Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 802: If you are not frivolous, you will be young in vain
When the Third Prince left the palace, his face was full of dark clouds, as if he was just before a storm. But when he returned to the palace, the sky was clear and cloudless, and his whole person was full of cheerfulness and joy. Even if the evil people who were not familiar with the Crown Prince could not see this, the young people who served as tutors in Ciqing Palace would definitely not fail to see this.
Moreover, everyone could clearly feel that the Third Prince's change of mood was not caused by his meeting with the blond boy in the Jiuzhang Hall, but after he stayed in Zhang Shou's school for a while. In other words, after just a cup of tea, the dark clouds that had originally permeated the Crown Prince disappeared.
From this we can see that Zhang Shou's influence on the prince was probably greater than that of all the other lecturers in the Eastern Palace combined.
After returning to Ciqing Palace, a certain tutor in the Eastern Palace who always prided himself on his eloquent words received a completely unexpected task - that is, to draft a memorial for the prince.
The content of the memorial was somewhat abrupt, because the prince requested to recruit four interpreters of Western languages to sit in on the lectures in Jiuzhang Hall and become familiar with various mathematical knowledge so that they could help translate mathematical classics in the future. In addition, in Guangzhou and other places where the Maritime Customs was located, select talented people to serve as interpreters on board and learn foreign languages in case of emergency.
However, this was a very formal petition, so the tutor who accepted the task did not think at all about how he had stayed away from arithmetic in the past, nor what kind of response this matter would cause in the court. He only knew that it was an extraordinary honor for him to draft the prince's first memorial, so he immediately agreed with great joy and was determined to craft this brilliant article.
After that, after letting this person and other tutors leave the palace, the Third Prince left Lu Sanlang alone. This was a common occurrence in the past. Everyone knew that Qi Liang and Lu Sanlang were respected by the Crown Prince and often referred to as his senior brothers. Therefore, even if they were jealous, they could not compete with him.
However, just when the fat man thought that the Third Prince was going to tell him something about the matter of the blond boy, or was questioning him about the familiarity with overseas countries that Zhang Shou had shown today, he saw that the little prince in front of him did not speak immediately, but hesitated for a long time before looking up, with a look of determination in his eyes.
"Brother Lu, I hope you can do me a favor. I want to go to Tongzhou without telling my father and teacher. I want to see my fourth brother, but I will be back soon. Eunuch Chu happens to be away for a few days for something, so this is a perfect opportunity."
Lu Sanlang's eyes widened. Did the Third Prince want him to help him stage a story of the Crown Prince escaping from the palace? You know, the one in front of him was not the willful and reckless emperor of the past. This was a wise and calm crown prince praised by the ministers. How could he actually play such a trick?
Even though Fatty Lu has always been extremely bold, he couldn't help but feel a little worried at this moment: "This matter doesn't seem to be easy. When the prince leaves the palace, there are records inside and outside the palace. What's more, there are lecturers giving lectures every day, and tutors to accompany him in reading..." How can he be distracted?
While saying this, Lu Sanlang said in his heart that if there were ways to solve these problems, then the safety of the Third Prince, the Crown Prince, would definitely not be solved. Even if his Lu family did have many reliable guards, he would have to dare to use them!
If anyone among these guards is unreliable, he would be guilty of a heinous crime, and his entire clan would be exterminated!
Moreover, it is understandable that the Third Prince wanted to hide his departure from the palace to meet the Fourth Prince without telling the Emperor, but why did he want to hide it from Zhang Shou? If it was because he had a conflict with Zhang Shou, the Third Prince had a solemn expression when he entered Zhang Shou's school, but he was in high spirits when he came out. He also saw this, so this is impossible! How could he come out so cheerful after a conflict?
The Third Prince saw Lu Sanlang's entanglement and hesitation, and immediately said sincerely: "It's not that I have to hide it from the teacher, but because once the teacher knows this, he will understand that I haven't seen my fourth brother for too long, and he will naturally do his best to help me arrange it. But I don't want to tell my father, so I will definitely cause him to be blamed by my father in the future."
Lu Sanlang couldn't help but want to complain. If it was Zhang Shou who arranged this, the emperor would definitely find Zhang Shou to settle the score, but if it was me, wouldn't the emperor find me when he was looking for someone to settle the score? I'm not someone who takes the blame!
