Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Even before Zhang Su’s imperial audience, the three Qin brothers—Qin Hong, Qin Bing, and Qin Ren—having finally completed their month-long confinement, presented themselves before their father to pay their respects. After a stern reprimand and admonition, the trio sought out Consort Gui and Consort Li to offer their apologies. Following this, Qin Hong proceeded to the Secretariat for duty. Qin Bing, like a wild horse unleashed from its pen, bolted off to revel in his newfound freedom, leaving his younger siblings behind. Qin Ren, meanwhile, leisurely accompanied his little sister as they departed.

Along the way, the Little Princess frequently tilted her head to gaze at her third brother’s face.

Qin Ren, who had gained a few pounds and been teased by their father for it, awkwardly touched his face and asked his sister, "Is it really that obvious?"

Qingyang nodded, "You’ve put on weight, but you still look quite handsome."

Qin Ren immediately broke into a radiant smile.

Qingyang added, "But you’re not allowed to gain any more weight. I don’t want you to become as plump as Li Fuyuan."

Li Fuyuan was the third son of Marquis Jining, Li Yu. At sixteen, he was reputedly a lazy, gluttonous young man whose face and chin jiggled when he ran.

Qin Ren couldn’t imagine, nor would he accept, becoming like that. He vowed, "Don’t worry, little sister. From now on, I’ll diligently attend all my martial arts lessons. I’ll slim down in no time."

Qingyang suggested, "Then let’s go climb the mountain. This time, we’ll just go up to the first pavilion and come back down."

Qin Ren didn’t want to dampen his sister’s enthusiasm. Besides, the first pavilion was only about fifty zhang high. With a little perseverance, he could manage it.

"Should I send someone to fetch Zhang Su?" Qin Ren asked. Firstly, Zhang Su always accompanied them whenever they went out. Secondly, after a month apart, he missed his good friend. Although he and Zhang Su had never been as overtly chummy as his second brother and Yuan Chongli, and Zhang Su never initiated jokes or laughter, in Qin Ren’s heart, Zhang Su was his true brother.

To Qin Ren’s surprise, his sister refused: "Don’t call him. I asked him several times before, and he never agreed to come with me. Now that he’s willing to go out, I’m going to give him the cold shoulder for a few days."

Qin Ren conceded, "Alright. I’ll make sure he apologizes to you properly later."

Palace attendants brought the siblings’ mounts. Jie Yu led the Little Princess’s horse from the front, while Qin Ren rode steadily by his sister’s side.

After they had traveled half a li from the palace, the sound of galloping hooves approached from behind. The siblings turned to see six or seven swift horses, led by Qin Bing.

Leaving his companions behind, Qin Bing rode up to his younger siblings and playfully egged them on, "What’s the fun in moving so slowly? Come on, Second Brother will take you for a gallop."

Qingyang glared at him. Qin Ren smiled and said, "Second Brother, stop trying to provoke her."

Qin Bing grinned mischievously. Upon learning that his siblings were going mountain climbing, he said, "Alright, then. You go ahead. We’ll continue our race."

With that, he rejoined the young men waiting a dozen zhang away, and the group of horses galloped off again.

Qin Ren felt a faint pang of envy, but he still preferred riding slowly—it was safer.

Beside him, Qingyang was so envious her eyes almost turned red. She couldn’t wait to turn ten, the age when their father would allow her to ride freely on her own.

Despite her envy, Qingyang’s gaze lingered for a moment on Yuan Chongli’s retreating figure beside her second brother. Frowning, she asked, "Why is Second Brother still hanging out with Yuan Chongli?"

Qin Ren had also noticed Yuan Chongli. After a moment’s thought, he said, "It’s not so bad. Father only forbade Yuan Chongli from being Second Brother’s study companion, but Yuan Chongli is still a noble scion. He hasn’t committed any unforgivable mistakes. Besides, Second Brother has known him for nine years. Cutting ties completely over this would be too heartless. If it were Zhang Su, would you ignore him?"

