Chapter 192 The New Study Companion and the Teacher's Fright...
"In my opinion, the most important thing is to have a legitimate reason for our attack," Qi Chengming said slowly, organizing his thoughts.
"Oh?" Emperor Hongren's spirits lifted, but he remained noncommittal and continued listening.
"Our dynasty succeeds the previous dynasty and is the legitimate successor, possessing lands in all directions and all the states under heaven. It is only because of the suffering of many years of war that we have worked diligently until now in order to allow the people to recuperate and thrive. In reality... how can we be compared with ordinary small countries?"
Qi Chengming set the tone first, and then subtly offered a plausible explanation for the weakness of the Chinese military.
His words struck a chord with Emperor Hongren. The old emperor, wanting to test people, unconsciously nodded slowly. Even the eldest prince and the sixth prince listened with unspoken agreement.
That's always been their opinion.
I am merely a temporarily weakened and impoverished great power, and the ruler of the Central Plains. How can I compare myself to those barbarians or be grouped with those small countries? Today, the three envoys have acted presumptuously, and it is not just one person who is angry.
Once the tone is set, the rest of the conversation will flow smoothly.
Qi Chengming paced back and forth a couple of times, feeling much more at ease in front of the emperor.
"These small nations are arrogant and have long forgotten the glory of our dynasty. Therefore, I believe that continuing the tradition of paying tribute to other nations today is necessary and extremely important. If war breaks out in the future, this will provide a legitimate reason for war and confirm that we are the rightful heirs of this land. As for those Qiang, Di, and Western nations, many of their ancestors were actually from the previous dynasty who split off from them!"
Throughout history, having a legitimate reason for waging war has always been extremely important, and Qi Chengming would never forget that.
Emperor Hongren nodded in satisfaction, stopped Qi Chengming, and turned his gaze to his eldest son.
—If he continued talking, the other sons would have nothing left to think of. The sixth prince was visibly racking his brains.
The eldest prince listened and increasingly felt that his second brother's words made sense. His line of reasoning was both insightful and grand, leaving him both convinced and frustrated. But with his father already asking, the eldest prince couldn't afford to think of any other approach and could only share what he had just considered:
"Your subject believes that what your second brother said is absolutely right. Furthermore... the Western Kingdom has just suffered a defeat. We are no longer the same as before. We should take this opportunity to give the restless Di people and other small countries a good shock! We will have to fight them sooner or later!"
The eldest prince has his own ambitions.
There were only three envoys from small countries this time. The other small countries were even less significant, scattered and insignificant, and not worth their attention. If we're talking about intimidation, the Di envoy leading the group was the most vocal today; the Crown Prince had disliked him for a long time.
Emperor Hongren nodded approvingly again, saying nothing more. He looked at the Sixth Prince, and this time asked with affection, "We just won a battle, and then we put on this show of all nations coming to congratulate us. Chengyan, what are you thinking?"
The sixth prince began to have doubts.
“What my second brother said earlier is quite right, so I believe it’s better to do it sooner rather than later,” the sixth prince echoed, then fell silent, racking his brains for other words. The young boy stood solemnly, biting his lip in silence, extremely anxious.
Emperor Hongren waited patiently for a while, sighing inwardly. Whether it was disappointment or simply habit, he spoke with a kind tone:
"We now have three kinds of divine food, new bows and crossbows, and a series of victories. It's time to break with the old ways and regroup. The more we turn things around, the more we should show them! Cheng Yan, don't you think?"
He practically broke it down and explained it to the Sixth Prince.
The sixth prince lowered his head in shame and replied, his face slightly flushed.
Qi Chengming pretended to be deaf and quietly looked away to peek at the Crown Prince's reaction.
The eldest prince seemed quite used to this scene, but his fingers, hanging at his sides and partially hidden behind his back, were subtly rubbing together, indicating his impatience.
Qi Chengming felt more confident.
It seems that no matter what, Emperor Hongren still has high hopes for his eldest son and has not been completely disappointed yet. The eldest prince has been patient for a long time.
Emperor Hongren was teaching his son when Eunuch Fuman suddenly arrived.
The head eunuch strode leisurely to Emperor Hongren's ear and whispered something. Emperor Hongren was startled and looked at Qi Chengming: "Chengming, do you want to bestow an official title upon your personal maid?"
Qi Chengming's heart sank. Meeting the ambiguous gazes of his two brothers, he already understood Emperor Hongren's initial attitude.
"Father, she knows better than any of my craftsmen how to do things. Her ingenious ideas have been of great help to me on several occasions. She was involved in the construction of cement, bicycles, and glass," Qi Chengming replied cautiously, unwilling to give up.
"...It's really unfair to her to only be my personal maid. It wouldn't be good if she didn't get the recognition she deserved, so I thought of..."
Emperor Hongren's face showed an incredulous expression, and he stared at his son with that strange look, interrupting him directly: "Are you stupid?"
Qi Chengming was startled and looked up.
"Such a helpful palace maid, who is also your personal maid, you should just accept her. How could you be so confused? Don't you even know how to bestow favors?" Emperor Hongren asked casually, but these were his heartfelt words.
