Chapter 327 The Crown Prince
Wang Yanzhi asked, "Why do you say that?"
Li Ganxu's voice was muffled, "She kept my elder sister by her side, taught her how to govern the country, took her to court to listen to government affairs, and even let her sit in on discussions... She only likes my elder sister! She doesn't like me at all!"
Wang Yanzhi's eyes were almost overflowing with heartache, and he hurriedly comforted her, "How could the Empress not like you? If she didn't like you, she wouldn't have given you the name 'Xu'. The rising sun shines brightly, what a wonderful meaning that is! It shows her expectations for you."
He wiped away his daughter's tears and continued, "Besides, if she didn't value you, why would she have appointed Tu Xiang as your teacher? Who is Tu Xiang? He was the top scholar in the imperial examinations, achieving the highest honors in all three levels of the examinations. He became prime minister in his early thirties, and even the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince might not be as qualified as her. Isn't this a sign of the Empress's favoritism towards you?"
Li Ganxu was stunned.
The Empress Dowager treated her well and often praised her.
Last year, on her birthday, I also gifted her a small foal that was a tribute from the Western Regions.
She remembers all those good things.
“But…” she raised her red eyes, “why does she only keep my elder sister by her side?”
Wang Yanzhi's tone became more serious, "The Empress Mother keeps your elder sister by her side only because she is the Crown Prince. The position of Crown Prince is related to the foundation of the country, so naturally she has to put in more effort to teach her. It doesn't mean that she doesn't like you."
"Then why is my elder sister the Crown Prince? Why can't I be the Crown Prince?" Li Ganxu immediately retorted. "I'm smarter than her! I'm more capable than her! Even the Grand Tutor praised my talent! Why should everything be hers just because she was born two years earlier?!"
These words were spoken hastily and impulsively, carrying a childlike sense of grievance and anger.
Wang Yanzhi's expression changed, and a complex emotion flashed across his eyes.
Yes, his child is also His Majesty's child, but just because he was born two years later, he has to be subordinate to someone else.
Just like myself.
Pei Huaijin was from a prestigious family just like him, and perhaps even... less so.
If he hadn't followed His Majesty early on, he would have been abandoned by the Pei family long ago, devoured without a trace. How could he have had the chance to become Empress?
Now, even if His Majesty doesn't favor him, he still has to give him some face and visits his palace several times a month.
And what about myself?
They share the same background and the same talent and looks, yet they can only spend their remaining days in this Qiushui Residence, tending to a few potted plants.
Even his own daughter is overshadowed by his daughter.
In this world, the problem is never scarcity, but inequality.
Looking at his daughter's reddened eyes, Wang Yanzhi felt a surge of resentment.
He reached out and hugged his daughter, gently patting her back, and whispered a reminder, "Xu'er, you can say these things to me, but you must never tell anyone else."
"Why can't I say it?" Li Ganxu stubbornly pursed his lips. "I'm telling the truth! I'm better than Li Qianyuan, and I should be the crown prince!"
Once this thought is uttered, it spreads like wildfire and can never be taken back.
If she were the Crown Prince, then it would have been the Imperial Sister who was reprimanded and forced to apologize in front of everyone today.
She should be the one sitting in the Xuanzheng Hall, accompanying the Empress Dowager as she reviews memorials.
Even that little man, Ru Bai, was her study companion, forced to stay by her side every day and be at her beck and call...
Being the crown prince would be wonderful.
All eyes would follow her, all the best things would be presented to her first, the Empress would give her all her time, and even the court officials would have to be mindful of her mood.
So why the imperial sister and not her?
“Because…” Wang Yanzhi’s voice was very soft, as soft as a sigh, “This is the rule. The eldest son of the legitimate wife must be chosen, a rule that has been in place for thousands of years.”
“Can’t the rules be changed?” Li Ganxu stared at him, revealing a defiant spirit. “Didn’t the Empress Mother change so many rules? She changed the rule that women couldn’t be officials; she changed the rule that women couldn’t inherit the family business; she changed the rule that women couldn’t be empresses! Why can’t the rule of ‘establishing the eldest son’ be changed?”
