Chapter 56
As Xue Jin'an and Cui Zui stared at each other from two zhang apart, a hoarse laugh came from the carriage, and a sprightly old man with thick hair stepped out from behind the curtain.
"It is the Seventh Prince's good fortune to have taken a liking to my good-for-nothing grandson. However, he is the only child of my third son's lineage, and I am counting on him to carry on the family line. I am afraid I will have to disappoint the Seventh Prince." Cui Pengfei spoke in a calm and unhurried manner. Although he was clearly refusing, his tone sounded more like casual conversation, which made people feel particularly comfortable.
“Grandfather.” Cui Zui showed great respect to the old man, immediately composed himself, bowed his head and respectfully helped the old man down.
Xue Jin'an didn't dwell on the fact that his actions were to fulfill Cui Zui's wish to become a eunuch. Instead, when Cui Pengfei approached, he meticulously followed the etiquette manual, bowing and saying, "Student Xue Jin'an greets Master Cui."
Cui Pengfei paused slightly, then helped him up with both hands, his smile becoming much more genuine. "Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities."
Xue Jin'an nodded slightly, but when they met again, he would still bow, without any emotion, but with an attitude of taking it for granted and doing it as it should be done.
This is precisely what Cui Pengfei is most satisfied with. As the saying goes, a gentleman should have nine considerations, one of which is to be respectful in appearance. No matter who you are facing, you should maintain the most basic manners in your dealings with others so as not to fall from the demeanor of a gentleman.
Cui Zui had spent some time with Cui Pengfei and knew his grandfather quite well. Seeing that he was supporting the prince with both hands, he knew that the prince had a good impression of him and was basically satisfied with him. You should know that when he first received the Empress Dowager's decree, which specifically ordered him to return to the capital with his cousin who was taking the imperial examination to teach the prince, his grandfather did not show it on his face, but he was not very happy in his heart.
It makes sense, no one would be happy to be forced to take on a disciple. That's why after my grandfather went to the capital, he didn't report to the Empress Dowager immediately, but went to keep the emperor's appointment. He did meet the Seventh Prince at the Imperial Study that day, and when he returned, my grandfather's evaluation was just "somewhat intelligent" and he didn't mention it again.
He then stayed at home for over a month without mentioning the Seventh Prince. Until today, when he was summoned to the palace, his grandfather unexpectedly changed his opinion of him upon meeting him.
Cui Zui couldn't help but sized up Xue Jin'an several times, rubbing his neck which was throbbing with dull pain. He secretly grimaced, completely unsure whether the Seventh Prince was truly reckless or deliberately seeking revenge.
Just like Cui Zui after hearing what the Seventh Prince had done in the palace.
The group entered Zhaoyang Palace. Fulu served several plates of pastries, while Lingzhi knelt to the side, gracefully brewing tea. The aroma of tea filled the room, and soon three cups were poured out.
"The finest Mengding Ganlu." Mengding Ganlu is a very ancient and famous tea, one might say, an antique among teas. Cui Pengfei is quite knowledgeable about tea. He could judge the quality of the tea simply by smelling its aroma and observing the color of the tea soup. He took a small sip and exclaimed, "Good tea."
Xue Jin'an and Cui Zui both gulped down the tea in one go, completely unable to distinguish it from ordinary tea.
The difference is that Xue Jin'an can distinguish the molecular differences in the taste of tea and compare subtle differences from the data. He simply has no concept of the quality of tea. Cui Zui, on the other hand, really can't taste it. All the tea he puts in his mouth is just bitter and astringent. The only difference is that it is slightly bitter and astringent or more bitter and astringent.
Cui Zui was the same way about snacks. He ate a plum blossom cake in a few bites and only thought it was sweet. He didn't understand at all how it was different from the ones sold in vegetarian shops outside.
However, even though he couldn't taste the difference, he could still tell something from the exquisiteness of the tea and snacks, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you under house arrest?"
So what happened to the Seventh Prince offending powerful noble families, being disliked by the Emperor for his ruthless and cruel methods, and living a miserable life in the palace due to lack of favor? Is this what a miserable life in the palace is like? It seems better than the best years he had in the Cui family.
