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Fu Yuzhang watched expectantly at the palace gate. Before long, a lady-in-waiting clad in willow-green palace robes bowed deeply as she crossed the threshold and knelt to pay respects to Emperor Jingshuo. The bright yellow scroll she held slipped from her arms and tumbled to the ground, scurrying in little steps toward the emperor. A soft, childish voice called out, “Father.”
This crown prince is so round!
Fu Yuzhang’s eyes widened in shock.
A plump little body, a chubby face, eyes as round as marbles—a perfect three-heads-tall figure—accompanied by a sweet, babyish voice, utterly adorable.
Fu Yuzhang couldn’t help but glance at Fu Huai beside him. The future renowned ruler and minister, praised in history, now stood as a four-heads-tall boy beside a three-heads-tall one. As the only one privy to this knowledge, Fu Yuzhang felt a complex mix of emotions.
The crown prince was only three years old, looking curiously at Fu Huai and Fu Yuzhang. “You two are the prodigies of the Marquis of Changping’s household?”
Fu Huai stepped forward slightly, subtly shielding Fu Yuzhang and cast him a glance. Fu Yuzhang understood and together they respectfully replied, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
The crown prince approached Fu Yuzhang, clearly intrigued by this child shorter than himself. “Can you recite the ‘Poem of Prodigies’?”
Fu Yuzhang shook his head.
The crown prince seemed a bit disappointed, then turned to Fu Huai. “And you?”
“Your Highness, I can,” Fu Huai answered.
The prince’s eyes brightened. He placed both chubby hands behind his back and said, “Then recite it for me!”
Fu Huai looked up at Emperor Jingshuo’s expression. Seeing the emperor smile, he began to recite slowly: “The Son of Heaven values heroes, let writings teach you all...”
The crown prince listened with hands behind his back, utterly serious. When Fu Huai finished, the prince clapped his hands with a grin, looking proudly at the emperor. “Father, he recites better than Fourth Prince!”
The emperor chuckled. “You have not yet been taught to read, can you truly tell who recites better?”
The prince puffed out his round belly, proudly declaring, “Fourth Prince stutters reading, but the Marquis of Changping’s heir recites without a single pause. Of course I can tell!”
Then he grumbled, “Fourth Prince even mocks me for not knowing characters. He’s ten years old and still can’t recite as well as the Marquis of Changping’s heir. How ridiculous!”
Though the sentence was long and somewhat muddled, everyone understood what the prince was saying.
Fu Yuan kept his expression neutral and silent, as if deaf. Though young, Fu Huai was calm and steady, remembering the Empress Dowager’s advice to say little during the imperial audience. Without being asked, he remained quiet.
Fu Yuzhang glanced curiously at the prince. Emperor Jingshuo had nine sons in total; the crown prince, born to the Empress, ranked eighth among them. Seven elder brothers stood before him, the eldest nearly of marriageable age.
In the original history, the crown prince narrowly escaped being deposed several times, thanks to his seven elder brothers’ efforts.
Though born of the Empress, his youth was a disadvantage. By the time he could participate in politics, those elder brothers had long served in official posts, cultivating their own power. Together, they covertly set traps for the newly arrived prince in court — each trap sure to succeed.
Even though Emperor Jingshuo valued the crown prince most, it was no use; the other princes were also his sons. The emperor, blinded by paternal affection, refused to acknowledge the strife among his sons, but dismissed many ministers instead.
Fu Yuzhang looked at the confident young prince and the emperor’s fond gaze, finding it hard to imagine that one day, father and son would sever their bond.
For a crown prince born to the Empress, being deposed was tantamount to being sent to his death.
Unaware of the peril that awaited him, the prince was still the beloved heir apparent. Apart from Emperor Jingshuo and Empress Deng, he was the most honored person in the realm—somewhat imperious in nature. Pointing at Fu Yuzhang, he said, “Since you can’t recite either, come to the palace in a few years and I will teach you myself.”
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Fu Yuzhang had no intention of agreeing. He was the center of attention at home; entering the palace meant treading carefully and watching others’ faces. Who in their right mind would agree to that? Grabbing Fu Huai’s arm, he said, “Brother will teach me!”
Having a good brother was something to be proud of! The crown prince was furious and stomped his foot. “You’re not allowed to teach him!”
Fu Yuzhang poked his head over Fu Huai’s shoulder, beaming, “I’m already attending lessons with my brother!”
The prince, thinking about his own lack of formal education, felt defeated again and jumped up and down. “But you don’t understand anything!”
Fu Yuzhang shook his head proudly and lifted his chin. “Who says I don’t understand? I already know many characters!”
The prince’s round eyes widened in disbelief. “How could that be? I barely know any!”
Darn it, he lost again!
The prince dashed forward, grabbing Fu Huai’s other arm, and looked up defiantly. “I won’t let you be my study partner anymore. You will teach me to read!”
