Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Any major matters discussed during court sessions were hardly secret within the palace or among the high-ranking officials and noble households in the capital—some simply heard about them earlier, while others learned later.

On the morning after their visit to the Southern Camp, during the break between two classes, Second Prince Qin Bing needed to use the latrine. At eleven years old, he no longer required eunuchs to attend to such matters, nor did he need his study companion to accompany him. After confirming no one else was going, Qin Bing hurried off on his own.

The latrine at Chongwen Pavilion was cleaned by two young eunuchs. As Qin Bing was undoing his belt and about to step inside, he suddenly overheard someone mention "Yuan Chongli"—his study companion.

What about Yuan Chongli?

Qin Bing softened his footsteps and quietly approached the hanging curtain of the inner room.

"Looking at how Second Prince still treats Yuan Chongli like a brother, he probably hasn’t heard about the Marquis of Pingliang’s land graft yet."

"Yes, but there’s no proof yet that the Marquis actually embezzled. Maybe it’s just—"

"Nonsense, out of all the regional commanders, why did the Censorate only impeach the Marquis of Pingliang? As the saying goes, flies don’t bother an egg without a crack—the Marquis must have done it. It’s only because he’s a Founding Meritorious Official that the Emperor is giving him a chance to make amends by returning the land... Ah, Second Prince!"

A young eunuch cleaning near the entrance had just lifted the curtain halfway when he suddenly noticed the Second Prince lurking nearby, nearly scaring himself out of his wits.

Qin Bing’s face darkened. If the Marquis of Pingliang had really embezzled land, and he had been treating Yuan Chongli so well, wouldn’t that make him a sucker?

"Who did you hear this from?" Qin Bing glared at the two eunuchs kneeling on the ground, gritting his teeth as he asked.

"Th-this lowly one heard it from other eunuchs in the eunuchs' quarters. It must be news that spread from the court."

Qin Bing, unable to hold it in any longer, went inside to relieve himself. As he did, he mulled it over. The eunuchs even knew how the Emperor was handling the Marquis of Pingliang—this had to be true. Well, out of the three brothers and their three study companions, Prince Uncle and the Duke of Wei were both dutifully serving the Emperor, yet the Yuan family dared to embezzle! And now he was being made a laughingstock among the palace staff!

After tying his belt, Qin Bing, furious, didn’t even bother washing his hands and rushed outside.

In the courtyard of the lecture hall, Qingyang and the others were playing pitch-pot, taking turns throwing arrows in pairs.

Just as Qin Bing ran over, Yuan Chongli successfully sank a shot, and the others cheered for him.

The twelve-year-old Yuan Chongli, still a young lad, stepped back, looking pleased with himself.

Seeing him still daring to smile, Qin Bing grew even angrier. Standing in the corridor, he pointed at Yuan Chongli and demanded, "Your father embezzled land—did you know about this?"

Yuan Chongli froze, instinctively glancing at the others around him.

Crown Prince Qin Hong lowered his eyes, avoiding his gaze. Qin Liang, the Prince Heir, turned his head away. Third Prince Qin Ren looked completely bewildered. Zhang Su remained expressionless as always. The little princess...

Yuan Chongli didn’t bother with the three-year-old. As Qin Bing approached, glaring at him furiously, Yuan Chongli, who knew right from wrong and had a sense of shame, flushed bright red and instinctively defended his father: "My father did not embezzle! Your Highness, don’t listen to hearsay!"

Qin Bing: "Bullshit! This has been spreading inside and outside the palace, and you still have the nerve to act innocent in front of me!"

With that, Qin Bing pushed Yuan Chongli.

Qin Hong quickly stepped in to stop him: "Don’t resort to violence. The matter hasn’t been clarified yet. Second Brother, don’t act recklessly."

Qin Bing glared at him too: "Oh, so Big Brother knew as well? You all kept it from me while I treated the son of a corrupt official like a brother!"

Yuan Chongli retorted angrily: "My father is not a corrupt official!"

Emperor Xingwu had only been emperor for three or four years, and Yuan Chongli had only been a study companion for three or four years himself. Before entering the palace, he was the second young master of his family, doted on by his father and mother. In the palace, the Second Prince treated him kindly—they ate, drank, studied, and practiced martial arts together almost like brothers, albeit with a bit more respect. Suddenly, the Second Prince was scolding him, even calling his proud father, a marquis, a corrupt official. How could Yuan Chongli bear it?

Qin Bing: "How dare you glare at me!"