"Confined to your home but not restricted from eating." Xue Jin'an nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
There is indeed no rule in the palace that confinement would result in a reduction of one's treatment. However, people in the palace have always been inclined to flatter the powerful and trample on the weak. When you are favored, everyone fawns over you, but when you fall from grace, everyone tramples on you, wishing they could crush you into the mud.
However, this kind of thing probably won't happen to the master for a long time.
Fu Lu's eyes darted around for a moment, thinking: In the past, when it was just Wang Deming who was executed, the Imperial Kitchen behaved themselves, thinking that the master was still the master, and taking their lives was just a matter of stretching his hand. Even if they were tortured to death, there was no way to seek justice. But now he found that even the concubines were killed as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, and the final punishment was just confinement, without even a symbolic caning in court. There was still no way to seek justice.
The master's reputation in the palace is now even greater than that of the Third Prince. Even without the Empress Dowager's presence, the Imperial Kitchen wouldn't dare to skimp on the master's meals, no matter how bold they were. It's said that Eunuch Wei, who makes pastries in the small kitchen, has to stop whatever he's doing and immediately get the crystal cake made whenever he hears the words "crystal cake."
Xue Jin'an had no self-awareness about his reputation, so the old and young Cui family members were not surprised to think that all of this was because the Seventh Prince had the Empress Dowager behind him, which was exactly the effect Lingzhi wanted to achieve.
The Seventh Prince's fearsome reputation only worked on the palace maids and eunuchs. The court officials didn't treat these people like human beings at all, especially the eunuchs. Even those who reached the positions of Li Hechun and Lu Bingzhu were looked down upon by some. To intimidate them, it was still necessary to bring up the Empress Dowager.
Lingzhi deliberately guided them to have this idea as a subtle warning: don't think that the Seventh Prince has lost power just because he is under house arrest; in fact, he should be pampered. Don't take advantage of his young age to bully him.
Of course, it is true that the Empress Dowager favors the Seventh Prince, but not to the extent that they think. However, no one would really ask how much the Empress Dowager actually favors the Seventh Prince, right?
This way, no one would know that, apart from the crystal cake, all the other exquisite pastries were made by her personally last night; the Mengding Ganlu tea leaves were not a gift from the Empress Dowager, but rather a reward given to Consort Zhen when she was favored by the Emperor. They were found during the last cleaning of the main hall, and because the quantity was originally small, the people who searched the palace didn't pay much attention to them. Lingzhi used a secret method to reprocess and dry the tea, and the taste of this aged tea immediately became almost indistinguishable from that of new tea, even possessing a richer flavor.
—Oh, no, she shouldn't be called Consort Zhen now, but Empress Xiaozhaoren. At the first morning court session after Chu Wenwan's death, the Ministry of Rites bestowed a posthumous title upon her, and a new memorial tablet was made and placed in the ancestral temple.
Even if someone were to ask the Empress Dowager and expose her, Lingzhi wouldn't be afraid of being blamed. After all, she hadn't said anything; it was all just the self-righteous imagination of those who were being led astray.
"I never imagined that after all these years, the Empress Dowager would still remember my preferences." Cui Pengfei immediately guessed Lingzhi's identity and understood the meaning Lingzhi was subtly conveying.
Sure enough, Lingzhi laughed and said, "When Lord Cui comes, he must be served the best tea. This is what Lord Cui deserves."
"There is no such thing as deserved or undeserved. Whether in the past or today, all my actions are merely my duty, and I have a clear conscience." Cui Pengfei put down his teacup, clenched his fist, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "It is only because I am now a commoner and do not deserve to be addressed as 'Master'. I am fortunate to be valued by His Majesty and the Empress and to serve as the Seventh Prince's mentor. I will do my utmost to fulfill this duty."
Lingzhi got the answer she wanted and left satisfied, bowing and leaving Cui Pengfei with a comfortable teaching space.
Cui Pengfei did not rush into lecturing, but first asked Xue Jin'an what he wanted to learn.
He knows a lot of things: what you need to know for the imperial examinations, what you need to learn to be an official, what you need to know for special times such as flood control, disaster relief, epidemic prevention, and education, agriculture, and commerce, and even the art of governing subordinates and the mind of an emperor. Anyone who wants to make a name for themselves, whether they become an official, a minister, or work in commerce or agriculture, can learn something from him as long as they study diligently.
