Chapter 213 Quan Xiyao
At noon, the dining hall of the Weiyang Palace was filled with warm sunlight.
The ground paved with golden bricks glowed softly, contrasting with the surrounding vermilion palace walls.
On the dining table, a wide variety of delicacies are steaming hot, and the exquisite presentation and overflowing aroma complement each other.
Three-year-old Quan Xiyao was wearing a bright yellow robe and sitting at the dining table, looking just like a fledgling bird that had not yet grown its down but was trying to stand up straight.
In the jade bowl in front of him, a piece of fish lay quietly.
Quan Xiyao's face was tense, his brows were twisted into small pimples, and his eyes were full of disgust.
But he didn't dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction in front of his father, so he could only secretly look at the palace maid beside him, his eyes seemed to say: "Stop pinching me!"
Quan Minghe sat in the main seat, his face as cold as ice, and his deep eyes revealed his innate majesty.
He raised his eyes casually, glanced at Quan Xiyao, and said, "You can't be picky about food."
Quan Xiyao pouted and muttered in a crying voice: "Father, fish meat, stinky."
The soft and sticky child's voice was full of grievance.
Quan Minghe frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then raised his voice and ordered: "The cook who handles the fish and meat has been replaced today. Take the meat out of the fifth prince's bowl."
Quan Xiyao was originally worried, but when he heard this, a smile instantly broke out on his little face.
His eyes narrowed into crescents, and he said crisply, "Thank you, father!"
The dining room suddenly became quiet, with only the slight clinking of dishes and chopsticks.
"Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping", this rule has long been rooted in Quan Xiyao's young heart.
In the past, when he was younger, he would occasionally cry because he didn’t like the food. Every time, his father would severely reprimand him and would not allow the nanny to coax him.
After many times, he knew that he had to abide by the rules in front of his father.
Lunch is over.
Quan Xiyao suddenly felt nervous and expectant.
Because next it was time for his father to test him on his studies.
If I answered well, my father's expression would soften a lot. Whenever I saw a hint of admiration in his eyes, a strong sense of pride would surge in my little chest.
Quan Minghe looked calm, his eyes fell on Quan Xiyao, and asked, "How have you been learning the Thousand Character Classic these past two days?"
The Thousand Character Classic contains thousands of words, with each sentence consisting of four words. It is well-balanced and elegantly written. Its content covers many aspects such as nature, society, history, and ethics. It is a must-read book for the enlightenment of princes.
Most of Quan Xiyao's elder brothers started learning at the age of five, but he was required by his father to learn since he was three years old.
He studied in another palace and usually lived in Weiyang Palace with his father.
At first, I was always absent-minded when facing the teachings of the tutor.
Later, he was called directly by his father to study in Weiyang Palace, and he dared not slack off even a little.
Unexpectedly, after learning it, he received praise from his father. He no longer resisted learning and even looked forward to learning new knowledge from the tutor every day.
Quan Xiyao sat upright.
The baby said, "Today, the Master talked about a lot of natural phenomena, like 'clouds rise to rain, dew turns to frost', which talks about the formation of clouds, rain, frost and dew; 'gold is born in Lishui, jade comes from Kungang', which talks about the origin of gold and jade."
As he spoke, he gestured with his little hands.
He added: "I got up very early today, and the Master even took me to watch the sunrise!"
"It corresponds to 'the waxing and waning of the sun and the moon, and the stars in the sky'. I will watch the moon at night."
After Quan Xiyao finished his long speech, Quan Minghe just nodded slightly, with a calm expression, and uttered the three words "not bad" lightly, and then dismissed this hard answer.
Then, he continued, "I will summon the court officials at 3 p.m. to discuss important matters concerning people's livelihood. You should study hard with the Grand Tutor in the afternoon. When you have learned well, come to the front hall of the Weiyang Palace to find me and listen to the ministers' opinions."
Quan Xiyao had been expecting more praise from his father, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when he heard this.
But after hearing his father's arrangement, his little chest immediately surged with fighting spirit, and he responded crisply, "Yes, father."
Quan Minghe stood up, his sleeves fluttering, and strode towards the front hall.
His back was tall and majestic, with an awe-inspiring aura.
Quan Xiyao turned around and went to the side hall next to the front hall to study.
When the Grand Tutor came over, he saw the Fifth Prince, who was very young, sitting at the desk with a serious look on his face.
I couldn't help feeling a little surprised, but then I smiled with relief.
The fifth prince is gifted, intelligent, diligent and studious, and everyone knows that His Majesty dotes on him.
But the Grand Tutor also knew how strict His Majesty was with the Fifth Prince, and sometimes even he, a bystander, couldn't help but feel distressed.
After all, the fifth prince had only been three years old for two months...
He has been watching the Fifth Prince's progress in the past two months. Sometimes the Grand Tutor feels that the Fifth Prince has learned well enough, but the Fifth Prince cannot get a single smile from His Majesty.
This always made the Fifth Prince feel that he was not good enough and thus became more serious.
Perhaps His Majesty did not encourage the Fifth Prince today, so the Fifth Prince worked even harder.
After the tutor sighed for a while, he began today's teaching.
Quan Xiyao absorbed today's knowledge with full concentration, and couldn't wait to go to the front hall.
At this time, the ministers had already arrived and the atmosphere in the hall was solemn.
Next to Quan Minghe's dragon throne, there was an exquisite little chair, which was obviously specially prepared for the fifth prince.
When the Prime Minister and several other ministers saw the Fifth Prince, their appearance and expressions were almost identical to Your Majesty's.
He became more and more certain in his heart that even though the Emperor and Empress had passed away and there was no one in the harem to give advice to the Fifth Prince, as long as he had the protection of His Majesty, the Fifth Prince's ascension to the throne might be just around the corner.
However, the prime minister had secretly supported the eldest prince since Liu Zhaoyi was in favor.
If he were to give up the eldest prince and turn to the fifth prince now, he would be worried that the eldest prince would suppress the fifth prince in the future when he entered the court.
The prime minister was caught in a dilemma and could only maintain the status quo and wait and see what would happen.
Quan Xiyao sat on a small chair, listening to the ministers' lengthy speeches, and he seemed to understand much of what was said.
Gradually, sleepiness came like a tide.
But he still forced himself to be strong, trying to imitate his father's expression and posture. He looked so serious, as if he really understood everything.
At first glance, it actually looks quite imposing.
The busy day finally came to an end, and dusk enveloped the Weiyang Palace.
Quan Xiyao took a walk to help digest his food under the guidance of his nanny.
He was lively and active by nature, and hated going to the same place every day, so he walked in front and wandered around, followed by a dozen palace maids and eunuchs, in a grand manner.
As he walked, he suddenly walked into an empty palace.
Quan Xiyao pushed open a door curiously and walked in.
As soon as he stepped into the room, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.
The room was filled with portraits of beautiful women, each one was lifelike, as if the person in the painting would walk out at any time.
He frowned, pointed at one of the paintings, and asked the nanny beside him: "Who is she?"
The nanny bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Your Highness, these paintings were all painted by His Majesty, but we do not know who the people in the paintings are."
Quan Xiyao tilted his head and looked carefully at the woman in the painting.
His father once told him that the woman he loved most was his mother.
If these paintings were drawn by my father, then could the beauties in the paintings be my mother?
Thinking of this, Quan Xiyao's eyes lit up instantly.
It turns out that my mother is so beautiful!
He stretched out his little hand and gently stroked the paintings. The more he looked at them, the happier he became, as if through these paintings he had a wonderful connection with the queen mother whom he had never met.
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