The porridge, burnt to a crisp, was mostly scooped away by his father and senior disciple, leaving Du Zihui to hastily transfer the remainder into his own bowl.
As he sipped the bitter, unpalatable broth, Du Zihui felt a pang of regret for his earlier complacency.
If he had been drinking it alone, he wouldn’t have felt so remorseful. But now that his father and senior disciple were implicated, he felt he ought to have cooked it properly.
Seeing his guilt-ridden expression, Du Mengzhou and Lin Yan exchanged a smile, both pleased with what they saw.
Du Zihui, still innocent, did not realize he had been jointly tricked by his father and senior disciple.
From then on, Du Zihui diligently studied how to cook porridge and boil water for tea. Exhausted from the journey, he proudly beamed when he finally managed to cook a successful bowl of porridge.
Du Mengzhou looked at his son’s simpleminded demeanor and felt a complex mix of emotions. He wondered if such a personality would survive in the officialdom, or if he would be devoured without even a bone left.
It seemed he would have to be slowly trained. He hoped his son would learn more from his elder brother and senior disciple, and develop more astuteness.
Du Mengzhou’s visit to his friends was rather casual, or rather, he was taking his son and disciple on a tour, coincidentally to brag about the disciple he had taken on and his son, who had passed the Tong Sheng examination at the tender age of eight.
Lin Yan also witnessed her teacher’s talent for attracting envy, and began to understand why he had resigned from office at such a young age and returned to his hometown.
However, having already taken him as a teacher, she couldn't undo it. She could only do her best to support him and showcase her talent. Being tested everywhere they went, Lin Yan felt her understanding of classics deepen with each passing day.
While Du Zihui sometimes stumbled on questions, Lin Yan could answer fluently whatever was asked, truly bringing honor to Du Mengzhou.
Thus, after every gathering, Du Mengzhou’s joy was visibly apparent. Du Zihui, too, resolved to study harder in his free time, determined not to be stumped next time.
Seeing his son’s determined pursuit of knowledge, Du Mengzhou was very satisfied.
Later, Lin Yan gradually lowered her profile, giving more opportunities to showcase Du Zihui.
When they traveled to Henan as part of their tour, Lin Yan felt confident that she was fully prepared to participate in the provincial examination.
However, her current focus was on memorizing and transcribing the library collection, a task she had undertaken before.
Throughout their journey, her teacher’s friends had granted her access to their libraries. Although she hadn’t read every single book, she had gone through most of them.
Now, she was transcribing these books from memory, intending to build a foundation for the Lin family.
Du Mengzhou was aware of Lin Yan’s undertaking, and Du Zihui had also covered for her on several occasions.
While he was amazed by Lin Yan’s memory, he wasn’t incapable of such a feat. He simply lacked Lin Yan’s perseverance to force himself to read something once, remember it, and then transcribe it a few days later.
Du Zihui’s memory was also quite good, but to memorize an entire book, he would need to read it at least twice.
However, the books Lin Yan was transcribing proved convenient for him. Recently, he had read many books borrowed from Lin Yan, which made him more willing to relax and enjoy himself.
Du Mengzhou’s final destination was the Prince of Yingchuan’s manor, but he didn’t go directly there. Instead, he went to a manor outside the city.
When Du Mengzhou arrived in Yingchuan, Lin Yan knew whom he was going to see. However, she also understood the sensitive nature of this prince’s status, so she did not explicitly tell Du Zihui what she knew.
Lin Yan recalled the memories of her original body and found that by the time she entered the court, the Prince of Yingchuan had already disappeared.
Even the word "Yingchuan" had become taboo, and the region was later renamed.
At that time, the original body had been focused on seeking an external appointment, which led her to pay more attention to place names.
She had vaguely heard rumors about the Prince of Yingchuan seemingly having committed a transgression, but people were tight-lipped about the specifics.
Now, she surmised it must have been a crime severe enough to warrant the extermination of the entire clan, such as rebellion. It was less than three years before the original body entered the court; she had become the Zhuang Yuan at sixteen.
But Lin Yan thought of the official Zhao she had met last time. She hadn't sensed any ambition from him.
Lin Yan believed she had some ability to judge people after experiencing so many worlds, and having studied physiognomy in her last life, she shouldn't be mistaken.
Something must have happened within the last year or two that led him to commit rebellion. However, how could someone who was friends with her teacher possibly wish to rebel?
Furthermore, given her teacher’s aversion to trouble, if the Prince of Yingchuan had harbored any disloyal intentions, Du Mengzhou would have long since severed ties with him and wouldn’t maintain such an ongoing relationship.
That evening, they rested at the manor. The next day, the Prince of Yingchuan arrived with his family.
Upon meeting the Prince of Yingchuan again, Lin Yan seemed to understand why he might have embarked on the path of rebellion.
The Prince and Princess of Yingchuan had deep tear troughs, and from their physiognomy, they had three sons, all destined for an early death.
However, from what she had heard, the prince and princess had only one daughter, with their first two sons having tragically passed away.
It appeared the prince’s reason for rebellion lay with their sickly young county princess.
Unfortunately, the young county princess was too frail to disembark from the carriage, so Lin Yan couldn't examine her features. Otherwise, it would have confirmed her suspicions.
To speak selfishly, Lin Yan intended to pursue an official career through the imperial examinations. If the Prince of Yingchuan were to rebel, Lin Yan, who was associated with him, would undoubtedly face a bleak future, and her life might even be in danger.
Lin Yan had to confirm that the Prince of Yingchuan would not rebel, or rather, she needed to eradicate the root cause of his potential rebellion.
Otherwise, Du Mengzhou, as a friend of the Prince of Yingchuan, would inevitably be implicated, and his disciples would also be at risk.
Lin Yan dared not gamble on the emperor being unaware of the relationship between the Prince of Yingchuan and Du Mengzhou, nor did she believe she could make the emperor overlook this connection.
Therefore, if the Prince of Yingchuan rebelled, she would certainly be drawn into it. But she was merely a minor scholar now, unable to disobey her teacher, and even less able to change a prince's mind.
She needed to ascertain if the Prince of Yingchuan’s rebellion was related to this sickly young county princess. If she could save the young county princess, could she avoid this disaster?
Lin Yan’s mind raced with thoughts, but she dared not reveal any of it on her face.
She smiled and greeted the Prince and Princess of Yingchuan, as if she had not guessed their identities.
The Prince of Yingchuan also remembered Lin Yan and introduced her to his princess, recounting the initial examination he had given her.
It was evident that the prince and princess had a good relationship. However, whether it was the princess on an outing or the prince meeting an old friend, their faces were clouded by an unshakeable gloom.