This is why, among the countless court officials who requested to retire, only Cui Pengfei was still respectfully addressed as "Prime Minister Cui," and was admired by scholars throughout the land.
Xue Jin'an has no particular preference for books, saying he's open to learning anything.
"What books has Your Highness read?" Cui Pengfei asked, trying to gauge his level of education.
Xue Jin'an honestly recited the names of all the textbooks he had read.
At first, the textbooks for other subjects were quite normal, within the range that children of this age should be learning. But when it came to history books, the number of books listed was ridiculously high. Listening to them was like listening to a list of official history books.
Cui Pengfei paused, stroking his beard, and calmly tested Xue Jin'an's studies for nearly half an hour. Seeing that Xue Jin'an could not only answer with the original text without missing a single word, but also clearly state which book, volume, page, and line the text came from without making a single mistake, he couldn't help but show a look of amazement and satisfaction.
"Your Highness has already studied the official history and general history. All I can teach you are some miscellaneous histories. I am truly ashamed to say that I am far inferior to Grand Tutor Li in this regard. If Your Highness wishes to improve, you will have no choice but to consult Grand Tutor Li." Grand Tutor Li is widely recognized as the foremost scholar in the Great Qi Dynasty in terms of historical research.
Seeing that Xue Jin'an had read almost half of all his books, Cui Pengfei assumed that he really enjoyed reading history and couldn't help but feel a little regretful. "I can introduce you to a couple of books. I'm sure Grand Tutor Li would be pleased to find someone who enjoys reading history so much."
"I don't like any of them," Xue Jin'an answered truthfully. "These are all teaching materials prepared by Grand Tutor Li, for the exclusive use of the Imperial Study."
Cui Pengfei was surprised: "I've heard that His Highness the Seventh Prince has never studied in the Imperial Study?"
Grand Tutor Li has difficulty walking and needs assistance to walk. Whenever he enters the palace, he goes nowhere except to the Imperial Study. The teaching materials for the Imperial Study are determined by the instructors, and different instructors have different choices for each subject. Therefore, if Xue Jin'an wants to finish learning these subjects, he can only go to Grand Tutor Li.
If there were such a promising talent who could read history books at such a young age, Grand Tutor Li would not keep him hidden. The Book of Documents and the Spring and Autumn Annals are too difficult among the Four Books and Five Classics. Those who focus on studying these two subjects are becoming increasingly rare. Such a talented person is even rarer. Grand Tutor Li has wanted a successor for a long time. Even though his status as a prince makes him hesitant to speak out, there must have been some word of it among the top Confucian scholars.
But Cui Pengfei had never heard of such a thing.
Then there is only one most shocking possibility: the Seventh Prince became a self-taught scholar without Grand Tutor Li's knowledge!
Sure enough, Xue Jin'an nodded in affirmation: "I haven't been to the Imperial Study, but I flipped through the textbooks."
"Seventh Prince is truly a prodigy!" Cui Pengfei's praise was very sincere. Regardless of what the Seventh Prince's purpose was in learning these things, it was true that he had learned them thoroughly and well. "Being able to memorize the original text word for word, even if it is a photographic memory, must have required a great deal of effort."
Xue Jin'an thought there was nothing wrong with what he said. He had spent more than a day working very hard, turning the pages one by one, scanning all the contents into his brain.
Looking at the unperturbed Seventh Prince before him, Cui Pengfei was filled with mixed emotions.
Although he had long known that a prince who could win the favor of the Empress Dowager could not be a good-for-nothing, the Seventh Prince's excellence still exceeded his expectations. He quickly adjusted his teaching plan in his mind, and after confirming once again that Xue Jin'an had no particular preference for any subject, he simply decided to teach everything he knew, and then make corresponding adjustments according to the Seventh Prince's thoughts.
He did want to see how far the Seventh Prince could learn and whether he was truly such a genius.
However, although he planned to teach everything, Cui Pengfei wouldn't just cram all the knowledge he knew into Xue Jin'an's mind at once. He divided it into levels of difficulty, starting with the beginner level.
Cui Pengfei pondered for a moment and recited some book titles. "How about we start with these, Your Highness?"
Xue Jin'an quickly compared the titles of the articles he mentioned with those that he had never read before, and nodded immediately.
Cui Pengfei smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll go to the library of the Hanlin Academy now. I'll need to ask two people to help me move the books."
