Chapter 114 Afterword (Part Five)
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Jinghe sixth year.
December twenty-fourth.
The room was boiling a small pot of medicine. Two days ago, Jiang Ye secretly slipped onto the frozen lake to play. He accidentally fell into the lake, but he didn’t dare to tell the Empress.
So he ordered his attendants not to report.
But since the day before yesterday, the continuous coughing and the high fever last night couldn’t be hidden anymore.
The Empress ordered the imperial physician to come and take a look, and moved the small stove to the side hall. He sat on the side with a palm-leaf fan in his hand, watching.
In front of the table, the incense in the censer curled up, and the warm hall was mixed with the fragrance of cedar orchid and the strong smell of medicine.
“Stop, what are you doing? Continue reading.”
Jiang Ye had just stopped for a while when he heard the Empress’s cold voice from in front of the table.
He could only rub his sore arms and take the heavy national history book again, kneeling on the cushion and continuing to recite, not daring to stop for a moment.
The medicine on the stove gurgled, and as the sky darkened, Little Crown Prince Jiang Ye couldn’t help but daydream, poking his head out of the door to look outside. At times like this, Chu Xie would hit him on the head with a palm-leaf fan. “What are you looking at?”
Chu Xie lazily supported his head, “No one can plead for mercy.”
Jiang Ye rubbed his knees again and raised the bamboo slips in his hand with a bit of grievance, asking, “Dad, do I have to memorize this entire scroll?”
“Yes.”
Chu Xie wrapped the medicine jar cover with white cloth and lifted it to take a look. The pungent smell of medicine rushed to his nose. Even he have not drunk such a strong Chinese medicine in a long time.
Jiang Ye had never tasted it before, and if he didn’t keep an eye on him, he probably wouldn’t drink it obediently.
Thinking of this, Chu Xie put on a cold and indifferent expression. “If you make a mistake in a word, copy it once.”
Just as he said this, there was some movement outside.
Jiang Ye immediately knelt and moved to the side, his eyes sparkling as he looked towards the hall’s entrance.
Sure enough, he saw the familiar figure approaching. His eyes immediately turned red, and he called out in a soft and gentle voice, “Royal Father—”
Recently, many people were coming to pay respects as the New Year approached in the palace. Jiang Yanchi hurried over when he heard about the Crown Prince’s situation, and when he arrived, he saw the child kneeling in the middle of the hall, eagerly calling for him.
“Ye Er, how long have you been kneeling? What’s going on?” Jiang Yanchi supported him, rubbed his small knees, and allowed the little eunuch to remove his cloak, shaking off the fine snow on his body.
“Who told you to get up.” Chu Xie frowned and knocked on the table with a palm-leaf fan.
Jiang Yanchi finally realized that Chu Xie was really angry.
The Crown Prince kept hiding behind Jiang Yanchi, and hesitantly said, “Royal Father, yes, it was Royal Father who told me to get up.”
Jiang Yanchi tore the child away from himself and looked at the soup medicine boiling on the table. His expression changed slightly, “Are you not feeling well?”
Chu Xie slowly swept his gaze over, “No, it’s the Crown Prince.”
“What’s going on, Ye Er, are you sick?”
Touching Jiang Ye’s forehead again, it did seem a bit hot, but the illness wasn’t severe. He turned to Chu Xie, pleading, “Ye Er must know he’s wrong. If you want to punish him, wait until he’s fully recovered from the illness. It’s so uncomfortable for a child to be sick…”
Saying this, Jiang Ye immediately took advantage of the situation, sniffed and whimpered, “Dad, Dad, hug me, I’m really uncomfortable.”
Chu Xie looked at Jiang Yanchi, then at Jiang Ye, and hatefully threw the palm-leaf fan on the table, suddenly darkening his face. He questioned sternly, “Uncomfortable? You know it’s uncomfortable?”
“Didn’t I say that the frozen lake was off-limits? Yet, you insisted on going. You are the heir to the throne, the Crown Prince. How can you be so indiscreet!”
Jiang Yanchi finally understood that the Crown Prince had caught a cold from playing on the frozen lake.
