Chapter 105: Chapter 105 Reply Letter (New Year’s Day Extra Release)
Translator: 549690339
“Why did big brother give me that bow today?”
Chu Jinzhou raised his head, his dark eyes looking at Chu Jinnian.
“I thought you might want to practice archery in the future, so I gave it to you early so you can get familiar with it,” Chu Jinnian lowered his gaze, picking up a piece of shrimp to eat.
It was tender and delicious, with a very good taste.
“But big brother, you always complained that I was too weak and feared that I would get tired. You never let me practice archery.” Chu Jinzhou tilted his head, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Earlier, Mr. Zhou left very late. From his manner, it seems he had a long talk with you. Did you ask Mr. Zhou to be more strict with me from now on? Is that why you gave me the bow to appease me?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Chu Jinnian started to laugh, “I was thinking of borrowing Mr. Zhou from you, so I gave you this bow as a replacement.”
“What?”
Chu Jinzhou was taken aback; he had not expected this answer.
“Can a tutor be replaced with a bow?” Chu Jinzhou pouted, “I understand that you want to borrow Mr. Zhou for something important and that you mentioned it to me must mean Mr. Zhou has agreed. But if he leaves, who will teach me?”
“Let me make it clear, I will not accept any random tutor.”
“You don’t need to worry about this. I didn’t randomly pick a tutor. Rather, I carefully selected one for you. This person is someone you may have heard of before and he is also an old friend of Mr. Zhou.”
Chu Jinnian said leisurely.
Chu Jinzhou’s eyes widened in surprise, “Are you suggesting…”
“Exactly,” Chu Jinnian nodded, “It’s Fan Wenxuan, Mr. Fan.”
What?
Ning Feng stared at Chu Jinnian in disbelief, almost spilling the soup in his hands.
That night, the sky was clear and almost as bright as day.
“Young Master, are you really going to invite Mr. Fan to tutor the Third Young Master?” Ning Feng, handing Chu Jinzhou a cup of tea, couldn’t help but ask.
“Why?” Chu Jinzhou stopped writing his letter, looking at Ning Feng, “Is there a problem?”
“But Mr. Fan…”
His cynicism aside, he was known throughout the capital city as a peculiar scholar.
While others composed poetry in boats on the lake, on outings, or at least in gardens, Fan Wenxuan always did so in the fields, occasionally even helping people weed or hoe their fields.
Other scholars kept parrots that could mimic human speech, songbirds, or cute pets like cats and dogs. But Mr. Fan was remarkable for raising a whole courtyard of chicks and ducklings, allowing them to run around so that visitors to his house could barely find a place to set foot.
Sure enough, such an odd scholar was knowledgeable and had a vast collection of books. He was also skilled in painting and often made thought-provoking remarks that astonished people.
However, despite Mr. Fan’s extensive knowledge, due to his many unusual habits, there were few who associated with him. Especially after he was “invited” to leave the Imperial College, there were even fewer visitors to his house, let alone family schools or academies asking him to teach.
It was such a Fan Wenxuan that Chu Jinnian wanted to assign to tutor Chu Jinzhou, to mentor his beloved younger brother.
Ning Feng thought his master must have lost his mind.
“In my opinion, Mr. Fan is excellent.” Chu Jinnian flashed a smile, “Mr. Fan will arrive here in about three days. Please prepare a courtyard for him to stay in.”
“Mr. Fan’s behaviour is unconventional, but as long as he doesn’t endanger Jinzhou, we shouldn’t interfere.”
Seeing that Chu Jinnian had thought everything through and had made up his mind, Ning Feng held his tongue, swallowing his remaining words and simply responded in agreement.
But, he thought, he likely would have to be vigilant and keep a close watch on this Mr. Fan in the future.
“By the way, has the letter been sent back to the mansion?” Chu Jinnian asked.
“It was sent, and given the time, it should probably have arrived today.” Ning Feng said, a spark of pleasure in his face, “Upon receiving this letter, the lady of the house is going to be so happy she may not sleep tonight.”
Happy?
Hopefully she wasn’t scared instead.
Chu Jinnian smiled faintly.
“Is the princess not resting yet?” The maid, Bi Tao, brought a basin over, smiling, “The water temperature is perfect, and it’s already mixed with peach blossom juice. Would the princess like to moisturize her hands?”
Princess Ruo, who was applying makeup in front of a mirror, put down her eyebrow pencil.
Applying makeup at night was a habit of Mrs. Ruo.
In her view, the evening makeup needed to be more sophisticated than that of the day, so she paid extra attention to it.
After all, during the day, she faced either the maids and servants in the mansion or those who hoped to climb up by clinging to their mansion’s glory. It was pointless for them to see her make-up. However, at night, the person who truly appreciated her makeup would return.
Being able to establish herself in this royal mansion and climb step by step to where she is today, apart from her family background, was all due to her own beauty and the knack for pleasing the prince.
This manner of beautifying oneself to please men was captivating to any man. Moreover, Mrs. Ruo was a renowned beauty. Even now, in her thirties, she still maintained the delicate beauty of an eighteen-year-old girl – soft and charming.
Looking at her makeup in the mirror, Mrs. Ruo was quite satisfied.
“Even without makeup, the princess is stunningly beautiful. Now, even this servant is mesmerized by your makeup.” Bi Tao laughed.
“Flatterer,” Mrs. Ruo playfully scolded, “I must have been too lenient with you all, allowing you little vixens to tease your master.”
“Even if the princess punishes this servant, this truth needs to be said.” Bi Tao continued to smile brightly, “Is the water temperature alright, princess? If it’s too cool, I can replace it with warmer water.”
“It’s fine.”
Sniffing the fragrant scent of peach blossoms from the basin, Mrs. Ruo asked, “By the way, has the person I sent out received any reply yet?”
“Not yet…” Bi Tao hesitated, “But it should be in the next few days, the princess shouldn’t worry.”
“It’s not that I’m worried, but some things cannot be delayed.”
As she slowly dipped her slender, pale fingers into the basin, Mrs. Ruo’s gaze became ruthless.
Just like this person, the more you let them be, the more of a threat they become.
As they were speaking, a little maid came from outside, whispering something into Bi Tao’s ear.
“Princess,” Bi Tao’s face filled with joy, “The servants below said that something has been delivered from over there. It must be the item you were waiting for, I will go and fetch it now..”
