The Eastern Garden, Six Halls.
Dahei pulled the cart carrying two children to a stop in front of the schoolhouse. With impressive self-discipline, it walked to a corner to park, then fished out a large bone from the snack bag hanging beneath the cart.
After delivering the young ones to school, Dahei lay down leisurely by the cart, gnawing on its bone.
Breakfast had taken quite a bit of time. Although the two weren't late, the other princes had already arrived.
The Fifth Prince cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, elder brothers. Greetings, Sixth Brother."
With that, he fell silent and walked to his seat behind the Sixth Prince. Meanwhile, Qu Dubian was experiencing an unprecedented sensation—being enthusiastically surrounded by his elder brothers.
To be honest, his relationship with the First, Second, and Third Princes was just average, while he was closer to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth.
The First and Second Princes had always been relatively gentle and friendly toward him, but now their warmth increased exponentially, fussing over him with meticulous care.
Even the Third Prince, who usually looked at him somewhat unfavorably, could manage a smile as if Qu Dubian were his own son.
—Elder brothers, you're only just over ten years old yourselves. This is really quite creepy.
The First Prince said, "I meant to visit you the other day, but my studies kept me too busy. Look, your little face has gotten thinner. I'll have some braised pork knuckles sent over later—nothing puts on weight faster."
"Something lighter would be better," the Second Prince said with a smile. "Little Seventh, you often go to Shunning Palace, don't you? My mother, Consort Ruan, resides in Jiangyun Palace. It's in the Eastern Six Palaces like Shunning Palace, just diagonally opposite. You should visit sometime. Mother adores children."
The Third Prince interjected, "What are you saying, Second Brother? If we're talking about proximity, Weiyang Palace is right in front of Shunning Palace."
Given Qu Dubian's daily trips to Shunning Palace, everyone had gradually begun to assume he would live there in the future.
The First Prince raised an eyebrow. When it came to the location of their mothers' residences, he indeed held no advantage.
But it didn't matter. He was the Emperor's firstborn son. He believed in the power of his personal charm.
Their enthusiasm nearly overwhelmed Qu Dubian, making him feel like a kitten surrounded by big dogs.
Ultimately, it was the Fourth Prince who rescued him. "Our seventh brother is often ill. Now that he's finally made it to the schoolhouse, we can't let the other elder brothers monopolize him."
He grabbed Qu Dubian's arm and pulled him toward the back. Qu Dubian quickly said, "Wait a moment, Fourth Brother."
He stopped at the Fifth Prince's desk and blinked. "Fifth Brother, let's swap seats, okay?"
The First Prince patted his own desk. "Come here, Seventh Brother. The view from Big Brother's spot is much better."
Qu Dubian measured the height of that desk with his eyes and sighed. "If this younger brother went over there, he'd only be able to hear the tutor's lecture from under the table."
The First Prince declared magnanimously, "I'll hold you." His mother had said that younger siblings born later were no different from sons and daughters. The older he got, the more he needed to embody the authority of the eldest brother.
Qu Dubian: "..."
That really won't be necessary.
Seeing his elder brothers trying to claim Qu Dubian, the Sixth Prince was unwilling. In his mind, Seventh Brother was one of their group. How could he let the First Prince and the others boss him around?
So he immediately told the Fifth Prince to move to the very last desk to make room for Qu Dubian.
The Fifth Prince's hand, which had been tightly gripping his book, relaxed. He silently gathered his things and moved to the last seat in the back, secretly casting a grateful look at his seventh brother.
The younger brother who had taken his place was nothing short of a hero.
Qu Dubian took out his own books and placed them on the desk.
The Fourth Prince had no reaction to them swapping seats. After all, no matter how they changed, he would still be sitting next to his nap buddy.
Qu Dubian started chatting to distract the Sixth Prince, hoping he'd forget about the Fifth Prince's situation.
Having offloaded the memorization task to the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Prince hadn't given it another thought. "Did you sleep with Fifth Brother yesterday? When are you coming to find me? My bed is huge, absolutely enormous."
The Third Prince couldn't resist adding, "Sixth Brother, our Seventh Brother has been staying in the Zichen Hall for ages now. Is there any place bigger than the imperial bed there?"
