“And what is this about disrespecting your teacher and elders?”
Qin Yilan dabbed at the moisture near her eyes with a handkerchief. “Your Majesty need only summon the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor and ask.”
Soon the Grand Tutor was urgently summoned into the palace. Grand Tutor Tang Ruoxu was already fifty-five, with half-gray hair and a flowing beard, possessing the bearing of a great contemporary Confucian scholar.
Once he understood why he had been called, Grand Tutor Tang immediately blew his beard and glared.
“The Crown Prince is simply—simply impossible to teach!”
Li Chengxian had not expected even the Grand Tutor to evaluate the crown prince this way.
If Qin Yilan might have selfish motives, Tang Ruoxu was unquestionably a genuinely loyal minister.
“Every time I teach, His Highness refuses to listen to a single word!”
“He never writes the assignments I give him!”
“He never opens the books I leave him!”
By the end, Tang Ruoxu sounded almost aggrieved.
“Every time this minister teaches His Highness, it feels like playing music to an ox!”
He considered himself one of the great Confucian scholars of the age. Of course he wanted to educate the crown prince from childhood. Who had never dreamed of assisting a crown prince and helping shape him into an enlightened sovereign?
That was the dream of countless scholars!
To teach the Classics, histories, philosophy, and Confucian principles to the future heir of Great Qi, gradually shaping the crown prince to love the country and its people.
But the crown prince simply refused to listen!
Tang Ruoxu lamented bitterly, “If this is how it will be, this minister would rather teach at an academy outside the palace and educate more poor students!”
Li Chengxian was scolded at length by Tang Ruoxu and, for the first time, felt embarrassed as a father.
“What the Grand Tutor says is true. I have neglected his education. But Yu'er is good by nature and suffered a serious illness. Perhaps the coursework is too heavy.”
“Your Majesty!” Tang Ruoxu voiced his disagreement. “The Crown Prince is the future of the nation. How can Your Majesty spoil him like this?”
Lin Nanji: 【Ah.】
【Actually, the little crown prince is very smart.】
【No, I should say exceptionally smart.】
【He remembers everything he sees and everything he hears.】
【Too bad the little crown prince is too lazy to speak. Otherwise he'd scare Grand Tutor Tang to death.】
Li Chengxian looked expectantly at the little crown prince and suddenly had an idea. “Son, if you're willing to speak, Father Emperor will let that little eunuch you especially like play with you.”
Lin Nanji: ???
【What does this have to do with me?!】
The little crown prince's eyes suddenly lit up.
The room was still locked in a stalemate when the little crown prince suddenly opened his mouth.
“Wealth and honor are what people desire. If they cannot be obtained by the proper way, one should not accept them. Poverty and low status are what people dislike. If they cannot be avoided by the proper way, one should not abandon the proper way to escape them.”
“Look upon the bends of the Qi River, where green bamboo grows lush and graceful. There is our cultivated gentleman, as though cut and filed, as though carved and polished. Solemn and dignified, brilliant and commanding—there is our cultivated gentleman, never to be forgotten!”
“Only the benevolent can serve the small while possessing greatness; thus Tang served Ge and King Wen served the Kunyi. Only the wise can serve the great while being small; thus King Tai served the Xunyu and Goujian served Wu. He who uses greatness to serve the small delights in Heaven; he who uses smallness to serve the great fears Heaven. He who delights in Heaven preserves all under Heaven; he who fears Heaven preserves his state. The Odes say: ‘Revere the majesty of Heaven, and thereby preserve it.’”
The little crown prince's tender child's voice rang clearly through Purple Enclosure Palace, every word distinct. Everyone stared wide-eyed.
Li Chengxian took a long time to recover his voice, then said hoarsely, “Good…”
Good lord!
After Li Chengxian's single word of praise, everyone in Purple Enclosure Palace, led by Wang Dehai, burst into admiration.
Who could have imagined the little crown prince everyone believed mute would remain silent until the day he astonished everyone!
Wang Dehai's eyes grew damp. “His Highness is so intelligent. Truly a blessing to Great Qi!”
Tang Ruoxu looked as though he had been nailed to the floor, staring at the little crown prince as if he'd seen a ghost.
Although the crown prince was mute, Tang had always held him to the standards of an ordinary child. That was precisely why he'd been so disappointed.
Those passages all came from the Four Books and Five Classics. The final one in particular was something Tang had mentioned only casually recently.
The little crown prince had remembered every word.
Yet he never recited lessons and never wrote homework.
There was only one explanation!
A brilliant light burst in Tang Ruoxu's eyes!
Could the little crown prince be a prodigy?!
