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

Zhang Ping'an smiled and coughed lightly, saying, "You didn't even ask beforehand! Who told you to be so hasty! All's fair in war, you know?"

After Grand Tutor Qian understood the whole story, he smiled and stood up for his grandson: "Don't be afraid. Even if your uncle isn't here, your grandfather can still make decisions for you. I'll have the servants take that mare to your stable at home in a bit."

"Thank you, Grandpa! You're the best!"

Upon hearing this, Little Fish immediately slid off the chair, bowed respectfully with his hands clasped, and smiled sweetly.

Upon seeing this, Grand Tutor Qian praised Xiaoyuer a couple more times for being sensible and polite.

At the same time, he didn't forget to scold his eldest son: "Your uncle is really something, he's not meticulous at all. This newborn foal should have been given to you along with its mother, so you wouldn't have to ask for it again."

"It has nothing to do with my uncle. I just didn't want that mare because I thought it was ugly," Xiaoyuer quickly explained.

Because of his coquettish and cute behavior in the middle, Grand Tutor Qian's smile never stopped.

Watching from the side, Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but sigh at the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren; none of his brothers-in-law received this kind of treatment.

After sitting for a while, Grand Tutor Qian noticed that Xiaoyuer was getting restless, and what he was about to say was not suitable for him to listen to.

So he casually made up an excuse to send him away, "Go play with your cousin and the others!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyuer looked at his own father.

Zhang Ping'an smiled and replied, "Go ahead, but be careful while you play, don't get hurt."

Hearing his own father say the same thing, Xiaoyuer finally followed the servants out the door.

After the child left, the smile on Grand Tutor Qian's face faded a bit. He stroked his beard and shook his head: "Alas, even Little Fish has grown up so much in the blink of an eye. Time really flies, and we can't deny that we're getting old."

“Father-in-law, you are a pillar of the court, a key minister, you mustn’t say such discouraging things,” Zhang Ping’an comforted him.

Grand Tutor Qian waved his hand and slowly said, "You've been away from the capital for the past year or two, so there are many things going on in the court and palace that you don't know about. Although I still look glamorous now, I don't actually have any real power. I'm hardly a pillar of the state."

That was a very frank statement; he didn't treat Zhang Ping'an as an outsider.

Thinking of what his son had said yesterday about the Third Prince swearing, Zhang Ping'an tentatively asked, "Hmm, could it be that other people in the palace have some other ideas? The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are growing up quite a bit now."

Grand Tutor Qian nodded, tacitly agreeing, "That's one aspect. Furthermore, I've noticed His Majesty's health doesn't seem very good. For the past year or two, he's been paving the way for the Crown Prince, and his continuous efforts to sideline us old ministers are the most obvious move. However, the Crown Prince..."

After carefully considering his words, Grand Tutor Qian continued, "However, the Crown Prince has never had an heir, which has caused a lot of rumors, and that has made the ambitions of the remaining two in the palace begin to stir."

“How can you tell that His Majesty is unwell? He is a soldier by birth and is only forty years old. Logically speaking, he shouldn’t be in such a state…” Zhang Ping’an was very surprised.

Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Qian lowered his head and took a sip of tea before looking up. He smiled faintly, his expression unfathomable, and replied, "You don't need to worry about that. I naturally have my own sources of information, and I estimate it to be pretty accurate. Although His Majesty has sidelined me, the Qian family still has many rising stars. I'm not afraid that he can do anything to the Qian family anytime soon."