Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family-Chapter 879 - Enlightenment
Chapter 879 -879 Enlightenment
The next day was the auspicious date that Di Hongyuan had specially chosen.
Chou Chou formally paid respect to Di Hongyuan as his initial honorable teacher to begin systematic learning.
Liu Sisi and others, following tradition, dressed Chou Chou in brand-new scholar attire and then led everyone grandly towards Assistant Minister Di’s Residence.
Di Hongyuan took this event very seriously, not only did he meticulously arrange the entire manor, but he also invited several familiar officials to bear witness, enough to demonstrate the importance placed upon the occasion.
Originally, Chou Chou had a chubby little face, but after his stint in the sky prison, the baby fat had vanished, and he had grown quite a bit taller. His tiger eyes, identical to Di Yelei’s, became even more pronounced, and with the blue and white scholar’s robe, he looked extraordinarily spirited.
Throughout history, scholars have always emphasized respecting the teacher and valuing the moral principle, a tradition long-standing. Ordinary families have a set of rules for accepting a teacher, not to mention families like theirs.
In keeping with the traditions of accepting a teacher, although the auspicious time had not yet arrived, the invited guests came early to participate in the apprentice ceremony.
Watching Chou Chou kneeling three times to Di Hongyuan under the master of ceremonies’ direction, then presenting the tea as commanded, followed by a series of questions and answers, Di Hongyuan finally smiled contentedly, sipped the tea, and formally accepted Chou Chou as his disciple.
Di Hongyuan held the punishing stick, his face devoid of its usual smile, and sternly admonished the boy in front of him.
“Diligence in studies is of utmost importance, and perseverance is key. One must never indulge in pleasure-seeking or be lax with oneself. Should you dare slack off, my punishing stick won’t spare you!”
Today, Chou Chou performed exceptionally well and respectfully bowed deeply upon hearing this.
“Your instructions will be diligently followed.”
The stern look on Di Hongyuan’s face relaxed, and he then smiled and nodded in satisfaction, “The boy is teachable indeed!”
Then, he picked up the four treasures of the study that were placed next to the altar and solemnly handed them to Chou Chou.
“This set of calligraphy tools was a gift from my honorable teacher. Now, I bestow it upon you, hoping that you will rise to new heights, surpassing me. Do not disappoint me.”
“Thank you, honorable teacher.”
Chou Chou took the calligraphy tools, and it was only at this moment that he truly realized he had embarked on his education.
Looking towards his parents, Di Yelei watched him with pride, his eyes filled with strong encouragement. And when Liu Sisi saw him, she beamed with a smile.
As a princess of the Great Zhao, her son would have lived well even if he remained illiterate. But in her heart, as his mother, Chou Chou had always been synonymous with mischief. Seeing him dressed in scholar’s attire, holding the calligraphy tools and looking her way, she truly felt the difference.
The child had grown up before she knew it!
“Mom, no, no, I want to go to school too. I want to go with Chou Chou. I don’t want to stay alone in the mansion,” Niuniu whined, tugging Liu Sisi’s sleeve, pouting with envy at the sight of Chou Chou.
Everyone laughed.
“Don’t worry, Niuniu. Later, mom will also find you a good teacher. Not only will I find you someone to teach you knowledge, but I will also find two to teach you music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, how about that?”
Liu Sisi affectionately hugged Niuniu and spoke as though she was showing favoritism as a mother.
In reality, Liu Sisi had already inquired about Niuniu’s teacher quite some time ago. Several imperial nannies who had served His Majesty for many years were to leave the palace at the end of the month. She planned to select some of them to specifically teach Niuniu proper behavior and other skills she might be interested in.
Niuniu was completely unaware that her future freedoms were about to be restricted and was happy thinking about having her own teachers.
“Good! Mom, what Chou Chou has, Niuniu wants too!” Niuniu raised her little chin proudly and snorted coldly at Chou Chou.
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Chou Chou unexpectedly did not retort Niuniu but instead obediently took the “four treasures of the study” and ran to Di Yelei’s side in a few strides.
“Dad, look! It’s what my honorable teacher gave me,” he announced.
“Good! From now on, you must listen to your honorable teacher, understand?”
Di Yelei affectionately touched Chou Chou’s hair topknot, clearly delighted.
Several adults standing nearby also crowded around, showering Chou Chou with compliments, nearly praising the teacher to the skies.
After celebrating together for a while, everyone finally set off to return to the mansion.
Unexpectedly, Tang Ji was waiting in the mansion again.
“Old Master Marquis, the thing that you asked to be prepared some time ago is ready!”
Both Di Yelei and Liu Sisi’s eyes lit up!
“It’s ready?”
“Indeed, it is ready,” Tang Ji confirmed earnestly.
Di Yelei and Liu Sisi both rejoiced, “Come, let’s talk in the study room.”
Watching Tang Ji carefully take out a rectangular box, opening it to reveal the inside, the robustly shaped strong crossbow. The precision and dominance emanating from the crossbow captivated Liu Sisi’s gaze, and Di Yelei also hurriedly leaned in closer.
Tang Ji, too, showed a face brimming with joy: “Last time, Old Master Marquis gave me a few drawings, and now they have all been forged. This type of strong crossbow has been tested by me; it can launch ten eight-inch iron crossbow arrows at once, with a range that can reach beyond ninety feet. Accurate shooting isn’t a problem at all! If this contraption were mass-produced and put into war, that would be…”
The strong and bed crossbows currently deployed in war weigh twice as much as the strong crossbow he currently held, and their precision and range are also a third less. If really put into use on the battlefield, this type of strong crossbow only needed one person to operate, which was extremely convenient!
At the moment, Di Yelei couldn’t let go of the strong crossbow, holding it high over his shoulder, trying out the firing motion, and then nodded repeatedly.
“What about the other items? The fire guns, thunder grenades, and the like, how is their production coming along?”
Di Yelei was still preoccupied with these vital items.
“Everything is being processed smoothly. By the end of the month, we should have enough to equip the entire Di Family Army,” Tang Ji almost danced for joy, utterly thrilled.
Nan Tianzong with his troops is drawing closer to the Capital City day by day, and everyone is holding their breath, just waiting for the command to capture these “rebels” all at once.
“That’s excellent.”
As Nan Tianzong caressed the strong crossbow, it was as if he were stroking a lover, filled with tremendous pride: “With this equipment, even if His Majesty orders us to go into battle immediately, I have an eighty percent confidence of a total victory!”
A battle between him and Nan Tianzong was inevitable, and Di Yelei had undergone many changes from the initial hesitancy to now proactively bringing it up.
“Ye Lei, I plan to set off tomorrow to meet with Brother Nan in Yingchang Prefecture. I hope to turn hostility into peace and avert this war,” said Liu Sisi, her gaze still fixed on the strong crossbow, her tone resolute.
“Absolutely not!”
Di Yelei cried out instinctively.
