Carried to School

Author's note: Revised the previous chapter. Things were moving a little too fast, so I pulled it back.

After teasing Gou'er, the third-born prince, for a while, Qi Yuanzuo left thoroughly satisfied.

The Third Prince screeched in fury inside his swaddling, but his little body had little energy to spare. As he fumed and fumed, he fell asleep.

Before leaving, the Crown Prince even waved at Lady Zhou. "I'll come see my third little brother again next time."

Lady Zhou answered with an awkward smile. Once the Crown Prince was far away, she hurriedly gathered her son into her arms and sobbed softly.

"My poor San'er. So young, and already the Crown Prince treats him like a plaything."

The servants in the hall hurried to stop her from saying more.

"My lady! You must never say such things. You should say the Crown Prince cares for the Third Prince."

Tears pattered from Lady Zhou's eyes. "He's just bored and came to amuse himself with San'er. San'er was already asleep, but he insisted on forcing him awake."

The servants were rather speechless. Surely you knew whether the Third Prince was really asleep or only pretending? You could fool other people, but don't fool yourself.

The Crown Prince hadn't done anything much. He had watched the Third Prince have his diaper changed, then teased him a little.

Children being curious about other children was perfectly normal.

Someone tried to persuade her. "My lady, look on the bright side. When the Third Prince grows up and has the Crown Prince looking after him, how could His Majesty possibly treat him poorly?"

Lady Zhou wouldn't listen. In her mind, San'er was destined for great things. How could he trail behind the Crown Prince's backside?

She kept crying over poor San'er until she woke the Third Prince. Annoyed, he kicked his legs. He had known from infancy that his mother was a fool. Otherwise, she wouldn't have remained a mere lady her entire life.

Qi Yuanzuo left the Colorful Fragrance Courtyard and wandered over to see Lady Yin. Her Yi River Pavilion stood beside Consort Xian's Condensing Dew Pavilion, so he crept along furtively, afraid the Eldest Prince would catch him.

The Eldest Prince meddled in everything and wouldn't listen to reason. He was a glue trap: once stuck to him, escaping was hard. Qi Yuanzuo was the mouse that had stepped onto it. The glue trap had singled him out, and even tearing it away wouldn't work.

Of course, the Eldest Prince didn't think so himself.

At that moment, Lady Yin and His Majesty were being all lovey-dovey.

The Qi Emperor had just returned from court. Yesterday he had kept his precious son company; today he was soothing Consort Yin. It was rather lacking in sincerity, but Consort Yin saw nothing wrong with it.

Softly and delicately, she said, "The Crown Prince may be young, but he has courage and judgment, and he's clever and bright. I'm very fond of him myself."

"Yesterday, when the Crown Prince stood in front of me, I thought that if I had a child, they could shield him a little in times of danger, too."

These words greatly pleased the Qi Emperor, and he immediately promised to spend the night with her.

They were just about to embrace when Fat Eunuch came trotting in.

"Your Majesty, my lady, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

The two stared at each other, then immediately separated.

One thought, If Zuo'er sees me holding someone else and thinks I don't want him anymore, it would be dreadful if he got upset and cried.

The other thought, I mustn't let the Crown Prince think I'm seducing His Majesty. If he takes a dislike to me, I'll regret it to death.

By the time the Crown Prince stepped into the Yi River Pavilion, the two were making a show of playing chess.

"Greetings, Father."

Qi Yuanzuo clasped his two fists and, without even bending at the waist, plunged straight into the emperor's arms.

The Crown Prince only needed to kneel to the emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the empress.

The emperor's other consorts and concubines had to salute the Crown Prince, though family propriety meant a slight bow was enough.

Lady Yin rose with someone's support.

Qi Yuanzuo spoke first. "Lady Yin, you needn't bow to me. Your health matters more."

Lady Yin kept an eye on the emperor out of the corner of her gaze. He remained unmoved, so she performed the bow anyway.

Qi Yuanzuo pretended not to notice. When the Qi Emperor loved him, that love was genuine. Every special favor was lavished on him without reservation; all that remained was to hand him the realm itself.

He climbed into the Qi Emperor's embrace as though climbing a tree.

"Father, I missed you. How come you're here with Lady Yin, too?"

