2002

"Uncle Wang, why didn't they stop you?"

Among the three princes, the eldest prince Qin Hong has the most noble status, but his experience from childhood to adulthood is also the most bumpy.

Qin Hong was only half a year old when Empress Chunxiao sacrificed herself to save the empress dowager. Having lost his mother at such a young age, Qin Hong and his elder sister Princess Yongkang were raised by the empress dowager. However, the empress dowager was also unlucky. She died of illness when Qin Hong was five years old. Emperor Xingwu, who was busy fighting for hegemony, had no choice but to entrust the siblings to the imperial concubine who came from a famous family.

The Imperial Concubine was dignified and virtuous, and she raised the siblings with all her heart, making her their true adoptive mother. So after entering the palace, although Qin Hong had his own palace, he would still go to the Imperial Concubine to pay his respects on the days when it was time to pay his respects. Before Emperor Xingwu went on the expedition, he even handed over the studies of Qin Hong and Qin Bing to the Imperial Concubine for supervision.

The imperial concubine lived in Changchun Palace. After walking for a while, Qin Hong and Qin Bing said goodbye to the Qingyang brothers and sisters and headed towards Changchun Palace.

Qingyang contentedly held hands with her favorite third brother, without even glancing at her other two brothers.

Although they were all brothers, Qingyang had already understood some things. Her third brother was born to the same mother, the Concubine, and so he spent the most time with her and treated her the best. Her eldest brother and sister were born to the late Empress, and so the eldest sister treated her the best. She would get upset if her second brother bumped into her while playing, and she would also frown if she saw her eldest brother playing horse riding with her.

As for the second brother, he has the worst temper. He is more aggressive than the eldest brother, the third brother, and her. He is only willing to play with her when she is happy.

In Qingyang's heart, his elder and second brothers are not as likable as Zhang Su.

"Zhang Su, come too, let's go together."

Qingyang turned around and extended his left hand towards Zhang Su who was walking alone behind him.

The nine-year-old Zhang Su had learned in advance the strict rules for men and women to keep separate. No matter whether he was in the palace or at home on holidays, he didn't need palace maids to serve him. He would also avoid girls from his relatives' families. How could he possibly touch the little princess's hand?

Shaking his head at the little princess who was only as tall as the third prince's waist, Zhang Su raised his eyes and looked forward, straightening his back like all the royal guards he had seen.

Qingyang thinks Zhang Su is very boring, so as long as her third brother is willing to play with her, she will not bother Zhang Su.

In Xianfu Palace, Concubine Li was sitting in the front hall waiting for the children.

Qingyang ran to his mother's arms and watched his third brother and Zhang Su politely bow to his mother.

Concubine Li said gently, "I've told you many times that when there are no outsiders around, you two don't need to be polite."

Qin Ren looked at Zhang Su with a smile. He didn't want to be polite with his mother. It was just that Zhang Su was too old-fashioned and remembered this routine very well, so he did it subconsciously.

Two basins of clean water were prepared in the west room in advance, and Concubine Li asked the palace maids to take the two boys to wash their hands and faces.

Qingyang went over to join in the fun.

Qin Ren took the wet towel from the palace maid and applied it to his face, while Zhang Su wet the towel himself, then turned sideways and wiped his face with his back to Qingyang.

The eight-year-old prince and his nine-year-old companion, after washing, both had fair skin and red lips, and were handsome, the only difference was that one loved to laugh and the other was serious.

Today's dinner was quickly set in the main hall. Concubine Li and her three children ate together, with five dishes and one soup.

Zhang Su didn't want to sit at the table with Concubine Li's family, preferring to wait in the courtyard. However, when he first refused, at the age of six, when he entered the palace, Concubine Li forcefully carried him in. After several attempts, Zhang Su, unable to resist, had no choice but to sit down. Upon returning home on his day off, he immediately informed his father of the incident. His father told him to obey Concubine Li's orders, and that when he grew up, Concubine Li would do so herself.

Looking at the roasted chicken leg that Concubine Li had given him in the bowl, Zhang Su thought silently, he will be ten years old next year, will he be qualified enough to ask Concubine Li to avoid suspicion?

Concubine Li had been looking at Zhang Su. When she saw the child finally pick up the chicken leg and start eating, she smiled with relief.

She was very satisfied with Emperor Xingwu's arrangement for Zhang Su to be his son's study companion.

Zhang Su was the son of Zhang Jie, Duke of Wei.

The first major thing Emperor Xingwu did after he ascended the throne was to reward the three armies and confer titles of three dukes and five marquises on them according to their military merits.

The three dukes were Duke Cheng, Duke Ding and Duke Wei. The first two had been following Emperor Xingwu since the beginning of his rebellion, like his right-hand men. Only Duke Wei, Zhang Jie, came from a family of generals in the previous dynasty. His family was loyal and brave, but they were framed by treacherous officials. He had no choice but to switch to Emperor Xingwu's army. From then on, he fought for Emperor Xingwu in all directions and gave him advice, and also became his trusted minister.

