17. Chapter 17
Too many smart people
Unexpectedly, as soon as Qi You said this, the smile on the Fifth Prince's face quickly disappeared. He became anxious and pulled Qi You's sleeve and begged, "Seventh brother, please help me go to Khan Ama and tell him. I don't dare to go. I'm afraid."
The smile on Qi You's face remained unchanged, but his mind was working fast.
The Fifth Prince was raised by the Empress Dowager. If he wanted to go to school, he just had to tell the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager would then mention it to Emperor Kangxi. It would only take a word.
Unless, this matter has not been discussed with the Queen Mother, or it has been raised but the Queen Mother did not agree.
Qi You lowered his eyelids slightly and asked with a smile: "Fifth brother, you are also Khan Ama's son. Khan Ama won't do anything to you. How about this, your mother, Concubine Yi, has some influence in front of Khan Ama, so you can ask Concubine Yi to speak for you. If all else fails, you can ask Mama for help. She has always loved you and will definitely speak for you."
The Fifth Prince had always been honest and loyal, not knowing how to hide his emotions. His guilty conscience was clearly written on his face. He picked at his fingers and stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Qi You only took one look and knew that this must have been Concubine Yi's idea, as she wanted to use Qi You to lead the charge into battle.
If it succeeds, it will certainly benefit the Fifth Prince. If it fails, the Fifth Prince will not suffer any loss, as he is just ambitious and wants to go to school.
Qi You, on the other hand, became a fool who took on big tasks and tried to stand out at a young age.
Qi You did not blame the Fifth Prince. He was young and had no opinions of his own. It was the adults who instructed him to come up with ideas behind the scenes.
In Qi You's opinion, the Fifth Prince should go to school, and if he speaks frankly, Qi You is even willing to help him persuade the Queen Mother.
Forget about being a fool who charges into battle.
Qi You sighed inwardly, looked directly at the Fifth Prince, and said patiently, "Fifth Brother, if you really want to study, you should find a way on your own. Think about it, after you go to school, you have to learn your lessons on your own, right?"
The Fifth Prince nodded in surprise.
Qi You said, "Your Chinese is not good. When you go to school and learn Chinese, you won't understand most of what the teacher says. If you want to learn this subject well, you will have to put in ten times or a hundred times more effort. Learning Chinese mainly depends on speaking more. Start from a young age. As you get older, your memory will get worse. You have to hurry up."
The Fifth Prince's face turned pale, his eyes red, and he almost cried. He said pitifully, "Then what should I do?"
"You don't have to worry too much, because your Mongolian is good." Qi You scared the Fifth Prince a little, then turned around to comfort and encourage him: "Fifth brother is smart, if you put in more effort, you will definitely be able to learn it well. In the end, it all depends on your own efforts."
The Fifth Prince's expression eased considerably. After a moment of hesitation, a determined look appeared on his face. "I will definitely study hard and learn as well as you, Seventh Brother."
Qi You smiled and said, "Then we'll have to compete with each other. But Fifth Brother, if you want to learn better than me, you have to go to school first. After the new year, Eighth Brother might also go to school. You'd better take advantage of this opportunity and go to school with Eighth Brother. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until Ninth Brother and the others go to school before you can officially go to school."
The Fifth Prince thought about the age of his half brother, the Ninth Prince, who would be nine or ten years old by then.
The brothers younger than him became his senior brothers, and he still had to go to school with the drooling Ninth Prince.
The Fifth Prince was suddenly overcome with grief and couldn't hold back his tears. He cried, "I told Mama that I wanted to go to school, but she didn't say anything at the time. Later, she said that after I started school, I would have to move to the princes' residence. She couldn't bear to let me go, saying that I was still young and that school would be too hard. I should wait a few years until I was stronger before going."
Qi You thought to himself that as expected, he did not interrupt the Fifth Prince and listened quietly.
The Fifth Prince wiped his tears and sniffed back the snot that was about to flow into his mouth. Qi You couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he silently took out a handkerchief and stuffed it into the Fifth Prince's hand. He took it and wiped his nose, then returned the handkerchief to Qi You.
Qi You looked at the sparkling light across the Fifth Prince's face and silently put the handkerchief aside.
