It was noon.
After Luo Qingzhou had lunch with Miss Qin Er, they went to the Exiled Immortal Residence.
He decided to spend half an hour reading.
The remaining time is used to practice internal skills.
Because his home was not soundproof and he was afraid of damaging the house, he did not practice the "Vajra Explosive Fist" he had just brought from the sect.
As for the Bull Demon Nine Sticks, he decided to wait until Sister Yue came in the evening before practicing it to avoid making mistakes.
After all, it was a demon clan martial art, and it was his first time practicing stick techniques.
If there is someone to guide you, you will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.
Judging from Sister Yue’s proficient understanding of this set of stick techniques last night, the other party should not only have cultivated her spirit, I wonder what level her physical body has reached.
"Sincerity leads to wisdom, which is called nature. Wisdom leads to sincerity, which is called education. Sincerity leads to wisdom, and wisdom leads to sincerity..."
From the study, there was the sound of reading aloud.
Xiaodie sat in the corridor, embroidering flowers quietly, and keeping an eye out for any annoying sparrows coming down to make noise.
The snow finally stopped and everything was white.
There was still thick snow on the trees in the yard, and crystal clear icicles hung under the eaves.
The sun is still hiding in the clouds.
It was freezing cold, and the entire mansion was silent.
On the streets of Kyoto, both in the outer city and the inner city, there are more and more pedestrians.
In addition to the people of Dayan, there are also many tourists from neighboring countries.
All businesses have also prepared New Year's goods in advance, and some shops have already hung festive lanterns in front of their doors.
Meanwhile, the imperial palace was making intensive preparations for the Taikang Festival, which was held every three years in the Great Yan Dynasty.
The apparent prosperity and bustle are concealing the undercurrents of the Great Yan Empire.
After watching for a while, the princes from all over the country returned to Beijing one after another.
To the relief of all the people, the eldest princess who was leading the troops at the border was also on her way back to Kyoto.
So the original rumor was proven wrong.
But for some, they were disappointed.
People died in the palace for two consecutive days.
A young eunuch and a palace maid, both of whom angered Nangong Yang for unknown reasons, were beaten to death by him.
The Queen Mother was furious when she heard this and went to her bedroom to reprimand her husband personally.
Nangong Yang apologized sincerely.
The matter was dropped and not spread outside.
Of course, except for the two dead servants, this was a trivial matter for anyone.
In the evening.
The sun pushed aside the clouds, revealing its red face.
Golden light poured into the courtyard, dispelling some of the gloom and coldness.
Xiaodie stood up from the corridor, stretched, walked into the courtyard, and basking in the sunshine, a smile appeared on her face unconsciously.
"The sky is finally going to clear up."
She murmured.
But she also knew that the sunny weather in this season would not last long.
“Swish! Swish! Swish!”
In the back garden.
Luo Qingzhou was holding the black wooden stick and practicing stick techniques.
Fearing that the noise would be too loud, he did not use his internal energy, but just slowly practiced his moves, in case Sister Yue came tonight and he still didn't know how to do anything, thus wasting time.
When the sun was about to set, he put away his stick and went to the front yard.
In the front yard, Xiaodie was holding a broom, sweeping the snow on the bluestone slabs. Her little face was pink from tiredness and her forehead was covered with sweat.
Luo Qingzhou hugged her and kissed her, saying, "Why are you sweeping the snow? If you are bored, go and play with Xiaotao. The young master doesn't need you to stay here."
Xiaodie wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "That won't work. What if the young master is thirsty? No one will pour tea or water. What if the young master is hungry? No one will bring snacks or fruit. What if someone suddenly breaks in? No one will stop them. The role of servants is very important."
Luo Qingzhou nodded and agreed: "That's right, what if I suddenly want to do it? Xiaodie is proficient in various martial arts."
The little girl blushed and said, "Master..."
When the two returned to Meixiang Garden, it was already dark.
When Luo Qingzhou was about to have dinner with Miss Qin Er in the study, Mei Er suddenly rushed over and said, "Son-in-law, Miss Qin Er, the eldest master is back, and the master and the mistress are calling you over."
Miss Qin's face was immediately filled with joy as she asked, "Is the eldest brother back? Where's the second brother?"
Mei'er said, "Only the eldest son has returned."
Miss Qin Er, under Qiu'er's help, put on a thick fox fur coat and frowned slightly: "Why did big brother come back at this time... Did something happen in the academy?"
The two of them quickly went out the door and came to the hall in front.
In the hall, Qin Lang, dressed in blue, was asking about the recent situation at home.
Qin Wen Zheng sat on a chair, holding a teacup, and did not speak.
