The moment Old Master Chongxuan said this, the atmosphere in the courtyard shifted.
Chongxuan Mingguang's dutiful kneading slowed despite himself.
Chongxuan Zun had been in a pretty good mood.
True, Wang Yiwu and his father had "joined forces" and wiped out all his plans in less than a year. That was enough to give anyone a headache.
But the victory report that fellow had sent back from Sword Peak Mountain in the Xia Kingdom, congratulating Chongxuan Zun on his Heavenly Mansion, had still lifted his spirits considerably.
Especially today, with three generations of the family happily together, chatting about everyday things. It was one of life's simple pleasures.
A rare half-day of leisure!
But the old master's words...
Director Ruan, who had been on friendly terms with the Marquis of Bowang, could only be Ruan Qiu, Director of the Imperial Observatory.
The famous Star-Gazing Tower, the tallest building in Linzi, belonged to the Imperial Observatory. And the Morning Audience Bell that rang each day before the morning court session at the Purple Extreme Hall was struck by its people.
To many, it was an unfathomably mysterious government office. And indeed, it rarely involved itself in politics.
But those who truly mattered knew exactly how much weight the Imperial Observatory carried.
That said, the Imperial Observatory's position was extraordinary, and Director Ruan Qiu wasn't someone just anyone could meet. Had Old Master Chongxuan not spent his life on the battlefield and earned great respect, his descendants might never have had the chance to "guide" Ruan Qiu's daughter.
But while it was a "chance," it wasn't one everyone wanted.
At the time, Chongxuan Zun had been sitting lazily on the stone steps, his left hand resting on his knee, holding a book that drooped lightly. He listened to his father and grandfather