Although they were all princes, the Mo Family would not treat them differently.
The children of the Mo Family had what the children of the Mo Family had, and the children of the Mo Family did not have what they did not have, resolutely treating everyone equally.
In the days to come, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran continued to develop the industry and livelihood within their territory.
Ten years later—
The training ground of the King of Defending the West's Mansion.
There were viewing stands arranged around, with silk sunshades above the stands.
In the central position sat Mo Qing and the Old Lady Mo, their hair now white, but still appearing vigorous and spirited.
To their left sat Minister Hao and his wife, and to their right sat Nan Rui and Consort De.
Arranged in order below them were the eight brothers of the Mo Family other than Mo Jiuye, along with their wives.
At this moment, everyone was staring intently toward the training grounds.
The younger generations of the Mo Family, both male and female, were lined up in order of age, including the four princes.
Mo Jiuye, hand in hand with He Zhiran, walked slowly in front of the children, then Mo Jiuye shouted loudly.
"The challenge begins."
As his voice fell, someone immediately jumped onto the training grounds.
"Ninth Uncle, let me go first."
Sitting in the viewing stands, Mo Chuhan stroked his forehead and said to his wife beside him, "This kid takes after me, just as bold and courageous."
"What's good about taking after you? Look at Ninth Brother's Zhu, he's been outstanding in both literary and martial arts since he was young, never showing off this kind of brash courage," Eighth Sister-in-law said helplessly.
"The old saying goes, 'Dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes; a rat's child will dig holes.' It would be strange if my child Mo Chuhan was good at studying."
While Eighth Brother and his wife were exchanging words about their eldest son, someone had already jumped onto the training grounds.
"Sixth Uncle of the Mo Family, Nan Shuhao, the untalented one, would like to spar with you."
This was the eldest son of Nan Yu. When he first came to the Mo Family, he had an arrogant and condescending attitude, as if nothing mattered to him. Ten years had passed, and the children of the Mo Family's diligent and brotherhood-cherishing mindset had completely changed him.
Now, the brotherly affection between the four princes was as deep as if they were born from the same mother.
Not only that, but the brothers all felt that Nan Shuhao was the most talented, and as the eldest brother, the position of Crown Prince should rightfully be his, while the others would only need to assist him.
Today, Mo Jiuye held this competition in the training grounds to send the princes off.
Some time ago, Nan Yu received news that the Great Shun Dynasty was now peaceful and prosperous, and he had sat on that position long enough. So he wanted to call his sons back to take a look, and then let go of his position earlier, so that he could come to the northwest and live the same comfortable and relaxed life as the Mo Family.
Although the competition involved just some half-grown children, their skills had combined the strengths of the nine brothers of the Mo Family, making each of them, male or female, outstanding.
In the training grounds, they competed in martial arts, and in the afternoon, they would hold a literary competition in the back garden.
The results of the competition were as before: Zhu won the martial arts competition, as the Crown Prince of the King of Defending the West's Mansion.
In the literary competition, it was Ming Zhu who was most outstanding. The young lady had been intelligent since she was young, able to grasp anything she learned effortlessly.
Not only was Ming Zhu exceptionally talented in literature, but she was also proficient in all arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
This pair of twins were the most admired by the younger brothers and sisters in the family.
Furthermore, the brother and sister had inherited the best features of their parents, with the brother being handsome and the sister being beautiful.
The two children had been accompanying their parents on trips within the territory since they were young, and many of the common people had seen their appearances.
After seeing the two children, the people of the northwest couldn't stop praising them as beautiful as if they had stepped out of a painting.
Some superstitious pregnant women even hoped to catch more glimpses of the young prince and princess, so that the children they gave birth to would be as good-looking...
The Mo Family had quite a number of grandchildren, reaching around forty or fifty, including those who had just learned to walk.
But Mo Jiuye kept his promise and did not want his wife to suffer again, so even if He Zhiran wanted to have more children, he would not agree.
As a result, the two of them, now in their thirties, only had this one son and one daughter.
Fortunately, their brothers and sisters-in-law did not share this view, believing that once they could give birth, the more children, the better.
As a result, the population of the Mo Family grew rapidly.
From a young age, the children were filial, and after the competition, they rushed towards Mo Qing and the Old Lady Mo, carrying the gifts they had won.
Everyone was vying to present the rewards they had worked hard to obtain to their grandparents.
Such scenes often occurred in the Mo Family, and even so, the two elders of the Mo Family never tired of praising their grandchildren's filial piety...
Standing in the corridor at a distance, Mo Jiuye held He Zhiran's hand, and the two of them watched the warm scene before them.
"Ran Ran, thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for coming, for giving me all this beauty."
"As I've said before, we are family, there's no need to be polite with me."
"Of course, you are the benefactor of the Mo Family, and the love of my life, Mo Jiuye."
Indeed, over all these years, Mo Jiuye's feelings for He Zhiran had never changed.
Even in private, the two were still as affectionate as newlyweds, as sweet as honey.
He put his arm around He Zhiran's waist, and the couple quietly watched the group of younger generations in the garden.
"Ran Ran, Zhu has grown up, and this kid's temperament is even more stable than his father's, and his wisdom surpasses mine..."
"What are you going to do?" He Zhiran seemed to have guessed something and interrupted him to ask.
"I... I think I've been the King of Defending the West long enough, for more than a decade."
"Zhu is still so young, can you bear to leave?"
"I was leading troops into battle when I was sixteen."
"What kind of father does that?"
"Ran Ran, I want to travel around with you while I'm still young."
"Uh... you want to roam the world?"
This can be done...
The end!
