My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Chapter 466 Zhou Feng's Unreasonable Thoughts?

I feel extremely ashamed.

He knew he had a good foundation, after all, his father's talent was renowned far and wide in his youth. It was just that his own foundation was weak, having wasted too much time in Songji Village.

Later, at the academy, the people around him did their best to tutor him, and he himself was diligent and eager to learn, and he actually developed the abilities he has today.

He earned his third-place ranking in the imperial examinations through his own hard work and talent.

He was initially very proud of it, but once he entered officialdom, he discovered that what he had learned might not be applicable. Less than one-tenth of the lessons from books and the principles taught by his teachers could be put to use.

He was rather dull-witted.

Both of them passed the imperial examinations at a young age, but Zhou Feng, the Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), was far more impressive than his younger brother, the Tanhua (third-place scholar).

It was certainly not because Zhou Feng had been immersed in officialdom for several years.

When the younger brother heard other adults' opinions of him, calling him a bookworm, he was somewhat disheartened.

Zhou Feng didn't care, and simply said, "When they met me a few years ago, they thought I only had the ability to maintain the status quo. I originally wanted to back down, because the position of Left and Right Vice Minister is something that other students may never be able to achieve in their entire lives."

"But His Majesty appreciates me, so how can I not strive for improvement? What do other people's words matter? Human potential is always limitless. Just look at the Ministry of Personnel now, who dares to say even half a word that I am too young to handle things?"

Zhou Feng was not yet thirty years old, and there was not a single vice minister under the age of thirty in the Six Ministries.

He wasn't promoted step by step; rather, he was appointed directly by His Majesty during a period of turmoil in the court.

Everyone looked at him with scrutiny and criticism, thinking he was no good.

But he knew he couldn't fail. The girl in his heart had grown up, sitting on the dragon throne, looking down on all living beings. There was no one behind her, and he could only support her so that she could feel more at ease.

So over the years, Zhou Feng has given his all, observing, thinking, and learning as much as possible. He possessed both determination and diligence, which is why he succeeded.

The younger brother looked up blankly, a sense of realization dawning on him.

Zhou Feng patted his shoulder: "You've grown up, it's time to share your sister's burdens."

My brother was only down for two days before he picked himself up again.

People say that he was able to achieve the third-highest rank in the imperial examination because he is the emperor's younger brother, and that he was not cut out to be an official and only got into the Ministry of Personnel because of the emperor's connections.

Some people succumb to setbacks and become despondent, but Si Jing'an will only grow stronger with each challenge. They slander him, but he doesn't need to try to clarify; he'll just take their words as true. He has his own sister to rely on, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.

Under Zhou Feng's leadership, by the beginning of the new year, the younger brother had begun to show his talent, and the discussions about him had decreased significantly.

On this day of rest, the younger brother obtained a piece of excellent ink and thought that since Zhou Feng was his mentor, he should send this ink to him.

Upon arriving at the Zhou family residence, Zhou Feng was entertaining Xu family members, and the younger brother quickly took his leave.

"Prince Si." The steward recognized his younger brother, knowing that he was His Majesty's younger brother and now his master's subordinate.

Although he is a subordinate, his status is extraordinary. The future of the master still depends on this prince.

The manager felt he should try to curry favor with them.

Besides, the Crown Prince used to come here often. If the Master had something to do, he would lead the Crown Prince to the study and let him look at the calligraphy and paintings first.

He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the Lord has some personal matters to attend to and will be back soon. Why don't you come to the study and wait for him?"

The younger brother nodded and said with a smile, "Brother Zhou has a lot of books in his study. I haven't finished reading the one I came to see last time. It's a good opportunity to continue reading it."

The steward led his younger brother to the study, then hurriedly went to the front hall to inform Zhou Feng that the young master of the Si family had come.

Recently, Xu's brother-in-law came to Kyoto on business. Knowing that his wife's family still cared about his former brother, he visited them and brought some mountain produce and other items.

But since his brother-in-law is now an official, unlike the Xu family merchants, Xu's brother-in-law doesn't want people to think he's trying to curry favor with them.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, mentioning some things that Old Madam Xu had been thinking about and asking Zhou Feng to write back frequently, he got up and left.

Zhou Feng got up to see him out: "Thank you for your concern, brother-in-law. I'm usually too busy with official duties to go back and visit my aunt, uncle, and siblings. Please pass on their message. If they have time, please feel free to come to Kyoto for a short stay."

After Xu's brother-in-law left, Zhou Feng remembered that he had only finished half of his painting in his study, so he prepared to go back and continue painting.

Just then, the steward came over to report: "Sir, the young master of the Si family has arrived. As is customary, I will lead him to the study..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Feng's expression changed drastically.

"What did you say? Who gave you the right to take the liberty of leading him to the study?"

The steward was somewhat bewildered, his tongue stammering, "This...this servant...this servant...in the past, Your Excellency always had the young master wait in the study, this servant thought..."

"Idiot!" Zhou Feng was furious and turned to walk towards the study.

The younger brother in the study was equally dumbfounded.

He looked at the half-finished painting on the table.

It is a painting of a woman emerging from a bath. Even though it is not finished, the woman is only an outline and her facial features are not drawn.

But the younger brother could tell at a glance that this woman was his sister!

Her graceful figure exuded an air of superiority and disdain.

It wasn't his eldest sister who was indifferent to everything, nor his second sister who was single-minded and only thought about solving cases and the law.

It's his third sister, the current Empress!

Little did he know that Zhou Feng harbored such despicable thoughts in private.

The younger brother was furious and grabbed the drawing paper, tearing it to shreds. But as he was about to rip it to pieces, he calmed down.

Zhou Feng and his third sister had a past together; they almost got engaged. If it weren't for the Xu family matriarch's disapproval, they might have already married and had children.

I thought that after so many years, the two of them would have gone their separate ways and there would be no chance for them to cross paths again.

but……

The younger brother clenched his fist; no wonder Zhou Feng, at the age of thirty, still refused to get married.

He had asked Zhou Feng about it, but Zhou Feng replied with a solemn expression.

“Now that my status is special, His Majesty needs loyal ministers. If I were to marry a woman from a prominent family, I fear the people below would think it was a signal that would be detrimental to His Majesty.”

"Furthermore, I've always believed that one must first establish a firm foothold before starting a family. Look at how I've gotten to where I am today in the Ministry of Personnel. What did I rely on? Diligence. If I had a family background, I fear I would be burdened by it and wouldn't be able to focus on my studies as much."

“It’s not that I don’t want to get married. I’m a man, so it doesn’t matter if it’s a few years later. Now that His Majesty has entrusted you, Jing’an, to me, I must prioritize you and help you get promoted before considering anything else.”

Zhou Feng's words brought tears to his eyes!

Looking back now, it was all just an excuse. He actually had improper thoughts about my third sister!