"Have you finished writing?" Luo Tong asked, looking up. If it weren't for the curiosity in his eyes, his expression would have been just like Luo Cheng's.
"Yes, you've finished writing. This is a gift your cousin prepared for you." Qin Mu smiled kindly and said gently to him. In his opinion, although Luo Tong was very patient, he had completely stifled the child's nature, which was Luo Cheng's mistake, and he wanted to help him make amends.
Kids should focus on their studies; martial arts training is fine as long as they practice it morning and night. Back in my day, I was always buried in my studies; otherwise, how could I have become a double PhD? If it weren't for my illness, I could easily have earned two more PhDs.
Qin Mu automatically ignored the fact that his good memory was due to illness and appreciating the fruits of his two hours of hard work with satisfaction.
"What does the gift for me say?" Luo Tong asked happily when he heard it was a gift for him.
Qin Mu did not write Chinese pinyin or use Arabic numerals; he simply wanted to learn everything from scratch as an ancient person.
Before he could answer, a voice came from outside the door.
"Tong'er, are you disturbing your cousin's reading?"
Upon seeing Luo Yi and his son enter, Qin Mu quickly stepped forward to greet them: "Uncle, cousin!"
“Huai Dao, no need for formalities, this is your aunt!” Luo Yi waved his hand and said.
As Luo Yi stepped aside, Qin Mu noticed there was another person behind him. It was a middle-aged beautiful woman. Upon seeing her, Qin Mu couldn't help but think of the following: "Perfectly round and shapely, a rare find."
However, this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, and he then bowed again and said, "Nephew Qin Mu greets Aunt."
"Huai Dao, no need for formalities. I hope Tong'er hasn't bothered you."
"No, my cousin is very well-behaved."
“This child has no brothers or sisters. As soon as he heard that he had a cousin, he insisted on coming to see you first thing in the morning.”
"Mom, look, this is a gift from my cousin!" Luo Tong said, presenting a large stack of Xuan paper to his mother as if it were a treasure.
"Your cousin is a very talented writer; his writings are truly exceptional. You should cherish them," Luo Yi reminded him.
Putting aside yesterday's Heavenly Gift Scroll, he was full of admiration for the powerful summer poem that followed. He was startled to see Qin Mu take out such a large stack; if it weren't in his daughter-in-law's hands, he would have wanted to take a look first.
Although Luo Yiwen's talent was only average, he knew that Luo Yiwen was extraordinary because he could read poems that made him feel so passionate.
Aunt Dou Xianniang, whom Luo Yi had mentioned yesterday, and Qin Mu also knew her background, quickly explained when Luo Cheng said this: "It's not as serious as Uncle makes it out to be. It's just some copied exercises from books like the Zhoubi Suanjing and the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, used as practice problems for my cousin. Only the 'Primer of Prosody' is a rare copy. It's just interesting to look at."
Dou Xianniang looked at the two sheets of Xuan paper and found that they contained some interesting questions, such as the simple problem of chickens and rabbits in the same cage and animals crossing a river. The language descriptions were vivid and interesting, so she happily accepted them.
Dou Xianniang even thought that if her teacher had given her these kinds of questions back then, she wouldn't have been unable to learn them.
"Heaven against earth, rain against wind. Continent against sky. Mountain flowers against sea trees, blazing sun against azure sky. Rumbling thunder, misty fog, sun below against the sky above..." Luo Yi was reading the rare book Qin Mu had mentioned, and couldn't help but read it aloud, nodding his head.
"Excellent! It's easy to understand and melodious. It truly deserves to be called an enlightenment text, no less than the Thousand Character Classic. I wonder who the great master who wrote it is?" Luo Yi exclaimed repeatedly.
"These are all books from my home, compiled by my grand-nephew. I don't know which great author it was," Qin Mu replied. He was too lazy to mention the original author, since asking further would require explanation, so he simply attributed it to his family.
"It sounds like this isn't finished. Is there a sequel?" Dou Xianniang asked.
Of all those present, Dou Xianniang was indeed the most educated, after all, she was a princess in her youth and received a good education.
“There are still many more, but my cousin isn’t suited to learning them. I’ll write them for him when he’s older,” Qin Mu explained.
"Good!" Dou Xianniang nodded in satisfaction.
“Your uncle is patrolling the city this morning. After lunch, have him take you for a walk around the city.”
"OK."
"Cheng'er, go check if the meal is ready." After chatting for a while, Luo Yi stroked his beard and said.
Luo Cheng and Dou Xianniang knew that Luo Yi had something to say to Qin Mu alone, so the couple left with their son.
"What are your orders, sir?" Qin Mu asked curiously, seeing Luo Yi pacing back and forth in the room, looking troubled. He really couldn't imagine what Luo Yi was having trouble saying.
"I have something I can't tell outsiders. Huai Dao, can you help me make a decision?" Luo Yi said, sitting down as his brows relaxed.
"I am all ears, my grand-nephew."
“In my early years, I followed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and offended the Prince of Qin, who is now His Majesty. Although His Majesty has bestowed great rewards upon me, I am still uneasy about it,” Luo Yi said carefully.
"What is Your Majesty's attitude towards surrendered generals?" Qin Mu finally understood what Luo Yi wanted to say, and after thinking for a moment, he asked in return.
He didn't speak from memory, after all, based on his experience, he didn't know those things. Moreover, the reality was uncertain, because it was a different world.
"His Majesty treats surrendered generals quite well; he not only trusts them greatly but also uses them highly," Luo Yi said after thinking for a moment.
“Back then, you were also serving your own master, so I don’t think His Majesty will mind too much,” Qin Mu analyzed, seeing Luo Yi’s brows relax.
"Even so, I still feel uneasy," Luo Yi sighed.
"What if you, sir, express your loyalty?" Qin Mu asked again.
"How should I express this? I can't exactly go to Chang'an, can I?" Luo Yi said with a wry smile, clearly having already considered this approach.
"What if my uncle took my cousin to live in Chang'an?" Qin Mu asked again.
"That's right! How come I didn't think of that!" Luo Yi's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly.
He had been living in constant fear and anxiety, and had even forgotten that his son was a member of the Qin Prince's faction. Sending Luo Cheng's family to live in Chang'an was tantamount to sending hostages, and two generations at that; Li Shimin would certainly feel at ease.
Luo Yi secretly rejoiced that he wanted to talk to Qin Mu. He had only thought of Qin Mu because he saw that Qin Mu was mature beyond his years and was a scholar, and that he wanted to see if he had any different opinions.
"Young Master, you're just too caught up in the situation to see clearly," Qin Mu said without taking credit, seeing that Luo Yi seemed to have figured it out.
"Without your reminder, the young master might have made an irreversible decision," Luo Yi said with a relaxed expression and a happy smile.
"Not at all! Not at all! I was just asking casually, it was mainly your idea, Uncle," Qin Mu said, shaking his head. He didn't want to get involved.
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