Fusu said, "But I only want to learn how to paint horses."
There's nothing that can be done about it. Historically, Zhao Ji (Emperor Huizong) was far more famous for his horse paintings than for being emperor. Although Yan Liben and Zhang Zeduan were also great masters, they were specialists in their respective fields. If Fusu wanted to learn horse painting, he had to rely on those masters. Seeing that I remained silent, Fusu went over and tugged at Zhao Ji's sleeve.
I asked Zhao Ji, "Why don't you go inside?"
Zhao Ji glanced at the bustling old campus and said awkwardly, "There are a few people over there that I can't easily meet." I turned around and saw Zhao Kuangyin and several other emperors sitting on the steps eating melon seeds. Nearby, Jin Wuzhu was chatting with Yuwen Chengdu and a few others about military strategy. I couldn't help but laugh. According to custom, people from different eras address each other as brothers based on age, but if he dared to call Zhao Kuangyin a brother, he'd be asking for a beating.
Zhao Ji asked me, "Xiao Qiang, where is that place you mentioned with lots of pretty girls?"
I was taken aback: "You mean a nightclub or a bathhouse?"
Zhao Ji scratched his head and said, "It's the kind of person who also likes art."
"Oh, you mean he hasn't graduated yet?" I patted Fusu's head and said, "Why bother with all that? Just teach him well, and his dad will reward you with a few coins, right?"
Emperor Huizong said unhappily, "What kind of person do you take me for? I'm an artist, after all."
It seems this spendthrift still retains his last shred of dignity. I was immediately filled with respect and was about to express my apology when I heard Zhao Ji continue, "We artists value self-reliance above all else. What's the point of relying on rewards?" As he spoke, he instructed Fusu, "If you want to learn painting from me, you must remember these words."
Fusu nodded and said, "Understood."
I was both angry and amused, and tapped Fusu's forehead, saying, "You're just messing around with all this rubbish. I don't think your father will pass the throne to you."
Fusu brushed my hand away and said disdainfully, "I never wanted to be emperor in the first place. It's so hard and tiring. Painting is much more carefree."
Emperor Huizong gave him a thumbs up and said, "You have ambition. I need to learn from you in that respect."
As we walked, Baozi said to me, "It's better to have two children. If one doesn't do anything productive, at least there's another one."
Zhao Ji and Fusu: "..."
As soon as I entered the old campus, it became lively. The first to rush out were more than 108 heroes of Liangshan, including Hua Rongran, Dong Ye, Fang Zhenjiang, and Wu Song, as well as two Pang Wanchuns, two Deng Yuanjues, and two Li Tianruns, all appearing in pairs, making one dizzy from the sight. Yan Jingsheng was busy arranging things, and when he saw me arrive, he wiped his sweat and smiled, "Xiao Qiang, you've all come today!"
I responded and pulled him aside, instructing him, "Arrange the seating when we eat. The bottom line is to avoid a fight." Although I know all my clients, there are still differences in familiarity. Moreover, Cheng Fengshou, Duan Tianlang, and even Tiger know nothing about each other. Needless to say, they might start fighting if they were just discussing the ranking of historical generals.
Yan Jingsheng said, "Don't worry, I'll arrange it." He then casually asked, "What about Xiang Yu and Li Shishi?"
I looked around and said, "They arrived before me; I wonder where they went."
Yan Jingsheng said "Oh," and then, trying to cover up his misunderstanding, asked, "Mulan is with them too, right?"
Baozi and I exchanged a smile, and I teased him on purpose, saying, "Sister Mulan isn't coming."
Yan Jingsheng stammered, "Why?"
Cao Xiaoxiang suddenly appeared out of nowhere and interjected, "Dad is lying. I came with Aunt Mulan. She accompanied Uncle Xiangyu and Aunt Xiangyu to see Grandpa Bian Que to check if the baby in Aunt Xiangyu's belly is in the right position."
I rolled my eyes at him and said, "You seem to know the relationships between people pretty well. Stop talking so much!"
