Pei Yanqi's last words were spoken in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper, but they sent a shock through Xiao Jingbai, making him break out in a cold sweat.
How did he know... that he wanted to inherit the title?
"Do you want to ask how I knew?" Pei Yanqi crouched to one side and winked mischievously. "Because I'm the top scholar. If I can't even figure out something like this, how can I be worthy of that title?"
"However, I'd advise the Second Young Master to think carefully about the issue of being illiterate."
"For you, this is the most urgent problem."
Xiao Jingbai stared blankly, thinking that was right. The Xiao family had been meritorious for generations, and he couldn't recall any of the descendants being illiterate.
In this situation, even if his eldest cousin really had no heirs, it was unlikely that the position of the Heir of the Prince of Ning would fall to him.
Moreover, he might even be kicked out of the Prince of Ning's Mansion because of his lack of education and embarrassing behavior...
Seeing his expression, Pei Yanqi knew that he had taken his words to heart. He waved his hand and told Gao Yong to let him go.
Xiao Jingbai lay on the table for a while before slowly standing up. Amid Granny Chen's wailing, he dazedly rubbed his wrists.
He stared at the severely swollen palm of his left hand, which was an alarming shade of red. After standing there in a daze for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and returned to the study.
Resignedly, he picked up the pen and began to copy The Classic of Initiation.
Li Wanming heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Although she and Pei Yanqi had a general plan of action, they didn't have specific details. So at first, when she saw Pei Yanqi making such a big scene, she was really a bit shocked and worried that he wouldn't be able to handle the situation in the end.
Unexpectedly, with just a few words, he managed to change the mind of the little troublemaker, who actually obediently went in to copy the book.
Sure enough, the top scholar who could subdue Fang Zhi and Lü Songyuan really had some skills!
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, Li Wanming quietly gave Pei Yanqi a thumbs - up.
But Pei Yanqi stared straight ahead, gave a barely audible snort, and then sat down in the study to read.
Tch...
Li Wanming cursed silently in her heart. Then she turned to Granny Li and the other maids and servants behind her. "Alright, it's okay now. Everyone can go. Don't stand here in a crowd. It will affect the Second Young Master's studies..."
This time, Xiao Jingbai wrote very carefully, so he wrote extremely slowly. It wasn't until the sun was setting and the afterglow dyed half of the sky red that he finally managed to copy it ten times.
Pei Yanqi took the pages he handed over, glanced at them briefly, and said calmly, "Not bad. Keep copying like this and hand it to me before class tomorrow."
After Pei Yanqi left, Xiao Jingbai still didn't dare to leave. He sat alone in front of the desk, buried his head, and continued to copy.
The room was very quiet. He didn't even leave a servant to attend to him.
As the twilight deepened, the moonlight poured in through the window lattice like water, making the shadow of the pen in the young man's hand flicker.
Li Wanming tiptoed in with a food box in her hand and said softly, "Alright, Mr. Pei won't come for class until tomorrow after he's off duty. You still have a whole day to write. Let's eat first."
Xiao Jingbai ignored her.
Li Wanming smiled. She took out a bowl of steaming rice, two side dishes, and a plate of snacks from the food box. "If you don't eat for such a long time, your stomach will be starved."
The aroma of the food wafted over. Xiao Jingbai couldn't help but sniff, and his eyes began to redden again. He said in a small voice, "He said... I'm not allowed to eat until I finish copying..."
So that was the reason.
Li Wanming chuckled. "He said you're not allowed to eat lunch, not dinner. Moreover, he said before you finish copying ten times. Haven't you already copied ten times?"
Li Wanming handed the chopsticks and bowl to him. Looking at the delicious food, Xiao Jingbai finally couldn't hold back and began to eat greedily.
Li Wanming sat beside him, gently fanning him. Her gaze was gentle, and from time to time she would softly remind him, "Eat slowly. Be careful not to choke. There's shrimp ball soup here. Take a sip to moisten your throat..."
It wasn't until he was about 80% full that Li Wanming slightly lowered her eyelids and slowly said, "You must be very angry with Mr. Pei for treating you like this today, right?"
The young man didn't say a word. He just poked at the food in his bowl, as if in silent resistance.
"You must also be angry with me for not stopping him and letting him beat you like that today, right?"
He still didn't say a word and continued to eat silently.
"Your mother went to Guiyuan Temple and left you with us, ignoring you. Are you also angry with her?"
Xiao Jingbai's movements paused. His eyes flashed, and there was moisture in them, but he stubbornly held back his tears. He lowered his head and swallowed a mouthful of rice forcefully, as if trying to swallow all his grievances and anger.
Seeing this, Li Wanming sighed softly. "Have you ever thought about why we do this?"
After asking, without waiting for his answer, she continued on her own:
"In your eyes, I probably came here first to take revenge for the snake - releasing incident, and second, to fight with your mother for the right to manage the mansion."
"As for Mr. Pei, he's a poor and pedantic scholar. He came to teach you just to curry favor with the Prince of Ning's Mansion. The reason he was so harsh on you was just to gain credit in front of your mother."
"As for your mother, she was deceived by us heartless people. When she comes back, you must go and complain to her and ask her to drive Mr. Pei out... Well, it would be best to drive me out too."
Xiao Jingbai didn't expect her to be so direct. He was stunned for a moment and quickly buried his head in his meal, not daring to make a sound.
Li Wanming looked at him with a hint of helplessness in her eyes and continued, "But have you ever thought that if Mr. Pei just wanted to curry favor with the powerful, he only needed to curry favor with me. I'm the Heir's Consort, and my husband will be the future Prince of Ning. Currying favor with us would be much better than trying to please your second aunt indirectly."
"Also, if I deliberately wanted to punish you for revenge, why would I go to so much trouble and use my connections to invite the top scholar to be your teacher? You should know that although Scholar Pei has a bit of a bad temper, he's the youngest top scholar in our Great Sheng Dynasty. His knowledge is more than enough to be a teacher to the emperor."
"If I really wanted to punish you, I should just let go and let you hang out with those good - for - nothing friends every day, allowing you to grow into an idle and despised playboy. Wouldn't that be better? Why would I work so hard to make you study and write?"
Xiao Jingbai's movements slowed down. He still had his head down, but his eyelashes were trembling slightly. The stubborn look on his stiff neck seemed to have softened a bit unconsciously.
Li Wanming stood up, picked up the ladle, and added half a bowl of shrimp ball soup for him. The amber - colored soup wrapped the jade - like balls, and the steaming heat blurred the young man's tense side face.
"Maybe you didn't notice. You didn't eat lunch today, and neither did Mr. Pei."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingbai turned his face in surprise, and the spoon in his hand clanged against the edge of the bowl.
"Yes, he stayed with you all the time and didn't eat or drink anything until he left."