Qin Jijiu hurriedly said, "Speaking of this, I have much to say. As the saying goes, a dragon begets nine sons, each different from the others, not to mention a common man like me. Her younger sister is nowhere near her, and she’s already married."

The Emperor asked, "Do you only have two daughters?"

Qin Jijiu replied, "There’s also a legitimate son. He’s mischievous and doesn’t like to study. It’s quite embarrassing, for the seeds of scholarship run deep in my family, yet my son lacks this fortune. Luckily, my nephew is talented in scholarly pursuits, so I don’t feel ashamed to face my ancestors."

"Oh?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Emperor listened with great curiosity and laughed, "Why do you humble yourself so much?"

Qin Jijiu said, "It’s not self-deprecation. No one knows a child better than his father. With no title for him to inherit, whether he succeeds in life or not, everyone will see. I’m afraid this child can only rely on his brother-in-law and cousins for help in the future."

The implication was not an attempt to praise his son, for a family’s foundation is shallow, and praise is useless; the truth will be revealed naturally in the future.

The Emperor seemed thoughtful.

After a while, he said, "I also have several children. Someone who is a father can surely understand your feelings."

Old Wang whispered a few words in his ear.

The Emperor chuckled again, "I’ve heard that Dingbei Marquis looks after his brother-in-law and has brought him along. Let me have a look."

Qin Jijiu happily said, "This youngster is certainly blessed with fortune to see the imperial visage."

The Emperor laughed heartily.

Thus, Qin Heng was brought forth.

Qin Heng dared not move, dazedly performed the etiquette, and after being asked to rise, dared to glance at the Emperor’s appearance.

The Emperor said, "Still a child."

Qin Jijiu replied, "I dare not hope for much from him, only that he may live a steady life and continue my bloodline, thereby honoring our ancestors."

Gaining glory for the ancestors is not dared to be thought, being able to live peacefully and without incident is a service to the ancestors.

This request cannot be called high.

The Emperor said, "What do you worry about with Dingbei Marquis there? I hear your son-in-law respects you greatly, and loves his wife dearly. When your son grows up, he will surely be well cared for. Let me tell you, people’s fate is unpredictable; perhaps this son is the most promising."

Prince Qi lowered his eyes in disdain.

The Crown Prince’s expression was rather nuanced.

After some conversation, Qin Heng retreated to his sister and brother-in-law’s side, finding some ease.

Seeing his sister stand quietly, he too learned to remain motionless, only his eyes rolling about.

The Emperor then summoned Sixth Master Gu and Qin Siyuan forward to speak.

Both Sixth Master Gu and Qin Siyuan met the Emperor for the first time, inevitably somewhat timid and restrained.

The Emperor watched and couldn’t help but secretly sigh.

The descendants of the Qin family are all of extraordinary appearance, with the wife of Dingbei Marquis being particularly outstanding, steady and composed, presenting herself neither humbly nor arrogantly during her rites, clearly showing courage and wisdom; even compared to First-Grade Duke’s Wife, a glance reveals her superior demeanor.

If I’d seen such a wonderful person earlier, recommending her as a concubine to the Crown Prince would have been good.

It’s just a pity...

After Sixth Master Gu and Qin Siyuan gave their knee-bow courtesy, they were graciously allowed by the Emperor to stand up and speak.

The Emperor laughed, "I’ve read Mr. Qin’s poems; I quite like them. I can tell you are mentally resilient and care for the world, but in the cleverness of poetry, you still fall behind Young Master Nantang, and in knowledge and generosity, you are behind Mr. Songshan, and there are still many areas to hone."

At these words, pride instantly appeared on the faces of Gu Jinghui and Qin Jijiu.

Qin Siyuan promptly said, "The Emperor’s critique is indeed correct. My poetry before was mediocre. It only improved after receiving guidance. Compared to the works of Young Master Nantang and Mr. Songshan, mine is still far behind."

The Emperor then asked, "I wonder if you are acquainted with Young Master Nantang?"

Qin Siyuan hesitated for a moment, then carefully responded, "I regard Young Master Nantang as a teacher, often pondering his poetry, studying it in various ways, and hence learned a bit."

The Emperor laughed, "No wonder your poetry seems to share a lineage with Young Master Nantang, both crafting words with spirit and elegance, yet you have lofty aspirations, while he enjoys tranquil leisure."

Qin Siyuan promptly said, "The Emperor truly has keen insight, such wisdom."

The Emperor further asked Gu Jinghui, "Did you invite Young Master Nantang?"

Gu Jinghui replied with a smile, "Young Master Nantang is a friend of Mr. Songshan, who is a storyteller I invited from the theater to my residence."

The Emperor curiously asked, "Why did you think to invite someone to your residence for storytelling? How did you discover his talent?"

Gu Jinghui said, "This is owed to my father-in-law. My father-in-law loves teaching students. Once, when I mentioned in front of him that I read too little, he ordered me to go back and study ’Spring and Autumn Annals’ and other works closely. As a soldier, I did read some books in my youth, but I was just a dabbler, and I’ve forgotten much over the years. Fearing he’d question me and I’d have no answer, I went to the theater to find someone to tell stories, and by sheer luck, I encountered Mr. Songshan."

The Emperor was amused by this and laughed heartily.

The crowd followed with laughter.

The Emperor further asked Sixth Master Gu, "What poems did you contribute to this gathering? Could you recite them for me?"

Sixth Master Gu, blushing, stammered, "I, I am afraid, my poems are far inferior to Mr. Qin’s, not to mention Young Master Nantang’s and Mr. Songshan’s. I only have my name on the list, so others compare me with them. I’m afraid my poetry is too poor to be worthy of being heard by you."

The Emperor said, "No matter."

Old Wang laughed, "This is a rare chance."

Sixth Master Gu’s face flushed, and he recited his poem.

The Emperor found him amusing, nodded, and encouraged him, "Compared to your earlier works, you have made considerable progress, and it shows that persevering endeavors lead to success."

Sixth Master Gu was elated, immediately saying, "Actually, my later works are better. I also wanted to emulate Xie Butterfly and create three hundred Firefly Poems, but my talent is limited, and thus far I’ve only managed to write a dozen or so."

Qin Jijiu was anxious.

Gu Jinghui couldn’t help but want to interject but was gently stopped by Qin Yuan holding his sleeve.

Unexpectedly, Sixth Master Gu’s personality was so endearing, the Emperor was intrigued and asked, "Do you remember them?"

"Of course I remember," said Sixth Master Gu joyfully, forgetting decorum, "Mr. Songshan required me to memorize ’Complete Tang Poems’ before composing. I recited them day and night, unbeknownst to me, my memory improved, and those dozen poems were all crafted with painstaking effort, naturally etched in my mind."

Others seeing his demeanor couldn’t help but snicker.

But Sixth Master Gu looked eagerly at the Emperor.

The Emperor had no choice but to say, "Recite them, and I shall assess them for you."

Sixth Master Gu immediately recited poem after poem.

The Emperor truly provided critiques for each one.

In the end, both were very pleased.

Sixth Master Gu said, "The Emperor truly is a Holy Emperor, I am convinced in heart and word."

The Emperor said, "A swift horse may cover ten strides in a leap; the plodding horse achieves its feat with perseverance. This saying I gift to you."

Everyone in their hearts couldn’t help but be astonished.