Once the apprenticeship ceremony officially began, Du Ke took his seat in the main position, with Grandpa Qin, Father Qin, and Shen Lixian seated beside him.

Since this was a family matter, even though Shen Lixian held a high status, he could not sit ahead of Grandpa Qin and Qin Fang.

Qin Shouye, Qin Shoucheng, and Niu Dan stood behind Grandpa Qin and Father Qin.

On the other side sat Grandma Qin and Mother Qin, with Qin Siya and Qin Qiuya standing behind them.

Next, Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan entered together.

After entering, Yang Haiyan sat beside Mother Qin, and Qin Fang began the four bows ceremony.

The four bows ceremony consisted of four bows, each performed with great precision.

It was not just about the movements of the hands and feet; even which knee to kneel on first was crucial.

For example, when kneeling, one would first kneel on the left foot and then the right foot.

However, when rising, it was the opposite: one would first rise on the right foot and then the left foot.

Each bow was accompanied by a respectful greeting, and one should not rush through it; it had to be done at a measured pace.

Fortunately, Qin Fang had arranged for someone to teach him the four bows before Du Ke’s arrival.

He had consulted a scholar from the county academy, who was a student of Confucius and was extremely familiar with these rituals, teaching them with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every movement was executed perfectly.

During his studies, Qin Fang had also mastered each movement with precision.

However, the atmosphere in the family’s four bows ceremony was not as solemn as when students bowed to Confucius, where there were chanting officials present.

At home, those formalities were not as strictly observed.

After Qin Fang completed the four bows, Du Ke presented him with a knife.

Generally, teachers give students the Four Treasures of the Study, but since Qin Fang was a military officer, giving him scholarly implements would be a waste.

Thus, Du Ke gifted him a weapon.

It must be said that Du Ke’s acceptance of a disciple, although suggested by the emperor, was sincere and thoughtfully executed; otherwise, he could have simply given him a set of scholarly implements.

For a military officer, a good weapon was akin to an extra life.

The Four Treasures of the Study would have been useless in Qin Fang’s hands, but a good knife was a different matter.

Though Qin Fang had never held a fine weapon before, he could feel the difference in weight when he received the knife.

Du Ke asked, “What do you think? Do you like it?”

This question was such that even if he didn’t like it, he could only say he did since it was a gift from an elder.

But Du Ke asked this question knowing full well that Qin Fang would like it.

Why was he so certain?

Because it was indeed a good knife.

Qin Fang drew the blade from its sheath, and a glint of cold light flashed from the tip.

Shen Lixian was the first to speak up, “Good knife.”

Everyone turned to look at Shen Lixian, including Qin Fang.

The truth was that he only recognized it was a good knife when he held it; he could not have known just by looking.

His impression that it was good wasn’t based on extensive knowledge of weapons; rather, it was simply that the knife was heavy.

Du Ke raised an eyebrow, “Do you recognize it?”

Shen Lixian replied, “It is said that before the founding of Qiguo, the ancestors of the Du family accompanied Taizu in his conquests, wielding a large knife that was quite imposing. However, after Qiguo was established, the descendants of the Du family abandoned martial pursuits for scholarly ones, and that knife was never seen again. I also heard that this knife bears a personal inscription from Taizu; I wonder if it is so?”

Qin Fang did not expect this knife to have such a backstory. If it was true, he could not accept it: “Teacher, this knife…”

Du Ke waved his hand, “It’s not this knife. Do you know the origins of Qiguo?”

“Uh…” Qin Fang hesitated for a moment and then spoke honestly, “The previous dynasty was corrupt, and Taizu rose up with his subordinates…”

Du Ke interrupted him, “That’s something everyone knows; it’s recorded in the history books. But do you know what they relied on to fight?”

Du Ke asked Qin Fang, also glancing at Shen Lixian. “Lixian, do you know?”

Taizu was the founding emperor of Qiguo.

Shen Lixian shook his head, “I really don’t know.”

At this moment, Yang Haiyan said, “Tomb robbing.”

As soon as she spoke, everyone turned to look at her, even Du Ke, who showed surprise in his eyes, “What do you mean? Where did you hear that?”

This wasn’t because Yang Haiyan knew the plot; the plot didn’t mention this.

When Yang Haiyan realized she had transmigrated into a book, she had read many books about the Qi Kingdom, including those about laws and miscellaneous records.

She learned about Yunxiang County and the Liang Wang from the miscellaneous records, and the mention of tomb robbing was similar.

However, since such matters were not honorable, she hadn’t brought it up with Qin Fang.

Now that Du Ke asked, Yang Haiyan honestly replied, “I once read in the miscellaneous records that the Taiyuan Ancestor was originally from a commoner family, with some properties that barely made him a small landlord. He led a rebellion without weapons, so someone suggested robbing tombs to dig for weapons. Generally speaking, tombs with weapons belonged to individuals of significance, and the weapons would surely not be inferior. Teacher, I only saw this in the miscellaneous records; I don’t know if it’s true.”

Du Ke looked at Yang Haiyan with appreciation, “This matter is indeed true.”

Shen Lixian said, “But it’s not recorded in the historical books.”

Du Ke replied, “Historical books are written by people, so they can naturally be altered. Moreover, the historical books you see might not be the real historical records.

