Zhou Shuren stood up. “Half an hour every night, after dinner.”

Shi Qing said excitedly, “This student greets Shīfu.”

Zhou Shuren caught hold of Shi Qing before he could bow. “I will only teach you for two years. How much you learn in those two years depends on you. You may go now.”

Shi Qing froze. “Shīfu, why?”

Zhou Shuren replied quietly, “I am only your Xiānsheng. From now on, address me as Xiānsheng.”¹

To put it bluntly, the Emperor only wanted him to teach Shi Qing, not to actually accept him as a student.

Shi Qing reacted quickly. The Emperor had indeed mentioned becoming a student, but he had never clearly stated how. Shi Qing looked at Zhou Daren and felt reassured. Zhou Daren could guess the Emperor’s meaning. Such a teacher was hard to find even in the capital. He felt confident about the future.

Zhou Shuren did not keep Shi Qing for dinner and had Steward Ding see him off.

In the main courtyard, Zhulan had fallen asleep while waiting for Zhou Shuren. When Zhou Shuren returned, he saw Zhulan sleeping soundly. He smiled and pinched Zhulan’s slightly chubby cheeks, then took off his shoes and lay down on the kang.

With Shi Qing’s matter settled, he figured the Emperor was satisfied with his actions. His tense mind relaxed, and he fell asleep soon after, embracing Zhulan.

The next day, Shi Qing reported to the Zhou residence after supper. Zhou Shuren taught only Shi Qing. He had no intention of rushing anyone’s progress. Whether it was Changlian or Rongchuan, the lessons he was giving Shi Qing were not yet suitable for either of them to hear.

Zhou Shuren didn’t discuss the drawbacks of Lizhou with Shi Qing but instead wrote a memorial to the Emperor. He argued that while it wasn’t suitable to establish oversight now, they could manipulate the accounts. Greed was nothing more than falsifying accounts; as long as the accounts were more detailed, even greed wouldn’t go too far. Zhou Shuren emphasized the hidden dangers posed by foreign tribes. Lizhou was a border town; it was not only rich in the eyes of the current dynasty but also a tempting target for foreign tribes.

They had crippled the foreign tribes now, but Zhou Shuren believed they would recover in a few years, and Lizhou would be the first prefecture to be attacked.

Therefore, the defense of Lizhou was crucial. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay there any longer. Given another two years, he could have perfected the defenses.

Unfortunately, the Emperor wouldn’t give him that time. There was nothing he could do but write his thoughts in a memorial.

However, Zhou Shuren wasn’t in a hurry to send the memorial away. He was waiting for the imperial decree of transfer, intending to submit it to the Emperor afterward, lest the Emperor know that he could guess some of the Emperor’s thoughts—a grave taboo.

Three days later, the Emperor received complete information about how Shi Qing had become an apprentice and how Zhou Shuren had handled the situation. After reading it, the Emperor didn’t give it to the Crown Prince this time, and the Crown Prince wasn’t curious about what his father had seen.

The Emperor put away the message, his eyes deepening. “That old fox,” he thought, “truly cunning. In just two years, he’s become quite the master.” He murmured, “If everyone knew when to advance and retreat like Zhou Daren, I wouldn’t have to bother.”

It was a pity he could keep things under control while he was alive, but what would happen after his death? Those who survived his rebellion were ruthless killers; how many would truly respect his son?

Some people, why couldn’t they just back down quietly? Why did they insist on chasing after even greater power?

The Crown Prince lowered his head, knowing his father’s anger was about to erupt. He thought to himself, “Who told you to marry so many women back then, and all of them had sons? That’s why my brothers’ maternal families are so restless, all vying to become the Emperor’s maternal relatives.”

The Crown Prince did hope his father would live a long life; truly, compared to his brothers, he wasn’t in a hurry to ascend the throne.

As for his brothers’ maternal families, he’d leave that to his father.

The Emperor gestured for the Crown Prince to leave. After the Crown Prince left, the Emperor’s face was cold. Being too greedy wasn’t good, not good at all.

Time passed quickly, and it was Zhou Shuren’s day off again. Shi Qing didn’t need to wait until evening; he arrived early.

Coincidentally, Zhulan was going to her parents’ home. Wu Chun had rarely returned this year, so Zhulan was taking Wu Ning and Xue Han with her. They met Shi Qing at the gate.

Shi Qing greeted her, “Yi Ren.”

Zhulan gestured for Shi Qing to rise. Xue Han and Wu Ning bowed in greeting, and Zhulan, with her two maids, got into the carriage.

Shi Qing took a few steps, then turned back, waiting for the carriage to leave before continuing. He thought of the girl climbing the tree. These past few days at the Zhou residence, his servants had also gathered a lot of information in Lizhou City. The Zhou residence hadn’t kept anything from him; he knew everything he needed to know.

Wu Ning, a girl with a bad reputation, would find it difficult to get married. He was in the same boat; marrying a girl from a good family would be difficult, and marrying a girl from an ordinary family would only be a burden. He might as well not marry at all. Shi Qing lowered his eyes. When he caught Miss Wu, she was so thin, all skin and bones.

Shi Qing scoffed. He still had the heart to pity others; Miss Wu at least had her brother and the Zhou family to protect her, while he could only rely on himself.

At noon, after lunch, Zhulan returned home. Steward Ding said, “Madam, Master took Shi Gongzi to the Meng residence.”

Zhulan replied, “I know, you may leave.”

Zhulan planned to sleep; she was sleepy again. She had originally wanted to stay at her parents’ house a little longer, but she simply couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Zhulan rarely dreams during the day; this was the first time she had ever dreamed during the day. When Zhulan woke up, Zhou Shuren had already returned. Zhulan asked, “What time is it?”

Zhou Shuren replied, “Almost four o’clock. Did you have a dream? You were even laughing out loud in your sleep.”

Zhulan smiled, “Because it was a sweet dream. I dreamt of a little baby calling for its mother.”

Zhou Shuren smiled. “It was indeed a good dream.”

(End of Chapter)

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Footnote

1. Shīfu refers to a master who formally accepts a disciple, creating a lifelong master-disciple relationship. Xiānsheng, by contrast, simply means “teacher” or “instructor” and does not imply such a personal bond. By asking Shi Qing to call him Xiānsheng, Zhou Shuren makes it clear that he is teaching him as a teacher rather than accepting him as a formal disciple.