Mrs. Zhu couldn’t resist her son’s will, but she was truly concerned for the child. So, she immediately had the steward prepare gifts. She intended to personally visit the Xiao Mansion to talk to Madam Xiao. This daughter-in-law had caught her eye, and there must be no mishaps.

Zhu Lingling learned that her mother had sent an invitation and hurriedly reported it to her mother-in-law.

"Quickly, invite our in-law in."

Mrs. Xu, though somewhat tired, suddenly became spirited.

Say no more, the eldest daughter-in-law Mrs. Zhu was a good one indeed.

Respect for the in-law shows appreciation for the daughter-in-law; one must ensure the daughter-in-law’s heart does not grow cold.

"Mrs. Zhu, long time no see."

"Indeed, it’s been a long time."

The difference was evident as soon as the two in-laws met.

Back then, both were charming middle-aged beauties, but seven years later, Mrs. Xu’s face showed wrinkles, and the hair at her temples had turned gray.

The marks left by seven years of living in Shu City were apparent.

"Mrs. Zhu, please have a seat."

Upon meeting, neither knew where to begin talking.

To avoid awkwardness, Mrs. Xu called for a maid and summoned Yang to meet his grandmother.

"Muyang greets grandmother."

The courteous child made Mrs. Zhu’s heart ache as she affectionately called, "Darling, dear grandson."

She immediately gave a meeting gift to her grandson, a set of the Four Treasures of the Study.

She had heard from her daughter that this grandson began his education at three. However, the Xiao family wasn’t guiding him towards officialdom but preparing him to study medicine and carry on the Xiao family’s legacy.

A man should aim far and wide; what true man doesn’t wish to succeed and gain fame?

This arrangement left Mrs. Zhu somewhat wistful.

But as a grandmother, it wasn’t her place to interfere.

Still, subconsciously, she hoped her grandson could study more.

The gift of the Four Treasures was laced with such intention.

"Muyang thanks grandmother."

"This child is well-mannered and smart. Study hard and become as accomplished as your Uncle Ning."

Uncle Ning, Chun Ning, indeed was always exceptional in his studies.

"Muyang will remember grandmother’s teachings."

After making his greetings, Xiao Muyang said to the two elders, "Grandmother, grandmother, I must return to school. I’ve taken leave from my teacher and should not tarry. I bid you farewell for now."

"Alright, go on, go to your school."

Mrs. Xu also asked a maid to escort Xiao Muyang back to school.

At school, Chun An was also attending classes. Chun An was still young and would need a few more years before taking the imperial exams.

Since returning to the Capital, Mrs. Huang’s restless heart had finally rekindled. Her son, carrying the Huang family bloodline, was surely destined to succeed in the exams, become a great scholar, and achieve fame.

As such, she kept strict watch over him.

Xiao Muyang felt a bit sorry for this young uncle, always bogged down with his lessons.

In fact, there’s no need to memorize the lessons; listen to the teacher once, review it yourself once, and that’s it.

However, today he accidentally discovered a major issue: Uncle An wasn’t seriously studying but was instead paging through a medical book in his great-grandfather’s study.

To avoid the teacher noticing, he hid the medical book inside another one and read it with great interest.

Xiao Muyang wondered if he should tell the teacher. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Upon reconsideration, he decided against it.

Although his third grandaunt wished for Uncle An to study, Uncle An’s passion was in medicine.

Uncle Ning also studied medicine with his second aunt, but Uncle Ning honestly didn’t have Uncle An’s flair for it.

Upon returning to the Capital, the third grandaunt immediately had her grandmother hire a teacher and establish a school for Uncle An.

Sadly, Uncle An’s body was in one place, but his heart was elsewhere. He often seemed lost in thought.

When the teacher asked questions, Uncle An often couldn’t answer, leaving the teacher to shake his head and sigh, placing all his hopes on Muyang instead.

At a young age, Xiao Muyang bore a burden he shouldn’t have, and yet he dared not complain.

What a fate!

In fact, it wasn’t just Uncle An; Xiao Muyang also found himself far more interested in medicine than in writing essays.

For instance, herbs—even roadside weeds could be recognized as medicinal plants, and the most fascinating part was using these herbs to cure ailments.

Isn’t this more interesting than writing essays?

As his second aunt said, if you can’t be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor.

Many a night, Xiao Muyang asked himself, realizing that perhaps he would never have the ability to become a prime minister.

If that’s the case, isn’t being a good doctor worthwhile?

The Four Treasures of the Study gifted today by his grandmother carried this message.

Of course, his mother also hoped he could study diligently and enter officialdom to earn her an honorary title.

In fact, both his mother and his third grandaunt shared this thought, but they overlooked one fact: among everyone in the Xiao family, the only one truly capable of excelling in studies was Uncle Ning.

At a young age, Uncle Ning had already passed the Scholar exams, and the family once believed he could change the fortunes of the Xiao family.

Unexpectedly, disaster struck, and his great-grandfather died unjustly, causing the Xiao family to fragment.

In seven years, the Xiao family endured and returned to the Capital. Now, what the Xiao family needed most was to restore its standing, and this responsibility was best left to Uncle Ning. He felt it was better to pursue medicine.

Of course, he dared not tell his mother this, for it would sadden her.

Elders had their considerations; he should take things slowly.

In the main hall, Mrs. Zhu didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

"Although my fourth son is the son of a concubine, his birth mother was part of my household. Honest and well-behaved, he was registered under my name at birth, and I’ve always treated him as my own. He’s also excelled, passing the Scholar exams at sixteen. Had his birth mother’s passing not affected him, he might have already secured an official position."

"My fourth son accidentally met your esteemed Miss Yan and felt an affection for her. He specifically asked me to express his feelings to our in-laws, saying that if he succeeds in the exams, he hopes the Xiao family will give him a chance to become a distinguished son-in-law."

"If he doesn’t pass, he won’t presume to propose, understanding he’s not worthy of Miss Yan."

"Your fourth son is talented; he will surely succeed as he wishes."

Having understood, Mrs. Xu felt joy in her heart.

The implication was that if he passes, they can consider a proposal; if not, then nothing was ever said.

Truthfully, matching a daughter to a concubine’s son was a bit low, but a successfully passing son would be different.

"Then we’ll rely on our in-law’s blessings, hoping our families become even more closely linked. I’ve troubled you enough today, so I’ll take my leave and inform the young one, so he can focus on his studies."

"Very well, Lingling, see your mother off for me."

"Yes, mother."

Zhu Lingling, having heard everything, was filled with emotion. Her mother was truly kind-hearted; in the Capital, there were few legitimate mothers as broad-minded towards a concubine’s child.

At the same time, she felt her mother-in-law was truly considerate for her daughter’s sake.

Mrs. Huang, upon hearing the reason for Mrs. Zhu’s visit—that the Zhu family’s concubine son proposed to Chunyan—felt a sense of ridicule: even the eldest sister-in-law had moments of urgency.