Chapter Extra Part 3

Ning Muyan read the letter and said, “My teacher sent it. The letter says that His Majesty wishes to summon me for an audience.”

Bai Lian frowned. “Why summon you out of the blue? Has something happened in the capital?”

“My teacher thinks that over the past two years the academy has gained quite a reputation. The first batch of students have already begun to make a name for themselves in court—they were the most outstanding scholars from the same metropolitan examination. His Majesty likely believes the academy has rendered service to the court and wishes to see me again.”

Bai Lian relaxed a little. “If it is an imperial summons, then you have no choice but to go.”

Ning Muyan nodded. Turning his head toward Bai Lian, he added, “My teacher and his wife said they have not seen Zhiyi for a long time and miss him. Since I will be going to the capital this time, they hope you will come as well and bring the child.”

“Then we will go. There is nothing urgent in the household at the moment anyway.”

“In that case, we will depart in two days,” Ning Muyan said.

Bai Lian agreed and called Qingmo to arrange the preparations.

Zhiyi blinked as he listened to Ning Muyan and Bai Lian talking. He had never been much of a talker and preferred quietly listening to others speak. Only after they finished did he ask, “Where is the capital?”

Ning Muyan lifted Zhiyi onto his lap so he could stand there. “It is where your grandfather lives now.”

“Do you miss your grandfather and grandmother?”

Zhiyi nodded.

Ning Muyan kissed the child’s pale little cheek. “Then Father will take you to the capital to see them.”

“For now, write a few more characters. When your grandfather sees how many characters you can write, he will certainly be very happy.”

Zhiyi stood on Ning Muyan’s lap, unwilling to sit down. If he sat, he would be made to practice writing.

His chubby arms, round like lotus roots, wrapped around Ning Muyan’s neck. Looking at the paper on the desk, where he had already written his own name more than ten times, he rested his head against Ning Muyan’s shoulder.

“Zhiyi is tired.”

Seeing the little boy hanging from Ning Muyan’s body, pretending to close his eyes while his eyelashes fluttered constantly, Bai Lian shook his head.

Still, it was no wonder Zhiyi liked to act cute and coax affection. Bai Lian remembered how, when he himself had practiced writing in the study years ago, he had often nodded off as well. Clearly the child had inherited his bad habits. Of course, it was not entirely his fault—the teacher had simply been far too boring.

Ning Muyan was strict with his students at the academy, yet he could do nothing with the small boy in his arms who barely reached above his knees. He gently patted Zhiyi’s back.

“Do you want to take a nap? Father can carry you to rest.”

“No.”

The moment Zhiyi heard he would be taken to sleep, he quickly lifted his head from Ning Muyan’s shoulder. Perhaps he had slept too much when he was younger; now that he had grown a little older, he was not sleepy at all.

He squatted down and settled again on Ning Muyan’s lap. “I will stay here and keep Father company.”

Bai Lian laughed softly. “Are you staying here to keep Father company, or do you want Father to keep you company?”

At that, Zhiyi hid himself in Ning Muyan’s arms.

“All right, all right. Then stay here and watch Father correct his students’ essays.”

Zhiyi brightened immediately and sat upright in Ning Muyan’s arms.

With one arm holding the child, Ning Muyan dipped his brush in vermilion ink and began marking the essays, circling passages and writing comments.

This was not the first time Zhiyi had been in the study like this. Though he recognized only a few characters, he liked watching his father correct essays or read books. He simply blinked quietly, never causing trouble or disturbing him.

Naturally, Ning Muyan did not want the little boy to grow bored. He pulled out his own seals and ink from a drawer, along with some calligraphy and paintings he had done before, and let Zhiyi stamp them.

This was Zhiyi’s favorite activity. Hugging the large seal, he would dab it into the ink pad and then smack it down onto the signature area of the calligraphy or painting. He could stamp an entire stack in a single day and never grow tired of it.

Occasionally, he became mischievous and stamped the seal directly onto a student’s essay.

After all of Ning Muyan’s calligraphy and paintings had been stamped, and seeing how much Zhiyi enjoyed it, he had more seals carved. Later, when grading essays, he replaced some handwritten comments with stamped ones instead.

There were several seals: “Rewrite,” “Passable,” “Excellent Work,” and so on.

Whenever Zhiyi ran into the study during grading, he would neatly line up the seals. After Ning Muyan finished reading an essay and announced the comment, Zhiyi would immediately pick the correct seal and stamp it down.

Over time, he ended up recognizing the characters on the seals before anything else.

Watching the father and son cooperate so smoothly, Bai Lian raised an eyebrow. Ning Muyan spoiled the child so much that Bai Lian could only shake his head helplessly. Still, Zhiyi was already very well-behaved, so it was understandable that Ning Muyan doted on him.

“I suspect you are not tired from writing at all,” Bai Lian said. “You just want to play with the seals. When you meet your grandfather later and he asks how many characters you can write, we will see what you say then.”

Zhiyi pursed his lips and carefully stamped another seal.

