Chapter 23

"Little Marquis! You seem much more spirited today than yesterday!" Following Xu Guang's guidance, after a few simple exercises, the expert brother's face lit up with joy, and he praised repeatedly.

"I also feel much lighter and more agile today. Perhaps it's because I've recovered from my illness over the past two days!" Li You was secretly delighted. This was the result of him holding back his full strength today; he didn't want to reveal all his abilities at once. He would gradually show his full strength to avoid arousing suspicion.

Xu Guang didn't think much about it. In the past few years, the little marquis hadn't been very interested in martial arts, so he wasn't quite sure about Li You's true strength. Now, he took Li You's performance as a sign that the old marquis's bloodline was gradually awakening. "The old marquis was a fierce general in the army. As long as you train diligently, you might even surpass him in the future!"

"Very well, from today on, you will accompany me in martial arts practice every morning!" This way, he would have more confidence when entering the mission world in the future. "We need to practice boxing, weapons, and horsemanship! Tomorrow, have them select a few good horses and send them to the training ground! Also, have Uncle Zhong find some people to level the land outside so we can ride horses there!"

If it was just practicing boxing and weapons, it would be fine, but if he wanted to learn archery and horsemanship, the training ground would be too small! Although the marquis's mansion had a dedicated horse field outside the city, Li You was too lazy to travel back and forth, so he decided to have it rebuilt! Why not, since he had the money now?

"Hmm, expanding the training ground shouldn't take too long! But, little marquis, you might not need it for long. You're going to the capital next month! It might not be finished by then!" Xu Guang stroked his beard and said.

Hmm, going to the capital? Why am I going to the capital? Oh no, I forgot about this! Li You slapped his forehead and recalled a peculiar rule of the Great Wei Dynasty. The founding emperor, fearing that the noble families would become decadent or have improper thoughts, decreed that all heirs to noble titles must go to the capital to study at the Imperial Academy before the age of twenty. They could only officially inherit their titles after passing the exams.

Li You should have gone to the capital long ago, but because the old marquis and the old lady passed away simultaneously, he had to stay home to observe mourning, which delayed his trip to the capital.

Now that the twenty-seven-month mourning period was over, he needed to go to the capital to study and prepare for the exams. Only then could he smoothly inherit the marquis title and return to Ji Prefecture to live a decadent life.

Damn! Before crossing over, he had to take the college entrance exam to enter university and pass the civil service exam to work in the government. He thought that being born into a noble family would mean a life of ease, but now he had to take exams again! Li You felt a headache coming on.

"Mr. Xu, is the Imperial Academy's exam difficult?" Li You asked, feeling a headache.

"In the early years of the dynasty, when the founding emperor was still around, it was indeed very strict! It was said that those who passed the noble inheritance exam could easily pass the imperial exams! The son of the Duke of Qin took the exam from the age of eighteen to thirty-six before he barely passed and inherited his title! Some even never inherited their titles!" Xu Guang wasn't worried at all. "But now, the government is becoming lax. You just need to go through the motions! When the time comes, find some of the old marquis's old friends to help, and give the examiners some silver, and there will be no problem!"

Corruption is good! As a commoner, Li You had deeply detested all forms of corruption. Now, as a member of the ruling class, he naturally took his place. Hearing that he could get things done by pulling strings and giving money, he felt much more relaxed. "That's good. I've heard that the capital is very prosperous. This time, I can go and see it for myself!"

"Our marquis's mansion in the capital is not far from the Imperial Academy. It's usually cleaned by servants. There's also a training ground for you to practice martial arts. As for archery, we have a villa outside the city that can be used!" Xu Guang was very familiar with the marquis's estate and immediately proposed a solution. "I can also teach you on the way to the capital!"

"Very well!" Wasn't that mansion in the capital like a future office in the capital? It seemed to serve a similar purpose, to maintain good relations with high officials in the capital and stay informed about the capital's dynamics to prepare in advance. If that was the case, he definitely couldn't go empty-handed; he needed to prepare gifts for all sides. "I'll have Uncle Zhong make a list of what we need to prepare for the trip to the capital, and then have the servants purchase and prepare everything!"

"Please rest assured, little marquis. Steward Zhong has been preparing for the past three months! Everything is ready except for a few rare items!" Xu Guang held a high position in the mansion and was involved in these matters. At least, he had drafted the gift lists for the old marquis's military friends. "There is just one thing: the gifts for Scholar Zhou and Miss Zhou need to be decided by you personally!"

Scholar Zhou? Miss Zhou? Li You was momentarily confused and quickly searched his memory. The answer left him at a loss. Scholar Zhou was the old marquis's close friend, from the Runan Zhou family, named Shou, with the courtesy name Jilao. He was a renowned scholar and currently held the position of Hanlin Academician, responsible for drafting imperial edicts. His daughter, Zhou Nan, was one year younger than Li You, and she was just fifteen this year.

Like most people in this era, since they were old friends, the two elders had arranged their marriage when Zhou Nan was born! The marriage contract and Zhou Nan's birth chart were now in Li You's study.

This... I can't accept it! An image of a little girl with yellow hair appeared in Li You's mind. Although it had been seven or eight years since they last met, judging by her appearance as a child, she probably wasn't very attractive now. And getting married so early would be too restrictive. I'm determined to be a playboy, and having a wife so early would be... really uncomfortable! I wonder if I can cancel the engagement?

In the capital, at the Hanlin Academician's residence, a maid rushed to the back garden, covering her mouth as she approached the young lady. "Miss, Miss, I just heard that your husband is coming to the capital next month!"

"Always gossiping, with no sense of propriety!" Zhou Nan put down the half-finished ink bamboo painting and frowned slightly. Sigh, I wonder what the little marquis has become over the years! If he has turned into one of those playboys in the capital, uneducated and only interested in women, I would rather become a nun than marry him! My husband must be a learned scholar like my father!

Thus, even before Li You set out for the capital, the two main characters of this engagement were already thinking about how to annul it!