It took a while for Yin Zhong to finally get used to being in the same room with a talking fox, and the child's sense of novelty soon took over.
Not only was he not afraid of Hu Yun anymore, he also dragged a chair and sat next to Yin Qing, looking at the red fox so close to him as if he wanted to touch it but didn't dare to.
Then Yin Zhong suddenly remembered something and said to Yin Qing.
"Brother, I remember you told me a few stories when we were little. You said you had a friend who lived in the mountains. Is that it?"
"When you were a child? You sound like you're all grown up now, you little brat."
Yin Qing smiled and pinched her own Yin Zhong's little face.
"I have clearly told you before that it was the little fox, whose name was Hu Yun, and who played and studied with me. How come you have such a bad memory?"
Yin Zhong swayed left and right but couldn't avoid his brother's hand, and his little face was still pinched painfully. It was obvious that his brother had never practiced martial arts, but his strength was quite strong.
"Well, I forgot. How can I remember a story when I was four or five years old so clearly? When I remembered it, I thought you had a dog."
Hu Yun almost immediately turned to look at Yin Zhong. He was too sensitive to the word "dog".
"Okay, Tiger, I know you really want to have a dog, but our Yin family still doesn't allow dogs."
Hu Yun stretched out his paw and patted Yin Qing's hand.
"terrific!"
Accountant Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian sat at the other end. On the coffee table was a chessboard, which was the one Yin Zhaoxian had given to Ji Yuan that year. The two of them sat together to play chess after a long time.
There was still some time before dinner, so the two of them played chess, chatted, and drank tea, enjoying this moment of comfort.
Of course, Ji Yuan's chess skills are no longer what they used to be, but Yin Zhaoxian's chess skills have also improved over the years. Although he and Ji Yuan cannot be considered to be evenly matched, he can still play against them even when Ji Yuan gives him points.
Yin Zhong stole glances at Ji Yuan for who knows how many times, then looked at the red fox who had been fiddling with something with his head lowered and his big fluffy tail covering his face, then leaned close to Yin Qing's ear and whispered.
"Brother, Mr. Ji, is he a god?"
Yin Qing took a piece of candied fruit and put it in his mouth to chew, then handed a piece to Hu Yun and his brother, and then answered in a low voice.
"What do you think?"
"I'm sure it is!"
Yin Qing looked at the two people playing chess over there before continuing.
"Mr. Ji is not an ordinary person, but it is more appropriate to treat him as an elder. Of course, you can ask him to tell some interesting stories about gods and monsters, um..."
Yin Qing lowered his voice even lower again and spoke to his brother in an almost whispering voice.
"Those stories are most likely true!"
Yin Zhong nodded subconsciously, his eyes full of anticipation.
Yin Zhaoxian thought for a long time and put down the chess piece in his hand. Ji Yuan's eyes wandered around the chessboard, calculating the placement of the next few moves while speaking to Yin Zhaoxian.
"Master Yin advocates that girls can also go to school. Is there anyone in the court who objects?"
Yin Zhaoxian smiled.
"No one opposes? Haha, it's difficult to implement even now. When Yin first proposed it, many officials who Yin used to think were enlightened ministers directly opposed it in the court."
"Oh? How did Master Yin deal with it?"
Yin Zhaoxian looked at Yin Qing and Yin Chong over there.
"Qing'er said something very right. If we just argue with the other party in the court, there may not be any results after a few months. The key is to find the right medicine for the right disease."
"The ministers in the court all have wives and daughters..."
Yin Zhaoxian said this with a smile, and Ji Yuan understood everything.
As for what Yin Zhaoxian said later about wanting to boost the literary and military spirit of Dazhen, Ji Yuan also agreed very much. What Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing envisioned together was a path that would not neglect either civil governance or military achievements.
Although the road is long, as long as we don't fall behind in governing the people, governing the officials and then to economic development, Dazhen will become stronger and stronger in the future. Yin Zhaoxian is very confident about this.
But Ji Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian actually understood that there was an important prerequisite: Emperor Dazhen could implement this path and officials would not change their approach to policy implementation.
…
In addition to the dishes prepared by the chef of the Yin Mansion, the evening meal also included dishes with the characteristics of Jizhou, especially Ning'an County, all of which were cooked by Yin's mother.
Regardless of whether they were really delicious or pretending to be delicious, everyone at the table praised the dishes, which made Yin's mother very happy.
At the end of the twelfth lunar month, Ji Yuan settled down in Yin's mansion.
In an increasingly festive atmosphere, Dazhen's New Year arrived. When Ji Yuan and the Yin family were staying up all night together, a sword light rose from the Yin Mansion, welcoming the spirit of the new year at this moment of another year.
Yin Zhong was cautious, respectful and curious about Ji Yuan in the beginning, but later he became familiar with Ji Yuan and would find ways to find Ji Yuan to tell stories whenever he had free time.
Those magical stories always attract children, or anyone, because Yin Qing and Yin Zhaoxian often listen to them together.
