Chapter 10

Chapter 10

That afternoon, while Qingyang was resting in her mother’s palace, Jie Yu led several attendants to the Third Prince’s Chengming Palace.

Both Chengming Palace and Xianfu Palace were designed with two courtyards. Qin Ren resided in the rear hall, while his study companion, Zhang Su, occupied the western side chamber of the front hall. The two were practically inseparable during their studies and martial arts training, only parting ways to sleep at night. Now that the little princess was moving in, Jie Yu, following Consort Li’s instructions, tidied up the western side chamber of the rear hall, replacing everything with items the little princess was accustomed to.

As the palace servants bustled about, the little princess Qingyang had not a care in the world. After her nap, she ran to find her mother, only to discover that her father was also there. Her mother stood nearby, her eyes red-rimmed, with a pile of the little princess’s clothes laid out on the nearby couch.

Qingyang looked at her mother and softly asked, “Did Mother cry?”

Consort Li cast a resentful glance at Emperor Xingwu, who was reclining at one end of the long couch. She hadn’t expected the emperor to come to her palace for a nap, and he had been rather amorous in broad daylight. Though it had ended a while ago, she was crying because her daughter, only three years old, was moving out, and Consort Li couldn’t bear to part with her.

Emperor Xingwu pointed to the pile of clothes and explained the reason to his daughter.

Consort Li picked up her daughter, kissed her, and said, “It’s nothing. Our Liner loves to study, and Mother is very happy. I’ve stopped crying now.”

Qingyang wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. “I’ll still be with you during the day, Mother. Don’t be afraid.”

Emperor Xingwu silently watched the tender moment between mother and daughter. When Consort Li asked if Qingyang wanted to go to the couch to find her father, the emperor said, “Father is going to the martial arts hall to watch your brothers practice. Do you want to come, Liner?”

Qingyang: “Yes!”

Emperor Xingwu put on his dragon boots, picked up his little daughter, and set off.

The palace pathways were long, and carrying a child with one arm for too long became uncomfortable. Unwilling to let his daughter trek under the sun, Emperor Xingwu asked, “Liner, would you like to ride in a sedan chair?”

Qingyang: “What’s a sedan chair?”

Emperor Xingwu laughed, lifted his daughter under her arms, and in one swift motion, seated her on his shoulders. He reminded her to hold tightly to his head, then grasped each of her little legs. “This is called riding in a sedan chair.”

Qingyang loved sitting so high up—she could see so much more of the distant palace!

Emperor Xingwu looked at the overlapping shadow of father and daughter on the ground and sighed. “When I was little, Grandfather also gave me rides like this. Back then, our family was so poor we couldn’t even afford meat. Now we live in luxury, but Grandfather never got to enjoy it with us.”

Qingyang: “Where did Grandfather go?”

Emperor Xingwu: “He died. He had a very serious illness.”

Qingyang understood life and death—stepping on an ant or a caterpillar would kill it, and butterflies in the flower bushes would die if hit too hard. The Pure Filial Empress, the birth mother of the eldest prince and princess, had died, which was why she wasn’t seen in the palace—only the Noble Consort and her mother remained.

“Will Father get sick?” Qingyang asked worriedly.

Emperor Xingwu: “…Yes, but the palace has imperial physicians. They are the best doctors in the world and can cure Father.”

Qingyang: “But I don’t want Father to get sick.”

Emperor Xingwu’s heart softened as if soaked in hot spring water. Striding forward with a powerful, confident gait, he promised his daughter, “Alright, Father won’t get sick!”

When they arrived at the martial arts hall, Emperor Xingwu finally set his daughter down, and the two walked hand in hand inside.

The princes were practicing archery.

Emperor Xingwu motioned for the accompanying palace servants and guards to remain outside, then put a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet. Father and daughter quietly made their way to the archery range.

The archery range had ten targets set up. The three princes and their three study companions each took aim at a target, while Mr. Wu, the archery instructor, walked behind them, correcting anyone’s posture if needed. Since the princes were of different ages, the distances to the targets varied: Qin Ren and Zhang Su’s target was thirty paces away, Qin Bing’s was sixty paces, and Qin Hong’s was one hundred paces.

