Xiao Rui's tragic childhood unexpectedly touched Xie Jinzhi's heart. In the past, when the Cao family was in charge, he was not without being suppressed academically and could not behave better than his eldest brother Xie Xianzhi.

Especially when his father Xie Pu has been in office for many years, and his grandmother, Mrs. Xie, she favors Cao's mother and son, which makes this situation even worse.

Fortunately, the eldest brother Xie Xianzhi was a decent young man and had a fair attitude towards him, which made him suffer a lot of losses.

Now Xiao Rui said that he was oppressed in the palace, and it was the powerful prince, the domineering and unreasonable second prince, and the third prince who had a deep mind and an improper heart.

After Xiao Rui memorized a difficult text in the Four Books and Five Classics on the spot, and silently wrote a short essay he wrote when he was ten years old for Xie Jinzhi to see, the latter became even more convinced that he was indeed very talented and should have become an excellent reader, but due to the selfishness of the nobles, he could only reluctantly abandon literature and follow martial arts.

Xie Jinzhi looked at Xiao Rui's gaze, not only eased a lot, but also brought a little pity: "It's not easy for you." ”

Xiao Rui smiled miserably at him: "This is all a matter of no choice." My father was busy with the military affairs of the city guards, and he didn't have much to do at home, let alone this kind of child's business...... His Royal Highness was indeed very close to me at that time, and the concubine, lady and eldest brother all treated me kindly, what can I say? ”

When Xie Jinzhi heard this, he couldn't help but sigh for him.

Xie Mulin also felt a little sympathy for Xiao Rui. However, now that he has broken free from that environment, his future development should be much smoother, and he does not have to continue to indulge in this self-pitying emotion.

She said to Xiao Rui: "Second Young Master Xiao doesn't have to be sad, this is all in the past." ”

Xiao Rui looked at her with some surprise, and suddenly showed a gentle smile.

Xie Mulin was stunned, Xie Jinzhi also saw it, and his heart was suddenly vigilant, and he was about to speak, but Xiao Rui immediately continued to narrate his youth, diverting the latter's attention.

When Xiao Rui was twelve years old, that is, four years ago, he met a new Hanlin who came to teach the princes. This Hanlin surnamed Yue is very talented, and he is also an old man - he is the younger brother of the Yue family, the princess of Yan.

Princess Yan Yue and Xiao Rui's aunt Xiao Mingzhu used to be very good close friends. How good is it? Xiao Mingzhu died before she could marry her fiancé Yan Wang, but her best friend soon married Yan Wang, and the big matchmaker at the wedding was actually Xiao Mingzhu's brother Xiao Mingde. As Xiao Mingzhu's confidant, Li Yaozhi's aunt is naturally very familiar with Princess Yan's sisters and brothers.

Because the Yue family was implicated by the in-laws of the family's descendants, they were on the wrong side in the battle for the heirs that year. After the current emperor ascended the throne, there were political enemies of the Yue family who took the opportunity to liquidate their family. Fortunately, the Yue family became the princess of Yan and saved her mother's relatives. Except for two people from the Yan tribe, who lost their official positions and went to their posts to reform their reputations because of their conclusive crimes, no one else was convicted, and they still studied for the imperial examination and became officials. However, the Yue family felt that the capital at that time was no longer safe enough for them, and their future career might not be smooth, so they took advantage of the fact that Yan Wang and his wife returned to Beiping after their marriage, and simply went north together with the clan and made a safe home in Beiping.

Princess Yan's younger brother has been smart since he was a child, and he was admitted to Xiucai at the age of twelve. But in order to avoid the limelight, he waited for more than ten years before continuing the road of the imperial examination and returning to the official circle of the capital. At this time, the former political enemies of the Yue family had disappeared, and he was quite courteous as the younger brother of Princess Yan, and the emperor was very close and trusting to appoint him to teach the princes. The Yue family finally regained a foothold in the capital.

Li Yaozhi happily asked Xiao Rui to get close to Yue Hanlin, Xiao Rui had academic problems, and it was inconvenient to ask the masters for advice, so he could ask Yue Hanlin for help. And it was this Yue Hanlin who saw Xiao Rui's true situation and advised him to leave the third prince as soon as possible.

