Chapter 4 Fusu: If I don't go to hell, who will...?

When Li Qiu was called home from school, he was completely bewildered.

The maids carried him to the bronze mirror, first changing him into brand-new clothes, then tying a red agate filigree Hetian jade double fish pendant around his waist, and applying his hair with the osmanthus oil his mother used to use, combing it into a pair of shiny, meticulous boy buns.

Even his lips were smeared with a touch of vermilion lip rouge, giving him a delicate appearance with red lips and white teeth, just like the doorman standing guard in a New Year's painting.

In Li Qiu's short six years of memories, even the annual ancestral worship ceremony cannot compare to the grandeur and solemnity of today's event.

He was tossed around by the maids like a spinning top. The faint sounds of his father and mother talking drifted into his ears from behind the curtain.

"Why dress up the ball like a money-giving boy? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others...?"

"What do you, a mere woman, know? This is the Emperor's great favor, showing that he hasn't forgotten Empress Zhangyi's kindness in giving him life, nor has he forgotten our Li family. Therefore, we must be serious! It's a small matter if others laugh at us, but if His Majesty thinks that the Li family is being negligent and it chills his heart, that would be a great disrespect!"

The word "official" struck Li Qiu like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving him completely bewildered.

From a young age, Li Qiu knew that his family's good life was due to the emperor's favor. His father never considered himself the emperor's maternal uncle, and even during meals, he couldn't help but mutter about the emperor's boundless grace and the importance of serving the emperor. Under such influence, it's easy to imagine the longing and admiration young Li Qiu held for the emperor.

Li Qiu clutched his pounding heart. Was he about to meet the Emperor?

But Li Yonghe's next words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering Li Qiu up.

"Qiu'er has only been studying for less than four months. Husband, do you think he could be chosen by His Majesty to be Prince Cheng's study companion?"

"Oh, let's not talk about that. Do you know who's running for office this time?"

Li Yonghe counted on his fingers the information he had gathered and told his wife one by one: "In the court, there are the youngest sons of Minister Yan, Vice Minister Song, Minister Xia, and Scholar Bao. In addition to our Qiu'er, there are also the grand-nephew of Empress Cao and the nephew of Consort Zhang. I heard that even from the imperial clan, the Eighth Prince is going to pick a smart one from his sons and send him over."

After reciting a series of dishes, the woman sighed, "I'm afraid that ball won't be made."

"Don't be discouraged! Whether you're selected or not, the fact that Qiu'er has even a candidate spot is already a sign of His Majesty's consideration for our family. We mustn't harbor resentment just because we weren't selected!"

After saying this, Li Yonghe lifted the curtain and saw in the bronze mirror his young son, who looked quite clever after being groomed. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Qiu'er, did you hear what your father just said? It concerns the Emperor and His Highness Prince Cheng, and it is a matter of great importance. You must perform well and not let down the Emperor's favor."

"Ball heard that."

"Hearing this isn't enough; you must remember it! Even if you aren't chosen as a study companion, you cannot make any mistakes that would cause others to look down on the Li family and disgrace His Majesty's maternal family. Furthermore, you must not harbor any resentment towards the Emperor because of this. Do you understand?"

Li Qiu nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his head spinning a little. After a while, he seemed to come to his senses, swallowed hard, and asked again, his voice trembling, "Father, if I'm chosen, will I be able to go to the palace to study, and study with His Highness Prince Cheng?"

"That's right, do your best!" Li Yonghe was about to say a few more words, but seeing Li Qiu suddenly cup his face and grin like an idiot, he knew that he didn't need to say anything more.

Alas, on the other hand, even he, as the father, couldn't bear to look at his young son's dull and clueless appearance, and couldn't bring himself to praise him as "clever" or "meticulous" against his conscience.

Among so many outstanding children, why did the Emperor and His Highness Prince Cheng choose him?

-

It wasn't until he entered the palace that Li Qiu belatedly felt nervous. He pressed one hand to his left chest, glanced at the palace maid leading him, and a sudden sense of bewilderment and unease arose in his heart.

But looking around, all the children, some older and some younger than him, were dressed in well-tailored, beautiful silk robes, walking steadily with their maids by their hands. No one showed any sign of losing their composure just because the adults weren't present.

