Chapter 227 - 194: Unfathomable
The three companion readers, however, saw that the Eldest Prince looked completely used to it. They exchanged glances, and the boldest of them asked, "Mr. He has already assigned a lot of schoolwork. Your Highness is so diligent even during your break. Don’t you find it tiring?"
"...A lot?"
Xie Zhao looked bewildered. "I think it’s very little! It’s not even a tenth of what my mother consort used to teach me in the palace."
Compared to the workload his mother consort assigned, this was practically a vacation.
However, the content Mr. He taught wasn’t entirely the same as what his mother consort had taught him. Xie Zhao listened with great interest, and even the teacher’s old face, which the other companion readers found intimidating, began to look benevolent.
At that moment, the Second Prince walked over.
From a distance, Xie Sheng saw his older brother receive an exquisite food box from Lady Shufei. He then noticed some papers inside the box and grew curious. But when he got closer, he saw that the names written on them were Xie Zhao and Yanchuan. The young boy’s smile immediately fell. "Big Brother, how come there’s none for me?"
"You want a test paper too? I’ll have De Shen copy one for you."
Xie Sheng shook his head. "No need for the test paper. I want some of Nanny Mu’s pastries too."
Guo Xiao Yi had repeatedly and earnestly warned him not to eat food from any other palace.
Xie Sheng took her words to heart, but he didn’t consider Bihua Palace to be one of the "other palaces." He thought of Bihua Palace as his second home in the harem. ’What could be more normal than having a snack to tide myself over during tutoring?’
Xie Zhao laughed heartily, certain his younger brother was just being shy.
"Second Brother, there’s no need to be so polite with me. Come, De Shen, copy a set for him."
"No, Big Brother, I’m really not being polite..."
"If you say any more, Second Brother, you’ll be treating me like a stranger."
Don’t be fooled by Xie Zhao’s refined and pleasant demeanor toward everyone. When he became enthusiastic, he was hard to refuse. Xie Sheng was especially bad at turning his older brother down, so he could only resolve to himself that after he was invited to sit, he would scarf down the pastries and eat his fill—and then some—to make up for it.
Xie Sheng was furious!
He was mad at himself for looking for trouble and landing himself a pile of test papers for no reason.
’Wouldn’t it have been nice to just sit there and take a nap? Listening to the companion readers talk about fun and interesting things outside the palace would have been great. But no, I just couldn’t resist the temptation of Bihua Palace’s pastries.’
"Wash your hands before you eat," Xie Zhao said, stopping his brother just as he was about to grab a pastry during their idle chat. "Xu Sheng."
Xu Sheng was his Chief Eunuch.
At his command, Xu Sheng presented a copper basin with both hands, while another palace maid dipped a piece of white silk into the water to clean the Second Prince’s hands.
When it was Xie Zhao’s turn, a new copper basin had to be brought out.
"What kind of standard do you think Father Emperor used to choose our companion readers? My mother consort said the Gu Family submitted many names to the list, but Father Emperor didn’t pick a single one. At least he left you with one of your own family."
After sending the other companion readers away, Xie Sheng pulled his older brother aside to whisper.
He was quite puzzled.
Presuming to guess the Emperor’s intentions was a great disrespect, but the Emperor was quite tolerant of the women and children in the harem. Ever since his older brother started bringing him along to see their Father Emperor more often, Xie Sheng had gradually become less afraid of him and dared to gossip behind his back.
Xie Zhao thought for a moment. "He probably chose those with good moral character."
"Does that mean all the children of the Gu Family have such poor character that Father Emperor couldn’t find a single one he liked?"
The Second Prince’s small head was filled with great big questions.
Guo Xiao Yi often told him that no one else could be trusted. Only the Gu Family was his future support. The Gu Family would back him with all their strength, and he should only trust and rely on people from the Gu family... After learning that not a single person with the surname Guo was on the list of companion readers, Guo Xiao Yi had a meltdown.
"Second Brother, don’t worry about it. Look, among the Jiang family by my side, isn’t Yanchuan the only one?"