Every founding general had a great military achievement to his name, but only Zhang Jie was famous for his loyalty and was respected by the people of two dynasties without any complaints or dissatisfaction.

Concubine Li herself was of humble origin and had no confidence in raising her son to be a successful person. Emperor Xingwu was busy with state affairs and could not spare much time for any of his children, let alone Concubine Li. So, by transferring Zhang Su to be her son's study companion, her son would naturally learn the noble character of the Zhang family from Zhang Su.

"The monthly exam is in two days. Are you two confident?"

After eating for a while, Concubine Li asked with concern.

Zhang Su put down his bowl and waited for the third prince to speak first.

Qin Ren held the bowl in one hand and the chopsticks in the other. He thought for a moment and said confidently, "There will be no problem getting a B-level in liberal arts. I will strive for an A. There will also be no problem getting a B-level in martial arts. I will strive for a B-level."

After finishing the analysis, Qin Ren continued to eat, clearly not taking the matter too seriously.

Zhang Su continued, "I will do my best."

His father said that the emperor was very observant and told him not to hide his shortcomings in his studies. Besides, if he was not good enough, he would not be worthy of being the prince's study companion.

After listening for a while, Qingyang recalled, "In the last ten-day exam, Zhang Su always ranked A-A, the top of the six people."

Concubine Li: "Not just last time, Brother Su has always been in the A-grade in the exams over the past few years. I'm not worried about him at all."

After praising Zhang Su, Concubine Li reminded her son, who had a mediocre test score but was still able to enjoy good food and drink, "Your father has sent a letter saying that he will arrive in Beijing around the fifth of June. He will definitely review your test scores for the year upon his return. You must strive for an A in this monthly exam. Otherwise, if you get all Bs and show no progress, you will be scolded."

Qin Ren shrank his neck while holding the bowl. He also wanted to get an A. What could he do if he couldn't? He completed all the homework according to the assignments given by the teachers. He had never been lazy.

Afraid that his mother would continue to scold him, Qin Ren ate his meal faster and wanted to take Zhang Su away after he finished.

Qingyang hugged his third brother's arm, reluctant to let him go.

Qin Ren sighed and patted his sister's head: "I've been too busy these past two days. I have to do new homework and review old ones. After the exams, Third Brother will play with you for the whole day."

Qingyang: "I want to play hide and seek."

Qin Ren: "Okay."

.

Emperor Xingwu was ambitious and unconcerned with women. From his humble beginnings to his ascension to the throne, he only married one principal wife and took two concubines. When he married into the Imperial Concubine's family, the Empress had already passed away, so the Imperial Concubine could have directly become the principal wife. However, because Empress Chunxiao had endured years of hardship with Emperor Xingwu and died saving the Empress Dowager, Emperor Xingwu felt guilty towards his first wife and believed that any woman he met in the future would not surpass her. Therefore, although the Imperial Concubine now held the power of the principal empress, her status was limited.

The Imperial Concubine was in charge of the palace affairs, so the Li Concubine had a lot of free time, spending most of her time taking care of her young daughter.

It happened that Concubine Li was having her period that day, and she was not feeling well, so she arranged for the wet nurse and the palace maid to take her daughter to play in the Imperial Garden.

Qingyang didn't like the Imperial Garden very much anymore, at least he didn't like wandering around here alone. After listlessly looking at the butterflies he couldn't catch in the familiar flowerbed for a while, Qingyang turned his gaze towards the East Palace, still wanting to go to Chongwen Pavilion to find his third brother.

Qingyang often went to the Eastern Palace and knew the way there, so he walked ahead on his own.

The wet nurse and the eunuch Jie Yu, who was responsible for taking care of the little princess, followed the little princess closely until they realized that the little princess was heading for the Eastern Palace after leaving the east gate of the Imperial Garden. The wet nurse then quickly stopped the little princess, squatted down and asked, "Princess, where do you want to go?"

Qingyang took the initiative to promise: "I will go to Chongwen Pavilion and just look outside so as not to disturb my brothers' studies."

Concubine Li didn't dare to let the little princess go, and the wet nurse was even less brave, and used Concubine Li's reasons to dissuade her.

Qingyang was willing to listen to his mother, but he was very angry with the wet nurse. He acted like the big sister or the second brother when they were fierce. He stared at the wet nurse with a pair of big, clear, black eyes and said, "Back off."

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, and serving the princes and princesses is like serving tiger cubs. It is not an easy task. If you are not careful, you will break taboos and be punished.

The wet nurse panicked and made way while looking at Jie Yu.

Xie Yu, now eighteen years old, had been personally selected by Emperor Xingwu from a row of eunuchs aged fourteen or fifteen, when the little princess was born three years earlier. According to custom, newly appointed eunuchs and palace maids were given new names by their masters, but Xie Yu's original name was so pleasant, so fitting for serving a destined little princess, that Emperor Xingwu granted her continued use of it.

