The Rebirth Of The General Who Always Sees Himself As A Replacement

Ji’an had always yearned for.
Gu Heyan didn’t know how to argue against it, so he simply agreed.

“Today, I’ll teach you how to draw a bow.” Gu Heyan handed the curved bow in his hand to Fu Ji’an.

Fu Ji’an, on the contrary, said with a bitter face: “Shifu, you’re too formal.
Haven’t we practiced martial arts together for a long time now? Don’t you want to chat with me?”

Gu Heyan: “….What does His Highness want to talk about?”

“About….about….” Fu Ji’an patted his little head and stammered for a long time.
However, in the end, he couldn’t find a topic they could talk about.
After a long sigh, he said: “Haa, if only Mu-gege had come with me today.
He’s very talkative!”

Gu Heyan’s eyes trembled, while his expression instantly changed from indifferent to flustered.
Even his voice sounded a bit weakened: “Is the Duke of Yan’s son coming here today?”

Unaware of the change in Gu Heyan’s mood, Fi Ji’an said: “At first, he was going to come with me, but my Fifth Imperial Brother had to talk with him, so Mu-gege went with Imperial Brother.”

At that, Gu Heyan lowered his head and looked down with a somewhat dull gaze.
After a while, Gu Heyan finally asked a very out-of-place question without a second thought: “Does the Fifth Prince treat the Duke of Yan’s son….well?”

“Well?” Fu Ji’an repeated in confusion.
He was only ten years old at this time, so how could he understand the profound pain concealed in Gu Heyan’s words? Of course, Fu Ji’an simply laughed: “Of course my Fifth Imperial Brother treats Mu-gege well! My Fifth Imperial Brother hangs out with Mu-gege the most! They have such a good relationship, I’m a little envious of it.
When they were young, my Fifth Imperial Brother would often tease Mu-gege a lot.
Even making Mu-gege call him ‘Yi-gege’.
Mu-gege was silly back then, so he actually did it! Later, my Fifth Imperial Brother bought a lot of sesame cloud cakes for Mu-gege, and he didn’t even share a single one with me! I was so angry!”

“Hmm.” Gu Heyan quietly heard Fu Ji’an talk, waiting until he would finish his rambling.
As soon as Fu Ji’an was done, Gu Heyan murmured with a trembling voice: “That’s wonderful.”

“Huh?” Fu Ji’an didn’t hear him clearly.

“Seventh Prince, it’s time to practice archery.
Draw the bow.” Gu Heyan’s breathing gradually calmed down, as he began to instruct Fu Ji’an in archery exercises.

—

In the twinkling of an eye, it was the end of the 9th Lunar Month2.
The parasol trees were illuminated by the cold moonlight, wet from the autumn rain.
At this time, the weather was getting colder and colder.

The vengeful Mu Zhiming really didn’t let Fu Ji’an sleep lazily this whole time.
Every day, early in the morning, Mu Zhiming would enter the Palace to shout at Fu Ji’an, telling him to get up and begin to read.
Fu Ji’an, on the other hand, had to foolishly get up early every day.

On this day, as usual, Mu Zhiming requested permission to enter the Fengyi Palace to wake Fu Ji’an.

When Fu Ji’an finally opened his eyes, he hugged his quilt and began to howl: “Mu-gege! Can’t I rest today? The Grand Tutor hasn’t even entered the Palace yet, what are you doing here?! The Academy hasn’t even opened yet!”

“Do you think you can be lazy simply because the Academy hasn’t opened yet? You think you can stop waking up early to memorize the books?” Mu Zhiming bitterly smiled and said: “Nice try.”

The pitiful Fu Ji’an rolled around the bed in protest, but in the end, he was still forcibly dragged by Mu Zhiming to the study in the Fengyi Palace.

Fu Ji’an cried for a while, took the book, and memorized it in silence for a while.
However, in the end, his playful mind prevailed.
After abandoning the book, Fu Ji’an went to Mu Zhiming’s side and rummaged through his pile of books, trying to see what Mu Zhiming was reading.

“Machinery techniques around the world? The Book of Songs and the Classic of Rites? Mohe3 language?” Fu Ji’an read out the titles of the books, one by one, only to lament next: “Mu-gege, the books you read are too miscellaneous! It’s a mess!”

Mu Zhiming said: “One is my personal interest, while the rest are for the future of my career.
Quit rummaging through my books and seriously go read yours.”

“Awww, Mu-gege, please let me rest!” Fu Ji’an wailed.
“I still have to go practice martial arts in the afternoon!”

Mu Zhiming flipped through his books and asked casually: “Who’s teaching you martial arts?”

Fu Ji’an replied: “General Gu’s son!”

Mu Zhiming suddenly raised his head and looked at Fu Ji’an: “The son of General Gu?!”

“Yes, yes, that’s right!” Fu Ji’an nodded his head excitedly, with his eyes filled with admiration.
“Mu-gege, let me tell you! My Shifu is so powerful! He’s well versed in archery, horseback riding, swordsmanship, and Qinggong4!”

Mu Zhiming slammed shut the book in his hand and said: “Why didn’t you tell me he was teaching you earlier?!”

Fu Ji’an scratched his head, not understanding where the complaint came from: “You didn’t ask!”

At that moment, Mu Zhiming’s eyes brightened: “I’ll go to the equestrian archery garden with you this afternoon!!”

Footnotes

师父 shī fu; The term “Shifu” refers to a teacher.
In ancient times, those who engaged in preaching and teaching were usually male, so 师 shī (teacher) was compared to 父 fu (father), and over time “Shifu” became a combined term.
However, in practice, the usage isn’t limited to men only.
For example: in the martial arts novels in which the word “Shifu” is used, those who teach are referred to as “Shifu” regardless of their gender. Around October in the Gregorian Calendar. A Manchu-Tungus language group active in the Northeastern region of Ancient China. 轻功 qīng gōng; Is a real method in traditional Chinese martial arts.
The practice of Qinggong doesn’t make the body weight lighter, but it can improve the ability to run, jump, dodge and move.
The use of Qinggong has been exaggerated in Wuxia fiction, in which martial artists have the ability to move swiftly and lightly at superhuman speed, performing gravity-defying moves such as gliding on water surfaces, scaling high walls, and mounting trees.