Even the honest Yan Jingsheng knew I was teasing him, and he glared at me angrily. I gave him a forced smile and said, "Here's a useful clue—Mulan's parents want her to find a teacher..."
At this point, the bandits all swarmed around. This time, besides bullying me, they didn't even spare my son. One would hug him, another would pinch him, and he was like a dirty toy doll in Baozi's hands. But the little guy wasn't shy at all; in fact, he seemed to enjoy the savage smell emanating from the bandits. Needless to say, after this round, he gained over a hundred more godfathers…
Lu Zhishen stood with Bao Jin's brother Bao Yin and said boldly, "This little fellow is clearly one of our kind. I think our Liangshan will have a successor in the future."
Song Jiang said with a worried look, "Brothers, we should find a way out as soon as possible. Do you really want to be thieves for generations?"
I said dismissively, "Brother Song Jiang, are you still thinking about being granted amnesty?" As I spoke, I glanced at Jin Wuzhu, seemingly casually. Liangshan was nominally under his control, and getting the bandits to surrender to him would be even more difficult—Jin Wuzhu, seeing my glare, nervously stood up; he was definitely the weaker party at Yucai. Baozi said nonchalantly, "Old Wan, you sit down. You're a guest from afar; let's forget about what happened between us."
Jin Wuzhu stammered, "Next time, remember, there's also Yan..."
Suddenly someone shouted, "If the heroes of Liangshan don't mind, come back with me and I will promote you all to higher ranks and titles."
Upon hearing the voice, Cao Xiaoxiang exclaimed joyfully, "Dad!"
No need to look, the one who likes to recruit talent at all times is Cao Cao, Cao Xiaoxiang's own father.
I laughed and said, "Brother Cao, you're running faster than before, huh? I haven't even mentioned you yet and you're already here."
Cao Cao came over and shook my hand, then pulled out a handful of ivory business cards from his pocket and handed them out to everyone he met, saying in a very informal manner, "Including these eighteen heroes of the Sui and Tang dynasties, you are all welcome to come anytime."
Li Shimin said, both amused and exasperated, "Old Cao, it's not very fair of you to openly poach someone from your team."
Genghis Khan also said, "If you really recruit all these people to your side, wouldn't Liu Bei and Sun Quan fight you to the death again?"
Cao Cao held Cao Xiaoxiang in his arms and said apologetically, "Even if you guys don't help me, it would be nice to come and visit me."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Old Cao, are you expecting us to generate foreign exchange for you?"
Amidst laughter, I called out to everyone, "If you're not busy, let's go to the auditorium. There are a lot of people here today, so let's have dinner there."
Song Qing stepped forward and said, "Leave it to me, I'm good at this."
So, Xiaoqiang asked Song Qing to host a banquet for the assembled heroes in the main hall. On the way, I met many old friends, including Wang Ben, Zhang Han, Liu Dongyang, Muqali, Hasier, and Hu Yieryi and Wang Basan, who had surrounded Jin Wuzhu. Considering that these friends were visiting for the first time, besides asking Du Xing to prepare "Five-Star Juniper," I also asked Lao Wu, who was in charge of delivering alcohol to the bar, to get a truckload of foreign liquor.
Hua Tuo had come with Cao Cao, and now he had brought An Daoquan and Bian Que along to consult on Yu Ji's case. Yu Ji was only three months pregnant after Baozi's birth, and her belly was already showing, following behind the group. Xiang Yu and his entourage came out, and I looked at them questioningly. The three divine physicians said in unison, "The baby's position is perfect; a natural birth is definitely possible."
I asked again, "Male or female?"
Hua Tuo said, "Judging from the pulse, it should be a boy."
His words were immediately ridiculed by Bian Que: "Is there any way to determine the sex of a child by looking at their pulse?"
Hua Tuo, realizing he was not as professional as Bian Que in this area, humbly asked, "Then what do you say?"
Bian Que scratched his white hair and said, "Judging from the shape, it looks like a girl."
An Daoquan couldn't help but scoff, "You guys spent a year in modern times, and now you don't even believe in science?"