He was so accustomed to speaking with sarcasm when talking to the First Prince that it had become second nature. Sometimes he didn't even realize his normal statements carried a double meaning.
The Sixth Prince immediately flared up. "My bed is huge! The biggest!"
The Second Prince cleared his throat softly. "Quiet down, everyone. The tutor is about to arrive."
Sure enough, a few seconds after he spoke, Grand Tutor Fang entered. He had spotted the dog cart outside and guessed the Seventh Prince had come, but he was still surprised to see the boy sitting here obediently.
Why had this child suddenly decided to come today?
Qu Dubian was sitting on two thick cushions, which kept him from being completely submerged by the desk. He stood up with his brothers to bow to the tutor. After sitting back down, he began flipping through his book, unsure of where they were in their studies.
"Alright, the routine quiz before we begin the lecture."
The Sixth Prince stiffened, suddenly remembering that the tutor had said he would quiz him individually. He immediately turned his head—the Fifth Prince was sitting quietly at the very back.
"!!!"
It's over!
And he was the one who had personally moved the Fifth Prince to the back!
The Sixth Prince fidgeted as if on pins and needles. He whispered urgently, "Seventh Brother, quick, swap seats with the Fifth Prince. Hurry, hurry!"
Qu Dubian said innocently, "We can't swap now, Sixth Brother."
Despair filled the Sixth Prince's eyes. He pleaded, "Seventh Brother... do you know 'The Assembly of the Disciples' by heart?"
Of course he did.
It was a text from the Analects required in the nine-year compulsory education system.
But the Seventh Prince, who hadn't studied it, would not.
Qu Dubian asked, "What's that?"
Seeing the clarity—tinged with a hint of foolishness—in his younger brother's eyes, the Sixth Prince was utterly despondent. "It's over. You're too young. You're illiterate."
Thwack!
The ruler slapped against the desktop.
Grand Tutor Fang said, "Stop fidgeting."
The Sixth Prince trembled and slowly turned back around, frantically opening his Analects to memorize. They hadn't reached this section yet. Grand Tutor Fang assigning it to him alone was indeed difficult—a form of punishment.
Grand Tutor Fang called, "Sixth Prince."
Doomed.
The Sixth Prince propped himself up on the desk, head bowed, and slowly rose to his feet.
He racked his brains, squeezing out the text word by word, repeating the only sentence he remembered over and over in his mouth.
Just as he was about to extend his hand for the strike, Qu Dubian, from under the desk, slid his own copy of the Analects—opened to the page of 'The Assembly of the Disciples'—over to the Sixth Prince's feet.
The Sixth Prince: "!"
His eyes widened immediately.
Head still lowered, he began to read, haltingly and stumbling.
When he finished, he looked up with relief—only to find Grand Tutor Fang's smiling face right in front of him.
The Sixth Prince: "..."
Grand Tutor Fang said, "This old tutor once commanded troops, you know. Did you two really think you could pull these little tricks right under my nose without me noticing?"
"Hands out."
The Sixth Prince received a solid strike. When it was Qu Dubian's turn, Grand Tutor Fang snorted. "Young as you are, you still get punished."
The ruler was raised high, but when it finally landed on his palm, there was little force behind it—it just made a loud sound.
"Sit down."
After the round of quizzing and the lecture, it was time for the midday break.
"Brother," the Sixth Prince said, eyes brimming with tears. "You got hit by the tutor to help me. You're so good."
Qu Dubian began his scheme. "Sixth Brother, doesn't that mean you owe me a favor now?"
The Sixth Prince declared, "Name it!"
Qu Dubian said, "For the next month, you have to take good care of Fourth Brother."
Suddenly named, the two adversaries simultaneously made identical faces of disgust.
"Fourth Brother can order you to do anything, and you must comply," Qu Dubian said. "Just as Sixth Brother used to order Fifth Brother around, Fourth Brother, you can now order Sixth Brother around in the same way."
He then added with feigned surprise, "Sixth Brother wouldn't go back on his word, would he?"
The Sixth Prince instinctively retorted, "Of course not!"
Qu Dubian asked, "And Fourth Brother?"
