Chapter 81: Indeed, Still a Child

Chapter 81: Indeed, Still a Child

Guests invited to the banquet gradually arrived and gathered in small groups to converse.

For these seasoned officials, the banquet was not just for dining but for expanding their networks and building relationships.

The Hongwen Hall Academician had particularly close ties with key court officials, as their most promising children were all studying at Hongwen Hall.

With their children in his care, all the parents made every effort to get along with him.

Even Princess Xianning would greet him when she saw him.

“Academician, has Beiqin been any trouble since he joined Hongwen Hall?”

The Academician replied, “Princess, please rest assured. The teachers have been mentioning him to me quite often lately, saying he is a talented student.

“He grasps things clearly after just one explanation and can integrate knowledge with minimal guidance. He has recently become well-liked by the teachers.”

Princess Xianning didn’t quite believe it. “Are you joking with me?”

The Academician of Hongwen Hall smiled a little less. “Your Highness, if a child is truly talented, we shouldn’t deny or stifle their talent. Over time, a fine piece of uncut jade can be shattered.

“Beiqin is genuinely talented. You should be proud of him.”

Bei Jinwan: I didn’t mean to suppress his abilities…

She found it strange that Beiqin had performed poorly at Wenqin Academy but had suddenly become one of the top students at the prestigious Hongwen Hall.

Could it be that the teachers at Wenqin Academy were more skilled at teaching children than the great talents selected by the Emperor?

Bei Jinwan was puzzled and decided to investigate the reason.

At this time, the Lei family had also arrived, and Lei Nian’er was led to Xuanshi Hall to join the birthday celebrant.

The court attendant led the way. “Lady Lei, we have arrived.”

Lei Nian’er entered and found not only the princess she had been looking forward to meeting but also two other children around her age.

Zhou Huanjiu, with natural friendliness, asked, “Who are you?”

Any child here must be either of royal lineage or the offspring of a high-ranking official, just like Lei Nian’er herself.

She introduced herself. “My name is Lei Nian’er, and I am the daughter of the General of the Imperial Guards.”

Zhou Huanjiu didn’t fully understand what the General of the Imperial Guards meant, only knowing from plays and stories that generals were warriors who fought on the battlefield.

Beiqin, on the other hand, immediately grasped the weight of the title.

Princess Xianning had previously briefed him on the relationships between court officials.

The General of the Imperial Guards oversaw palace and capital city security and was among the Emperor’s most trusted military officials.

This girl was clearly no ordinary child, which explained why she could enter Xuanshi Hall.

Zhou Huanjiu, with natural friendliness, introduced herself. “I’m Zhou Huanjiu, and I am the niece of the Empress Dowager.”

“The one over there who used to be very shy but now seems less so is Beiqin, the son of Princess Xianning.”

Beiqin: Excuse me, could you be a bit more polite?

His only option was to respond with an awkward yet polite smile.

Bei Jingchu, hearing their awkward chat, started to whine and fuss.

"Did you all forget about me?"

"I'm today's birthday girl!"

"Don't forget, you're here to entertain me!"

Fish Nanny, standing by the wall, chuckled softly.

Bei Jingchu tried to make her presence known, reminding the three of her.

But children are always intrigued by new playmates, and soon enough, the three were huddled together again.

Feeling ignored, Bei Jingchu bit her bib in frustration. How dare they ignore her!

Fortunately, the conversation returned to her: "Is the princess being raised by the emperor himself?"

"What about her mother?"

Asked by Lei Nian'er, Zhou Huanjiu shared what she had heard.

The emperor had ordered the slaughter of the Qi clan over this matter, which wasn't a secret.

"The princess is rather pitiful; her birth mother was exiled to the Cold Palace."

Lei Nian'er was surprised. "Is that so?"

Zhou Huanjiu said mysteriously, "It’s said she attempted to harm the princess, which led to her being deposed."

Bei Qin looked at the tiny baby beside him in surprise, realizing that even her own mother didn’t care for her.

Just like him.

Or perhaps even worse.

At least Princess Guangde was merely foolish and didn’t truly intend to harm him.

Due to their shared plight, he felt a closer bond with his noble cousin.

Just then, he heard...

"Don’t bring up my embarrassing past!"

"Stop chatting! Come play with me!"

"Fine, if no one pays attention to me, I’ll just read some gossip."

Bei Qin: What's going on? Is there a ghost here?

After the hundred-day banquet, Lei Ning left due to other business.

Lady Gui awaited her daughter at the palace gate.

Seeing her daughter board the carriage, Lady Gui lifted the curtain and led her inside.

The little girl brought a chilly gust of wind into the carriage with her.

"Warm up quickly, your hands are so cold."

Seeing her listless appearance, lacking energy, Lady Gui asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Did something unfair happen to you in the palace?"

Lei Nian'er shook her head. She was merely puzzled, deep in thought.

"Mother, why does the Princess, despite being born of a concubine, live such a happy life?"

She only found out today that the Princess's birth mother was a deposed consort in the Cold Palace, but it didn’t diminish the Emperor’s affection for her.

Lady Gui sighed upon hearing this and explained softly, "The true difference isn’t in the distinction between wife and concubine."

"Some men favor their concubines over their wives, like your father."

"But in many families, they don’t emphasize the distinction between wife and concubine; they only care about the firstborn son of the wife."

"If a man looks down on his children born of concubines, he shouldn’t have taken concubines and fathered children."

"Can a child be born solely from a concubine?"

"Bringing a child into the world only to mistreat them is worse than treating livestock."

"So, I don’t love your father. Can you understand, Nian'er?"

Lei Nian'er nodded, easily understanding.

"My poor Nian'er, born under his care."

"I once thought, if I had known that giving birth to you would only bring you suffering, I should have taken a bowl of red flower tea and not brought you into this world."

After saying this, she let out a long sigh and glanced at her daughter's fine silk robes, which were ten times finer than before.

"Thankfully, we have finally made it through the tough times."

"So, Nian'er, don't underestimate yourself because of your birth. It’s not something to blame on yourself."

"It’s just that, as a woman, you must follow your father at home. The father is like heaven; whoever he favors gains status."

"Whoever he dislikes is seen as lowly."

Noticing her deep in thought, Madam Gui waited quietly, not interrupting her.

Nian'er propped her chin in her hand and looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Mom, if women held power and could take many men as husbands, would the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children still exist?"

Madam Gui was speechless.

Nian'er wasn't finished: "If all the children came from the same mother’s womb, who would know who the father is? Wouldn’t they all be treated the same?"

Madam Gui was speechless.

She’s still a child.

Women can’t possibly rule, can they?

But she said nothing. The child was already sensible enough, so let her dream for a few more years until she grew up.