Song Ruyue was standing nearby, proudly talking about the recent store business.
After listening to this, Qin Lang said seriously: "Mother, it's okay to do business and make money, but don't take shortcuts and do things that harm others and benefit yourself, and don't violate regulations and disregard the law."
Qin Wenzheng frowned and said, "Lang'er, do you think we are that kind of people? Don't you know your mother well? Can she do such a thing?"
At this point, for some reason, he suddenly became angry again and said with a sullen face: "Even if we did that, it is not your turn to teach us a lesson."
Qin Lang saw that he was angry, and quickly apologized: "Dad, I didn't mean anything else, I just wanted to remind you. I came back tonight and I have something happy to tell you."
At this time, Luo Qingzhou came in from outside, supporting Miss Qin Er.
Miss Qin Er smiled and said, "Brother, what good news is it that has you coming back in such a hurry?"
Qin Lang turned his head and looked at them.
Luo Qingzhou bowed and said, "Brother."
Qin Lang nodded, a smile appeared on his face, and said: "Let's eat first, and then we can talk while we eat."
In the dining room next door, the maids had already served a table full of exquisite dishes.
The air is filled with hot steam and fragrant aroma.
The family came to the table and sat down one by one.
Song Ruyue couldn't wait to ask, "Lang'er, what's the good news? Did you win a prize at the academy? Or did you make another breakthrough in your cultivation?"
Qin Wen Zheng also looked at his eldest son in front of him seriously.
Qin Lang smiled widely, picked up the wine pot, poured a glass of wine for everyone, and said, "By the way, why didn't Jianjia come?"
Song Ruyue sighed and said, "I just asked Mei'er to go and call her. Mei'er said she was not feeling well and was resting."
Qin Lang frowned slightly and said, "Jianjia stays at home all day and doesn't go out or talk to anyone. She will only get weaker and weaker. Dad, Mom, we should find a way to get her to go out more often. It would be even better if she could make some friends."
Song Ruyue said helplessly, "Mother thought so too. Every day when mother went to the store, she wanted to take her to the inner city to play, but the girl was very stubborn and refused to go out. Mother had no choice."
Miss Qin Er said softly: "Brother, sister is fine now, you don't have to worry. Tell us the good news you just said, Wei Mo can't wait."
Qin Lang then remembered the business. He smiled and glanced at the others, then sat down and said, "I entered the palace yesterday. His Majesty personally sent someone to the academy to summon me to the palace. He talked to me for a long time and immediately appointed me as the acting commander of the Jinyiwei. His Majesty said that as long as I perform well, once I graduate from the academy next year, I can officially become the commander of the Jinyiwei. By then, if I make more contributions to His Majesty, I may have the opportunity to lead troops to war and revive the former glory of my Qin family!"
After he finished speaking, I thought everyone would be excited and happily congratulating him, but I suddenly found that the table suddenly became silent.
Qin Lang felt that the atmosphere was not right, and everyone's expressions were not right. He was stunned and asked in confusion: "Dad, Mom, Wei Mo, what's wrong?"
Qin Wen Zheng looked at him again, said nothing, lowered his head, picked up the wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
Song Ruyue looked unhappy and hesitated, but finally couldn't help but said, "Lang'er, can you stop being the commander of the Jinyiwei?"
Qin Lang frowned and asked, "Mother, why?"
He looked at his father again and said, "Dad, you taught me from a young age that when I grow up, I must be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, and restore the prestige of my Qin family. I have always kept it in mind. Now is a rare opportunity. The emperor has personally entrusted me with an important task. As long as I perform well, the emperor will definitely use me in the future. When the time comes, I will definitely work hard to earn a title for my Qin family. After a hundred years, I will also have the face to meet my Qin family ancestors, right?"
Qin Wenzheng was silent for a while, then looked at him and said, "Lang'er, you have been studying in the academy for the past few years, and many things have happened at home that we have not told you. The reason we left Mocheng was not because of the appearance of the demon tribe there, but because we had to leave."
After a pause, he continued, "Our Qin family has already stood up for the princess. The Jinyiwei have come to our house many times to embarrass us. If it weren't for the princess saving us last time, our family would have been imprisoned and tortured by the Jinyiwei. When we were in Mo City, the princess also saved us several times. The princess has done us a favor, so we have to repay her."
Qin Lang was stunned for a long while after listening to this, and said with a puzzled look on his face: "Dad, I still don't quite understand. Is there any difference between being loyal to the princess and being loyal to the emperor? Why do we have to take sides? Did Dad believe those rumors and think that the princess would betray the emperor? The princess is the emperor's biological sister, and she is a woman. Do you think she would do that?"
