate wife, one's own children would also be legitimate heirs, and one would not have to endure so much suffering

"Everyone has pushed me to the front of the emperor, shouldn't I feel the bottom line?" Qin Feng adjusted the jade pendant at his waist, a plain piece of jade that revealed nothing of its value. He thought to himself that despite possessing so much wealth, he could not indulge freely, which indeed felt somewhat frustrating

At this thought, Qin Yun felt a splitting headache, too lazy to argue further with Qin Feng, and shrugged his sleeves before leaving.

Do not mention the Liu family; even Qin Yun's eyelids were twitching uncontrollably. He felt that his incompetent younger brother was making a lot of sense. He even rummaged through his mind to recall how many enemies his father and he had made recently, could it be because of the Crown Prince?

Looking at her obedient and sensible son, Liu felt a pang of sadness; a perfectly good deed had been turned into an embarrassing situation by others.

Qin Feng did not forget to show respect to his elder brother: "Elder brother, please take care."

In the morning, upon encountering the madam, her sharp words nearly brought her to tears. In order to avoid embarrassing her son, she held back her emotions and even uttered a few words of bravado, such as, "Since my name is on the list, the wind will surely perform well and not bring shame to the Grand Tutor's residence"

Liu listened to her son's words, nodding with tear-filled eyes; her son spoke with great reason

Qin Feng returned home, washed up, and changed into a new set of clothes, even replacing his shoes with a new pair. He did not like being attended to closely by the maidservants, usually preferring to use Feng Bao. Seeing the Second Young Master making such a grand display, Feng Bao pouted and asked, "Are you really going to the appointment?"

The phrase "www.hetushu.com.com" merely implies that Qin Feng is ineffectual, being born into a noble family yet still a commoner.

When Qin Feng was young, he was frail and lacked proficiency in both literature and martial arts, having heard countless unflattering remarks like these.

Qin Feng and Feng Bao spent the night at the medical clinic, and only returned to the Grand Tutor's residence early the next morning. The atmosphere in the Grand Tutor's residence was rather subtle; the servants, upon seeing Qin Feng, displayed expressions that were half inquiring and half enjoying the spectacle.

This tone is certain, as Qin Feng walks along the way, although the people below appear respectful, the sympathy in their eyes cannot be concealed at all

Feng Bao observed the young master's performance, which was executed with remarkable skill, and he even shifted the blame onto the Grand Tutor and the enemies of the eldest son, secretly applauding the situation

Wind!

Liu could not help but be a bit gentler towards Qin Feng. In the past, she would have brought up his marriage, but now that the imperial decree has been issued, he can no longer look at other young ladies; otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the princess. As for Qin Yun, it is unclear what plans he has, as the lady is keeping things particularly close to her chest.

The elder brother's admonition is indeed correct, "Qin Feng pretended to have a headache: 'This matter is truly strange; I do not know who nominated me, allowing me to compete with a group of aristocratic youths. Isn't this clearly a loss of face for our Grand Tutor's residence?'"

The mother and son were conversing at home when Qin Yun, an official of the fourth rank, walked out in his official attire. Upon seeing him, he deliberately adjusted his official robe and feigned indifference, saying: "Good morning, Second Brother. Since you have received the imperial decree, you should prepare well at home for the selection of the prince consort. You need not go to the medical clinic for now"

Feng Bao felt aggrieved and said in a low voice, "These people look down on others with their dog eyes"

As expected, Qin Yun's eyes shifted, and he said, "Although the previous nine individuals all hold official positions and come from official families, there is no need for you to worry, Second Brother. Our Grand Tutor's residence has also been in official service for generations, and we are not inferior to them."

Ah, this is a statement with hidden meaning. Qin Feng calculated with his fingers, and he sensed that there was more to come from his words

A wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf; this is the second son of his family

As the night passed, the various individuals in the residence began to speculate on the imperial edict. On one hand, they found it intriguing that Qin Feng was indeed named on the list. On the other hand, they noted that being in the last position among the ten candidates, without any official title to support him and relying solely on the protection of his family, raised questions about his usefulness

In this selection for the position of the assistant to the magistrate, the second young master is merely a supporting character, and it is likely that he will be outperformed in the first round. If he is indeed eliminated in the first round, it would bring great shame to the Grand Tutor's residence, and at that time, Grand Tutor Qin will only be more enraged with him, leaving him with no good days ahead.