However, this was a trust from the crown prince after all, so although the little fat man was upset, he couldn't say it. And the next reason given by the third prince was really enough to make his scalp tingle.
"Of course, leaving the palace is such a big deal that I planned to keep it a secret from my father, but I have already informed the Queen Mother and got her permission, so I am looking for you, Senior Brother Lu. The Queen Mother promised me that she would arrange enough people to follow me in advance, so that if something goes wrong, you innocent people will not be blamed."
Seeing that Lu Sanlang was obviously stunned by the Queen Mother's involvement, the Third Prince smiled shyly and then whispered: "Also, although I don't plan to tell the teacher, the Queen Mother said that she will tell Sister Yingying, and Sister Yingying will definitely help me."
Uh… With the Empress Dowager and Zhu Ying, two extremely powerful women, why did they need a mere helper like him? Or, why did they have to hide it from the Emperor and Zhang Shou? The more Lu Sanlang thought about it, the more confused he became. In the end, he couldn't help but ask with a serious face, "Why?"
Although he could have pretended to be ignorant and asked why, the Third Prince did not hesitate and said directly, "Because I want to have a good talk with Fourth Brother, and it is better to have such a talk before he returns to the palace than after he returns. I don't want Father to know because he has been in a bad mood these past two days. I want to let him know after the incident."
What kind of crazy idea is this? Isn't it better not to let the emperor know? Why let him know after the fact?
The more Lu Sanlang thought about it, the more he felt uneasy. However, the Third Prince was determined, and there was the Empress Dowager behind him. After repeated consideration, he finally said carefully, "Since Your Highness has discussed with the Empress Dowager how to leave the palace, how can I help you? Also, where is the Fourth Prince? Except for the teacher, no one else knows, right?"
The Third Prince smiled shyly, and then whispered, "Because Miss Ye was going to judge Fourth Brother and Zhang Chen, Princess Hailing was clamoring to visit her at home, and Uncle Wang had to send someone to inquire about it, so he told me, and I knew it. As for how you can help me..."
The young prince stared at Lu Sanlang and smiled, then he leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. In an instant, the face of the little fat man Lu, who always claimed to be fearless, turned from red to blue, then from blue to white, and finally he looked at the third prince with the look in his eyes as if he was looking at a ghost.
Are you sure you want to do this? You might as well inform the emperor. Maybe he will agree to it right away!
However, the words that Lu Sanlang had been thinking about for several times were finally choked in his throat by the Third Prince's mumbling: "The Queen Mother said that when my father was a child, he skipped classes, ran away from home, climbed over the wall, eavesdropped... He did everything he could. In comparison, I am too honest. Since I am still young, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give it a try."
"Even if someone finds out, I can just say that I am young and ignorant. The Queen Mother said that if you are young and reckless, you will have no chance in the future."
When Lu Sanlang left Ciqing Palace, although he was not in a state of panic, people who were familiar with him would have known from his calm and numb eyes that the fat boy had suffered a great shock.
That was the Queen Mother who was always regarded as a heroine by the court officials. How could she make such an outrageous suggestion to the Third Prince? Was the Third Prince trying to fool him? But he was the Crown Prince, not the Fourth Prince, who was such a treacherous kid... My God, being trusted too much by the Crown Prince of the East Palace was really not a good thing. Next time, he should stay away!
The Crown Prince had caught a slight cold, and when several lecturers in the Eastern Palace heard the news, their first reaction was that they might have to take a few days off. However, the message from the messenger in the palace surprised them, because it said that the Queen Mother was worried about her grandson, so she asked the Crown Prince to stay in Qingning Palace for a few days to recuperate, but... the classes in Ciqing Palace would continue as usual!
The words "no suspension of classes if sick" naturally carry a lot of weight. So much so that when Yue Shanzhang, who was the first to go to Ciqing Palace to teach after hearing the news, saw the pale-faced Third Prince trying to keep himself alert, he couldn't help but remind him, "Your Highness, it's good that you want to study hard, but your health is more important. If you can't do it, please don't push yourself."
"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Yue."
