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Gao Feng was lingering at Qin Yaru's place, unwilling to leave. However, Qin Young Lady's Nangyun Study could not remain closed indefinitely, especially since it was the pre-examination period when those Scholars loved to hang around the Nangyun Study. If it stayed closed for several days, it would surely attract a lot of resentment.
With Gao Feng present, Qin Yaru dared not open the door. If a group of Scholars saw General Gao clinging to her, it would be a disaster.
For General Gao, it was no big deal; at worst, he would gain a bit more scandal, which could actually be beneficial for him. After all, his attitude of avoiding all beautiful women had already led many to speculate that he had a preference for men. Suddenly showing affection and getting close to a woman might help quiet the rampant rumors.
However, Qin Young Lady absolutely refused to let her reputation suffer for Gao Feng's sake.
As for General Gao insisting that she keep the doors closed for a few more days and disregard the Scholars, that was out of the question. This business was not solely hers; she could not allow Gao Feng to act recklessly. After serving him a meal and tidying up his clothes, she prepared to send him on his way.
Gao Feng clearly understood that even though he was extremely reluctant, he ultimately left Nangyun Study. Just a few days later, he would petition the officials to marry Qin Yaru.
Seeing him so relaxed, Qin Yaru could only smile casually. They both knew that this was likely not an easy matter. Long before Gao Feng returned to the capital, rumors had circulated that the Emperor intended to bestow the Eldest Princess upon him in marriage.
Since such rumors had spread throughout the capital, even without an official decree, there must be some truth to them; otherwise, who would dare joke about the reputation of the Eldest Princess?
Currently, Your Majesty had only this one sister.
After reluctantly sending General Gao to the door, Qin Yaru pulled his entangled hand away and smiled, "Make some time for me to meet with my brother."
Gao Feng nodded and then said, "Don't worry. Your brother is fine; he is smart and sensible. For these past years, he has been my right-hand man. I have taught him a lot, and he learns quickly. After spending so much time together, I hardly notice that he is from ancient times."
After a moment's thought, Gao Feng lowered his head slightly with some guilt: "That time you were kidnapped... that guy..."
"That idiot who saw so much cotton paper stuck to my face and didn't help me remove it immediately? The one who scared me into a cold sweat? That's my brother?"
Gao Feng was taken aback and cleared his throat: "I'll teach him a lesson when I get back; it's unacceptable for him to bully his own sister."
Qin Yaru shot a sidelong glance.
If Qin Wenyuan were here at this moment, he would definitely be furious, as he could never doubt his precious little sister. Moreover, he would never have the heart to torment her. It was all because of Gao Feng, the suspicious leader, who believed that trust must be earned and that even close friends and family could not be fully trusted; everything had to be thoroughly investigated.
He hadn't seen her for five years, and Qin Wenyuan had no idea what his sister was like now or if she still looked the same. He had to test her.
Of course, General Gao, upon seeing Qin Yaru, would not remind her brother to suspect his sister. Even though Qin Young Lady understood General Gao's nature well enough to guess his behavior, he instinctively chose to downplay the situation.
"I arranged for you to meet Wen Yuan, but until the matters of the Qin Family are clarified, you should not get too close. Let Wen Yuan stay in the shadows; it will be easier to uncover the truth."
After exchanging a few words, with the sun setting in the west, Gao Feng finally left.
While Qin Yaru harbored some unease in her heart, General Gao was in high spirits, his usually serious face breaking into a continuous smile.
His subordinates exchanged glances, sensing something was off.
Since returning to the capital, although their general appeared active and seemed eager to fulfill promises made to his brothers over the past five years—inviting Yan Xing to sing and Liu Xing to play—he had been acting rather lethargically and lacked energy in everything he did.
Especially with a beauty by his side, he remained unperturbed, leading them—men who had spent years in the Borderlands, where even a sow could compete with Diao Chan—to almost believe some of the rumors circulating in the capital had a grain of truth.
But today—
"General, why do you look so lovestruck? And staying out all night? Could it be that a beauty has caught your eye?"
Qin Wenyuan said seriously while holding a teacup, teasing him.
In recent days, countless noble ladies had hoped for a chance encounter with General Gao. Gifts representing their affections—embroidered handkerchiefs, purses—had been sent in piles to his home, yet he refused them all, tossing them back over the wall.
In the past, when they were in Borderlands, they always felt that the young ladies in the capital were all reserved and could never be like the bold peasant girls from Dingzhou who would directly snatch a man to take home.
But upon arriving in Kaifeng, they realized that the women from the capital were not so reserved after all. At most, they wouldn't act recklessly in public, but their secretive methods were numerous, opening their eyes to a whole new world.
