tallest building

Chapter 124 Seeking Opportunities

Gong Chang'an went to the school. Before leaving, Gong Xu called him over and handed him the revised article.

"I've read it from beginning to end. The writing is naturally immature, but the theme is quite good." Gong Xu was recuperating at home and had plenty of free time.

"Thank you, Father," Gong Chang'an said as he took the document. "My eldest and second brothers are already waiting for me."

"Go well and listen to the teacher at school," Gong Xu said with a smile. Chang'an is a very talented child, as can be seen from his writing.

But he deliberately didn't praise him too much, so as not to make him feel proud.

"When will Bao'an go to school?" Gong Chang'an asked.

“We haven’t spoken to the Wang family yet. You’ve been studying there for a long time, so it’s best to make it clear before you leave,” Gong Xu said. “Besides, I haven’t even met the teacher at your school yet, so we need to discuss that first. Go ahead, don’t worry about it. Bao’an is still young and not particularly bright, so let’s postpone it for now.”

When Madam Song was alive, she was determined to raise her son to be successful, so she started his education early and sent him away to study. At that time, Gong Xu only had eyes for Song Xiulian, so her son naturally received a lot of attention as well.

But times have changed. His former confidante has become a venomous woman, someone he doesn't even want to mention.

On the contrary, Wen Mingqian and his mother were the apple of his eye. Moreover, Gong Chang'an was very clever and talented, and everyone who met him praised him.

Moreover, he is the eldest son, and needless to say, he will have a brighter future than Gong Baoan.

Gong Xu used to look down on the so-called distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, but now he feels that the elders' words make a lot of sense.

Since Gong Bao'an is born out of wedlock, he should be distinguished from Gong Chang'an to avoid people saying that his family has broken the rules.

When Gong Chang'an arrived at the school, Feng Tianzhu had already arrived. Upon seeing him, Feng Tianzhu came up and hugged him, saying, "It's been so long since I've seen you. I've missed you so much."

"It's only been six or seven days since we last met," Gong Chang'an laughed. "Does it mean we'll have to wait another twenty autumns?"

"What are you two talking about again? Let's play football together!" At this moment, two more children came over.

One of them was Qiao Ziyu, the heir of the Duke of Qiao's family, and the other was Xu Mang, the young master of the Earl of Linchuan's family. The four of them often played together, and now that they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they naturally became especially affectionate.

"Let me tell you, I've been training hard at home these past few days, and I've definitely improved," Feng Tianzhu said, rolling up his sleeves. "But it's a promise that I have to be on the same team as Chang'an."

"How can you always be on the same team as Chang'an? We agreed to draw lots." Xu Mang had a short temper and didn't care whether Feng Tianzhu was sick or not.

Actually, it's good that he doesn't treat Feng Tianzhu as a patient; he doesn't really have many seizures.

Feng Tianzhu reached out to pull him away, saying, "We're brothers, why aren't we on the same team?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Mang immediately pulled Gong Chang'an aside and said, "What's the big deal? Let's become sworn brothers right now! Let's use a handful of soil as incense and have Prince Qiao as our witness!"

“Even if we become sworn brothers, there’s still an order to things.” Feng Tianzhu straightened his back. “No matter what you say, it doesn’t matter.”

Seeing that the two were arguing more and more intensely, Qiao Ziyu quickly said, "Stop arguing. Have you ever heard of the football match held on the birthday of the King of Zhao?" "You've seen it?" Feng Tianzhu stopped arguing as expected. "I have heard of it, but my father never takes me to see it."

"I saw it last year, it was absolutely spectacular," Qiao Ziyu said. "They were all top-notch fighters from the capital, and the winner would receive a lot of prizes!"

It was common knowledge that King Zhao loved Cuju (ancient Chinese football). Therefore, there was a Cuju tournament every year on his birthday, and Song Xiang rose to power because of this.

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up? Is it because King Zhao's birthday is coming up soon?" Gong Chang'an asked.

“It’s next month,” Qiao Ziyu said. “My father said that our family is also sending a team over this year to join in the fun.”

Almost all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital wanted to get close to the King of Zhao, so catering to his preferences was essential.

The Qiao family was no exception.

“Truly, this is quite a clever idea. If we had sent some ordinary birthday gifts, I’m afraid the King of Zhao wouldn’t have even given them a second glance,” Xu Mang said. “But I didn’t know that you had so many people in your household who knew how to play Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

"Don't tell anyone," Qiao Ziyu said in a low voice. "My uncle brought back seven or eight Kunlun slaves. They're all like black iron towers, and they look terrifying. Although we don't understand each other's languages ​​very well, they all know how to play Cuju (ancient Chinese football). They've been training with a teacher for half a year, so they'll be quite a sight to behold when they play. If the King of Zhao likes them, he can keep them. It won't be a waste of effort."

"Although the experts in Prince Zhao's mansion are not as tall as Kunlun slaves, they all have solid skills. I wonder who will win?" Gong Chang'an started to speak at this moment.

“Those selected from the Prince Zhao’s mansion are naturally the best of the best. My father said that if these Kunlun slaves can make it into the top three, it will be a great honor.” Qiao Ziyu was precocious despite his young age, unlike Feng Tianzhu, who was just a silly fool.

"Are you going to the King of Zhao's birthday celebration?" Gong Chang'an asked Qiao Ziyu.

“Yes, I’m going. My father said I’m growing up and it’s time to go out and see the world and meet people,” Qiao Ziyu said. “I really want to go myself.”

Gong Chang'an then secretly nudged Feng Tianzhu: "Brother, why don't we go to Brother Qiao's house sometime and see how those Kunlun slaves are doing?"

“Great! Great! Let’s go tomorrow.” Qiao Ziyu was very happy. “To be honest, Brother Gong is just a little younger, but his polo skills are no worse than theirs.”

“Actually, I think we’re just a bit young, but our skills are actually quite good,” Gong Chang’an encouraged. “If we could show off our skills at the Prince of Zhao’s birthday banquet, wouldn’t that be a great honor for everyone?”

"That's true, but we're too small; we can't compare to them at all." Qiao Ziyu shook her head upon hearing this.

“Yeah, they can run one step in a time that we can run three steps in a time.” Xu Meng was also annoyed. He was actually unconvinced, but the difference was just too big. “The adults will definitely say we’re being silly.”

"If we were in a competition, we naturally wouldn't stand a chance, but if we're going to play some fancy tricks, then that's a different story," Gong Chang'an said with a smile. "Being able to show off such a skill at the King of Zhao's birthday banquet, haven't we brothers gained some fame too?"

These kids value fame the most; they don't really care about whether they'll suffer a loss or gain an advantage.

"Sigh! But the adults won't agree. They'll definitely say we're being silly," Xu Mang said dejectedly, pouting.

"I have an idea. Why don't we rehearse beforehand and then ask the officials to watch? If it's acceptable, why wouldn't they let us participate? It's all just for fun anyway. As long as we can please the King of Zhao, isn't that enough?" Gong Chang'an was trying his best to make this happen.