Consultante de vie de la dynastie Song du Sud

Chapitre 9

"So it turns out Xuanyuan is afraid of his wife." Hua Qianmo deliberately whispered in Yu Zhou's ear.

"Is there a problem?" he answered through gritted teeth. It was all that brat Bing Ning's fault, forcing him to bear the reputation of being henpecked. But this commotion made everyone realize he was a genuine man, with a flat chest and an Adam's apple that was impossible to fake—it was a real sight, impossible to fake. Everyone believed that the stunningly handsome young man before them was a man.

Yuan Yang's initial scrutiny transformed into genuine appreciation. Jing Xieshang's golden and silver eyes, however, remained unusually cold as he looked at Yu Zhou. Feng Youhuang's initial fervor turned to disappointment, as if something was missing. Shen Si, on the other hand, looked at Yu Zhou with a strange, different gaze, because every time Yu Zhou saw him, he would give a silly, blank smile. This puzzled Shen Si.

"In that case, you two will share a room. As for who shares with whom, you can discuss it." Qin Yan continued, completely ignoring Yu Zhou's exasperated expression. What? Share a room? With these monsters? Not a single one of them is mentally sound. She'd go crazy!

"How about we draw lots to decide?" That bastard Hua Qianmo came up with a really tacky idea.

“This idea is fair.” Feng Youhuang raised an eyebrow, her eyes fixed on Yu Zhou. She casually took out a few sheets of paper and had each person draw one.

"Then, Brother Feng and Brother Jing. Brother Shen will be with me. And finally, it'll be Young Phoenix and Crouching Dragon." Hua Qianmo said dejectedly. He really wanted to live with Yu Zhou. The faint fragrance of Yu Zhou's body still lingered on him. His heart began to flutter. He'd never felt this way even with women. Could it be…? Hua Qianmo dared not think any further.

Feng Youhuang gripped the note tightly, having already shredded it with her inner force. She glared resentfully at Yuan Yang. But Yu Zhou felt relieved. It seemed that among these people, only Yuan Yang was relatively normal.

"Brother Yu, let's take care of each other from now on." Yuan Yang's smile went straight to his heart, yet it revealed no emotion whatsoever.

"Brother Yuan, you're too kind," Yu Zhou said politely. Actually, living with Yuan Yang was probably the best outcome.

“Since you’ve already decided, Feng Youhuang and Jing Xieshang will live in Fengyu, Hua Qianmo and Shen Si will live in Hanxing, and Xuanyuan and Xingzhi will live in Muyun.” Qin Yan said gently, but when she mentioned Muyun, the teacher in green robes looked slightly dazed. However, what followed was a sense of desolation.

After Qin Yan left, Feng Youhuang's purple aura flickered with an unusual brilliance as she said wickedly, "Since we're classmates, entering the Six Arts means we can't leave for a month. How about we have some fun while we can?" This suggestion was quickly echoed by Hua Qianmo, "A young man who isn't a bit of a playboy is a wasted youth, little bean, do you have the guts?" Hua Qianmo stylishly opened her fan. No one spoke, which was taken as agreement. But only Yu Zhou shook his head.

"Who is the little bean curd calling?" Yu Zhou repeated Hua Qianmo's words blankly. She was already 1.6 meters tall, which was quite tall for a thirteen-year-old boy.

"Yes, Little Bean is calling you." Hua Qianmo blurted out without thinking. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he was wrong. However, Yu Zhou's eyes were already full of smiles. Hua Qianmo was furious; he had been tricked by Yu Zhou once again.

"Adults don't hold grudges against petty people, little bean, do you dare to be a womanizer? If you're scared, just call me 'brother'." He glanced at Yingxue beside him. Her smile was so cunning—she clearly wanted to embarrass Yuzhou.

Yu Zhou knew he was being provoked, but to show that blind bastard Shen Wuyue what he was capable of, he said, "Alright, I'm happy to oblige."

"Little bean, watch out for your shrewish wife. And that woman today is a famously hot beauty too." Hua Qianmo walked away, his grotesque laughter echoing in the distance. Yu Zhou, in a fit of rage, grabbed the underwear from Ying Xue's hand. He wanted to tear it to shreds, but Bing Ning's terrifying screams kept replaying in his mind. In the end, he returned the underwear to Ying Xue. Ying Xue seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Young Master, are you really going there? Miss..." Yingxue knew the fiery beauty Hua Qianmo had mentioned. She was the daughter of the mayor of Liuyi Town. She had a fiery and outspoken personality, but was as beautiful as a fairy. She was already twenty years old and still unmarried. Tonight, the mayor was holding a matchmaking event for his daughter. If the young master really went tonight, then Miss would have another younger sister. Just thinking of Miss's sorrowful appearance made Yingxue heartbroken.

"Go, of course I'll go." She's just a hot beauty! As long as she's not like Bing Ning, I could handle ten of them.

As night fell, tiny crimson dots began to appear in Liuyi Town, slowly spreading out... enticing the people.

[Marriage Proposal]

As the lights dimmed, Yu Zhou, wearing his tattered straw hat, was about to head out, but Ying Xue stubbornly dragged him along.

"Little Xuexue, do you know what this is?" Yu Zhou, contrary to his usual self, said to Yingxue, adopting a very frivolous manner. "Young Master, please have some self-respect." Here we go again. He finally stopped talking about it, but today she started again. "Little Xuexue, don't think I don't know anything." He took out a notebook hidden in his pocket, with crooked handwriting on it that read 'Yu Zhou's Adultery Record.' Although Yu Zhou knew that it was definitely written by that brat Bing Ning, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at Yingxue.