Unable to refute, he looked at the Crown Prince, who dragged his clothes tighter, and choked his voice, “Yes, I’m sorry, Dad, I won’t dare next time…”
“Next time, there will be a next time?”
Jiang Ye shrank his neck, “No. No, there won’t be a next time.”
Chu Xie pointed to the cushion, “Then continue to kneel.”
Jiang Ye immediately burst into tears, tightly grabbing Jiang Yanchi, “Royal Father, Royal Father…”
Jiang Yanchi was somewhat embarrassed and said, “Ah Xie, you see, tonight is New Year’s Eve. We still have to have dinner together later. The small kitchen is still making tangyuan . Ye has been saying he wants to eat tangyuan. Otherwise, I can take him to make a bowl of tangyuan for you as an apology…” As he spoke, he signaled to Jiang Ye with his eyes.
Jiang Ye, being clever, immediately let go of Jiang Yanchi, took Chu Xie’s hand, and shook it, “Dad, I’ll make sesame tangyuan for Dad. Dad, don’t punish Ye Er, okay? Ye knows he was wrong, really.”
The voice was warm and soft, like a small ball of cotton nestling in the heart, and Chu Xie almost softened.
Just as he was about to raise his hand to rub Jiang Ye’s head, he seemed to have made up his mind, coldly clasped the Crown Prince’s shoulders, “Does Ye understand why Dad wants to punish you?”
“Because Ye went to the frozen lake.”
“No.”
Chu Xie’s tone was severe, “Because you lied.”
“The day before yesterday, when you fell into the frozen lake, if you had seen the imperial physician in time, there wouldn’t have been this high fever. Why did you, as the Crown Prince, suppress this matter by intimidating the attendants? Do you think that being the Crown Prince allows you to act recklessly?”
Jiang Ye was truly shocked this time.
He stuttered for quite a while and couldn’t explain himself.
Looking at Chu Xie’s stern gaze, he obediently knelt back down, picked up the bamboo slips, and said, “Ye was wrong, and Ye accepts the punishment.”
Jiang Yanchi wanted to say a few words, but he was glared at by Chu Xie, so he had to soften his tone and coax Chu Xie into the inner chamber, sitting on the bed to pour him a cup of hot tea. “Why are you so angry? You know, Ye is not usually so mischievous. It’s almost New Year, and he is happy.”
“He is the Crown Prince. Jiang Yanchi, since you adopted him from the Yubei County House, you are responsible for him and also responsible for the Great Wei’s imperial throne.” Chu Xie was resolute on major matters like this, “He is our Crown Prince, the future Emperor.”
Our Crown Prince.
Jiang Yanchi’s eyes were full of contentment.
His lips curved up with a smile.
No longer arguing, he just nodded, “You’re right.”
“Of course, it’s right. From childhood to adulthood.” Chu Xie asserted, “Deception is never good, and lying is a grave mistake that cannot be tolerated.”
Jiang Yanchi was swayed by a few words, raised the curtain, and left.
Jiang Ye looked at Jiang Yanchi’s expression and knew there was no hope.
Sure enough.
Royal Father walked to his side, bent down to look at the familiar national history scroll, and sighed like an experienced person.
Patting the child’s head, he comforted, “Ah, endure it a little. Royal Father also went through this.”
“…?”
Jiang Ye was shocked.
“Royal Father was also punished to copy books and memorize scriptures?”
Talking about this, they found more common ground.
Jiang Yanchi vividly described it, as if it happened yesterday, his voice rising as if he was talking about some triumphant matter.
“It’s not as comfortable as you are now. Royal Father copied books on that waterside pavilion in the cold winter, hands freezing…”
A cough came from inside the room.
The Emperor immediately fell silent.
Jiang Ye glanced inside, then looked at the Emperor, his small eyes filled with great concern.
He vaguely felt that something was not right.
Pointing to the sentence written in the national history in his hand – “The authority of the emperor is esteemed for its exclusivity. Holding great power and practicing great virtue,” he asked, “Royal Father, aren’t you the emperor? Why do people in the palace always say that when there’s something, they should seek advice from Empress Niang Niang?”
