"Dad, do you not believe in yourself, or do you not believe in my genes?" Lele rolled his eyes and continued, "With my strength and intelligence, not crushing a group is already good enough, and you say Iām in the middle or lower range? Dad, youāre underestimating me."
"..." Ye Ziāan was speechless. Both sons were more impressive than the next; as their father, he had nothing to say.
"But Lele, did you tell your teacher at the academy? What did he say?" On the other hand, Yang Chuxia was more thoughtful. "If our son goes to the academy, the teacher might not be needed anymore; doesnāt that cut off someoneās livelihood?"
"I told him, and the teacher had no objections." Lele said, "Iāve thought it through. Our teacher has a lot of knowledge and real talent. Iāll go to the academy during the day, and in the evening I can still learn from him. Mom, even if I go to the academy, we canāt dismiss the teacher. Our family isnāt lacking in that little bit of silver, so you better not cut costs by letting him go."
"Got it." Yang Chuxia was annoyed. This child really thought she was that petty. "So, have you decided which academy to attend? With your status, you could go to the imperial academy. Youāve been there when you stayed in the palace with Yangyang; you should be familiar with it. The government academy is also fine."
"Iām not going to the imperial academy. Itās set in the palace, and itās filled with children from the imperial family. Itās boring. That group is the most arrogant. Relying on their status and position, they bully others. My status is high, so they canāt bully me, but itās different for my brother. How can anyone bully my brother?"
After a pause, he said, "I want to go to the government academy. Many children from influential families are there. They donāt actually learn much at the academy; they go to make connections. Each of them has a teacher at home, and home learning is the focus. But when it comes to exams, they do show their true skills, and I just need to know this."
"Not bad, it seems youāve done your homework." Ye Ziāan was completely convinced. "Alright, letās go with what you decided. But have you discussed this with Yangyang? Does he want to go?"
"I did, and he said heād go wherever I go."
"Okay then, after the festival, Iāll send you both to the academy." Ye Ziāan waved his hand, his son had it all figured out, so he just had to arrange it.
After Lele picked up his book bag and went to the teacher, Yang Chuxia heard him sigh over and over.
"Whatās wrong with you?"
"The boy has too many ideas, itās hard on the old man."
"Haha..." Yang Chuxia laughed, "Who told you to recite the Three Character Classic to him from a young age? Whoās to blame?"
"Sigh..." After a pause, Ye Ziāan said, "But I donāt regret it. Being eager to learn and smart is always better than being dull and lazy."
"Let me secretly ask you, howās our Leleās knowledge?"
For those eight-legged essays, Ye Ziāan, the classic scholar, had to assess them.
"Him!" Speaking seriously about his sonās knowledge, Ye Ziāan was extremely satisfied. "Heās finished learning characters long ago, and he has a great memory. Those rote memorization things arenāt hard for him. Now heās reading essays and learning to write. Last time I gave him a topic to write on, and although his wording was a bit immature, his ideas were sharp and his writing unique and fresh. Back when I was nine, I earned the Cultivated Talent title; this kid, I figure, can do it at six."
"Pfft..." Yang Chuxia spat out her water in shock, "Are you kidding or for real?"
Oh my! Her son being so terrifyingly brilliant isnāt necessarily a good thing!