Rebirth of the Evil Stepmother and the Four Villainous Children

He would interrupt Dabao from time to time and ask some questions, because many young teenagers' families would prepare articles for them to recite in advance, and if they recited well, they would not be able to withstand detailed questioning. He asked in case the article was also prepared by the boy's family. Although he had revised it in advance, he still had to be on guard, right?

Dabao answered all of Mr. Dongli's questions with ease. It was obvious that these were all written by him, and he liked them even more.

Another person he liked was Li Xun, who heard that old man Dongli was giving a lecture here and was watching the fun in the private room on the second floor. He was Old Master Li, the teacher that Xie Wuyou had originally wanted to find for Dabao.

He looked down from the second floor and saw the young boy and Dong Li going back and forth, and he was almost pissed off.

He has had countless students in his life, but only a few of them are really outstanding. Seeing that he only has a few years left to live, the thing Li Xun wants to do most is to accept a student who can become famous in the future. After searching for a long time, this young man is the most suitable one.

He went downstairs immediately and took turns with Dongli to interrogate Dabao. Dabao didn't know Li Xun, but seeing that the old man seemed to be very familiar with the developments in the court, he answered them seriously.

After all this, Dabao's forehead was covered with sweat. He really couldn't bear it anymore. It was true that he still lacked some skills and was constantly trapped by these two gentlemen.

The two gentlemen seemed to be competing with each other. One look at Dabao's forehead covered with sweat and they stopped asking Dabao. The two old gentlemen flushed, blew their beards, and glared with their eyes wide open, and they attacked each other.

One used his advantage as an official in the court, while the other used what he saw and heard in the fields and mountains. The two engaged in a verbal battle, neither of them giving in.

It was a debate that would go down in history. The people present were stunned. Sometimes they thought this gentleman spoke well, sometimes they thought that gentleman spoke well, and from time to time there were applause and cheers.

Soon, both gentlemen were tired and saw what the other wanted in each other's eyes. They each grabbed Dabao with one hand and asked in unison.

"Would you like to be my student?"

Dabao had already guessed the other party's identity from Li Xun's words. This person was the emperor's teacher, Old Master Li. He did have a prejudice against Old Master Li before he met him.

After meeting him today, I feel that Mr. Li is worthy of being a great scholar of the time. It would be impossible for him to make such remarks without sufficient knowledge and understanding of the situation in the Great Zhou.

This made Dabao change his opinion of Mr. Li, and Dabao also liked Mr. Dongli very much. Mr. Dongli was rooted in the fields, and everything he thought and did was for the people.

Dabao liked both gentlemen very much. He was very conflicted for a moment, his little face wrinkled, and he didn't know which gentleman to choose.

Zhou Rongrong saw her son's embarrassment and made a two gesture.

Only children make choices, adults can have both. She also heard that the two gentlemen have their own strengths. Wouldn't it be best if she let her son worship both gentlemen?

Master Li Xun saw that Dabao was in trouble but he was determined to succeed. With his own connections and his own closed disciple, wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wanted?

The old man said expectantly: "Student, choose me. I am the teacher of the emperor."

Mr. Dong Li also gave way and said, "Boy, choose me. Although I am not the emperor's teacher, I am more knowledgeable than this old guy. I can't say that I am well-read, but I can be considered to have learned a lot. If you follow him, you will just be reading books blindly."

Li Xun had disliked this man for a long time, because when the late emperor was alive, he saw that he had a hunchback and took away his position as the top scholar, so he began to dislike this and that. In his eyes, this man was just a fool with a beard.

Mr. Dong Li also couldn't stand this Li Xun who was full of nonsense. He had a sour smell and now even his students were trying to snatch his attention. This guy had obviously come for him, but now he was trying to snatch people away.

Bah, shameless, the same as before.

Dabao wanted both teachers, so he asked cautiously, "Then, can I have two teachers?"

Li Xun said: "No, you can only choose one gentleman."

When Mr. Dong Li heard him say that, he naturally didn't lose face and immediately said, "Yes, kid, you choose one."