Jiang Ye was very puzzled. “A few days ago when Uncle entered the palace, I heard someone say that the whole world seems to be surnamed Chu.”
“Don’t speak casually.” Jiang Yanchi’s smiling expression faded a bit. “The world belongs to Royal Father. Royal Father is your father.”
Jiang Ye seemed to understand but not entirely.
Thinking of what Qi Sui said a few days ago, he felt that Royal Father was pitiful, hesitant to speak.
After a while, he furrowed his brows and continued, “But I also heard Uncle Qi say that at home, it’s following the father, and after marriage, it’s following the husband. He said I should ask you about this ancient saying – ‘The husband is the wife’s guiding principle.’ Can this principle still stand…”
Traitor Qi misled me!
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yanchi covered his mouth.
Hearing footsteps behind him, the Empress just came out and happened to hear the last two sentences.
Jiang Ye saw Chu Xie overlooking the father and son, his eyes chilly and intimidating. “Jiang Yanchi, did you teach him this – ‘The husband is the wife’s guiding principle’?”
It wasn’t me, I didn’t!
Chu Xie sneered and looked at Jiang Ye, saying, “Then I won’t be the Empress, I can be the Empress Dowager.”
No, this really can’t be.
Jiang Yanchi and Jiang Ye shook their heads like a big and a small drum.
“It was Uncle Qi who told me. At that time, Uncle and Father were both present. Uncle Qi said he really didn’t understand why things were like this and even said that Royal Father is pitiful.”
Chu Xie vaguely felt that Jiang Ye had more to say, so he raised his eyebrows and asked, “And then?”
“Then, Uncle said that Uncle Qi was pitiful.”
Jiang Yanchi understood and laughed.
“Who does Ye Er think is pitiful?”
Jiang Ye rubbed his knee, lowered his eyes, and said sadly, “Ye Er thinks that Ye Er is the most pitiful.”
“It’s almost Little New Year. I can’t even eat a tangyuan. I’m still being punished.”
The pitiful expression and plea for mercy were just like Jiang Yanchi.
Can he be influenced like this?
Chu Xie suddenly felt irritable, thinking that the Great Wei’s throne was like taking bitter medicine.
“Where is your uncle?” Chu Xie looked over and saw that the medicine had been simmered. He wrapped the handle with a white cloth and was about to lift it.
Jiang Yanchi quickly pushed away his fair hand and poured out the medicine.
Jiang Ye looked at the bowl of thick black medicine, then at Chu Xie. He blew on the medicine bowl, held his breath, and drank it all.
“Uncle went to visit Grand Tutor Zhao’s house for a while. He said he would enter the palace a bit later today.”
“Oh.”
Chu Xie leisurely glanced at the Crown Prince, “Then what are you still standing here for? Go and make tangyuan for your uncle.”
The Crown Prince was overjoyed and exchanged a glance with the Emperor. He quickly stood up, “Thank you for the grace, Father!”
“And no more lying in the future?” Chu Xie, holding a cup of hot tea, asked slowly before he left.
“I won’t dare anymore.”
“If you keep lying like this, you’ll end up getting sick, and both Royal Father and I will worry about you.” Chu Xie reasoned with him.
“Ye Er understands.”
Jiang Ye earnestly raised both hands, folded them in front of his forehead, performed a formal salute, and then bowed once before leaving the hall.
Chu Xie called him back, following him out.
Taking the crimson little cloak from Tao Li waiting outside, Chu Xie bent his knees, tied the thin straps for the Crown Prince, and instructed, “Your Royal Father likes it sweet, so add more sugar. Also, knead some without sugar for your uncle. Pack them in two baskets separately, don’t mix them up.”
Jiang Ye nodded vigorously.
The small figure quickly disappeared under the long steps, with Tao Li busy carrying a lantern to light his way.
Seeing the child walk away, Jiang Yanchi embraced him loosely from behind.
Whispering in his ear with a low voice. “You also know that only naughty children are full of lies.”
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