Perhaps what is needed to be a companion to the king is the same maturity and thoughtfulness as them?

The words "I feel a little unwell" rolled on the tip of Li Qiu's tongue before he swallowed them back down.

Father said that even if we don't achieve anything on this trip, we mustn't make any mistakes. It's just a little discomfort; just bear with it and it will pass. Don't make a fuss and disturb others.

But the more Li Qiu tried to hold back, the faster his heart beat, and the tighter he gripped the palace maid's hand. He quietly tugged at his collar, the feeling of being unable to breathe becoming increasingly obvious.

"Close your eyes and take three deep breaths."

A childish voice rang in his ears, and Li Qiu subconsciously did as he was told. After repeating it several times, the weight on his chest seemed to ease a little. Just as Li Qiu was about to thank him, he opened his eyes and realized that the person who had spoken to him was actually a tiny little boy, even smaller than himself.

The little boy was also being led by the hand by a pretty palace maid, who took small steps and smiled sweetly at him: "Do you feel any better?"

Li Qiu suddenly understood why his mother had sighed that he would be a runner-up. Clearly, Dou Ding was also one of the candidates for the companion, but judging from his size, he was much younger than him, and not only was his speech incredibly clear, but he was also considerate and helpful.

Not to mention the difference in appearance. Compared to the delicate, soft, and adorable little bean sprout that shows a bit of baby teeth when it speaks, Li Qiu felt that even the New Year's painting doll makeup on her face looked like a rough monkey bottom.

For some reason, Li Qiu felt no competitive spirit whatsoever. Instead, he felt grateful and a strange sense of warmth: "Thank you, I feel much better!"

"That's good." Dou Ding seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "I was worried you wouldn't be able to breathe, and then we would have to call the imperial physician."

Li Qiu briefly considered the scene—it would definitely alarm the officials. That would be a huge disgrace for the Li family. He felt an increasing fondness for Dou Ding, showing none of the disdain a big kid might have for a little brat, and took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "May I ask whose young master you are?"

Nai Dou Ding seemed to have thought of something, first laughing out loud, then rolling his dark eyes and saying, "My surname is Zhao."

Well, he's probably the most deserving person in the world to bear the surname Zhao.

Oh—his surname is Zhao.

Li Qiu suddenly realized: So it's from the imperial family.

Logically, the imperial clan and the maternal relatives were two forces that kept to themselves. However, the situation during Emperor Renzong's reign was different. The person who stood up to expose the biological mother-son relationship between the emperor and Consort Li was none other than Prince Zhou, Zhao Yuanyan, the younger brother of Emperor Zhenzong and the uncle of Emperor Renzong. In operas, he is commonly known as the "Eighth Prince".

Because of a past connection, the Li and Zhou families had always maintained contact. In addition, with the list of candidates revealed by his father, he almost immediately matched the little boy with "Zhao Yuanyan's youngest son".

"So you are the youngest son of King Zhou Xian." Li Qiu bowed respectfully to the person, "My father is Li Yonghe, my surname is Li, and my given name is Qiu."

"Your father is Li Yonghe?" A strange light suddenly flashed in Dou Ding's eyes.

"Yes." Li Qiu didn't find anything amiss. After introducing himself, he acted as if he had already reminisced about his father's friendship and extended an invitation to his new friend in a friendly manner: "Next time the Prince comes to visit, can you come and play with me?"

“Of course.” Nai Dou Ding, also known as Fu Su, nodded. “I’ll come find you next time.”

However, it's most likely not at the Li residence, but rather at the Zishan Hall in the palace. He thought to himself.

Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a member of the Li family. Fu Su secretly marveled at his good fortune. He had originally planned to choose a member of the Li family from the preliminary selection to be his study companion. As for meeting Li Qiu by chance and finding him agreeable, it was a completely unexpected delight.

According to historical records, Princess Fukang's husband, Li Wei, was a rather uncouth person. Fusu was prepared to encounter such an extreme character today.

It seems the Li family does have some discernment; they wouldn't choose a study companion who might offend the crown prince. Little Li Qiu himself doesn't realize that his innermost thoughts are actually quite adorable, written all over his face.

