Chapter 9: Mr. Wan Lu

  Unexpectedly, Lin Yue'er didn't come over for lunch. However, Chu Hao wasn't bothered by this and after eating, he rested for a while before running to the backyard to practice his fist techniques, only returning to sleep at night.

  The next day, early in the morning, Chu Hao was pondering how to use the Qi fire in the backyard, when Xiao Si came running over with a smile and said: "Young Master Wang, Mr. Wan Lu has arrived!"

  "Mr. Wanlu?"

  Chu Hao was taken aback, and then he remembered that Wan Lu was actually his teacher in name.

  It turns out that this Wan Lu is a scholar of the Imperial Academy, although he has no official rank, his learning is extraordinary, and he has a certain reputation in the capital. Wan Lu himself also has good relations with the Ministry of Rites and many officials. Three years ago, the prince asked him to be the teacher of the crown prince, which was not easy to come by.

  At that time, the prince's temperament had changed greatly, and he was not interested in learning martial arts or academics. Wan Lu also couldn't do anything about it, so he went from teaching him three times a week to once every half month, and even then, he rarely supervised him, letting him study on his own.

  Although Wan Lu didn't care about the crown prince, the homework he assigned was extremely heavy, and after each class, he had to report to the king, so Chu Hao couldn't slack off even if he wanted to!

  It seems that today is indeed the day for Wanlu's visit and lecture.

  Chu Hao nodded and thought of the homework that the old man had assigned last time, which the young master had not yet completed. Although he didn't want to go, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to take a look.

  After changing into a new set of clothes, he and Xiao Si came out just in time to run into Lin Yue'er and her maid Xiaodie, who were sitting at the door of the wing room, whispering about something.

  From the main courtyard to the study in Lingyue Garden, one has to pass through the east wing, so it's not surprising that Lin Yue'er and Chu Hao ran into each other. However, at this moment, Lin Yue'er was wearing a palace-style long shirt, with her eyebrows slightly raised, her eyes gleaming like phoenix feathers, and a faint smile on her face, which revealed two dimples on her cheeks. Under the bright sunlight, she looked as ethereal as a willow tree in the mist, even Chu Hao, who prided himself on being able to charm thousands of beauties, couldn't help but lose his composure for a moment.

  Lin Yue'er heard the footsteps and also discovered Chu Hao. The face that was smiling just now suddenly became like it had been covered with frost, turning her head away without even a glance at him. Xiao Die also closed her mouth, occasionally stealing glances at Chu Hao with a hateful gaze.

  Chu Hao didn't mind, turned his head to Shu Tong and said: "Xiao Si, did you notice that today's sun seems to be particularly fond of this place? I just realized it when I walked here, heaven is really unfair!"

  Xiao Si was also a clever person, and he heard that Xiao Wang had more to say. He quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, I've also noticed it, Master Wang. Why is this?"

  When he saw Lin Yue'er, Chu Hao secretly pricked up his ears and smiled silently in his heart. He let out a subtle sigh and said: "Because there is an absolute beauty here, she is like lightning that splits the night sky, like sunlight that tears open dark clouds; Little Fourth, just look at this single silhouette, it's already enough to make one feel refreshed and moved, as if drinking sweet dew. Under the peerless face of this extraordinary beauty, even the sun, which has no desires or demands, has been stirred by worldly thoughts. It pours down such a vast expanse of radiance, all for the sake of illuminating her lovely countenance. What is meant by 'shutting out the moon' and 'shaming flowers'? I, the king, have viewed countless famous beauties, but only today did I finally understand the meaning behind these words. It's said that in every generation, there is a supreme beauty... truly, the ancients were not deceiving me..."

  Chu Hao's words were so corny they reached an extreme, and were simply nauseating.

  Lin Yue'er had wanted to get angry, but those strange words made her feel extremely amused instead. She could only hum in dissatisfaction and say: "Shameless villain!"

  Chu Hao said with a strange tone, "Moye, who are you talking about? It can't be me, right? Oh... I think you misunderstood. My previous words were not describing you, but the girl next to you. Oh, sorry, I made you overthink!"

  Lin Yue'er's face turned black and she said: "Xiao Die, there are also mice making a racket here during the day, it's really disgusting, let's go back to the house."

  The little butterfly covered her mouth and looked at Chu Hao with a strange expression for a few moments. After hearing the young lady's words, she quickly nodded in agreement.

  "Yes, Miss is millet, I am like a mouse loving it." Chu Hao didn't get angry either, and with a smile, he said a sentence, then took Xiao Si away, laughing loudly while waving his sleeves.

  Lin Yue'er stood at the door for a long time before suddenly understanding what Chu Hao meant, her small face flushing with anger as she stamped her foot, "This scoundrel, this rascal!"

  Chu Hao arrived at the study and saw an old man with white hair wearing a Confucian robe standing on the bookshelf.

  Chu Hao walked in with empty hands, and Wan Lu furrowed her brow but also knew that Chu Hao didn't like poetry or literature, so she lazily said: "Young Master Wang, please take a seat."

  Chu Hao saw the old man, seemingly very dissatisfied with himself, and hastily bowed to pay his respects. "It's been many days since I've seen you, sir," he said. "Your demeanor remains unchanged. Just now, when I was standing outside the study, I felt a surge of righteous energy rushing towards me. It turns out that you have mastered the legacy of all the sages and worthies. This majestic aura is truly something for me to admire!"

  Thousands of threads, millions of threads, but not a single thread of flattery can penetrate. Although I have heard countless flattering words on the smooth roads, this is the first time I've heard such praise from the usually careless young master. He stroked his beard with a dignified expression and smiled: "Oh no, oh no, I merely caught a glimpse of the predecessors' superficial appearance, it's not worthy of such praise!"

