Afternoon classes were dismissed.
Qu Dubian invited the Fifth Prince to a pavilion in a garden near the schoolhouse.
"Fifth Brother, you've lost so much weight."
The Fifth Prince was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. "It's fine. His Majesty assigned palace servants to care for me. These past few days, I've actually been eating much better than I did at Changxin Palace."
"Fourth Brother is at Panshi Courtyard, not far from my own quarters, and often visits me."
It was a bit of an evasion.
Da Hei was crouching by their feet. The Fifth Prince rubbed its head. "It's also thanks to Da Hei blocking the wind for me that day. By the way, Little Seven, have you recovered from your illness? It's my fault for involving you."
Qu Dubian shook his head.
"Fifth Brother, you and Sixth Brother..."
The Fifth Prince looked up, puzzled. "Hmm?" After a moment, he went "Oh." "Consort Lan has said she will support me from now on as well. Little Seven, don't worry."
He stood up, slightly bowed his head, and gently swiped his right index finger across Qu Dubian's brow.
"And don't frown."
Qu Dubian: "Then why didn't you let me see you when you were sick?"
Fifth Prince: "Your little frame is too delicate. I was afraid of passing the sickness to you."
Qu Dubian: "Are you alright now?"
Fifth Prince: "I'm completely recovered."
"I've missed you so much, not seeing you at the academy for so long," Qu Dubian gave him a hug.
After being embraced, the Fifth Prince was momentarily stunned. A faint medicinal scent reached his nose, coming from Little Seven. He had heard from Zhiyi that these past few days, Little Seven had often been forced by Consort Xuan to take medicinal baths.
The clear, bitter scent of medicine, warmed by body heat, transformed into a subtle sense of comfort.
"Who has more absences than you?" The Fifth Prince couldn't help but laugh softly, patting his back. "Don't worry, I won't be absent anymore from now on."
After talking for a while longer, the Fifth Prince left the pavilion.
After princes turn ten, they have the option to return to their birth mother's palace for the midday meal, but he no longer had that option.
Qu Dubian stood in the pavilion.
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Your Highness, the Fifth Prince seems a bit strange."
Qu Dubian: "Yes, I noticed."
A vague worry about the relationship between his fifth and sixth brothers arose in his heart.
"Never mind, thinking about it won't solve anything. We'll just take things one step at a time."
"Right, Da Hei?" Qu Dubian ruffled Da Hei's head.
-
On the day of the Fifth Prince's official tenth birthday.
He had already been living in the Princes' Quarters for some time.
Qu Dubian dragged the Fourth Prince and Zhiyi along to celebrate with him.
Because Noble Lady Rong had passed away, they didn't make a big fuss, each just preparing a small gift.
The Sixth Prince didn't come, kept in his palace by Consort Lan to study, but he did send a gift, reportedly chosen together by Consort Lan and the Sixth Prince himself.
It was a square piece of jade. The quality was good, but it was just a plain, uncarved piece.
The Fifth Prince put the jade away carefully. "I'll send it to be carved into a shape later."
Qu Dubian gave a few seeds. "Fifth Brother, plant them separately. There are flower seeds and fruit tree seeds among them. Once you plant them, you can even take them with you when you eventually leave the palace to establish your own residence."
Fifth Prince: "Alright."
The Fourth Prince presented a box of exquisite paper stationery. "I made these with my mother."
Qu Dubian laughed. "Consort Yi and Fourth Brother often give this kind of gift. A few years ago when I moved to Shunning Palace, what I received was also paper stationery."
The Fifth Prince also smiled. "Consort Wen will probably like it very much, for use during studies."
Fourth Prince sighed helplessly. "I'm too lazy to fuss over it. Drawing some pre-printed patterns on paper stationery is simple."
"I've received the thoughtful gifts from Fourth Brother, Seventh Brother, and Sixth Brother. Thank you." The Fifth Prince clasped his hands in gratitude.
Fourth Prince: "We are brothers. No need for such formality."
After seeing Qu Dubian and the Fourth Prince off, the Fifth Prince put their gifts away properly. He then sat alone, idly rubbing the piece of jade sent by Consort Lan.
After a long while, he summoned a eunuch. "Send this to be carved into the shape of a scorpion. A Golden-Eyed Scorpion would be excellent."