Dabao rolled his eyes and said, "Sir, I think both of you have your own strengths. Mr. Dongli, like me, is from the common people. Mr. Li is a great scholar in the world with many works. I have read many of your books and I want to learn from you. If I can't learn from you, it will be a lifelong regret for me."

The two gentlemen looked at each other. Dabao looked sincere, and then saw the other's white hair. Even Yue's hunched body was shaken.

Dabao continued, "Gentlemen, Zhao County's enlightenment books were compiled by my sister and me. Wouldn't it be better if you two gentlemen joined us in compiling new enlightenment books? Also, my mother can print them out so that the whole Great Zhou can use them."

What the literati wanted most was to be remembered forever. They had read the book and wrote many suggestions of their own. They also thought the book was too childish, but when they heard that it was only about two kids, they thought it was very good.

However, when it comes to printing technology, apart from the royal family, the only one who mastered it was the extraordinary woman who had just been conferred the title of county princess and came to Beijing. This young man could be said to be able to print, so the person in front of him must be the person Your Majesty mentioned.

Li Xun asked, "Is your mother the Lady of Cheng'an County?"

Dabao nodded and said, "That's right, my mother is the Princess of Cheng'an County appointed by His Majesty himself."

After Zhou Rongrong came to Beijing, every family knew about it. Even the common people in Kyoto had heard of County Master Cheng'an. When they heard that this man was the son of County Master Cheng'an, they immediately understood why he was so outstanding at such a young age. After all, if his mother was so outstanding, it was not surprising for her to have a genius son.

The two had no choice but to shake hands and make peace, and for the sake of a good student, they accepted it.

I nodded immediately and decided to find an auspicious day to pay my respects to the master.

Now Dabao's problem was solved. Zhou Rongrong was relieved. What she was most worried about was Dabao's choice of husband. This child was very ambitious and not everyone would like him.

After a few more days, the apprenticeship ceremony could only be held in the palace.

It was a big deal that the two most famous gentlemen of the time had an apprentice. Even the palace knew about it. Xie Anming gave the two gentlemen enough face with a wave of his hand and directly assigned people from the palace to handle this matter.

All the members of the Li family came. Now Sibao, who was best friends with Li Zhenglin, met his parents, who were not young anymore and had white hair.

After the ceremony, Sibao pulled Sanbao to surround Li Xiang and Madam Li, who were so confused that they couldn't help asking questions.

"What are you two doing?"

San Bao said seriously: "Uncle Li is not a monster, he is just sick. If he is sick, you don't want him anymore, you are a bad guy."

Li Xiang didn't expect that his son, who had no news for so many years, had also received news not long ago and knew where Li Zhenglin was. Although he regretted it, it was not his turn for such a little kid to question him as an elder, right? He didn't want to talk to his wife and wanted to leave, but the two little kids refused to give in to the couple.

Li Xiang said impatiently: "You are disrespecting your elders. Where is your tutor? How did the county lady teach you?"

Who can't hear that? Isn't this just scolding them for having no upbringing? Sibao counterattacked: "My mother taught us to respect those who deserve respect. You two don't care about your own son, and you lock him up. You deny Uncle Li's talent. You are not the elders we respect. Humph, brother, let's go."

Should Sibao talk to this old pedant? In Sibao's eyes, it is wrong for parents not to love their children. Besides, Uncle Li is sick, so he should be treated. It's not like their family is poor, so they just ignore Uncle Li and make him suffer. They are bad people.

Li Xiang and his wife were bullied by two young kids and their faces changed. They were very unhappy, but now it was his father's wedding day, and he didn't dare to do anything wrong after having such a satisfactory disciple, so he could only endure it.

Zhou Rongrong had already noticed that the two kids were causing trouble for others and had been keeping an eye on them.

Old Madam Li broke free from Li Xiang's hand, grabbed Liang Bao who was about to leave angrily, squatted down and asked gently.

"Is he okay?"

Sibao asked proudly: "Who is he?"

"My son, Li Zhenglin, is he okay?"

