The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 55: Not Wanting to Learn is Not an Option

Yun Muhan nodded, no longer speaking.

Yun Qianyue remembered that when she first arrived, Cailian mentioned that she only had a grandmother to rely on at home. Her eyes flickered for a moment as she thought about accompanying her back to visit her grandmother one day.

Before long, Cailian finished grinding the ink and stepped back. Yun Muhan stood up, took the brush, and began writing on the rice paper.

Yun Qianyue had been staring at the ceiling for quite a while without producing anything, so she finally turned her gaze to Yun Muhan. He held one hand on his sleeve and wrote with the other. The dark ink flowed across the white paper with a strength that pierced through, forming characters that were robust and skillful, evoking admiration at first glance.

Suppressing her urge to praise, Yun Qianyue recalled the time at the calligraphy exhibition when she had impulsively entered a competition, not expecting to win first place. Compared to his writing, hers lacked the depth and strength. She had been quite pleased with herself for several days, but her teacher had later scolded her, telling her she was a block of rotten wood that could never be carved into anything valuable. Refusing to accept that, she had worked even harder. After entering the military's special training school, she excelled in all her subjects, and years later, when she returned to show her teacher her numerous degrees, she hoped for some praise. Instead, the old man merely glanced at her and said, "Those who achieve great things never flaunt superficial accomplishments. You think you're first? Learning has no end; there will always be someone better." It was from that moment she began to reflect on herself, stopped being competitive, and focused on her goals, eventually reaching great heights, though she never felt completely satisfied.

Lost in thought, Yun Qianyue suddenly realized that just two days had passed, and it all seemed like a distant memory.

"Let's stop here for today! I'm afraid you won't be able to handle more than this," Yun Muhan said, having filled a whole page. He turned to Yun Qianyue, who was staring blankly at his writing.

Yun Qianyue snapped back to attention, shaking off her daze and frowning at the page. "So much? How could I possibly learn all of this?"

"It's just one page, not too much!" Yun Muhan shook his head, beckoning her over. "Hurry over; I'll read it to you."

With no other choice, Yun Qianyue walked over, finally noticing that the entire page was filled with names. They were just traditional characters from ancient times, which shouldn't be too difficult for her. The first name on the list was "Yun Meng," and her mouth twitched. It was likely a list of notable figures from this household. Still, she feigned annoyance and asked, "What are all these names? They look difficult!"

Internally cursing herself for pretending, she thought, What else could she do? How could she explain that she wasn't the real Yun Qianyue?

"You'll find it isn't that hard once you learn," Yun Muhan pointed at the first name. "Yun Meng. This is Uncle Meng's name."

"Oh! I see, the character for 'Yun' I know, but this character for 'Meng' looks quite ugly. Why did Uncle Meng get such a name?" Yun Qianyue frowned, pointing at the 'Meng' character. "He probably can't read."

"Uncle Meng not only can read but is well-versed in literature," Yun Muhan replied.

"Ah, then it must be that his father can't read. Otherwise, why would he give him such an ugly name? It's awful!" Yun Qianyue said.

Cailian, Zhao Mama, and the others looked at each other with incredulous expressions.

"Uncle Meng's father was once the Minister of History, responsible for compiling the history of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. How could he not read?" Yun Muhan raised an eyebrow, maintaining his indifferent expression.

Yun Qianyue felt the small character 'Meng' suddenly shine brightly, expanding infinitely in her mind. She exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, Uncle Meng actually has such a prominent background!" After a moment, she murmured, "I can't believe it. So why is he our housekeeper?"

"Years ago, Grandfather saved him. So, he willingly followed Grandfather," Yun Muhan replied, frowning as he looked at Yun Qianyue. "Aren't you talking too much?"

Yun Qianyue was about to retort but swallowed her words, realizing she couldn't be too heartless. After all, this person was her brother and a handsome one at that. She covered her mouth and said quickly, "Okay, I won't talk. You go ahead, please."

Yun Muhan's gaze lingered on her hand, which was delicate and white as jade. He slightly raised his eyes and saw her bright, lively eyes that sparkled with excitement and no longer bore the gloomy look from before. He felt a warmth spreading in his chest, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Stop looking at me like that; it's kind of scary. I really won't say anything more, and I won't ask you random questions either," Yun Qianyue stepped back, confused about why her brother was looking at her like that. It made her feel uneasy.

Yun Muhan returned his gaze to the page, pointing to the next name. "This is Yuzhu."

Yun Qianyue nodded while covering her mouth. "Yuzhu is that big maid by the late king, right?"

"This is Lin Shu!"

Who is Lin Shu? Yun Qianyue thought, considering that he must be someone important in the household since he was mentioned earlier.

"He is Father's bodyguard!" Yun Muhan explained, his tone helpless.

Yun Qianyue responded with an "Oh!" Realizing that this person was her royal father's bodyguard, she recalled she hadn't met him yet.

"This is Lüzhi."

Who is Lüzhi? Yun Qianyue wore a confused expression.

"Lüzhi is Father's personal maid," Yun Muhan clarified.

Is a personal maid a title? Yun Qianyue looked at Yun Muhan in confusion.

Yun Muhan's expression finally showed a hint of exasperation. "I really doubt whether you've been living in this household all these years. How can you not even know who the household staff are, or what a personal maid is?"

Yun Qianyue covered her mouth and made a muffled sound.

"I never said you couldn't talk!" Yun Muhan sighed in exasperation.

Yun Qianyue thought it was nice to see him finally showing some emotion. She felt it was partly her doing. Taking her hand away, she immediately countered, "You know I spent all those years chasing after that useless Crown Prince, right? How could I have time to pay attention to anyone else? Besides, I'm not close to my father, so how would I know about the people around him? There are so many servants in this household; how could I remember their names? I don't even know all the people in my own courtyard!"