Yang Haiyan was preparing dinner in the large kitchen, and Qin Fang was not idle either.

He took a trip to the military camp’s manor to bring Qin’s father and mother back to the General’s residence.

As for Third Uncle Qin and his wife, they were not brought along; after all, Du Ke was not an ordinary person.

Qin’s parents had long been grateful to this Lord Du.

They had heard about his various merits from their son and daughter-in-law. Recently, their son and daughter-in-law had mentioned that Lord Du would come by in some time.

Therefore, when their son came to pick them up today and mentioned that Lord Du had arrived, they were quite excited but also a bit nervous.

Upon arriving at the General’s residence, Qin Fang escorted them to the courtyard.

Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, he went to find Du Ke.

Du Ke did not rest in the afternoon; he took notes and wrote a memorial, and by that time, it was almost dinner.

Du Ke feared he wouldn’t be able to get up after resting, so he sat in the room for a while until Qin Fang arrived.

As soon as Qin Fang entered the room, he greeted, “Greetings, Teacher.”

Du Ke said, “Sit.”

Qin Fang sat down somewhat awkwardly.

He had felt relaxed when Shen Lixian was present, but now, with only himself and his teacher alone together, he found himself inexplicably nervous.

After sitting down, he didn’t even know where to put his hands.

Du Ke was perceptive. At a glance, he could tell Qin Fang’s state.

He said, “No need to be nervous. We have the Emperor as our backing; becoming master and disciple is also a matter of fate.

When I went to the Yongzhou military camp in March and brought you into the court, that might have been the beginning of our fateful connection. But I didn’t expect that you would cling to me like this and even dare to write to me.”

At this thought, Du Ke couldn’t help but laugh.

It was the first time he had met someone so bold.

When he was in the capital, not even those from established families would dare to seek him out privately, let alone someone from a poor background without connections.

However, it was precisely this courage from Qin Fang that brought them closer.

Thinking of this, Qin Fang couldn’t help but smile: “When I first met Teacher in the Yongzhou military camp, I was actually very nervous; my legs were trembling. Later, due to the bandit suppression, I was new to the officialdom and didn’t know how to handle the situation. But when I thought of you, Teacher, I boldly wrote to you.”

Du Ke exclaimed, “Oh? How did you know that I would take care of this matter? Or how did you know that I am not in cahoots with that county magistrate?”

Qin Fang didn’t know.

He said honestly, “At that time, I chose to write to you because I didn’t know what to do. I chose you as my teacher because you considered my opinions when we were alone together in the Yongzhou military camp, so I felt you were a good official.”

“A good official?” Du Ke laughed heartily. “I’ve been an official for over a decade, and it’s the first time someone has called me a good official. Do you know what people say about me in the capital?”

Qin Fang didn’t dare to speak.

Du Ke didn’t mind.

He continued, “They say I’m an old fox, best at adapting to changing winds. Do you know why they say that about me?”

Qin Fang replied, “I don’t know.”

Du Ke spoke about the Du family matters: “Actually, before this incident, I never thought of taking in a disciple. Not just me; even my father never took in a disciple. My Du family is part of the royalist faction and has never thought about picking sides concerning the throne. However, I got involved in the struggle for the throne and joined the current Emperor’s camp. Because of this, my father was extremely angry.

Qin Fang, what I want to say is that, in public, one should have a clear stance, but in private, as long as one has the capability, one can also do things that contradict that stance.” For instance, regarding the throne struggle, no one ever thought Du Ke would take sides; everyone believed that the Du family wouldn’t take a stand.

Qin Fang listened, somewhat bewildered.

Du Ke said, “You’re new to the officialdom and far from the capital. Some things can take time; it’s okay. Although I don’t know why the Emperor made this arrangement, no matter what the connection is, now that you are my disciple, there are some things I should still tell you.”

Qin Fang stood up, “Please instruct me, Teacher.”

Du Ke said, “First: The Emperor likes ministers who have made contributions, but the princes might not like them. You must remember this.

Second: Although the Emperor likes ministers with contributions, he favors royalists the most, that is, neutral parties.

I joined the Emperor in the struggle for the throne but made it clear that I would not participate in the competition for the throne in the future.

As for you, although I am your teacher, I will not interfere with your choices. However, you must understand that everyone must take responsibility for their choices; whether the future is good or bad, it is something you must bear.”

Qin Fang replied, “Yes, I will remember.”

Du Ke shook his head and said, “You’re still young. It’s still early to talk about joining factions; it’s okay to understand these principles gradually.”

For now, the princes were still not grown up; they would at least need ten years.

And during these ten years, what would Qin Fang do?

Based on his current luck, Du Ke was quite looking forward to it. “By the way, you mentioned before that your grandparents are at home. Although I am the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, now that I am here at the General’s residence, I am still a junior before your grandparents and should pay my respects.”

