The Princess Consort sat beneath a plane tree, took out an old book to read, while Xun Mei brewed tea beside her.
"Nie Yannian has only one daughter. I see he treats that young man rather differently. Has he taken him as an adopted son? Or accepted him as a son-in-law?" the Princess Consort asked casually.
"Nie Qingqing has already brought three men to their deaths in a row. Who would dare become her husband?" Xun Mei laughed. "As for adopting him as a son, probably not. Meng Yuan has considerable talent in martial arts and decent character as well. In my view, Uncle Nie values his ability and conduct."
The Princess Consort nodded slightly and turned another page, but Xun Mei was not done. "He is ambitious too. Besides practicing martial arts, he reads books and scriptures."
"What books?" the Princess Consort asked offhandedly.
"He reads everything from the classics, histories, masters, and collections. He even borrowed some Daoist classics from me. I hear he has recently begun studying poetry as well." Xun Mei smiled.
"Who would have thought he was Dugu Kang's kindred spirit?" the Princess Consort said with a smile.
Xun Mei could not help laughing as well.
"Nie Yannian looks rough and uncouth, but he is truly a meticulous man. The fact that he brought that youth to meet me shows the depth of his trust. But he has only taught the boy for two or three months. How has he come to trust him so much?" the Princess Consort asked.
"Perhaps it has something to do with North City. Uncle Nie has no heir and fears that Nie Qingqing might be swallowed up by relatives, so he found someone who knows gratitude and repays kindness to serve as his successor." Xun Mei then carefully recounted