Qin Jijiu hurriedly said, "Speaking of this, I have a lot to say. As the saying goes, a dragon has nine sons, each different from the other. How much more so for an ordinary person like me. Her younger sister is far inferior to her and is already married."

The Emperor asked, "Do you perhaps only have two daughters?"

Qin Jijiu said, "There is another legitimate son, who is unruly and dislikes studying. It is shameful to say that my family has had scholars for generations, but unfortunately my son is not fortunate enough to have that talent. Fortunately, my nephew is quite talented in studying, so I am not ashamed to face my ancestors."

"oh?"

The Emperor was extremely surprised upon hearing this and laughed, "Why are you being so modest?"

Qin Jijiu said, "I am not being modest, but no one knows a son better than his father. There is no title for him to inherit, and everyone will see whether he will amount to anything in the future. I think this child will probably have to rely on his brother-in-law and cousin to take care of him in the future."

The implication is that it's not that they don't want to praise their son, but their family fortune is small, so praise is useless; the truth will come out in the future.

The Emperor seemed to be deep in thought.

After a long pause, he said, "I also have several children, and I am a father myself. How could I not understand your thoughts as a father?"

Old Wang whispered a couple of words in his ear.

The Emperor smiled and said, "I heard that the Marquis of Dingbei is taking care of his brother-in-law and has brought him along. Let me see him too."

Qin Jijiu said happily, "This lad must have accumulated a lot of good fortune in his past lives to be able to meet the emperor."

The emperor laughed heartily.

So Qin Heng was brought up.

Qin Heng dared not move, and bowed blankly. After being called to stand up, he dared to take a look at the emperor's appearance.

The Emperor said, "He's still a child."

Qin Jijiu said, "I dare not expect anything from him. I only hope that he can live a peaceful old age and continue my bloodline. That would be doing justice to our ancestors."

I dare not dream of bringing glory to my ancestors; living a peaceful life without committing any crimes is enough to honor them.

This requirement is quite high.

The Emperor said, "With the Marquis of Dingbei here, what are you worried about? I've heard that your son-in-law respects you greatly and loves your wife. When your son grows up, he'll surely take good care of him. Let me tell you, one's fortune is unpredictable. Perhaps this son will be the most successful one."

King Qi lowered his eyes in disgust.

The crown prince's expression was rather subtle.

After talking for a while, Qin Heng stepped back to his sister and brother-in-law, and then he felt a little more at ease.

Seeing her older sister standing quietly, she also tried to remain still, only her eyes darting around.

The Emperor then ordered Sixth Master Gu and Qin Siyuan to come forward and speak.

It was the first time that both Master Gu and Qin Siyuan had met the emperor, so they were inevitably a little reserved.

The Emperor, observing this, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The descendants of the Qin family are all of excellent appearance, among whom the Lady of Dingbei is the best. She is also calm and virtuous, and her manner of bowing is neither humble nor arrogant, showing that she is courageous and knowledgeable. Moreover, her ability to cultivate her composure is even better than that of the first-rank duke's wife.

If I had met such a wonderful person earlier, it wouldn't have been bad to arrange for her to be the Crown Prince's concubine.

It's just a pity...

After Gu Liuye and Qin Siyuan performed the kneeling ceremony, the Emperor granted them the privilege of standing up and speaking.

The Emperor smiled and said, "I enjoyed Qin Juren's poems very much. I can see that you are resilient and have the world in your heart. However, you are not as clever as Nantang Gongzi in terms of poetic skill, nor as learned and broad-minded as Songshan. There is still much room for improvement."

Upon hearing this, pride immediately appeared on the faces of Gu Jinghui and Qin Jijiu.

Qin Siyuan immediately replied, “Your Majesty’s comments are quite accurate. My poems were only so-so before, but they improved after some guidance. However, they are still far inferior to those of Young Master Nantang and Mr. Songshan.”

The Emperor then asked, "Are you acquainted with the young master of Nantang?"

Qin Siyuan paused for a moment before carefully replying, "I regard Young Master Nantang as my teacher. I have repeatedly studied his poems and pondered them in many ways before I have learned a little bit of his knowledge."

The Emperor laughed and said, "No wonder your poems seem to be from the same school as those of the young master of Nantang. Both of you have worked hard on the elegance and refinement of your words. But you have lofty aspirations, while he prefers tranquility and leisure."

Qin Siyuan immediately replied, "Your Majesty has keen insight and is truly wise."

The Emperor then asked Gu Jinghui, "Did you invite Young Master Nantang?"

Gu Jinghui smiled and said, "Young Master Nantang is a friend of Mr. Songshan. Mr. Songshan is a storyteller whom I invited from the entertainment district to come to my mansion to tell stories."

The Emperor asked curiously, "Why did you decide to invite someone to your residence to tell stories? And how did you discover his talent?"

Gu Jinghui said, "This brings me to my father-in-law. He has always enjoyed teaching students. Once, when I mentioned to him that I hadn't read enough books, he ordered me to go back and study the Spring and Autumn Annals and other classics. I am a soldier, and although I read some books when I was young, I was just a mediocre student and have long forgotten them. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to answer my father-in-law's questions, so I went to the entertainment district to find someone to teach me. Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon Mr. Songshan."

The emperor was amused by these words and burst into laughter.

Everyone laughed along.

The Emperor then asked Sixth Master Gu, "What poem did you write for the competition this time? Can you recite it to me?"

With a flushed face, Sixth Master Gu stammered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am terrified. My poems are far inferior to those of Scholar Qin, let alone those of Young Master Nantang and Master Songshan. I am only mentioned in the same breath as them because my name is on the list. I am afraid that my poems are too poor and will offend Your Majesty's ears."

The Emperor said, "It's alright."

Old Wang laughed and said, "This is an incredible opportunity."

With a flushed face, Master Gu recited his poem.

The Emperor found him amusing and nodded encouragingly, saying, "Compared to your previous poems, you have made great progress. This shows that where there's a will, there's a way."

Overjoyed, Sixth Master Gu immediately said, "Actually, what I did later was better than this. I also wanted to imitate Xie Hudie and write three hundred poems about fireflies, but my talent is limited, and I have only managed to write a dozen or so so far."

Qin Jijiu was extremely anxious.

Gu Jinghui couldn't help but want to speak up to stop her, but Qin Yuan gently tugged at the corner of her clothes.

Unexpectedly, Sixth Master Gu had such a temperament. The Emperor became interested and asked with a smile, "Can you still remember?"

"Of course I remember," said Master Gu happily, forgetting all about rank, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. "Master Songshan asked me to memorize the Complete Tang Poems and then compose a poem. I memorized them day and night, and before I knew it, my memory was getting better and better. Those dozen or so poems were all painstakingly written, so I naturally remember them well."

Those around him couldn't help but chuckle at his behavior.

But Master Gu stared longingly at the Emperor.

The emperor had no choice but to say, "Read it aloud and let me give you my opinion."

Master Gu immediately began reciting the poems one by one.

The Emperor then commented on each poem one by one.

In the end, they were both very happy.

Sixth Master Gu said, "Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler; I am completely convinced."

The Emperor said, "A fine horse can't leap ten steps in one bound; a slow horse can travel ten times the distance if it perseveres. I bestow this saying upon you."

Everyone was filled with great curiosity.