SBCEJM -Chapter 246 Help! My Bride Only Knows How to Call Me “Big Brother”!

They had only just crawled out of Lord Feng Huai’an’s “dark history,” and before everyone could recover, the system’s gossip radar started blaring again!

This time, the target was actually the newly crowned top scholar currently basking in glory—

Lord Wang Xiu!

【Speaking of tragic arranged marriages, there’s one official whose experience was even more twisted and bizarre than your father’s back then.】

Huh? Worse than my dad’s?

Feng Zexuan’s gossip-loving soul instantly ignited.

【Who? Who? Hurry up and tell me!】

【It’s Wang Xiu, the newly appointed top scholar from the same examination batch as your brother last year. He’s currently serving in the Hanlin Academy.】

The same cohort as her brother?

Feng Zexuan’s eyes lit up.

【Let me see what he looks like!】

【Host, he’s standing right beside your brother. He has refined features, and the easiest way to recognize him is that under that green court robe of his, the white lining around his collar and sleeves is spotless—not a single wrinkle anywhere.】

Following the system’s description, Feng Zexuan looked toward Wang Xiu.

The green official robes accentuated his lean frame, while the pristine white inner garments made him appear elegant and detached from worldly dust.

He carried a scholarly air untouched by vulgarity.

The system chuckled mischievously and lowered its voice:

【Not only are his inner garments white—even his casual clothes are all white too.】

【Officially, he says he likes simplicity. But in truth? He’s mourning a marriage that died before it even began!】

【Every single day. Rain or shine!】

The moment those words came out, several nearby officials nearly perked their ears up like antennae.

Someone couldn’t help glancing sideways at Wang Xiu—

They had thought it was simply a scholar’s lofty temperament.

Who would’ve guessed he was actually in mourning for his marriage?

Didn’t he marry his mentor’s daughter last year? Wasn’t it considered a beautiful story?

Could there be some hidden secret?

Just as Feng Zexuan was about to continue digging into the gossip, her gaze accidentally swept over her own brother standing beside Wang Xiu.

A thought subconsciously surfaced in her mind:

【Wang Xiu’s pretty decent-looking, but he’s still half a head shorter than my brother…】

【Tsk. My brother’s way more imposing.】

【Wait, did my brother get taller again?】

The system immediately answered:

【Host, your brother’s now officially 181 centimeters tall!】

Feng Zexuan was shaken.

【What?! Since when did my brother secretly grow another three centimeters behind my back?!】

Hearing his little sister’s shocked thoughts about his height, Feng Zekai unconsciously curved his elegant lips into a faint smile.

He didn’t particularly care how much taller he had grown.

But secretly, he thought:

If only I could stay the same height as Xuan’er forever…

Twins ought to remain each other’s most perfect mirror image, shouldn’t they?

The system explained:

【Host, he’s grown over the past few months.】

【And men in this era can keep growing until around twenty-five.】

【What about girls?】

【Girls usually stop growing around twenty-one.】

【Alright then. Though honestly, my height standards aren’t high—anything over 150 centimeters is fine.】

The expressions across the entire court instantly became indescribable.

Although nobody knew what exactly a “meter” was, they could roughly understand it was some unit for measuring height.

Everyone subconsciously looked around the court hall and realized most officials were only around five-and-a-half to five-foot-seven in stature.

Some were even shorter.

The Northern Suppression Prince’s siblings were already standing out like cranes among chickens with their height, and now they were showing off about it too?

Was that even human language?!

【Ahem. Let’s drag this wandering train of thought back on track. After all, Lord Wang Xiu’s gossip is today’s main course!】

Feng Zexuan hurriedly pulled her attention back.

Height wasn’t important!

This was prime gossip-eating time!

【Lord Wang Xiu came from a poor background. Being able to achieve what he has today was entirely thanks to his mentor—Minister Liu of the Ministry of Personnel—who taught him wholeheartedly and treated him like his own son!】

The system continued spilling secrets.

