TRBDM -Chapter 17 Deliberate Obstruction

The very next day, Xie Lan went to the private academy. Before leaving, he brought Shi Yi with him to pay his respects to Wei Zhaorong.

Shi Yi stood outside the main hall with his head lowered, not daring to step inside.

“Mother, I’m going to the academy.”

Xie Lan’s voice was crisp and clear—the distinct tone of a youth his age.

The more Wei Zhaorong looked at him, the more satisfied she felt.

“Come here. Let me see whether the new clothes fit.”

Today, Xie Lan wore a new outfit tailored by the finest ready-made clothing shop in the capital. The garments set him off beautifully, making him look refined and noble.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man just as a saddle makes the horse. With a change of attire, his entire bearing seemed transformed.

Wei Zhaorong had him turn in a circle, her eyes filled with approval.

“Not bad. Very good. Lan’er, once you’re at the academy, you must study diligently. After the mourning period ends, you will sit for the imperial examinations. You must earn a scholarly title. Otherwise, don’t blame me for turning against you.”

Wei Zhaorong had never been a gentle mother. Her tenderness was like a shooting star—brilliant but fleeting.

Xie Lan had never before had anyone place such high expectations on him. It was the first time he realized his mother actually wanted him to obtain official honors.

“The Mingde Marquis Manor does not raise idlers. If you fail to earn a degree, I will personally drive you out of this residence. Do you understand?”

Xie Lan straightened, his expression solemn.

“I understand! Mother, since you’re willing to give me this opportunity, I will certainly not disappoint you.”

Wei Zhaorong nodded in satisfaction.

After Xie Lan left, she instructed Nanny Qi to prepare a generous gift.

“Mr. Dong’s wife’s birthday is approaching. Make preparations in advance.”

In a while, she would personally take Xie Lan to pay respects at Mr. Dong’s residence. It was best to smooth the relationship beforehand.

Nanny Qi understood that the once powerless Third Branch had, overnight, turned the situation around and won the Old Madam’s high regard. Naturally, her own attitude shifted along with it.

At the storeroom, Nanny Qi carefully selected several valuable gifts and presented them for Wei Zhaorong’s approval.

As expected, Wei Zhaorong chose the most expensive one.

That meant Xie Lan, in her heart, was worthy of the finest and the best.

As Nanny Qi stepped out of the storeroom, a dark cloud suddenly loomed overhead.

She looked up, squinting, and thought to herself:

The skies over our Marquis Manor are truly about to change.

The clouds hung low the entire afternoon. It was not until evening that a light drizzle finally began to fall.

Braving the rain, Xie Lan returned to Anhe Courtyard and respectfully poured tea for Wei Zhaorong.

He had spent the entire day immersed in books. Under the instruction of the academy teacher, he had learned many things he had never encountered before.

Wei Zhaorong’s willingness to give him the chance to study filled him with gratitude.

“What did you learn today? Let me test you.”

In the past, when Xie Chuan and Xie Sheng returned from the academy, Wei Zhaorong would also examine their lessons.

Xie Chuan would get a headache at the mere sight of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He either dozed off or skipped class. Asking him to recite his lessons was worse than making him kneel in the ancestral hall.

Whenever he couldn’t recite, he would feign illness—if not a stomachache, then a sore foot.

Even knowing full well he was pretending, Wei Zhaorong would still summon the household physician to take his pulse, and the matter of testing his lessons would naturally be glossed over.

As for Xie Sheng, his studies were fairly decent. He would obediently recite his lessons each time. But he never recited for free. With Xie Chuan—the good-for-nothing—setting such a low bar, Xie Sheng appeared exceptionally outstanding by comparison, and he would seize the opportunity to request rewards from Wei Zhaorong.

Whenever Xie Sheng asked, she never refused. Jade thumb rings, silver ingots, jade ruyi scepters, gold ewers—practically thrown at him as though they cost nothing—all flowed into Quyang Courtyard.

Now, the task of being tested had fallen upon Xie Lan.

A candid smile rested on Xie Lan’s face. In response to Wei Zhaorong’s questions, he answered fluently and with clear reasoning.