The eldest prince and the sixth prince stood by with strange expressions, the three of them looking at each other with puzzled looks, as if they were looking at an oddball or a fool.
Qi Chengming choked as if something was stuck in his throat: "…………"
Meeting that gaze, he felt as if a block of ice had slid down his throat, chilling him to the bone. But Qi Chengming remained calm and smiled slightly, saying, "To be honest, Father, I'm planning to spend a fortune to buy horse bones!"
"Besides that palace maid, there are many other people who actually have great ideas, but they never dare to speak up... Aside from generous rewards, they'll just become officials. I'm hoping to create more new things. I can't just take any capable woman I meet and employ her, can I? What would that make me?"
Qi Chengming tried his best to use a relaxed and natural tone.
Emperor Hongren still did not quite agree. Although he acknowledged that the new inventions were important, he still held the old view that studying and becoming an official was the most important thing, and that the other inventions were just temporary tricks.
This son has gone mad for this, giving such a generous reward that he even wants to get women into official positions... He's really audacious.
The smile on Emperor Hongren's face faded, and he said in a warning tone, "You can appoint your own officials, but don't let me hear about it outside the Prince Rui's residence again!"
“…Yes.” Qi Chengming bowed deeply, trying his best to hide his dejection.
However, this wasn't entirely bad news; at least Emperor Hongren didn't stop him from causing trouble in his own palace. Bishu's position as a lady-in-waiting was saved.
Institutional reform is always the most turbulent and bloody undertaking. This is just an initial test; how can anything be accomplished in one step?
Emperor Hongren felt annoyed by his second son's stubborn face, which showed no intention of repenting. He waved his hand and started to shoo them away, no longer in the mood to teach his son: "Go away, go away, a bunch of debt collectors!"
Qi Chengming turned and left, completely at ease, unlike the Sixth Prince who seemed restless.
His spirit was dampened, and in front of his two brothers no less. This was clearly a tactic of Emperor Hongren to suppress him, so he naturally had to appear humiliated for a while and obediently go back to his quarters.
It was truly a difficult journey. After returning to the capital, he was viewed with suspicion for most of the day, but Emperor Hongren finally seized an opportunity to retaliate. Is this a blessing in disguise?
Qi Chengming tried to find amusement amidst his misery.
"Wait!" Emperor Hongren suddenly called out to him again.
Qi Chengming turned around and saw the emperor's impatient face as he gave another order, "Your subordinates, hurry up and report! Your teachers are coming to the mansion today, and your study companions have all been chosen. What kind of mess is this all day long?"
Emperor Hongren felt annoyed and disgusted, yet at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
This son has not been properly taught and is completely untrained. He knows nothing about this, so it's no wonder that his father has to take notice.
"Teacher?" Qi Chengming was taken aback and asked.
This name isn't on the list of officials in Prince Rui's residence. He's an adult prince with real duties, so why was he assigned a teacher? And it's a repetitive unit—"teachers"?
Should he continue studying at the manor?
"Were your grades in the Imperial Study when you were a child any good? Did you even listen attentively back then? You lack so many basic principles, and now you're showing huge gaps in your knowledge without any intention of fixing them?" Emperor Hongren threw out a barrage of deadly questions.
Even before he took notice of this son, he summoned the renowned scholar who taught the princes that very night. After reviewing the second prince's past assignments, he was utterly ashamed to look at them. He even doubted whether the prince was hiding his talents.
Upon further questioning, it turned out that the Third Prince had indeed bullied him severely back then. Later, the Second Prince would always feign illness to avoid going to the study, and so he stopped going intermittently. It would be a miracle if he could learn anything from that!
Now that Emperor Hongren intends to properly prune the branches of his second son, this promising seedling, and focuses on cultivating him... he naturally has to make up for all the delayed education in one go!
So what if we have errands to run? Do you really think the past two weeks of leisure are the norm? That was time for the second son, who just returned to the capital, to settle into his duties and get used to things! From now on, bury yourself in your studies.
They couldn't learn it, but they weren't ready yet, so he taught them personally.
Emperor Hongren waved away his eldest son without expression.
Qi Chengming returned to the manor in a daze. As soon as he reached the gate, he saw several carriages moving around inside. He jumped off the carriages and asked the gatekeeper, "Why is it so lively?"
"Several high-ranking officials came to visit as soon as court was over! There are also the sons of several officials, and the prince's cousin has come too." The eunuch at the gate shrank his neck. "They say they are the new tutor and companion that the emperor has assigned to the prince... They are all waiting in the front yard, and the head steward is with them."
Qi Chengming's scalp tingled: "..."
They arrived so quickly? They didn't give him any time to react!
Moreover, he was certain that... Wang Shuo's cousin probably wanted to develop his career in the military. He was already planning to inherit the title, take charge of the family business, and make a name for himself. Now, Emperor Hongren had sent him to be his study companion... Was this appropriate? Was Old Deng's paranoia acting up again?
Qi Chengming had reasonable doubts.
He could only grit his teeth and hurry inside, without making the teacher wait for the student...
A few people were sitting in the front yard, creating a lively atmosphere. As Qi Chengming stepped over the threshold, several young men and officials stood up and bowed to him in unison: "Greetings, Your Highness."
