The Sound of the Zither Disturbs the Neighbors

In their scholarly family, the focus wasn't on whether one passed the provincial or metropolitan examinations, but rather on the ranking in those examinations. His grandson was intelligent and had a solid foundation, ranking second in the prefectural examination. He hoped that his grandson would become the top scholar in the next provincial examination and then the top scholar in the metropolitan examination. Only in this way could the Jiang Family family's abilities be truly demonstrated.

Originally, he had no particular interest in Zhao Ruxi, but now, sitting here, seeing Zhao Ruxi excellent appearance and refined Director Jiang, and noticing the four old men and two old women eyeing her so intently, he felt a surge of affection for her. He thought it would be wonderful if his grandson could marry such a woman.

Zhao Ruxi came from a noble family; her father was a sixth-rank official, the same rank as Director Jiang, making them a perfect match. Zhao Ruxi's ability to become a master painter and excel in her studies demonstrates her intelligence. One can only imagine how adorable and clever the child of two such intelligent and beautiful people would be.

Director Jiang thought this, he seemed to see an even more glorious future for the Jiang Family. The more he looked at Zhao Ruxi, the more satisfied he became, and he couldn't wait for the provincial examination to end so that someone could come to propose marriage.

At the same time, he secretly regretted not letting his grandson participate in the provincial examination. If his grandson had ranked among the top in the provincial examination and become a successful candidate, the marriage would have been a sure thing.

While Director Jiang was lost in thought, Zhao Ruxi was writing furiously, and Zhao Jing'an from the second branch of the Zhao Family was smashing things at home.

"She plays and plays, from morning till night, doesn't she ever get tired? It's never going to end!"

With that, Zhao Jing'an stood up and rushed out.

Upon entering the backyard, he said to Zhao Ruyu, who was playing the zither inside, with a displeased expression, "Sixth Sister, can you please stop playing? This has been going on from morning till night. Leaving aside whether you can handle it, what about my brother and I, and what about our studies?"

If they were living in the former Earl of Suiping's Residence, not to mention the front and back courtyards, even the courtyards within the back courtyard would be very far apart, so they wouldn't disturb each other.

After the family split up, the second branch of the Zhao Family only received a corner of the Earl of Suiping's Residence. Now their front and back yards are not far apart, and since the ancient houses were not soundproof, Zhao Ruyu would play the zither in the back yard, which would disturb Zhao Jing'an and Zhao Jingli in the front yard.

If she only played occasionally, it would be fine. Although everyone found it noisy, it was still within tolerable limits. After all, the music was quite melodious.

Zhao Ruyu plays from early morning until night, only taking short breaks when she gets tired before continuing to play, which is very disruptive to the neighbors.

When Zhao Jing'an learned that Zhao Ruxi and Xu Chongwen had passed the imperial examinations and become scholars, he was spurred on and vowed to pass the examinations the following year. He was eager to study hard. However, during this period, the teacher of the Zhao Family Clan School gave the school a holiday because his son was going to take the provincial examination. Zhao Jing'an had to stay at home to study on his own and could not go to school.

Now, Zhao Ruxi's constant nagging makes it impossible for me to concentrate on my studies, and even with all my tolerance for Zhao Ruyu, I can't take it anymore.

Zhao Rurui's courtyard is right next to Zhao Ruyu's, and she's been fed up with it for a long time.

She had raised her concerns with Zhao Ruyu several times, but Zhao Ruyu ignored her. So she went to Zhao Yuanliang and Zhao Jingli and told them about it.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yuanliang was someone who didn't care about anything, so he just mumbled a few words to smooth things over and then gave up.

Zhao Jingli admired Zhao Ruxi's competence and independence, but disliked Zhao Ruyu's romantic nature. Now that Zhao Ruyu showed a rare ambition, Zhao Jingli himself was either managing his shops and estate or studying mathematics with Gan Lun, rarely at home, and didn't feel the terror of being dominated by the music. Therefore, he casually remarked on Zhao Ruyu and that was it.

Zhao Ruyu continued to do as she pleased.

Now that even Zhao Jing'an, who was usually the most tolerant of Zhao Ruyu, couldn't stand it anymore, Zhao Rurui had rushed over to watch the drama unfold, stood on the threshold and said with a smug grin, "I told Ruyu a long time ago, but she's like she's possessed, ignoring me completely and just playing the zither nonstop. I don't know what's gotten into her."

Then she added, "Ruyu, your tuition at the Capital Women's Academy cost our family a lot. Now you're saying you're not going anymore and just stay home playing the zither all the time. Aren't you wasting money? Our family isn't what it used to be; we can't afford to let you squander money like this."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jing'an remembered that Zhao Ruyu also had to go to school. Unlike their school, the Capital Women's Academy didn't have holidays during festivals. It was really abnormal for Zhao Ruxi to stay at home playing the zither from morning till night instead of going to school.

His blame turned to worry. He went inside, sat down, and asked Zhao Ruyu, "Did something happen to you?"

Zhao Ruyu forced a weary smile and said, "I'm fine, really. I was trying to get the music teacher at our academy to take me on as a student, that's why I've been practicing so diligently. Just for a while, just for a while. Second brother, I'll play softly, I won't disturb you, okay?"

She looked pleading.

Zhao Jing'an's heart softened when he saw her like this.

He nodded and said, "Alright, then be gentle. Also, don't play from morning till night. Do you want to ruin your body? Your arms? Don't you understand that too much of a good thing is bad? You have a good talent for music; you even won third place in a music competition. If you just beg, your teacher will definitely take you as a student. She's only looking at your perseverance. Don't rush, take your time."

"Yes." Zhao Ruyu replied obediently.

Zhao Jing'an stood up. "Alright, I'm going back to my book."

Reaching the door, he looked at Zhao Rurui and said, "Fourth Sister, you should learn from Fifth Sister. If you're not good at anything else, it would be good for you to learn some needlework, so you don't end up knowing nothing and being looked down upon later." He was also very dissatisfied with Zhao Rurui's refusal of the marriage Zhao Jingli.

Seeing that Zhao Ruyu had not only calmed Zhao Jing'an down with a few words, but that Zhao Jing'an had even turned around and blamed her, Zhao Rurui was furious.

"Second brother, do you have any conscience? Compared to Zhao Ruyu, who's always making a ruckus and disturbing your studies, I'm always quiet and well-behaved, even making soup and serving tea for you and showing you care. And now it's my fault? Get this straight, I'm the Zhao Family's daughter. Who is she to deserve your protection?"

As she spoke, she pointed at Zhao Ruyu and cursed, "You're such a vixen! Not only have you bewitched the second young Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, but Jing'an is also protecting you like crazy. Let's see how long you can be so smug!"

With that, she tossed the handkerchief aside and turned to leave.

For the first fourteen years of his life, Zhao Jing'an treated Zhao Ruyu as his twin sister, showing her affection and love. This became a natural habit, and even after his true identity was revealed, he still instinctively protected her in any situation.

Zhao Rurui's words made him feel uncomfortable. After reflecting on himself, he realized that since the two were not related by blood and Zhao Ruyu was of marriageable age, it was better for him to keep his distance to avoid gossip.

He didn't say anything more to Zhao Ruyu, and turned to leave.