161. Attending a banquet

Just as the young prince was about to retort that he didn't need anyone to protect him, he heard footsteps coming from outside the palace.

Qu Zijin walked in carrying a box of books.

The three quickly stood at attention and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Grand Tutor."

Qu Zijin nodded, placed the book box on the table, but did not immediately take out the books. Instead, he walked to the little prince's side, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

His voice was gentle but solemn: "Your Highness, I have a few words to say to you before class today."

The young prince said, "Grand Tutor, please speak."

“Recently, many princes and their sons have come to the capital. Your Highness is still young, so you need to be more careful in your actions in the future,” Qu Zijin said, his gaze sweeping across the hall. Seeing that there were only a few close palace servants, he continued, “First of all, you must always have a trusted palace servant by your side. Whether you are going to the Imperial Garden or returning to your palace, you must not be alone.”

"Secondly, if a prince or other official gives you something, even if it's a snack or a toy, don't accept it easily, and certainly don't eat it rashly."

"Third, if anyone says anything strange to you, such as trying to sow discord between you and His Majesty, or speaking ill of others, do not believe it or take it to heart. Just tell His Majesty or me later."

The young prince seemed a little confused, but he still nodded earnestly.

In the past two days, his father, the little dumpling, the little princess, and the Grand Tutor have all brought up this issue with him, and he has put away his previous disdain.

He still couldn't understand: "Grand Tutor, why are they treating me badly? I haven't done anything to offend them."

Qu Zijin sighed and patted his head: "Your Highness is the only prince and will inherit the throne in the future. He is also a thorn in their side. Some people may want to cause trouble for you out of jealousy or other ulterior motives. Not everyone is as sincere to you as His Majesty, the County Princess, and the Little Princess, so you must learn to protect yourself, understand?"

Upon hearing this, the little princess immediately stepped forward, took the little prince's hand, and said firmly, "Grand Tutor, don't worry! I will keep an eye on Jiayou! If anyone dares to bully him, I will tell Father Emperor and have him punish them!"

As she spoke, she raised her chin, looking protective of her own.

Qu Zijin looked at the little princess with a smile in his eyes: "I am relieved that the princess has such a heart. But the little princess should also be careful not to get into conflicts with others in order to protect His Highness. Stay calm in the face of problems and inform the officials in the palace first."

"I know!" the little princess replied, but she clearly didn't think so in her heart.

If anyone really bullies Wei Jiayou, she doesn't care about staying calm; she'll fight back first!

The little boy stood to the side. Although he didn't fully understand Qu Zijin's words, he vaguely understood that the little prince was being warned to be careful of his older brothers.

She walked to the little prince's side and, imitating the little princess, said, "Little prince, from now on, Yue'er will protect you!"

The little prince looked at the little princess and the little dumpling beside him, his heart filled with warmth: "I understand! I will listen to the Grand Tutor, and I will protect myself and you!"

As the three were talking, a palace servant suddenly came to report that someone outside was requesting to see the young prince.

The young prince thought for a moment. With the Grand Tutor and his friends by his side, and so many palace servants around, he wasn't afraid.

So he nodded in agreement.

Soon, a servant dressed in palace attire entered.

The little dumpling had never seen this face before and looked at him warily.

The attendant walked into the hall, bowed to the young prince, and said in a respectful but deliberately friendly tone: "Greetings, Grand Tutor, Your Highness, Princess, and Princess Fukang. I have something to report to Your Highness today."

The young prince raised his chin: "What is it?"

"Your Highness," the attendant replied with a smile, "the princes who came to the capital yesterday, since we are all of similar age, would like to hold a small banquet in the palace. So they asked me to inquire whether Your Highness would be willing to grace us with your presence?"

Finally, he emphasized, "His Majesty has agreed, saying it's good to give the children more opportunities to spend time together."

However, as soon as the young prince heard the words "heir apparent of a vassal king," he immediately remembered Qu Zijin's warning.

So he refused without even thinking: "I'm not going. I still need to study with the Grand Tutor and don't have time to attend the banquet."