Sibao didn't want to answer but seeing her eyes she was a little sad, he could only nod and say, "Uncle Li is very good. He opened a big academy. All the students in the academy call Uncle Li Dean. We all like him very much, but Uncle Li's parents are the only ones who don't like him."

What a mouth that is willing to kill people without any compensation. Sibao choked back whatever Madam Li wanted to say, causing Madam Li's face to change again and again.

Zhou Rongrong looked at the little girl and wanted to cover her mouth. She took the two kids away with an excuse.

She asked the servants to take them somewhere else to play. Now she was the mistress of the house and had a lot of things to do. She didn't have time to talk to the two little ones, so she asked their eldest brother to talk to them.

Zhou Rongrong didn't recognize anyone in the inner courtyard, which was full of female relatives, so Nanny Li followed her and introduced them to her one by one.

When she arrived at Madam Li's place, Zhou Rongrong moved her aside and quietly apologized to Madam Li.

"Madam, my children are really going too far. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Mrs. Li held Zhou Rongrong's hand, which made Zhou Rongrong, who was not good at getting close to others, feel very uncomfortable, but she did not pull her hand away to listen to her.

Madam Li said, "I know Zhenglin is with you. I didn't understand a lot when I was young. I was only a teenager when he was born. I was really happy when he was born, but he suddenly became different from other children. His skin was yellow and white, and his hair gradually turned white. I was very scared, and a lot of rumors came out. I could only keep it secret with my husband. It's my fault, it's my fault."

Mrs. Li's voice became choked up as she spoke. Zhou Rongrong felt very complicated. This was in ancient times, and many people did not understand such a disease. Just like Li Zhenglin said, people said he was a monster at the time, and said that his parents had done evil things in their previous life, and that was the retribution for him in this life. It can be seen what kind of pressure young couples faced at that time.

At the same time, she also disagreed. She didn't understand why they gave birth to a child but didn't raise him. They locked up the young Li Zhenglin in a small courtyard and made him feel no love from his family. She didn't know how to evaluate them. Are these two people qualified to be parents?

She could only remain silent and instead hold the hand of the worried mother, and Mrs. Li continued.

"Now I am middle-aged, and every time I think about what I did to Zhenglin back then, I feel heartbroken. Your child is right, I am a bad person and not a qualified mother. Sister, I really thank you. If you hadn't helped him, I don't know what his life would have been like."

Zhou Rongrong said, "Madam, you should thank the prince. It was Xie Wuyou who gave him a quiet environment so that he could live peacefully. Li Zhenglin and I are close friends. He is a very good man and has become more cheerful. He is also on his way to Beijing. Maybe you can meet him then."

Mrs. Li was afraid of going back to her hometown. She had thought about meeting him countless times, but now that he was about to be in front of her, she felt timid.

"Will he, will he see me? He must hate me."

"It's hard to say whether I hate you or not. It's better to be with you than never seeing you for the rest of my life. I will listen to Li Zhenglin's advice. If he wants to see me, I will send someone to tell my wife."

Madam Li thanked him and said, "Thank you very much, thank you very much, sister. I appreciate your kindness, thank you very much, sister."

Madam Li took Zhou Rongrong to sit next to her and seemed very intimate. Given the situation of the Li family, it was a great honor for Madam Li to personally bring people into the social circle. What's more, the girl was a county princess who had been commended by His Majesty in the court, and a county princess with a title, so she would naturally not cause trouble for Zhou Rongrong.

But just because the ladies don’t look for one doesn’t mean the unmarried ladies won’t look for one.

Several unmarried girls were chattering around a girl who was dressed elegantly and gracefully.

"Sister Cao, why has that person been able to live in the prince's mansion for so long? Why hasn't he moved out yet?"

Cao Yu is the favorite granddaughter of the prime minister of the current dynasty. Everyone in Kyoto knows that Cao Yu has already promised her heart to King Xiaoyao.

With her family background, she and Xie Wuyou are a perfect match. Even many ladies would jokingly say that the two are a couple.