The Fourth Prince yawned. "Fine with me."
"Good, then it's settled," Qu Dubian said, pulling the Fifth Prince over. "Everyone is a witness. If anyone goes back on their word, everyone will laugh at him."
The Sixth Prince vaguely felt something was off. He owed his seventh brother a favor, so how did the debt get transferred to the fourth brother?
But since both parties had already agreed, he stubbornly said, "I won't go back on my word. Whoever does is a dog."
Qu Dubian nodded in satisfaction.
This way, perhaps the conflict between Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother could ease with more contact. It would also let Sixth Brother experience for himself the difficulties Fifth Brother usually faced.
A child like Sixth Brother, spoiled and used to having his way, could only truly understand through personal experience.
They were about to return to the palace for a meal. Qu Dubian bid them farewell, as he still had matters to discuss with Grand Tutor Fang.
"Grand Tutor, how much longer until my grandfather returns?"
Grand Tutor Fang stroked his beard. "He will definitely be back before the New Year. Traveling by fast horse, it will take between seven to ten days. Are you curious about your grandfather?"
Qu Dubian: "Well, I've never met him. Concubine Xuan told me a little about him."
Grand Tutor Fang: "Do you know why your three elder brothers were so enthusiastic towards you today?"
"You saw that?"
"The voices were loud; I heard it."
He said with a smile, "From the time your grandfather returns to the capital until the time he leaves again, no one will dare show you a sour face, Your Highness."
For some people, their power to intimidate is entirely different when they are close at hand versus when they are far away at the border.
To use an inappropriate analogy: a nanny watching a child—whether the master of the house is present or not—can sometimes show two completely different attitudes.
Qu Dubian: "Grand Tutor, do you know why my grandfather is returning?"
He was truly puzzled by this. To maintain power while lowering the emperor's guard, staying in the Northern Frontier was the only choice. Moreover, with him maneuvering in the palace, the Marquis's household could always get by.
He lowered his eyes. "If he could return, why didn't he come back sooner?"
-
The Purple Palace Hall.
"Back when Consort Yun passed away, Your Majesty sent six golden edicts to the Northern Frontier before the Sword-Holding Marquis halted outside Liwolf Mountain. He drove wolves up the mountain and gazed north for seven days before finally returning to the city."
At that time, the capital was tense, and even the Southern Pass was on high alert. If the Northern Frontier had rebelled, the Kingdom of Nanning would have certainly taken advantage of the situation.
The stalemate lasted until the Sword-Holding Marquis descended Liwolf Mountain, and only then did the officials breathe a sigh of relief.
Prince Ming shook his head. "Now, just as we, together with A-Xiang, have stabilized the Northern Frontier situation, a memorial requesting to report for duty was delivered here by express courier. One can easily guess his intentions are formidable. I originally thought Your Majesty would refuse, but I didn't expect you to agree."
A-Xiang was a daughter of the late emperor, a princess sent to the Northern Frontier for a marriage alliance.
"The rift between me and the Sword-Holding Marquis is not just from that last incident," Emperor Chongzhao said calmly. He spread out a large sheet of paper, dipped the tip of his brush in ink, and wrote a single character—
Wait.
"Given the Marquis's temperament, he must deeply resent the Zhang family."
"Do you mean the Zhang family, or do you mean me?"
"Your Majesty jests. How could a subject hate his sovereign?"
Emperor Chongzhao said in a detached tone, "A festering, rotten wound must be cut out to heal. In a game of power, some lose and some win. Since one sits at this table, one must have some courage."
Prince Ming fell silent. The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.
A palace attendant entered from outside. "Your Majesty, here is the list of today's punishments from the school."
Emperor Chongzhao put down his brush and unfolded the list. "Little Seven? He actually went to school today? Why was he punished?"
The attendant explained the reason. "The Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince were each punished with one strike of the ruler. The Grand Tutor said such cheating behavior in the schoolroom must never happen again."
"Struck with the ruler?"
The heavy atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Emperor Chongzhao suddenly grew displeased. He tossed the note onto the desk and snorted.
"I haven't even had the heart to hit him, yet that old man dared to! If his hand swells up, he'll come crying to me again. Can that old man help me soothe him then?"