The targets were painted with three concentric rings from the center outward: yellow, red, and blue, corresponding to grades A, B, and C. If an arrow landed outside the blue ring, it was a failing grade of D.

As a new round was about to begin, Emperor Xingwu stopped at a distance and lifted his daughter so she could see more clearly.

Qin Hong and his study companion Qin Liang both hit the yellow ring.

Qin Bing and his study companion Yuan Chongli also hit the yellow ring.

Now it was Third Brother’s turn. Qingyang leaned forward eagerly, only to watch as her brother’s arrow landed in the red ring, noticeably close to the blue ring.

Qingyang turned to look at her father. Emperor Xingwu snorted lightly and remarked offhandedly, “Just like your mother—no arm strength.”

Qingyang blinked, sensing this wasn’t meant as a compliment to her mother or brother.

Finally, Zhang Su’s arrow hit the yellow ring.

At that moment, everyone noticed Emperor Xingwu, and the group of teachers and students bowed in unison.

Emperor Xingwu carried his daughter to the front of the group, set her down, and held her hand. With his other hand, he pointed to the clearly visible targets. “A-minus, A-plus, A-plus, A-minus, B-minus, A-plus. Well done, Qin Liang, Qin Bing, and Zhang Su.”

The three who weren’t praised—Qin Hong’s eyes were downcast and nervous, Qin Ren scratched his head in embarrassment, and Yuan Chongli, from the Marquis of Pingliang’s family, glanced covertly at Zhang Su. As study companions, his comparisons were always with Qin Liang and Zhang Su, but since Qin Liang was Emperor Xingwu’s nephew, Yuan Chongli didn’t need to compete with him.

Then, Qin Liang modestly said, “It was mere luck that I scored an A-plus today. I didn’t expect Your Majesty to see it.”

After speaking, he couldn’t help but glance worriedly at Qin Hong.

Qin Hong: “…”

Emperor Xingwu encouraged his nephew: “If it was luck, then practice more. I hope to see you get A-plus every time.”

Qin Liang: “Yes.”

Emperor Xingwu pointed to Qin Bing’s target and said to Zhang Su, “Su Ge’er, give it a try. I think the thirty-pace target is no longer challenging enough for you.”

Zhang Su, remembering his father’s teachings to treat the emperor’s commands as absolute, and knowing the Third Prince’s easygoing and non-competitive nature, didn’t bother checking the prince’s expression. He obeyed immediately, walking to the Second Prince’s sixty-pace target, nocking an arrow, drawing the bow, taking brief aim, and releasing—scoring a “solid A.”

Yuan Chongli’s eye twitched. Zhang Su was three years younger than him yet shot better. If this got out, wouldn’t people say the young master of the Marquis of Pingliang Yuan family was less skilled in martial arts than the young master of the Duke of Wei Zhang family?

Emperor Xingwu was delighted and praised Zhang Su with a pat on the shoulder: “Excellent! Truly, a tiger father doesn’t produce a dog of a son. From now on, use the sixty-pace target for practice. Let the Third Prince play with the thirty-pace target on his own.”

Qin Ren: “…”

Emperor Xingwu suddenly grabbed the Third Prince’s arm. The emperor, who had fought his way to the throne with brute force, had a grip so strong that Qin Ren let out a cry of pain.

Emperor Xingwu said with disdain, “Without arm strength, how can you have accuracy? Go lift stone locks for fifteen minutes.”

Qin Ren looked pleadingly at Mr. Wu and muttered, “But I already did that today.”

Mr. Wu kept his eyes downcast, maintaining his composure. No matter what they practiced, the Third Prince never lasted until the end. Scolding didn’t work—despite his handsome appearance, the prince had thick skin, never feeling shame or guilt, only smiling. Physical punishment wasn’t an option, so how could Mr. Wu be a strict teacher?

With no help from Mr. Wu, Qin Ren obediently went to lift the stone locks. Zhang Su wanted to accompany him, but Emperor Xingwu stopped him, instructing him to continue practicing archery.

Qingyang curiously followed her father to watch Third Brother lift the stone locks.

The lightest stone lock weighed just one jin, while the heaviest was twenty jin. Qin Ren picked up two one-jin locks, slowly raising them from his sides until his arms were parallel to the ground.