Qingyang retorted, "Zhang Su would never lead you astray."

Qin Ren conceded, "Yes, yes, I was just making a comparison. Everyone has feelings—you can’t just sever ties so easily."

Qingyang reined her horse in front of her third brother and asked, "Friendship is one thing, but what about loyalty to Father? By stripping Yuan Chongli of his study companion status, Father made it clear he doesn’t think Yuan Chongli is worthy. If Second Brother keeps Yuan Chongli by his side now, isn’t he displeasing Father?"

"If I disliked someone and told you about it, but you continued to be close to that person, I’d be upset with you."

Qin Ren stammered, "...You’re right, little sister. But Father is the emperor, the Son of Heaven. Surely he wouldn’t bother with something like this, would he?"

He was their father, after all—nearly fifty years old. Would he really have the same temper as a child?

Qingyang looked at her third brother’s confused eyes and once again thought, "Third Brother is so naive."

If her third brother didn’t believe her, her stubborn second brother would be even less likely to listen. After their mountain climb, Qingyang took her third brother to pick two small handfuls of wildflowers on the grassland. When they returned to the palace, she had her third brother take one bunch to their mother first while she went to see Consort Gui.

The wildflowers from the grassland were vibrant—red, white, and yellow mixed together, full of rustic charm.

The Little Princess was already a beauty, sweet and adorable, and thoughtful enough to bring her flowers. Consort Gui was so delighted she almost felt like snatching Qingyang from Consort Li. Sitting on the daybed, she pulled the Little Princess into her arms and praised, "Our Lin'er is such a darling."

She could have had a daughter to dote on her, but though she held the title of foster mother to Yong Kang, they had never formed a true mother-daughter bond.

Qingyang recounted, "Third Brother picked these with me. I saw Second Brother too, but he was too busy racing horses with Yuan Chongli and the others. He wouldn’t even come down when I called him."

Consort Gui’s elegant smile stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.

After the Little Princess left, Consort Gui looked at the wildflowers arranged in the vase and felt a headache coming on.

Qin Bing didn’t return until dusk. As soon as he reached the West Gate, he was stopped by a palace attendant sent by Consort Gui, who informed him that she had invited him for dinner.

Having enjoyed his day out, Qin Bing belatedly felt a wave of longing for his mother and assumed she had summoned him because she missed him.

Determined to be a filial son, Qin Bing decided to serve his mother more dishes at the table.

But Consort Gui had no appetite. After picking at her food, she called her son aside for a private talk: "I heard you returned with Yuan Chongli?"

Qin Bing replied, "Yes, why?"

Consort Gui earnestly explained why he should distance himself from Yuan Chongli at this time. As for the emperor possibly planning to deal with Marquis Pingliang—that was a matter of state. Even if Consort Gui and her father had their suspicions, they couldn’t reveal them to their impulsive son, lest he pick another fight with Yuan Chongli and inadvertently reveal the emperor’s intentions toward the Yuan family.

She needed to teach her son the basics of social etiquette first. Once he became more steady, she could gradually impart the skills needed to navigate official circles.

But Qin Bing didn’t want to hear it: "Chongli made a mistake, and he accepted Father’s punishment without complaint. The matter is over. How can I shun him like those opportunistic outsiders? Mother, outsiders don’t understand Father’s temperament—they’d rather be overly cautious than risk offending him. But I’m Father’s son. I don’t need to be so careful. Father isn’t that petty. He might even let Chongli back in one day if he’s in a good mood."

Consort Gui countered, "You’re wrong. The emperor is first your sovereign, then your father. As his children, you should respect and fear him as your ruler, just like officials outside the palace. Be cautious in your words and actions. Don’t presume on blood ties to act willfully in front of him. If you accidentally offend him, you may end up disliked, cast aside, or even severely punished."