The four libraries in the imperial palace each had their own focus. Tianlu Pavilion was used for the entertainment of the concubines and princes in the harem. In addition to basic books, it contained more miscellaneous books and travelogues. The number of books in the collection was limited, and the content was also selected. On the other hand, the emperor's private library, Tingwenxuan, contained mostly rare ancient books. Its value for collection and research far exceeded its value for experimentation.
The number and content of books collected in the Wenyuan Hall of the Cabinet and the Hanlin Academy's library were roughly the same, but the Wenyuan Hall's collection was more advanced and specialized, while the Hanlin Academy's was more basic and diverse. To put it simply, one was like a top-tier university library, and the other was like a general high school library.
This difference is also related to the different responsibilities of the two institutions. After all, the cabinet is the pinnacle of a minister's career, while the Hanlin Academy is the starting point for becoming an official.
Moreover, in addition to serving as secretaries to the emperor, the Hanlin Academy also had the duty of compiling and editing books. Its library was very rich in collections, including not only articles by candidates in previous imperial examinations, writings by officials, and official gazettes, but also some books from the private sector.
Cui Pengfei chose the Hanlin Academy Library not just to find teaching materials, just as his teaching requirements for Xue Jin'an were not limited to learning the textbooks. He also deliberately asked others to move the books while leaving Cui Zui behind because he thought he couldn't move them by himself.
“To raise the sons of the nation with the Way is to teach them the Six Arts, namely rites, music, archery, horsemanship, calligraphy, and mathematics. Although my unworthy grandson has not yet made any achievements in the arts of literature, he still has some talent in the arts of martial arts,” Cui Pengfei said. “I am quite good at rites and calligraphy, and I can be said to be proficient in mathematics and music. However, I am too old to master archery and horsemanship. On the other hand, my grandson Cui Zui has a skill of shooting multiple arrows at once. I believe His Highness has already witnessed this outside the study that day.”
"I've seen it." Xue Jin'an nodded, recalling the arrow that had just been stuck in the bluestone slab and blocked his pursuit of the assassin, and thought to himself: He can shoot in volleys, but his accuracy is terrible.
Cui Pengfei deliberately gave Cui Zui time and space to spend with the Seventh Prince. Besides the fact that he was indeed going to teach the Seventh Prince archery and horsemanship, he also wanted to give Cui Zui a way out.
After retiring from officialdom, Cui Pengfei, to avoid the Cui family being purged, spent his time traveling and exploring the countryside, not interfering in the family's development, and having little contact with his grandsons. It wasn't until this trip to the capital with his two grandsons that he realized Cui Zui's predicament and immediately foresaw that even with his trip, Cui Zui's revenge would likely be difficult to achieve.
Cui Zui is quite stubborn, the kind of person who won't turn back even after hitting a wall. Once he really reaches a dead end, he won't think about turning back, but will use another means to achieve his goal, regardless of whether the means are honorable or not.
Whether it was to prevent Cui Zui from going astray or for the sake of the Cui family, Cui Pengfei could not let Cui Zui run into obstacles. So he did not choose his grandson, who had already become the top scholar in the provincial examination and might become the top scholar next year, with a bright future, but instead took Cui Zui with him, took him to meet the emperor, and took him to banquets in the capital.
Cui Pengfei had never introduced Cui Zui to anyone. The reason was simple: Cui Zui's background was too awkward. He had Hu blood and was the son of a dancer, so he was destined not to enter officialdom through normal channels. There were many talented people in the capital, and they didn't need Cui Zui. Moreover, Cui Zui's appearance and martial arts skills were far superior to his literary talent. If someone wanted him to be their advisor, they would either have impure intentions or offer something they didn't want.
However, although Cui Pengfei did not offer Cui Zui a way out, the latter had seen more of the world while by his side, and his anxiety and restlessness gradually subsided.
Seeing that his temperament was gradually stabilizing, Cui Pengfei felt it was time to find him a strategist, and the Seventh Prince was a good choice.
The Seventh Prince is young but not weak. He is a very decisive and proactive person. Now, he has offended the noble families by killing Chu Wenwan. As the only legitimate prince, he must compete for the throne in the future, whether he wants to or not. He will definitely be short of people around him.
In addition to this, the most crucial point is that the Empress Dowager showed some favoritism towards the seventh prince.