Dodging a startled Qin Hong, Qin Bing pushed Yuan Chongli again. Yuan Chongli raised his hands to resist, which only provoked Qin Bing to switch from pushing to hitting. Yuan Chongli fought back, and the two instantly tumbled into a scuffle.

Qin Ren quickly led his younger sister away to a safe distance, while Zhang Su stood guard in front of the siblings.

They were too young to intervene even if they wanted to. As the eldest, Qin Hong called on Qin Liang to help pull them apart.

Qin Hong tried to restrain his younger brother, but when Qin Bing was in a full rage, even Emperor Xingwu would have to exert effort to control him. Qin Hong, who had never been in a fight before, couldn’t hold him back and was soon shaken off. Although Qin Liang couldn’t fully restrain the struggling Yuan Chongli either, he managed to grip one of Yuan Chongli’s arms, leaving Qin Bing free to attack with both hands while Yuan Chongli could only fight back with one arm and take hits with the other.

"Stop it! Both of you, stop!"

Several instructors from Chongwen Pavilion arrived upon hearing the commotion and shouted sternly.

Only then did Qin Bing stop. Yuan Chongli, doubled over on his knees, had blood at the corner of his mouth. Hurt, angry, and humiliated, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Qingyang, tucked against her brother’s chest with her head pressed down so she couldn’t see, finally had a chance to turn around. What she saw was Yuan Chongli kneeling alone, crying.

When Qingyang first learned about the Marquis of Pingliang’s land embezzlement, she had been angry too, even to the point of not wanting to play with Yuan Chongli anymore. But her father had told her to pretend she didn’t know, and Qingyang always listened to her father.

Now, seeing Yuan Chongli beaten up like this by her second brother, she felt a twinge of pity. Besides, the Marquis of Pingliang was far away, while Yuan Chongli lived in the palace almost year-round—how could he possibly know what his father had done?

Qingyang pushed her brother aside and cautiously walked over to Yuan Chongli, squatting down to look at him.

Yuan Chongli turned away, not wanting others to see his bruised and pathetic state.

Qingyang: "Don’t cry. I’ll call the imperial physician to treat you."

Yuan Chongli wiped his face with his sleeve and muttered stubbornly, "No need."

Qin Ren, worried he might take his anger out on his sister, pulled her away again.

After asking about the incident, the instructors had the Crown Prince, Third Prince, and little princess return to their respective classrooms for lessons. They then took Second Prince and Yuan Chongli aside for a reprimand and reported the matter to the Emperor.

Qingyang had a longer break than her brothers and refused to return to the classroom early. She stubbornly followed Tutor Du, who was disciplining her second brother, wanting to see how he would handle the situation.

Tutor Du could do little about the little princess, but fortunately, she sat quietly in a chair without interrupting.

Since the matter involved the unresolved corruption case of the Marquis of Pingliang, Tutor Du didn’t dare say too much. Instead, he spoke earnestly to Qin Bing and Yuan Chongli about how classmates ought to behave, advising them to discuss disagreements calmly and analyze matters with reason and evidence rather than resorting to physical fights.

Throughout the lecture, the little princess, who hadn’t been involved in the fight, listened attentively, while Qin Bing and Yuan Chongli, both stubbornly looking away from each other, tuned him out.

Before long, a eunuch from Qian Yuan Hall arrived, summoning Qin Bing and Yuan Chongli to see the Emperor.

Qingyang continued to follow.

Mr. Guo, who was waiting early in the classroom, saw this and asked at the door, "Your Highness, aren’t you attending arithmetic class today?"

Qingyang knew her priorities and replied without hesitation, "Let’s skip it for today."

She was already studying ahead of schedule—she could always make up today’s lesson another time. But fights involving her second brother didn’t happen every day.

Qian Yuan Hall.

Emperor Xingwu wasn’t surprised that his daughter had followed. He stepped down from his throne, walked over, and examined Yuan Chongli’s injuries. Though the Emperor hadn’t spoken yet, his eyes were filled with concern, and his hands were gentle as they touched the young boy. All his pent-up misery welled up, turning into large teardrops.

The imperial physician arrived, and Emperor Xingwu had him examine and treat Yuan Chongli first. He held his daughter and watched, paying little attention to Qin Bing, who was kneeling on the ground, even though Qin Bing also had a few minor scratches.

Once Yuan Chongli was patched up, Emperor Xingwu dismissed the imperial physician.

Qingyang, concerned for her second brother, said, "Father, have the imperial physician apply some ointment to Second Brother too."

The imperial physician stopped in his tracks.

Emperor Xingwu snorted, "Leave him be."

