siblings
The news of Heshuo's recovery spread like wings, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers, and instantly reached every corner of the capital. Naturally, the imperial palace was also immersed in this wave of celebration.
In the southern study, Prince Qing Ning Yanhe sat upright, listening to his teacher explain chapters from the Book of Documents. The faint sounds of cheers and bells and drums from outside the window made him feel a little uneasy.
Finally, a young eunuch came running in breathlessly and excitedly reported the shocking news of the great victory in Zhenzhou and the complete recovery of Heshuo at the door.
"Really? My sister, she's amazing!" Ning Yanhe stood up, a bright smile instantly spreading across her face. Her eyes sparkled with admiration and pride, and she almost jumped for joy. "I knew it! My sister is the most powerful hero in the world!"
Jing Yu, who was sitting opposite him, put down the book in his hand with a perfect smile on his face. He was the teacher carefully selected by the Jing family to teach Prince Qing.
He stroked his beard and nodded, his face filled with satisfaction and approval. His tone was gentle and earnest: "Your Highness's filial piety and fraternal love are deeply admired by me. Your Highness can bring peace to the world with her pen and conquer the world with her military might. You truly embody the spirit of the wise kings of ancient times. You are truly a blessing to our dynasty."
He shifted the subject, citing classics, his voice as calm as water. "However, the Spring and Autumn Annals states: The relationship between ruler and subject is like the relationship between heaven and earth. Your Highness, the Princess, may be gifted and talented, but ultimately, her role is to shepherd the people on behalf of Heaven and share the burdens of the ruler. In the past, Duke Zhou assisted King Cheng with heart and soul, yet the world ultimately belonged to the Ji clan. This is the unchanging order of heaven and earth, the order of social relations, and a truth that will never change."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with expectation, like an elder advising, "Your Highness is the descendant of the late emperor, the heir to the throne of the country. This is the destiny bestowed upon you. Now is the time to devote yourself to study and cultivate the virtues of a wise ruler. The princess has protected you today, and you will reward her for her merits in the future. This will bring the hearts of the people together and prove the true way of a ruler. This way, you will not let the princess down."
The excitement on Ning Yanhe's face froze for a moment.
He vaguely felt that what the master said sounded right. His sister had indeed worked hard, and he would of course repay her well in the future. But for some reason, when these words came out of his master's mouth, he always felt a little strange, as if everything his sister did was just for reward.
Rather than... rather than anything else.
But he was still young, and although he felt a subtle discomfort in his heart, he could not express it clearly, but his joyful mood could not help but fade a little.
He nodded hesitantly: "Yes, I understand."
After a moment of silence, he looked at Jing Yu with a hint of anticipation: "Master, I have received such great news today. I would like to go to Concubine Yu's palace to share the joy with you. Is that okay?"
He wanted to go to the place where his sister's presence was and listen to how Empress Yu would praise his sister. It must be different from what the master said.
Jing Yu's smile remained unchanged, but he shook his head gently but firmly. "Your Highness, studies are fundamental to your life and should not be neglected due to external affairs. Today's homework is not yet complete, how can you give up halfway? Once Your Highness has carefully completed today's lessons, it will not be too late to greet the Queen Mother and report the good news."
The brilliance in Ning Yanhe's eyes dimmed. He glanced at the thick tome spread out before him, then at the bright spring scenery outside the window, which seemed to have nothing to do with him. Finally, he slowly sat back down and whispered, "Yes, I understand."
He picked up the scroll again, but felt that the words on it seemed more difficult to understand than before.
*
At this moment, on the other side of the South Study, the course of the former Crown Prince, now King Jing Ning Chengji, was also in progress.
Different from the classics, history, and literature taught by Prince Qing, the teacher who taught Prince Jing was selected by the elders of the royal family such as Prince Rui, and the content of the lessons was more inclined towards basic enlightenment and etiquette norms.
However, even so, it seemed extremely difficult for King Jing, whose mental state was impaired.
He stared blankly at his master's mouth opening and closing. The words were like a thick fog, unable to enter his mind. He just mechanically repeated a few simple words, and his progress was extremely slow.
The master didn't seem to be in a hurry. He just guided me step by step, and it took a long time to learn.
The palace door was gently pushed open, and the former Crown Princess walked in quietly.
Seeing the obvious fatigue on her son's face, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes, and she said softly: "Ji'er, you have studied for a long time today, take a rest for a while."
Upon seeing this, the master immediately stood up and said in a respectful yet dissuading tone, "Crown Princess, His Royal Highness Prince Jing has not yet completed his studies. This is probably not the time to rest..."
The former Crown Princess looked at him calmly, "Your Majesty personally led the royal army to recover Hebei, a joyous occasion for the entire nation. I, along with Prince Jing, went to Concubine Yu to pay our respects and congratulate her on this victory. This is both a courtesy due to a subject and a family gesture. Isn't this against the rules?"
Without waiting for her master to say anything, she walked straight forward and gently took King Jing's hand: "Ji'er, let's go visit Empress Yu and tell her the good news that our aunt won a great victory, okay?"
King Jing looked at his mother in confusion, and seemed to react to the words "aunt" and "victory", nodding slowly.
The Crown Princess ignored the master who was hesitant to speak and walked out with her son.
The warm spring sun shone on the palace path, and a gentle breeze caressed her face. The former Crown Princess slowed down her pace, looked down at her son, and patiently whispered over and over again: "Ji'er, did you hear that? Auntie has won the battle again and recaptured all the places that were taken away by the bad guys. Auntie is very powerful, very powerful..."
