Do you know: I am Qi Heng

The He family lives in Guanzhong. If all goes smoothly, the round trip might take nearly a month.

There's only a little over a month left until the Lunar New Year.

After Qi Xuan left home, Qi Heng continued as before, accompanying his mother to the palace in the morning and reading at home in the afternoon.

As the year draws to a close, more and more noblewomen are entering the palace to pay their respects to the Empress.

She also had to receive some noble ladies who came to visit, so she didn't have time to go to the palace.

In ancient times, diplomacy among noble families often involved wives.

The head of the household usually has duties to perform, and the holidays before the New Year are limited, so they can only visit some close relatives.

For those who are related by blood but not particularly close, it's not appropriate to simply have a servant deliver the gifts; having the wife carry the gifts herself is undoubtedly the best way.

These ladies, whose status was much lower, simply came by themselves, sat for a while, chatted for a bit, and then took their leave.

Those of similar status would bring their children, and Qi Heng would be responsible for entertaining them.

Not only do people frequently visit the Qi family, but the Qi family also has some households to visit.

Early that morning, the mother and son had breakfast and then traveled by carriage to the residence of the Marquis of Xiangyang.

Princess Pingning was the only daughter of the Marquis of Xiangyang. Her mother died early, so the emperor brought her into the palace after the Marquis of Xiangyang's death.

The current Marquis of Xiangyang is the second son of Qi Heng's maternal grandfather's younger brother.

Although it is called adoption, it is still a process that takes place after a person's death, and is presided over by the clan elders.

After Princess Pingning entered the palace, she rarely returned to the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence, so their relationship was not very close.

However, according to etiquette, the current Marquis of Xiangyang respects Princess Pingning's father as his father, who is also her brother.

Her second uncle's family was also there, and as a junior, she definitely had to visit them.

"Little sister, Heng-ge'er!"

Guo Yunjian, along with his wife and children, waited at the door to greet them. When Princess Pingning and Qi Heng got out of the carriage, he greeted them with a smile.

"Brother, sister-in-law!"

Princess Pingning smiled and bowed, and Qi Heng followed suit, saying, "Greetings, Uncle, Aunt, Cousins."

"How is Heng-ge'er's health?"

Guo Yunjian patted Qi Heng on the shoulder and said with a smile, "The end of the year is approaching, and there are many things to do in the army, so I haven't been able to visit you often. You don't blame your uncle, do you?"

He was working at the western suburban camp. Qi Heng had visited him twice when he was ill.

"Uncle has official duties to attend to, so naturally he has to prioritize his work. As for me, even if I catch a cold, it's nothing serious," Qi Heng said with a smile.

"Haha, reading really makes a difference."

Guo Yunjian praised, "Unlike your two cousins, who are always causing me trouble. But your health is a bit weak; why don't you learn martial arts with me to strengthen your body?"

On the other side, Princess Pingning was exchanging pleasantries with Guo Yunjian's wife, Lady Qu. Hearing Guo Yunjian's words, she interrupted, "Brother, I imagine Second Uncle and Second Aunt are waiting. Let's go inside!"

"Yes, my lord."

Qu said, "It's so cold outside. Let's go inside and talk slowly."

"Look at me, I forget everything as we chat."

Guo Yunjian patted his forehead and beckoned Princess Pingning and Qi Heng to enter the mansion.

Qi Heng thought to himself, "It seems my mother doesn't want me to get involved in martial arts."

He was actually quite interested in Guo Yunjian's suggestion, but before he could agree, Princess Pingning changed the subject.

He never thought about going to the battlefield to make a name for himself.

Rather, it was for the purpose of strengthening the body. In ancient times, medical conditions were poor, and a minor illness could easily lead to death if not treated in time.

In my memory, my mother seemed to have mentioned that the Guo family had a prescription that, when taken during martial arts training, could strengthen muscles and bones and enhance physical strength.

As the saying goes, the poor are scholars, the rich are warriors.

It doesn't mean that the poor study while the rich practice martial arts. Rather, it means that one can afford to study hard, but not to practice martial arts.

If one doesn't train their strength and build up their muscles and bones from a young age, they will only have the strength of an ordinary person when they grow up normally, unless they are exceptionally gifted.

However, practicing martial arts can easily cause injury, so it's necessary to use a prescription.

Otherwise, let alone mastering martial arts, it would be good if you didn't suffer any injuries; in severe cases, you might even be crippled.

If we're talking about scholars passing down their knowledge and skills through generations, then families like the Guo family, with their military achievements, rely on this kind of method to preserve their traditions.

Qi Heng felt that this prescription must have the effect of strengthening muscles and bones, so he got his hands on the prescription and would exercise regularly.

If you build up your strength, you're less likely to get sick.

Upon arriving at the main hall, we found it already filled with many people.

Seated at the head of the table was a couple, Guo Yunjian's biological parents, who were also Princess Pingning's second uncle and aunt.

On either side below were some of the direct relatives of the Marquis of Xiangyang.

Princess Pingning led Qi Heng to greet the elders. The middle-aged man at the head of the table on the right stood up and gave up his seat, while Qi Heng stood beside his mother.

"Quick, get Heng-ge a stool," Second Uncle Guo Wu ordered.

"Uncle, everyone here is an elder. How dare I, a junior, take a seat?" Qi Heng quickly said.

"I dare not refuse a gift from an elder."

Guo Wu smiled and said, "If your cousins ​​were as well-behaved and sensible as you, they would naturally let them sit down as well."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Qi Heng's refusal was merely a matter of courtesy; if he could sit, he certainly wouldn't stand there foolishly.

"I heard that Erlang went to Guanzhong. Could it be that he has some kind of mission?" Guo Wu asked.

Princess Pingning said, "Second Uncle, I am feeling a little unwell. My husband went to Guanzhong to invite Old Madam He to come and take a look at me."

Guo Wu didn't believe her when she said that, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Princess Pingning was a woman, and she appeared to be in good health. If she were actually feeling unwell, it would be inconvenient for her to mention it.

After chatting about family matters, Princess Pingning suggested going to the ancestral hall to offer incense to her parents.

Although Guo Wu's expression was somewhat unpleasant, he dared not stop him.

According to the established etiquette, women in the family only have two opportunities to enter the ancestral hall in their lifetime.

The first time is when she marries into her husband's family. When her name is recorded in the family genealogy, she can enter the ancestral hall to worship her ancestors.

The second instance is when the spirit tablet is placed in the ancestral hall after death.

But both times, it was the husband's family's ancestral hall. Under normal circumstances, one might never be able to enter the husband's family's ancestral hall in their entire life.

The reason it wasn't absolutely impossible to enter was that those who were taken as concubines by the emperor could enter the ancestral hall, because it was a matter of bringing glory to one's ancestors.

Strictly speaking, Princess Pingning definitely shouldn't go.

But in reality, he is the only bloodline of the main lineage, and he has a close relationship with the palace.

The Guo family wouldn't turn against her over this.

Even though they felt it was against the rules and were unwilling, they did not stop it.

Qi Heng followed his mother to the ancestral hall and kowtowed to his maternal grandparents to offer incense.

After completing the worship ceremony, they left the ancestral hall. Grandma Guo, who was waiting outside, greeted them with a smile.

"Auntie, come with me to the back room for a private chat."

"Yes, I also have a lot to talk about with my second aunt." Princess Pingning nodded.

"Cousin, the plum blossoms in the garden are in bloom. Let me take you to see them," Guo Yong, Guo Yunjian's eldest son, said to Qi Heng.

Qi Heng looked at his mother, and seeing her nod, he smiled and said, "Okay."

After parting ways with the elders, Guo Yong led Qi Heng along the covered walkway toward the garden.

"Cousin, the Prince of Yan's heir is hosting a dinner at Fanlou tonight, and he sent me an invitation too. Why don't you go and join the fun?"