Chapter 89 Educating Younger Siblings
The peaceful days didn't last long before the Emperor heard that Prince Jin's old wounds hadn't healed.
With a single imperial edict, the seven prince Lou Ting, who had just turned twelve, the nine prince Lou Wu, who was ten years old, and the eight princess Lou Yue, who was ten years old, were all sent to the Jinwang Mansion.
They aptly declared: "King Jin is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and is a role model for his younger siblings. He should be taught and strictly disciplined."
On this day, Lou Jin was invited out by Lou Yan's men under the pretext of discussing military affairs.
So when the three young masters were escorted to the Prince Jin's mansion by palace attendants, they were greeted by Ye Xunyang, who had just received the news.
Looking at the three children in front of him, Ye Xunyang felt utterly overwhelmed.
"Greetings, Princess Jin." The head eunuch bowed respectfully, handed over the three young masters, and then took his leave as if he had gotten rid of a hot potato, leaving behind a few palace servants who were also trembling with fear.
Ye Xunyang tried to put on a gentle smile and communicate with the children, arranging for them to have some snacks in the flower hall.
At first, things went smoothly, but children have limited patience, especially after they are free from the constraints of palace rules.
In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ye Xunyang lost his sight of the situation, and it spiraled out of control.
"Seventh Prince, be careful!"
"Your Highness, those are the Prince's books!"
"Princess, you must not be disrespectful to the Queen..."
The hall was in chaos. Ye Xunyang was tied up by the princess and couldn't spare a moment to himself. Looking at the Ninth Prince's scribbling and the Seventh Prince's spear-wielding, he felt a vein throbbing in his forehead.
He finally understood why the Emperor had sent these little devils here.
Just as chaos erupted, a deep voice, tinged with obvious displeasure, rang out at the doorway:
What are you all doing?
In an instant, the entire flower hall seemed to be frozen in time.
Everyone turned around and saw that Lou Jin had returned at some point and was standing at the door, his face calm and his gaze sweeping over the mess in the hall like a cold star.
In an instant, all the noise came to an abrupt halt.
The princess, her hand still gripping Ye Xunyang's hair, forgot to move.
The Ninth Prince, holding the pen, froze in mid-air.
The seventh prince held the silver spear in a comical pose, his face pale.
Ye Xunyang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his savior return.
Lou Jin strode in, his steps steady. He first walked to Ye Xunyang's side and carefully removed the princess's hand from Ye Xunyang's hair.
The princess pouted, wanting to cry, but under Lou Jin's calm gaze, she didn't dare to shed a tear.
Then, he walked to the desk, looked at the cover of the military book stained with ink, and then looked at the wolf-hair brush in the Ninth Prince's hand.
"Who gave you permission to touch my things?" Lou Jin's voice was not loud. Lou Wu's hand trembled, and the brush fell on the table, splashing a few drops of ink.
Finally, he turned to the seventh prince, who was holding the silver spear.
Lou Ting was so frightened he almost dropped his gun, stammering, "Third brother... I... I just wanted to take a look..."
Lou Jin reached out and easily took the silver spear from his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the spear emitted a slight hum and stood firmly on the ground.
He looked down at Lou Ting: "It seems you're interested in this weapon?"
The seventh prince felt his scalp tingle under his gaze and dared not nod or shake his head.
Lou Jin's gaze swept over the three silent children, finally settling on the trembling palace servants: "All of you, get out."
The palace servants, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly withdrew and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.
Only the five of them remained in the flower hall.
Lou Jin walked to the main seat and sat down, pointing to the empty space in front of him: "Stand still."
The three little ones looked at each other and then slowly lined up in a row.
Ye Xunyang walked over and sat down next to Lou Jin, asking in a low voice, "Have you finished discussing military affairs?"
"Mm." Lou Jin responded, took his hand and squeezed it to reassure him.
Then, he turned his gaze back to his three younger siblings who were standing ramrod straight.
"Did Father send you to the Prince's Mansion to cause trouble?" Lou Jin asked, his voice calm yet carrying pressure.
The princess sobbed softly.
"Brother, we know we were wrong." The Ninth Prince immediately admitted his mistake, and the Seventh Prince nodded in agreement.
"Where did we go wrong?" Lou Jin asked.
"I shouldn't have touched my brother's things," Lou Wu blurted out.
“They shouldn’t have taken the princess’s gun,” Lou Ting added.
The princess said aggrievedly, "I shouldn't have pulled my sister-in-law's hair..."
"Anything else?" Lou Jin was not satisfied. "To act recklessly in someone else's residence without permission is impolite. For a prince or princess to speak or behave inappropriately is a breach of etiquette."
The three little ones lowered their heads.
Lou Jin looked at them and said in a slightly gentler tone, "Since Father has entrusted you to my discipline, from today onwards, you must abide by the rules of the Prince's Mansion."
He looked at Lou Ting: "It's good that you like weapons. Starting tomorrow, get up at dawn and follow the instructors from the Prince's Palace to practice horse stance and the basics. You can't touch a gun right now."
Lou Ting's eyes lit up, then her face fell again: "Mao Shi (5-7 AM)..."
"Hmm?" Lou Jin gave him a look, and Lou Ting immediately shut up.
He then looked at Lou Wu: "Since you like calligraphy, starting tomorrow, copy the Book of Rites ten times a day. I will check it. If even one character is illegible, rewrite it."
Lou Wu's face immediately fell.
Finally, he looked at the princess and said, "Yue'er, you should review your music, chess, calligraphy, and painting for the next couple of days. We'll invite the Grand Tutor to teach you in a few days."
"Did you all understand?" Lou Jin asked in a deep voice.
"Understood..." the three little ones replied listlessly.
"The sound is too soft."
"Understood!" This time the response was much more unified and loud.
Lou Jin nodded slightly: "Take them to be settled." He gave the order, and immediately, the prepared nannies and maids came in and led the three dejected young masters away.
The flower hall finally returned to silence.
Ye Xunyang leaned against Lou Jin's chest, feeling a little worried about the days to come.
“Taking care of the three princes and the princess all at once,” Ye Xunyang said softly, his tone tinged with a hint of helpless teasing. “Your Highness’s recuperation is probably more mentally and physically demanding than attending court and governing.”
Lou Jin lowered his head, gently nuzzled the top of his head with his chin, and chuckled, "What, is the princess afraid?"
He raised his hand, his fingertips gently stroking Ye Xunyang's slightly disheveled hair, which had just been ruffled by the little princess.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you." Lou Jin's voice was deep and gentle. "Don't worry, now that the rules have been set, they won't dare to act recklessly anymore. As for daily care, the nannies and maids will take care of it. You just need to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't cause any major trouble."
Ye Xunyang revealed a mischievous smile, "If His Highness Prince Yan knew that while you were recuperating, you were also helping him take on the heavy responsibility of teaching your younger siblings, I wonder if he should be grateful or even more resentful."
Thinking of the complex expression that might appear on Lou Yan's cold face, Lou Jin couldn't help but smile: "It's alright. Since he brought over the medicinal oil prepared by Mr. Yu, it can be considered as advance payment."
The two smiled at each other, and the little trouble they had just experienced seemed to vanish into thin air.
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