After holding them for just a moment, the eight-year-old Qin Ren’s face flushed, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his arms trembled, causing the stone locks to wobble.

Suddenly, the Third Prince gasped, and the two stone locks fell heavily to the ground.

Emperor Xingwu: “You didn’t even count to five. Lift them again!”

Qin Ren knelt on the ground, looking pleadingly at his father. “Father, I really can’t do it. It’s not that I’m not trying—I just can’t hold on. Why don’t you tie me up and bind the stone locks to my hands?”

He could patiently practice calligraphy and recite texts until he mastered them, but when it came to martial arts, he lacked that same perseverance.

Emperor Xingwu grew furious seeing his son like this: “Such delicacy! I refuse to believe that if a wolf were chasing you, you wouldn’t be able to run!”

Qin Ren imagined the scenario and replied, “Your son would keep running as long as possible. If I truly couldn’t run anymore, there’d be nothing to do but accept being eaten by the wolf. I’d just hope it bites my neck first, so I don’t suffer too much.”

Emperor Xingwu: “…”

Qingyang grew anxious, rushing over to hug her third brother: “I don’t want a wolf to bite Third Brother’s neck!”

Emperor Xingwu quickly soothed his daughter. Once she calmed down, he asked his son, “If you were escaping with your little sister, would you give up so easily?”

Qin Ren: “…Your son certainly wouldn’t take my sister on a risky venture alone. If we actually encountered wolves, I’d entrust Qingyang to Zhang Su for protection. I’d run separately from them. If I could draw some wolves away, I’d have done my duty as an older brother.”

Emperor Xingwu: “…”

The Third Prince was thick-skinned and impervious to criticism, so Emperor Xingwu redirected his anger toward the Eldest and Second Princes. Qin Hong’s academic and martial studies were top-tier, leaving little room for reproach, so the emperor hinted that the Crown Prince should broaden his mind and not be intolerant of others. Qin Bing excelled in martial arts but was abysmal in academics, prompting Emperor Xingwu to scold the Second Prince for his “wooden head” and punish him by assigning an extra hour of copying texts that evening.

In the end, when Emperor Xingwu departed, both Qin Hong and Qin Bing looked as if they had been wilted by frost. In contrast, Qin Ren, who was lacking in both scholarly and martial pursuits, took it all in stride and even came to comfort his older brothers: “You should learn from me—when scolded, humbly admit your faults, then forget about it afterward. Just keep trying your best next time, so you can have a clear conscience.”

Qin Hong, Qin Bing: “…”

***

With a clear conscience, Qin Ren knew his father often visited his mother’s palace. After leaving the training grounds, he directly headed back with Zhang Su to his own Chengming Palace. After all, his father and mother hadn’t required him to visit every day. He had been diligent earlier only because his father was away from the capital, and his mother was overseeing his studies. Now that his father had returned and had already checked on him today, why should he go? If he happened to run into his father, he might earn another scolding, or even worse, upset his mother and spoil her dinner.

“Your Highness is back. Consort Li mentioned that the princess will be staying here from now on to make it easier for her to study at Chongwen Pavilion. Jie Yu has already prepared the western side room. Did Your Highness know?”

Qin Ren was surprised, then broke into a grin: “Is that so? Then I’ll go get my sister.”

Zhang Su seemed to want to say something but held back.

Qin Ren, understanding, said: “You don’t need to come. Finish your meal early and do your homework. My sister might want to play for a while before she’s willing to sleep tonight.”

Zhang Su: “…”

Qin Ren, drenched in sweat, arrived at Xianfu Palace. After confirming his father wasn’t there, he relaxed and ate with his mother and sister. After the meal, he took his sister’s hand and bid farewell to his mother.

Consort Li was both worried that her daughter might not sleep well in a new place and concerned that she might cause trouble for her son: “Go to bed as soon as you get there, and don’t disturb your third brother and Zhang Su while they’re doing their homework.”

Qingyang: “Okay.”

But once they actually arrived at Chengming Palace, Qingyang pushed away the nursemaid’s hand trying to carry her to bed and instead tugged on her third brother’s hand, saying: “I want to watch Third Brother do his homework.”