Cui Pengfei's relationship with the Empress Dowager wasn't actually that good. Back then, he retired from public life and could only enjoy the scenery. Even his own family couldn't interfere. He owed his success to the Empress Dowager, which is why the descendants of the Cui family who entered officialdom were more supportive of the emperor and were natural royalists. However, Cui Pengfei's relationship with the Empress Dowager wasn't bad either. He admired and respected the Empress Dowager's political skills.
The only thing that could be criticized about the Empress Dowager's rule was that she was too ruthless. She was so ruthless that she said Consort Hui could not be the empress and that there was no place for her in the main palace of the six palaces. No one in the court dared to say a word about "a hen crowing at dawn". The censors of the Censorate also pretended to be deaf and dumb and did not say a word. As a result, the late emperor had no choice but to build another palace.
There are many ways to rule an emperor, which can be broadly categorized into the way of hegemony, the way of kingship, and the way of benevolence.
The saying goes that when the ruler is strong, the ministers are weak. From the perspective of the court officials, the Empress Dowager was too autocratic, and the current emperor, who practices benevolence, was more in line with their wishes and more conducive to the flourishing of diverse opinions among the court officials.
However, Cui Pengfei had already transcended the circle of a subject. From the perspective of a monarch, he felt that the Empress Dowager was too domineering, and that the current emperor was too benevolent and weak.
He had originally thought that domineering and benevolent principles were incompatible, but now he saw some signs of them in the Seventh Prince.
The Seventh Prince possesses a gentlemanly demeanor that embraces harmony without conformity and views all beings with equanimity, while his behavior bears a striking resemblance to the domineering presence of the former Empress Dowager.
Perhaps this is a good way out. Cui Pengfei gave Cui Zui a chance to gamble, hoping he could seize it.
Cui Zui did not disappoint him and seized the opportunity. As soon as Cui Pengfei and his men left, he said that the library was too far away and it would take a lot of time to go back and forth. He suggested that he would use this free time to teach Xue Jin'an archery.
Xue Jin'an and Helian Cheng had played with bows online during their military training, but they hadn't done it in real life yet, so she nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Cui Zui taught him the basic standing posture for drawing a bow and found that Xue Jin'an's posture was very standard and beautiful, with almost no superfluous movements. He couldn't help but be impressed and praised him several times.
As the conversation progressed, Cui Zui, seeing Xue Jin'an's expressionless and tense face, couldn't resist teasing him again. With a sly smile, he leaned close to Xue Jin'an and shamelessly joked, "Seventh Prince, I've been teaching you, so I'm practically your teacher. Could you call me that?"
Xue Jin'an refused: "Your archery skills are terrible."
Cui Zui immediately objected, "Let's have a competition!"
Xue Jin'an nodded. Lingzhi had already set up several targets while they were shooting arrows, and she quickly set them up upon seeing this.
Cui Zui demonstrated his archery skills, hitting the bullseye with all three arrows fired simultaneously. He raised an eyebrow smugly, "These three arrows were only because there were only three targets. I could also fire five arrows at once. What does Your Highness think?"
"So-so." Xue Jin'an said, drawing his bow and aiming at the bullseye with a standard posture. However, he didn't overestimate his abilities and only nocked one arrow for the time being.
The first attempt was a bit too light, and the arrow just hit the target before falling unsteadily to the ground. Cui Zui thought it was understandable that he was young and lacked strength, and was just about to suggest that he could get closer when Xue Jin'an had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow again.
The second arrow was too powerful, piercing the bullseye and carrying the target forward for another two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters). The hastily erected target was rendered useless.
As Cui Zui watched Xue Jin'an nock the third arrow and aim at another target, he already had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Whoosh! The arrow hit the bullseye perfectly.
Whoosh! The arrow cleaved through the fletching and struck the arrowhead in the center of the target, embedding itself deeply in the bullseye.
Whoosh! The arrow, without stopping, cleaved through the fletching again, pinning both arrowheads to the target, which then split open.
Cui Zui: "...Is this really your first time shooting an arrow? How did you do it?"
Xue Jin'an tilted his head and said matter-of-factly, "Isn't this something anyone can do?"
Cui Zui, who had been shooting arrows for fifteen years, became withdrawn.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
