“Third Uncle, why is the sky blue!”
“What’s on the other side of the mountain?”
“Third Uncle! Why are peaches edible?”
...
At three years old, the Second Nephew was full of curiosity, pestering Lǐ Píng'ān with questions all day long. As for his questions, Lǐ Píng'ān found them a bit of a headache. Take, for instance, why peaches were edible: the answer was likely because peaches had always been edible.
“There are many things you need to explore for yourself to understand!”
“Just like what’s on the other side of the mountain – you’ll only know by climbing it yourself!”
Lǐ Píng'ān, who was fishing, patted the Second Nephew’s head and said with a smile.
The Second Nephew looked up at the distant mountains, as if he had made some kind of decision.
After a while, seeing that no fish were biting, the Second Nephew ran to a nearby lawn to play with a ball.
Playing with him was a young-looking Eunuch. He had been arranged by his Second Sister-in-law to accompany the Second Nephew just a few days ago. According to his Second Sister-in-law, this Eunuch was very intelligent, knowledgeable, and possessed exceptional cultivation talent. There was no better Eunuch in the West Palace.
“Young Master! Catch!”
The Eunuch looked at the Second Nephew with affection and kicked the ball at his feet.
As Lǐ Píng'ān observed more closely, he realized this Eunuch was no ordinary person.
Firstly, he possessed extremely high emotional intelligence and was very adept at serving others. He played ball with great care, always controlling the force and direction of his kicks meticulously, making it challenging but not overly tiring for the Second Nephew to receive the ball. When the Second Nephew kicked well, he would offer praise at just the right moment.
The Second Nephew gradually became engrossed, playing with great joy.
Lǐ Píng'ān thought that anyone who could care for their master in such a way must be intelligent and likely had their own ideas and schemes.
Furthermore, this Eunuch had extraordinary cultivation talent.
He had a special constitution, a genius for cultivating Yin energy-based techniques. This type of constitution often manifested in childhood with one or several obscure illnesses, hidden deeply. However, if they survived to adulthood, their innate talent would gradually emerge.
Although the Eunuch still looked like a youth, he was actually over seventy years old. And those who cultivated Yin energy techniques could live for as long as a thousand years.
“Come here for a moment, I have something to ask you!”
“What is your name?”
Lǐ Píng'ān called the Eunuch over and asked.
“Reporting to Third Young Master! This servant’s name is Lín Tián!”
The Eunuch gave the ball to the Second Nephew and quickly walked before Lǐ Píng'ān, speaking respectfully.
Since Lǐ Píng'ān was sitting and fishing, the Eunuch bent down, lowering his head below Lǐ Píng'ān’s, conveying a sense of loyalty and subservience.
“This servant entered the palace at fifteen and has served in the West Palace for over fifty years after being transferred!”
“A few days ago, the Imperial Consort took a liking to this servant and ordered me to look after the Young Master!”
Lǐ Píng'ān asked many questions, and the Eunuch answered them all.
In the following days, Lǐ Píng'ān occasionally observed the Eunuch.
He discovered that the Eunuch was also very knowledgeable. Unlike other Eunuchs who were often rigid, he was like a Scholar who had studied diligently for ten years, having read a vast amount of books. He was also very adept at teaching the Second Nephew.
He could always answer the Second Nephew’s curious questions fluently and would guide the Second Nephew to read and learn.
“Young Master! The principles of life are all within the Sage Books!”
“Good books must be read many times; reading them just once is not enough!”
The Eunuch said with a smile.
He would also skillfully explain the meaning of characters to the Second Nephew.For instance, how the character for "horse" evolved, how it transformed from a shape with two legs and a head into today’s ‘ma’, and how the character for "chariot" changed from a form with two wheels and a handle into ‘che’.
When learning, he would connect it with real-world objects, having the Second Nephew look at actual fine horses and chariots.
The little nephew’s curiosity was greatly satisfied, and he learned characters very quickly.
His Second Sister-in-law was greatly surprised by this and soon ordered him to become the Second Nephew’s lifelong Eunuch!
The Second Nephew soon turned six years old.
This was the age to test cultivation aptitude. After an examination, the Second Nephew was found to possess astonishing sword cultivation talent, with the potential to become a Martial Immortal of the Land in the future.
Everyone in the family was very happy that day; the Second Brother was even a little drunk.
Afterward, the Second Nephew embarked on the path of the sword, practicing daily under his Second Sister-in-law’s supervision, and met with Lǐ Píng'ān much less frequently.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, twenty years passed.
The Second Nephew was no longer a child but a twenty-six-year-old youth. He was tall and slender with a refined appearance. His studies of swordsmanship and books gave him an elegant demeanor that gradually attracted the attention of the Palace Maids. Moreover, Lǐ Píng'ān noticed that his personality and social circle were completely different from his First Nephew’s.
The First Nephew enjoyed sparring and combat, often engaging in fights with rascals and fierce beasts. The Second Nephew preferred books and swords, and his friends were mostly top scholars from the imperial examinations or students from academies. Therefore, despite being cousins, they did not interact much.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year, the family gathered for a grand feast in the Imperial Palace square. The moonlight was bright, and a round moon hung high in the sky.
“Imperial Grandfather! My martial arts realm has achieved a new breakthrough!”
“Look!”
On the square, the First Nephew suddenly punched forward. With a loud boom, ripples erupted, shattering a wooden dummy a hundred feet away.
Striking the Ox Through the Mountain, Qi and Blood Projection. The First Nephew’s martial arts had reached the Grandmaster realm.
“Imperial Grandfather! I’ve also learned Flying Sword!”
The Second Nephew’s robes fluttered in the wind. He pointed his sword forward, and a beam of light instantly shot out. In the blink of an eye, it traveled a hundred meters, and with a flash, the wooden dummy’s head flew off.
The Second Nephew could now take a person’s head from a hundred meters away!
Following this were the Mid-Autumn gifts. The Emperor of Yu felt pleasantly surprised by the gifts from the Three Princes and their Two Daughters-in-law. As the banquet began, with his two nephews sitting by his side, he felt immensely pleased. Even the Palace Maids gathered around the banquet were infected by the atmosphere, smiling as they watched the feast.
Lǐ Píng'ān knew his Imperial Father was enjoying the Joy of Family Reunion. He also felt very happy, toasting and drinking, but when he noticed a single white hair under the Emperor of Yu’s crown, he felt a moment of realization…