The imperial physician glanced furtively at the Second Prince, then bowed and withdrew.

Yuan Chongli, now calmed down, knelt back down beside Qin Bing, keeping about an arm's length away. He kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I should not have hit back at the Second Prince. I have injured him—please punish me."

Though he had spent three or four years with the Second Prince and sometimes forgot formalities while joking and playing around, in front of the Emperor, Yuan Chongli dared not step out of line.

Emperor Xingwu said, "Why shouldn’t you fight back? I see your father as a brother, and so I regard you as my own nephew. I brought you into the palace to study with the Second Prince for both your benefits—hoping you would encourage and push each other, learn skills together, and someday help me carry my burdens. It was not to make you his servant. A servant defying his master is against the law, but a study companion has a duty to advise the prince. If he says something wrong, you should correct him; if he attacks you without reason, you can dodge or fight back. Don’t indulge his bad habits."

Hearing the Emperor’s fairness, Yuan Chongli felt relieved and shot a sidelong glance at the Second Prince.

Qin Bing accepted his father’s explanation about the role of a study companion, but he disagreed with the claim that he had attacked without reason. Lifting his head defiantly, he argued, "His father embezzled—I—"

Emperor Xingwu’s gaze turned cold. "Someone accused the Marquis of Pingliang of embezzlement, but I haven’t even verified it yet. Who dares to declare the Marquis guilty?"

Qin Bing replied, "...If he really didn’t embezzle, then why, out of so many people, did the Censorate single him out?"

Emperor Xingwu said, "Tall trees attract the wind; enough rumors can make anything believed. I value the Marquis of Pingliang, so naturally, some are jealous of him. Is it so strange for jealousy to lead to false accusations? If I were to condemn my own meritorious official based solely on an accusation, what if someday someone came to me claiming you had stolen something? Should I believe them based on nothing but empty words?"

Qin Bing fell silent.

But Emperor Xingwu’s temper flared. Glaring at his son, he said, "You fool, believing every rumor you hear. Suspecting others is one thing, but the Marquis of Pingliang is my right-hand man, and Chongli has been your loyal companion for over three years—a brother! The kind of bond where you share hardships and fortunes alike. If someone wrongs your brother, you should stand by him, seek the truth, and clear up misunderstandings—not turn on your own brother. Being so gullible and unfaithful, who would ever dare to be your brother?"

Young men valued brotherhood and loyalty most of all. Scolded like this by his father, Qin Bing finally realized he had done something foolish and grew ashamed when he looked at Yuan Chongli.

Seeing that Qin Bing recognized his mistake and felt remorse, Yuan Chongli found his anger fading.

Emperor Xingwu directly ordered his second son to apologize to Yuan Chongli.

Qin Bing made an awkward apology. Yuan Chongli touched the corner of his mouth and said with a hint of grievance, "This is the first time you’ve encountered something like this, Your Highness. I don’t blame you. I only hope that if it happens again, you’ll trust me—or at least give me a chance to explain myself."

Qin Bing nodded sheepishly.

Emperor Xingwu said, "Making up is one thing, but hitting someone was wrong. You are confined to your quarters for three days to reflect on your actions. In two days, when I take your Eldest Brother and the others to the Yellow River, you will not be going."

Qin Bing let out a miserable groan.

Emperor Xingwu waved a dismissive hand. "Go. Chongli, return home to recover. Come back to the palace after your break ends." He also gave Yuan Chongli medicinal ointment and compensatory gifts.

After the two youths left, Emperor Xingwu sighed.

Qingyang looked up and asked, "Does Father truly believe the Marquis of Pingliang is not guilty of embezzlement?"

Emperor Xingwu kissed his daughter’s head and said quietly, "I don’t believe it, but I need those around me to believe it—I need Yuan Chongli to believe it. Through him, the Yuan family will believe it. If I treat them so well, and they still dare to defy me, the people will curse them for their ingratitude. And when I punish them later, the people will praise me for doing the right thing."

The little princess thought for a moment, then asked, "Then, were your scoldings toward Second Brother also just an act for Yuan Chongli’s benefit?"

Emperor Xingwu replied, "...It was said for Yuan Chongli to hear, but it wasn’t false. Your Second Brother is truly foolish. Whether with blood siblings or sworn brothers, affection is built bit by bit through mutual kindness. How can you just hit and scold without distinguishing right from wrong? I suspect the Marquis of Pingliang because I know he has a tendency to take advantage, and the Censorate has presented some evidence. What does your Second Brother understand—"

Qingyang finished, "Second Brother understands nothing."

Emperor Xingwu fell silent.