Changxin Palace.
Qu Dubian spent nearly half an hour feeding Dahei and even found a small comb to groom the dog's fur.
He just refused to enter the main hall.
Noble Lady Chu, who had been waiting at the dining table, grew restless. It was bitterly cold outside; what if the Seventh Prince caught a chill?
She came out of the hall, dismissed the helpless servants who were exchanging glances, and walked up to him herself: "Your Highness, if we don't go in soon, the food will get cold. His Majesty prepared it for you. Wouldn't he be sad if you didn't eat?"
"Besides, it's freezing out here."
Qu Dubian: "Dahei is cold too."
Noble Lady Chu: "Then let it sleep in the servants' quarters. We can make a special spot for it."
Qu Dubian: "But I want to sleep with it. I sleep with His Majesty in the Zichen Hall, and when he kicks me out, I'll sleep with the dog."
Noble Lady Chu: "..."
So, His Majesty is equivalent to...?
She forced a gentle smile. "Your Highness, please come inside. It's getting late."
Qu Dubian didn't want to make things too difficult for her. After all, Noble Lady Chu and Emperor Chongzhao had merely crossed a line he disliked; they hadn't truly harmed him.
"Noble Lady, His Highness the Fifth Prince from the eastern side hall has arrived."
Noble Lady Chu frowned. What was the Fifth Prince doing here?
Changxin Palace housed both her and the Fifth Prince's mother, Noble Consort Rong. Though not the primary occupant of the palace, Noble Consort Rong, thanks to Consort Lan's influence, was allowed to raise the Fifth Prince personally and had commandeered both side halls of Changxin Palace.
There was long-standing resentment between the two women.
"Noble Lady Chu, Seventh Brother, good evening."
The Fifth Prince was wrapped in a light blue heavy cloak, traces of sleepiness still lingering on his face, as if he had just been roused from bed.
Noble Lady Chu: "Your Highness, is there something you need?"
The Fifth Prince said, "My mother said that if Seventh Brother finds it difficult to settle in with Noble Lady Chu, he can come and stay with me."
Noble Lady Chu's face immediately darkened, though the night hid her expression. Her relationship with Noble Consort Rong was only superficially peaceful; in truth, both women coveted the position of primary occupant of Changxin Palace. If she successfully fostered the Seventh Prince, the primary position would be out of Noble Consort Rong's reach.
Noble Consort Rong was clearly here to cause trouble!
"How could that be? Two princes in one bedchamber, along with all their attendants—how would there be enough room?" As she spoke, Noble Lady Chu reached out and grasped Qu Dubian's arm. "Your Highness, come back with me." She applied a slight pressure.
Qu Dubian stopped combing the dog's fur, looked up from his squatting position, and met her gaze.
"But I want to play with Fifth Brother."
Noble Lady Chu: "Then... how about letting the Fifth Prince stay here and play with you for a while?"
Qu Dubian pulled his arm free, stood up, stepped forward, and took the Fifth Prince's icy hand. He immediately noticed that beneath the thick cloak, the boy wore only thin sleeping robes.
"Fifth Brother, why are you dressed so lightly? You'll get sick."
The Fifth Prince simply held his hand gently, his tone carrying a hint of tension. "Seventh Brother, will you stay here or come with me?"
Qu Dubian was momentarily taken aback.
Soon, he beamed. "Of course! I really want to play with Fifth Brother. The Imperial Kitchen's food is delicious. I'll go to your place, and we can eat together, okay?"
Seeing his agreement, the Fifth Prince subtly relaxed. "Good!"
Instantly, the two were like brothers, hand in hand, about to leave. Seeing this, Noble Lady Chu grew anxious. "Seventh Highness!" She forced her tone to soften. "It was His Majesty who instructed you to stay here."
Qu Dubian told Wen Xiaochun and Ye Xiaoyuan to pack his things and said, shaking his head, "That's not quite right. His Majesty only said I should live in Changxin Palace, not that I must stay with you, Noble Lady Chu. Staying with Fifth Brother is still within Changxin Palace."