Zishan Hall was the palace's special study area for the Crown Prince, and it was also the venue for selecting study companions today. Fusu opened the list of candidates, and his little finger, as thin as a bean sprout, landed on the tiny name below "Li Yonghe".

For a member of the maternal family to be chosen from among hundreds to become a prince's study companion is far more glorious for the family than marrying a princess, and offers a much brighter future. Even if Emperor Renzong were to pass away in the future, the Li family would not immediately decline in status.

In that case, wouldn't such an absurd and ridiculous arranged marriage have been avoided? Regardless of Miaowu's age when she married, the imperial son-in-law, Li Wei, who is also Li Qiu's older brother, was at least thirty years old. It can be inferred that this was not even his first marriage.

As for himself...

Thinking of this, Fusu couldn't help but smile wryly. He propped his head up with one hand, sitting at the top of the table, looking down at the sea of ​​students buried in their homework. No one could see his expression clearly.

Choosing Consort Li's family without any interference perfectly struck at the Emperor's hidden desires. Fusu could more or less guess what the Emperor would think. He'd probably think something like, "This child resembles me," right? In any case, it significantly accelerated the process of establishing a Crown Prince.

But was there a better way? Fusu couldn't think of one for the moment. Compared to the inevitable ending of Miaowu, he comforted himself that at least his progress was still controllable, and there was a chance for a turnaround, right?

He was only three years old when he was enfeoffed as Prince Cheng, and it will be at least a year before he is formally designated as Crown Prince. A year is enough time for him to do a lot.

The selection of study companions largely depended on the emperor's and Prince Cheng's personal preferences. This was an unspoken rule known to everyone. However, openly, even the simplest literacy textbooks, such as the "Three Character Classic," "Hundred Character Classic," and "Thousand Character Classic," required a written test.

However, no family would be so reckless as to send a little illiterate child who can't even read. After a round of written tests, even Li Qiu, who didn't seem very bright, answered his test very well, with almost no mistakes.

Li Qiu:

Fusu matched the written test scores with the names one by one. He recognized most of them, meaning he could identify their family members by their surnames.

His surname is Bao, so don't make it too obvious. He was a Grand Academician of the Longtu Pavilion, the only officially designated upright official in the Song Dynasty.

Is his surname Song a descendant of the young Minister Song, whose life was described as "red apricot blossoms heralding spring," or a descendant of his supposedly much more conservative elder brother, the Great Song?

The surname is Wang, which is quite common and hard to guess.

surname……

Fusu's gaze suddenly fell upon a name that ranked high in the academic record. If others were known for their ancestral surnames, then this person was known for making his name in history.

This person's surname is Yan.

The surname is quite unique, almost obvious, immediately bringing to mind Yan Shu, the Grand Councilor of the Northern Song Dynasty, known as "Lord Yan," who later became a member of the Northern Song Dynasty's top recitation group.

But this man's name is often listed alongside his father's in later generations. Not because of any political achievements, but precisely because of his political failures, he was able to write such exquisitely beautiful and profound works.

"Smack."

Fusu suddenly clasped his hands together, producing a crisp sound similar to clapping. In fact, he did feel like clapping now.

Besides Li Qiu, is there anyone more suitable than him to be a study companion?

First, he was the son of the representative civil officials and scholar-officials, so his selection would be very convincing.

Secondly, Fusu knew his life story very well and was definitely not the kind of ambitious person who would push himself to become the crown prince.

Finally, he's a historical figure. Although Fusu himself was a celebrity, who would complain about not having enough opportunities to collect historical figures? Besides, Fusu hasn't even met one of the most famous historical figures from Emperor Renzong's reign yet.

He pointed sharply at the man's name: "Your Excellency, I want him!"

The Emperor followed Fusu's small, soft finger and looked over: "Yan Jidao... could it be that he is the youngest son of Prime Minister Yan?"

A note from the author:

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Mini-dramas that won't appear in the main text:

Yan Shu: How's it going to be choosing a study buddy today?

Xiao Yan: I don't know, I only remember that Prince Cheng was very cute. [Oh, oh, oh]