Coming from a scholarly family that was wrongfully imprisoned in the previous dynasty, Jie Yu was born with handsome eyebrows and eyes and was well-read. He was also good at coaxing the little princess.

Walking past the wet nurse, Jie Yu accompanied the little princess forward while quietly discussing, "The servants will accompany the princess first. If the guards of Chongwen Pavilion are strict and dare not violate the rules and let the princess in, the princess will not make things difficult for them, okay?"

Jie Yu had a pleasant voice and a comfortable tone, so Qingyang agreed. She had never been to Chongwen Pavilion or Yanwu Hall, so even if she couldn't get in, she could just stand outside and take a look.

The palace road leading to Chongwen Pavilion was very long. Jie Yu and the wet nurse both asked for permission to hold the little princess, but Qingyang just walked forward with great interest, not minding the distance or the sun.

Finally arriving at the alley where Chongwen Pavilion was located, Qingyang stuck his head out and saw two majestic guards with swords.

The palace was full of guards who had to bow to the princes and princesses when they saw them. Qingyang had nothing to be afraid of and walked through them openly as if he was strolling in the imperial garden.

"Greetings, Princess." The two guards saluted at the same time.

Children aged three or four are very good at imitating. Qingyang has learned a lot from her elder sister and three older brothers about what princesses and princes should be like.

She stood very straight and spoke clearly, "No need to be polite. I want to go in and take a look without disturbing my brothers from studying. Is that okay?"

The two guards looked at each other with hesitation.

They were ordered to guard Chongwen Pavilion to prevent foreign enemies from attacking or unscrupulous palace maids and eunuchs from stealing valuables from the pavilion. At most, they were ordered to prevent naughty princes from sneaking out to play. There had never been any specific ban on whether young princesses could enter.

Precisely because there was no precedent, the two of them were in a dilemma. If they didn't let it go, they were afraid that the little princess would be angry, and if they let it go, they were afraid that the little princess would go in and cause trouble.

Qingyang just thought they were unwilling, then thought about what his mother said, maybe his father really was very strict?

"Forget it, I'll go play somewhere else. Where is the martial arts hall?"

The two guards breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the main entrance of the martial arts hall in front. The martial arts hall was empty at this time and the little princess was allowed to visit.

Just as Qingyang was about to leave, she suddenly saw two figures coming from the south at the end of the road they came from. The man in the lead was wearing a dark blue python robe, with a tall and majestic figure, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He was her uncle, Prince Yong. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, her uncle played with her for a while, so Qingyang remembered him very clearly.

But the uncle and nephew did not meet often. After such a long time, Qingyang felt a little shy and did not run over happily like he did when he saw his royal brothers.

Prince Yong smiled from afar, quickened his pace and hurried over. He bent down and lifted his niece high into his arms. He gently touched her delicate face and asked with eyes full of love, "Why are you here, Lin'er?"

Qingyang glanced at the half-closed red gate of Chongwen Pavilion and said truthfully, "I want to see how my third brother and the others study."

Prince Yong: "No problem, my uncle will take you there."

Then, without even looking at the two guards who were bowing, he held his little niece in one hand, pushed open the two doors with the other, and strode in with his long legs.

Qingyang leaned on Uncle Wang's shoulder and looked back, and saw that the two tall guards who had just stopped her were still bowing their heads respectfully.

Qingyang blinked, looked at Uncle Wang's smiling face and asked, "Uncle Wang, why didn't they stop you?"

Prince Yong was a little surprised and explained casually, "Your father is away, so your uncle wants to help him see if his brothers are studying hard."

He is the emperor's biological brother, born of the same mother. There is a difference between uncle and sister-in-law. It is not convenient for him to go to the West Palace and the Imperial Garden. What is there to be shy about in coming to the East Palace to visit his nephews?

Qingyang's eyes lit up: "Then if I say the same thing next time, will they let me in?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yong burst into laughter, and his laughter spread to the three schools in the second courtyard. The eldest prince Qin Hong, who was listening to the lecture, suddenly twitched his eyes.

Qin Hong glanced at his study partner sitting behind another table, Qin Liang, the only son of King Yong and also his cousin, who was born only two months later than him.

Qin Liang shook his head, as if expressing his dissatisfaction with his father's misconduct, which made him appear more gentle and elegant.

Qin Hong withdrew his gaze in time and looked back at the teacher who was teaching, but his mind was no longer here.

His father was strict with him, but his uncle was protective and considerate to him. He was so considerate that he deliberately let Qin Liang perform worse than him in the exam. But his father saw through Qin Liang's tricks and mistakenly thought that he could not tolerate his cousin being better than himself.

Qin Hong doesn't like Qin Liang, and he also doesn't like Uncle Wang outside. Uncle Wang used to show up suddenly, so what is he laughing at this time?

【Author’s words】

Here I come, 100 red envelopes, see you tomorrow, [kiss]

P.S.: The phrase "张苏改衣" in the text means Zhang Su changed his clothes, not went to the bathroom [burst into tears]