With that, he took the Fifth Prince's hand and hurried off. His Fifth Brother was a genuine child, only five years old. Coming out dressed so lightly to find him could easily lead to a cold.
Wen Xiaochun followed closely behind. Ye Xiaoyuan stayed behind, wearing an impeccably courteous smile. "Noble Lady Chu, this servant will gather His Highness's belongings. The young master is attached to his old things. If anything is missing, he'll fuss at night. If His Majesty were to find out then, it would be difficult for you to explain, wouldn't it?"
Noble Lady Chu also smiled. "Both princes are young; it's natural for them to love playing. Eunuch Xiaoyuan, please follow me."
Hearing the address "Eunuch Xiaoyuan," Ye Xiaoyuan's smile grew even more polite. It seemed this Noble Lady Chu was quite well-informed about the people around the young prince.
-
Eastern Side Hall.
Qu Dubian followed the Fifth Prince to his bedchamber. Princes were required to move to the Princes' Quarter between the ages of six and ten at the latest and could no longer reside in the inner palaces.
The Fifth Prince was still young and lived with Noble Consort Rong in Changxin Palace.
Once inside the room, the Fifth Prince's shivering body gradually calmed. He let go of Qu Dubian's hand somewhat sheepishly. "Seventh Brother, I'll have someone fetch water for you to wash up."
"No hurry, no hurry, Fifth Brother. Let's eat something first."
Back at Shunning Palace, his meal had been interrupted when he was summoned, so now was the perfect time to finish it. Soon, palace servants brought in the food sent from the Imperial Kitchen.
Twelve dishes covered the table.
Every single one was a dish Qu Dubian had shown a liking for while in the Zichen Hall.
He inwardly scoffed. On a normal day, his cheap father definitely wouldn't have provided the full spread because he couldn't finish it. This lavish table was clearly meant to placate him.
The Fifth Prince's eyes slowly widened.
"So this is the Imperial Kitchen's food..."
It smelled wonderful.
Qu Dubian said generously, "Fifth Brother, eat with me."
Looking into his younger brother's clear, trusting eyes, the Fifth Prince fell silent for some reason. He sat beside Qu Dubian, picked up a small bowl, and quietly served himself some food.
Even though it had been reheated twice, the food was still delicious.
He had never eaten food from the Imperial Kitchen before. If he told his younger brother the real reason he had called him over, would his brother still share this food with him?
After the late meal, Ye Xiaoyuan returned with the bedding and laid it out next to the Fifth Prince's bed. Only after ensuring all the chill had been warmed out of the quilts did he call Qu Dubian to sleep.
The two princes lay side by side on the bed, like two turnips of different sizes.
Qu Dubian turned over. "Fifth Brother, why did you come looking for me earlier?"
The Fifth Prince nervously clutched the quilt.
He couldn't help but recall what had happened.
He went to bed early and had just fallen asleep when the Seventh Prince arrived at Changxin Palace.
But soon after, his door was flung open by his mother, Noble Consort Rong. She rushed in, her face twisted with jealousy and hatred, and shook him awake:
"Sleeping! Still sleeping! Is sleeping all you know how to do?"
The Fifth Prince was dazed. "Mother...?"
Noble Consort Rong paced back and forth, frantic. "How can you sleep at a time like this?! That wretched woman has brought the Seventh Prince here. If she manages to keep him, what place will be left for us mother and son in Changxin Palace? I'm not of consort rank yet. When the time comes, I might not even be allowed to keep you!"
"What terrible luck. Among all the princes, why is it only you that His Majesty doesn't favor? Even the Seventh Prince, with his ill-omened reputation, can cause a ruckus in the Zichen Hall. How much trouble have I had since you were born? Can't you be more ambitious?"
The Fifth Prince's drowsiness gradually faded.
Noble Consort Rong continued, "Have you been properly currying favor with the Sixth Prince or not? His Majesty visits Xiuxiang Palace most often. Consort Lan has a powerful family background and has helped us a great deal. If you stick with the Sixth Prince, won't your future be secure?"
The Fifth Prince hung his head, quietly listening to the reprimand.
