Big-Shot Senior Brothers

Zhao Yuanxun quickly said, "Master Kang, it is my daughter's great fortune to be able to become your disciple. As a disciple, how can she be so hasty in visiting her teacher for the first time? Why don't you go ahead first, and I'll have someone prepare some gifts, and then I'll bring my daughter to your door to complete the formal apprenticeship ceremony."

Since the parents valued it, Kang Shilin naturally wouldn't object. Besides, it would take some time for his apprentices to get there.

"Alright," he said, "Then I'll head back now." He casually cupped his hands in greeting, turned, and left.

Madam Cui quickly took her leave as well. Before leaving, she didn't forget to say to Xu Xi, "If there's nothing else at home, go back to the academy for classes tomorrow morning. Your teachers are always talking about you."

Because Zhao Ruxi could memorize things at a glance and understand them instantly, she was especially favored by the teachers of the Four Books and Five Classics. As soon as she stopped going to school, the teachers' happiness index plummeted, and Madam Cui was greatly bothered by the constant nagging.

Thinking about it now, if Zhao Ruxi had really stopped going to school because of her status, the teachers might have gone on strike. With such a smart student as Zhao Ruxi to compare with, the teachers must have had a lot of trouble dealing with a bunch of blockheads every day.

As soon as the two left, Zhao Yuanxun and his wife quickly went to the storeroom and searched through all the things stored in the house. The Earl of Suiping's Residence's daily expenses were covered by the income from the fields and shops, but in case of major events, they had to sell off their property, so there were basically not many good things left in the public treasury.

The First Madam took out a few items from her dowry treasury and put together four decent-looking gift boxes, which she had several servants carry as she followed Zhao Yuanxun and Zhao Ruxi to Kang Shilin's house.

"Father, do you know where Master Kang lives?" Zhao Ruxi asked anxiously as she boarded the carriage.

Zhao Yuanxun glanced at his silly daughter, intending to tell her about the extraordinary status of her newly apprenticed master. But then he thought, perhaps Kang Shilin was drawn to his daughter's innocent heart.

After all, only by being free from desires and wants can one maintain a calm and ordinary mindset. Knowing too much will influence one's behavior, leading either to timidity or obsequiousness. Mr. Kang was an extraordinary and unconventional person; he certainly wouldn't like a child like that.

He simply nodded. "I know." All the powerful and wealthy families in the capital knew.

"Oh." Zhao Ruxi was relieved and lifted the carriage curtain to look at the scenery outside.

Although the Great Jin imposed a curfew, the curfew started quite late, equivalent to eight or nine o'clock in modern times. But at this time it was only a little past five o'clock, just the time when the academy would let out and the officials would leave their offices.

Seeing women walking around on the street, and occasionally women riding horses by, Zhao Ruxi felt happy even though she saw this every day after school.

To allow the female protagonist to frequently engage in activities like horseback riding, playing ball, and spring outings, thus increasing her chances of encountering the male protagonist and showcasing her beauty and excellence, the original novel introduced a scenario where a Empress Shengyao changes the world, elevates the status of women, and loosens restrictions on them. This pleased Zhao Ruxi immensely.

If you were to travel back to the Ming or Qing dynasty, an era when women were required to bind their feet, that would be truly tragic.

Sigh, happiness really is something you only see in comparison.

The carriage stopped after traveling for less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Zhao Ruxi glanced at the vermilion gate directly opposite the carriage door, then turned to look at the spacious square in front of the palace, her gaze falling on Zhao Yuanxun: "Father, what exactly is my master's identity?"

Although she wasn't a native, she knew that the closer one's residence was to the palace, the higher one's status. Moreover, not everyone could have a vermilion gate. For example, after Zhao Yuanliang and Zhao Yuankun separated their families, their gates could only be black because they were commoners.

"Master Kang's mother was a princess, the late emperor's aunt. His Majesty should address Master Kang as his cousin."

"Oh." Zhao Ruxi nodded.

Ever since she learned that Zhao Yuanxun had used his kinship with the Duke of Wei to eliminate Wei Qiu, a third-rank official, she had been quite impressed by the complex and intertwined family relationships among these powerful and noble families.

Master Kang had an even stronger presence than Madam Xiao, so it's not surprising given his background.

Seeing that his daughter showed no emotion whatsoever upon hearing this—neither excited nor afraid— Zhao Yuanxun couldn't help but ask curiously, "Now that you know Master Kang's identity, don't you feel flattered? After all, although our family is of noble birth, we are far inferior to his."

"I expected this." Zhao Ruxi looked at her father in surprise. "As soon as the Master accepted me as his disciple, Madam Cui changed her mind and even said that Grand Princess Shangde wouldn't have any objections. This shows that the Master's status is extraordinary. Besides, ordinary families wouldn't raise someone with my master's temperament."

In the capital, a single brick thrown could produce a nobleman or high-ranking official. People from ordinary families, used to keeping a low profile, would never develop such a fiery temper. Master Kang dares to criticize anyone he encounters; that's all because he's been spoiled. Power and money breed arrogance.

Zhao Yuanxun was speechless.

Well, he'd forgotten just how clever his daughter was. Her insight was so sharp, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was incredibly perceptive; otherwise, how could she have noticed all of Lady Wei's suspicious behavior?

Kang Shilin gave the gatekeeper some instructions, and Zhao Yuanxun handed over his name card. The gatekeeper didn't even need to announce their arrival; he led them directly to the main hall.

There were already people sitting in the main room. Besides Kang Shilin, there were two middle-aged men in their forties or fifties.

Zhao Ruxi didn't recognize anyone and didn't react much. But Zhao Yuanxun, despite being mentally prepared, still shuddered when he saw the two of them.

There's no other reason than that these two men were Wu Huaisi, the Minister of Ministry of Personnel and brother-in-law of the Duke of Wei, and Gong Cheng, the Left Vice Minister of Ministry of Works.

The thought of how his family needed to leverage Wu Huaisi's influence, present lavish gifts to the Duke of Wei's family, and then go through various connections to reach Wu Huaisi, with the possibility of being ignored depending on whether the matter was beneficial to him, filled Zhao Yuanxun with trepidation.

Then consider that the current emperor also seemed to have studied painting with Kang Shilin when he was young; I wonder if he was formally accepted as Kang Shilin's student. If he had also officially become Kang Shilin's student, that would have caused quite a stir.

Ignorance is bliss. Zhao Ruxi had no idea that the two people present were big shots. She cheerfully bowed to Kang Shilin and called him "Master" before curiously glancing at the two of them.

Kang Shilin sat there chuckling, not getting up, and pointed at Minister Wu, saying, "This is your senior brother Wu Huaisi."

His own master was already sixty-seven or sixty-eight years old, so it was quite normal for him to take a fifty-something-year-old man as his eldest disciple. Therefore, Zhao Ruxi accepted the position well, bowed to Wu Huaisi, and called out, "Senior Brother."

Wu Huaisi was quite helpless that his master, after more than twenty years, had given him a junior sister who was even younger than his granddaughter. His master was still so unreliable.