Chapter 11 The Prince’s Love

Chapter 11: The Crown Prince's Love

Meanwhile, after the morning court session, Gu Yan proceeded to the Eastern Palace for his usual lecture.

The journey from the Hall of Golden Chimes to the Crown Prince's residence in the Eastern Palace involved traversing two imperial pathways and three palace gates—a distance neither particularly far nor close. Gu Yan, a veteran of the battlefield, was unlike the frail civil officials in the capital; he had maintained rigorous martial training for years. Once, an assassin attempting to kill Senior Tutor Gu managed to breach numerous guards, only to be unexpectedly subdued by Gu Yan. From that day forward, court officials realized that Senior Tutor Gu possessed hidden depths.

Ordinarily, upon exiting the Taihe Hall, Gu Yan would immediately board his palanquin, ensuring unimpeded access to and from the Eastern Palace. However, today's morning session had concluded late, so he chose to walk. Tall, long-legged, and robust, he found walking to be faster than riding in a palanquin.

During this morning's court, Gu Yuan had just returned to the capital. With so many eyes scrutinizing him, it fell to Gu Yan, as his elder brother, to navigate the complexities. And then there was the emperor—just as Gu Yan had surmised, His Majesty had indeed ordered Gu Yuan to search for the "Realm Painting," which might not even exist.

In recent years, the borders had stabilized. With winter barely over, new grass was sprouting on the grasslands, and rivers were thawing. The Western Rong people, who followed the water and grass, would naturally not harass the empire's borders at this time.

The emperor was playing a shrewd game—neither destabilizing the overall situation nor sparing the Gu and Qi families from the crucible. The upright officials and the aristocratic families, the Virtuous Prince and the Crown Prince… the waters in the capital were growing increasingly murky.

No matter. Muddy waters are ideal for fishing.

Gu Yan chuckled softly, his steps steady. In less than a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the Eastern Palace.

Usually, long before Senior Tutor Gu's palanquin was even in sight, someone would rush to inform the Crown Prince. Today, however, he was on foot. No one dared to obstruct the Senior Tutor who had instructed the Crown Prince for over a decade. A young eunuch, frantically rushing to deliver a message, happened to be spotted by Gu Yan.

"Stop."

Gu Yan scanned the young eunuch, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Where is the Crown Prince?"

The eunuch prostrated himself, his voice trembling with fear. "His Highness… His Highness is in the Wenhua Hall."

Something was amiss.

Gu Yan's suspicions immediately arose. He was neither Yama nor a demon; the Wenhua Hall was their study where he tutored the Crown Prince. Reviewing lessons before the teacher arrived was a good thing, so why was the eunuch shaking like a sieve? And why the need for a prior warning?

Gu Yan's brow furrowed slightly as he coldly commanded, "Someone, take him away."

He strode directly to the Wenhua Hall, pushed open the door, and found a small eunuch prostrate on the floor. The Crown Prince sat upright at his desk, holding a volume of the *Dao De Jing*. A mutton-fat jade paperweight lay open on the desk, and a wolf-hair brush rested on a zitan brush holder, its tip dripping ink.

"Your servant greets the Teacher." The Crown Prince rose and bowed to Gu Yan in the manner of a disciple.

As the Crown Prince's Senior Tutor, Gu Yan was also a subject, so he returned a half-bow. Then, Gu Yan surveyed the room, his gaze settling on the *Dao De Jing* in the Crown Prince's hand.

He stated calmly, "The teachings of Huang-Lao are too advanced for Your Highness at this stage."

"It's merely casual reading to pass the time. Besides, each of the Hundred Schools of Thought has its strengths. There's no harm in broadly observing and selectively adopting."

The Crown Prince explained gently. He was around twenty years old, with a fair complexion and a tall, slender physique. Dressed in bright yellow cloud-patterned brocade, his cuffs and chest embroidered with fierce five-clawed golden dragons, he exuded both scholarly elegance and imperial dignity.

Alas…

Gu Yan closed his eyes. He had served as the Crown Prince's Senior Tutor since the prince was a mere child. For over a decade, he had nurtured a babbling infant into a refined, jade-like gentleman. It represented over ten years of his dedicated effort!

Empress Xu, lacking the emperor's favor, was stern and harsh with the Crown Prince, which resulted in his gentle yet weak temperament. Despite Gu Yan's repeated guidance, he had never been able to rectify this flaw.

Weakness was not necessarily an issue; obedience was sufficient. As the Crown Prince's Senior Tutor, for over a decade, through bitter winds, rain, and snow, he had never once faltered! He had genuinely taught him, hoping to see him ascend to that supreme position.

When the prince's health deteriorated, Gu Yan, though frustrated by his perceived lack of progress, sought out extraordinary talents to treat him. Beyond the considerations of the broader political landscape, he simply could not bear to abandon a child he had personally nurtured.

Even now, what did it matter if the Crown Prince was infertile? Let chaos ensue after his own demise; Gu Yan would still ensure the prince's ascension.

Gu Yan prided himself on his unwavering loyalty to the Crown Prince, yet the prince had betrayed his expectations.

It wasn't about his failed health; it was that he… had become disobedient.

The Crown Prince was now paying lip service to his instructions while acting contrary to them. This angered Gu Yan even more than the prince's infertility.

