Chapter 26

Chapter 26

After a day’s rest, the first day of the fourth month arrived, marking another study day for the siblings.

With Crown Prince Qinhong now serving in court and Second Imperial Prince Qin Bing having moved out of the palace, Chongwen Pavilion was left with only Princess Qingyang, her brother, and their study companion, Zhang Su.

Qin Ren continued to follow the same curriculum his elder brothers had studied, consistently maintaining second-tier grades in every subject—so reliably that Emperor Xingwu no longer bothered to push him. As for Qingyang, she neither secluded herself in Jiuhua Palace to receive education from former dynasty princesses nor strictly followed her brothers' academic path. Instead, at the age of five, she had already set her own study schedule.

Ten days made up a *xun*, or ten-day cycle. In the mornings, Qingyang followed the same routine as her brothers: rising at *mao* hour (around 5-7 AM), having breakfast, and then heading to Chongwen Pavilion for morning reading. The entire morning was dedicated to literary studies.

The main difference lay in the afternoons. At five years old, Qingyang had once wanted to train as rigorously as her brothers, but she quickly realized she had no interest in horse stance, wrestling, fist techniques, or weapons like knives and spears. Unwilling to give up entirely, the little princess went to her father and asked, "Can I just learn horseback riding and archery, and only study the sword as a weapon?"

Emperor Xingwu laughed and replied, "Of course. *Lin'er* (Qingyang's childhood nickname) can study whatever she wishes. I will hire a private instructor, Mr. Wu, to teach you."

Horseback riding lessons began at age nine. From five to eight, Qingyang only needed to learn archery and basic sword techniques from Mr. Wu. With just these two disciplines and considering the importance of balancing exertion and rest for children, the little princess attended martial arts training every other day. Coincidentally, Qingyang also enjoyed exploring the old palace quarters and had a fondness for painting, chess, and playing the *guqin*. Through continuous adjustments, her afternoon schedule eventually settled into:

On the 1st, 4th, and 7th days: Martial arts training.

On the 2nd, 5th, and 8th days: Visits to the former dynasty.

On the 3rd, 6th, and 9th days: Lessons in *guqin*, chess, and painting.

As for literary studies, thanks to her early start and natural talent, by age nine, Qingyang was already reading books that her brothers had only begun at thirteen!

In the faint morning light, on their way to Chongwen Pavilion, Qin Ren rubbed his sleepy eyes and muttered quietly upon hearing his sister discuss a military treatise with Zhang Su, "Thank goodness I can leave the palace in two years. Otherwise, if you surpass me in studies, Father will look down on me even more."

Qingyang reassured him, "I won’t surpass you, Third Brother. Scholar Guo says the further one advances, the more complex the principles in the books become. It’s not just about speed."

Qin Ren, who often skimmed through texts without deep understanding, had nothing to say.

Upon arriving at Chongwen Pavilion, the three entered a morning study hall. They chose three desks arranged from shortest to tallest and began reading separately.

After half an hour of morning reading, they headed to the dining hall for breakfast together before separating into different lecture halls.

At noon, Qingyang went directly to her third brother’s Chengming Palace for lunch. After the meal, she returned to her neighboring Jiuhua Palace to rest. Every time, Zhang Su would escort her out of the palace, waiting until the little princess disappeared through the gates of Jiuhua Palace before turning back.

Fu An once whispered jokingly to Jie Yu about this, "Third Young Master’s manners toward the princess are even more meticulous than ours, the two imperial eunuchs."

Jie Yu humbly replied, "It shows we still have room for improvement."

Fu An went quiet.

In the afternoon martial arts class, Qingyang, as usual, ran laps with her third brother and Zhang Su. It was precisely because she participated that she disapproved of her own brother pretending to be sick to skip training.

At the start, Qin Ren jogged leisurely alongside his sister, watching Zhang Su’s long legs carry him farther and farther away. Qin Ren defended himself, "Zhang Su comes from a military family. He’s going to lead troops into battle someday, so he must train diligently. I have no such ambitions, so why should I push myself so hard?"