Wang Yanzhi was speechless for a moment.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke, "Yes, the rules that have been in place for thousands of years have all been changed, so it's time to change these rules too."
He has already accepted his fate, but must his daughter accept it too?
No! Absolutely not!
Anything that my daughter wants should be hers.
“Xu’er, you’re right.” Wang Yanzhi held his daughter’s shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “In this palace, and even in this world, nothing is born to belong to anyone. If you want what your elder sister has, you have to fight for it yourself.”
His voice was even lower, carrying a clear-headed understanding: "Moreover, your mother might have had this idea... Otherwise, why would she have specifically chosen Tu Xiang as your teacher?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ganxu's eyes lit up instantly.
From that day on, Li Ganxu was like a different person.
In her studies at the Imperial Academy, she was no longer satisfied with being "the best," but wanted to be "unmatched by anyone."
When the teacher taught her policy essays, others could write three points of insight, but she would rack her brains to come up with five, and each one of them would hit the nail on the head.
On the archery range, she fought even harder, practicing until her hands were blistered and bleeding, but she still wouldn't stop.
Gradually, her archery skills became so precise that she could hit a willow leaf a hundred meters away, and her horsemanship became incredibly agile, even earning the admiration of the most elite Imperial Guard captains in the palace.
Even in "leisurely pursuits" like playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she surpasses the Crown Prince.
What's most remarkable is that, under Tu Qing's tutelage, she began to learn how to discern the emperor's intentions, observe the political situation, and restrain her violent temper.
A nine-year-old child was able to offer several suggestions regarding tax increases or decreases in front of the entire court.
Li Yuanzhao immediately adopted her suggestion and even praised her with a smile, saying, "My Xu'er is indeed intelligent."
Not long after, Li Ganxu was permitted to attend court and participate in government affairs alongside the Crown Prince.
When she was ten years old, Li Yuanzhao bestowed upon her the title of Prince of Yong and the honorary title of "Right Guard General".
Crown Prince Li Qianyuan was already twelve years old at this time.
Over the years, she has not been without achievements while serving by her mother's side.
She was ordered to repair the Huimin Granary in the suburbs of Beijing, and she never made a mistake.
She inspected the granaries in the capital region on behalf of the emperor and uncovered two instances of deficit.
When she toured the local areas, she showed compassion for the people and reduced some of the exorbitant taxes and levies, which earned her the deep love and respect of the people.
...
Even though Li Qianyuan has worked diligently and accomplished a lot over the years, the voices of dissatisfaction with her as the crown prince in the court have never ceased.
People often compare her to Prince Yong, Li Ganxu, who was two years younger.
Li Qianyuan knew that his mother had personally released a tiger cub for her.
And the tiger was watching her position.
In the imperial court, two factions gradually formed around the Crown Prince and the Prince of Yong.
The Crown Prince's supporters were mostly civil officials from Su Qingci's faction, as well as officials who valued stability and maintained the status quo.
They believed that "a prosperous era requires stability, while chaos breeds disaster," and admired the Crown Prince's benevolence and thoughtfulness, considering her to be the best ruler to maintain the status quo.
Prince Yong's supporters were mainly young and ambitious reformers like Tu Qing.
They admired Prince Yong's sharpness and decisiveness, believing that even a prosperous era needs swift and decisive measures, and that being too mild-mannered would easily lead to "dying in comfort."
The Crown Prince proposed to repair and expand the national schools so that more children from poor families and women could have the opportunity to enroll, cultivate talent, and plan for the long term.
Prince Yong immediately countered, arguing that although the border was temporarily stable, there were still hidden dangers. He believed that the priority should be to increase troops and weapons to stabilize the border before discussing education and civilization. Otherwise, if foreign enemies invaded, all talk would be in vain.
The Crown Prince advocated investigating military farms, rectifying military discipline, and preventing generals from embezzling military lands and withholding military pay.
Prince Yong immediately warned, "The border generals are now guarding the frontier, and they have made great contributions. If we rashly investigate them, it may damage their morale, cause discontent, and even lead to a mutiny."
The two were evenly matched, and although they caused some considerable trouble, things remained relatively stable overall with Li Yuanzhao in charge.
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