Chapter 1968
Late Ming Dynasty 4
Curious about Liu Yinxia's reaction, Liu Deyue asked, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
"Yes, there is, let me tell you..."
She didn't mention her night out with Liu Dong, but only that she discovered eunuchs patronizing prostitutes.
Liu Deyue was also taken aback and asked, "Do you know which eunuch it is?"
Liu Yinxia had no idea and could only shake her head.
Liu Deyue was in a daze and couldn't even muster the energy to go shopping.
Seeing that her friend seemed to have something on her mind, Liu Yinxia considerately told her to go back and rest.
Liu Deyue cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Yinxia, and then quickly ran away with his little follower.
Liu Yinxia pouted and ran home to find Liu Qiu, asking him to take her out to play.
"I know a great place, let's go together!" Liu Yinxia said temptingly to Liu Dong.
Liu Tong suspiciously scanned Liu Yinxia from head to toe and asked, "So, what kind of trick are you up to now?"
Liu Yinxia chuckled: "I'm just a little short on cash..."
Liu Dong: "So..."
Liu Yinxia: "I saw a gambling den while I was shopping."
Liu Dong: "Hehe."
That night, the two siblings pretended to be very tired and went to bed early, but in reality they changed their clothes and ran away from the Liu family.
Liu Yinxia changed into men's clothing.
Liu Tong also used Liu Yinxia's cosmetics to paint on their faces, making them look several years older and completely different from their original appearances.
The two arrived outside the casino.
All the shops on this street were closed, except for this casino, which had its doors open. Two large lanterns hung at the entrance, and four guards stood under the lanterns.
Liu and Liu looked to be in their twenties, but they were small in stature. The guards mocked them for being dwarfs, but did not stop them from entering.
The two of them were like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, finding everything interesting.
They were unfamiliar with the games in the casino and didn't know how to play many of them, but they were clever and after watching for a while, they figured out the patterns.
The two set their sights on betting on big or small using dice.
With their keen hearing, they could hear the sound of the dice spinning inside the cup, thus determining the size of the dice.
In ten rounds in a row, both guessed the size correctly.
They brought one hundred taels with them, and now it has become two thousand taels.
Liu Tong understood the importance of knowing when to stop, and pulled Liu Yinxia away from the casino.
Even so, they were still being watched.
The two men used acupressure points to strike the pressure points of those who were following them, then used their light-footed skills to leave.
The casino staff realized that the two dwarfs were not to be trifled with and wondered what to do if they came to the casino to cause trouble.
But they waited and waited, and no more people came to take them.
The casino staff breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu and his companion only came to the casino out of curiosity, and after experiencing it once, they found it uninteresting.
They are not gamblers, nor are they addicted to high-stakes gambling.
The two of them are very busy right now.
The tutor and female teacher invited by Lord Liu have already arrived at the Liu family.
The lady's surname was Yang. She was born into an official family. Her husband died less than a month after she got married, and she became a widow.
Her in-laws said she was unlucky and kicked her out. Her own family also feared she would bring trouble to the unmarried girls in the family, so they made her live in another household. Before she married, Ms. Yang was a talented woman, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and etiquette. In order to survive, she became a tutor for the young ladies, teaching them to read and behave properly.
Mr. Yang was very famous in the social circles of wealthy women. The Liu family was able to hire her to teach their four daughters entirely because Mrs. Liu and Mr. Yang's mother were old acquaintances.
As for the tutor they invited, he was no ordinary person either; he was a retired scholar, and his talent and learning were beyond question.
What's most impressive is that this teacher was very good at teaching students; he taught three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and more than ten Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations).
This one was also invited through the Liu family's connections, except that he brought his own students with him.
The two students were not ordinary people; they were both from noble families.
One was Liu Xueyi, the second young master of the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion, and the other was Zhu Youxun, a member of the imperial family.
Great Confucian scholars and civil officials generally looked down on nobles and relatives. Because he owed a favor to the Huai'an Prefecture, Master Chu had no choice but to take in Liu Xueyi as a student, and incidentally also took in Liu Xueyi's cousin, Zhu Youxun.
The Liu family originally intended for Master Chu to stay at the Marquis of Huai'an's residence to teach Liu Xueyi and his companion.
But Master Chu was not willing to take in the two of them, nor did he want them to live in the homes of nobles.
Hearing that the Liu family was looking for a tutor, he accepted their invitation and told the Liu family that if Liu Xueyi and Zhu Youxun really wanted to learn, they should go to the Liu family and study with them.
If he didn't want to, then he should quit his teaching position at the Liu family's place.
The Marquis of Huai'an's family had finally found such a great scholar, so they couldn't let him get away. They naturally agreed to Master Chu's request and let their son and Zhu Youxun go to the Liu family's small classroom with Master Chu.
Liu Tong thus got to know Liu Xueyi and Zhu Youxun.
Despite being a member of the imperial clan, Zhu Youxun's family was not actually well-off—mainly because the Zhu family was incredibly prolific. From Zhu Yuanzhang to the current Zhu Yijun, the Zhu family's descendants numbered nearly a million.
Zhu Youxun's family owned only two estates and three shops, and their standard of living was no more than that of an average wealthy household in the capital.
Because her older sister married into the Marquis's household, she had the opportunity to study under Master Chu with Liu Xueyi.
Liu Dong had a neutral feeling towards the two of them.
Liu Xueyi appears refined and modest, but lacks strong opinions.
Zhu Youxun was both inferior and arrogant because of his social status.
Liu Jin and Liu Xueyi got along very well, while Liu Wei and Zhu Youxun had a lot in common.
Liu Qin devoted himself to his studies.
He understood his situation very early on. As an illegitimate son, he had no right to access the family's connections, and he could only earn his own future through his own efforts.
He also has a younger brother and sister, who rely on him as their older brother.
Little did he know that his younger brother and sister didn't need his protection; those two were quite formidable.
Later, he was raised entirely by his younger siblings.
The young lady and the young master studied in different courtyards, but the two courtyards were not far apart, with a small garden in between, where there was a pond with water lilies and koi.
When the girls and boys got tired from studying, they would return to the garden to admire the flowers and feed the goldfish, which naturally gave them the opportunity to meet and get to know each other.
Children in ancient times tended to be precocious. Even though they were not very old, they already had their own little thoughts, especially girls, who began to think about the future.
Liu Xueyi, the second son of a marquis's family, is a good choice for a husband.
Besides Liu Yinxia, Liu Niandong and Liu Wenqiu also had some thoughts about Liu Xueyi.
However, since both of them were from wealthy families, they wouldn't show their thoughts openly.
The two men, under the guise of caring for their brother, sent things to the school.
Today's pastries were made by Liu Niandong, tomorrow's sweet soup will be prepared by Liu Wenqiu...
Liu Xueyi and Zhu Youxun both knew that the two young ladies of the Liu family were intelligent, kind-hearted, gentle, and considerate.
The two also became interested in Liu Niandong and Liu Wenqiu. (End of Chapter)