The county and prefectural examinations were two months apart, and in order to achieve good results, Meng Anci, despite his young age, developed dark circles under his eyes from staying up so much.
Jin Shanyao worried that his body couldn't handle it, so she changed his daily routine from one ginkgo leaf to two.
The Enlightenment Academy also began a frenzied competition. Shiyan kept a close eye on Meng Anci, and if he read a book, Shiyan would definitely read it too. Meng Anci kept a close eye on Zhao Zhiyuan, and he wouldn't leave until Zhao Zhiyuan was dismissed.
On this day, Meng Anci was dizzy and disoriented from studying when he was stopped by Master Zhao as he was leaving school.
He crouched down and tossed Meng Anci's headscarf behind him. " Anci, please pass on a message to your master: the weather has suddenly turned cold, don't go outside to avoid getting frostbite."
Meng Anci asked, puzzled, "Master, my master is home every day; he won't get frostbite."
Master Zhao rubbed his little face to wake him up, "Just tell him what I have to say."
Meng Anci grimaced as he freed his face, taking two steps back with his small body.
"Master, I understand. I'll tell you when I get back," she said, and ran out of the Enlightenment Academy as if fleeing.
That's terrifying... When did Master Zhao start liking to pinch people's faces?
Meng Anci returned home, he immediately found Lu Chi and relayed Master Zhao's words to him, completely shattering Lu Chi's last bit of hope.
His desire to leave grew stronger, Jin Shanyao, noticing his unease, called him into the study.
"You always say I have problems with my parenting, but you don't know how much effort I've put into teaching my two children to protect themselves."
"Your family's little problems are so trivial, I don't even need to get involved. Any one of them could solve them."
Lu Chi was taken aback, thinking that there should be a limit to your bragging. How old are those two kids? Giving them advice? They're practically asking for trouble.
But Lu Chi dared not utter a sound; in this family, no one treated him like the heir apparent...
Seeing his shifty gaze, Jin Shanyao knew he didn't believe her at all. She thought to herself, "You weakling, it's time to show you what real strength is."
She called out to the door, "Qingyang, call An Zhi'an Ci over."
Qing Yang responded, and soon the two little ones came running in. "Auntie, what did you want to see us about?"
Jin Shanyao a troubled expression, "Your master has encountered a problem and doesn't know how to solve it, so I thought we should all sit down together and discuss it, and think of a solution."
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci exchanged a glance, found a seat, and breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the whole story.
Meng Anzhi, "I didn't think it was anything important; it was just a trivial matter of fighting over family property and land."
Lu Chi laughed in exasperation; was he out of his mind to sit here and entertain Jin Shanyao's nonsense?
But he didn't dare leave, smacking his lips, as if there was still a jujube taste in his mouth.
Meng Anci: "Master, do you know what you're most afraid of when fighting?"
Lu Chi subconsciously replied, "What I fear most is losing?"
Meng Anci held up his index finger and waved it in the air. "Wrong... there are no real winners or losers in a fight."
He said calmly, "In a fight... the weak fear the strong, the strong fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Chi and asked, "Master, what stage have you reached in your training?"
Lu Chi, "What do you want to say?"
Meng Anci was disappointed in him. He thought that such trivial matters only happened in the countryside, but he never expected that the wealthy and powerful would be even more so.
Out of consideration for their past relationship as master and apprentice, he decided to help them with all his resources.
"I have more experience dealing with Lineage fighting over land than you do. Today I'll only teach you one trick to guarantee your success."
Seeing the hint of mischief in his confident demeanor, Lu Chi felt as if his heart had sunk into an ice cave. He had poured so much effort into teaching him for so long, hadn't he made any progress at all?
He wanted to see just how bad this child was, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Please speak, Scholar Meng."
Meng Anci was preoccupied with his calculations and didn't immediately detect the murderous intent in his words. He narrowed his eyes, stroking the necklace with his fingers, and said, "First, cry; second, make a scene; third, threaten suicide."
The room fell silent after she finished speaking. Meng Anci looked at Lu Chi seriously and said, "What are you laughing at? If you weren't my master, I wouldn't even bother with you."
Lu Chi was all set up to beat him up, but it turned out to be just a child's trick. "Me... crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide?"
"Otherwise what?"
Meng Anzhi tapped her fingers on the table, pondering, "You weren't sold by your stepmother. There must be another hand behind this."
Lu Chi was surprised that Meng Anzhi could think of this at such a young age, and his expression turned serious.
Meng Anzhi said, "You are already dead. Killing you would be tantamount to murder, but if they don't kill you, they're afraid you'll go home and seize the land. Now the initiative is in your hands; whether you live or die is up to you."
