Do you know: I am Qi Heng

The view from a high vantage point is truly breathtaking, especially near a city.

Without skyscrapers, standing dozens of meters above the bustling city of Bianjing offers a completely different experience from climbing a mountain.

After descending from the iron tower, He Hongwen remained in a daze for a long time.

Qi Heng originally wanted to take He Hongwen to Fanlou for a meal, but his encounter with Zhao Min at Liangyuan made him give up the idea.

Zhao Min knew he was coming to the Iron Tower, so he couldn't follow him; otherwise, his purpose would be too obvious.

He had no more reservations about going to Fanlou, which was the premier restaurant in Bianjing and a place frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles.

Upon returning home, Princess Pingning and the others had not yet returned; only Qi Xuan was at home.

He had already eaten lunch and instructed his servants to bring food to the two of them.

After the meal, Qi Heng invited He Hongwen to his study.

During his morning visit, Qi Heng also learned about He Hongwen's recent situation.

As the eldest grandson of the He family, the old lady He originally wanted him to study and take the imperial examinations.

After all, He Hongwen's parents are still alive and young, and they can have more children later.

He Hongwen began his education at the age of five, studying at a local academy.

His father died when he was eight years old, and he had no other children.

At this point, Mrs. He faced a new choice.

As a family with a long history in medicine, the He family runs businesses related to medicinal herbs, and medical skills are the foundation of their business.

If He Hongwen is not the only male heir of the He family, then sending the eldest grandson to school would naturally be the best option for the He family to advance further.

Even if He Hongwen fails the exam, he can still inherit the family business and run the family business.

After He Hongwen's father passed away, he became the only male heir in the He family.

If he focuses solely on his studies, his medical skills will be lost.

If the He family fails to pass the imperial examinations and their medical skills are neglected, they will inevitably decline without the foundation of their medical expertise.

After hesitating for a long time, Grandma He finally explained the pros and cons to He Hongwen.

After hearing this, He Hongwen chose to give up his studies and follow his grandmother to learn medicine.

The reason he made this choice was that he had been exposed to medicine since childhood and had a great interest in it.

Secondly, he also wanted to shoulder the responsibility of passing on the family legacy.

Although he gave up his studies, he also studied Confucian classics in addition to studying medicine.

Although Qi Heng's study did not contain any books on medicine, it had a collection of Confucian classics that even some officials' families might not have.

As the saying goes, poetry and books are passed down through generations. Although the invention of printing made books a commodity, breaking away from the monopoly of aristocratic families, this was not the case.

But for any commodity, market demand must be considered.

Among the Four Books and Five Classics, and other classics, only the mainstream ones sell well.

Those bookstores would make woodblocks and print and sell the books.

As for some niche books, hardly anyone buys them, so naturally no one would do a business that loses money.

Many of the books in Qi Heng's study were brought back from the palace.

The richness of the royal library can be imagined.

He has quite a few rare and unique books in his study.

He Hongwen carefully selected some of the books and borrowed a few to read in his room.

Princess Pingning and Old Madam He returned in the evening.

Qi Heng had no idea what the specifics were, and although he was curious, he hesitated and didn't dare to ask.

Since it concerned palace secrets, and the Empress was involved, it wasn't appropriate for him, a man, to ask too many questions.

Although Qi Heng couldn't ask directly, he learned from his mother's conversation with Old Madam He that Empress Cao knew Old Madam He and her grandson were temporarily staying at the Duke of Qi's mansion and had arranged a house for them.

Although the Qi family home is large, it is indeed inconvenient for Grandma He and her grandson to live there as the end of the year approaches.

But this was not the reason why Empress Cao arranged accommodation for Old Madam He.

From this information, Qi Heng could conclude that Old Madam He definitely had a way to cure Empress Cao.

However, whether Empress Cao could conceive or not depended on fate.

The next day, a palace eunuch came and brought many rewards.

These rewards were not for Old Madam He, but for the Qi family.

During festivals and holidays, the palace would bestow gifts upon some officials and nobles.

To see if a powerful person is trusted by the government, one only needs to see if they receive rewards from the palace during festivals and holidays.

These rewards may not be very valuable, but they represent the emperor's favor.

Because of Princess Pingning, the Qi family always had one.

Based on the recent situation in the palace, the rewards should be less than in previous years.

But this reward far exceeded that of the past, making Qi Heng even more certain of his guess.

After the palace officials delivered the gifts, they also helped Old Madam He and her grandson move.

Princess Pingning personally led Qi Heng along.

Bianjing was divided into an inner city and an outer city. The residence arranged for Empress Cao was in the inner city. Although it only had three courtyards, in Bianjing where land was extremely valuable, such a residence was worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Furthermore, Empress Cao also had the Duke of Cao's mansion send some servants to attend to her.

…………

In ancient times, the Lunar New Year was a quiet and unremarkable celebration. The most lively festival was actually the Lantern Festival.

The night of New Year's Eve was very quiet. The family of three stayed up until the bell of Daxiangguo Temple rang at midnight. After going to the ancestral hall to pay respects to their ancestors, they returned to their room to rest.

The next day, before dawn, Qi Heng was woken up by Lian Qiao. Still half asleep, he was dressed and washed by several maids.

After Lianqiao helped him put on his turban and tie his cloak, Qi Heng was fully awakened by the cold wind as he went outside.

Nanxing led the way with a lantern, and when they arrived at the main hall, Qi Xuan and Princess Pingning were already there.

"Your son greets Father and Mother, wishing them all the best and good health in the new year!" Qi Heng bowed deeply.

"Um!"

Qi Xuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Now that you're twelve years old, I hope that in the new year you will avoid arrogance and impetuosity, study diligently, and respect your teachers and elders!"

"Your son will heed your instructions, Father!"

Qi Heng bowed in agreement, then bowed to Princess Pingning and said, "Please instruct me, Mother!"

Princess Pingning stopped herself from saying what she had prepared.

"I don't have any special instructions. As long as you're safe and healthy, that's enough!"

Qi Heng was taken aback upon hearing this. In previous years, when he paid his respects on the first day of the new year, Princess Pingning would always give him all sorts of instructions and admonitions. He didn't have time to think too much about it and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mother."

"Alright, it's getting late, time to get going!"

Princess Pingning stood up and said, "Let's go!"

Qi Xuan and Princess Pingning walked in front, with Qi Heng following behind, the family of three heading towards the gate of the mansion.

On the first day of the new year, officials were required to enter the palace to pay their respects to the emperor and attend the grand court assembly.

Women of noble birth who held imperial titles were required to know how to pay their respects to Empress Cao.

Princess Pingning did not have an imperial title, but she held the rank of princess.

Women of high status can also bring along a younger relative who is not very old.

Qi Heng was already too old to attend court banquets with his father, but he could not accompany his mother to the inner palace.

On the first day of the lunar month, when officials and nobles entered the palace to pay their respects, they were not allowed to bring their children, because there was a grand court assembly.

The family of three arrived at the Xuande Gate of the Imperial Palace by carriage. Qi Xuan instructed Qi Heng to stay close to Princess Pingning after entering the palace and not to wander off before getting out of the carriage.

The coachman drove the carriage toward the side gate of the palace.

Officials and nobles entered the palace through the side gates on either side of the main gate, while noblewomen entered through the side gates closer to the inner palace; they were not in the same place.

When the carriage stopped again, Qi Heng got out first and saw many carriages parked outside the side gate. The noblewomen were dressed in their official robes and looked very dignified.

They gathered in small groups to chat.