In the Dazhen Palace, in the Hongwenguan of the Menxia Province, several princes and princesses ranging in age from ten to teenagers were attending school. Yin Zhaoxian's second son Yin Chong was also studying here, serving as a companion to the princes and princesses.
Strictly speaking, the prince who learns best among these princes may become Yin Zhaoxian's apprentice in the future, but that would also be a real dragon among men, because the current Emperor Dazhen has already said that in the future, Yin Zhaoxian will also serve as the prince's tutor.
This is equivalent to whoever recognizes Yin Zhaoxian as his master in the future will become the crown prince or a candidate for the crown prince. Although there may be tendencies such as the emperor's favoritism, the current emperor is different from Emperor Yuande in this respect. It is equivalent to selecting outstanding heirs from the very beginning to train them with all their strength, instead of suppressing anyone.
It is not easy to be a prince or a son of a high-ranking official. If you are a playboy with no ambition, it is fine. If you want to go further, the requirements will be stricter. I am almost 30 years old, but I have classes every day.
At this moment, in the large study room of Hongwenguan, an old Confucian scholar with the official title of Junior Teacher was muttering to himself while holding a book.
"Learn the six arts to control your body, learn high morals to control your mind, learn advanced skills to control the world..."
As the old gentleman read, he glanced at the students sitting at the desks below. They were all sitting upright, but most of them looked nonchalant, and some were even whispering to each other, so he stopped talking.
Hearing the noise die down, the children below all sat up straight. The young master glanced at the prince sitting in the front.
"Your Highness, this is the first time I'm learning "Cultivating a Gentleman" today. I'm asking you, can you give me an example of the skills mentioned in the book that can help me rule the world?"
The prince who was called was a little nervous and subconsciously whispered for help.
"Uh, Tiger..."
Hu'er is Yin Zhong's nickname. Not only his family but also his close friends call him that. Yin Zhong is indeed very strong and bigger than other children of the same age.
"Don't ask for help from others!"
The old man said seriously.
"Your Highness, please answer this yourself."
"Well... to rule the world... one must understand the classics and know right from wrong, and be well-versed in both ancient and modern times..."
The eldest prince spoke for a while and couldn't continue.
"hehe… "
The old man smiled and looked at Yin Zhong.
"Yin Zhong, since His Majesty has asked you for help, how about you answer it?"
Yin Zhong frowned and thought for a moment.
"Master, you also said that this is the first time you are learning "Cultivating a Gentleman" today, and it is also the first time you are reading it. Just now, you clearly only read to the point of learning the skills to rule the world. If you are asking about the skills to rule the world mentioned in the book, then we have not learned them yet."
The old master smiled, stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "After all, he is worthy of being the second son of Lord Yin."
"What I said can also be understood as asking what the skills mentioned in the book are for ruling the world. To truly rule the world, not all the words in the book can be relied upon."
"Well, Master, what you said makes sense. I think that there are only two kinds of skills that can truly rule the world!"
"Oh? Which two?"
Yin Zhong said seriously.
"My elder brother told me that the first skill to rule the world is 'military', the second is 'governance', which can be further divided into 'conquering the army' and 'preserving the status quo', 'law' and 'establishing the system'..."
The old student in the young teacher's chair frowned and seemed a little confused when listening to what Yin Zhong said. What he said was not just general talk, but seemed to be more profound and thorough than the content in "Cultivating a Gentleman".
"Master, am I right?"
After Yin Zhong finished speaking, he asked the senior master, who nodded slowly.
"That does make sense, but it's too early for you to think about this, and it's too utilitarian. What's said in Cultivating Gentlemen is more appropriate..."
"Master, I have something else to ask you."
The old man looked at Yin Zhong and did not blame him for interrupting him.
"explain."
"The three guards have a priority. Guarding the world is naturally the last. So which one comes first, Guarding the body or Guarding the heart?"
With Yin Zhaoxian's son as a student, the classmates would feel more pressured, and the same is true for the teachers. The old student frowned and thought for a while before answering solemnly.
"As the saying goes, it is difficult to control a restless mind. In comparison, it is natural to control the body first and then the mind."
Yin nodded emphatically.
"Yeah, that's what my dad said too."
Hearing this, the young master felt inexplicably relieved.
"But my father also said that the so-called art of a gentleman's self-control is often in name only in our Dazhen. Although it is not necessary to be proficient in the six arts, it is hard to say how many scholars who only know how to read can control themselves. What do you think, Master?"
This question is a little difficult to answer. The young master was just thinking about it when suddenly a guard with a sword came hurriedly and arrived at the Hongwenguan.
The old man looked at the newcomer.
"What's the matter?"
The guard bowed.
"Master Master, Prime Minister Yin's residence has sent someone to urgently summon Second Master Yin back, saying that a guest who has not been seen for many years is visiting his hometown."
The old man nodded and looked at Yin Zhong.
"In that case, Yin Zhong, you should go back first."
"yes!"
Yin Zhong stood up, saluted the teacher, then saluted the other princes and princesses, then went out with the guards. The remaining students all looked at Yin Zhong with envy.
Once he got outside and walked for a while, Yin Zhong couldn't hold it in any longer. He breathed a sigh of relief and his mood improved. Studying was really too boring.
