Shangguan Rui winked at him, flashing a row of white teeth, and then looked toward the tutor. “It has been years, yet your temperament has not changed in the slightest, Master.”
The tutor glared at him, feigning a look of authority, but the smile at the corners of his lips was irrepressible. “Ahem. You brat, when did you enter the palace?”
“I was just preparing to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to pay my respects to His Majesty when I spotted you. Naturally, I had to come and show my filial piety. I brought back several flasks of fine wine from the frontier, and I must invite you to drink with me, Master!”
The tutor laughed and gently tapped Shangguan Rui’s shoulder with the bamboo scrolls in his hand. “At least you have a heart!”
“Well, since you are in good spirits, Master, please do not punish the Second Prince further.” Seeing the tutor’s expression soften, Shangguan Rui immediately pressed his advantage to plead for Xiao Qi. “He does not have fine wine to warm his body. If he stays out in this freezing snow, what if he falls ill from the cold?”
The tutor laughed heartily and pointed a finger at him from a distance. “Fine, fine. This old man is also tired. Today’s lesson ends here.”
He then looked at the two princes with a stern expression. “Go back and memorize your essays thoroughly! If you stumble through them after the New Year, the punishment will continue!”
Relieved that the current punishment was over, Xiao Qi let out a sigh of relief. He watched the tutor depart with the Third and Fourth Princes, then turned to Shangguan Rui, his eyes filled with irrepressible joy. “Uncle is here! Why was there no announcement?”
Shangguan Rui reached out and stroked the top of his head. The usually arrogant Xiao Qi was as well-behaved as a cat being petted, tilting his small face up to look at him.
“Qi’er has grown quite a lot,” Shangguan Rui marveled. “You are growing into a young man.”
“Of course!” Xiao Qi straightened his back. “I am already sixteen!”
After saying this, he paused, remembering that Yan Qushan was still waiting beside him. He quickly pulled the young man toward Shangguan Rui. “Uncle! This is my study partner! He is the son of Yan Liang!”
“His essays are excellent, and he is skilled in archery and horsemanship. Having him by my side, I,” Xiao Qi spoke with great excitement, his words flowing like a river, as if he wanted to explain every single one of Yan Qushan’s virtues to Shangguan Rui.
Shangguan Rui’s gaze landed on Yan Qushan. He pondered for a moment and then smiled. “Young Master Yan’s talent is well-known. You will surely pass the high examinations in the future.”
Yan Qushan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He sensed a distance in Shangguan Rui’s demeanor, which was evident in the way he smiled. While Shangguan Rui’s eyes were full of affection for Xiao Qi, looking at Yan Qushan revealed a hint of wariness.
This Shangguan Rui had followed his father into battle at the age of eighteen and later led elite iron cavalry to fight across the lands, establishing the golden age of the Great Liang. Whether they were noble lords or commoners, everyone who mentioned him had to praise him as a once-in-a-century genius.
Originally from a scholar background, he was not as coarse as ordinary warriors. Instead, he was sophisticated, well-versed in literature, and possessed a graceful and elegant appearance. He looked less like a general and more like a refined scholar.
Yan Qushan smiled faintly. “I thank the Great General for his kind words.”
When facing Shangguan Rui, Xiao Qi seemed like a different person, becoming incredibly obedient. He tugged at Shangguan Rui’s sleeve like a spoiled child. “Did Uncle enter the palace only to pay respects to Father? Will you stay in the palace for a while? Perhaps stay until spring before leaving?”
Shangguan Rui pinched his cheek. “It is not just for greetings. I entered the palace this time to report a certain matter.”
Xiao Qi’s eyes brightened. “What matter?”
“I am getting married,” Shangguan Rui said with a gentle, curved smile.
Shangguan Rui was no longer young, and marriage should have been a joyful occasion. However, upon hearing this, Xiao Qi’s brow furrowed in dissatisfaction. “Uncle is getting married? Which family is the daughter from? Is she a legitimate or a concubine daughter? How old is she?”