After finishing, the little crown prince looked toward Tang Ruoxu somewhat sheepishly. His little face remained solemn, but apology showed clearly.
Gradually, Tang Ruoxu's eyes grew moist.
Was he truly going to help cultivate Great Qi's future enlightened ruler?
The little crown prince could already quote the classics effortlessly. So what if he normally didn't like talking?
Tang Ruoxu looked at the little crown prince as though he were a golden treasure and excitedly performed a grand salute to Li Chengxian.
“It was this minister who was blind and failed to see His Highness's extraordinary gifts.”
“For a child this precocious, behavior different from ordinary children is perfectly normal. Exceptionally gifted people often behave differently from other children. It is a sign of wisdom!”
“So intelligent, remembering everything at a glance, able to speak in polished passages—he will surely achieve great things!”
“To have such an heir apparent is the fortune of Great Qi!!”
“This minister will devote every effort to teaching him and will not fail Your Majesty's trust!”
Tang Ruoxu was extraordinarily excited, his face flushing red. He wished he could immediately pour the Four Books, Five Classics, histories, philosophers, and all his accumulated scholarship into the crown prince!
Ah!
And Essays on Great Qi Policy!
The Laws of Great Qi were the foundation of national law and could not be neglected either!!
The foreign books brought back by seagoing fleets needed to be added too. Expanding one's horizons had to start from childhood!!!
Lin Nanji was stunned: 【Grand Tutor Tang… suddenly looks like one of those parents obsessed with pushing their kids academically.】
Li Chengxian didn't understand that expression, but even he was frightened by Tang Ruoxu's enthusiasm.
Listening to Tang Ruoxu pour out praise, Li Chengxian couldn't help feeling pleased. His son really was impressive.
Tang Ruoxu excitedly described his teaching plan, practically wanting the little crown prince to swim immediately in an ocean of knowledge. So absorbed was he that he failed to notice the corners of the little crown prince's mouth sinking.
Lin Nanji's disapproving voice sounded:
【His Highness is only four years old!】
【At this age, early education is important, but scientific research shows that the brain shouldn't be pushed too early. Physical development and intellectual development should progress together.】
【And the little crown prince realized Grand Tutor Tang was far too enthusiastic. Every time he demonstrated mastery of something, Tang immediately added more coursework. So the little crown prince started pretending he hadn't heard anything.】
【Wow! Why wasn't I this smart when I was in school?】
Thinking of his own school grades, Lin Nanji concluded coldly: 【Oh. Because I was never this smart to begin with.】
That made sense!
“Grand Tutor, don't rush. Yu'er is still young. Progress should be gradual.”
Tang Ruoxu: “Your Majesty speaks wisely.”
Only then did the little crown prince breathe a sigh of relief. Li Chengxian then scooped him onto his lap.
Qin Yilan had been left utterly dumbfounded by this sudden turn.
The Crown Prince wasn't mute?
And he could recite the Four Books and Five Classics backward and forward?
She had wanted the emperor to depose the crown prince and have a child with her!
Qin Yilan gritted her teeth. “The Crown Prince is this intelligent and mature, yet he secretly took an imperial consort's bellyband. I ask Your Majesty to investigate clearly!”
Li Chengxian looked at the little crown prince. “Tell Father Emperor what happened.”
The little crown prince glanced at him and looked somewhat aggrieved. “Stinks. Dizzy. Noisy.”
Lin Nanji: 【Huh. I think I can translate the little crown prince.】
【The bellyband stank so badly it made him dizzy, and then those people kept chattering until his head hurt.】
【The little crown prince was simply annoyed. Hearing them quarrel made him even more annoyed, so he couldn't even be bothered to defend himself.】
【Great Qi's number-one practitioner of speaking only when absolutely necessary!】
Who exactly did this child take after?
Qin Yilan's face nearly twisted. What did he mean, stank? Her bellyband had been soaked in fragrant orchid water and perfumed with the finest cosmetic incense!
Wang Dehai summoned the palace maid responsible for the Noble Consort's clothing.
The maid knelt trembling.
Wang Dehai: “Do you know what happened today?”
The maid answered fearfully, “Her Highness's intimate garments are always soaked in orchid-scented water after washing, hung to dry, then perfumed with cosmetic incense. Today after they dried, this servant went to collect them and discovered one had been blown away by the wind. I never imagined it would disturb His Highness.”
Lin Nanji: 【Uh… she clearly knew the Crown Prince would pass nearby and deliberately threw it out there.】
The maid shook violently and knelt begging. “Your Majesty, spare me! This servant knows her mistake! I was ordered by someone else!”
