Chapter 164 Hardships of Fatherhood

Zheng Fan didn't wake up until noon.

Pushing the door open, he emerged,

His face was pale, dotted with beads of sweat, his steps unsteady.

Despite being a newly minted seventh-rank martial artist, it was as if his body had been hollowed out overnight.

Behind him stood Si Niang, somewhat resentful, because this body wasn't depleted by her.

The energy consumed by the long night's dream was indeed enormous. After washing up and eating a little something, Zheng Fan lay on a recliner and began to bask in the sun.

He couldn't sleep, yet he was so terribly tired; this feeling was the most uncomfortable and tormenting.

For the first time in his life, Zheng Fan experienced the hardship of being a father.

Raising a child isn't easy;

Whose daughter is ready for marriage, take her away quickly; this can keep your household safe and sound.

Just as Zheng Fan was dozing off, a small child approached.

The wolf cub actually had a name. The Barbarian name was too awkward, so he was named Zheng Man.

Having come to this world, he was naturally inevitably influenced by it. The seven commanders under the command of the Marquis of Zhenbei were all surnamed "Li," and Zheng Fan's side also had a row of "Zheng" surnames.

This was actually the earliest use of surnames, predating the division of banners, territories, and ethnicities. The concept was that those with the same surname were one family, one's own people.

And Zheng Fan's side had another characteristic, which was that while other powerful officials and ambitious men were initially trembling with caution, even afraid to hope for too much, he had already made plans early on.

These plans might seem useless at this time, and might not be useful in the future, but they were well-suited for drawing grand prospects, and targeted prospects at that.

For example, this wolf cub had been told by the Blind Man long ago that he would become the new Great Khan of the Barbarians, that his tribe would replace the Barbarian Royal Court and, by order of the Demon King, guard the desert!

Although he knew it was just sweet talk, the wolf cub still felt extremely happy every time he heard this "prediction."

"What's wrong?" Zheng Fan asked weakly.

"My lord, I, I want to join the army."

"Join the army?"

"Yes, my lord!"

"Can you wield a saber?"

"I can!"

"Still too small."

If he were a few years older, even being a child soldier would be enough, but right now, the wolf cub was still too young.

Zheng Fan was mindful of old feelings. Not many of the original batch of Barbarian soldiers remained, and this child was actually the last memory of that band of convict tribes.

"My lord, I can go practice with Third Master."

Xue San wasn't tall, but he was very skilled. The wolf cub wanted to go and practice with Xue San.

Zheng Fan waved his hand,

And said,

"No way."

"My lord, I..."

"What Third Master trains are assassins and scouts, all roles that need to hide in the shadows. You're going to be the Great Khan of the Barbarians in the future. Training with Third Master will easily make your scope too small."

"My lord, but I want to..."

"School is about to start. Go study."

"I don't want to study. Studying is useless. The Yan people aren't as good at studying as the Qian people, but the Yan people can still beat our Barbarians, and they can also beat the Qian people."

This was a very obvious example. The Qian were the most cultured in the world, but for a century, they had been a soft persimmon for others to knead at will.

The 60,000 Zhenbei Army could directly reach the outskirts of their capital. Although Marquis Jingnan's "feint" played a role in confusing the enemy, the Qian people's underpants were still pulled down.

"Barbarism can only be rampant for a time; culture can last for generations. You have this opportunity, so read more books. The Yan people aren't as cultured as the Qian people, but how could the century-old aristocratic families of the Yan people really have no culture?

Be humble, learn more, and don't wait until you're older to regret not studying hard when you were young."

There were countless people who were reckless and ignorant when they were young, and only regretted not studying hard when they were children after they reached middle age and saw the cruelty of society.

The wolf cub was somewhat dissatisfied, but he didn't dare to disobey Zheng Fan's wishes, so he lowered his head:

"Yes, my lord."

"Go, and learn your lessons well first."

The wolf cub left. Ah Ming, who had been leaning there without approaching, walked over with a smile and said:

"My lord, what do you think I thought of when I saw you talking with the wolf cub just now?"

Zheng Fan glared at Ah Ming,

And said directly:

"Li Chengliang and his adopted son."

"My lord is indeed a creator; your thoughts are quick."

"Here specifically to flatter me?" Zheng Fan asked.

"No."

"I knew it. That level isn't enough."

"Hasn't my lord ever worried about what kind of impact this wolf cub will have on the world's格局 (ge ju, situation, pattern) if he really grows up according to the predictions we casually blurted out?"

"It's useless to blame yourself, and even more useless to blame the enemy for learning. You're hopeless."

Zheng Fan reached out and rubbed his forehead,

And said:

"That's not what you guys should care about."

"I thought my lord would care."

"This kind of nurturing is still quite interesting, but I think it's even more interesting for us to be quails and worry about such long-term things.

Speak, why did you come over?"

"Passing by, came to take a look."

"Are you idle?"

"Just wait, my lord, I'm not the first one passing by today. If you want to rest, it's better to lie down inside."

"What you said seems to make some sense."

………

Yanjing,

Imperial Palace,

Imperial Study.

This day of the year was always a royal family banquet, neither New Year's nor holiday, belonging only to the royal family and not to the common people.

Moreover, this day wouldn't be celebrated grandly, just focusing on everyone eating a meal together.

