How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

Su Qinghe tossed and turned all night.

Sometimes he thought of the unsolved arithmetic problem, sometimes he thought of what Jing Mo said in the carriage, and sometimes he thought of the determination of the beautiful boy who rushed to the ground, and the voice that pulled his sleeve and called him Brother Qinghe in a coquettish manner.

Su Qinghe has never been called brother.

He is younger than Shen Yuan. Although he and Sheng Yiren were born in the same year, he is two months younger, so he is the youngest.

And in the Su family, even his half-brothers looked down on him. They wouldn't even call him brother, let alone such an intimate name as brother?

If they wanted to use him, they could have used the imperial power to force him. Why would they call a commoner their brother?

Su Qinghe tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. Finally, he got up, dressed, and went to the east kitchen in the cold wind in the middle of the night. He started making pastries to calm his mind.

When he came to his senses, it was already daybreak. The cooks came in one after another. Su Qinghe quickly washed his hands and left the east kitchen with the pastries.

Today happens to be a holiday for the Hanlin Academy, and the Second Prince will come to visit the Su family, so he has to wait in advance. At least, if the Second Prince is bullied, he can help him bear some of the malice.

The main hall of the Su Mansion.

Although it was a holiday, the direct descendants of the Su family still got up early in the morning as usual and gathered in the main hall. The head of the family first tested them before they could start eating.

Su Qinghe would not normally come to the main hall to eat and humiliate himself, so when he saw him suddenly come to the main hall to eat, Su Zhongyue, the head of the Su family, was very surprised, "Why is Qinghe here?"

Su Haichao, the eldest son of the Su family, glanced at Su Qinghe calmly, "Could it be that you heard that your third brother just got promoted yesterday, so you want to use your connections to ask for a sinecure? Otherwise, why would you have the audacity to come to the main hall to eat."

"Humph, then you may be disappointed." Su Wenhao, the eldest son of the third branch of the Su family, sneered, "Our Su family has always been upright. We all rely on our own talents to fight for official positions in the court. We can't use the backdoor route!"

"That's enough." Su Zhongyue said sternly, "Qinghe finally came to the main hall to eat, you two should be quiet!"

Su Haichao looked away indifferently, while Su Wenhao snorted and said nothing more.

Su Qinghe lowered his eyes, feeling sad.

Dote? If he really dotes on her, why does the harsh sound in this mansion never stop?

Because this was his father reminding him that he had no talent or virtue. If he lost the last value of marriage, what he would face would not only be these harsh ridicules... but also the abandonment of his family.

In the Su family, successive heads of the family will never give up the value of any family member that can be utilized. Even if the person is stupid, he should, when needed, make a death-defying remonstration for the Su family and establish the Su family's reputation for loyalty.

Even the women he married were carefully selected, in order to ensure that his offspring would be intelligent and knowledgeable. That is why the Su family has lasted for thousands of generations and would not decline with the rise and fall of dynasties.

Su Zhongyue was hoping that he could marry Sheng Yiren, the most beautiful and talented woman in the capital, and give birth to offspring that would benefit the family, so he was relatively indulgent towards him.

Su Qinghe held the mahogany lunch box and sat down with a heavy heart.

Su Zhongyue glanced at the mahogany food box in his hand and frowned slightly, "Qinghe came here suddenly to bring cakes to my father? My father has a poor appetite today, so..."

Before he could finish his words, he heard Su Qinghe say in an irritable tone, "It's not for you to eat."

Su Zhongyue:?

Because he hadn't slept all night and had too many things on his mind, and also because he couldn't solve the math problems he wanted to solve, Su Qinghe was in a very irritable mood, and his tone was filled with annoyance, and he blurted out what was in his mind.

Coming back to his senses, he said in a panic, "A guest will be visiting soon, so I prepared this for him."

