Song Xia was not surprised that His Majesty did not come in the evening. It was better that he did not come, as it would save her from wasting her medicine.
She slept soundly through the night, and after the concubines paid their respects as usual, she dismissed them.
"Your Majesty, where are we going?"
"The Imperial Study."
"The Imperial Study? Your Highness, what are we going there for? His Majesty said that the princes are in class and the women of the inner palace are not allowed to interfere."
"Who said I'm going to interfere with their classes? As the mother of the princes, don't I even have the right to care for them?" Song Xia looked directly at the female official. "I am the Empress, appointed by His Majesty and enshrined in the ancestral temple. I am not someone that a female official like you can educate at will."
The female official trembled: "Your Majesty, spare my life, this humble subject knows his mistake."
Song Xia glanced at her indifferently and continued walking towards the Imperial Study. In this dynasty, princes were not allowed to be raised in the harem after the age of three. They were to eat, dress, live, and travel in the Prince's Residence until they left the palace to establish their own residences. The Imperial Study was where all the princes studied and attended classes.
Logically speaking, since the princes eat, live, and spend their time together, they should have a good relationship with each other. However, due to the mutual distrust between the palaces and His Majesty's deliberate actions, the six princes rarely even speak to each other on a daily basis, let alone develop any brotherly affection.
This is precisely what pains Song Xia. Without communication, how can feelings develop? Everyone treats each other like enemies, no wonder they all become cold and indifferent as adults.
She would rather these six princes didn't have palace servants interfering with their fighting. The brotherly affection between them was mostly forged through fighting, without any communication. No wonder they were so ruthless in their past lives.
The Imperial Study and the Princes' Residence were both quite far from the inner palace, so Song Xia didn't use a sedan chair but walked there. As a result, the news spread throughout the entire inner palace. Even Consort Zhuang and Consort Li couldn't sit still and followed. However, since Song Xia, as the Empress, didn't ride in a sedan chair, they couldn't either. Besides, having been pampered and spoiled for so many years, they simply couldn't keep up with Song Xia's pace.
"What is she doing in the Imperial Study for no reason? Could it be that she intends to harm my son? Would she dare to do that in broad daylight?"
Consort Li was panting heavily. She had to stop after walking for a while, and before she could rest properly, she rushed after them again in her haste, which ruined her makeup.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. The Imperial Study is full of His Majesty's people. The Empress wouldn't dare to do anything."
"Who can figure out what's going on in her head? If we don't get there in time before she actually does something, it'll be too late."
“But what if His Majesty blames us? In the past, only when a prince was sick would the concubines visit him.”
"If you're going to blame someone, blame her first. Hurry up and stop talking so much."
Her personal maids were usually well-fed and pampered, and had never experienced such strenuous walking. On top of that, they had to fan her while walking, and she almost fainted from exhaustion.
On another road, Consort Zhuang went even further, yelling, "Why aren't you riding in a sedan chair for such a long distance? Are you sick?"
"Your Majesty, please keep your voice down."
"Am I mistaken? How can an empress be as vulgar as her?"
"Your Majesty, please don't worry. The Imperial Study is heavily guarded, and the palace maids who take care of the Second Prince are also our people. If anything happens, they will definitely fight to the death to protect the Second Prince."
"I'm not worried about what she might do to my son that could affect his safety. What I want to know is what methods she might use to interfere with his studies. If his studies go wrong, won't he suffer the same displeasure from His Majesty as the First Prince?"
"Your Majesty's thinking is indeed insightful."
"Hmph!" Consort Zhuang pursed her lips and walked even faster.
As for the other concubines, they were much more composed, barely saying a word, continuing with their own affairs as if they hadn't heard anything.
Song Xia knew that her actions were being observed by all sides, but she didn't intend to do anything. Let them speculate as they pleased, and also see what His Majesty's attitude would be later.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Study is just ahead."
She and the palace maids walked to the door, where they were stopped by a guard: "Your Majesty, the princes are in class. May I ask if Your Majesty has any orders?"
"Since I have nothing to do today, I came over here to take a walk and see if the palace servants have neglected the princes."
She walked up, and the guards didn't move. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, did His Majesty issue an order that I cannot come here?"
"His Majesty did not give such an order, Your Highness, please."
Song Xia smiled. She knew that the guards would not dare to forcibly stop her. Although they all knew that she, the empress, did not have much power, she still held the title of empress and had to be respectful on the surface. Moreover, her grandfather was still the prime minister. Who would not respect her grandfather's name?
Upon entering the Imperial Study, Song Xia heard no sound of reading aloud. Only after asking did she learn that the princes were not allowed to read aloud.
No wonder they all grew up to be so gloomy and deep. The brothers didn't usually communicate with each other, and as masters, they couldn't talk too much with the palace servants. They could only read silently. It would be strange if their personalities weren't stifled.
"Your Majesty, this room is where the First Prince, Second Prince and Third Prince study, and the room next to it is where the Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince and Sixth Prince study."
Song Xia nodded. She agreed with the idea of having separate classes. The eldest prince was ten years old, the second prince was nine years old, and the third prince was eight years old. The age difference was only two years, so they were in the same class. The remaining fourth prince was six years old, and the fifth and sixth princes were both five years old. Their learning progress would not be much different, and they could even compare with each other.
She doesn't object to competition in learning, because comparison helps children strive for improvement. However, politicizing this comparison is a dangerous thing and could potentially ruin a child's mindset.
Isn't that what happened to the eldest prince, Xiao Jin? Because he was constantly criticized, he became extremely insecure. On the one hand, he doubted his own abilities, and on the other hand, the court officials who supported him told him that only he was the most qualified. As a result, he was imprisoned time and time again, and finally committed suicide to escape all his troubles.
She didn't understand why only one out of six could emerge victorious. Wouldn't it be better for the princes to focus on their studies and growth? The world wasn't just about the Xuan Kingdom for the throne; there were plenty of lands and spaces waiting for them to conquer.
Ultimately, the root of all these mistakes lies with His Majesty. Because of his apprehension and fear of his absolute power being challenged, he forced his six princes to fight amongst themselves, causing the court officials to live in fear and ultimately choose sides.
In this life, the first thing she needs to change is the relationship between these six princes. As long as they have brotherly feelings for each other, no matter how much they fight or are provoked in the future, they will always have a backup plan.
Of course, it would be best to let them see a wider world and expend their energy on a broader scope.
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