The Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace, where both the Crown Princess and Xie Yanfang came out to greet him. Before anyone could speak, the Crown Prince suddenly halted with an exclamation.
"I forgot," he said. "Yu'er."
The Crown Princess was overjoyed. "Has Yu'er returned?"
"No," the Crown Prince laughed, handing her his outer robe. "After finishing work with Father Emperor, I meant to visit Yu'er, but I was too busy and forgot."
The Crown Princess suggested, "Shall we bring Yu'er back? Yanfang is here too and hasn't met him yet."
Before the Crown Prince could respond, Xie Yanfang smiled and said, "Little Highness is studying with His Majesty. If he skips class because of me, I'd be failing as an elder. I was actually planning to tutor him."
The Crown Prince chuckled. "Then forget it. He's already suffering with seven or eight tutors. If he comes here and has to endure your lectures too... Better wait until I take him hunting. You'll join us then, and as soon as you meet, you can compete with Yu'er in archery."
The Crown Princess couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, is it true? Will you really take Yu'er hunting?"
Though the Crown Prince often went hunting, he had never brought his wife and child along.
"Of course," the Crown Prince smiled. "You'll come too. The whole family will go."
Xie Yanfang explained to his sister, "The Third Prince's literary gathering is about to be held. Since His Highness isn't attending, it's better to avoid it altogether by going hunting."
"Why be so polite? There are no outsiders here," the Crown Prince said, clenching his fists as his robes billowed. "He has his literary gathering, I'll have my martial gathering—let's make things livelier for him."
The Crown Princess paid no mind to these matters. Confirming that Yu'er could indeed go out, she happily said, "This is a major event! Your Highness should have told me earlier. I need to make preparations."
She then seemed at a loss, calling to her maids nearby.
"Summon everyone."
With that, she left the Crown Prince behind and busied herself with the maids.
Xie Yanfang watched his sister depart with a smile before turning back to the Crown Prince. "Sister is so overjoyed about going out with you that she doesn't know what to do. It shows how busy you usually are."
The Crown Prince snorted. "Don't criticize me. Are you any better? You still refuse to marry—how many daughters of Dongyang are wasting their youth waiting for you?"
Xie Yanfang laughed heartily and bowed. "My mistake."
The Crown Prince sat down, stretching his arms. "Must you interfere in Minister Liang's affair? Is it really necessary? What's the big deal—" He chuckled again. "Your family could just marry both girls—you and your brother taking one each—and you'd swallow up the Liang family. Why make such a fuss—"
He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"If you leave it to Imperial Uncle Yang to handle, you won't get a single drop of the Liang family's assets, yet all the blame will fall on you."
Xie Yanfang smiled. "But this way, Lord Yang's work will proceed much smoother. Everyone loves focusing on private matters, so public affairs become easier to turn a blind eye to."
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow. "You're quite generous."
"If such a small matter can advance Your Highness's great cause, I consider it a bargain," Xie Yanfang replied with a laugh.
The Crown Prince spat dismissively. "Let it pass this time, but next time inform me beforehand. Even if it's a good deed, I need to be prepared."
Xie Yanfang bowed in acknowledgment.
"Also, there's no need for such formality. Since you're in the capital, visit Yu'er more often and take him out to play. Why be so reserved with a child?" the Crown Prince added. "When I was young, I practically grew up following the Imperial Uncle around."Xie Yanfang shook his head: "Your Highness, at that time, the Empress had long passed away, the Western Liang soldiers were causing trouble, and His Majesty was preoccupied with state affairs. Meanwhile, Yu'er had both parents alive and even had His Majesty as his imperial grandfather watching over him. What he needed to learn was how to observe the world and understand the way of sovereign and subject, not to play around with relatives like me who come from noble families. However, Your Highness, you should indeed spend more time playing with Yu'er—father and son—"
The Crown Prince waved his hand to interrupt him: "Enough, enough, I understand. Fortunately, your sister isn't like you—quiet and never long-winded."
Xie Yanfang smiled: "That's because Your Highness is my sister's husband. A married woman follows her husband's lead. She doesn't treat me the same way. Would Your Highness believe that as soon as I step out, my sister will stop me and nag me endlessly?"
The Crown Prince laughed heartily and waved him off: "Go on."
Xie Yanfang bowed and withdrew.
Left alone in the hall, the Crown Prince was approached by two equestrian archery officers from the side chamber.
"Third Young Master is truly cautious," one officer chuckled. "He fears overstepping boundaries in every matter. It seems he'd rather not even be considered a relative."
This officer had a full beard that gave him a rough appearance at first glance, but his fair complexion and delicate features created a strikingly incongruous impression.
This wasn't surprising—since the Crown Prince favored martial prowess, many people put on a martial appearance to seek opportunities.
The Crown Prince smiled: "He's not wrong. I am of the imperial family and should emphasize the way of sovereign and subject. You don't understand him either. This Xie Yanfang has grand ambitions—he doesn't want to make his name merely by being a royal relative."
He wouldn't claim kinship, nor seek benefits through family connections. He would only use his own abilities to gain advantages—unlike Imperial Uncle Yang—
Who demanded repayment multiple times over for childhood companionship, and did so as if it were his rightful due.
Seeing only family ties, he increasingly disregarded the way of sovereign and subject.
Why couldn't he understand that accompanying him in childhood was merely fulfilling his duty as a subject!
For now, things would remain as they were, but after ascending the throne, he would definitely make them understand what the way of sovereign and subject truly meant.
The Crown Prince slammed the table in frustration: "Go! Send all those scholars to hard labor."
The two equestrian archery officers hurriedly acknowledged the order.
"And make sure they pass by the entrance of Spring Gazing Garden," the Crown Prince added.
The officers laughed loudly and responded enthusiastically: "Your Highness, rest assured." "We'll make sure it's quite a spectacle." "We'll add some splendor to the Third Prince's literary gathering."
...
...
Officers escorted half-naked scholars of varying ages—labeled as bandits and rebels—through the streets in a noisy procession.
They loudly proclaimed the scholars' unforgivable crimes while whipping them.
The streets were crowded with onlookers, but compared to the previous excitement during the Xie family's public disciplining of their son, the atmosphere was noticeably tense and subdued.
Chu Zhao and the other young women stood by the window of a tavern overlooking the scene.
"Why have so many people been arrested suddenly?" Qi Leyun asked.
"Because of the literary gathering, many people have come to the capital. The authorities say there are good and bad mixed among them, and these are the villains they've uncovered," one girl whispered.
"But they clearly look like scholars. How could they—" Qi Leyun began.
Other girls quickly stopped her.
"This is the government's affair." "Don't speak carelessly." "It's not arbitrary arrests. They say these people wrote treasonous material involving the Emperor and the Crown Prince—"
Mention of the Emperor and Crown Prince silenced Qi Leyun. This was a power struggle between the imperial father and son.
"Will the literary gathering still be held?" a girl asked timidly.
Unspoken was the question: Under these circumstances, should we still go?The girls' gazes immediately turned to Chu Zhao.
Chu Zhao snapped back to reality—truth be told, she didn't know either. In that previous life, the Crown Prince had also arrested many scholars, though it happened after the Hope Spring Garden Literary Gathering. Those scholars had written essays advocating for appointing an heir based on virtue rather than primogeniture, which formally ignited the rivalry between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince over the succession, stirring up quite a commotion in the capital.
In truth, all this was merely a smokescreen, for the Third Prince didn't truly rely on these scholars' propaganda—he took direct action instead.
But in this life, the Crown Prince had arrested people even before the Hope Spring Garden Literary Gathering began, and the capital was already abuzz. What would happen next?
Would fate change?
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