Zhao Yan arrived at the Imperial Study just before the end of the Yin hour, which would be around 4 a.m. in modern times.
The sky was still pitch black, but fortunately, lanterns were lit throughout the Imperial Study, and sufficient charcoal fires were burning.
Chen Xiang took his cloak and went to wait in the side study, where servants attending to other princes had gathered.
Carrying his small book bag, Zhao Yan stood alone at the entrance of the Imperial Study, feeling a hint of panic at facing the unknown and difficult situation ahead.
In his previous life, when he first left the orphanage to attend school, the children in his class had pointed and whispered at his shabby clothes and thin frame. Throughout middle school and high school, he remained the subject of others' gossip.
He feared this life would be the same.
Zhao Yan twisted the straps of his book bag with his small hands, silently encouraging himself: Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. The people inside are all my brothers, they should be friendly.
The two eunuchs at the door watched him for a long time, nearly about to speak up, when Zhao Yan finally gritted his teeth and walked in on his short legs.
He expected everyone to stare at him, but no one even glanced his way.
An argument seemed to be happening inside the Imperial Study.
One of the parties involved was the Second Prince, whom he had just met. His pale blue eyes, identical to Wen Guifei's, were wide open. His face, thin due to health issues, carried a haughty coldness as he pressed down firmly on a turtle.
Opposite him was a child around seven years old, his small face flushed red, glaring at the Second Prince with great grievance: "Second Brother, let go of my turtle."
The Crown Prince, wearing a bright yellow python robe nearby, also advised: "Second Brother, it's just a turtle. Why are you giving him such a hard time?"
The Second Prince snorted coldly: "He knows I'm unwell, yet he brings a turtle? He's mocking me!" He added under his breath about longevity and long life behind him.
The Third Prince was wronged and continued to look pleadingly at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince kept persuading, but the Second Prince remained unmoved, insisting on making turtle soup.
The three were at a stalemate.
Zhao Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and moved to find his seat. Scanning the room, he saw several empty spots. Just as he was wondering where to sit, someone at the very back of the Imperial Study secretly waved vigorously at him.
That was also a child, looking about his age but much plumper and sturdier. He wore a light beige vest over his clothes, with rabbit fur trim on the cuffs and round collar. His light brown eyes sparkled as they looked over, appearing particularly cunning and intelligent.
Zhao Yan blinked a couple of times and quietly walked over.
When he was two steps away, the other child grabbed him and pulled him down into the adjacent empty seat.
Zhao Yan, being quite skinny, stumbled from the pull and ended up sprawled across the desk. Before he could say anything, the child leaned in and whispered: "Second Brother is so domineering, wanting to kill Third Brother's turtle for no reason."
Zhao Yan guessed the identity of the child before him: about his age, brown eyes, Han Chinese features—it must be his Sixth Brother.
He tentatively called out, "Sixth Brother."
The Sixth Prince shushed him and continued: "Keep your voice down. Second Brother is petty; we shouldn't let him hear us talking about him."
Zhao Yan: "…" Seems like you're the only one doing the talking.
The Sixth Prince lowered his voice and continued with great enthusiasm, "Let me tell you, on the day you fell into the lotus pond, Second Brother was reprimanded by Father Emperor for contradicting Crown Prince. The Crown Prince even pleaded for him, but Second Brother was so angry he fell ill. Consort Yun took Fifth Brother to visit Second Brother, but Imperial Concubine said she was being hypocritically kind and threw out the gifts Consort Yun had sent. That fool Fifth Brother then took the discarded gifts and, right in front of Imperial Concubine, gave them to Consort Jing who happened to be passing by. This angered Wen Guifei so much that she scolded Consort Jing too…"
He chattered on and on, effortlessly recounting all the happenings of the various palace consorts.
Like a gossipmonger.
His chattiness was comparable to the dean of discipline back when Zhao Yan was in high school.
However, for Zhao Yan, who was completely in the dark, this information was quite useful.
Zhao Yan glanced toward the entrance of the Imperial Study and whispered, "What about the scholars from the Hanlin Academy? Don’t they intervene?" The Sixth Prince looked at him suspiciously, "Did you lose your mind after falling into the water? The scholars attend the morning court session first. They won’t come to teach us until the end of the mao hour, after we’ve finished reviewing our lessons. Right now, only the study attendants are watching over us, and they don’t dare discipline Second Brother." His voice still carried the unique innocence of a child, but he spoke like a little adult.
Zhao Yan let out an "oh" and finally understood: before their formal studies began, they had an hour of early morning study from around four to six in the morning.