This custom originated hundreds of years ago. Every year at this time, the ice and snow began to melt, largely signifying that a new round of war with the Barbarians would begin. After hibernating through the winter, both sides would start shedding blood again.

The Ji family would gather for a meal on this day, and most of the adult males would go to the front lines.

However, in the past century, peace had gradually prevailed, and it had gradually evolved into a form where everyone simply ate a meal on this day. Due to its historical reasons, there wouldn't be excessive celebrations or extravagance.

Ji Runhao sat in the seat of honor, the Second Prince Ji Chenglang sat in the secondary seat, followed by the Fourth Prince Ji Chengfeng, the Fifth Prince Ji Chengmin, the Sixth Prince Ji Chengjue, and the young Seventh Prince Ji Chengsui, who had also left his wet nurse and sat quietly behind his brothers, eating properly.

What was missing were the Eldest Prince, who was stationed in Beifeng County;

And the Third Prince Ji Chengyue, who was imprisoned in the Lakeside Pavilion.

The Fifth Prince Ji Chengmin had finished his period of repentance and seclusion and had already come out.

The imperial family was ruthless. Having a father like Ji Runhao meant giving up on any hope of intimacy between father and son.

From the Second Prince to the Little Seventh, all the princes ate cautiously.

The meals were all in fixed quantities, and it was absolutely forbidden to leave any leftovers; even the bottom of the plate had to be scraped clean.

Ji Runhao had already finished eating, and was still using a steamed bun to scrape the bottom of his plate, continuing to take small bites while silently looking at his children below.

The Emperor's gaze was like substantial pressure, making most of the princes below feel as if they couldn't breathe while eating. However, there was one exception. He finished his own portion and even helped the Little Seventh with part of his.

"Chengjue, are you very hungry?"

The Yan Emperor's gaze fell on his sixth son.

The Sixth Prince nodded with a smile, and said:

"Father, my stomach has been lacking rich food lately."

The princes' residences had food supplies, but they weren't abundant, and each prince's residence also supported many non-"established" personnel, which made everyone's lives a bit tight.

"It's my fault, making my son go hungry."

"Not to the point of starvation; I can still eat my fill every meal. This is already a great blessing in ordinary families, so being able to eat a feast occasionally is a very beautiful thing."

"Wei Zhonghe."

"This servant is here."

"Send an extra banquet to the Sixth Prince's residence later."

"This servant obeys."

The Sixth Prince immediately stood up from the table and knelt down,

"Thank you, Father."

The Yan Emperor waved his hand,

And said:

"Alright, if you can't eat anymore, don't force yourself. Carrying stones up the mountain is also a waste of food."

"This son obeys."

"This son obeys."

The princes all stood up and kowtowed in thanks.

The quantity of food had always been the rule. For a long time, the rules were there, how much quantity, how many dishes, it was always there. The rules wouldn't change, but people often did.

The Ji family of the past was brave and good at fighting, so their appetite was naturally large. Right now, apart from the Eldest Prince, who hadn't come, had a huge appetite, and the Sixth Prince, who was hungry for rich food and could eat, the other princes weren't really related to bravery.

"Chenglang, stay behind; the rest of you may leave."

"This son obeys the order."

"This son obeys the order."

The Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Little Seventh all left, and the Second Prince Ji Chenglang stayed behind. However, there was another person who stayed behind, unaware of the situation.

That was the Sixth Prince. He actually took out a bag from his chest and began to put the leftover food from his brothers' tables into it.

When the Yan Emperor saw this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he threw the chopsticks in his hand directly over. The Sixth Prince dodged, and then continued to pack the leftovers.

"Showing off your miserable state for whom to see!"

The Sixth Prince's body trembled. He turned around, looked at the Yan Emperor, and said:

"Such good food, Father, it's a pity to waste it. Anyway, it's all going to be rewarded to the servants. Shouldn't I, as a family member, leave it for my son first?"

"Is it that your princely salary hasn't been issued to you?"

"No, it's just that I have many concubines at home, and there are many people to feed. That's why I've already had them weave cloth at home."

The Yan Emperor reached out and tapped the table lightly,

Wei Zhonghe immediately bent over,

"This servant is here."

"Confiscate all the concubines from the Sixth Prince's house and make them official slaves. If he can't afford to support them, the court will help him."

"This servant… This servant obeys the order."

The Sixth Prince's whole body shook,

But in the end, he still knelt down and said:

"This son thanks you for your grace."

………

The Sixth Prince, carrying a bag, walked out of the palace dejectedly, and was then helped onto the carriage waiting outside by Eunuch Zhang, his soul not present.

"Your Highness, Your Highness?"

Eunuch Zhang had already seen the decree-delivering eunuch go out while waiting at the palace gate, so he naturally knew what had happened.

"Your Highness, you must endure, you must endure."

"Towel."

The Sixth Prince held out his hand.

"Oh, good."

Eunuch Zhang immediately presented a hot towel.

The Sixth Prince wiped his face,

Put down the towel,

And sighed deeply,

Looking at Eunuch Zhang,

He said:

"Old man, something's wrong with the old man's health."

——————

Thanks to Mr. Mu of Jiamier for becoming the 81st leader of The Descent of Magic!