Chapter 235: Flourishing Words

It was still early, and little Sizi had just gotten up, eating wontons under the service of two young maidservants.

Her plump little face puffed out, eyes half‑closed in satisfaction, looking irresistibly cute.

"Little princess, take your time eating, no rush," Bi Yun said softly, wiping the soup at her mouth corner with a handkerchief.

After Sizi swallowed the wonton, she nodded her little head and said, "Sizi knows~"

"Sizi just wants to finish eating quickly, then go learn with big brother."

Bi Yun's smile stiffened, and her wiping of Sizi's mouth corner paused.

On the other side, Dong Xue, who was fanning the steam off Sizi's wonton, twitched the corner of her mouth.

The two exchanged a glance; Bi Yun took a deep breath, forced a thin smile, and said warmly, "Little princess, Lord Bo usually has many duties, have you forgotten? Lord Bo is now the County Magistrate of Weinan County, a local father‑and‑mother official."

"This vast county town has far too many matters for Lord Bo to handle; perhaps… you should first study with the teacher?"

"When Lord Bo finds some free time, then he can teach you, okay?"

"No!" Little Sizi pouted at the sound, looking displeased.

"Big brother said, he sets aside time each day to teach Sizi, and Sizi won't hold big brother up for long."

"Besides, what the teacher teaches is all wrong; I don't want to listen to the teacher's lectures."

Bi Yun and Dong Xue were both stunned by the words.

Who exactly is teaching incorrectly?

"Princess, you are still young; please don't be misled by Lord Bo and end up harmed."

"The stuff Lord Bo teaches is truly impossible to learn!"

Just as the two were about to keep urging the little princess, the door suddenly opened, and Chen Yan entered with Li Lizhi.

"Servant bows to Princess Changle, Lord Bo!" Bi Yun and Dong Xue hurried to rise and salute.

"No need for formalities," Chen Yan nodded lightly.

"Big sister!" Little Sizi's eyes lit up, she hopped down from the stool and rushed over.

"Oh dear, Sizi's grown up, big sister can barely lift her now," Li Lizhi laughed, catching her sister in one hand, teasing.

Sizi's little face drooped, her round big eyes fixed on Li Lizhi, and she said softly, "Big sister, Sizi isn't chubby."

"Hmm, big sister knows Sizi isn't chubby," Li Lizhi was even happier; Sizi actually cared about weight.

"Big sister was just saying Sizi has grown, and gradually big sister can't lift her anymore."

Sizi only then became happy.

Then she pointed at the wontons on the table, "Big sister, wontons, the wontons are tasty, big sister eat."

"Wontons?" Li Lizhi was startled, looked closely, and they seemed like dumplings.

But not as many as dumplings.

She didn't pay much attention, and asked softly, "Sizi, big sister heard you recently have been studying with the teacher; how's your reading going?"

"No, no." Sizi shook her head repeatedly, then raised a little finger and said seriously, "Sizi is not studying with the teacher; Sizi is studying with big brother."

"What the teacher teaches is all wrong; Sizi doesn't want to learn from the teacher."

"Big brother teaches well; Sizi learns from big brother."

Li Lizhi laughed after hearing, "Then… what exactly has Sizi learned from big brother?"

When the topic came up, Sizi instantly became excited.

Chen Yan's expression changed, and he silently stepped back.

Bi Yun and Dong Xue both lowered their heads.

"Big brother taught me a lot, especially the Analects! I've already learned so much, all memorized in my head!"

Li Lizhi, hearing Chen Yan teach Sizi the Analects, didn't see any problem and felt considerably relieved.

"So Sizi, do you know what the Analects say means?"

"Of course!" Little Sizi lifted her chin, her expression as proud as possible.

"Since Sizi knows, big sister will test you, okay?"

"No problem!"

"Alright, big sister will pose a question," Li Lizhi thought for a moment, deciding to keep it simple, and said, "The Master said: 'Since you have come, then settle here.' What does that mean?"

"Since you've come, then be buried here!"

Sizi had not the slightest hesitation, not a hint of doubt, and answered without wavering.

Li Lizhi suddenly widened her eyes, her ruby lips slightly parting, looking as if she had seen a ghost.

"Since you have come, then settle…"

"Is that the meaning?"

"This 'since you have come, then be buried here'—is that correct?"

"Big sister, I'm right, aren't I?" Sizi looked at her own sister with expectation.

"Pfft!" Chen Yan couldn't hold back, letting out a burst of laughter.

Li Lizhi turned and glared at him fiercely; if she remembered correctly, the Analects Sizi recited were taught by Chen Yan.

Facing Li Lizhi's hostile stare, Chen Yan felt awkward, becoming visibly uneasy, glancing here and there, trying to dodge responsibility.

Li Lizhi clenched her silver teeth and continued, "A gentleman loves wealth, but acquiring it must be proper, right?"

"I like your money, so taking it by force is justified."

"…If a gentleman is not heavy, he lacks authority?"

"If a gentleman's hand is not firm, he cannot establish prestige."

Li Lizhi's chest rose and fell violently, clearly angered.

But she still tried her best to suppress it.

Li Lizhi stopped believing; she wondered just how many fallacious arguments Chen Yan could concoct.

"A gentleman is broad and open; a petty person is always worried!"

"I kill the gentleman openly, and I chase down and kill the petty person."

"If you remain silent, monstrous force and chaotic spirit!!"

"When dealing with unreasonable people, Confucius says no more; the monstrous strength fist technique will strike the opponent into mental disarray."

"...... If one is unaware yet not angry, is that not a gentleman!!!"

"Someone doesn't know my illustrious name; I haven't even gotten angry— that's already quite gentlemanly."

Li Lizhi flushed instantly, her guard shattered.

She set Sizi down, and a punch slammed into Chen Yan's arm.

"You… you teach like this?!!"

Before Chen Yan could speak, Sizi got anxious first, hugging Li Lizhi's thigh and said: "Big sister, you may not hit big brother."

"Otherwise, I… I will just ignore you!"

Li Lizhi was fuming, "Sizi, do you know that what he teaches are all fallacious arguments?"

"He's deceiving you!"

"Not at all!" Sizi glared, "Big brother would never deceive me; I think big brother's teachings are correct, I like the reasoning big brother teaches me."

"I won't allow you to say that about big brother!"

Li Lizhi was dumbfounded, staring blankly at Xiao Sizi, not knowing what to say.

"Big brother." Xiao Sizi tugged at Chen Yan's sleeve, "A gentleman does not judge a person by words, nor discard words because of a person."

"Pfft! Hahaha!" Chen Yan finally couldn't hold back, laughing until tears came out.

"Right, right, right, Sizi is right!"

"Exactly!"

Li Lizhi was so angry her chest seemed about to undergo a second growth, and she raged: "What does this sentence mean?"

Seeing his big sister flare up, Xiao Sizi felt a little intimidated, yet still stood before Chen Yan, lifted his head and chest and said:

"When dealing with incomprehensible fellows, swing your fist—no idle talk!"

Li Lizhi:???