Cao Yu had long heard that the Princess of Cheng'an lived in the prince's mansion, so he asked someone to check. Seeing her today made Cao Yu even more confident. So what if she was a county princess?

Or maybe her husband has died and she has several children at home. In this situation, even if the prince likes her, she can only be a concubine. Once she becomes a concubine, will he still let her control him?

Her grandfather had told her that he was preparing to talk to His Majesty about the marriage between the two families, and now she already felt like a princess.

Cao Yu smiled and held the handkerchief in her hand, saying, "I'm afraid the prince feels sorry for the county lady because she has no place to live."

The surrounding girls burst into laughter and glanced at Zhou Rongrong with some contempt.

Sibao heard everything from his nest in the flowers, and his teeth were chattering.

Humph, no house to live in? My house is still under construction. Although she is young, she can tell that these young ladies are talking about their mothers.

She lifted up her little skirt and ran to the outer courtyard to find Xie Wuyou. She would not tell her mother. If someone bullied her mother at Uncle Xie's house, she would go to find Uncle Xie.

Sibao tugged at the corner of Xie Wuyou's clothes and leaned close to his ear and whispered to him what happened.

Xie Wuyou gathered the little girl's hair and asked, "Is it that one?"

Sibao recalled: "What Cao? The surname is Cao."

"Cao Yu? Sibao, don't worry. The Cao family is already on its last legs. Don't go looking for her."

The Cao family is really a big family. As the prime minister, he pretends to be fair and honest, but aren’t his followers making money for him?

In order to curb the trend of land annexation, he was very supportive on the surface, and privately asked his followers to unite with various noble families to prevent His Majesty from pushing the decree. He had been targeted a long time ago, and the grasshopper in autumn could not jump for a few days.

When Sibao returned home, he saw his mother and sister Manman were surrounded by people.

Cao Yu brought his men to surround the group. Today was a great day for her son. Zhou Rongrong didn't want to pay any attention to it, but she couldn't stand the sarcastic sarcasm of these ladies, and their words were all about her and Xie Wuyou's improper relationship.

"County Lady, do you think it's bad for a woman whose husband has died to live in the prince's house?"

"Sister Cao's grandfather is already discussing a marriage with His Majesty. Wouldn't it be a slap in the face of Sister Cao if you live here?"

"That's right, are people from the countryside really that ignorant of etiquette?"

Zhou Rongrong was not angry. What was there to see with these little girls? Jiang Manman was angry and retorted.

"Ladies, the Princess of Cheng'an was appointed by His Majesty himself. You are humiliating her like this. Aren't you slapping His Majesty in the face? Do you think His Majesty is blind? The Princess lives in the Prince's Mansion. It was appointed by His Majesty. If Miss Cao is dissatisfied, why don't you go to the palace and talk to His Majesty?"

Seeing that the young girl actually took out the emperor to suppress his dissatisfaction, Cao Yu asked: "Who are you? How dare you talk to me like this?"

Yang Tian's grandmother, Mrs. Li, was looking at this side and thinking of the letter her grandson had written to her. The letter was full of praise for the county lady. She already had a good impression of the county lady. When she heard her grandson say that the enlightenment book was written in his handwriting and signed by him, how could an old woman like her not stand up?

Madam Yang came over with a cane, supported by someone, and said in a loud voice, "I wonder how a second-rank county lady could be scolded by a bunch of noble ladies without any rank? This kind of family education shows that the Prime Minister is not strict in managing his family. He should be reported to the emperor."

Cao Yu dared to bully Zhou Rongrong, who had no background in the capital, but he did not dare to lose his temper at Old Madam Yang. Not to mention that Old Madam Yang was a lady of high rank in the court, even within the Yang family, no one dared to make an enemy easily.

She had no choice but to leave with her little sisters, and Zhou Rongrong thanked Old Madam Yang.

Old Madam Yang asked her to hold her and they talked intimately. This was also a signal to everyone present that their Yang family was willing to be on good terms with the county lady, and whoever dared to cause trouble for the county lady would be causing trouble for the Yang family.