Changing His Ways

"Master!"

After more than half a year, Zhang Xuezhou finally returned to his official residence in Chang'an City.

When Aqiao visited with her child, Zhang Xuezhou was able to interact with his family in a more normal way.

"This little one is still a bit weak, with some congenital deficiencies. It will need proper care to strengthen its body as it grows up!"

Looking at his premature son, Zhang Xuezhou felt a sense of both strangeness and familiarity, and indeed, there was something odd about it.

It's likely that Zhang Xuezhou's marriage process was too fast; he didn't have any normal married life at all, and then the child was born.

But all that was fleeting and uncertain in the past is now gone.

Although Zhang Xuezhou still faces formidable enemies, he no longer needs to worry about being replaced by Donghua at any moment. Everything he has gained right now belongs to him, giving him a true sense of belonging.

"I hope you can give him a name, sir," Ah Qiao pleaded.

"Naming?"

Zhang Xuezhou considered it carefully.

A child born more than half a year ago doesn't even have a name; only their family would have such a situation.

Zhang Xuezhou. One moment he wanted the child to take his surname, Zhang, and the next he felt the child should take the surname Dongfang to confirm their connection and prevent the child from being looked down upon as an illegitimate child in the future.

The former will attract criticism, while the latter involves potential disaster.

Zhang Xuezhou still felt some pressure whenever he thought of Donghua, who controlled the Emperor's body.

"Am I so afraid of him that I even have to be careful about Mingdu our children?!"

Zhang Xuezhou watched the baby babbling, then picked up a bamboo slip and wrote down the document, which was sufficient to be taken to the Prefectural Governor's Office in the capital, and handed it to A Qiao.

"Dongfang Jia, that's a great name!"

Ah Qiao was overjoyed to receive the bamboo slips, examining the names on them closely. Rong Tianding, who had accompanied her, had a rather strange expression on his face.

"Cousin, are you using the Heavenly Branches to name your child?" Rong Tianding asked.

"Yes, I plan to have ten or eight more children in the future. If that's not enough, I'll use the twelve Earthly Branches to make up the number," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"Great idea!"

Rong Tianding praised it, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou's naming method was not much different from the older generation's method of naming with numbers one, two, three, and four.

Of course, this naming method is simple, effective, and easy to distinguish.

If you have a large number of children, this is indeed a good way to differentiate them, and the naming is also very egalitarian.

Rong Tianding even had the urge to imitate him for a moment.

If the Rong Household had ten or eight children, naming them Rong Jia, Rong Yi, and Rong Bing would be perfectly fine, and would also prevent the Rong Tianding was born.

On the other hand, Rong Tianding felt that he was devoted to spiritual practice and that dealing with his parents' personal feelings regarding his children was sufficient; having more children would only add to his troubles.

Zhang Xuezhou had reasons for having children, but Rong Tianding didn't have any of Zhang Xuezhou's bad experiences.

Are you really going to marry Yi Shuo?

After thinking for a moment, Rong Tianding couldn't help but ask Zhang Xuezhou about matters related to illegitimate marriage.

"Of course, why not?" Zhang Xuezhou said. "His Majesty will be sending gifts as a witness in a couple of days, I will definitely get married!"

Although Zhang Xuezhou's wedding was just a small family banquet, all the important figures present were there, and the new emperor's presence was of a very high caliber, so it wasn't a loss of face.

"Yishuo became my brother's wife quickly, but she'll be gone just as soon. What will happen in a year?" Rong Tianding said with a sigh.

"It can only be adjusted according to one's physical condition. When the time comes, one should marry if necessary, and divorce if necessary!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head, then looked at A Qiao, indicating that regardless of familiarity or status, the situation was no different for everyone.

He could divorce one woman and marry another without causing any favoritism or jealousy, and it wouldn't affect the status of women in the household. The advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.

Marriage laws in reality have undergone the test of time, and although they may have become somewhat heartless, they are indeed a good way for men and women to marry.

