The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

The older I get, the more I realize how accurate the saying "even a fair judge cannot judge family disputes" is and how complex its meaning is.

The child is too smart, so educating him requires more patience, care, and attention to methods and approaches.

Zhang Pingan is also trying to be a qualified father through practice.

When they were halfway there, they happened to meet their eldest brother-in-law Liu Sanlang riding towards them from a distance. When he saw Zhang Pingan and the others from afar, he waved and greeted them.

When I got closer, I realized that my brother-in-law had come here specifically to find me.

Liu Sanlang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Just now, when I was having dinner in the private kitchen tent, I heard that you took Xiaoyuer there to eat, and then brought him here. I guessed that you must be scolding the Wang family child for being bitten by a horse, so I hurried over to check. I was afraid that you didn't know the severity of the situation and beat the child too hard. It seems that I was worrying too much, haha!"

"Brother-in-law, you are well-informed," Zhang Pingan joked.

"News spreads quickly in the camp, and this is not a secret. When I went out, I met Donkey Egg and Cat Egg. They were planning to come with me to take a look, but I sent them back," Liu Sanlang explained loudly. Seeing that nothing was wrong, he felt relieved.

"Uncle, you are so nice to me. Xiaoyuer likes you the most," Xiaoyuer said with a sweet smile on his face.

Everyone likes to hear nice words, especially Xiaoyuer is such a little kid, and a child would never tell lies.

Anyway, Liu Sanlang was completely lost in this sugar-coated bullet. He laughed and said, "Before I came out, your aunt repeatedly warned me to keep an eye on you. Xiaoyu'er is so smart and sensible, I can't let him get hurt!"

"This kid is just good at flattering people. He's very clever," Zhang Pingan snorted and tapped his son on the forehead.

Then he asked with concern, "Is Donkey Egg adapting to his job? And Cat Egg, is the food in the camp okay?"

"It's all good, all good. They're both easy to take care of, don't worry," said Liu Sanlang, completely unconcerned. He was very confident in his two sons. "It's all thanks to your kindness that we were able to have them come with us to participate in the autumn hunt. It's such a blessing! Back home, they'd be able to brag about it for the rest of their lives. Alas, they also need connections in the court to get things done!"

Liu Sanlang, who used to be a dull guy, is now becoming more and more enlightened in the ways of the world.

Although he is now a beneficiary of this, he still sighs from time to time about these tacit rules.

"Brother-in-law, you are too polite. Even if I am not here, with your face, the two children will have a chance. Young people should gain more experience. Donkey Egg and Cat Egg are tall and mighty. Why not seize this opportunity? If they show up in front of the emperor during the autumn hunt, they will be promoted immediately and can avoid a lot of detours. There is no need to compete with themselves," Zhang Pingan said with a smile.

"That's right," Liu Sanlang shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He then asked, "I heard that the emperor wants you to prepare for the mission to the Western Regions. How is it going? Do you have any idea?"

"We're still looking at it. Once it's finalized, the earliest it will be decided will be early next year," Zhang Pingan said without further ado.

Over the past month, he has been in the emperor's good graces and the court is full of shrewd people, so naturally they have some guesses, so it's no wonder that my eldest brother-in-law would inquire about it.

"You don't know, right now those of us military generals of mid-to-high ranks in the capital are all guessing, not knowing which ones will be allowed to go with us in the end," Liu Sanlang shook his head helplessly. Even though he was a broad-minded person, he couldn't stand being nagged by these colleagues in front of him every day, and now he became a little anxious.

"Are you afraid, brother-in-law?"

Liu Sanlang shook his head. "It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I'm confused. I've finally settled down in the capital, and now I'm not young anymore, I don't want to move around too much. It's good to live a stable life. Of course, if I'm really chosen, I have nothing to say. I eat the emperor's salary and I am loyal to the emperor. I will do my best to do the job."

"Okay, I understand," Zhang Pingan nodded.

The two of them walked back to the camp at a leisurely pace.

Not long after, the horn sounded and the accompanying army was about to set out to explore the way ahead.

Liu Sanlang didn't say anything more to Zhang Ping'an and immediately went about his own business.

Zhang Ping'an took Xiao Yuer back to the tent.

Wang Qingtan had just taken his medicine and was about to take a nap. When he saw Xiaoyuer come back, he didn't say anything, but just turned his head and lay down, obviously angry.

Lord Wang is a seasoned man, so he naturally wouldn't act like a child. He even greeted Zhang Ping'an and his son with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

I don’t know who Xiaoyuer’s personality is like, but once he makes up his mind to do something, no matter how reluctant he is, he will try his best to do it to the best of his ability.

Since he had promised to take care of Wang Qingtan, he did not break his promise. After returning to the tent, regardless of Wang Qingtan's anger, he walked up to him and asked about his well-being with concern, and sincerely admitted his mistakes. "Tan'er, I'm sorry. My father just scolded me. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have given you such a dangerous Thunderbolt Pill to play with, nor should I have taken you to such a dangerous place as the stable. Speaking of which, I am also responsible for your injury. Your wrist has been inconvenient these days, so I will take care of your food, clothing, housing and transportation. Just tell me if you need anything, so that I can feel better!"

"Really?" Tan Ge'er sat up with some doubt.

"Of course it's true. A man of honor never takes back his words!" Xiao Yuer patted his chest and said loudly.

"Okay, that's what you said," Wang Qingtan sat up awkwardly and said, "I'm thirsty and need some water."

"Okay, I'll pour it for you right away!" Xiao Yuer quickly poured a cup of cold tea over.

Children's conflicts come and go quickly, and soon the two were back to normal.

Playing together intimately on the bed.

More than a decade later, Wang Qingtan still became Xiaoyuer's number one fan, never going in the opposite direction of what he said, and was a total bootlicker.

This was something Zhang Pingan had not expected.

Upon seeing this, Lord Wang was even more at a loss for words. It was his great-grandson's fault for being so easy to coax. He was so disappointing!

When Zhang Ping'an presented another painting and calligraphy by a famous artist, Lord Wang felt relieved and the matter was completely over!

In the evening, from far away in the grassland, the sound of horses' hooves returning to the camp and bursts of laughter and conversation could be heard, making it very lively.

This attracted everyone in the camp to run out to see.

Zhang Ping'an was no exception. He took Xiao Yuer to take a look and join in the fun.

It was a good harvest for the first exploration, especially when I heard that someone had hunted a tiger. Two arrows hit the tiger's eyes directly without damaging its fur at all. It shows how superb the archery skills were.

After asking, I found out that it was Li Yue and his nephew Maodaner who shot the ball together. This really made them famous.