Wang Dehai: “Who ordered you? Confess immediately!”
The maid fearfully looked toward A-Hui, the attendant beside Noble Consort Qin.
A-Hui's face changed. “Stop slandering me!”
Qin Yilan nearly shattered her teeth from clenching them.
They had failed at the final step!
She looked toward the wet nurse. “The Crown Prince is also violent by nature.”
Lin Nanji looked at the wet nurse too: 【Oh, and there's the wet nurse. She was the one with sticky fingers, stealing property from the Eastern Palace. The little crown prince bit her because he caught her.】
Li Chengxian gestured to Wang Dehai. “Drag the wet nurse away and have her quarters searched.”
The wet nurse's face instantly went white. Her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees. “Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!”
As she was dragged away, she still looked toward the little crown prince. “Your Highness, save me!”
The little crown prince turned his face toward the emperor, putting his back to the wet nurse.
Li Chengxian tapped the little crown prince's forehead. “If you dislike someone, tell Father Emperor. You're not allowed to bite people next time.”
The little crown prince obediently nodded.
Lin Nanji: 【Ah, there seems to be more behind this. Let me look through it.】
【Ah! Great General Qin accidentally gave Noble Consort Qin the idea!】
What?!
Waves surged through Li Chengxian's heart. General Qin had been involved in this too?
Had he intended to harm the imperial heir?!
【When the Great General entered the palace to visit the Noble Consort, he accidentally let slip that he'd taken one of the emperor's belongings and was deeply reluctant to part with it. He also said that if it was discovered, he'd definitely be convicted.】
【He was only muttering to himself, but somehow it inspired the Noble Consort?】
He already held such a powerful position. Why would he need to steal anything?
【Wait, wait, wait. What exactly did the Great General take from the emperor that he can't bear to let go of?】
Was it gold, silver, and jewels newly presented as tribute? Or some ancient treasure missing from the Imperial Household Department?
No, Qin Fang wouldn't care about those things, would he?
Lin Nanji desperately searched his memory of the plot. Once he sorted out the cause and effect, laughter exploded inside his head.
【Hahahahahahaha!】
【He stole the dog emperor's socks!】
【The pair the emperor changed out of during last year's imperial hunt. The Great General moved fast and took them!】
【Original-scent socks!! He keeps them hidden under his pillow!!!】
Even his grip around the little crown prince tightened, causing the child to glance sideways at him.
An image appeared in Li Chengxian's mind: Qin Fang, tall and mighty, lying under the covers late at night appreciating a pair of socks Li Chengxian had worn.
His stomach instantly churned.
!!!
Li Chengxian handed the little crown prince to an attendant and called Wang Dehai. He strode away in a furious rush. “Come with me to the Great General's residence!”
Qin Yilan was startled. “Your Majesty, what does this mean?”
Why had the matter suddenly involved her older brother?
Wang Dehai: “Your Majesty, I'm afraid that violates protocol.”
How could he suddenly bring an imperial consort out of the palace?
Lin Nanji: 【Strange. Why are we suddenly going to the Great General's residence?】
【Whatever. It looks like there's a show to watch. I want to go too! I want to go too!】
***
The Great General's residence stood in the eastern part of the capital on an excellent piece of land. The mansion had been bestowed by the throne and was built with great splendor.
The gate servant saw people arriving and reached out to stop them, only to be shoved aside. Wang Dehai looked down at him. “Open your eyes and see who has arrived.”
Only then did the gate servant notice that the man in front wore a bright-yellow dragon robe.
Bright yellow! A dragon robe!
All color instantly drained from the servant's face. He knelt and kowtowed. “Your Majesty, spare this lowly one! This lowly one was blind!”
Before he even finished speaking, Li Chengxian had already headed inside.
Li Chengxian had visited the Great General's residence before, so he knew its layout and went straight for Qin Fang's bedchamber.
Lin Nanji: 【Ah, straight to the Great General's bedroom?】
【You two seem a little ambiguous, don't you?】
Elsewhere, Qin Fang was practicing boxing in the courtyard specially set aside for martial training. Every strike cut through the air with tremendous power. Even in the winter cold, he had worked up a sweat. His upper body was bare, his wheat-colored skin gleaming in the sunlight.
A servant stumbled into the courtyard.
Qin Fang frowned. “Why are you rushing around so recklessly?”
“General, something terrible happened! Terrible!” The servant panted like an ox. “His Majesty is here!”
Qin Fang's eyes lit up. “His Majesty came? Have you received him properly?”
The servant nearly cried. “There was no time! His Majesty headed straight for your bedchamber!”
Qin Fang: !!!
