Fang Xuanling stared dumbfounded at the fallen osmanthus tree in the courtyard, and in the process, two of his beard hairs were pulled out.
What did he see! That familiar aura of righteousness actually emanated from his son, who couldn't even write properly.
"Hallucination! This must be a hallucination!" Fang Xuanling blinked hard and then shook his head violently. The fallen osmanthus trees on the ground all proved that this was real.
"You...you...what are you using?" Fang Xuanling asked in surprise, pointing at Fang Yi'ai.
“My fist! This is the Qin family's progressive fist technique taught by Brother Qin.” Fang Yi’ai raised his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, looked at it in front of his eyes, then looked up at his father and answered with a blank expression.
"I'm asking what kind of spiritual energy you're using? Is it the Qi of Righteousness?" Fang Xuanling asked, his eyes wide.
“Yes! Brother Qin said this is called righteous spirit!” Fang Yi’ai nodded.
"How did you come to be so righteous? How did you become a Confucian scholar?" Fang Xuanling felt as if his worldview had been completely shattered, and asked in shock.
"It's nothing! Brother Qin will teach you and you'll get it." Fang Yi'ai scratched his head blankly.
"Hoo!" Fang Xuanling closed his eyes, took a deep breath, calmed down, and opened his eyes to say, "Show me your fist technique in front of the open space, using your righteous energy."
As Fang Xuanling spoke, he dismissed all the servants, clearing the courtyard.
"Okay!" Fang Yi'ai nodded obediently and began to practice.
Thump! Thump thump! A punch landed in the air, making muffled sounds, truly powerful and swift.
Fang Xuanling was certain that this was the aura of righteousness, and that his younger son's aura of righteousness was even stronger than that of his elder son. This one move showed that he was about to enter the scholar realm.
"Could it be that my son has finally seen the light? Or was he always a genius, and we just hadn't noticed it before?" Fang Xuanling wondered, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Break!" With a loud shout from Fang Yi'ai, a huge crater appeared in the courtyard.
Fang Xuanling ignored the ground and beckoned, "Come here, Yi'ai!"
"Come here, tell your father, what have you been learning lately?" Fang Xuanling asked gently as Fang Yi'ai walked over. Afraid of not expressing himself clearly, he added, "Well! You've been learning those poems and essays?"
"To live, be a hero; to die, a ghost of valor. Even now, I think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River!" Fang Yi'ai's eyes lit up as he spoke loudly.
This was a summer poem that had come from Qin Mu. Fang Xuanling knew it, and he asked gently, "Anything else? What books did you study?"
“Brother Qin taught us a lot, and he would recite it for a long time every day! There’s the Song of Righteousness, Mencius, and the Analects,” Fang Yi’ai said, counting on his fingers with a bitter face.
"Then how did you cultivate your righteous spirit?" Fang Xuanling asked. This was the question he most wanted to ask. Without sufficient knowledge, even if he was determined, he couldn't figure out how to cultivate righteous spirit.
"Brother Qin said that one should be upright and honest, have a sense of justice, and help those in need when one sees injustice. Brother Qin also said that a real man should have the ambition to conquer mountains and rivers. I am determined to wipe out the beastmen in my lifetime, even if it means facing thousands of people!" Fang Yi'ai said resolutely.
Seeing his usually taciturn son speaking with such vigor, Fang Xuanling felt a warmth in his heart. He then realized that he seemed to have neglected this son somewhat.
"Hmm! He's right. When did you become a Confucian cultivator?" Fang Xuanling asked with a gentle smile, though his cheek twitched slightly when he said the words "Confucian cultivator."
"I only learned it last night." It was rare for his father to speak to him so gently, and Fang Yi'ai felt somewhat flattered.
Seeing his son's ashamed expression, Fang Xuanling knew that he was disgusted by his own stupidity. Fang Xuanling couldn't help but twitch his cheeks again, wondering to himself if his son was really a genius, capable of accomplishing more in half a month than others had in a lifetime.
"Go have fun. When you see your Brother Qin, thank him for your father." Fang Xuanling nodded slightly.
"Oh!" Fang Yi'ai was a little puzzled that he hadn't been scolded today, and scratched his head in response.
Fang Xuanling wasn't unwilling to personally express his gratitude; after all, Qin Mu had successfully trained his troublesome son into a capable individual. However, he was a civil official, while Qin Qiong was a military officer, so he had to avoid any appearance of impropriety. It was best to leave matters to the younger generation. More importantly, he couldn't understand how his son had become a Confucian scholar, so he didn't want to publicize it.
Fang Xuanling went to court in a daze, and for the entire morning, he remained silent, which was unprecedented.
"Hmm!" Fang Xuanling felt someone bump into him and looked up to see his friend Du Ruhui looking at him with a helpless expression.
Fang Xuanling knew that his distraction had been noticed, especially in front of Li Shimin, so he immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I was impolite."
"Xuanling, don't worry about it. I noticed you were thinking about something early this morning. Is something important?" Li Shimin waved his hand and asked curiously.
Fang Xuanling knew this was the Imperial Study, and there were no outsiders there. He frowned slightly, then gave a wry smile. He knew that Li Shimin was taking care of him, which was why he hadn't asked in court. He glanced around and saw that there weren't many people there. After considering his words, he said, "Your Majesty, I do have something on my mind."
This time, not only Li Shimin became curious, but Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji, who were with him, also became curious and their eyes fell on him.
"My son became a Confucian cultivator yesterday," Fang Xuanling said truthfully. This kind of thing couldn't be hidden, especially since he had always had a worry in his heart, after all, some evil methods could cause great harm to people.
"Fang Erlang!"
"Confucian scholar!" Several voices rang out at the same time. They were all acquaintances. Even if they didn't know the details of the family, they knew a little about it. The eldest son of the Fang family was already a Confucian scholar, so this naturally referred to the second son.
"Hehe, congratulations, Master Fang. Erlang has finally come to his senses and is willing to learn the skills passed down in the family." Changsun Wuji said with a smile.
"Xuanling, do you mean that Fang Erlang has become a Confucian scholar?" Du Ruhui, who knew Fang Xuanling best, asked with some surprise.
“Not just a Confucian scholar, if I’m not mistaken, he should be becoming a scholar soon,” Fang Xuanling said with a strange smile.
"Congratulations, Xuanling! I wonder what kind of divinely inspired poem Fang Erlang has composed? Why didn't I feel it?" Li Shimin asked with a hint of curiosity.
The most enviable aspect of Confucianism is that if one can produce divinely inspired poems and essays, it is possible to become a great Confucian scholar overnight, just like the Taoist enlightenment, where after sudden enlightenment one can become a true ruler or a celestial master. There are precedents for this.
“My son has neither composed any poems that have inspired this divine gift, nor written any articles, and it has nothing to do with me,” Fang Xuanling said, shaking his head slightly.
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