Qingyang asked, "What does Third Brother want to do in the future?"

Qin Ren replied, "Be a leisurely prince—catch up on all the sleep I’ve lost over the past decade or so, drink tea, enjoy operas, and if the opportunity arises, travel to see the world."

Qingyang questioned, "Then wouldn’t all these years of study be wasted?"

Qin Ren said, "Not entirely wasted. At least I’ve learned about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor, and the difference between right and wrong. But there’s really no need to study tirelessly from dawn to dusk. Father…"

Not wanting to hear her brother complain about their mighty father, Qingyang quietly quickened her pace.

Qin Ren went quiet again.

After two laps, they took a break. Qingyang went to learn sword techniques from her Mr. Wu, using a wooden practice sword. The honored sword bestowed by her father hung high on the wall of her bedchamber in Jiuhua Palace—she would only be allowed to use it once her arm strength was sufficient and her sword skills were proficient.

After sword practice and a break, horseback riding and another break, followed by half an hour of archery, Qingyang’s martial arts class for the day concluded. Drenched in sweat, the little princess left the two young men still training and returned to Jiuhua Palace to bathe.

For dinner, Qingyang ate with her father and mother. After the meal, she went to Chengming Palace to do homework with her third brother and Zhang Su.

While working, Qin Ren sighed, slumped over his desk, and said, "Father is becoming more and more stingy. In the past, he gave us half a day off for little sister’s birthday. Now, he only holds a birthday banquet for her, and we don’t even get half a day off."

As for their own birthdays, which involved neither banquets nor time off, Qin Ren had long accepted it.

Qingyang said, "Then give me your gift now, Third Brother."

As she spoke, the little princess also glanced at Zhang Su.

Zhang Su set down his brush and looked at the third prince.

Qin Ren had naturally prepared a gift. Listlessly, he walked out and returned with a box, placing it in front of his sister.

Qingyang opened it to find ten silver ingots, each weighing ten taels (approximately 1.3 pounds total).

Unhappy, Qingyang said, "Can’t you give me something new, Third Brother?"

Qin Ren immediately began complaining, "Before, Big Brother and the others gave you expensive jewelry. I wanted to give jewelry too, but you refused, insisting on something new. You don’t like kites anymore, grass rings and flower wreaths are no longer novel, and I’m not as clever as Zhang Su when it comes to carving wood. I thought and thought until my head hurt, so I decided to just give you silver. Buy whatever you like with it."

A hundred taels—that was two months' worth of his imperial stipend!

Seeing her brother’s pained expression, Qingyang was about to accept the gift when her brother suddenly extended his right hand, revealing a small, smooth, yellowish stone.

Qin Ren grinned and said, "Luckily, I went out of the palace yesterday. I found this in the river. So, is this novel enough?"

Qingyang loved little surprises like this. She picked up the pebble and played with it—round and smooth, it was definitely worth keeping.

Qin Ren breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside to let Zhang Su present his gift.

Zhang Su also brought his gift. The small wooden figure was something all three knew about; the curiosity lay in its pose.

Qin Ren helped his sister open the box and even tried to take out the wooden figure, but Qingyang swiftly brushed his hand aside and retrieved it herself.

Carved from boxwood, it depicted a chubby little horse with a small princess sitting on its back, her hair tied in a single bun. The little princess was smiling, holding reins, with a tiny pouch carved at her waist.

As Qingyang held the gift and examined it closely, Zhang Su said apologetically, "This is my first time carving a horse. I tried several times, but it never turned out well. Eventually, I ran out of time and had to make do with this for Her Highness."

Qingyang had already noticed the horse was somewhat plump, but since it was carved by Zhang Su, she found it charming regardless. It didn’t need to be as exquisite as the expensive wood carvings sold in shops.