The little dumpling also thought of it and immediately chimed in: "That's right, studying is more important for ducks."

The little princess nodded in agreement, her chin held even higher than the little prince's: "Jiayou has to study, he doesn't have time to play with them!"

The attendant was taken aback, not expecting the young prince to refuse so decisively.

But he quickly recovered and tried a different approach.

Since moving out won't work, let's switch to something the kids like.

He softened his tone further: "Your Highness, I know you are diligent, but this banquet only has children, no adults. The princes have also prepared many fun things, including shadow puppets brought from Jiangnan and ponies from the Western Regions, all of which Your Highness has never seen before. If you come, everyone can watch the shadow puppets and ride the ponies together, how lively that would be!"

The young prince remained unmoved and was about to refuse again when Qu Zijin, who was standing to the side, suddenly stepped forward and spoke gently to the attendant: "Thank you for informing me, Your Highness will go. Please take good care of him then."

Upon hearing this, the little prince, the little princess, and the little dumpling were all stunned.

The young prince immediately turned to look at Qu Zijin, his face full of confusion: "Grand Tutor, didn't you say..."

The attendant didn't give them a chance to ask any more questions, and quickly replied with a smile, "Grand Tutor Qu, rest assured, this servant will take good care of Your Highness! This servant will take his leave now. The banquet is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and I will send someone to invite Your Highness then."

After saying this, he bowed again, turned around and left the side hall.

Inside the hall, the young prince couldn't help but tug at Qu Zijin's sleeve, his tone filled with doubt: "Grand Tutor, didn't you just tell me to stay away from those princes? Why are you agreeing to let me attend the banquet now?"

The little princess and the little dumpling didn't understand either, and they both tilted their heads to look at him.

Qu Zijin gestured for the three to sit at the table before slowly speaking: "Your Highness, there is a crucial point in what that servant just said—that His Majesty has already agreed."

"Just because Father Emperor agreed, does that mean I have to go?" The little prince still didn't understand.

“It’s not a must, it’s an obligation,” Qu Zijin explained patiently. “Your Highness is the only prince, the future crown prince, and will lead all the officials in the future. These princes and their sons will all be dealing with Your Highness in the future.”

"His Majesty is having you interact more now, partly to let you get to know each other, and partly to observe the character of these princes. If Your Highness avoids these interactions, it will make you seem timid, and His Majesty will think that Your Highness is not yet ready to take on responsibilities."

"Furthermore, when I told Your Highness to be careful, I didn't mean you should avoid them. You can't avoid them anyway, so why not take advantage of this banquet to see what those princes are like?"

"Who are the people who genuinely want to play with Your Highness, and who have ulterior motives? This way, Your Highness will know how to deal with them when you encounter them again in the future."

The little princess frowned, seemingly understanding but not quite: "What if they try to bully Jiayou? Should I kick them out?"

“It’s good that the princess is protecting His Highness, but there’s no need to be so impulsive. His Highness will be accompanied by trusted palace servants, and the princess and the county princess will also accompany him. If anyone really has ill intentions, we should hold back for now and tell His Majesty after the banquet. His Majesty will know what to do and will handle it himself.”

The little dumpling asked in a low voice, "Are the shadow puppets and the little horse real? Are they dangerous?"

This is a bit off-topic, but she's genuinely curious.

"Perhaps it's true, but the princess can't touch anything they give her, nor can she eat any snacks they offer," Qu Zijin patted the little dumpling's head, his tone softening. "If she wants to play, have the palace servants check it first to make sure it's safe before she plays, okay?"

"Okay..."

The young prince seemed to understand, but not quite. He straightened his back and said earnestly to Qu Zijin, "Grand Tutor, I understand! I will attend the banquet, and I will remember what you said. I will not touch their things casually, and I will also observe what kind of people they are!"

The little princess immediately chimed in, "I'll stay with Jiayou. If anyone dares to play any tricks, I'll tell Father!"

The little dumpling nodded vigorously: "Moon will follow the little prince and Little Cloud too!"