Chapter 006: Worldly Perspective
"You memorized it well. It seems that you have made some progress in your studies."
This simple sentence made Shen Yichen's body tremble, because from this sentence, it can be known that Duke Chengguo knew his previous academic performance, otherwise he would not use the word "progress" to describe it.
Did he actually pay attention to me?
Shen Yichen subconsciously clenched his fists out of excitement, which was a kind of joy that a child felt for his father's recognition.
Even though the consciousness has now been replaced by another person, the emotions deep in the memory still burst out uncontrollably. Just like his mother Shen hoped that Shen Yichen would be able to return to his ancestral home one day, the original Shen Yichen also hoped to prove himself in front of Zhu Yong!
"Thank you for the compliment, sir."
In the end, Shen Yichen just said thank you in a calm and polite manner. Not to mention that she was no longer the original Shen Yichen. Even if she was, a maid's son had no right to be arrogant with the Duke's favor.
Shen Yichen's answers and performance were normal and appropriate, but Zhu Yong always felt that something was wrong, as if the boy in front of him had changed a lot.
Is it because we have too little contact that I don’t understand the changes in Shen Yichen?
Although Zhu Yong had not had a direct conversation with Shen Yichen over the years, he had learned some information about him, such as his academic performance and character, through the housekeeper in the mansion .
However, objectively speaking, this concern has little to do with the father-son relationship. It is purely because the lineage of Duke Chengguo is not very prosperous. Zhu Yong has only two sons and three daughters, and he had a son in his later years.
According to the standards of later generations, having two sons and three daughters could already be called an "over-birth guerrilla". However, in ancient times like the Ming Dynasty, the infant mortality rate was extremely high. Even the royal children could not guarantee that they could live safely to adulthood and then pass on the family line.
Therefore, even though he already had two sons, Zhu Yong still kept paying attention to Shen Yichen, the male heir of his bloodline, as a final "spare tire" plan for the family title.
However, as his two sons gradually grew up, and Shen Yichen's performance was too poor, Zhu Yong had not had much hope for this maid's son in recent years. Today's scene really made him look at him with new eyes.
"Um."
Zhu Yong nodded, and without saying anything else to Shen Yichen, he turned his gaze to Li Tingxiu on the podium.
"Teacher Li, I'm just passing by to take a look. Please continue teaching."
The lineage of Duke Chengguo was a military general who was granted a title during the Jingnan Rebellion, and he was in charge of the army in the Beijing camp all year round. Relatively speaking, they had a strong military aura and were not so formal and polite.
"Yes, sir."
Li Tingxiu bowed in greeting. He was not a flatterer, so he didn't care whether he could say a few more words to get close to him.
After saying this, Zhu Yong was about to turn around and leave, but when he reached the door, he stopped.
"Shen Yichen, do you want to study in the inner courtyard?"
The inner courtyard of the Chengguo Mansion also has a private school. Unlike the children of trusted subordinates who study in the outer courtyard, the inner courtyard private school can be called a real Chengguo Mansion. Only the children of relatives and friends of the clan, as well as the outstanding scholars who passed the outer courtyard examination, are qualified to study there.
Shen Yichen, who couldn't even pass the Tongsheng exam, naturally couldn't get into school based on his grades. So there was only one other way left, which was to enter as a clan member. In a sense, the question asked by Duke Cheng contained a metaphor.
Do you want to be included in the family tree?
When this question was asked, all eyes in the lecture hall were focused on Shen Yichen, and the answer seemed to be self-evident.
Even Shen Yichen himself began to feel frantic excitement in his heart, wanting to quickly accept the offer. For him, this was not only an opportunity to be included in the family tree in the future, but also an affirmation from his father.
But is this really certain? Shen Yichen didn't know why, but he felt a little hesitant.
Seeing that Shen Yichen didn't respond for a long time, the other students in the lecture hall were puzzled. Why would he hesitate about such an opportunity? Could it be that this kid was so happy that he had gone crazy?
"My Lord, I would like to ask you, under what pretext do you want to study in the inner courtyard?"
"Shen Yichen!"
Before Zhu Yong could reply, Li Tingxiu stopped him by saying that Shen Yichen's words were too bold. If he contradicted Duke Cheng, his identity as a son of a maid would not protect him.
Sure enough, after hearing Shen Yichen's question, Zhu Yong's eyes changed instantly. The murderous aura brought by his many years of military career made people feel chilling.
As a top noble of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yong was definitely not a simple-minded and reckless warrior. He understood the meaning of Shen Yichen's words. This kid was confirming with him whether he would enter the school as a disciple of the clan, or to be more straightforward, whether he would really be given the opportunity to be included in the family tree!
Such a straightforward expression made Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong's previous good impression dissipate a lot.
You should know that in the Ming Dynasty, the officialdom was full of the habit of polite refusal. Even if the emperor wanted to ask a senior minister to come out of retirement, he had to pretend to refuse several times before he could finally be appointed.
Although Duke Chengguo was a military commander, he had been in the officialdom for a long time and was used to this atmosphere. Not to mention Shen Yichen's special background, he should be more reserved and tactful, which was also in line with his previous image of a weak and useless person.
As a result, Shen Yichen did not try to hide it at all, and was too lazy to even put on a show. It felt like he was blatantly making his ambitions known to the public.
After all, you are still unwilling to be an illegitimate child and want to obtain the identity of a child of an aristocratic family?
"With your current grades and status, even if you enter the inner courtyard, you can only study as an affiliated student."
Zhu Yong's words were also very straightforward. He was telling Shen Yichen that allowing him to study in the inner courtyard did not mean that he would have the opportunity to be included in the family tree. He was still an "auditor" and should not have any unreasonable expectations.
Seriously speaking, this way of communication between father and son can no longer be described as a "gift", but more like a "charity".
After hearing Zhu Yong's answer, for some reason, a hint of mockery appeared on Shen Yichen's lips, as if it was so natural.
To be honest, after asking the question just now, even he himself was very surprised. He didn't want to take the chance to become a playboy, but just asked such a question. Isn't this courting death?
But at the moment before asking the question, memories kept flooding into his mind, revealing the resentment and anger in Shen Yichen's heart, and the expectant face of his mother Shen.
Everyone else thought that Shen Yichen wanted to be included in the family tree just to get the status of a noble son and to get the wealth and glory that was within his reach. Even Shen Yichen himself, who had traveled through time, wanted to take the opportunity to become a dandy son. Wouldn't it be great to eat, drink and have fun?
But it was this moment of hesitation and the emotions that emerged that made Shen Yichen suddenly realize that the real reason he wanted to be included in the family tree was not for fame and fortune, but to gain a status for his mother so that she would no longer be criticized by others.
Similarly, her mother Shen hoped to succeed through hard work, not for any status or position, but simply to gain recognition from Duke Cheng, Zhu Yong, so that she could enter the Duke's Mansion with dignity and no longer be looked down upon by the world!
In addition, she also had a hidden expectation of affection for her father and husband. However, Duke Cheng's answer made Shen Yichen understand that he looked at her with the same worldly eyes as others, without the slightest father-son affection, so there was a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I choose to continue my studies in the outer courtyard."