The Golden-Eyed Scorpion is highly venomous. When they bear offspring, they split their own spine open, allowing the young to crawl out from their corpse, gaining new life.
-
Fengwu Palace.
The newborn little princess was crying earth-shatteringly loud.
The Empress was run ragged.
Heavens, how did those consorts with children endure this? It was utterly exhausting. How could anything in the world be as troublesome as a small child.
Holding the little princess, she couldn't help but sigh. "Dame Ding didn't get to see the child even once. It's truly pitiful."
Her chief maid said, "Your Majesty, would you consider raising the little princess? Our Fengwu Palace is rather too quiet."
The Empress fell silent for a moment. "You know, in this rear palace, a child means trouble and attachment, even if it's a princess."
Because once affection is nurtured, it becomes very difficult to stand idly by amidst the storms again.
She lowered her head, looked at the little princess's toothless mouth, and ultimately couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her cheek.
"Ah..."
-
Spring departed, autumn arrived, and another year passed.
In the autumn when Qu Dubian was a little over nine years old.
An imperial edict flew into the rear palace.
The Second Princess was bestowed the name Sihe and entrusted to the Empress's care. Dame Guo, for her merit in raising the Eldest Princess Zhiyi, was promoted to Noble Lady Guo.
Shunning Palace.
Qu Dubian's bedchamber.
Dressed in a light crimson narrow-sleeved robe, he sat in a meditation pose, palms and soles facing upward. His face was somewhat pale, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. The true qi flowed rapidly through his meridians, gathering speed.
Finally, it all concentrated at the dantian acupoint, rushing towards it with full, unreserved force.
Bang—!
His meridians trembled, faint cracks appearing.
It was as if a small-scale tsunami had erupted inside his body.
After the tsunami, the dantian acupoint remained tightly shut.
Qu Dubian's eyes snapped open. With practiced speed, he pulled a handkerchief from under his pillow and spat out a mouthful of blood.
He then rushed to the edge of the table, poured water from the teapot into his mouth to rinse it out. Only after the taste of blood was gone did he return to the bed.
Then, in the simulator, he activated a simulation of the symptom [True Qi Impact · Minor Meridian Damage], set for three days, with the real value returning to zero.
The faint, aching pain in his meridians finally vanished.
Qu Dubian burned the handkerchief and flopped back onto the bed in frustration. "Failed again..."
He raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and shook it.
It felt like he was just that close. How infuriating.
The more proficient he became in the first part of the Mianshou Technique, the more he felt this internal energy cultivation method lacked a certain offensive edge. Every time he impacted the dantian acupoint at the final moment, a gentle force would repair the part he had forced open with brute strength.
The simulator rarely spoke up on its own: [The host's martial talent is exceptional. According to statistics, talented martial artists in this world generally open their dantian around age twelve.]
Qu Dubian: "Xia Fuyang succeeded in opening his dantian quite smoothly. He's already preparing for the military exams now, showing off in front of me and Xi Zixing all the time. I really want to fly around on my own..."
Three months ago, he had felt that while circulating his energy, the true qi in his meridians had nearly reached saturation, so he attempted to impact the dantian acupoint.
The first failure caused meridian damage. The simulator extracted this type of condition and named it [True Qi Impact · Minor Meridian Damage].
Because it was somewhat different from normal illnesses, and he mainly used it for his own convenience to cheat, the minimum simulation time changed from one day to three days.
Qu Dubian didn't mind this. Once the real value returned to zero, he felt nothing at all. It was just that spitting blood was a bit disgusting, so before each attempt to impact his dantian, he would empty his stomach.
Three months in, he had grown somewhat desensitized to the scent of blood, but not entirely.
After lying down for roughly half an hour, a knock came from outside: "Your Highness? The pastries you requested are ready."
Qu Dubian: "Coming!"
He pushed the door open. "Banban, have Consort Xuan and Zhiyi not returned yet?"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Not yet. They'll probably be talking a while at Fengwu Palace."
The Empress was to raise the Second Princess—the decree had already been issued. All the palace consorts had gone to offer their congratulations. As she was only the second little princess in the entire palace, Zhiyi wanted to see her, so Consort Xuan and Constant Attendant Guo accompanied her, treating it as an outing for a stroll.