The Third Prince bowed gratefully, but then suddenly coughed violently a few times. Seeing that Yue Shanzhang was frowning, he quickly drank two sips of tea to moisten his throat, and then said, "Senior Brother Lu, please help move a screen to separate me and Mr. Yue, so that I won't pass on my illness to Mr. Yue. It's not pleasant to be sick in winter. Also move my desk and chair behind the screen."
Although the Third Prince only named Lu Sanlang, the other tutors would not let Lu Sanlang do the work alone. They had to rush forward to help, and soon everything was done.
Shanzhang Yue watched everyone busying around in amazement the whole time. When the Third Prince really turned to sit behind the screen, although he felt that this was a bit too much of a stretch, after thinking it over, he still finished the day's class as planned.
After one day of classes, the next day, the third day... the lecturers changed one after another, and even Zhang Shou, who came to give lectures, was startled by the sudden cold and cough of the third prince. Not to mention today, even in the future, colds and fevers can sometimes be fatal, so how can he not worry?
Although he did not blame the patient, he still ended the class early and repeatedly reminded the Third Prince to rest more and not to push himself. And because he was too worried about the Third Prince's sudden cold, his attention was all on the Third Prince, and he did not notice Lu Sanlang looking at him eagerly.
In the past few days, the huge group of teachers in the East Palace had already taken turns and accepted the reality that the third prince insisted on attending classes despite being ill. While the court was praising the prince for his wisdom and love of learning, the emperor, who had left the third prince in Qingning Palace to accompany the empress dowager, was as irritable as a trapped beast. It would have been fine if he had only kept him for one day, but why didn't the empress dowager let him go?
In the past, he had two little sons by his side. Even though they went to study in Ciqing Palace, at least they would come back at night to talk to him, and he could still tease them for a while. Even though the fourth prince ran away from home, at least he still had a prince who was understanding and caring. But now...
He already had two dead sons, and now he had no son around him! The fourth prince went out of the palace and never came back. The usually obedient third prince not only lived in Qingning Palace, but also refused to rest even though he was sick. Not only did he go to class while sick, but he was also picked up by the Queen Mother of Qingning Palace as soon as the class was over. He was so angry that he almost wanted to intercept him halfway!
Hua Qi and Chu Kuan were not there, leaving Chen Yongshou alone to bear the brunt of the trouble. Chen Yongshou was really tormented by the emperor who was full of anger and looking for someone to vent it on. However, Concubine Yu, who was very good at persuading the emperor, was resting her pregnancy. It was said that she was likely to give birth before the New Year. Princess Yongping was outside with Zhu Ying and was having sex at the girls' school. That imperial concubine would never take care of things for the rest of her life. As for the other concubines...
Including the Fourth Prince’s biological mother, Concubine Jiang, no one can be relied on!
Therefore, even though he was afraid of being irritated by the emperor, he still had to work hard and hide everything that happened outside, fearing that the emperor, who was already in a bad mood, would suddenly explode. Until one day, a young eunuch he sent to Ciqing Palace to inquire came back with a piece of news, saying that the prince mentioned that the first deduction game at the Banshan Hall of the public school was about to begin.
As the manager of the Qianqing Palace, Chen Yongshou remembered that he had heard the emperor talk about this matter before, and he immediately had an idea.
Knowing that the emperor had been like a trapped beast for several days and had no place to go to relieve his pressure, someone in the Qianqing Palace would definitely be in trouble, and even someone in the court might get into trouble, so he made a prompt decision and rushed before the emperor.
"Oh, are the little guys finally starting?"
The emperor lazily stroked his mustache. Although he was not very interested, it was better than staying in the palace. Therefore, after changing into casual clothes, the emperor, who often went out of the palace for a stroll, prepared to leave. But at this time, news came from Qingning Palace.
"Yingying came to pick up the Queen Mother in person to go to the Girls' School to watch the fun?" The emperor just frowned, and finally laughed unhappily, "Since Yingying has already told me, and the Queen Mother rarely leaves the palace to relax, then let's go!"
The eunuch who came to report hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "They also said that they would go to Ciqing Palace to visit..."
When the emperor thought of the third prince, his face immediately darkened. Before anyone could finish their words, he threw his sleeves and said, "Go if you want to. You don't need to report this trivial matter to me! Okay, I'll talk about the big things when I return to the palace. Prepare the horses and call everyone. I want to go out of the palace to watch the fun... No, I want to relax!"