"It’s lovely. I like it," Qingyang said, testing whether the wooden horse would stand on the table. Its four hooves stood firmly.

Qin Ren leaned down for a closer look and mused, "I get it now. Last year, little sister learned sword techniques, so Zhang Su gave her a figure holding a sword. This year, she learned horseback riding, so he gave her this. Next year, whatever new skill she picks up, he’ll surely carve that."

Qingyang said, "It’s not like I learn something new every year."

Qin Ren replied, "Aren’t you learning the *guqin*? Anything you haven’t received before counts as new."

Qingyang looked at Zhang Su.

Zhang Su lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact.

Qingyang said, "I’ll invite you both to watch when I practice the *guqin* from now on."

Qin Ren thought of the repetitive practice melodies occasionally drifting from his sister’s palace and, seeing how happily she played with the wooden figure, didn’t dare refuse.

.

With half a day off, Qingyang slept an extra hour longer than usual. After washing up and preparing for breakfast, Crown Prince Qinhong arrived.

Princess Qingyang ran out to greet her eldest brother.

Qin Hong ruffled his sister's hair. "Since when are you so polite with your eldest brother? You could have just waited inside."

Princess Qingyang: "I missed you, Big Brother."

In the past, she saw her eldest and second brothers every day. Now that the eldest brother had started his official post, he was gone all day. Even when he returned in the evening, she was afraid he might be tired and didn’t dare disturb him.

Qin Hong: "If you miss me, come over for dinner. I was afraid you’d be sleeping in this morning, otherwise I would’ve invited you for breakfast too."

Princess Qingyang smiled. "Have you eaten yet, eldest brother? Join me for a meal."

Qin Hong nodded and held her hand as they went inside.

Jie Yu had the servants set an extra bowl and chopsticks. Once Qin Hong was seated, he took a flat, rectangular box from his sleeve and handed it to his sister. Inside was a gold hairpin with a peony design.

Princess Qingyang, now also showing her thoughtful side for her brother, said, "Before, eldest brother was alone and could spend his monthly allowance on expensive gifts for me. But this year, your wife will soon be married. You should save more gifts for her. I’m your little sister—just having a meal with you makes me happy."

Whenever their father gave their mother a gift, their mother would be very happy. So Princess Qingyang understood that husbands should spoil their wives. Once her third brother got married, she wouldn’t accept money from him either.

Qin Hong was amused by his sister’s serious, practical-minded tone and explained, "Eldest brother’s monthly allowance is quite high now. Giving you a birthday gift won’t bankrupt me. You can accept it without worry."

Before he came of age, his father gave him the same monthly allowance as his younger siblings. After his coming-of-age ceremony, his father began providing him with the full crown prince’s stipend—ten thousand taels a year. His second brother, though he was granted his own residence but not yet enfeoffed as a prince, received three thousand taels a year. After his coming-of-age and enfeoffment, it would increase to five thousand taels, the same as their eldest sister, who had long since moved into her princess estate.

Hearing her eldest brother’s explanation, Princess Qingyang immediately stopped worrying about his savings and began looking forward to her second brother’s gift this year.

Qin Bing entered the palace in the morning, using the excuse of celebrating his sister’s birthday.

Emperor Xingwu, upon receiving the request for the second prince’s palace entry, smirked wryly but granted permission for the sake of his daughter’s birthday.

Knowing his father disliked his excuses to skip lessons, Qin Bing went straight to his sister’s Jiuhua Palace right away. Princess Qingyang ran out happily to greet him, only to see her second brother holding a gilt cage with a green-feathered bird inside.

Suspicious, the little princess slowed her steps. The bird didn’t look particularly valuable no matter how she looked at it.

Just then, Qin Bing raised the cage and muttered something to the bird.

The green-feathered bird hopped a few times, turned its head, and suddenly cried out: "Princess Qingyang, may you enjoy eternal blessings!"

Princess Qingyang: "..."

How annoying its voice was!