“She is not a lady from a prestigious family, but a songstress from the frontier. I,” Shangguan Rui lowered his eyes, unable to hide his tenderness, “she sells her art, not her body. She is the most kind-hearted girl. I have already pledged my life to her.”
“In this life, she will be my only wife, and I shall take no concubines.”
As soon as his voice fell, there was a rustling sound of paper hitting the ground.
Xiao Qi was so shocked by these scandalous words that he had dropped his scrolls. His narrow eyes were wide with shock. “A songstress? A woman of such improper and lowly status? How can she be worthy of being the General’s wife?”
“Uncle! You have lost your mind!”
Shangguan Rui’s face darkened. “Qi’er!”
“The matter is settled!”
Xiao Qi’s chest heaved as if he were fuming with rage. He directly flicked his sleeves and stormed away. As his study partner, Yan Qushan had no choice but to follow him. Only when Shangguan Rui was no longer in sight did Xiao Qi slowly decelerate.
Yan Qushan looked at him and said softly, “Your Highness.”
Xiao Qi kicked a pebble in front of him in frustration. “Marrying a songstress of humble status? With such a background, Father will never permit this marriage. If that woman is truly allowed through the gates, would it not make us the laughingstock of the whole world?”
Yan Qushan’s eyes darkened slightly. “Your Highness seems to have a very deep bond with the Great General.”
“When I was young, Father did not come to see me, and my mother was drunk day and night. Only when my grandfather and uncle entered the palace would they speak to me and teach me calligraphy and archery.”
“Grandfather always said that everything about me was good, except for the pity that I was born a Ger. At those times, Uncle would contradict him. He said, ‘What of being a Ger? Can a Ger not hold the throne? There is no such logic in this world.'”
Shangguan Rui’s position in Xiao Qi’s heart was undoubtedly heavy. He was both a teacher and a father figure. The warmth Xiao Qi never received from Emperor Jiande was experienced through Shangguan Rui.
Yan Qushan remained silent, eventually offering comfort. “Although she is a songstress, she is a reputable one with a simple nature. I imagine it might be acceptable.”
“Acceptable?” Xiao Qi suddenly turned back to look at him. “So what if she is a reputable songstress? As long as she has performed for one day, she is of lowly status for life. Even if she enters the family registry later, it cannot change the fact that she was once a courtesan!”
“Children born of lowly status are also of lowly status. They will be cursed and looked down upon, never able to show their faces in public for their entire lives.” He finished his tirade in one breath, still feeling unsatisfied. “With such an identity, even bringing her into the General’s Manor as a bed-warming maid would be considered a waste of space!”
He spoke his mind freely, but he did not notice Yan Qushan standing beside him with his head lowered, the tips of his fingers twitching neurotically.
Yan Qushan looked at Xiao Qi. The fox-fur cloak made the prince look like he was carved from jade. His features were cold and proud, possessing an incomparable nobility, as if he rightfully belonged in this palace as one who looks down upon the world.
“Children born of lowly status are also of lowly status. Even if they enter the family registry, it cannot change the facts.”
Those words were like a curse, echoing in his heart. Yan Qushan’s nails dug fiercely into the flesh of his palms, and blood slid down the base of his hand. He stood behind Xiao Qi. The prince’s back was so straight, like a green bamboo growing on a cliff, lonely and aloof.
But Yan Qushan found it an eyesore. At that moment, he felt an urge to break Xiao Qi’s spine and force him to bow and scrape for the rest of his life.
His eyes were bloodshot. It was only when Xiao Qi turned around and saw him dazed that he called out, “Yan Qushan?”
He looked up abruptly, his face once again wearing that elegant smile. He nonchalantly hid his bloodstained palm behind his back. “The threshold of the General’s Manor is too high.”
“A songstress,” he pulled at the corner of his mouth, “is indeed not enough to reach it.”