If they did not have a teacher-disciple relationship, there would be no need for such formalities.

But since the teacher-disciple relationship was akin to a father-son relationship or kinship, and since Grandma Qin also had her own title, it was only right to pay a visit.

Qin Fang said, “Grandpa and Grandma, as well as Father and Mother, are already here. However, they have spent their whole lives among the villagers, and the highest-ranking official they’ve ever met was the village head. Since coming here, they’ve only met Magistrate Yang and his wife. Right now, they’re probably still anxious about how to talk to you.”

Du Ke smiled, “The old folks are simple.”

Then, Qin Fang took Du Ke to Liuxin Courtyard.

As Qin Fang had said, Grandpa Qin, Grandma Qin, Father Qin, and Mother Qin were all sitting together, looking at each other.

They had initially been discussing what to say after meeting Lord Du, but after a while, they couldn’t come to any conclusions.

So, they ended up just staring at each other in silence.

At first, they wanted to consult Yang Haiyan, but knowing she was busy in the kitchen preparing for Lord Du’s visit, they didn’t want to disturb her.

Suddenly, Qin Fang’s voice rang out from outside: “Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, Teacher has come to see you!”

His voice wasn’t soft; it was intended to alert the family in the courtyard so that they wouldn’t be startled when they suddenly saw the teacher and be left unsure of how to react.

Qin Fang’s warning wasn’t uncalled for. Sure enough, after the Qin family inside heard this, there was a flurry of activity.

Fortunately, by the time Qin Fang and Du Ke entered the courtyard, they had stabilized themselves; at least on the surface, they appeared calm.

Seeing Qin Fang enter with a serious-looking middle-aged man, although they had mentally prepared themselves, they couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

Even without putting on any airs of authority, Lord Du’s rarely smiling face was somewhat daunting.

The Qin family, seeing this, immediately bowed, “We pay our respects to Lord Du.”

If it had been before, they would have knelt down as commoners do before the county magistrate.

However, they had been here for a while, and Granny Lian had taught them proper etiquette.

Moreover, Qin Fang’s earlier announcement had given them time to prepare, so they weren’t completely flustered upon seeing Du Ke.

Du Ke took a step forward, helped Grandma Qin up, and tried to soften his voice, saying, “Everyone, there’s no need for such formalities; we’re all family.”

As he spoke, he took a step back and said, “I, Du, have come to see the old lady and the old gentleman.”

He performed a bow as a junior.

Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin dared not accept his respect.

They remembered Granny Lian’s teachings and quickly tried to avoid it.

Although they were a bit flustered and clumsy, the simplicity of the old folks left a good impression on Du Ke.

In fact, knowing that the Qin family had raised someone like Qin Fang gave Du Ke a positive impression before even meeting them.

Qin Fang said, “Teacher, please take a seat. Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, the teacher is family, so there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

This time, Du Ke did not refuse. He knew that if he let the elders sit first, they probably wouldn’t be comfortable.

After Du Ke sat down, he said, “I often hear Qin Fang mention his elders at home. Today, meeting you all, it is clear that you are all kind-hearted people.”

Father Qin was a taciturn person, smiling but not speaking. Mother Qin was usually quite assertive, but in this formal occasion, she also felt shy. Grandma Qin smiled and waited for Grandpa Qin to speak. In such situations, the Qin family members all looked to the head of the family, Grandpa Qin.

Grandpa Qin smiled and said, “You flatter us. If A Fang has come this far today, it is all thanks to your guidance. Without your promotion, how could he be where he is today?” Grandpa Qin had been drafting this speech in his mind for over half a month. Ever since he learned that Du Ke was coming, he practiced every day, fearing that he wouldn’t know what to say and would embarrass his grandson.

Du Ke was a wise old fox. At a glance, he could tell that the head of the Qin family was Grandpa Qin. Moreover, hearing the old man speak clearly and logically, he knew that this elder was sincere and clear-minded.

Du Ke smiled and shook his head: “I haven’t really promoted him; it’s mainly Qin Fang’s own willingness to learn. As the saying goes, ‘You can tell a child’s character at the age of three.’ His current behavior reflects the good upbringing you provided for him when he was young.” Du Ke was someone who, if he wished to say flattering words, could easily win others over.

Sure enough, with just a few words, Grandpa Qin’s eyes and mouth were smiling. Grandpa Qin and the rest of the Qin family felt that this Lord Du was indeed a good person, easy to approach and interact with.

Grandpa Qin said, “Actually, A Fang was very naughty when he was little; he would run around in the mountains every day…” He began to unconsciously reminisce about his grandson’s childhood.

Du Ke listened. He himself had a son and a daughter, but he had always been focused on court affairs and had never really participated in his children’s upbringing. Hearing Grandpa Qin talk about it now, he suddenly realized that he had no impression of his son’s and daughter’s childhood at all. The only memory he had was of testing his son’s knowledge and urging him to study.