Encounter Under the Osmanthus Tree

Xue Boming was a man with no ambition. In his youth, he relied on his ancestors' shadow; whenever he went out, he was called the Heir Apparent. He didn't focus on his studies and failed his examinations. Now that he was nearly forty, he only held an idle official position in the court because his family had paid for it. He checked in at the yamen every day, enjoying the salary without doing anything, holding no real power in his hands.

His half-brother, Xue Qingning’s Third Uncle Xue Boping, was even lazier. He spent his days cockfighting, walking his dogs, and flirting, never doing anything productive.

Both brothers were so useless that the status of the Rongchang Baron Manor in the capital was currently quite awkward. Although they held a title, they were growing weaker by the day, unable to enter the center of power in the imperial court. Naturally, the powerful noble families did not want to continue associating with the Rongchang Baron Manor.

But they were a Baron Manor after all and still had to maintain appearances; otherwise, they would likely be looked down upon even more. This was also why Lady Xu was often worried, feeling that this family was difficult to support.

She was very strict about the education of her two sons, hoping they could enter the official path through the imperial examinations and restore the former glory of the Xue family.

As it stood, the second son was not someone who could study; Lady Xu had almost given up on him. The eldest son, however, was a good student and had already passed the scholar examination. Next autumn, he could participate in the Provincial Examination. If he passed as a Juren then, the Xue family would have hope of restoring its reputation.

Compared to these matters, Xue Qingning could be said to be very at ease, not worried at all. Because she knew that her Second Uncle—the father of the original novel's female lead, Xue Qingquan—although currently only a County Magistrate, would be kept in the capital as an official a few years later when he brought Xue Qingquan back for a performance review.

Most importantly, that was when Xue Qingquan and Lin Xingcheng would meet. Eventually, Lin Xingcheng would ascend the throne and Xue Qingquan would become the Empress. The entire Xue family would enjoy wealth and glory, making those noble families who previously refused to associate with them look up in awe, unable to reach them.

Just thinking about that scene made Xue Qingning feel happy, and her steps became lighter. But when she saw the silhouette of the person standing ahead, her steps immediately slowed down.

That person wore a jade-green long robe, standing sideways to her with his head slightly raised, gazing at an osmanthus tree by the road.

Speak of the devil—the person before her eyes was none other than Lin Xingcheng! He must be admiring the osmanthus. This season, the first batch of osmanthus was about to bloom; the branches were covered with dark green leaves, and one could see pale yellow flower buds as small as grains of rice.

Xue Qingning looked at his handsome face, hesitating whether to go forward and strike up a conversation. Although the two lived in the same manor, for one, Xue Qingning was not a talkative person. Even though she knew Lin Xingcheng would become the Emperor in the future, she couldn't bring herself to actively flatter him. Usually, she at most reminded her mother not to forget Lin Xingcheng's share when distributing portions to everyone in the manor.

Secondly, Lin Xingcheng seemed to be a very private person who socialized little. Usually, after school, he stayed in his room reading and rarely came out, so the two had seldom met over the past few years.