Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"Um."

The rocking chair swayed gently as Qi Heng leisurely read a storybook, ate snacks, and basked in the sun.

Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard gate, and a maidservant came over shortly afterward.

"Young master, the eldest mistress has sent someone to tell you to go to the main hall. The second young master Gu has arrived!" the maid said, bowing.

"Gu Tingye is here?"

Qi Heng was taken aback upon hearing this. Calculating the time, Gu Tingye should have returned by now. His surprise wasn't due to this.

What surprised him was that Gu Tingye actually came to the Qi family to find him.

Gu Tingye was a notorious playboy in Bianjing, so Princess Pingning was naturally very unhappy that Qi Heng associated with such a person.

Therefore, Gu Tingye visited once, but seeing that Princess Pingning didn't treat him well, he never came to the Qi family again after that.

If someone wanted to find him, they would send a messenger to deliver a message, arranging to meet Qi Heng outside.

"knew!"

Qi Heng didn't have time to think much. He put down the storybook, told Shaoyao to put it away, and then left the courtyard for the main hall.

Upon arriving at the main hall, they saw Princess Pingning chatting with Gu Tingye with a smile on her face.

Qi Heng was even more puzzled as to why Princess Pingning was so enthusiastic towards Gu Tingye.

"Mother!"

Qi Heng first bowed to Princess Pingning, then cupped his hands to Gu Tingye, who was sitting to his left, and said, "Second Uncle, it's been a long time!"

"It's been several months since we last met, and Yuan Ruo's charm is even greater than before." Gu Tingye smiled and returned the greeting, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Although Qi Heng was not an introverted person, he was usually very reserved because of the strict discipline of the Pingning County official.

Although he doesn't look much different from before, his overall energy and spirit are quite different.

This feeling is quite mysterious; if I had to describe it in one word, it would be "relaxation."

Gu Tingye couldn't understand why Qi Heng had changed so much in just a few months.

"You two chat, I have other things to do, so I won't disturb you any longer!" Princess Pingning smiled and stood up.

"Take care, Mother!"

Qi Heng and Gu Tingye saw Princess Pingning off and returned to the hall.

"I heard Second Uncle went to Yangzhou, why has he been gone for so long?"

Qi Heng asked, "When did you return?"

"I just arrived in Bianjing today."

Gu Tingye said, "I wanted to talk to you, but something happened to the servants I had earlier, so I had to come by myself."

"Accident?"

Qi Heng was taken aback, but quickly realized that Gu Tingye's previous attendants must have died during the assassination attempt in Yangzhou.

That makes sense. Madam Qin was so well hidden that even if she didn't deliberately arrange for Gu Tingye's personal attendants, she must have controlled them.

In wealthy families, the servants and maids who attend to the young masters and ladies are chosen to be of similar age and have grown up together since childhood.

This is the only way to ensure sufficient loyalty.

The most capable maidservant of the Sheng family's Sanlan was someone who grew up with them.

The same applies to Buwei, who is by Qi Heng's side.

But unlike the maids around Sheng Jia San Lan, he was not born into a family; his parents and even his grandfather's generation were servants of the Qi family.

Gu Tingye's personal attendant was naturally a servant born into the family. Even though he had grown up with Gu Tingye since childhood, it was still easy for Madam Qin to control him.

The main reason why wealthy families preferred to use adopted sons was that the indentures of the entire family were in their hands.

Even if a purchased servant has a contract of indenture, he can still escape if the other party harbors evil intentions.

As long as you can steal a lot of money when you leave, it doesn't matter if you don't have a household registration. You can get one by paying money if you escape to another place.

Naturally, people wouldn't feel comfortable using something like this.

Being born into a family is different; with a large extended family, running away isn't so easy.

Conversely, Madam Qin, as the matriarch of the household, could decide the fate of their entire family.

It's not difficult to control the attendants around Gu Tingye.

As for whether it will be exposed, there's no need to worry. Even if the attendant tells Gu Tingye, he might not think much of it.