Fortunately, these women still understood that personal items belonging to ladies should never be exposed. Although the gifts they received were precious, they did not immediately reveal the identity of the gift-giver; otherwise, these items would become hot potatoes that would be difficult to handle for a while.
Recalling the amusing incidents of recent days, Qin Wenyuan couldn't help but smile and said, "General, you should be careful. This peach blossom luck might turn into peach blossom calamity, which could lead to fatalities."
Gu Chunya and Li Changlin instinctively took a step back, waiting to see how their comrade, who repeatedly turned teasing their general into a learning experience, would be put in his place by General Gao.
Unexpectedly, this time Gao Feng not only did not retaliate; instead, he approached with excessive flattery, nudging Qin Wenyuan's teacup and scolding the onlooking Lady-in-Waiting: "Medicine! Can't you see Vice General Qin's tea has gone cold? Hurry up and get him a hot cup."
Without caring about the horrified expressions of those around them, he placed a hand on Qin Wenyuan's shoulder and pulled him toward the door. "Brother Wenyuan, a few days ago an official rewarded me with a Dawan Mingju horse. It's no worse than Treading Snow. Didn't you say you were short of a good horse? Let's go take a look. I hear it's wild and hard to tame, but Brother Wenyuan, you can definitely handle it."
Qin Wenyuan looked terrified and was momentarily so startled that he didn't know what to do. He was half-dragged out by Gao Feng.
Li Changlin was even more dumbfounded and took a long time to close his mouth: "Could it be that Wenyuan has caught the eye of a stunning girl whom our general is interested in?"
Little did he know that his words hit the nail on the head.
At this moment, Qin Yaru had no thoughts about General Gao; she even temporarily set aside her excitement about seeing her brother. Right now, she was preparing to find a proper teacher for her son to begin his education.
Although she could teach her child herself, she was a woman. Even though her father raised him as a boy while he was alive, she didn't need to take the imperial examination and could read according to her own preferences. However, she lacked the knowledge required for serious examinations. Since Da Lang would eventually follow the path of the imperial examination, it was essential to lay a solid foundation from the start.
Da Lang was only four years old; there was no way any successful scholar would teach such a young child. Qin Yaru did not indulge in such daydreams; not every time-traveling woman could casually find a Confucian Scholar to be her son's teacher.
Moreover, any Confucian Scholar would likely be older and lacking energy. If they were truly tasked with teaching children how to read and write, they might find it too noisy and perhaps even prefer younger scholars instead.
Qin Yaru originally intended to entrust this matter to Bai Yunsheng, but Bai Yunsheng left the capital, Zhan Yu was busy all day, and Yan Yan was just an inexperienced Wife, who was still quite naive and likely wouldn't have any good candidates to recommend.
Now that she encountered Gao Feng, Qin Yaru thought about asking him for help. However, hearing that he was in a constant uproar with his family, with various rumors swirling around, and now not even returning home, he seemed to be a source of trouble. Qin Yaru considered it unnecessary to bother him with such matters. She decided that when Da Lang grew a bit older and needed to invite a renowned teacher, she could ask Gao Feng for assistance then.
Although she was looking for a teacher for her child’s enlightenment, she couldn't be too careless. This was the critical time for shaping a child's character, and the importance of teaching by example was paramount. At this stage, a teacher's character was even more important than their knowledge. While one’s knowledge could be easily assessed, understanding a person's character took time.
Fortunately, she ran the Nanyun Study, which was gaining a good reputation. Many notable scholars from Kaifeng City came and went; they were all educated individuals. Da Lang was clever and adorable at his age, and he had learned to be polite and refined from Qin Yaru. The Scholars all liked him and many were willing to guide him in his studies. For the time being, finding a master wasn't too urgent.
Qin Yaru decided to post a recruitment notice right at her doorstep to see if any capable scholars would willingly "throw themselves into the net."
There were indeed many scholars in Kaifeng City. Although the city had good benefits and many Proud People around, making a living wasn't easy. Countless down-and-out scholars relied on selling their calligraphy or writing letters for others to survive. As soon as Qin Yaru's notice went up, several people came knocking at her door.
While some inquired and learned that there was only one "widow" at home with a child—fearing taboos associated with widows and the troubles they might attract—immediately lost interest.
However, many others didn't mind at all, leading to numerous applicants.
This was how it was in the Song Dynasty; some people were quite tolerant of women. Wives could casually go out shopping with several maidservants, and widows remarrying posed no issue. Yet there were also many who did not share this view; politely speaking, they emphasized propriety, while bluntly put, they were conservative. The emergence of Li Xue during the Song Dynasty still had some social foundation behind it.
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