From the moment Ye Jingchen first saw Xie Chang'an, he had a feeling that there was something wrong with him.
He was naturally very sensitive to people's gazes. Although Xie Chang'an was sitting under the peach tree, far away from him and shorter than him, the condescending gaze that only those in positions of power had was very obvious to him.
His subsequent conversation with Xie Chang'an further confirmed his suspicions.
Xie Chang'an spoke very little, but every question he asked went straight to the point, without a single wasted word.
Ye Jingchen knew he was no ordinary eight-year-old child, and he also knew what an ordinary six-year-old child should be like. Therefore, in his eyes, Xie Chang'an, this six-year-old child, was even more suspicious than him.
He also pretended to be sick.
It's not unusual for children to feign illness; some even have a natural talent for it. But he managed to fool all the women in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, including the matriarch.
Today, Xie Chang'an's gaze upon him was filled with scrutiny and inquiry.
He almost drove Ye Jinghe crazy with a single sentence.
Considering all of the above, it's hard for Ye Jingchen not to suspect that Xie Chang'an has something going on.
As a bookworm with twenty years of reading experience, Ye Jingchen was familiar with all the tricks of "this person is not that person." He himself had transmigrated into a book, and Xie Chang'an might also be able to transmigrate into a book or be reborn.
The best way to verify what's really inside Xie Chang'an is through the life-or-death ordeal that Xie family faced during the cold winter.
...
After the morning's classes ended, according to the Crown Prince's schedule, they only had one hour, or half an hour, to eat and rest.
The Crown Prince had prepared lunch long ago, a large table full of dishes and soups in several flavors, according to Ye Jingchen's request.
"I was in a rush today and didn't have time to ask about your preferences, so I just prepared something simple. Someone from the kitchen will be here later. You can tell them what you'd like to eat, and I'll do my best to make it. I'll also learn what I can't make," Ye Jingchen said gently.
Yun Shu was originally unwilling to enter the palace as a companion reader.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's family had only one son for three generations. From birth, he was pampered and never suffered any hardship except for being forced to study.
But the price of becoming the Crown Prince's study companion is too high.
First, he has to get up early.
Before dawn today, his father dragged him out of bed, forced him to get dressed and wash, and put him on a carriage. As he was leaving, his grandmother and mother were wiping away tears.
On the carriage, his father taught him a whole bunch of rules, forbidding him from doing anything.
He's a little emperor at home, always being waited on. Now, if you ask him to go to the palace to serve other emperors, he'd never do it!
But His Majesty looked terrifying, like a giant several meters tall. When standing in front of His Majesty, he didn't even dare to breathe or speak.
He finally arrived at the East Palace, but the way the Crown Prince looked at him made him extremely unhappy!
He was all too familiar with that look in the eyes; the Crown Prince must be secretly mocking him for being fat.
So what if he's fat? He's gained all that fat through his own hard work!
Ignoring his father's warnings, he scolded the crown prince.
But the crown prince wasn't angry at all. He even said he envied him, saying that his fatness was a symbol of being loved by his family.
Based on this alone, he thought the Crown Prince was a pretty good person.
Afterwards, the Crown Prince said that he would respect their own wishes. If they did not want to be his study companions, he would inform His Majesty and would not punish their family.
Hearing this, Yun Shu was overjoyed.
His grandmother and mother didn't actually want him to come as a study companion, but his father insisted on sending him, saying that His Majesty had already chosen him, and if he refused, it would be defying the imperial decree. If he defied the decree, their whole family would be beheaded.
Yun Shu didn't want to be beheaded, nor did she want her grandmother and mother to be beheaded, so she had no choice but to suffer in silence.
But His Highness the Crown Prince said he would give them the opportunity to choose for themselves.
His Highness the Crown Prince is such a kind person!
Then His Majesty suddenly arrived during class and found that His Highness the Crown Prince was not paying attention, so he got angry at His Highness the Crown Prince.
His Majesty is terrifying enough when he's not angry, but when he is, he feels more like a monster that will eat people. But His Highness the Crown Prince is really brave and not afraid at all.
Despite not paying attention in class, he was able to answer His Majesty's questions quickly and remained calm in the face of His Majesty's tests. He managed to appease His Majesty's anger in just a few words.
During the break, His Highness the Crown Prince treated him to delicious tea, snacks, and fruits, which were things he rarely got to eat at home.
During the tea and snacks, His Highness the Crown Prince used a very simple analogy to make him understand the knowledge that he had not understood even after the teacher had explained it twice, proving that he was even more knowledgeable than the teacher.
When it was time for lunch, His Highness the Crown Prince said that he wanted the cooks to make them their favorite dishes from now on.
Waaaaah... How can His Highness the Crown Prince be so amazing and so kind to them? He's even considering becoming His Highness's study companion.
His mother only had him as her child. If he had an older brother, he would definitely treat him as well as His Highness the Crown Prince and teach him to read and study!
I'm so envious of the Fifth Prince! His Highness the Crown Prince even washed his hands and fed him...
He also really wanted an older brother!
It's okay if there's no older brother but a younger brother. A younger brother is just as good. He'll call you "brother" softly, let you hug him obediently, pinch your cheeks, and bravely stand in front of his brother when His Majesty is angry!
After returning home, he went to his mother and asked her to give him a younger brother!
...
These children are still young, and no matter how many rules they are taught at home, they can't escape Ye Jingchen's refusal to follow the rules.
During the meal, apart from Yun Shu, who was not very rule-abiding to begin with, and Xie Chang'an, who had no intention of following the rules at all, Wu Zemin and Gu Beichen were no longer as reserved as they had been at the beginning.
The afternoon's lessons were the Six Arts of a Gentleman.
Because Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an were both recovering from serious illnesses, and Ye Jinghe was still young, archery and horsemanship were not arranged for the time being. The afternoon's arrangements were etiquette and music.
Ye Jingchen dared not neglect these two courses.
In this era, especially given his status as the crown prince, etiquette and demeanor were of utmost importance.
As he gets older, he is required to appear on many important occasions, making him the focus of everyone's attention.
Since court officials dared not criticize the emperor, they could only focus their attention on him. Being criticized for failing to meet etiquette standards would be very detrimental to his image.
Music theory is also a very important aspect of appearances.
In this era, entertainment options were limited, and nobles often held banquets such as flower viewing parties, spring banquets, and autumn banquets. There were even more banquets in the palace.
The banquet was a contest of poetry, music and theory among the noble young men and women of the capital. He was of noble status and did not need to perform, but he should at least be able to understand other people's performances, otherwise he would make a fool of himself.
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