Chapter 397: The Child Emperor's Study Companion
The first court assembly after the new emperor's ascension.
The young Emperor sat at the highest position, with a young eunuch named Xiao Anzi standing by his side.
At the base of the steps, at the forefront of all officials, stood the Regent, Chu Rui.
After nearly two months without court sessions, there were far too many matters requiring discussion. It wasn't until nearly noon that major affairs concerning national plans and people's livelihoods were finally settled.
Chu Hongyu, after all, was a child not yet eight years old, and had long grown restless in his seat.
But he knew what he must do.
When no one else stepped forward to present memorials, he finally spoke: "What do my esteemed ministers think about sending troops for the eastern campaign?"
Marquis Pingjin immediately stepped forth: "Before the late Emperor passed, he spoke of sending one hundred thousand reinforcements. It is time to arrange this. We must fight, and beat the Eastern Tomb Kingdom into complete defeat!"
Minister Qi of the Military Affairs Office calmly rebutted: "Marquis Pingjin, unfamiliar with military matters, naturally dares to make such bold claims. Do you know why our Great Jin's one hundred thirty thousand troops are now stuck at the coast, unable to advance or retreat? The Eastern Tomb Kingdom may be small, but they often rely on naval battles to plunder resources, and it's no exaggeration to call them the overlords of the sea. Their ships, though smaller than ours, are exceptionally agile, always catching us off guard. Thus, the battlefield has reached a stalemate—we can neither advance nor retreat. No matter how many reinforcements we send, once they enter the sea, they're just delivering themselves to the enemy. Does Your Majesty understand what this humble minister means?"
Chu Hongyu wrinkled his small nose.
He didn't quite understand, but he memorized every word. He would ask Teacher Wang later and check the Book Collection Pavilion to figure out what was really going on.
The Minister of War sighed: "We can only have those one hundred thirty thousand elite troops guard the coast, forming a long defensive line to prevent the Eastern Tomb Kingdom from landing and causing trouble!"
"Then let it be as the Minister of War says—station the one hundred thirty thousand troops in the coastal cities!" Chu Rui finalized the decision with authority, then changed the subject: "Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, it is no longer suitable for him to study at the Imperial College. Henceforth, Grand Tutor Xu will teach him alone. This humble minister believes we should also select a few study companions to accompany His Majesty in his studies."
Chief Li nodded: "That is appropriate, but Grand Tutor Xu is somewhat busy..."
"Nothing is more important than matters concerning His Majesty," Grand Tutor Xu interjected. "This old minister requests to resign from my other official positions to focus solely on teaching His Majesty."
Typically, top-ranking ministers like Grand Tutor or Grand Preceptor held honorary titles while also holding substantive positions; the combination of both made them truly powerful first-rank heavy ministers.
Grand Tutor Xu's move left Chief Li with no grounds for objection. He could only say: "My youngest grandson is about the same age as His Majesty. Perhaps he could serve as His Majesty's study companion."
In great families like theirs, only one child per generation could enter the Imperial College. His eldest grandson was already studying there, so his youngest had entered the clan school, where he stood out as the most outstanding among children of similar age. He hoped this grandson could accompany the Emperor as he grew into a benevolent ruler.
Chu Rui took over, continuing: "In addition, let's include the third legitimate son of the Minister of Works, the youngest son of Grand Commandant Zhao, and the legitimate grandson of Prince Taihe. What does Your Majesty think?"
Whether Minister or Grand Commandant, these were all first-rank ministers, and Prince Taihe was the late Emperor's brother, a prominent prince indeed. Arranging for the legitimate sons of these families to be the Emperor's study companions was certainly within regulations.
But—
Yun Ze's eyes darkened.
The children from these families were all notoriously ill-behaved in the capital. Having a group of unruly children accompany the Emperor in his studies—their wolfish ambitions were glaringly obvious.He stepped forward and spoke, "The Emperor is young, and arranging only four study companions is still insufficient. My legitimate eldest son, Yun Zhenjiang, is quick-witted and agile, worthy of being a study companion..."