"Young Master, you've misunderstood, it's..." Yingxue tried hard to explain, but couldn't say anything.

“Yingxue, I’m leaving today because I have serious business to attend to, not that…so-called affair.” Yu Zhou paused when he said “affair.” “Young Master going to see beautiful women is also a serious matter,” Yingxue muttered. Unfortunately, Yu Zhou had exceptionally sensitive hearing. He could hear her every sound.

“Yingxue, if you don’t believe me, you can have Zhun take a message back to Bingning,” Yu Zhou conceded. Yingxue, still behind the veil, was surprised again. “Young Master, how do you know Zhun…?”

"It's a really stupid question. It's just that that stupid eagle always lets out a couple of soft cries every time it comes. Even if he tries not to hear it, she can't help it." "You don't need to worry about that. If you're worried, you can come with me," Yu Zhou said, adjusting his straw hat.

"Young master, this servant dares not," Yingxue said softly.

"I wouldn't dare, but I still followed you out," Yu Zhou thought, looking at the girl who was saying one thing but meaning another.

Elegant Pavilion on Wangjiang Tower

"Yu Zhou has finally arrived!" Hua Qianmo said lazily, sitting in his seat. He sipped fragrant tea, the cup adorned with a blue-and-white dragon and cloud design. His identity was not simple; that was Yu Zhou's first impression.

“I said I’d be here.” Yu Zhou sat down directly. Jing Xieshang closed his eyes. A smile appeared on his cold face. Even he didn’t know if it was because of the arrival of the man in front of him that he was smiling. But his intuition told him that this man would be his greatest enemy.

"Brother Wuyue is here too." Yu Zhou grinned foolishly. It was a fawning grin, but Shen Si found it quite strange.

"What's with that silly grin? Did you have a stroke?" The voice was displeased. Feng Youhuang found Yu Zhou's smiling face utterly repulsive. Why didn't he smile at her at all, but instead grinned foolishly at Shen Si, who had neither talent nor good looks? Actually, Shen Si was very beautiful, alluringly so, but in Feng Youhuang's eyes, he was already considered an ugly man.

"Feng Youhuang, don't think you can act like a ghost just because you're wearing a veil." Yu Zhou hated it when people talked about strokes because his father in his previous life had died from one. Today, Feng Youhuang and the others were wearing veils, but wasn't it strange for a grown man to wear one? This was clearly just burying his head in the sand.

"Xixiang is out," Hua Qianmo said. From Wangjiang Tower, one can see what's happening at the arena outside; all the young masters are gathered there.

"Lan Tianxixiang? One of the ten most beautiful women of our time, she's the daughter of the mayor of Liuyi Town." Yu Zhou was somewhat surprised.

“Yes, Lan Tianxixiang is our dean’s niece. You didn’t even know that?” Hua Qianmo said sarcastically.

Several bright red lanterns hung above the arena, which was covered with a carpet trimmed with gold thread. She wore a white mink vest, a light blue pleated skirt, and only a single, exquisite wooden hairpin in her hair. Her gold-trimmed boots were adorned with numerous bells. Yet, none of this could conceal her alluring beauty; her phoenix eyes were captivating, holding a hint of feminine pride, yet also an air of ease. A collective gasp swept through the crowd both above and below the Wangjiang Tower.

"Her skin was like solidified cream, her neck like a cicada's, her teeth like melon seeds, her forehead broad and her eyebrows arched. Her smile was enchanting, her eyes bright and beautiful," Yu Zhou suddenly blurted out. Bing Ning was also beautiful, but only in a youthful vivacity, lacking the alluring beauty of Lan Tian Xi Xiang. This was the first time she had genuinely praised a woman.

"What a charming smile and beautiful eyes! Yu Zhou has fallen for Miss Xi Xiang." Feng Youhuang said sourly.

"No, everyone has a love for beauty." Yu Zhou cleverly deflected the question. If Bing Ning knew he was praising another woman, she'd definitely throw a tantrum. Looking at Ying Xue's furrowed brow, Yu Zhou felt he was going to be nagged to death today.

"Thank you for gracing my daughter Xixiang's marriage proposal with your presence, young master. I have no demands. As long as you can pass my daughter's tests, you can marry her, and I will gladly offer you the position of town mayor." Yu Zhou was shocked, even more shocked. The old man was the same old man who had come to test Yu Zhou before. Although the old man had changed into expensive clothes, Yu Zhou still recognized him.

"Old man, let me tell you, no one can get past me." Xixiang slowly walked to Lantian Heyun's side, cautiously threatening him. Lantian Heyun knew his daughter was proud and arrogant, but his smile remained radiant. He stroked his goatee and said to his daughter with a smile, "Xiang'er, that's not necessarily true." He also glanced at where Yu Zhou was on Wangjiang Tower. Yu Zhou shuddered; could he possibly run away?!

Others couldn't hear their whispers, but Yu Zhou could hear them clearly. The old man was interested in him.

"Hmph, we'll see, old man." Lan Tianxixiang didn't care what her father thought. She, Lan Tianxixiang, would never submit to fate.

"Alright, I'd like to see how difficult Xiang'er's questions are." Lan Tian and He Yun smiled like foxes.

"Remember the promise you made to me," Lan Tianxixiang reminded the old man.

Lan Tianxixiang calmly took out a scroll: