Upon closer inspection, the more he looked, the stranger he seemed, yet he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was odd.
By the time everyone had boarded Old Mu’s spacious horse carriage, Old Mu finally realized what was amiss.
"What’s that thing growing under the corner of your eye?" Old Mu pointed at Ye Zi’an and then shockingly said, "Years have gone by, how did you get so marred?" Old Mu mused to himself that his nephew used to be handsome and distinguished, one in a hundred.
But now, looking at him was like looking at a wax statue, he was just too ordinary, blending into the crowd without drawing any attention. A careful look might reveal he wasn’t too bad, but what about that thing at the corner of his eye, and those dots on the bridge of his nose?
At these words, Mr. Luo burst into hearty laughter.
Yet, Ye Zi’an remained calm, "Uncle, a man should be judged by his knowledge and breadth of mind; appearances are secondary."
Old Mu thought about it and agreed, considering that there were several even less presentable at the daily court assembly, yet their abilities earned them continuous rewards, even if they stood at the very back of the line.
"I’ve prepared a place for you to stay. You won’t be staying with the Luo Family, but in my other residence, which is unknown to others, so no one will bother you." Old Mu continued, "And for the time being, there’s no need to visit the Luo family."
Being unfamiliar with the Capital City, he naturally followed Old Mu’s lead.
The carriage sped toward the city and only slowed down when it reached the gates. Ye Zi’an observed, with great attention to detail, that Old Mu didn’t present his own token or waist plaque to the guards, but instead, joined the queue of commoners for the inspection.
Moreover, it seemed the officers guarding the city didn’t recognize Old Mu as they scrutinized him quite thoroughly.
An hour later, having successfully entered the city, Mr. Luo said goodbye, planning to visit Ye Zi’an at Old Mu’s other residence the next day.
"Mr. Luo and uncle must be on good terms."
Old Mu was caught off guard for a moment, but then chuckled, "I thought you might say we don’t get along at all."
"Why would I? Mr. Luo said he would visit me at uncle’s private residence tomorrow. That Mr. Luo knows about your private place shows a special relationship. However, when I saw Mr. Luo speaking with you in Shandong and outside the city, it seemed there was a hint of resentment, yet uncle didn’t seem to mind his harsh attitude."
One has to admit, this nephew was good at reading situations and people, and also clever. He seemed to have passed all his exams on the first try. Of course, we’re not counting the time he sat for the Cultivated Talent exam, where he was always first. If he ranks first in this spring’s examination, that will make it three times being first on the list.
The boy is still so young, by then the entire Great Zhou might be shocked by his achievements.
"Has your teacher spoken to you about that matter?" Old Mu’s expression briefly showed complexity when he mentioned this.
Old Mu paused, then thought to himself, of course, with Old Luo’s character, why would he talk to the child about these things.
"Your teacher was once a retainer for the Luo Family and highly trusted by my father. If it weren’t for that incident, your mother would have been with Old Luo."
Ye Zi’an listened in surprise, unaware of this connection. But that didn’t seem quite right, either; he remembered villagers saying his father and mother were deeply in love. The subsequent remarriage was to find someone to help take care of him, though it didn’t turn out as hoped.
"Was it a one-sided affection from my teacher?" Ye Zi’an asked, perplexed.
Old Mu smiled at the question, "I don’t know whether it was or wasn’t. I wasn’t in the Capital City back then. By the time I returned, everything had changed; your mother had disappeared, and within a few years, my father had died, and Old Luo was no longer with the Luo Family."