  "Sir, you're being too modest. A talent like yours is hard to come by in the entire capital city. Your knowledge is as vast and profound as a towering mountain, and I've been terrified to listen to your lectures every day. I wish I could learn from even half of your noble spirit, but unfortunately, my intellect is dull and I'm not talented enough to become a great scholar. Even after listening to your brilliant lectures, I only understand half of it, and since the start of your classes, I've been reflecting on myself for three days every time, which has added up to hundreds of sleepless nights. Alas, I'm filled with regret and guilt, thinking about how I've failed to live up to your expectations."

  Chu Hao's words were deeply moving, and his tone was so subtle that it was as if he had entered the heart of the matter. Wan Lu heard this and fell silent for a long time before sighing softly: "Alas, I didn't expect that my efforts over the past few years would be seen by Young Master Wang, who has been working hard for this very reason! The peach and plum blossoms do not speak, yet their fragrance wafts down to the path; now I finally understand the meaning of the ancient philosopher's words!"

  The two of them had their own agendas, and when Wan Lu saw Chu Hao's sugar-coated cannonballs, he immediately understood his intentions. After a pause, he said, "I heard that Young Master Wang went out for a spring outing and wrote poetry the other day, but unfortunately encountered some scoundrels. Nothing happened, did it?"

  Look, this old guy is not pedantic and poor, but also so good at it. Chu Hao was overjoyed, quickly lowered his head and sighed: "Thank you, teacher, for your concern. The student's minor injury doesn't matter."

  "You, Young Master Wang, are the esteemed heir of Prince Weiyuan, a treasure worth a thousand gold coins, representing the nation's dignity and honor! In the imperial capital, under the Emperor's feet, there exists such an audacious thief. Don't worry, Young Master, tomorrow at court, I will represent the Hanlin Academy, together with the Left Minister of Rites, to present a memorial to the Emperor, requesting the eradication of such destabilizing elements within the capital!"

  Chu Hao said with a dark expression, "This old guy really knows how to write blank checks. Everyone knows that the Ministry of Rites is not helpful on either side. If we were to really work together to petition for the Wang family, wouldn't the wind direction in the imperial court change?" Although he was thinking this, on the surface, Chu Hao expressed his gratitude: "This student's matter is insignificant, but Mr.'s concern has made me feel like I've received warmth in the midst of a cold winter... This student remembers Mr.'s kindness..." He paused for a moment, looking at the old man's face, which was enjoying the situation, and wanted to slap him: "Right, Mr., this student didn't finish last time's homework due to injury. Yesterday, I wanted to write through the night, but the imperial doctor advised me to rest early, so I went to bed early... Ah, seeing you today, this student is really too ashamed to speak..."

  "Ah, I see!" Wan Lu stroked his chin with the few strands of hair, looking like a wise and enlightened person. He shook his head and said, "No need to worry, Young Master Wang has injuries on his body, so naturally, he can be excused from his homework. I think Young Master Wang's complexion isn't very good, he should rest more!"

  Chu Hao was moved to tears: "Thank you, sir, for your concern!" As he spoke, he grasped the armrest of his chair and suddenly said, "Ah, I'm feeling a bit dizzy again, sir. Please go on with your lesson, I'll try to hold on."

  Wan Lu exclaimed, "Ah!" and said seriously: "No way! Young Master Wang's body is important. Alright, today's lesson is cancelled. I'll take the liberty of giving you a month's rest. As for your homework, since your old injury hasn't healed yet, just memorize it, and copying 'The Cloud Country Theory' three times will do. I'll come back to check on you in a month!"

  Chu Hao's face lit up with great joy, but he quickly became flustered and said: "How can this be? Ah, never mind, I'll just listen to your words, sir!" After a pause, he added: "Right, my family has recently contributed some hundred-year-old He Shou Wu, Xiyu Sleeping Lotus seeds, and also some Jade Naked Clams from the Chu Yun State. I'll send someone to deliver them to your residence right away!"

  "Little Prince, what do you mean by this? Why send such a valuable gift?" Wan Lu was stern and calm, although he found the Little Prince's actions today strange, but in his heart, he knew the Little Prince's temperament. Reading books was just a way for him to curry favor with the prince, and Wan Lu had accepted the money, so he was happy to let things be this way.

  Wan Lu took a step out of the study first, stopped for a moment, turned his head and said: "Don't take this as an example, don't take this as an example!"

  "Alright!" Chu Hao silently cursed the old man from head to toe and then loudly said: "Send Mr. Wanlu back to his residence!"

  After Wan Lu left, Chu Hao finally stretched his waist with a sense of satisfaction. Having dealt with Wan Lu, he had enough time to think of a way to cultivate for a month.

  He recalled that in the past, Shizi would often recite and copy texts like "The Four Character Classic", "Idle Talk" and "Biographies of Great Generals" ten or twenty times. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking to himself that he was indeed extremely intelligent, and with just a few flatteries, he could make the old man obey him completely.

  Three recitations of "On Cloud Country"? How many words are there? Too simple!

  Chu Hao turned his head and patted Shu Tong's shoulder, saying with a smile: "Little Fourth, what is this 'Cloud Country Theory'? How many words are there in the whole article?"

  "The Cloud Country Theory is a comprehensive history of the Cloud Empire, recorded by different historians, consisting of 29 chapters, divided into 58 small sections, each with over 600 words!"

  "What!" Chu Hao's face turned black, and he suddenly knew he had been deceived by the old man. He hastily ran out of the study and shouted loudly: "Wait, sir! The student has thought about it for a moment and feels that copying 'The Biography of General Wei' ten times is still better..."

  Rush ranking tonight, everyone please cast your votes, collect it and I'm infinitely grateful!