Qin Wenzheng was silent for a moment, and said: "The princess may not do that, but our Qin family has indeed offended the emperor. The emperor has sent the Jinyiwei several times to cause trouble for us. At the beginning, your mother was almost framed by the Jinyiwei, but fortunately she was rescued. So, Lang'er, Daddy doesn't want you to..."
Qin Lang shook his head and interrupted him, saying, "Dad, you're overthinking. The emperor is a man of great talent and cherishes talents. How could he be jealous of us for such a small matter? If the emperor really wanted to deal with our Qin family, how could he summon me to the palace and make me the commander of the Jinyiwei? Maybe our Qin family and the emperor really have conflicts, but those are just some small misunderstandings. The emperor will not take them to heart at all."
Then, he looked at the side of Miss Qin Er and said, "By the way, His Majesty also told me that he invited Qingzhou to the palace to talk last time. His Majesty said that he had a very pleasant chat with Qingzhou. Moreover, His Majesty also said that he is very optimistic about Qingzhou in the palace examination next year, and said that with Qingzhou's talent, he might be able to get the top scorer. His Majesty thinks so highly of my Qin family, which means that he has long forgotten those little misunderstandings. Qingzhou, when the time comes, we will serve the country together, share His Majesty's worries, and then earn a title for the Qin family. It can be regarded as worthy of our status as a man of the Qin family, what do you think?"
Luo Qingzhou broke the oppressive atmosphere, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded: "Brother is right."
Then he continued, "Father-in-law, mother-in-law, don't worry too much. Leave the outside affairs to me and my elder brother. We are the men of the Qin family, so we should naturally share the worries of the Qin family. You don't need to worry about it."
Song Ruyue looked at him in confusion and opened her mouth to speak, but Qin Wenzheng suddenly coughed and said, "Well, since Lang'er and Qingzhou both said so, then maybe we are overthinking it. Let's eat, the food is getting cold."
Miss Qin Er also smiled and said, "Brother, eat some food."
Qin Lang smiled and raised his glass, saying, "Qingzhou, I'll toast you."
Luo Qingzhou quickly picked up the wine glass, stood up and said: "Qingzhou should toast to big brother."
They both drank it down in one gulp.
Qin Lang ate for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, he stood up and said, "Dad, Mom, Wei Mo, Qing Zhou, I have to go back to the academy, so I'll leave first. You guys continue eating, my second brother and I will have a holiday in a few days, and I will come back to reunite with you then."
Several people stood up and walked him to the door.
Qin Lang mounted his horse, waved his hand, and quickly left the alley, disappearing into the night in the distance.
Several people stood at the door, each with a different look on their face.
Song Ruyue frowned and said, "Master, Lang'er..."
Qin Wenzheng sighed and said, "You know Lang'er's temper. He can't be persuaded. Besides, there are some things that are no longer suitable to be told to him."
Song Ruyue said with an unpleasant expression: "Master, if Lang'er really wants to be the commander of the Jinyiwei, should we... just be on guard against him?"
Qin Wenzheng looked at her and said seriously, "You have to be on guard against him now. Don't tell him about the things at home anymore."
Song Ruyue said in a trembling voice: "But, but Lang'er is our son... He is your eldest son, how can we..."
Qin Wen Zheng looked towards the alley in the distance, a hint of pain appeared in his eyes, and he said nothing more.
Miss Qin Er said softly, "Mother, when the eldest and second brothers come back from vacation, Wei Mo will have a good talk with them. The eldest brother has been practicing hard in the academy. This is the first time he has learned about these things tonight. Naturally, he can't understand them for a while. When Wei Mo explains it to him, he will slowly understand it."
Song Ruyue sighed and said, "I hope Lang'er is right. If His Majesty really lets our Qin family go and never embarrasses our Qin family again, that would be the best."
Miss Qin Er said nothing more and looked at the person next to her.
Luo Qingzhou held her hand, remained silent, and did not speak again.
In fact, things are very simple. As long as that person dies, all problems will be solved.
The sky is still the sky, and the earth is still the earth.
The eldest brother wanted to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, so naturally there was a new monarch and a new country for him to realize his ambitions.
No matter whether that person will let them go or not, he will never let him go!
Looking up, the night sky is deep and the moon is high in the sky.
Thinking that Sister Yue would come to the house tonight, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous and uneasy, as if he was having an affair.
But he knew in his heart that Sister Yue was not that kind of person, and he was only doing it for cultivation.
"Brother Qingzhou, my sister is not feeling well, please go and see her."
At this time, Miss Qin Er suddenly said softly.