Chapter 17
Master Fang took great pains to finally appease the aggrieved emperor.
Emperor Chongzhao paused for a moment before he remembered to ask about Qu Dubian's academic performance.
He originally thought that the child was young and would not be able to learn much even if he studied. But unexpectedly, Master Fang said:
"Your Highness is very intelligent. I estimate that he has learned the Three Character Classic, but I am not sure about the Thousand Character Classic. He knows quite a few characters, but writing them is... ahem, difficult."
Without anyone to teach him carefully, he could be described as a natural talent. As for writing, a two-year-old kid whose bones haven't grown well yet can only draw something good. What else can you expect?
For fear of arousing the emperor's anger again, Fang Taifu vaguely mentioned the matter of writing and focused on repeating the questions he had asked Qu Dubian and Qu Dubian's responses at that time.
Emperor Chongzhao's brows finally relaxed a little.
"It can be considered as following me."
Taifu Fang: "..."
You can be shameless once you become an emperor, right?
"When I was teaching you, you were not as good as you, young prince."
Emperor Chongzhao glanced at him.
"Master, you must have remembered it wrongly."
Fang Taifu immediately said, "Yes, yes, that's right. I was confused and remembered it wrong."
Well, being an emperor doesn’t mean you can be shameless.
He asked: "Then your Highness is now..."
The matter had been made clear, and Emperor Chongzhao said, "The prince cannot learn properly under the table. Since he is willing to learn, I will issue an edict to allow him to attend classes in advance, without having to wait until he is three years old."
Fang Taifu finally breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "I am also delighted to have another intelligent student."
Only Eunuch Yu pricked up his ears quietly, trying to figure out the emperor's thoughts.
Does His Majesty's order represent a certain bias, that he does not want the little prince to go to the palace as ordered by the Astronomical Observatory?
He moved his gaze cautiously, trying to find some clues, but was unable to glimpse the true thoughts in Emperor Chongzhao's heart.
-
Not long after Grand Tutor Fang left, Concubine Lan sent someone to invite Emperor Chongzhao.
Emperor Chongzhao had nothing to do, and was intrigued by Tutor Fang's description of Qu Dubian's learning progress, so he went to Concubine Lan's Xiuxiang Palace to test the Sixth Prince's homework.
The Sixth Prince is closest in age to Qu Dubian. He had just entered the academy and was only learning the basics.
Emperor Chongzhao held the Sixth Prince in his arms and amused him for a while, then put him down. He never indulged his princes too much.
"Are you adapting well in school? How are you doing?"
Concubine Lan smiled and said, "Mr. Xi and Master Fang both praised him for learning quickly."
Emperor Chongzhao became more interested: "Really, Xiaoliu, come here, let me test you." The emperor is so majestic that even a little bit of his aura revealed inadvertently is enough to make people hold their breath.
The Sixth Prince stood there nervously.
Emperor Chongzhao was too lazy to think about it, so he simply asked the Sixth Prince the same three questions that Master Fang confessed to him and that he had originally used to test Little Seven.
"Who are the four people known as the 'good people of the country'?"
A look of confusion appeared on the Sixth Prince's face.
Emperor Chongzhao reminded: "Scholars, farmers, what else?"
The Sixth Prince hesitated, and Concubine Lan could no longer maintain her smile. "Your Majesty, how about changing the question?"
"Well," Emperor Chongzhao said, "all six kinds of livestock can be raised by the people, but killing any of them is against the law."
The Sixth Prince was so nervous that he started biting his fingers. He looked at Concubine Lan for help.
Concubine Lan: "Your Majesty, perhaps the child is not in good condition today, you can change it..."
"That's all."
Emperor Chongzhao had already lost interest. He had never cared much about educating the young princes, and was more concerned with the eldest prince, the second prince, and the third prince, the three older heirs.
Today, I was just attracted by the interesting scene described by Master Fang of asking questions to the young son.
However, this little bit of interest was completely lost when the Sixth Prince showed no clues to the questions.
He still had to visit the eldest prince's mother, and before leaving he casually said, "Although he is still young, he has already entered the academy. The imperial concubine should urge him to study more. Tomorrow, Xiaoqi will study with them in the academy. Although he is the youngest, he is quite smart. Xiaoliu, as the older brother, should not be left behind."
He allowed Qu Dubian to go to the academy, which was indeed a bit biased. Although he still had some concerns about what Guanxingsi said, it had been more than two years, so it might not be a big problem if he was not sent to the palace.
