Imperial envoy's ship · Reception room · Winter
The imperial envoy's official ship enjoyed first-class accommodations, with red pine panels covering the floor and exquisitely carved windows. The sky was rather dark, and in the softly flickering candlelight, the room seemed especially peaceful and still.
Su Ziji was speaking with the imperial envoy, Luo Pei.
Over the past half month, Su Ziji had become a regular visitor here, often coming to seek Luo Pei's guidance. Although Luo Pei was troubled, each conversation with Su Ziji allowed him to forget his worries for a while, so he gave the young man his wholehearted attention.
Now, Luo Pei gazed at the youth before him. He was not yet eighteen, and the trace of immaturity he had still possessed when they left the capital had vanished entirely. His expression was composed and unruffled, bearing an air unique to those of noble birth. More than once, Luo Pei had marveled inwardly that this must be the power of bloodline.
Even a minister of the first or second rank would struggle to possess such bearing.
His scholarship is even more extraordinary.
Leaving everything else aside, Su Ziji's ability to learn alone was beyond comparison with ordinary people. In just half a month, Luo Pei already felt as though he had been emptied out.
Today, they were discussing the Spring and Autumn Annals, one of the Four Books and Five Classics.
During his years of study, Luo Pei had been particularly fond of the Spring and Autumn Annals. But after entering officialdom, he had become so busy with government affairs that he had not discussed it in a long time.
Looking back over twenty years as he discussed it now, he suddenly realized that, without noticing, he had neglected the warnings he had taken to heart