He neither pretended to be ill nor asked for rewards. Instead, he focused wholeheartedly on showing Wei Zhaorong the results of his day’s studies.

Through his actions, he was telling her that he would study diligently, earn scholarly honors, and bring glory to the Marquis Manor.

Wei Zhaorong sat in the main hall, quietly listening to Xie Lan speak. Perhaps he himself hadn’t realized it—whenever he mentioned books, his eyes shone with light.

In her previous life, those bright eyes had been suppressed by her own hand, beaten down until he didn’t even dare lift his gaze. They had turned dull and lifeless, devoid of any spark.

Fortunately, she had been reborn. She would not let a pearl remain buried in dust.

“You answered very well. It seems you’ve remembered everything your teacher taught today. Don’t leave just yet. Stay and have dinner with me tonight.”

“I’ll do as Mother says.”

The meals at Anhe Courtyard were exquisite in color, fragrance, and taste. After a full day of studying, Xie Lan was truly hungry. He was no longer as restrained as before and ate until he was thoroughly full.

“Mother, I’ll head back now. The teacher said my handwriting is ugly. I’m going to practice calligraphy.” At the mention of his writing, Xie Lan’s face flushed with shame.

In the past, he hadn’t even had pen or paper—how could he have had the chance to practice writing?

Today, when the teacher pointed out that his handwriting was unsightly, he had been so embarrassed he wished he could crawl into a hole.

His mind was wholly devoted to his studies; he was unwilling to waste even a moment.

“Go on,” Wei Zhaorong said, waving her hand.

The rain lasted through the entire night and was still falling the next day.

Wei Zhaorong indulged herself with a rare lie-in.

Hurried footsteps sounded from outside. Nanny Qi came to the bedside, her face anxious.

“Miss, the Second Miss of the Prime Minister’s Manor, Dou Shuxin, has arrived.”

Wei Zhaorong responded indifferently with a soft “Mm.”

“Well…” Nanny Qi hesitated.

“What is it?”

“Second Miss has also returned. She’s stopped Miss Dou at the gate and won’t let her enter the manor.”

The Second Miss of the Mingde Marquis Manor, Xie Wanyi, had gone to a countryside estate for a short stay some days ago and returned to the manor today.

Pampered within the manor and domineering outside it, Xie Wanyi’s old temper had flared up again. At this very moment, she even dared to make things difficult for her sister-in-law’s own younger sister.

Wei Zhaorong’s drowsy languor vanished instantly. She rose from bed and said sternly, “Help me dress.”

By the time Wei Zhaorong reached the main gate of the Mingde Marquis Manor, Dou Shuxin was already covering her face and crying.

Meanwhile, Xie Wanyi stood with her hands on her hips, chin lifted arrogantly. “The Marquis Manor doesn’t welcome you. Leave at once. Dou Shuxin, how can your skin be so thick? Like dog-skin plaster—you just won’t come off no matter how we try to peel you away.”

“I… I didn’t. The Old Madam invited me. I came to see my elder sister.”

Dou Shuxin defended herself softly, her voice trembling and choked with sobs.

“Lies. Why would Mother invite you? Don’t think that just because your sister is the First Madam you can do whatever you please. My elder brother is determined to divorce her. Whether she can keep her position as First Madam for much longer is still uncertain.”

Dou Shuxin could endure being bullied herself, but she could not tolerate others bullying her sister.

“Miss Xie, you’re not allowed to speak about my sister that way.”

Tears hung on Dou Shuxin’s plain, delicate face, yet her gaze was stubborn and resolute.

“Did I say anything wrong? Your sister has been in the Marquis Manor for three years and hasn’t borne a single child. If she’s divorced, wouldn’t that be only reasonable? We can’t let the main branch end without heirs.” Xie Wanyi added, “That’s what my mother thinks as well.”

At the mention of children, Dou Shuxin could not argue back, no matter how many words she had.

“You… you’ve gone too far. If my father were still alive…”

“Dou Shuxin, what’s the point of bringing up the dead? Can he crawl out of his coffin to stand up for you?”

“You… you…”

A breath lodged in Dou Shuxin’s throat, her small face flushing red.

“Nonsense!”

A sharp rebuke cut through the argument.