Hearing this, Xie Sheng paused. He saw Jiang Yan Chuan, who was standing nearby, smile at him and couldn’t help but say in exasperation, "How can you compare the two? The Jiang family only has Yanchuan, their sole seedling of the right age. The Gu family, including their branch families, has at least ten."
Prominent families believed in having many children for many blessings, and it wasn’t as if they couldn’t afford them. A family with so few descendants like the Jiang family was a rarity at court.
"Is that really true?"
Jiang Yan Chuan nodded. "My cousin is much older than I, and there is no one else. It is my good fortune to have been able to become Your Highness’s companion reader."
Xie Zhao nodded thoughtfully. Then he heard his brother ask, "Doesn’t Lady Shufei tell you about her family’s affairs?"
"Not much. When she does, she mostly mentions my grandmother, grandfather, and Yanchuan."
Jiang Xian had intended to foster a bond between the two boys, who were of the same age. So, after briefly observing that Yanchuan hadn’t been raised poorly, she would occasionally mention his "little uncle" outside the palace to Zhao’er. This made their first formal meeting feel warm and familiar.
But it was only a sense of familiarity.
You can’t force a melon to be sweet by twisting it from the vine. Jiang Xian was strict about education but took a hands-off approach to Zhao’er’s friendships. She didn’t force him to immediately confide in his "little uncle," letting him make his own decisions. If they didn’t get along, he could simply be treated as a regular companion reader for their studies, with no need for a deeper connection.
Now that Xie Zhao had met his legendary "little uncle," his gaze held a hint of scrutiny. The morning’s lesson hadn’t revealed what Yanchuan was truly made of, but at least he wasn’t unpleasant. Thus, Xie Zhao didn’t avoid speaking privately in front of him.
A mother knows her son best. Jiang Xian knew that while her son smiled at everyone, he had a strong mind of his own and wouldn’t be easily influenced. Saying too much would only be counterproductive.
"It’s no wonder. There is little worth mentioning about our family’s affairs, and it’s truly difficult to send letters into the palace. Sometimes, no news is the best news."
As the sole son of the Jiang family, Yanchuan was born at just the right time. His sister, favored in the palace, was generous in her support for her maternal family. He never lacked for food or clothing, and had tutors and books readily available. His parents only had two requirements for him: first, to be diligent in his studies, and second, to keep his thoughts and intentions righteous. Nurtured by this upright family environment, he developed a character that was as firm and upright as bamboo, yet also humble and gentle. "Although Her Ladyship doesn’t say much, she often bestows rewards, is always considerate of our parents, and often extends her favor to me."
"My mother consort has always been filial and handles matters with great care and consideration. Her knowledge is so profound it rivals that of any man."
"If Lady Shufei were a man, the Jiang family mantle would never have fallen to me to inherit."
Though there wasn’t much of a pittance to inherit anyway.
The Jiang family had a little something left from the stipends their ancestors and Jiang Ke had earned over many years as officials. First, a sum was spent on treating the original owner of the body. Then, when Jiang Xian had to go to the capital for the concubine selection, the family sold everything they had to provide her with travel money and silver to establish herself in the palace. After that, almost nothing was left. He could only inherit his father’s incorruptible poverty and noble spirit, which was just perfect for a family living on air.
Xie Zhao listened with great relish. He loved hearing others praise his mother consort.
As it happened, Jiang Yan Chuan was a budding "sister-con."
And so, the two of them found their common ground. They hit it off immediately, as if they were old friends who regretted not having met sooner.
Just as their conversation was getting lively, the Upper Study Room’s instructor, Mr. He, walked in.
He cleared his throat lightly, and everyone consciously returned to their seats. Seeing this, Mr. He’s anxious heart settled back into place. He had been worried that these two noble and special students would be defiant. The morning lesson had been a placement test of sorts, to gauge the students’ foundations before teaching in detail.
Of course, the main focus was on the two princes.
The companion readers all had to follow the princes’ pace.
So, Mr. He began to test the two princes on what they had learned. This initial assessment revealed that the Second Prince had excellent handwriting and a solid foundation; he could recite the texts Mr. He mentioned from memory. As for the Eldest Prince...
Mr. He questioned him again and again, only to discover with astonishment that he couldn’t seem to find the bottom of his knowledge!