If Aqiao and the others have any other intentions, they can freely find other good partners in the future and will not be hung up on Zhang Xuezhou.

However, since Yi Shuo had taken the initiative to get involved, Zhang Xuezhou was inevitably a little embarrassed. He could only negotiate and handle the matter later to avoid turning acquaintances into enemies.

"To be honest, Yi Shuo isn't exactly a timid woman. She probably used Ji Wuyan to express her own thoughts," Rong Tianding said. "She's probably much more open-minded than I thought. We'll just have to talk to Old Zheng about it later, so he doesn't experience such extreme joy followed by great sorrow!"

"Old Zheng knows my situation very well, he should be able to accept it. Besides, he's been indebted to me, so he won't be too sad when the time comes!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head, indicating that Zheng Wukong would not take advantage of his age to cause trouble, nor would he allow them to become enemies.

He will present the Life-Creating Pill and the Longevity Pill as gifts, which will be enough to appease Zheng Wukong.

Marriage is a matter of great importance to Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation, but Zhang Xuezhou also makes him think about building his own foundation.

Just like his situation in Western Capital City, Zhang Xuezhou needs the support of some truly capable cultivators. These experts don't necessarily need to infiltrate the Great Han Dynasty to form factions, but they need to be able to watch out for each other and help him defend against disasters in critical moments.

It is very difficult to win over existing experts. Even Zhang Xuezhou has not been able to win over many in reality. Most of them are bound together by mutual interests until the appearance of the quick-learning sequence lock completely turned some people into the Watch Alliance.

Having learned lessons from the real world, Zhang Xuezhou didn't focus his attention on the existing cultivators in Chang'an City.

He felt he could find some talented young people who lacked opportunities.

Fortunately, he currently possesses certain cultivation resources through trade, and since he is wanted by the authorities, he will no longer be able to wander around, thus having ample time. Furthermore, Donghua's departure removes the sword hanging over Zhang Xuezhou's head, meaning that whatever he does will ultimately benefit him.

Braving the rapids is a good thing, but you need to accumulate enough strength to reach the top.

Zhang Xuezhou had some exposure to the power of the True Self Realm, but he didn't dare to boast that he would definitely achieve it in the future.

Zhang Xuezhou's entire behavioral pattern is changing; he is indeed different from before.

"Will Master teach Jia'er cultivation in the future?" A-Qiao asked in a low voice.

"As long as he's willing and able to learn, I'll teach him as much as he can. We can even go to the imperial court for further studies!"

Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation was complex, and even though Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian didn't replicate everything he did, Zhang Xuezhou didn't think Dongfang Jia would blindly copy his cultivation.

But if he can't, there are others who can. The Great Han Dynasty also has thousands of books and many talented people. Zhang Xuezhou thinks that it is not difficult for Dongfang Jia to improve his cultivation. Even if he learns from Rong Tianding, it will not be bad.

Of course, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't wait for Dongfang Jia.

If Dongfang Jia were to achieve mastery of his cultivation in twenty or thirty years, Zhang Xuezhou would likely be repeatedly killed by Donghua.

"Master from the East, why don't you practice on me first? It'll make it easier for you to teach your son in the future!"

As the family was setting the tone for their future life, Zhang Xuezhou heard a familiar yet troublesome voice.

"Your uncle bought a house last year, didn't you already move out of the Pingyang Marquis's residence?"

Zhang Xuezhou looked towards the gate and saw Huo Qubing's head peeking in.

Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi remained guarding the mansion's gate, but they were clearly unable to stop Huo Qubing, who managed to reach the main hall entrance.

"Even if I move out of the Marquis's residence, I can still come to see you," Huo Qubing said. "As soon as I heard that you were back, I came right away!"

"You certainly know how to talk. Come in and have a seat!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed to Huo Qubing at the door.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't wait for Dongfang Jia, and Huo Qubing wasn't much older, so he obviously couldn't wait for him either.

But after observing several times, he couldn't help but marvel, feeling that he had never seen a child with such a high level of cultivation.