The Fifth Prince sobbed and continued crying, "I told my mother, hoping she would speak up for me in front of Mama. She didn't go, so she told me to come find you and ask Khan Ama for mercy. She said that as long as Khan Ama agreed, I could go to school, so I came to find you."
Qi You was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Concubine Yi was really smart. Kangxi was filial. She knew that the Queen Mother was afraid of loneliness and was reluctant to let the Fifth Prince leave. If she went to the Queen Mother to plead for the Fifth Prince, she might have caused the Queen Mother's disgust.
There was no doubt that she loved her son, but she didn't love him wisely. She was too cautious and unwilling to take even the slightest risk.
Who says that after going to school, you have to move to the prince's residence? They are all in the Forbidden City, not thousands of miles away from home.
The Empress Dowager lived in the annex hall of the Cining Palace. The Cining Palace was just a short walk away from the Qianqing Palace, which was even closer than the prince's residence.
The Fifth Prince goes to school during the day and can still return to live with the Empress Dowager after school.
Qi You looked at the Fifth Prince's face, which was covered with snot and tears, and could not help but look away. He pointed at the handkerchief beside him and said, "Fifth Brother, wipe your face first, then we can talk."
The Fifth Prince said "oh" and took the handkerchief and wiped his face hard. Finally, he wiped it clean and returned the handkerchief to Qi You.
Qi You burst out laughing and pushed back Fifth Prince's hand: "Fifth brother, this handkerchief is for you."
The Fifth Prince looked at the handkerchief in his hand, finally coming to his senses. He chuckled awkwardly, stuffed the handkerchief away, and said sheepishly, "I'll go back and wash it and return it to you."
Qi You hurriedly said no, and sighed, "Fifth brother, you cried so much and went through so much trouble, but it was all in vain."
The Fifth Prince blinked his eyes with a bewildered look on his face. Qi You couldn't bear to watch it any longer. He was speechless for a long time and simply said, "You go to school in the Palace of Heavenly Purity and then go back to live with the Empress Dowager in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. Isn't that all that matters?"
"Is this okay?" The Fifth Prince's eyes lit up and he asked uncertainly.
"Why not?" Qi You asked with a smile.
The Fifth Prince scratched his head and said, "This is against the rules."
Qi You looked up at the sky and said slowly, "The rules also stipulate that the prince must go to school at the age of five."
The Fifth Prince was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly and said excitedly, "Yes, why didn't I think of this! My mother didn't think of this either. Seventh brother is really smart. I'll go tell my mother and ask her to ask Mama again."
It’s not that Concubine Yi couldn’t think of it, she was just too smart and thought too much, which made her look smart but have a stupid mind.
If she gets involved again, and the Fifth Prince is a simple-minded and uncouth man, and he passes on the message, who knows what Concubine Yi will do.
The root of the matter is that the Fifth Prince wants to go to school, so just focus on this goal and solve it.
Qi You decided to cut the Gordian knot and simplify the matter. He said, "Don't go. Since you asked me to help you, I'm going to Ukuma Ma's place soon. I'll help you talk to Ma."
The Fifth Prince was so happy that his snot bubbles suddenly appeared. Qi You closed his eyes in pain and said weakly, "Fifth Brother, you are too dirty."
The Fifth Prince temporarily put aside his worries and became lively. At this age, his nature of disdain for dogs finally showed a little. Seeing Qi You's disdain, he walked towards Qi You with a grin and tried to wipe his snot on him.
Qi You laughed in horror and quickly pushed the Fifth Prince away with all his might. Although the Fifth Prince was a simple-minded man, he was very strong. The two of them rolled around in the carriage, laughing and joking, their clothes wrinkled and dirty.
Arriving at the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was chatting and drinking tea with the Grand Empress Dowager. Seeing the two brothers coming in together, she widened her eyes in surprise and said to the Grand Empress Dowager with a smile: "Look at these two, where have they been playing mischief again?"
Qi You stepped forward to greet him, and said with a smile: "Fifth brother was so sad and cried a lot earlier, and we are all covered in his tears and snot."
The Fifth Prince didn't expect Qi You to speak so immediately, and he stood there dumbfounded.
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly, and the Queen Mother was very nervous. She waved to the Fifth Prince and asked anxiously, "What's going on? Who bullied you?"
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