Inside the Imperial Study, Qu Zijin reported with utmost solemnity, “Your Majesty, your servant believes County Chief Fukang’s filial piety moves Heaven and Earth, making it a truly rare wonder in this present age. If her deeds could be compiled into the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, it would surely serve to educate and reform the ten thousand populace.”
Wei Xiuming set down his vermilion brush, falling into deep thought. “A three-year-old toddler, performing filial duties with clumsy culinary skills, actually managed to cure a stubborn ailment…”
He suddenly let out a soft laugh. “I recall Grand Tutor Qu has always disbelieved in stories of ghosts and gods?”
Qu Zijin lowered his head. “Your servant indeed does not believe in ghosts and gods. However, the County Chief’s absolute sincerity actually brought forth such a miracle, leaving your servant no choice but to believe.”
Wei Xiuming nodded slightly. “What Grand Tutor says is perfectly correct.”
He turned toward the grand eunuch beside him. “Go and fetch that pair of white jade ruyi scepters from my personal collection, and prepare some silks and jewelry as well. I wish to reward this little filial daughter.”
The Emperor’s rewards were delivered to the manor that very day.
Seeing that pair of crystal-clear jade ruyi scepters, Jin Lanyue curiously extended her tiny hand to touch them. “So cool!”
The leading eunuch explained with a beaming smile, “County Chief, this is the ‘Filial Piety Ruyi’ bestowed by the Emperor, signifying that your filial devotion moves Heaven and Earth, wishing you absolute fulfillment in all matters.”
Cradling the jade ruyi scepter—which was longer than her own arm—in a half-understanding manner, the tiny tot raised her head to ask her father, “Daddy, what is this?”
The Marquis of Beiding dropped to one knee, pulling his daughter into his embrace. “This is the Emperor praising our Yue’er as a dutiful and good child. Daddy is proud of you.”
The second brother curiously flipped through the other rewards. “Wow! So many good things!”
Standing to the side, Jin Qizhi looked at the jade ruyi scepters gleaming under the sunlight and his younger sister’s innocent, pure smile, unable to resist letting out a smile as well.
The following morning.
Jin Lanyue was dressed in a brand-new jacket and skirt, with the hairpins newly bestowed by the Emperor pinned in her hair, skipping cheerfully between her parents.
Jiang Xiyue’s complexion was radiant and healthy, completely erased of any trace of her previous haggard sickness.
“Is Mommy really sending Yue’er to school?” The tiny tot raised her face, her large eyes brimming with absolute joy.
“Of course it’s true.” Jiang Xiyue gently adjusted her daughter’s collar. “It is all thanks to our Yue’er that Mommy was able to recover so quickly.”
The carriage rolled slowly past the marketplace, when the sounds of discussion suddenly drifted in from outside:
“Look quickly! That is County Chief Fukang’s carriage!”
“I heard the pastries she made cured the Marquis’s Madam of a stubborn illness!”
“To possess such filial piety at such a young age truly moves one to tears!”
Curiously lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, Jin Lanyue happened to lock eyes with the reverent gazes of several merchants. Frightened, she hurriedly shrank back into her mother’s arms.
The Marquis of Beiding smiled and rubbed the crown of his daughter’s head. “Everyone is simply praising you.”
Upon entering the palace gates, the palace paths—which were usually solemn—felt exceptionally lively today. The passing court officials stopped in their tracks one after another—
“Good morning, little County Chief!”
“I have heard the County Chief’s filial piety touched Heaven, drawing immense admiration!”
“As expected of the County Chief Fukang personally decreed by the Emperor, truly a lucky star of our dynasty!”
This time, without any need for the Marquis of Beiding to deliberately call out to people, everyone was full of endless praise for this little toddler.
The tiny tot buried herself shyly within her mother’s arms, revealing only a pair of watery, wide eyes.
The Marquis of Beiding and his wife halted their steps when they reached the entrance of the Wenhua Hall.
Jiang Xiyue squatted down, neatening her young daughter’s appearance. “Yue’er must listen well to the Grand Tutor’s lectures. Mommy will come to pick you up later.”
“Mmph!” Little Jin Lanyue nodded vigorously.
Only then did the husband and wife take their departure with lingering reluctance.
Qu Zijin and the little princess had already been waiting for a long time.
Standing before the hall entrance, Qu Zijin’s originally solemn features looked increasingly gentle. “The County Chief’s filial devotion is highly commendable.”
The little princess immediately pulled her little study companion close with immense pride. “But of course!”
However, she shifted the topic very rapidly: “If only that nuisance wasn’t coming!”
“Nuisance?” The tiny tot blinked her eyes in confusion, looking left and right. “Where is he?”
Qu Zijin gave a soft cough. “His Imperial Highness the little prince is also coming to attend the lectures today.”
He glanced at the sundial. “However, it appears he is late.”
“Exactly!” the princess instigated. “On what grounds must we wait for him? Grand Tutor, you must punish him properly! Smack his hands fiercely!”