No need for formalities.
Qi Chengming saw three elderly officials in their forties or fifties standing in the hall, all of whom were unfamiliar to him. He introduced himself and said, "Your Highness, we are in charge of Your Highness's studies. We apologize for any offense we may cause."
By now, Qi Chengming has become quite adept at using the system's talent list.
He opened it and took a look.
The two officials on the left and right, Lord Yi and Lord Xue, were loyal to him, while the one in the middle, Lord Mao, was unaware of this.
Qi Chengming also met his four companions, all of whom were on the talent list.
My cousin Wang Shuo, needless to say, was all smiles from the moment we met, his face full of eagerness to say something, showing no psychological burden whatsoever about being assigned to him and not being able to make a name for himself.
Of the remaining three, one boy was tall and strong, and seemed not to be good at speaking. But when he opened his mouth, he nervously recited a self-introduction: "My name is Qi Jiyun. My master said that I should follow the prince well and serve the country and make contributions in the future."
"Your surname is Qi? Your great-uncle is..." Qi Chengming keenly heard the surname and generational name, which meant he must be a distant relative of the imperial family.
“My grandfather’s elder brother is my eldest uncle. My grandfather died early, and my father was adopted from my eldest uncle’s family. Now my eldest uncle is the head of the Imperial Clan Court. I trained my body in the military camp and served as a low-ranking guard for several years. I like to practice martial arts.”
The young boy blurted out a very convoluted statement, revealing all about his family background.
However, he seemed uncomfortable with some of the more formal terms of address, and would subconsciously switch back to "Grandpa" or "Great-Grandpa" from time to time, instead of using words like "grandfather," "father," or "great-grandfather."
Qi Chengming tried to sort it out.
In other words, his uncle, a member of the imperial clan, had a younger brother who passed away. In order to continue the family line, he nominally adopted a son to his brother's branch of the family. The son born to that brother is Qi Jiyun, who likes to practice martial arts. Although his martial arts skills may not be very good, he has a strong sense of loyalty that is worth valuing. So his uncle sent him to his palace to be a study companion.
Perhaps it was the uncle finding a job for his own grandson?
Qi Chengming's gaze swept over Wang Shuo and Qi Jiyun; the two were military officers. He then looked at the remaining two, a young man and a teenager. Were they undoubtedly the sons of civil officials?
The two men tactfully introduced themselves: "My name is Qin Chongzhi, my father is a Doctor of the Imperial Academy." "My name is Chu Hong, son of the Minister of Rites..."
Qi Chengming's eyes lit up subtly as he listened to the end.
This is yet another familiar name.
The current Minister of Rites…! Isn’t that the former Prefect of Chang’an? Eunuch Zhang is still the head chef in his residence. Through Eunuch Zhang’s connections, that official and Qi Chengming have long had a tacit understanding.
Although he has not openly expressed his allegiance and their correspondence is very infrequent, the fact that he has not driven away Eunuch Zhang proves just how greedy he is for food. In recent years, he has been silently leaning towards Qi Chengming's side without daring to do anything openly.
Qi Chengming was still trying his best to win him over. In his plan, this capable Minister of Rites would eventually give up and fall into his lap.
But now...
His sons had both been appointed by the emperor as his study companions; this was a natural connection. The Minister of Rites should have reluctantly accepted his fate.
“Your Highness is not in a hurry to begin your studies today.” After discussing among themselves, the three Confucian scholars, including Lord Xue whose name was on the list of talents, spoke first. “I heard that Your Highness has other duties to attend to. I came in a hurry, so I’ll give Your Highness a day to handle these matters and get to know your study companions.”
"Let's resume our studies tomorrow, and from now on, we'll only have half a day of classes each day, with the three of us taking turns teaching. What does Your Highness think?"
"Very well, then I'll have to trouble you all, teachers." Qi Chengming showed no dissatisfaction and stood up respectfully to bow. The half-day was reserved for his future tasks, and the teachers' arrangements seemed reasonable for now, with no one harboring any ill intentions. He would see how things went when he studied tomorrow.
The three Confucian scholars dared not be negligent, and returned the greetings before taking their leave at the appropriate time.
When only Qi Chengming and his four study companions remained in the front yard, the atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.
Wang Shuo, who had been holding back for a while, let out a loud shout and pounced on him excitedly: "Cousin!! I'm your study companion now!"
This life is completely different! He's actually going to inherit the title at such a young age.
But what path should he take next? If he follows his ideals and original plan, he will be developing according to the process of his previous life: first, he will pave his way through the military, then climb up step by step in the footsteps of the old Marquis Weiyong, and finally become a new general at a young age...
But then what?
Watching helplessly as my cousin suddenly passed away one day?
Without his cousin to keep this vast country in check, what use is Wang Shuo's military prowess? He is not good at dealing with conspiracies and intrigues. Once caught in the storm, no matter how hard he tries, he cannot protect the future collapse of Dingguo.
So this time, Wang Shuo persuaded his grandfather not to rush into the army to inherit the family's legacy, but instead submitted his name to the Imperial Clan Court...
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