Before the child was three years old, he would not have to interact with him personally.
Sending them to school can be a good opportunity to cultivate brotherly feelings in advance. What the eldest prince said today was really stupid.
Concubine Lan stood up to see him off.
"Yes, I know."
Emperor Chongzhao had been gone for a long time, but Concubine Lan still maintained her posture of saluting. The gentle smile on her lips gradually flattened, and a bit of hysteria emerged in her eyes. Her well-maintained nails were deeply embedded in her palms.
Lian Zhu helped her up.
"when……"
Concubine Lan said softly: "When did it happen?"
Unknown to her, the child left by that bitch caught the emperor's attention again.
She took a deep breath and said, "Why can't you do it?" She was angry and said, "That kid can do it, why can't you do it?"
She was not a fool, and she could get some information from the words Emperor Chongzhao said before he left.
The Sixth Prince was afraid of the Emperor but not her, "I wouldn't do that! The Grand Tutor would never ask questions like that! Mother, you are so mean to me!"
That night, Imperial Concubine Lan held down the crying Sixth Prince and recited the answers to these two questions eighty-eight times in front of the desk.
The Sixth Prince's throat was about to split. He sat on the edge of the bed with red and swollen eyes, feeling a little resentful towards his Seventh Brother whom he had never met.
Ahhhh, how damn annoying! Why do I have to learn so fast? !
-
Didn't wait until the next morning.
Late in the evening, Emperor Chongzhao made an exception and allowed the Seventh Prince to enter the Sixth Palace in the East Garden to study. The order was then issued to all parts of the harem.
Eunuch Yu even specially sent a young eunuch to the remote Ju'an Palace to deliver the message.
Tonight, the snowflakes were falling again, but the Ju'an Hall was different from usual, it was very warm inside.
At that time, Qu Duanbian had just finished drinking milk. He was wrapped in a small quilt and sat cross-legged on a soft blanket on the ground, eating roasted oranges around a small stove - yes, they could even eat fruits in Ju'an Hall.
While eating, he taught Ye Xiaoyuan and Wen Xiaochun how to read.
When there was a knock on the door, Qu Duan was muttering, "No, no, Ye Banban, you read it wrong again..."
"Your Highness, someone is coming."
Qu Watanabe: "It's so late, who could it be?"
"I'll go take a look."
Wen Xiaochun stood up and opened the door a crack. Tiny snowflakes swirled in from outside and turned into water droplets when they landed on the ground.
Qu Dubian caught a glimpse of the old elm tree outside, which was covered with frost flowers, sparkling and translucent. He tightened the quilt around himself and felt a sense of happiness.
In this kind of cold weather, sitting around the fire and brewing tea is really refreshing. When conditions improve, it will be like a paradise on earth.
Wen Xiaochun walked in a hurry when he left, and he seemed to be flying when he came back.
He was a rare steady person. When he pushed the door open and came in, he forgot to stamp his feet to get rid of the coldness on his body. As soon as he came in, he said excitedly: "The eunuch in front of the emperor came to pass on the message that His Majesty has ordered that the little prince can go to the Sixth Palace of the East Garden to study formally tomorrow!"
Ye Xiaoyuan asked anxiously: "What? Is the news correct?"
Wen Xiaochun: "It's absolutely true. By now, probably all the twelve zodiac signs in the East and West know about it."
“May your Majesty bless you…” Ye Xiaoyuan clasped his hands together and bowed to the sky, “Your Highness is getting better and better.”
Yesterday I rewarded you with inkstone, paper and brush, and today I directly ordered you to go to school.
In the past, this was simply unthinkable!
Probably because of what happened in the kitchen last time, His Majesty remembered that the little prince was almost three years old. Although the father and son could not meet each other yet, he could be sent to the East Garden in advance to cultivate feelings with his other brothers, which would be conducive to the harmony among the brothers in the future.
Then he looked at Qu Watanabe: "Your Highness, are you unhappy?"
“…”
Qu Watanabe paused while sipping the hot sugar water, showing his eight teeth, "I'm happy, I'm so happy."
It was expected that his cheap father agreed to let him go to school; he was just thinking about it.
After these two observations under the table, he found that his brothers in the school were not easy to deal with.
It's getting lively.
The news that the seventh prince made an exception and went to school once again swept the harem.