Qu Zijin’s expression remained unchanged. “I do not favor corporal punishment. Furthermore, His Highness is a prince after all.”
“Hmph!” The princess stamped her feet and crossed her arms, falling silent.
Jin Lanyue looked up at Qu Zijin. “Grand Tutor, did the little prince get lost…”
“Get lost?” The princess could not resist chiming in again. “He could find his way even with his eyes closed. He is doing it on purpose…”
Qu Zijin felt helpless.
He lightly tapped the master’s ruler in his hand. “Let us wait for a moment. Perhaps His Highness truly encountered some matter that held him up.”
The princess gave an unyielding huff, yet she did not press further.
Pulling little Jin Lanyue along, she sat down on the stone steps before the hall, pulling a packet of pine nut candies from her sleeve. “Here, these were newly made by the Imperial Kitchen. I saved them specifically for you.”
“Yay!”
The two tiny tots began to enjoy the candies with absolute glee.
Qu Zijin cast a glance at them, shaking his head with a smile.
At this moment, his emotional state was still highly stable, and he harbored beautiful expectations for the little prince whom he had yet to meet.
However…
A quarter of an hour later…
Two quarters of an hour later…
Half an hour passed…
An hour passed…
The little princess began to yawn, and the smile on Qu Zijin’s face vanished entirely without a trace.
He began to sense that something was very wrong.
Jin Lanyue deliberated for a long while, deciding to first mentally prepare the Grand Tutor.
Thus, she ran to the Grand Tutor’s side, tugging at his sleeve.
Qu Zijin looked down at her, attempting to force a smile. “I am fine. What is it?”
“Grand Tutor, are you… strong?” the tiny tot asked.
Qu Zijin could no longer smile. “Perhaps… not.”
The tiny tot gave a jolt of fright. “Then, then you absolutely must become strong!”
Qu Zijin fell into silence.
The tiny tot asked again, “Grand Tutor, do you… know how to fight?”
“I… I also need to know how to fight?!”
“Mmph!” The tiny tot nodded vigorously. Just as she was about to say something more, the sound of dragging footsteps finally echoed from outside the hall.
The little prince sauntered through the entrance of the hall at a leisurely pace. His brocade robe was completely askew and his hair crown was pinned loosely, looking entirely as if it were a deliberate display.
“Greetings, Grand Tutor.” He offered a perfunctory bow, his eyes squinting sideways at the princess and little Jin Lanyue.
The little princess jumped up instantly. “You did it on purpose! You are late by an entire hour!”
“This prince comes whenever he pleases!” The little prince raised his chin, deliberately provoking her. “What business is it of yours?”
“Quiet, all of you!” Qu Zijin’s ruler slammed heavily against the railing, emitting a sharp, crisp sound. “The Wenhua Hall is no place for clamor!”
Who would have thought that the two imperial children would turn toward Qu Zijin at the exact same time—
“Grand Tutor is biased! He is late, so on what grounds are you not punishing him?!” The princess stamped her feet.
“You were the one who started shouting first. If anyone is to be punished, you should be punished first!” The little prince refused to back down either.
The veins on Qu Zijin’s temples throbbed violently. He took a deep breath, working hard to calm himself down, telling himself it was fine and that matters might not be that dreadful. “Your Imperial Highness, please explain why you are late?”
“This prince…” The little prince’s eyes darted around, making up a lie on the spot. “…was reviewing his schoolwork!”
“Liar! He definitely ran off to the Imperial Garden to play!” The princess exposed him without a shred of mercy, snatching hold of his sleeve with a violent tug. “Look, there are still grass clippings stuck here!”
The little prince frantically tried to cover his sleeve, but accidentally shook loose a few blades of grass in the process. At this, his embarrassment turned to pure rage. “None of your business! You…”
“Enough!” Qu Zijin bellowed to a halt.
He took a deep breath, about to continue his reprimand, only to see that the two little ancestors paid absolutely no heed to it—
“Shut your mouth!”
“I want to speak! On what grounds do you control me?!”
The two had already tangled together in a wild brawl.
The princess yanked at the prince’s hair crown, while the prince tore at the princess’s jeweled hairpins, looking precisely like two cats with their fur standing on end.
Qu Zijin took a swift stride forward, using one hand for each to separate the two brawling ancestors.
The veins on his temples pulsed frantically, and the ruler in his hand was trembling. “What absolute impropriety! Regular princes and princesses actually brawling like common street children!”
Seeing this, little Jin Lanyue hurried to Qu Zijin’s side, using her tiny hands to gently pat his shin. “Grand Tutor, don’t be angry…”
Her tiny hands were soft and plump, her pressure as light as a feather brushing past.
“The County Chief is still the sensible one…”
Although the location she was patting was a bit peculiar, considering her height, she could indeed only reach this spot.
Thus, Qu Zijin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, before he could finish exhaling this breath, he heard the little prince speak up in an incredibly sarcastic tone: “What an act of innocence! You’re nothing but a little brat who climbed her way up by kissing up to others!”