The way he had been assailing his dantian acupoint was rather frightening. Ye Banban had been sent away by him to prepare the pastries, and he had even shoved some storybooks to Liuliu, letting him clock off early.
"Good, Da Hei can have some of these pastries too."
Qu Dubian, smiling, carried the plate into his bedchamber—Da Hei's bed had been moved into his quarters, in the corner near the small study.
Da Hei had come to his side at the age of seven, already a steady, middle-aged dog, and had kept him company for about six years now.
The Wuhei breed is a medium-sized dog. The lifespan of medium-sized dogs generally ranges from 12 to 15 years, with only a few living longer.
Qu Dubian squatted before Da Hei's little bed. "Here you go, Da Hei."
He patted Da Hei's neck.
Da Hei opened his eyes, resting his head on his forepaws, and began to wag his tail.
Qu Dubian divided the pastries: "One for you, one for me, one for Banban."
He set the plate aside, sat cross-legged on the floor, and reached out to feed Da Hei.
Two years ago, Da Hei could still trot along with him, but these past two years, his energy seemed to decline noticeably every few months. Now, while his spirits still seemed fair, he was getting a bit hard of hearing.
The mighty, cart-pulling Da Hei had now become Granny Da Hei.
"Let me have a look," Qu Dubian pulled him into a half-embrace in his lap, pried open Da Hei's mouth, and checked his teeth. "Hmm... not bad. The missing teeth don't affect his eating. Just don't gnaw on bones anymore."
A few days ago, he had discovered Da Hei secretly gnawing a bone, getting a tooth stuck in it, then covering the bone with his paw, like a child who'd done something wrong hiding it from view.
An old dog, an old dog, the older he gets, the more dog-like his antics.
Da Hei couldn't quite hear what the two-legged pup was saying and docilely let him pry his mouth open.
After the inspection, Qu Dubian fed him two more pieces.
Ye Xiaoyuan's nose twitched. "Your Highness, have you been burning something in the room?"
Qu Dubian didn't bat an eye: "A few spoiled sheets of paper, homework assigned by Tutor Fang."
Ye Xiaoyuan nodded. He knew about the agreement His Highness had reached with Tutor Fang; Tutor Fang would privately assign him problems, which he would then submit.
For now, only he and Lord Liuliu knew about this matter.
He couldn't help but glance again at Qu Dubian's profile. "Your Highness, your complexion looks a bit pale."
Qu Dubian gave a read-but-misleading reply: "Probably gave all my melanin to Da Hei."
Ye Xiaoyuan: "?"
Qu Dubian laughed. "Just stuffy from being cooped up in the room. More sun will fix it."
He stole a glance at Ye Xiaoyuan.
Ye Banban was sometimes keenly perceptive, not just by a little. If this continued, he'd probably be found out. It would be better to go stay at his maternal grandmother's house for a while.
He dragged Da Hei outside to bask in the sun.
"I'm getting my sun right now, guaranteed I won't be pale by evening."
Ye Xiaoyuan followed helplessly. "But you shouldn't aim to tan yourself on purpose either..."
-
Qu Dubian lay on the rocking chair until Consort Xuan and the others returned.
Zhiyi's eyes were shining. "Little Qi, the little sister is so adorable! She's grown so fast, about the same size as when you and I first met. Hmm... she seems taller than you were back then, I think."
Qu Dubian clutched his chest. "Elder Sister, that's too harsh."
Consort Xuan smiled. "Her Majesty the Empress has indeed developed feelings for her after raising her. I originally thought, given her temperament, she wouldn't agree."
Qu Dubian stroked Da Hei.
"Men are not made of grass or trees."
If one turned oneself into someone too miserly to give affection, and too afraid to accept it, there would be no difference between living and dying.
Consort Xuan walked over. "Indeed. Little Qi, have you prepared your gift for the Grand Prince's wedding?"
Qu Dubian: "Ye Banban prepared it long ago. All customary congratulatory items."
After the eldest son of the Shu family died, custom dictated no marriages for a year within the family. But the Shu young lady said her elder brother had cared for her as a father or mother would, and insisted on wearing plain mourning clothes for three years.
Now, three years later, just before the Mid-Autumn Festival, an auspicious day was chosen, and the Grand Prince was finally to marry the Shu young lady.