The Qi Emperor basked in this, touching his little paws and ears. They were warm, which meant he wasn't cold. He slipped a hand down his back and found no damp sweat, so he wasn't hot either.

Such care was no less attentive than a birth mother's.

"And what brings you here, Zuo'er?"

"I came to check on Lady Yin's knees."

Consort Yin felt warmth fill her heart. "Rest assured, Your Highness. The imperial physician has examined me, and my knees are nothing to worry about."

Qi Yuanzuo had only come to visit. He was bored to death, and he shook the Qi Emperor's arm, pestering him.

"Father, the palace is so boring. I want to go outside and play."

The Qi Emperor chuckled, picked him up, and strode away. "Still want to leave the palace? Ask my palm whether it agrees."

Qi Yuanzuo wasn't afraid in the slightest. He grinned. "How do I ask?"

The Qi Emperor said, "By letting it smack your bottom nice and loud."

Qi Yuanzuo nestled against the Qi Emperor's shoulder and laughed.

"Father would never have the heart."

From his lofty perch, he looked down at the people below, their faces filled with respect, envy, and astonishment.

He held on even tighter.

The Double Ninth Festival was only a few days away. Among the common people, many would climb to high places to gaze into the distance, admire chrysanthemums, and wear sprigs of dogwood.

The palace was no exception. A chrysanthemum-viewing banquet would be held there.

There was a covered pavilion in the Imperial Garden called Nine Bends. Emperors through the ages had liked to hold their chrysanthemum-viewing banquets there. It was like standing amid a sea of flowers, with every variety of chrysanthemum springing into view.

The court officials would compose poems and exchange matching couplets. They entered the palace during the hour of the Snake, and the banquet began at noon. When it ended depended on the emperor's mood.

For the three years since the Qi Emperor had taken the throne, the Empress Dowager had organized the chrysanthemum banquet. This year, the Qi Emperor would take charge.

In the past, officials had used chrysanthemums as their theme to praise the Empress Dowager. After today, the imperial palace would have only one master: the Qi Emperor!

The Elder Princess's death had stirred no waves inside the palace, but outside, undercurrents surged. The heir to the Prince of Annam, who would soon enter the palace, alone presented a difficult problem.

The Qi Emperor coaxed him with a promise to take him out of the palace on the evening of the Double Ninth Festival.

Qi Yuanzuo settled down and stopped roaming through the palace.

He had settled down, but the Eldest Prince was displeased.

A king of relentless striving, destined to dress before dawn and eat only after dusk all his life, couldn't bear to see the Crown Prince lazing about.

Every day, he came knocking when it was time for school.

The end of the hour of the Hare. Six in the morning.

Qi Yuanzuo's vision went black. He whined and grumbled, unwilling to get up.

The Eldest Prince believed there was nothing much wrong with his health anymore. It was time to study.

Royal children started school at three, studied the Four Books and Five Classics at six, and added the Six Arts of the Gentleman at seven or eight. At ten, they could pick any two little wastrels off the street and beat them until they called them boss. Only that counted as a successful royal education.

Every generation of princes fought themselves half to death under this system of education. Either they succeeded, or they went mad.

By Qi Yuanzuo's reckoning, his generation was a textbook case of going mad.

Everyone would think, I've worked so hard. He hasn't worked harder than me, and he isn't better than me. Why can he have it when I can't?

He couldn't blame them. Qi Yuanzuo was thinking exactly that himself now.

The Eldest Prince carried him toward the school palace, huffing and puffing.

"You're still little. There are pastries and dried meat in the bag. Have some to tide you over. By the time you've finished, we'll be there."

Fat Eunuch and Simiao rolled their eyes back, ready to faint.

What kind of situation was this?

The imperial family placed the greatest weight on rules, yet disregarded them more than anyone.

Was the Eldest Prince breaking the rules by carrying the Crown Prince to school?

The emperor had said the Crown Prince needed quiet rest.

If the Crown Prince cried and refused to go, and the Eldest Prince insisted on hauling him there, then the Eldest Prince would be in the wrong.

The Crown Prince hadn't resisted, so this counted as play between the two princes.

If the emperor didn't punish him, no one had the right to call it wrong.

Qi Yuanzuo let his mind wander all the way to the school palace.

The moment his eyes focused-fuck, he'd seen something foul.

How had Xi Ming still not been killed by his eldest brother?!