I don’t know who the relative from my hometown is. Could it be my uncle
After leaving the house and seeing the servants and carriage waiting outside, Yin Zhong immediately trotted over and asked excitedly.
"Ayuan, who's coming to our house? Why would my dad ask you to call me back?"
This servant does not look young, he is at least around fifty years old, which makes him an old man around Yin Zhaoxian. He has clear ideas and is also a martial arts master.
"Second Young Master, the person who came is Mr. Ji. I also met him once in Wanzhou. You will know when you go back."
"Mr. Ji!?"
Yin Zhong was shocked. He didn't know how many times he had heard his father, brother and even mother mention Mr. Ji. Naturally, he was familiar with the name, but he had never seen him before. Although his family said that he had seen Mr. Ji when he was a baby, how could he have any memory of him at that time
Therefore, this mysterious Mr. Ji aroused Yin Zhong's curiosity a lot. Occasionally, when he asked anxiously, his family would reveal some information and talk about Mr. Ji's strangeness and extraordinaryness. Some of the content made Yin Zhong suspect that his family members were talking about a god, not a neighbor.
"Yes, it is Mr. Ji. He is exactly the same person as I saw back then."
Yin Zhong stepped forward and quickly jumped onto the carriage as light as a swallow.
"Let's go, let's go home quickly. I want to see what Mr. Ji looks like and whether he is really that powerful!"
The carriage started moving at Yin Zhong's urging. As his home was not far from the palace, it soon arrived at the gate of Yin's mansion. Yin Zhong jumped directly from the carriage and ran quickly into the mansion.
In the main living room, Yin's mother had already returned home. After meeting Ji Yuan and saying hello, Yin's mother, who never cooked, insisted on going to the kitchen to show off her cooking skills, as she was afraid that the servants at home would not be able to cook the New Year's goods from their hometown well, let alone the taste of Ning'an County.
Ji Yuan and the Yin family father and son were chatting about the changes in their hometown and some of their experiences in officialdom over the years.
At this moment, Yin Zhong's footsteps could be heard from outside. He hurried to the door of the living room, forced himself to stop, straightened his clothes, and knocked on the door impatiently.
“Dad, I’m back!”
"Tiger is back, come in quickly!"
Hearing his father's voice, Yin Zhong immediately pushed the door open. A wave of heat from the charcoal fire rushed towards him, and he quickly closed the door to prevent the heater from escaping.
After scanning the area, he wanted to lock onto Ji Yuan immediately, but the red fox was too eye-catching. Seeing a fiery red fox squatting on his brother's legs, Yin Zhong's attention was immediately attracted.
"What are you standing there for? Why don't you go meet Mr. Ji?"
Yin Zhaoxian said this, and then Yin Zhong hurriedly bowed to Ji Yuan.
"Yin Zhong greets Mr. Ji!"
"No need to be polite. Your father and I are close friends. The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water. There is no need to be too rigid about formalities."
Ji Yuan left this child, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, with strong muscles and bones, bright eyes, long breathing, and a strong temper. He was somewhat different from his father and brother.
Although Yin Zhong was attracted by the fox at first, he couldn't help but look at Ji Yuan carefully now.
At first glance, I thought he was quite young, but upon closer inspection, I felt that he was no younger than my father, and there was a strange sense of cleanliness in him. Then I looked closely at his eyes, and after careful observation, I could indeed see a hint of grayness in them.
"Is this Mr. Ji? It doesn't seem like anything special..."
"Are you Yin Qing's brother?"
A crisp voice suddenly rang out. Yin Zhong was stunned for a moment. His eyes looked at Ji Yuan, Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing, and finally fell on the fox. His eyes widened involuntarily.
"Ho ho... Dad, Dad, Brother, Mr. Ji, this fox is talking!"
Yin Zhong pointed at the fox and screamed in panic.
"What's the big deal? You are Master Yin's son and Yin Qing's brother."
The red fox jumped off Yin Qing's knees and walked step by step to Yin Zhong, while the latter subconsciously stepped back step by step, with his back directly pressed against the door.
"Well, my name is Hu Yun, I'm Yin Qing's good friend, and I came here with Mr. Ji."
Yin Zhaoxian, Yin Qing and Ji Yuan all had smiles on their faces, looking like they were enjoying a good show, and they were deliberately watching Yin Chong make a fool of himself.
Yin Zhong was still a child after all. He jumped away from the door and ran to Yin Zhaoxian, looking at the red fox over there with a look of astonishment.
"Dad... this can't be..."
"That's right, it's a monster. I'm a fox spirit who practices in Niu Kui Mountain. Your brother and I have been friends since childhood."
Hu Yun narrowed his eyes, and an extremely human smile appeared on his fox face.
“Hahahahahaha…” “Hehehe…”
"As expected, hehe..."
The other three finally couldn't hold it back anymore and the living room was filled with laughter. Even Yin Zhong laughed awkwardly after he came to his senses. At the same time, he looked at Hu Yun and Ji Yuan with more curiosity.
I thought to myself, there really are monsters in this world. Doesn’t that mean Mr. Ji is really a god or something like that