The third prince was obviously not as gentle and indisputable as rumored, and he had the same ambitions as his brothers. Xiao Rui is both his cousin and his playmate, when he was a child, the older he gets, the more he will be involved in the affairs of the third prince, and once he meddles in the real secret matter, he will not be able to get out.

Xiao Rui got Yue Hanlin's reminder and really made up his mind. He first used the excuse of trying to win over young talents from various noble families for the three princes, and got acquainted with Dong Huiwu and other gentlemen, and then took the opportunity to spread his reputation as a "gentleman". He also bribed a few mothers-in-law who were waiting by his mother-in-law's side at home, and spoke ill of him in his mother's ear. When Concubine Xiao Guifei in the palace learned about her second nephew's reputation as a "gentleman" from the palace people around her, and summoned her sister-in-law Lu to inquire, she unsurprisingly came to the result that the rumors were true.

Concubine Xiao has always wanted her son to be close to her eldest nephew Xiao Cong, who inherited the family business, and has always attached little importance to her second nephew Xiao Rui. Coupled with Xiao Rui's biological mother and the confidant next to her eldest sister Xiao Mingzhu, she doesn't like it even more. It's just that the third prince needs a playmate, and she also wants to add a reliable helper to her son, so that Xiao Rui will stay. Now that Xiao Rui doesn't study well and has become a gentleman, how can she continue to put people by her son's side and teach her precious son badly?

Concubine Xiao Guifei quickly found a reason to send her little nephew out of the palace, and then quickly added a companion to the third prince who was born in a high-ranking official with real power. The third prince was not very happy, but when the mother ordered, he was helpless. Xiao Rui successfully got rid of the identity of the prince's playmate and regained his freedom.

Xie Jinzhi and Xie Mulin were both fascinated by what they heard, and they were greatly relieved when they heard this.

Xie Jinzhi said to Xiao Rui with sincerity: "Presumably, Xiao Ergongzi will be able to show his true talent from now on, and he will no longer have to worry about the faces of the nobles?"

Xie Mulin thought more than his brother: "Where is it so easy? Didn't he still hang out with the Third Prince a few months ago? ”

Xie Jinzhi was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly looked at Xiao Rui. Xiao Rui had a wry smile on his face.

Yes, even if he left the palace and got free, his life didn't go well. At that time, because his father Xiao Mingde said that when he grew up, he would send him to the army for training, so he began to follow his father to practice riding and archery martial arts. As for the poetry articles, because of the lack of guidance from the teacher, I had to give up and only read books in my spare time as an amateur interest.

But Xiao Rui is such a smart child, naturally not only is he better than others in academics, but even the speed of martial arts is also very impressive. His brother-in-law Xiao Cong had been studying with his father for several years, but when he was so old, his riding and archery martial arts were not as good as his. And the ancestral marksmanship and knife skills of the Xiao family taught by his father, Xiao Rui only learned it for a few months, and he was almost able to tie with the henchmen around his brother-in-law, and the speed of progress was also very fast. Learning the art of war and martial arts, he has also repeatedly performed well, and has been praised by his father several times.

Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Cong's faces are getting uglier and uglier day by day, what will happen later, there is no need for Xiao Rui to say, the Xie family brothers and sisters can guess it.

Xie Jinzhi suddenly choked: "Brother Xiao is too careless!" Although it's in your own home, it's not necessarily more stable than in the palace, why did you forget to keep Taoguang in obscurity?! ”

Xiao Rui smiled bitterly: "In the end, I am still young, too naïve." I finally got rid of the palace, and I was bent on letting my father see my benefits, where do I remember anything else? I thought that it was impossible for me to inherit the family business, and my wife and eldest brother would only ignore me, but I forgot that people's hearts are the most unpredictable. ”

Xie Jinzhi sighed, his attitude was completely different from half an hour ago, and he and Xiao Rui became close friends.

Xie Mulin, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but look sideways.

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