After the imperial decree was finalized and the entire process completed, the Jingbei Marquis household finally received the official order that Fu Yuchen had successfully entered the palace as a study companion.The next day after receiving the imperial decree, Fu Xuechen woke up early in the morning, washed up, did warm-up exercises, had breakfast, and prepared herself to enter the palace.Although the entire Jingbei Marquis household was overjoyed, this outcome was not entirely unexpected. Jingbei Marquis maintained a calm demeanor as if he had anticipated it all along, while Lady Jingbei Marquis was more concerned. She rose early and busied herself attending to Fu Xuechen.Fortunately, the fact was that Fu Xuechen had passed the test safely without revealing any flaws, which eased many of Lady Jingbei Marquis’s worries.The time was very early, roughly equivalent to 6 a.m. in modern times. Fortunately, without modern electronic entertainment like smartphones and with no electric lighting at night, everything was pitch black and rather dull. Going to bed early naturally led to waking up early, inadvertently curing Fu Xuechen of her past habit of not wanting to get up until noon.By the time she finished her preparations, it was already past 6:30. Since the timing aligned, Jingbei Marquis decided to take Fu Xuechen with him. This way, he could give her some last-minute advice on the road to ensure she wouldn’t make any mistakes in the palace.The palace gates would open around 7 a.m., and the formal court assembly would begin around 8 a.m. Before that, court officials would first sign in at their respective government offices, then gather in small groups in the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to chat and socialize while waiting for the daily routine court assembly.After entering the palace, Fu Xuechen parted ways with her father and headed straight to the Mingde Hall. This was a newly refurbished side hall after the current emperor took up residence in the palace, serving as the royal inner study hall exclusively for princes and princesses to study. Its location was roughly between the Princes’ Quarters and the Hall of Supreme Harmony, closer to the Princes’ Quarters.Around 7:30 a.m., all the study companions had gathered at the Mingde Hall—five boys and two girls, totaling seven. The young girl from the Cui family, Cui Xiaoyue, had indeed become a study companion for the princess.However, two study companions were selected for the princess. Besides Cui Xiaoyue, there was another quiet-mannered girl with a cheerful round face. Fu Xuechen remembered that this round-faced girl’s surname was Xia, and her father seemed to be the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.Unlike modern middle school students on their first day of school, since they didn’t yet know where their seats were, no one dared to enter the study hall early. Instead, they stood in the courtyard in front of the hall, greeting each other and getting acquainted. The two young study companions occupied a distant corner, forming their own little group.A short while later, close to 8 a.m., the first to arrive was unexpectedly Princess Zhiling. As soon as she appeared with her governess, the air fell silent, and everyone’s eyes turned toward her.The young princess blushed slightly. Amidst the uneven chorus of “Greetings, Princess,” she hurriedly uttered “At ease” and was escorted by her palace maids and governess, welcomed by Cui Xiaoyue and the girl surnamed Xia.Fu Xuecen glanced enviously at the group of young girls several times. If not for the princess being several years younger than her, she felt she should have been among the princess’s study companions. The exclusive circle of noble young ladies was where she truly belonged.Lost in thought, Fu Xuechen felt a light bump on her left arm. Turning to look, she saw a slightly plump youth with delicate features, though his smile always seemed a bit lecherous. After a moment's recollection, Fu Xuechen recognized him as Li Qiang, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Ning and the study companion of the Fifth Prince."The selection of the princess's study companions is quite good! Especially that young lady Xia, don't you think?" Li Qiang whispered to Fu Xuechen, his tone intimate as if he had found a kindred spirit, while discreetly eyeing the young girls nearby.Fu Xuechen's expression darkened, and she rolled her eyes. "What's there to see in little girls who haven't even grown up? This is the palace—be careful and watch your words!"Li Qiang was taken aback but surprisingly agreed. "You're right! There really isn't much to see. They're not even as pretty as the maids in my household."Fu Xuechen was speechless.The second to arrive was Fourth Prince Yunzhen. After another round of uneven greetings of "Greetings, Fourth Prince," his study companion, Chen Li, stepped forward to meet him.The Fourth Prince remained silent and expressionless, merely nodding to Chen Li before leading him into the Mingde Hall ahead of the others.Shortly after, the Fifth Prince and Seventh Prince arrived together. After everyone exchanged greetings, they each joined their respective study companions and entered the Mingde Hall.Soon, Eldest Prince Yunhui, who had not appeared during the selection, also arrived. This was Fu Xuechen's first time seeing him up close. She had only heard before that the Eldest Prince was honest and somewhat dull.Seeing him in person, however, she realized he was more than just dull. With his stuttering speech and sluggish demeanor, he seemed like he might be suffering from aftereffects of meningitis or even partial cerebral palsy. No wonder, even after his coming-of-age ceremony, he was still sent back by the Emperor to resume his studies.The Eldest Prince's study companion was Liu Tai, the fifteen-year-old legitimate second son of the Duke of Li. He was exceptionally composed and quiet, seemingly neither disappointed nor disheartened by his assignment as the Eldest Prince's companion. He simply followed calmly by the prince's side.In the blink of an eye, Fu Xuechen looked around and realized she was the only one left in the courtyard—even the young girls had already entered the classroom.This Sixth Prince! Could he be the type of student who skips classes out of dislike for studying? On the very first day of school, he was going to be late?!Just as Fu Xuechen widened her eyes in anger, she saw Sixth Prince Yunzuo stride hurriedly into the courtyard as if in a racewalking competition, with a young eunuch of about sixteen or seventeen chasing after him, repeatedly calling out, "Your Highness, watch your step!""Greetings—"As Fu Xuechen stepped forward to pay her respects, the Sixth Prince waved his hand dismissively. "Skip the formalities! Hurry up and come with me."Hah! So you know you're running late too? Fu Xuechen thought to herself sarcastically. She waited for the Sixth Prince to pass by before quickly turning to follow him.Perhaps the study hall would be expanded in the future as more princes and royal descendants joined, but for now, it was not large and was divided into two sections by a semi-transparent screen.In front of the screen, facing the teacher's lectern, were five rows of desks arranged in two columns, with three aisles in between. Each column had two desks and two wooden chairs placed side by side, totaling only twenty seats.Behind the screen, the seating was also arranged in two columns but with only two rows, making eight seats in total. Like a small private room, this setup allowed the princess and her study companions to attend lectures without compromising their privacy as young women. They even had a separate rear entrance to enter and exit the Mingde Hall, which Fu Xuechen secretly envied.The four princes who had entered earlier had already chosen their seats according to their respective ages and positions. Among them, the eldest prince and his study companion occupied the inner seats in the front row, the fourth and fifth princes chose the left and right seats in the second row, and the seventh prince took the inner seat in the third row.At a glance, the Sixth Prince unhesitatingly selected the outer seat in the third row, sitting directly behind the Fourth Prince.Fu Xuechen had no chance to interact with the Sixth Prince beforehand. As soon as he took his seat, he saw Master Ji Ze, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, and Master Li Tao, the Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting, walking slowly toward the study hall with their hands clasped behind their backs. They entered the hall just moments after the Sixth Prince.
Chapter 12
The Prince Does Not Compete for the Throne