Qin Ren: “But you promised Mother you wouldn’t cause trouble.”

Qingyang pouted: “I won’t say a word. Can’t I just watch you?”

Qin Ren could never bring himself to refuse his sister: “Alright, alright. You go to the study with Zhang Su first. I’ll go bathe and then join you.”

Qingyang then happily went to hold hands with Zhang Su, who had come out to greet them.

Zhang Su had already bathed. His thin summer brocade robe couldn’t completely conceal his fresh, clean scent.

Qingyang leaned in close and sniffed, curiously asking: “What scent do you use?” It was different from hers, her mother’s, or her third brother’s.

Zhang Su took a step back, still allowing the little princess to hold his hand but creating some distance. He glanced at the nursemaid and Jie Yu and said: “This humble subject uses the most common soapberry powder.”

Qingyang: “Is it expensive?”

Zhang Su shook his head.

Qingyang: “Then why don’t you use something expensive? Didn’t Third Brother give you any?”

Zhang Su: “This humble subject is accustomed to using this.”

As the Third Prince’s study companion, he was often in close proximity to the other two princes in the academy. He couldn’t be sure which bathing scent might displease which prince, so using soapberry powder for washing clothes and bathing was the safest choice—something his parents had reminded him before he entered the palace.

Qingyang sniffed again: “Well, it smells quite nice too.”

Zhang Su looked at the little princess’s round head, adorned with two small buns, and felt rather troubled by her fondness for clinging to him.

Once inside the study, two desks were placed by the south-facing window, with a luohan bed on the other side. This allowed the Third Prince to switch to reclining on the bed for reading when he grew tired of sitting in chairs.

Qingyang couldn’t sit in the large chairs, so Zhang Su settled her on the luohan bed before heading to the desk to start his homework.

Qingyang: “You’re doing homework. What should I do?”

Zhang Su looked toward Jie Yu, who had followed them in.

Jie Yu: “Shall this servant take Your Highness outside to tell stories?”

Qingyang: “No, I want to stay in the study.”

Jie Yu felt a headache coming on. The Third Prince’s studies were paramount, and the study room must remain quiet.

Qingyang looked at the two people attending her and remembered something. She said to Zhang Su: “Write down ‘Heaven and Earth, Dark and Yellow, Universe Primordial’ for me. I want to review it. The tutor will test me tomorrow too.”

Zhang Su immediately went to write it down. After finishing, he spread the paper on the red sandalwood low table in the middle of the luohan bed.

Jie Yu noticed that Zhang Su hadn’t written the characters in order and asked the little princess: “Would Your Highness like to read them?”

Qingyang pointed to each character one by one and read them all correctly.

Jie Yu exclaimed delightedly: “You’re so smart!”

Qingyang smiled. Since she already knew the characters, she asked Zhang Su to teach her how to write them.

Zhang Su: “Your Highness is still young. Practicing calligraphy too early could harm your wrists.”

Jie Yu came up with an idea and prepared some paints for the little princess to draw. This way, she would have something to do without making noise.

By the time Qin Ren had bathed, changed into fresh clothes, and arrived at the study, the little princess had already finished a painting—a messy tangle of crooked lines in various colors.

Qin Ren sincerely praised her work, then sat down at the desk to focus on his homework. Not used to having people around while he worked, he asked Jie Yu to wait outside.

Though his grades were poor, Qin Ren approached his homework with great seriousness, forgetting about both Zhang Su and his sister.

Seeing this, Zhang Su naturally took on the responsibility of looking after the little princess, occasionally stealing glances her way.

When he turned to look again, he saw that the little princess had shifted from kneeling by the low table, painting, to lying on her side on the luohan bed. Her long eyelashes were closed, her cheek pressed against the bed was rosy and plump, and her hand, loosely holding a brush stained with blue pigment, had smudged the bedding.

Zhang Su glanced toward the opposite side—the Third Prince was deeply focused on copying texts.

Quietly, Zhang Su stood up. His eyes swept over the sleeping little princess once more. After a moment’s hesitation, he went outside to find Jie Yu.

He wasn’t confident he could carry the little princess out without waking her.