That morning, Yin Qing took Hu Yun to stroll on the streets of Xinchun, while Yin Zhaoxian was alone in the study, checking official documents, which had to be classified and summarized and then sent to the palace. Yin Zhong went alone to the courtyard where Ji Yuan lived, waiting for Ji Yuan to get up.
That’s right, whenever Ji Yuan has the chance, he can always sleep until noon.
Ji Yuan woke up when he heard the noise outside the house. He sat up and looked towards the door. He could hear Yin Zhong's breathing and saw his strong temper.
Putting on his coat, Ji Yuan went over to open the door for him.
"Squeak..."
As soon as the door opened, Yin Zhong saw Ji Yuan, who was just putting on her clothes. She didn't even have her hair in a bun, leaving her long black hair hanging down.
"Morning, Mr. Ji, why don't you put on more clothes?"
"Come in, you look exactly like your brother!"
"Why!"
Yin Zhong walked into the house excitedly, closed the door, sat at the table very obediently, poured tea for Ji Yuan and himself, and waited to listen to the story.
The tea here was surprisingly hot every time. It was impossible for a servant to dare to bring hot water when Mr. Ji was still asleep. The teapot did not get cold all night. Yin Zhong knew that this was unusual, but he never asked any questions.
He glanced at the black jade hairpin on the bedside and found that under the sunlight shining through the window, the hairpin seemed to be emitting a faint glow, looking very beautiful.
But soon, the jade hairpin was picked up by Ji Yuan and pinned into the bun on her head.
"Tiger, what do you want to do in the future?"
"Of course, I would study hard and pass the imperial examinations..."
Ji Yuan smiled and interrupted him before he could finish.
"I'm asking you what you want to do, not what your parents want you to do. You're still young, but your martial arts skills are pretty good!"
Yin Zhong was stunned. He subconsciously retracted his neck and looked back, then spoke to Ji Yuan in a low voice.
"Mr. Ji, how did you know? Oh, yes, you are a god, of course you know, but please don't tell daddy and brother..."
Ji Yuan sat down at the table with a smile. It was amusing to see Yin Zhong’s nervous expression. He picked up the teacup and took a sip before speaking.
"Tiger, don't you think about it? Your father and your brother are the smartest people in the world. Can your little tricks fool them?"
After hearing what Ji Yuan said, Yin Chong also began to react.
"I don't think I can keep it a secret forever, but Ayuan and I have only been learning martial arts for a few months. In such a short time, my father and brother are so busy, so I should..."
"Shouldn't know?"
Yin Dian nodded, but saw Ji Yuan smiling again.
"Chen Ayuan is extremely loyal to Master Yin. He doesn't dare to bypass Master Yin and teach you martial arts directly. It is only possible if your father and brother agree, silly child!"
"Okay, let me ask you again, what do you want to do in the future?"
Yin Zhongzhong looked at the teacup in his hand, shook it without drinking the water, and said in a low voice.
"I don't really want to be an official in a local government, nor do I want to argue with people in the court, nor do I want to read books all the time, nor do I want to write articles all the time..."
Yin Zhong raised his head and looked at Ji Yuan.
"I don't want to have so many worries. I want to be a ranger. If that doesn't work, I want to be a general!"
"To have achieved the skills he has today in just a few months, he is truly a man of extraordinary talent!"
Hearing Ji Yuan's praise, Yin Zhong smiled embarrassedly.
"Sir, I have been very strong since I was a child. I have only been laying the foundation during this period. I still have a long way to go!"
"Well, in your situation, it's unlikely that you can become a knight-errant, which is a bit of a pity. But if you want to join the army, your family probably won't object. But if you really want to become a general, it's also not easy."
"Ah, why?"
Ji Yuan looked at Yin Zhong and said seriously.
"Think about why yourself."
Yin Zhong looked at Ji Yuan's pair of old eyes and felt as if he saw an ancient well with the reflection of the bright moon in the well.
"Because of my dad? I don't mean that my dad would object, but others, because my dad..."
"Haha, that's right. Even if Emperor Dazhen trusts your Yin family, he will not allow the Yin family to be the top official and the top military officer. That would really make them powerful."
"What about me?"
Ji Yuan patted Yin Zhong on the shoulder.
"Study literature and martial arts well, be pure in your heart, and have a clear conscience!"
Yin Zhong just nodded, as if he understood but also as if he didn't understand. Then he saw Ji Yuan took out a book.
"I'm giving this book to you. Actually, the things inside are a bit messy, but I think it's better for you to figure out what to do from it. Well, I carry this book with me wherever I go."
The book in Ji Yuan's hand had the words "Character Array" written on the cover. It was written by Ji Yuan at night after observing Yin Zhong for several days. He wrote this after watching several scenes of the little characters arranging arrays and chatting with each other.
There are some tricks in the contents, but Ji Yuan doesn't know much about military affairs, so he left it to Yin Zhong to sort out himself. Of course, this book can ward off evil spirits, and it can be regarded as a talisman given to him by an elder.
In fact, the "Character Array" in Yin Zhong's hand is not complete, and Ji Yuan is also using it to calculate some strange methods, but these have little to do with Yin Zhong.