They had to review Chinese and Western Path texts, as well as previously learned material.
One hour meant two hours.
Who in their right mind schedules two hours of early morning study? This is enough to make your voice go hoarse!
The princes of Great Chu are truly pitiful!
Speaking of lessons, the Sixth Prince whispered to him again, "Have you been reviewing your lessons these past few days at Jingfu Pavilion? Yesterday, Liu Hanlin said he would test us on the 'Three Character Classic' today. I’ve been trying to memorize it for days, but I still can’t." He furrowed his little brows, looking quite troubled.
Zhao Yan also frowned, his dark eyes blinking blankly a couple of times. "I don’t know…"
Wait, he wasn’t even six yet, just here early to get used to the atmosphere. Did he have to memorize texts too?
Hearing that Zhao Yan didn’t know either, the Sixth Prince immediately relaxed and chuckled, "That’s good. I thought I was the only one who didn’t know."
Zhao Yan pointed to the person lying in front of them.
It seemed like this person hadn’t moved since he came in.
The Sixth Prince glanced over and then pursed his lips. "Don’t be fooled by Fourth Brother sleeping every day. He’s actually really good at memorizing texts."
Fourth Brother’s mother must be Consort Jing, the one who suffered the unjust scolding.
Zhao Yan asked again, "Did Fourth Brother not go to see Second Brother that day?"
The Sixth Prince shook his head. "Fourth Brother doesn’t like interacting with anyone. When you fell into the water, I invited him to come see you with me, but he ignored me." The Sixth Prince scratched his head sheepishly. "I originally wanted to visit you alone, but my mother wouldn’t let me…"
Zhao Yan whispered softly, "It’s okay, I’m fine now."
The Sixth Prince looked at him, then looked again.
Zhao Yan grew wary under his gaze, his dark eyes widening instantly as he stammered, "Sixth… Sixth Brother…"
The Sixth Prince chuckled again. "You really are fine now. You’re even talking to me." Before, it was always him chattering away, while Xiao Qi would timidly glance at him and immediately lower his head.
"Xiao Qi seems to have become a bit livelier after falling into the water."
Zhao Yan instantly fell silent, like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, refusing to say another word.
The Sixth Prince was still chattering away when the Fourth Prince, who had been sleeping with his head down, turned and gave him a cool glance. Though just a seven-year-old child, his gaze was sharp and piercing.
The Sixth Prince instantly fell silent, and only then did the Fourth Prince lay his head back down to continue sleeping.
Zhao Yan glanced at the Fourth Prince, then at the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince made a funny face and finally took out his book to recite.
Zhao Yan hurriedly took his book bag off from around his neck, his small head almost diving into it as he fumbled several times before finally pulling out the "Three Character Classic."
He opened the textbook and repeated each line after the Sixth Prince. When they reached the Western Path text, the Sixth Prince rattled off a string of words. Zhao Yan forgot the latter part as soon as he heard the beginning and couldn’t even open his mouth, so he just stared blankly at the book.
Seeing him like this, the Sixth Prince burst out laughing.
Zhao Yan’s face flushed bright red.
As the hour of Chen approached, Liu Hanlin finally arrived unhurriedly. Wielding a ruler, he began inspecting the princes’ studies.
There were seven princes.
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were the same age, both ten years old.
Back then, Jiang Huanghou and Wen Guifei were both consorts of the Tianyou Emperor and became pregnant around the same time. The Jiang and Wen families, one excelling in civil affairs and the other in military affairs, were both founding contributors to the dynasty. The Tianyou Emperor, not wanting to show favoritism, decreed that whichever consort gave birth to a prince first would become Empress, and her son would be named Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was born less than half an hour before the Second Prince, thus securing his position.
The Third Prince was only two years younger than them.
These three princes had entered the Imperial Study earlier, learned faster, and were naturally tested on different materials.
Liu Hanlin first checked the assignments of the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince, then randomly tested their recitation of essays. Once all three passed, he allowed them to practice calligraphy on their own. Then, ruler in hand, he leisurely walked over to Zhao Yan and the others.
The Fourth Prince was seven years old, while the Fifth and Sixth Princes were both six. Zhao Yan himself would turn six in half a month.
These four were only at the basic stage of early education.
Liu Hanlin didn’t make things difficult for them, testing only their recitation of the "Three Character Classic" and the "Thousand Character Classic."
Upon hearing that the "Thousand Character Classic" would also be tested, the Sixth Prince was instantly dumbfounded. He immediately stood up and protested, "Sir, didn’t you say yesterday that we only needed to recite the 'Three Character Classic'?"