"No, no, I don't want Jiang Ge," Chu Hongyu suddenly protested stubbornly. "He's too rigid, I don't like him."
Chu Rui curved his lips slightly and asked, "What about Meng Shen, the son of Qinghua Princess?"
"Him too—he's like a little old man." Chu Hongyu stood up, pondered for a moment, and said, "Aside from those arranged by the Regent, I think the youngest son of the Gongsun family is quite good, and doesn't Lord Lin have a son? Also..."
He listed several people in a row.
The smile on Chu Rui's face deepened.
This young Emperor was nothing but a playful child, not worth fearing.
How could someone as intelligent as Yun Chu raise such a... Oh, right, he remembered—the new Emperor was not Yun Chu's biological child.
After the court session ended, Chu Hongyu could finally rest.
However, his lessons were scheduled to begin in half an hour. He had no time to go to Kunning Palace and could only hastily eat a meal, change his clothes, and head to the Imperial Study.
Yun Chu had heard some of what happened in court.
She wandered around the palace, first visiting the Cold Palace. It was currently under renovation, and from then on, there would be no Cold Palace in the palace.
If love fades, it fades—why must one be confined to the Cold Palace? It was the greatest injustice to the women in the palace.
Then, she paid her respects to Yun Fei and Yin Fei in their palaces. After becoming elderly consorts, both had mellowed in disposition. They often gathered with Shu Fei to sit in the imperial garden and drink tea every day.
Finally, she arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
Currently, the two most prominent figures in the palace were the young Emperor and the Empress Dowager. As the Empress Dowager approached, the eunuchs guarding the entrance dared not be negligent and hurriedly knelt to greet her.
Yun Chu waved her hand, signaling them not to make a fuss.
She entered and heard the voice of Xu Taishi coming from the Imperial Study. After listening for a while, her expression darkened.
After the new Emperor ascended the throne, the Imperial Tutor should be teaching subjects like the art of rulership, the art of employing people, and strategies of diplomacy—not some unorthodox nonsense.
She could understand Xu Taishi's loyalty to Chu Rui, as the lives of his entire clan were in Chu Rui's hands.
But understanding did not mean acceptance.
Even someone as dull-witted as Qinghua could uphold her principles in matters of right and wrong.
In contrast, Xu Taishi was using his position as Imperial Tutor to hinder the Emperor's education in statecraft...
Yun Chu went to the side chamber next to the Imperial Study to drink tea. It was nearly evening by the time the lessons concluded.
As soon as Chu Hongyu stepped out, the eunuch Xiao Anzi approached and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived and is drinking tea in the west chamber."
A smile immediately spread across Chu Hongyu's face. He skipped toward the west chamber but, after a few steps, realized it was inappropriate and slowed his pace. With his hands clasped behind his back, he adopted the demeanor of a little adult and stood at the entrance of the west chamber, saying, "Mother Empress, your son has finished his lessons."
Yun Chu gestured for him to enter.
Chu Hongyu walked in leisurely and ordered Xiao Anzi to close the door. Only after blocking the view from outside did he plop down into a chair. "Finally, I can sit comfortably."
Yun Chu looked at him with amusement. "Weren't you sitting and studying all along just now?"
"Under so many watchful eyes, I had to maintain proper posture—sitting straight like a bell. That posture is exhausting." Chu Hongyu slumped in the chair. "Being Emperor is truly tiring."
Yun Chu asked, "During Xu Taishi's lesson just now, did you pay attention?""I know Grand Tutor Xu is the Regent's man. The Regent assigned him as my teacher with ill intentions, no doubt." The little fellow snorted. "Since I know he means no good, why should I listen to his lectures? What if he corrupts me? Right, Mother? During lessons, I read other books instead. After all, I'm the Emperor - Grand Tutor Xu wouldn't dare scold me."
"You clever little imp." Yun Chu continued asking, "Then why did you refuse to have Jiang Ge'er and Shen Ge'er as study companions?"
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