What the county lord mentioned is indeed true; families with deep roots generally know this, and the royal family has never forbidden others from mentioning it.

No matter how the Taiyuan Ancestor rose to power, he ended the corrupt rule of the previous dynasty and gave the common people a chance to breathe. What I want to say is that the knife from my ancestor, Du, also came this way.

That knife accompanied my ancestor for half his life, and the Taiyuan Ancestor inscribed characters on it, which is why my ancestor cherished it and kept it in the Du family shrine.

Later, my ancestor devoted great effort to find materials to forge a similar knife. The blade and weight were exactly the same as the original. However, by the time the materials were found and the knife was made, my ancestor was already too old to wield it. Therefore, that knife has remained unopened in the Du family storeroom.

Speaking of this, perhaps it’s also fate. The Du family hasn’t produced a military general since then; even if disciples practiced martial arts, they preferred to wield swords, and not a single one liked using knives. Thus, I am giving this knife to you.”

Qin Fang didn’t expect this knife to have such a backstory.

He knelt down again, “Thank you, Teacher. I will guard the Qi Kingdom with this knife and uphold its glory.”

Du Ke nodded, “Good.”

Next, everyone started having breakfast. After breakfast, Qin Fang took Du Ke and Shen Lixian to the Shoushan Taoist Temple.

Yang Haiyan had instructed people to prepare lunchboxes for them, which included pastries, noodles, and tea to fill their stomachs, as the hour-long climb might make them hungry.

The pastries included small cakes and mung bean cakes, while the noodles consisted of cold skin and cucumber salad.

The tea was mung bean soup.

These items were all kept in an ice bucket for Qin Fang to carry.

After Qin Fang and the others left, Yang Haiyan began preparing for the evening banquet.

They had performed the apprenticeship ceremony in the morning and were inviting friends and family for dinner in the evening.

Moreover, since Du Ke was there on official business, he also needed to meet local officials, so they decided to combine it with the evening banquet.

Fortunately, there weren’t many officials in Yunxiang County; just the seventh-rank County Magistrate Yang, the eighth-rank Deputy County Magistrate Bai, and the ninth-rank Clerk Song.

Lastly, there were Wei Ting and Qin’s third uncle and aunt.

Yang Haiyan made a guest list, sending invitations to County Magistrate Yang, Deputy County Magistrate Bai, and Clerk Song.

For Qin’s third uncle and aunt, she dispatched guards to send a carriage over.

Once these arrangements were made, Yang Haiyan thought for a moment and went to Liuxin Courtyard. “Mother.”

Qin’s mother and grandmother were relieved to have Yang Haiyan around; otherwise, they wouldn’t know what to do.

Now that Yang Haiyan was here, they seemed ready to eat.

Seeing Yang Haiyan come over, Qin’s mother quickly asked, “Yanyan, you’ve worked hard these past few days. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Qin’s mother also felt a bit embarrassed; if they were an ordinary family, like those in Baili Village, the mother would usually be the one helping, not the daughter-in-law.

But there was nothing they could do; they simply didn’t understand.

Yang Haiyan replied, “Mother, don’t worry. I’m not tired. Besides, it’s for my husband, so it’s worth a little effort.”

Hearing Yang Haiyan say this, Qin’s mother couldn’t help but laugh, “You child…”

Yang Haiyan continued, “Mother, I came over to ask you about the evening banquet. We’re hosting it to celebrate my husband’s apprenticeship. I’ve invited Third Uncle and Aunt over. I was thinking, since Third Uncle is here, should I invite him too?”

Mentioning the troublesome Third Brother, Qin’s mother didn’t think twice, “No need. Let them stay there.”

With the guards watching over them, she didn’t want the Third Brother and the Tadpole to come over and run off when they weren’t paying attention.

In fact, in the military fields, the Third Brother had tried to abandon the Tadpole to run away but was caught by the guards.

Hearing her response, Yang Haiyan smiled, “Then I’ll send some good food over to Third Uncle and the Tadpole later. Since they aren’t here, they can’t miss out on the food since they are in Yunxiang County.”

As soon as Qin’s mother heard this, her brows relaxed, “Oh, you handle it as you see fit.”

While she found her own brother and nephew annoying, she didn’t like others speaking ill of them.

Now that she saw her daughter-in-law being polite to her brother and nephew and even thinking of them, she felt happy.

Regardless of whether her daughter-in-law genuinely cared for them or was simply doing it for appearances, at least she had this sentiment for her mother-in-law, and that made her happy.

Qin’s mother once again sighed that her son had chosen a good wife.

However, when it came to marriage, Qin’s mother thought of Qin’s Third Aunt and quietly asked Yang Haiyan, “Yanyan, is there any young man around A Fang who is interested in marrying?”

Yang Haiyan was taken aback.

Seeing Qin’s mother suddenly ask this, her heart tightened.

Was she planning to arrange a marriage for Siya? “Mother, why do you ask? Is it about Siya…”

Qin’s mother hurriedly replied, “No, no. It’s your Third Aunt and Third Uncle. They want to find a suitable young man for Sanya, thinking that with A Fang around, the young man wouldn’t dare bully Sanya. Plus, it could help win hearts for A Fang. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, so I came to ask you what you think. Is it feasible?”