Su Zhongyue wanted to say something, but seeing Su Qinghe's cowardly attitude, he rubbed his brows and said, "Forget it, let's start today's topic. Today we will discuss the way of governing a country, 'being neutral and not leaning to one side, being strong and correct'."

Su Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief.

The students in the room pondered and thought for a while. After a while, Su Haichao stood up and answered first. His voice resounded throughout the main hall. "The so-called 'neutral and impartial' means to remain impartial and selfless in the complicated world, not to favor any party, and not to be swayed by temporary interests. This is the cornerstone of the country's long-term stability. 'Strong and correct' is the ultimate praise for this attitude, reminding us that when we stick to the right path, we should not be afraid of difficulties and obstacles, and we should be steadfast and unwavering."

"In the state, the legislation should be fair so that the government's orders can be smooth and the people's will can be supported; in the government, the interests of all parties should be considered and not be confused by personal gain, and policies should be implemented in a beneficial manner; in politics, the sword should be drawn boldly, and severe punishment should be imposed without mercy to serve as a warning to others. This is my opinion."

"Well, not bad." Su Zhongyue could not help but nod his head with satisfaction. Just as he was about to add something, a loud and clear voice and a few applause suddenly rang out from the door. "Well said! Very well said!"

Who is speaking?

Everyone turned around and saw a pair of red boots with gold threads stepping into the doorway, followed by a tall and eye-catching figure walking into the main hall.

The person in red clothes was as bright as a tangerine, with a faint smile on her beautiful face and rosy lips. In this main hall full of people in white clothes, it was like a beautiful and enchanting fox demon suddenly broke into the solemn and cold school, looking out of place yet so beautiful that it was breathtaking.

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

When they first entered, everyone was still unable to recognize that handsome man as the Second Prince, because only a handful of people from the Hanlin Academy could attend court, and most of the Su family could only see the Second Prince at large imperial banquets. But they could only see him from afar, and even if they did see him, his arrogant and domineering temperament ruined his appearance, and people would stay away from him.

So when the Second Prince came in with a bright and confident smile, he didn't know who the other person was because of the difference in temperament. It was not until he came to his senses that he realized that it was the Second Prince who suddenly visited the Su Mansion.

The surprise on their faces instantly turned into subtle disgust. Everyone stood up one by one and saluted the Second Prince, "Your Highness, be well."

"No need to be so polite~" Xie Chengze waved his hand shamelessly, walked to Su Zhongyue's side, and said with a smile, "I just finished my work and happened to pass by the Su Mansion when I was very hungry. I counted with my fingers and saw that there was delicious food, so I planned to come in and have a meal. Scholar Su should not mind giving me a pair of chopsticks, right?"

Passing by? Su Zhongyue couldn't help but look at the sky outside. What could he do so early in the morning?

I'm afraid it's coming straight for the Su Mansion!

With a slight twitch of his lips, Su Zhongyue stood up and offered his seat, "Your Highness, you are joking. Someone, bring another set of bowls and chopsticks."

Xie Chengze sat down happily, watching Su Zhongyue send someone to fetch another chair, and turned to look at Su Haichao, "This must be the eldest son of the Su family, right? I've heard that the eldest son of the Su family is a lecturer at such a young age. Today I see that he is indeed extraordinary and has a deep understanding of the way of governing a country."

Su Haichao said calmly, "Your Highness, I am too kind to praise you. It is just an ordinary skill, not worth mentioning at all."

After saying this, he lowered his head and said no more, obviously unwilling to talk more.

Su Qinghe looked at Xie Chengze worriedly. The Second Prince was a descendant of a royal family and not an ordinary person at all. However, he was treated so lightly by the Su family. He must be feeling bad.

What should he say to ease the situation?

Su Qinghe was racking his brains to think about it, when he saw Xie Chengze wave his hand and said nonchalantly, "I am just praising casually. I say this to everyone I meet. You just listen to it casually."

Su Haichao: ???

Su Qinghe: Phew.