It's highly likely that Xiao Qinshi was worried about him messing around outside, and that she cared about him rather than monitoring him.

Princess Pingning also made the same request.

"Second Uncle, you've gone to such lengths to come all this way, surely it's not just to catch up?" Qi Heng asked.

"I thought you were studying at the Imperial Academy, but when I went there I found out you hadn't been back since you fell ill before the New Year."

Gu Tingye said, "Although I'm not in Bianjing, I still know some news here. You can't just stay at home forever if you're not going to study at the Imperial Academy, can you?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng sighed inwardly, thinking how clever Gu Tingye truly was.

Just because he didn't go to the Imperial Academy to study, one can guess the general reason.

It should be noted that Gu Tingye is only fifteen years old, and Qi Heng did not go to the Imperial Academy at first because of illness, not because of those members of the imperial family.

In other words, Gu Tingye could not get any other information from the Imperial Academy; he only knew that Gu Tingye had not been to the Imperial Academy since he fell ill.

Based on this alone, one can guess why he didn't go to the Imperial Academy, which shows how clever he is.

Qi Heng couldn't understand how Gu Tingye, such a smart person, could be deceived by Xiao Qinshi, but he could also be deceived by Man Niang.

"During my time in Yangzhou, I met the son of the Yangzhou Vice Prefect. Vice Prefect Sheng has been promoted and has already come to the capital."

For the sake of his children's education, he specially invited Scholar Zhuang from Mingde Academy in Yangzhou to come to Beijing to set up a private school in his home.

Gu Tingye said, "I think you could consider studying at the Sheng family's school!"

"Surveyor Sheng actually managed to get Scholar Zhuang to come to his aid?" Qi Heng asked, feigning surprise.

"Prefect Sheng has a debt of gratitude to Scholar Zhuang, which is why he was able to invite him here."

Gu Tingye said, "I have already spoken to the Princess about this matter, and she is quite interested. If you wish to study at the Sheng family, I can introduce you to the son of Prefect Sheng."

Qi Heng suddenly realized why Princess Pingning was so enthusiastic towards Gu Tingye; it must be because Gu Tingye had solved his problem of studying.

Indeed, although Zhuang Xuejiu has some fame, the Sheng family wouldn't go to such lengths to publicize it.

Therefore, it is unlikely that Princess Pingning heard the news and sought out Qi Heng when he later went to study at the Sheng family.

It's more likely that Princess Pingning came to visit after Gu Tingye personally delivered the news.

Thinking of this, Qi Heng said, "Now I need to ask my mother what she thinks."

Gu Tingye said, "It's alright. Tonight I'm hosting a banquet at Fanlou for the son of Prefect Sheng. Whether you go to the Sheng family to study or not, you're welcome to come. Consider it a farewell party for me."

"Seeing them off?"

Qi Heng was startled upon hearing this: "Second Uncle is leaving Bianjing?"

Although he knew Gu Tingye would leave, he didn't expect it to be so soon.

They've only just returned to Bianjing, and they're already preparing to leave?

"I had a very pleasant conversation with Zecheng in Yangzhou, and he persuaded me to prepare for the imperial examinations!" Gu Tingye said.

In fact, his desire to abandon martial arts and pursue literature was only secondary to being influenced by Sheng Changbai.

Most importantly, he wanted to earn an imperial title for his mother.

He used to think his mother died in an accident, but now that he knows the truth, he feels a deep sense of guilt towards her.

After all, he had been kept in the dark for so many years, and had never even seen his maternal grandfather when he was alive.

If he had gone to Yangzhou to visit his maternal grandfather sooner, he would have known the truth long ago.

Although he knew his mother was gone and the imperial title was meaningless, he really didn't know how to make up for the debt he owed.

"If that's the case, why won't Second Uncle let me go to the Sheng family to study?"

"I have my reasons, I'll tell you later."

Gu Tingye shook his head, unwilling to elaborate.

"Whether I go to the Sheng family to study or not, I will attend the banquet tonight!" Qi Heng said.