The resentment in the child’s eyes was almost palpable.
Liu Hanlin clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Sixth Prince, the 'Thousand Character Classic' has already been taught. As a prince, you will one day bear the responsibility for the common people of the realm. When faced with unexpected challenges, you must not evade or retreat."
The Fifth Prince also stood up, pouting as he asked, "Sir, didn’t you teach us yesterday to be honest and trustworthy? It’s not right for you to add recitations at the last minute!"
"Did the Fifth Prince not review yesterday?" Liu Hanlin looked at him with a smile. "Then we’ll start with you. Recite the entire 'Thousand Character Classic.'"
The Fifth Prince’s little face immediately scrunched up in dismay: he had only voiced an opinion, so why was he being singled out first?
The Sixth Prince stifled a laugh, and the Fifth Prince turned to glare at him. When the Fifth Prince still hadn’t opened his mouth after a delay, Liu Hanlin rapped his ruler sharply on the desk and asked with a smile, "What’s the matter, Fifth Prince? Can you not recite it?"
The four little sprouts trembled in unison, and even the drowsy Fourth Prince was jolted awake.
After all, the Tianyou Emperor held the princes’ tutors in high regard and believed in the principle that strict teachers produce outstanding students. He consistently supported the tutors in disciplining the princes, as long as it wasn’t excessive. Rapping their hands with a ruler, standing in punishment, and writing self-criticisms were all commonplace.
During horsemanship and archery lessons, it was not uncommon for instructors to throw the princes to the ground.
Other imperial tutors still considered the royal dignity and dared not punish too harshly. But Liu Hanlin was different—he truly imposed penalties.
As the Fifth Prince recited haltingly, Zhao Yan and the other two trembled with fear, dreading they would be called next.
Yet, the very thing they feared came to pass.
After the Fifth Prince finished reciting, Liu Hanlin immediately noticed Zhao Yan, who had returned to class. He tapped Zhao Yan’s desk and said with a gentle smile, “Seventh Prince, please recite the first half of the Three Character Classic.”
Zhao Yan: He had no idea how to recite it at all!
He decisively chose to Revert to a previous save.
Yet, Liu Hanlin still called on him.
He repeated the process four times, but the outcome remained unchanged.
Clearly, after reverting, he could easily alter his own actions, but others would continue to behave according to their own patterns.
Unless he forcibly intervened.
When Liu Hanlin called on him for the fifth time, Zhao Yan mustered his courage and said, “Sir, I cannot recite it. Could you choose someone else?”
Liu Hanlin was surprised. “On the first day of his studies, the Seventh Prince recited a few lines of the Three Character Classic. How is it that he cannot do so now?”
Zhao Yan stammered, pointing to his head as he explained, “After falling into the water, my memory has been failing me…”
Liu Hanlin recalled the incident of the Seventh Prince falling ill after his plunge. The Seventh Prince was still young, and it was understandable that the fright had caused him to forget what he had memorized.
So he relented, saying, “In that case, the Seventh Prince need not recite for now. Just focus on reading it thoroughly.”
Zhao Yan breathed a long sigh of relief.
The Crown Prince and the others glanced back at Zhao Yan in surprise: Why was Xiao Qi, usually timid and silent, a bit bolder today? He actually dared to follow the Fifth Prince’s example and plead with the tutor—and was granted his request?
Beside Zhao Yan, the Sixth Prince, who was standing in punishment for failing to recite the Three Character Classic, shot him a resentful look: We agreed none of us could recite it, so why am I the only one being punished?
He felt terribly unlucky.
Yet, there was someone even more unfortunate than him.
After the morning court session, the Tianyou Emperor called for his meal. Due to the Dragon Vein’s constant fluctuations and the repeated dressing and undressing earlier, he had no appetite for snacks before court and was now starving, his stomach clinging to his back.
Palace maids brought in steaming breakfast dishes, arranging them before him one by one. The rich aroma of the food made him even hungrier.
Winters on the Western Path were always marked by shortages of clothing and food, so the Tianyou Emperor had always placed great importance on meals.
But before he could even lift his chopsticks, the table was empty.
Then once, twice, three times… He watched as the imperial feast on the table appeared and vanished, appeared and vanished.
His stomach growled louder with each recurrence. By the eighth Revert to a previous save, the Tianyou Emperor was so enraged that he flung his chopsticks down!
Damn it, can’t a man even eat in peace?
Shadow guard, where is the shadow guard! It seemed Li Meiren could not be spared for another moment.