Noble Consort Rong pulled him up from the bed. "Be good, don't sleep anymore. Help your mother with a task. Go to the front hall and coax the Seventh Prince over here. Throw a tantrum, make a scene, whatever it takes, just get him here.
As long as the Seventh Prince doesn't grow close to her, your mother still has a fighting chance for that concubine position in Changxin Palace! Your own status will be higher in the future too."
He only had time to put on his shoes and a thick cloak before Noble Consort Rong's urgency sent him running to Noble Lady Chu's residence.
Though he was young, he had a vague understanding.
Noble Lady Chu was the foster mother his imperial father had chosen for his little brother. If he lured his brother away, would his brother possibly end up without a mother in the future?
The Fifth Prince felt deeply guilty.
But this was a task his own mother had given him; he couldn't reveal her involvement.
So, when Qu Dubian questioned him, he lied.
"It's been so long since you've come to the study hall, Seventh Brother, your Fifth Brother misses you a bit. Oh, and The Fourth Brother also wanted to ask when you're going to the study hall to sleep with him."
When a child lies, the flaws are everywhere.
Qu Dubian's intuition pointed to Noble Consort Rong, but he didn't expose it. He leaned back. "I don't know. I'm not even three yet, I don't necessarily have to go." Attendance at the study hall only became mandatory after the age of three.
If it weren't for needing to learn characters and write essays, he wouldn't want to suffer the hardships of studying either.
The events of the day kept churning in his mind. Qu Dubian, feeling pent-up and unable to sleep, rolled over a few times in bed. "Fifth Brother, let me teach you a game."
The Fifth Prince: "What game?"
Qu Dubian found ten sheets of xuan paper, had a palace servant cut them into quarters, and found two charcoal pencils. "The game is called Gomoku."
The Fifth Prince: "Is it like Go? The tutors haven't taught us that yet."
"It's not."
Qu Dubian explained the rules of Gomoku to him. The rules sounded relatively simple, and the Fifth Prince became interested. Playing 'chess' with his little brother like this, on paper with drawn pieces, was a first for him.
At the start, he even thought about going easy on his younger brother. Half an hour later, the Fifth Prince was on the verge of tears from losing. Every time he couldn't bear another loss, Qu Dubian would let him win once, leaving the Fifth Prince now with red-rimmed eyes.
The pile of used paper had grown quite thick.
He had just lost six games in a row again!
The Fifth Prince's tears threatened to fall. His little hand trembled as he drew a circle on the paper. "There... this time, this time I can definitely win. Little brother, it's your turn."
He waited for a long moment, but heard no movement. Looking beside him, he saw his little brother had already flopped onto the pillow, sleeping soundly and contentedly.
Bullying one's older brother is also a way to deepen bonds, right?
The Fifth Prince stared blankly for a moment, then finally couldn't hold back any longer. The tears fell.
Wah... he should have been able to win this game! Little brother, wake up!
He covered his mouth and cried, careful in the end not to disturb his little brother's peaceful sleep.
-
Noble Lady Chu barely slept a wink all night.
She didn't smash pots or bowls in anger. Instead, she paid even more attention to her words and demeanor, lest the servants attending the Seventh Prince see her displeased expression and report it to His Majesty. That would truly spell doom for her.
She gritted her teeth in hatred over Noble Consort Rong's act of snatching the child away.
If Noble Consort Rong had come herself, Noble Lady Chu could have fended her off. But sending the Fifth Prince made it perfectly reasonable for the two brothers to sleep together.
If the first night was like this, and it continued night after night, she could forget about ever successfully raising the Seventh Prince!
She had to think of a way to make the Seventh Prince unwilling to leave here.
-
The next day.
The Fifth Prince was awakened by a palace servant.
He glanced at the still-dark sky outside, then at his sweetly sleeping little brother, and stubbornly fought against the mind-numbing drowsiness.
He asked the servants to fetch a few more charcoal pencils and prepare more paper.
Having lost so miserably the night before, he felt his Gomoku skills had improved by leaps and bounds. But the other brothers and younger brothers at the study hall definitely hadn't seen this game before, just like him.