Qu Dubian's tendency to be a hot topic in his previous life would show up once or twice in this life, which would remind the concubines in the harem who were scheming of the fear they had when Concubine Yun was in favor.
When Concubine Yun was alive, His Majesty made exceptions for her frequently. Is it the same for the Seventh Prince? This is weird. Can the son inherit the throne after the mother dies?
The sword-carrying guards in the palace were replaced.
Eunuch Yu came out for some fresh air. He stood under the eaves at the entrance of the Purple Palace, looking at the high steps below that were covered with a thin layer of snow. The entire imperial city was shrouded in the haziness of light snow and fog.
He looked at it for a while and blew into his palms.
Whether the situation of the princes in the palace will change depends on whether the Seventh Prince will be sent to the temporary palace this time.
-
The next day.
Qu Watanabe did not get up as early as usual.
He no longer had to pack hurriedly in order to sneak in early. Instead, he practiced Tai Chi leisurely and had a hot breakfast before leisurely going to the Sixth Palace in the East Garden.
But because he had developed a habit, he used to gnaw on biscuits under the table, and now he feels uncomfortable all over if he doesn't put something in his mouth during class.
So he asked Ye Xiaoyuan to put a handful of peeled dried fruits in the small pocket of his cross-body bag.
The simulator did not remind Yi Twelve that he was by his side, probably because it saw that his life had settled down and there was no need to observe and monitor him anymore.
East Garden.
Mr. Xi, who is in charge of teaching today, has not arrived yet.
The atmosphere in the school was weirder than usual.
The Sixth Prince's eyes were swollen like red firecrackers and he was pouting and sulking.
The eldest prince was severely punished for saying the wrong thing, and his wrists were sore from the excessive homework, so he was naturally in a bad mood.
"I heard that my elder brother was punished by the emperor to kneel for half an hour yesterday," the second prince said, "I wonder if his knees still hurt?"
The eldest prince's knees were swollen, but he said stubbornly: "Of course it's nothing."
The Third Prince: "Yes, Second Brother, how could Big Brother be in such good health?"
The eldest prince felt uncomfortable when he saw his fake expression, and sneered, "You are always pretending all day long."
The Third Prince: "I am just concerned about you, brother. I don't know what you said that caused you to misunderstand me. I can explain."
Instead of being happy about his display of weakness, the eldest prince felt unspeakably suffocated.
Qu Watanabe was the last one to arrive. He was wearing a light blue jacket with a soft rabbit fur around the edge. His face was white with a rosy complexion. His hair was tied into a fluffy bun on top of his head. He had his hands tucked into his sleeves, like a little adult.
His dark eyes looked around, as if waiting for them to introduce themselves.
The eldest prince had just been taught a lesson, so he didn't dare to show his displeasure again, and said sternly, "Seventh brother."
The Second Prince: "I am the second brother."
The Third Prince coughed softly twice and said, "Just call me Third Brother. I was ill a while ago and was about to recover. But when I saw my Seventh Brother, I felt sick again. Maybe I was too excited."
Poor seventh brother, he has been neglected for so many years and suddenly came here. He looks so thin and pitiful. If he develops an inferior, cowardly and sensitive character, then it would be - too good to be true.
Regardless of whether this concern was genuine or not, at least it had to be done to save face. The eunuchs around the six princes handed over the gifts that their queens had prepared overnight.
Ye Xiaoyuan naturally accepted them all with a smile.
Qu Watanabe also gave a gift in return, but since he was the youngest, he didn't need to give anything very precious in return.
He took out some dried fruits from his pocket, and his cute facial features suddenly became lively, without any sign of stage fright or social phobia.
Are you kidding? In my previous life, I relied on my acting skills to fight my way out. If I had social phobia, I wouldn’t even have a shot at it. How could I play the game?
"Big brother, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, sixth brother, hello!"
The dried fruits were distributed one by one, and even the Fourth Prince, who was squinting in his seat, was enthusiastically forced to eat some. He widened his eyes slightly and looked at his younger brother who was as happy and sociable as a little butterfly.
Wow……
This brother is kind of cute.
The last handful was given to the eldest prince. But when he stood in front of the third prince, the little butterfly flying among the flowers cried out "Ouch" in annoyance.
Qu Watanabe: "It just so happens that it's gone. I didn't mean to do that. Third brother won't be angry, right?"
The school was silent for a second, and then the eldest prince suddenly laughed out loud.
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