“What is David looking at?” Brian Thompson walked up and asked.

“I’m looking at the very top, Father. Were our ancestors officials?”

Only then did Brian Thompson remember that today was his son’s first visit to the ancestral hall after becoming sensible. In the past, he would crawl under the table looking for food whenever they came. It was rare for his son to take the initiative to ask about their ancestors.

A strong sense of responsibility made Brian Thompson feel it was necessary to tell his son about the glorious history of their ancestors.

He pointed to the spirit tablet in the very center at the top and said, “Do you see that? That is our earliest ancestor. During the reign of the founding emperor of this dynasty, he served as the Grand General of the Right Guard. His name was Cong Pu, but he was originally called Cong Qian. He had seven sons, and the third son by a concubine moved to Tangyin County, Xiangzhou during the reign of Emperor Taizong. He had four sons, and that’s how our four family branches came to be.”

Only then did David Thompson realize that his ancestor was actually a great general of the Song Dynasty. But he seemed to know about Li Congqian—David Thompson pondered for a moment and finally remembered: this Li Congqian was a poet and calligrapher in the early Song period, and also the younger brother of the last emperor of the Tang, Li Yu.

“Then, whose is the blank spirit tablet at the very top?” David Thompson pointed to the concealed spirit tablet at the highest spot and asked.

Only then did Brian Thompson notice the blank spirit tablet at the top. He was startled and asked anxiously, “Fourth brother, why has the Grand Ancestor’s spirit tablet been brought out?”

“Did you forget? The Lushan branch is holding an ancestral ceremony the day after tomorrow, so the clan leader took it out. It was supposed to be brought out tomorrow, but tomorrow isn’t an auspicious day, so it was set up at noon today. The clan leader especially told me to sleep in the main hall these two nights and keep a close watch on it.”

“Nonsense!”

Brian Thompson said with great dissatisfaction, “According to clan rules, it can only be brought out during the grand ceremony held every ten years. This is just a minor ceremony for the Lushan branch—how could the clan leader…”

George Thompson curled his lips dismissively and said, “I don’t know about that. Anyway, it’s in the clan leader’s hands. If he wants to hold a ceremony, who can stop him?”

David Thompson asked curiously, “Father, whose spirit tablet is it, then?”

Brian Thompson looked a bit troubled. After a while, he said, “Well… I’ll tell you when you’re older. For now, I can’t say.”

“What’s so hard to say about that!”

George Thompson, a bit displeased with Brian Thompson’s criticism of the clan leader earlier, squatted down and pointed at the blank tablet, saying to David Thompson, “David, that is the true glory of our family. He was a supreme figure, do you understand?”

David Thompson was startled. Supreme—wasn’t that an emperor? His mind raced. Could it be Li Yu, the one from ‘Last night the east wind came again to the small tower’? Impossible—historically, Li Yu had no descendants. Besides, how could Li Yu’s spirit tablet be placed above Li Congqian’s? Usually, only a father’s would be above.

David Thompson had already guessed who it was. It should be Li Jing, the father of Li Yu and Li Congqian. Just a few days ago, David Thompson had read a poem written by him in a pile of books his father had borrowed. David Thompson blurted out, “So he’s the one who wrote ‘The jade flute plays cold in the small tower’—Li Jing!”

George Thompson was so shocked he jumped to his feet and looked at Brian Thompson. Brian Thompson was also startled and quickly waved his hands, “I never told him. How could I say such things carelessly?”

George Thompson squatted down again and cautiously asked, “David, who told you that?”

“Didn’t you just tell me? He’s Li Congqian’s father and was once a supreme figure. Who else could it be but Li Jing?”

George Thompson and Brian Thompson looked at each other in astonishment, completely stunned. After a long moment, Brian Thompson suddenly came to his senses and quickly scolded, “David, you must not speak the ancestor’s name lightly. That’s disrespectful—do you understand?”

“David, how did you know his name?” George Thompson asked in confusion.

David Thompson smiled and said, “I just read one of his ‘Huanxisha’ poems a few days ago: ‘Lotus fragrance fades, green leaves wither; the west wind brings sorrow among the green waves.’ That’s how I knew.”

George Thompson let out a long sigh and turned to Brian Thompson, saying, “Such a talented child—if we don’t send him to school, it would be a real shame.”

Brian Thompson’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

……

“David, don’t go far. I’ll just have a word with your fourth uncle and then we’ll leave,” Brian Thompson called to his son in the courtyard.

“Got it!” came David Thompson’s lazy and listless reply from the courtyard.

“Getting him to pay respects to the ancestors is like asking for his life. Some clan members aren’t even qualified to do so, yet he doesn’t know how lucky he is!”

Brian Thompson grumbled discontentedly at his son’s back. Just now, under his father’s insistence, David Thompson had reluctantly knelt down, but never actually bowed his head.

George Thompson, however, didn’t care much about David Thompson’s lack of ceremony. He was still savoring David Thompson’s earlier display of genius.

“Daqi, you really need to find a way to get the child into school! We can teach him a few poems, sure, but without connections at the county school, how will he ever take the county exam? And without the county exam, how could the magistrate ever recommend him for the provincial exam?”

“Of course I know that, but… sigh! It was so hard to save up a little money, and now it’s all gone. What can I do without money? How about you lend me ten strings of cash first, Fourth Brother?”