King Jing listened quietly, his brows slightly furrowed, as if trying to understand the meaning of these words.
After walking for a long time, he suddenly stopped, raised his head, looked at his mother, and although his speech was still a little slurred, he uttered two words with remarkable clarity: "I miss... my aunt."
The former Crown Princess trembled violently and stopped in her tracks instantly.
She lowered her head in disbelief and stared into her son's eyes.
Although those eyes were still not as clear as those of ordinary people, they were no longer completely empty. There seemed to be a faint light flickering in them, reflecting her reflection and a trace of thinking.
"Ji'er...you, say it again?" Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
King Jing seemed startled by his mother's excitement and flinched, but after a moment, he managed to repeat, "I miss... my aunt."
Great ecstasy and deeper fear instantly overwhelmed the former Crown Princess.
She squatted down and hugged her son tightly, tears streaming down her face. After crying for a long time, she managed to calm down, let go of her son, held his tender cheeks in her hands, and stared at him with tearful eyes.
She lowered her voice and said solemnly, "Ji'er, listen to what you just said. You must not tell anyone about what you think of your aunt! No one except mother! Remember? You can't let anyone know, otherwise... otherwise, both mother and son will be in danger of death, and we will never see your aunt again! Do you understand?"
King Jing seemed to understand, but the fear in his mother's eyes frightened him.
He hesitated for a long time, so long that the former Crown Princess's heart almost jumped out of her chest. He finally nodded slowly and said, "Okay."
The former Crown Princess hugged him tightly again, as if she wanted to rub him into her own bones and blood. After a long time, she took her son's hand and walked back to Concubine Yu's palace, but her steps were a hundred times heavier than when she came.
The foolish prince naturally makes people relax, but once he is no longer foolish...
Not only the royal family, but even the Jing family could not tolerate him.
She couldn't handle this matter alone, she had to ask for help.
The former Crown Princess hesitated for a long time, but finally stepped into the door of Xuehan Palace. After a very long time, she came out with her son. Her face finally relaxed a little and she was no longer so nervous.
It is not easy to fight for one's life in this deep palace, but for the sake of her son, she will do anything.
From that day on, Concubine Yu seemed to be particularly sympathetic to King Jing, and often sent people to pick him up to talk and cheer him up. Sometimes they would listen to music, and sometimes they would just walk around the garden, play with the fish in the pond, and enjoy some new and interesting toys, never mentioning schoolwork or studies.
He even specifically instructed the former Crown Princess not to force the child to study all day, but to take him out to the palace more often to relax, which would be beneficial to his body and mind.
The former Crown Princess was filled with gratitude and naturally obeyed.
As a result, the days when King Jing was absent from the Southern Study gradually became more and more frequent.
Sometimes, Prince Qing Ning Yanhe would look up from his heavy schoolwork and through the window lattice see his foolish nephew being taken away by palace servants again, or see him walking slowly among the flowers in the distance with his mother, with a sense of ease on his face that he had never had before.
As he watched, a hint of envy involuntarily flashed in his eyes.
He also wanted to go out for a walk and relax for a while.
Whenever this happened, Jing Yu beside him would cough lightly and say gently, "Your Highness, Prince Jing's situation is special, so he will naturally be more relaxed about his studies."
"You are different from him. You shoulder the weight of the nation and the people. You are the future ruler of the world, so you must not slack off in the slightest. Only by diligently studying, understanding the classics and history, and being able to discern reason and reason, can you inherit the throne and live up to the high expectations of Her Royal Highness the Princess and the people of the world."
Ning Yanhe silently withdrew his gaze and looked at the book again. The envy in his heart turned into an indescribable depression, which made him feel a little breathless.
He became more and more silent, and the brilliance in his once bright eyes was gradually replaced by a heaviness that was inconsistent with his age.
Until one night, when the palace lanterns were lit, Concubine Yu was reading a book alone in the palace, when she suddenly saw a small figure slipping in quietly. It was Prince Qing Ning Yanhe.
Concubine Yu put down the book in surprise: "Yan He? Why are you here at this time? Where are the servants?"
Ning Yanhe walked up to her, and for the first time, he was not followed by the masters and eunuchs who followed him closely.
He raised his head, his face filled with anguish and confusion that didn't match his age. His voice was low, with a barely perceptible sob: "Empress Yu, I came here secretly..."
"I, I miss my sister so much. I know, I know there are a lot of people out there, they, they all seem to be saying bad things about my sister, saying that in the future... I don't know what to do, I feel so sad..."
Concubine Yu looked at him trying to hold back his tears and listened to his intermittent words, and her eyes instantly turned red.
He is only in his teens.
Also a child.
It's a pity to be born in an imperial family.
She reached out her hand and gently embraced this child, who had been burdened with heavy thoughts too early, stroking his hair. She comforted him as she had comforted Ning Lingyi: "Good boy, good boy, don't be afraid. Don't listen to those gossips. Everything your sister did was for you, for the people of this world. Everything will be fine. Believe in your sister, okay?"
Ning Yanhe buried his face in her warm embrace and nodded vigorously. His small, tense body finally relaxed. On this night without his master's guidance, he finally found a brief moment of comfort.
He still didn't know why this happened, but he thought he would find out soon.
When he finds out, he'll understand what to do.
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