He had told Gu Yuan to keep his distance from the Crown Prince, not—as his younger brother suspected—because he intended to change his allegiance, but to impart a crucial lesson to the Crown Prince.

He was still young; pain would teach him to behave.

…

Gu Yan sighed softly, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. "How is your health?"

The Crown Prince had recently been absent from court due to illness, ostensibly a cold. In reality, Gu Yan had discreetly arranged for physicians to examine him for that condition, not daring to make it public.

A trace of embarrassment flickered across the Crown Prince's refined face. He mumbled evasively, "Hmm, tolerable."

Gu Yan seemed to mention it in passing and quickly moved on. He looked at the *Dao De Jing* in the Crown Prince's hand and raised an eyebrow. "The Old Master once said: 'Excessive love incurs great expense; heavy hoarding leads to certain loss.' What is Your Highness's interpretation?"

Gu Yan typically taught Confucian, Military, and Legalist texts, rarely delving into Daoist philosophy. A Crown Prince of the realm could not spend his days contemplating detachment from worldly pursuits.

The Crown Prince had not anticipated such a sudden question. He was taken aback—the *Dao De Jing* was something he had grabbed as a pretense. He didn't understand it deeply and could only offer a literal interpretation.

"It likely means that excessive fondness will inevitably lead to great disaster—a warning to exercise moderation."

"Your student is dull. Please enlighten me, Grand Tutor."

With his noble bearing and impeccable attire, no one would imagine that such a Crown Prince could be infatuated with a courtesan. Gu Yan's expression remained unchanged as he nodded. "Chenghui, well said."

The Crown Prince's given name was Zhou Chenghui. As he grew older, Gu Yan rarely used this name. The Crown Prince flinched slightly, a flicker of panic in his heart.

"Back then, when that woman ruined your health, you pleaded with me repeatedly to spare her life. Your tutor, being soft-hearted, agreed."

Gu Yan chuckled lightly, looking at the Crown Prince, his voice still gentle: "Chenghui, how have you repaid me?"

The eunuch, who had been cowering like a quail nearby, went limp, shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing that he had been exposed, the Crown Prince lowered his head, helped the young eunuch up with both hands, and, despite his pale complexion, resolutely positioned himself in front of the eunuch.

"Grand Tutor, I… I truly cannot bear to part with her."

Back then, he had cast aside his princely dignity and pleaded a thousand times to save Yuan'er's life. Gu Yan had insisted he send her far away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He was called the Crown Prince, yet his imperial father disliked him. The Virtuous Prince, leveraging his seniority, constantly overshadowed him. His mother frequently reprimanded and scolded him. Senior Tutor Gu, seemingly gentle, was in fact intensely controlling. Both were overbearing in their own ways—he was merely a plaything, a puppet in their hands! He had never been allowed to make his own decisions.

Even within the Eastern Palace, half the people were his mother's, and half were Senior Tutor Gu's. How many truly listened to him, the Crown Prince?

Although Yuan'er… she was merely a drifting duckweed without roots. It wasn't her fault.

The "eunuch's" gauze cap fell off, releasing a cascade of long hair and a face as delicate as peach blossoms—clearly that of a woman. Gu Yan had initially ordered the Crown Prince to send her far away. The Crown Prince had ostensibly complied but had her disguised as a eunuch to stay by his side. Unexpectedly, today, by ill chance, Gu Yan had discovered the ruse.

The Crown Prince held the woman's hand, a picture of defiant devotion, unaware that this only further provoked Gu Yan's fury. He already loathed this woman who had bewitched the Crown Prince, and now the Crown Prince defied him again and again for her sake.

Recalling the Crown Prince's recent clandestine actions, Gu Yan's anger intensified, though his expression remained calm. He no longer looked at the Crown Prince and said softly, "Someone."

This was not merely about making an example; it was for the Crown Prince's own good. How could the crown prince of a nation afford to indulge in romantic entanglements?

***

Leaving the Eastern Palace, Gu Yan boarded the Marquis's carriage and first stopped at the Lotus Pavilion to buy preserved fruits and pastries. By the time he returned to the Marquis's residence, it was already past lunchtime. Ming Lan was serving his mother tea for rinsing her mouth.

Though only seventeen, after five years enduring the winds and sands of the northwest, Ming Lan had gradually shed his boyish immaturity. Dressed in sapphire-blue brocade with subtle ruyi patterns, his face was stern, his eyes deep and penetrating, his eyebrows slanting sharply toward his temples—vaguely reminiscent of his father's demeanor.

Ming Lan bore a striking resemblance to Gu Yan. This was something Gu Yan had once taken great pride in—she had given birth to a child who shared his blood and bone, a lifelong tie she could never break free from.

Yet at this moment, the two were chatting and laughing warmly. Ming Lan, slightly bent at the waist, leaned close to whisper something to Yan Xuerui, making her laugh so heartily that the pearl hairpins at her temples shook with her laughter. A few strands of her hair fell loosely around her face, and a soft, peach-blossom pink flushed her cheeks.

It was nothing like the faint, restrained smile she offered when facing him.

How could this be, when father and son looked so alike?

Having just returned from the Eastern Palace in a foul mood, Senior Tutor Gu entered with a stern expression and slammed the pastries down on the table.