“Grandfather and Grandmother will not scold me. They will only praise Zhiyi. Last time I saw Grandfather, I could only write my own name, but now I can also write Little Father’s and Big Father’s names.”

Bai Lian pressed his lips into a straight line. Well then—quite impressive.

Resting his chin on his hand, he asked, “So which is harder to write—Little Father’s name or Big Father’s?”

Zhiyi’s chubby hand paused mid-stamp.

“Both are hard.”

Bai Lian snorted lightly. “Your Big Father’s name has far more strokes than Little Father’s.”

Seeing Bai Lian unhappy, Zhiyi hurriedly coaxed him. “But Zhiyi writes Little Father’s name more beautifully.”

“Who said that?”

“Great-Grandmother did.”

Bai Lian immediately smiled again.

“Second Uncle also told Zhiyi to learn to write his name. When he comes back for the New Year, he will bring food from Lianzhou.”

Ning Muyan said, “Your second uncle may be far away, but he still manages to give you tasks. Next time he asks how your writing practice is going, ask him how your second aunt is doing. When he finds a second aunt, then you will have learned his name.”

Bai Lian burst out laughing. “Aren’t you afraid of teaching the child bad habits? You did not marry until you were twenty, and Zhengyu has not even reached that age yet. With you as an example, of course he has things to say.”

“I am worried that with his pride and sharp tongue, he will not win the favor of any girls or young men. Then he will become the subject of ridicule.”

Bai Lian shook his head with a smile. With the bearing of the second young master of the Ning family, surely someone would tolerate such a personality.

Two days later, the household prepared the carriages and luggage, and Ning Muyan and Bai Lian set off for the capital with Zhiyi.

At three years old, it was Zhiyi’s first time traveling far from home. He had been raised with endless pampering, treated like a precious treasure. The family worried he might not endure the long journey, so they deliberately slowed their pace.

But they had underestimated him. Since they were leaving the city, the little boy spent the entire trip leaning against the window, watching the scenery outside. It was late spring turning into early summer, and the weather was perfect.

Usually his quiet personality made him seem delicate, but in truth he could eat well, run well, and was quite healthy. He never cried or complained along the road.

When he saw Ning Muyan sometimes riding on horseback, he even asked to try it himself.

So Ning Muyan lifted him onto the horse for a short ride. The little boy was delighted, shouting “Hyah! Hyah!” the whole time.

Bai Lian, however, felt uneasy looking at the horse. He still remembered when Zhengyu’s horse had once been startled, and the memory left him with lingering fear. He had never mounted a horse since then. He did not expect the little one to be so bold.

After seven days of travel, they entered the capital early on the eighth morning.

Shi Zizhan and his wife had calculated the date and waited outside from early morning—they missed Zhiyi dearly.

When they saw the little boy stepping down from the carriage, Shi Zizhan immediately stepped forward and scooped him up.

“Oh my! Let Grandfather have a good look at my little Zhiyi. Were you tired from the journey?”

Zhiyi obediently greeted his grandfather and grandmother, answering their questions one by one.

Shi Zizhan and Madam Shi were overjoyed and quickly ushered Ning Muyan and Bai Lian inside.

For Bai Lian, returning to the capital felt like a lifetime had passed. The most prosperous place in the realm was still as bustling as ever.

Grand mansions, broad streets, noble families and idle aristocrats filled the city.

Ning Muyan suddenly took his hand and smiled slightly. “Come.”

The warmth of his palm wrapped around Bai Lian’s hand, warming his heart as well. That solid warmth told him clearly that the present was no longer the same as the past.

The Shi residence in the capital was not as large as their estate in the prefectural city, but it was extremely elegant.

The elderly couple even prepared toys from home for Zhiyi, worried he might not adapt to a new environment.

“Your teacher’s wife has been talking about Zhiyi for days. Today she finally gets to see him. The child has grown much taller since the New Year.”

“Children grow quickly. This is the age when they shoot up the most.”

The family happily shared a meal together.

The next day, Shi Zizhan went to court as usual. Ning Muyan rose early as well and accompanied his teacher into the Forbidden City to meet the emperor.

The weather in the capital was much cooler than in the prefectural city. It was already late spring—back home it had begun to grow hot, yet here it still felt like early spring.

Zhiyi remained tucked inside the blanket, lying on Bai Lian’s chest. Although he had already awakened, he clung to him and refused to get up.

“Father, are we going out today?”

“Why would we go out?”

Zhiyi pressed closer to Bai Lian. “Grandmother said there are many delicious foods and fun things in the capital. Big Father has already gone out. Why are we not going out?”

“Big Father went out for important business, not for fun.”

Zhiyi fell silent for a moment, then wriggled like a little caterpillar across Bai Lian and out from under the blanket. Wrapping his arms around Bai Lian’s neck, he said earnestly,

“Father has work to do because he is an adult. But Zhiyi just wants to have fun. Grandmother also said she would take Zhiyi out today.”

Bai Lian could not help laughing at the child’s sincerity.

“All right then. Get up and get ready. We will go out for a walk.”