【This should’ve been a touching tale of mentor and disciple. But the problem was… Minister Liu’s “good intentions” ultimately pointed toward his own… precious daughter.】

“Ohhh…”

Quite a few veteran ministers in court instantly drew out the sound knowingly.

A poor scholar + a powerful mentor = …

The ending practically wrote itself.

At that moment, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Personnel stood rigidly within the ranks.

He could clearly feel the curious—or disdainful—gazes coming from every direction.

The fingers clutching his court tablet turned white from force, nearly crushing the ivory.

【The year Wang Xiu earned the title of top scholar, Minister Liu smoothly proposed marrying his treasured daughter to him.】

The system paused, its tone growing heavy.

【On one side was a mentor whose kindness weighed like a mountain. On the other side was his entire future marriage and life… Tell me, could Wang Xiu possibly refuse?】

Of course he couldn’t!

Everyone broke into cold sweat on his behalf.

If he refused, at best he’d earn the reputation of being ungrateful.

At worst…

His career in officialdom would become impossible.

【Wang Xiu could only kneel and thank him for the favor, accepting this marriage that he had long suspected would be… “complicated.”】

Inside the hall, several officials who had likewise clawed their way up from humble origins revealed deeply sympathetic expressions.

Feng Huai’an also frowned slightly.

Back then, if he hadn’t…

Ah. Some memories were too painful to revisit.

For scholars of low birth yet exceptional talent, marriages shackled by “gratitude” were practically the hardest fate to escape.

Otherwise, he never would have acted so extremely in the past.

【On the wedding day, Wang Xiu looked at all the festive red decorations and felt bitterness in his heart, as though he’d swallowed three pounds of bitter herbs.】

【He had never met Miss Liu before. He’d only heard she was frail and sickly, raised deep within the inner chambers—a delicate beauty.】

【But when he finally lifted the red bridal veil embroidered with golden dragon patterns, carrying a swirl of complicated emotions—】

Everyone in court held their breath.

Even Xiao Juechen on the dragon throne straightened up.

【He froze.】

【Under the veil was indeed a fair and delicate face.】

【But her eyes were full of childish innocence. Seeing him, she grinned and the very first thing she said was—】

【“Big brother, I want Mother~”】

“Hiss—!”

The hall instantly erupted with sharp gasps.

What the hell?!

What kind of earth-shattering “surprise” was this?!

Minister Liu had given the top scholar… a foolish bride?!

This pit he dug was way too vicious!

Wang Xiu still stood calmly in place.

He had originally believed this secret could remain buried forever, never imagining it would be exposed publicly today.

Cold sweat drenched Minister Liu’s back while his hands trembled uncontrollably within his sleeves.

It was over.

Everything was over!

The upright reputation he had built over so many years would probably collapse entirely today!

【At that moment, Wang Xiu’s body swayed violently. The festive red around him seemed to lose all color, turning into a blinding blank void.】

【His entire world collapsed.】

【He even wanted to die.】

【Ten years of bitter study. One glorious success. He’d thought a brilliant future awaited him, only to find an endless abyss instead.】

Everyone instinctively imagined themselves in Wang Xiu’s position and immediately felt a chill pierce their hearts.

What “carp leaping over the dragon gate”?

There was clearly a bottomless pit waiting behind the dragon gate just for him to jump into!

【He staggered toward the bridal chamber exit, wanting to confront his mentor and ask why he’d deceived him like this!】

【But just as he turned around, someone grabbed his wrist.】

【Looking back, he saw that the foolish little bride had somehow stood up already. Tilting her tiny face upward, she gazed at him with clear and innocent eyes and called out softly, ‘Big brother.’】

【That single “big brother” seemed to carry some strange magic, instantly striking the softest place in Wang Xiu’s heart.】

【All the resentment he’d bottled up, all the grievance and anger he’d wanted to unleash—it was like a balloon being popped. With a “pfft,” everything deflated completely.】

【Looking at her, looking into those pure eyes that seemed capable of reflecting the whole world, he found himself utterly unable to feel even the slightest disgust. What remained in his heart instead was overwhelming sorrow and… a strange tenderness.】

【“Fine then,” he told himself silently. “Let it be this way.”】