Meng Anci's face darkened, her eyes flashing with a hint of ruthlessness, but her words remained soft and gentle.
"The first thing to do is to go to the yamen and cry, saying that they broke into your house, robbed you, and killed you, begging the magistrate to do justice for you."
The second disturbance became the talk of the town, and everyone knew that if you were injured in any way, it was the Marquis's mansion's doing.
"Three times he tried to hang himself..." Meng Anci revealed a wicked smile.
"This is my ultimate move. If they still won't let you go, take a rope and hang yourself in front of the Marquis's mansion. Make sure to go at dusk."
Lu Chi slammed his hand on the table, giving him an "I understand" look. "The yin energy is heavier in the evening."
Oh dear, my brain... Meng Anzhi's little head buzzed, as if all her strength had been drained.
Meng Anci slammed her small fists on the table, making a loud thud.
"What do you mean by 'heavy yin energy'? It's just that officials are leaving court in the evening. You need to let everyone in the capital, as well as your father's colleagues, know that you were driven to suicide by your stepmother, not that you're actually going to die."
How can I teach him this? He just can't get it! Meng Anci had never thought someone could be this stupid!
Lu Chi was completely taken aback by the two little ones' back-and-forth banter.
He was taught reason, righteousness, and trustworthiness from a young age. Although he had the reputation of being a playboy, he was not a playboy in reality. He had never used such despicable tactics.
Silence fell over the room once more.
Lu Chi looked at Jin Shanyao with a complicated expression, "Is this how you teach children?"
Jin Shanyao looked smug, her eyes filled with admiration, and she leaned back lazily in her chair.
During this period, Lu Chi kept talking about humanity and emotions, almost filling her mind with them.
If this hadn't happened, she would have seriously doubted whether there was something wrong with her upbringing; the real skill is simply to survive.
With Jin Shanyao, she said, "Remember, your name isn't Lu Chi, it's Gouya, whom I bought."
Lu Chi: "But... those are just tricks used by country shrewish women."
Jin Shanyao was unhappy to hear this. "We're trying to give you advice out of good intentions, why are you complaining that our methods are dirty?"
She held the two children protectively in her arms. "Sweethearts, don't listen to your Gouya. There are no good or bad methods; a good method is one that works and solves the problem."
Meng Anzhi wholeheartedly agreed, "Master, gentlemen are always destined to be beaten."
"Exactly, survival is the most important thing," Meng Anci with a disdainful expression.
Lu Chi pursed his lips and spoke his true thoughts, "I'm not afraid of death, and I've never thought about running away. I'm afraid of implicating you. You have no power or influence; if you die, no one will even collect your bodies."
Pui pui pui... Jin Shanyao is most afraid of hearing the word "death." She is destined to become the tree of the mountain god, a goddess who commands the vegetation of the three realms.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, Jin Shanyao certainly wouldn't let go of Lu Chi, this piece of fat meat.
She stood up and patted Lu Chi on the shoulder, "Don't worry about the trouble, just pay me."
"The indenture is for seventy taels of silver. I'll use divination to find out when they'll arrive. Take it..."
Jin Shanyao considered the implications, "One hundred taels for a divination. If you want to return to the capital safely, five thousand taels guarantees your survival, eight thousand taels guarantees your safety, and ten thousand taels guarantees you can appeal to the emperor."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chi instantly exploded, "Master, you're obsessed with money! You might as well have them kill me for ten thousand taels!"
Jin Shanyao couldn't stand his spineless attitude; he acted like he was going to die at the slightest problem.
"The money for selling yourself and the money for divination are separate. Think it over and let me know."
Lu Chi pointed at her with trembling fingers, stammering, "You, you, you..." He couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. He had just begun to develop some feelings for this family when the Jin Shanyao crushed them to pieces.
His lips trembled, his expression sorrowful, "Is our relationship completely worthless???"
This price already includes a personal touch, regardless of where you're from.
Jin Shanyao felt that Lu Chi was pushing his luck, and recalled a line from the book: anyone who talks about feelings without considering money is a liar.
So she pulled the two little cubs over, pointed at Lu Chi, and said to them, "Remember his face. Anyone who talks to you about feelings is just trying to take advantage of you. Gouya is a perfect example."
The two little cubs stared at Lu Chi with the same look they had on a scumbag.
My aunt is right. If you have no money, what will you eat? If you have no money, what will you drink? And what's the point of being vain if you have no money?
Can feelings buy steamed buns? Can feelings buy dumplings? Can feelings get you a doctor's treatment?
Feelings are worthless.