Chapter 16 Zipei Learned to Read

Didn’t the Lord always dislike that the women in his family had literacy? How did he suddenly change his mind to let Erya learn to read, and specially invite a teacher to teach her? This... this was ridiculous! “Second Miss is smart and she learns quickly. The Lord has always appreciated her! It is said that the First Madam cultivated a good daughter.” Her personal nanny observed the First Madam’s expressions as she congratulated her. Although the First Madam had not liked the Second Miss in the past, now that the Second Miss was so favored by the Lord, the nanny thought that the attitude of the First Madam should change. She looked down and saw that Zhu Yan was furious and looked at her with anger. She was so scared that she froze with her mouth open. She really didn’t know if she had said anything wrong. “It seems that the Lord didn’t find out that Erya is not his daughter,” said Zhu Yan as she slowly combed her hair. Her face in the bronze mirror was gloomy. She had spent a lot of money this last time she went out, but she still couldn’t find out the origin of the jade. The shop that originally created the jade had already moved and she didn’t know where it had gone. Her money wasn’t enough to get to the origin of the jade. “However, how did Erya persuade the Lord to let her learn? I tried so many times that he did not listen to me. I could only let Zipei learn to read privately. He didn’t even want Zipei to have literacy...But how can Erya have the qualifications to sit in a class and read!” Click! The comb broke into two pieces, and the nanny on her side held her breath and looked horrified. Why was the First Madam so angry? “Where is Zipei?” “Madam, the Third Miss was confined for four months, and she can’t come out until tomorrow.” Zhu Yan bit her white teeth, and her heart was stirred up. What’s wrong with her recently? Who was against her? In the evening, Zhu Yan was so angry that she did not eat or sleep. She ordered people to open the door and let Su Zipei out the next morning. “I am suffocating here! Where is Su Erya? I’m going to kill her!” Su Zipei was like a madwoman with fluffy hair. She was confined for four months and was looking for someone to let out her anger on. When Zhu Yan saw her daughter’s pitiful appearance, she trembled with anger and scolded fiercely, “Nanny, go and help her dress up. Look at yourself, don’t you feel disgraceful?” “Mother, here you are! Why didn’t you come to see me this month?” Su Zipei weakened her imposing manner when she saw her mother and burst into tears. Zhu Yan sighed and grabbed her daughter’s hand, taking her back to the room. She whispered, “I was busy doing something for you. If that is done, you can do anything, even marry the Emperor.” When Zhu Yan said the news to Su Zipei, the latter listened with her big eye widely open and stopped crying, “Really?” “Of course. Hurry up and get dressed. We’ll see your father later.” When she got dressed, Su Zipei, who knew nothing for four months of confinement, finally learned that her second sister had been allowed by her father to read out in the open. “I was out being busy for you, and I couldn’t know that someone would take advantage of it. But it doesn’t matter. Since Erya can learn, you can certainly sit in the class, too. You don’t have to sneak any more. And you are much smarter than Erya.” Zhu Yan consoled her daughter in a soft voice. Su Erya was just a maid who did rough work. Zipei had been carefully trained by her since childhood. She would become a pretty princess in the future. “But my second sister... How can she sit in the same class as me? It’s unfair!” Su Zipei’s eyes were red again, and she felt so wronged. “I know it’s unfair, but your father is like a blind man with his eyes wide open!” Zhu Yan looked at Su Zipei who has been dressed up, and nodded with satisfaction, “Let’s go and talk to your father!” Su Huanli was busy checking the accounts of the silk shop, and suddenly heard the voice of the old butler from the outside. “Lord, the First Madam and the Third Miss are coming.” Su Huanli stopped writing with the brush in his hand and twisted his eyebrows. Today, the confinement for four months expired, so Zipei should come out. “Lord, I have brought a lot of money from my mother’s family, which can almost make up for the loss of the silk shop.” Zhu Yan grabbed Su Huanli’s weakness in her first sentence when she entered the door. Hearing that the funds were ready, Su Huanli decided not to have anybody accountable. He saw Su Zipei holding her small hands behind Zhu Yan. Seeing the girl acting so dignified and virtuous with exquisite appearance, his anger dissipated. “Alright. Let’s just forget the past.” Su Huanli changed his seat and sat down. The old butler brewed tea carefully and handed it to him. “You’ve just come back from your mother’s family. Why come to see me in such a hurry?” “Dad! I... I want to learn how to read,” Su Zipei bowed her head and whispered with her little face flushed with loveliness. “Lord, Erya has begun to read. You can’t treat the two girls with different standards. Otherwise, the four brothers and sisters will all be literate except Zipei, and Zipei will be ashamed when she plays with them together in the coming days.” “You are here for this.” Su Huanli loosened his eyebrows and said, “I asked the butler to invite the teacher and set up a class in the East Courtyard. Zipei wants to be literate, just go and learn there. It’s just... Don’t offend your teacher, okay?” Su Zipei didn’t expect that her father would agree so easily. She answered with joy, “Yes, daddy!” Zhu Yan also had a lot of peace in her mind. It seemed that the Lord had agreed to let the girls learn reading due to something that he has come across recently, not because of Erya. After the two had left, the old butler smiled and whispered, “As a matter of fact, you have made a clever plan, Lord, so no one will doubt the Second Miss.” Su Huanli’s face was expressionless, and his fear flashed away, “Since Zhu Yan did not return to her mother’s family, where did she go?” “The First Madam was very careful. I didn’t find her specific whereabouts.” Su Huanli sighed deeply for the fact that he even had to be careful with his own family. He was far too tired for this. Suddenly, Su Erya’s pure and bright smile appeared in his mind. The depression in his heart disappeared in a few seconds, and a trace of relaxation appeared on his face. “Zipei has learned so much from her mother, and she is good at calculating, while Erya is considerate.”