Qin Bing almost laughed: "You’re overthinking it, Mother. I just went riding with Chongli. We didn’t gamble or cause trouble. It’s not that serious. As for being cautious—Eldest Brother is plenty respectful toward Father. Has that made Father happy? I think Father actually prefers me, Third Brother, and little sister because we treat him like a father—we act spoiled and mischievous when we want to. The kind of emperor you’re talking about exists, but Father clearly isn’t like that."

Consort Gui began, "When you were younger, the emperor preferred to be a kind father. But now you’re seventeen. You should—"

Qin Bing interrupted, "Yes, I’ve grown up. So you should treat me like an adult, not try to control who I spend time with. Anyway, I’m all sweaty. I’m going back to bathe. You should rest early, Mother!"

The tall second prince flashed a cheeky grin, nimbly dodged his mother’s attempt to stop him, and ran off without looking back.

Knowing she couldn’t catch him, Consort Gui sat back down, exhausted.

How had her son turned out like this? Was it innate? Had she neglected him when he was young because she devoted more energy to managing the household and caring for Yong Kang and her brother? Or had he been spoiled by the palace attendants after moving alone into Jinghe Palace? Or had Yuan Chongli, as his study companion, led him astray?

Study companion...

Consort Gui thought of Qin Liang by the crown prince’s side, and Zhang Su by Qin Ren’s side. The crown prince lacked authority, but Qin Liang had presence. Qin Ren was lazy, but Zhang Su was disciplined. So, she really couldn’t blame her son’s recklessness entirely on Yuan Chongli.

.

On the morning after the three princes’ confinement ended, Emperor Xingwu summoned all the young scholars accompanying them to the grassland to test their martial arts skills.

Emperor Xingwu also invited civil and military officials to observe, along with the Little Princess, who loved such excitement.

Qingyang finally saw Zhang Su again and intended to give him the cold shoulder. To her surprise, he acted as though he hadn’t missed her at all—not even glancing her way.

The Little Princess was displeased and decided not to look at him either.

Including Qin Bing and Qin Ren, there were fifteen participants. The assessment consisted of three parts: foot archery, mounted archery, and hand-to-hand combat.

The foot archery and mounted archery events concluded quickly, with Qin Bing taking first in both, and Zhang Su securing second in both. Yuan Chongli placed fifth in foot archery and third in mounted archery.

Prince Yong said proudly, "Your Majesty, although the second prince is no scholar, his martial arts skills truly embody the essence of our old Qin family."

Emperor Xingwu twitched his mouth. He and his brother had learned their skills from the Lü family; the ancestors of the old Qin family had only left him a gambling addict for a father.

Deng Chong glanced at Zhang Su and snorted lightly, "It's a pity both my sons are on duty today. Otherwise, they could have at least taken second place."

Lv Guangzu looked over at Marquis Weiyuan, Meng Ji, who, like Zhang Jie, came from a renowned military family of the previous dynasty. Stroking his beard, he said to Deng Chong, "I actually think Zhang Su truly is a chip off the old block. It's fortunate that the young ones in both our families are older than him, or they would likely have lost if competing on the same stage. And the second son of the Marquis of Meng's family—if he were here today, he might not have performed worse than Zhang Su."

Meng Ji modestly replied, "My son is of limited talent and shallow knowledge. You flatter him too much, Duke."

Just then, the draw results for the third martial arts sparring round came out. Qin Ren, who had placed last in the first two events, got lucky and received a bye in the first round.

Emperor Xingwu thought: "..."

In the first round, Zhang Su was matched against Yuan Chongli.

Even though the little princess had been sulking and ignoring Zhang Su, she immediately grew worried. Although Zhang Su was Yuan Chongli's height, Yuan Chongli was three years older and his shoulders looked noticeably broader.

Emperor Xingwu and the others also stopped their conversation.

Having lost his position as study companion, Yuan Chongli had been smoldering for a full month. Finally presented with this opportunity to show his stuff and save face, he dared not compete against the second prince, making Zhang Su the target he had to defeat.