The remark was a bit outrageous. Emperor Jingshuo finally ceased smiling and gently said, “Zhan’er, don’t be foolish.”
Fu Yuzhang became anxious. How could anyone dare to snatch his brother away? He clutched Fu Huai’s arm tighter. “There are many scholars in the study room who teach Your Highness. Brother will teach me!”
Though the prince would one day be Fu Huai’s superior, Fu Huai was only four years old now. This ambition to make him work for you was utterly unreasonable.
It had to be stopped!
With a child hanging on each arm, Fu Huai looked helpless and sent a pleading glance to Fu Yuan.
Fu Yuan wanted to rescue his son but Emperor Jingshuo, intent on watching the scene, gave him a look. Fu Yuan could only shake his head helplessly at Fu Huai.
With a sigh beyond his years, Fu Huai freed his arm from Fu Yuzhang’s grasp, carefully slipped out of the prince’s hold, and stood in front of Fu Yuzhang. He spoke seriously to the prince, “Little brother is still young; I hope Your Highness will forgive him. The study room has the most learned scholars in the world. I am but just beginning to learn and cannot fulfill the responsibility of teaching Your Highness.”
The prince was unconvinced, pointing at Fu Yuzhang, “But he is younger than me and knows nothing. How can you teach him?”
That was unreasonable. Fu Yuzhang stuck his head out again. “Who says I don’t understand anything?”
To prove himself, Fu Yuzhang proudly shook his head and began reciting: “The Son of Heaven values heroes, let writings teach you all. Among all pursuits, none surpasses reading...”
The prince was shocked. “How do you know that?”
Emperor Jingshuo, who had been enjoying the spectacle, noticed Fu Yuan’s shocked expression and seemed even more interested. He asked Fu Yuan, “You didn’t know either?”
Fu Yuan was at a loss for words and said softly, “Indeed, I would like to know how my son memorized it.”
Fu Yuzhang, still beaming, looked innocent. “I just heard Brother recite it once and remembered it.”
Fu Yuan was baffled. The scholar Zhou hadn’t ever mentioned this!
Seeing Fu Yuan’s almost breaking expression, Emperor Jingshuo laughed heartily. “Bo Jing, it seems your youngest son has many surprises yet.”
Fu Yuan could only smile wryly. “Please forgive this humble official’s embarrassment.”
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The crown prince was astonished and looked to Emperor Jingshuo. “Father, I want to learn to read and study too!”
The emperor was surprised and teased the prince, “Now you want to study? Who was it that threw away the Thousand Character Classic that your mother prepared for you?”
The prince scratched his cheek sheepishly but quickly turned confident, puffing out his belly. “That was when I was young and foolish.”
The emperor laughed so heartily he nearly collapsed, then nodded his consent. “Since you want to study, you must not complain later.”
The prince raised his chin, full of confidence. “I won’t!”
The emperor looked pleased and cast a approving glance at Fu Yuzhang.
Fu Yuzhang smiled instinctively and hugged Fu Huai’s arm tighter. Lucky—his brother nearly became a corporate drone ten years too early!
Delighted by the unexpected joy, Emperor Jingshuo viewed the two boys with great satisfaction, feeling assured about the prosperity of the Great Qi dynasty.
With a grand wave of his hand, the emperor awarded the boys many gifts: inkstones, brushes, calligraphy, and paintings—everything a scholar could desire. He even bestowed two blocks of imperial-grade Tinggui ink.
This ink, crafted by a master from the previous dynasty, was as hard as jade with patterns like rhinoceros horn, made with gold mud and pine resin. Its texture was delicate, and the brush strokes emitted a fragrant scent. Each block was worth its weight in gold and rare in the market. Any scholar lucky enough to possess one could boast for a lifetime.
Fu Huai and Fu Yuzhang both expressed their gratitude. As they prepared to leave, the prince called out, “Wait! When you return, you must write to me every day about what you’ve learned!”
I refuse to believe I can’t keep up with you!
Fu Yuzhang looked at Fu Huai, who glanced at Fu Yuan. Fu Yuan’s expression was troubled, and he sought the emperor’s help. “Your Majesty... that’s hardly reasonable.”
Emperor Jingshuo, amused by how often Fu Yuan had lost composure today, replied, “No problem. During morning court, you can hand me their letters, and I will give them to the prince.”
The prince was still dissatisfied. “But court is held only once every five days!”
The emperor, ever gentle, coaxed him, “Once every five days is better than once a day. It gives you more time to study.”
The prince was successfully placated and happily agreed.
Fu Yuzhang was shocked. What? We actually have to report our study progress to the prince? The sky was falling! He hadn’t even officially started learning yet!
That was a real problem! Fu Yuan was curious too.
Back at the Marquis’s residence, Fu Yuan sat down heavily in his armchair and looked at Fu Yuzhang. “Speak—what else have you learned? Tell me everything honestly!”
Fu Yuzhang: !!!
This was not good. Was he about to start formal tutoring ahead of schedule?