The old emperor smiled but didn't say anything. If you're going to build one, build a bigger one, after all, there are so many students in the academy.

Speaking of this, the old emperor had a flash of inspiration and thought that having a martial arts training ground would be a good thing, so that students could cultivate both literary and martial skills.

The academy now teaches the Six Arts of a Gentleman, but there is no martial arts course. Although some people have raised this issue before, most of the court officials believe that not everyone can be proficient in both literature and martial arts. Adding martial arts courses would only increase the pressure on students and make it impossible for them to concentrate on their studies, so the matter has been shelved.

Now we know that the Lu family's children are all well-rounded in both literature and martial arts, and each one of them is outstanding. Most importantly, the Eastern Court has been quite active in the past two years. If the envoys fail to reach a peace agreement this time, a major war will be imminent. Having more people in the court who are both literate and martial is a good thing for the entire Northern Yan.

After having this idea, the old emperor's fondness for Gou'er grew even stronger. In addition to fulfilling his wish, he also bestowed many good things upon him, such as a token that allowed him to enter and leave the palace at any time, a set of fine writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, a small sword suitable for his age, and several books on swordsmanship. In short, they were all good things, and the old emperor stuffed them into Gou'er's hands without any hesitation.

He Jiuniang had a headache just looking at it. This old emperor really didn't consider the consequences. Although she didn't know how the old emperor treated other people, she was sure that he was being far too generous to Gou'er. If his own grandchildren saw this, wouldn't they hold a grudge against Gou'er?

Seeing that the old emperor still intended to send more gifts, He Jiuniang hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, that's enough. If word gets out, won't people be jealous?"

The old emperor was somewhat displeased: "Who dares to be jealous? So what if I have a special connection with this kid, Gou'er? When I was little, my name was Gou Sheng!"

He Jiuniang: "???"

Consort Liu: "???"

The palace maids and eunuchs standing nearby: "!!!" What did they just hear?! Are they going to be silenced?!

Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, the old emperor realized he had let something slip. He coughed awkwardly twice and warned, "Don't let this get out!"

"yes!"

Everyone quickly agreed; this was no laughing matter.

But the old emperor was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, so how could he have such a down-to-earth nickname? It's quite approachable.

While the adults were still worried about being silenced, the dog cheerfully replied, "Grandpa Emperor, your name is also very cute."

"cute?"

The old emperor was somewhat puzzled, but more than that, he was interested.

"Yes, my grandma says names with cat or dog in them are very cute."

When he was very young, he also felt that his name was not nice. His brothers all had a nickname with the character "子" added to the end of their names, but he was the only one called "Dog". Over time, he must have felt bad. Once, he cried and begged his grandmother to change his name. This is what his grandmother told him.

He Jiuniang didn't have much of an impression of this. She hadn't transmigrated yet at that time, and the original owner of this body probably wasn't present either, so she was completely unaware of it.

This changed the old emperor's impression of Madam Sun. She was just an old woman from the countryside, yet she had such insights. No wonder she could raise a son like Lu Baichuan.

"You're right, both of our names are cute."

The old emperor liked him very much, holding him and talking to him. The old man and the young boy had quite a lot to talk about.

He Jiuniang discovered that her son was actually a social butterfly, able to chat with people of all ages.

Seeing the old emperor holding her son and laughing heartily, He Jiu Niang then remembered that the old emperor had asked them to come over, making up the excuse that he was not feeling well. So she asked Consort Liu, "Has His Majesty been unwell lately? I'll take his pulse in a bit."

Consort Liu turned around and whispered to He Jiu Niang, "Your Majesty, I just missed you. I knew you only arrived last night, and I wanted to send someone to summon you to the palace first thing this morning. But when I found out you went to the East Palace, I waited a long time before sending someone to call you."

"His Majesty has already told the Imperial Kitchen to prepare some good dishes. He will send someone to the East Palace in a little while to invite the Crown Prince and the others over for dinner tonight."