“Ding Yi, tell His Majesty that tonight, this Prince will review his studies. If he can’t complete them on time, he should copy ‘The Analects1The Analects are a collection of Confucius’s sayings brought together by his pupils shortly after his death in 497 BC. Together they express a philosophy, or a moral code, by which Confucius, one of the most humane thinkers of all time, believed everyone should live.‘ ten times,” Prince Lu Bohuan said. As if feeling that wasn’t enough, he added, “And if he doesn’t copy ‘The Analects’ either, then we shall resort to the royal disciplinary measures.”
“Yes, I understand. I will certainly urge His Majesty to complete his studies diligently,” Ding Yi replied, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He hurriedly trotted after His Majesty, who was already walking away.
Prince Lu’s even resorting to invoking royal disciplinary measures. Who knows why His Majesty is trying to compete against the Prince? This situation seems to be escalating.
“What’s the royal disciplinary measure?” Qin Yuanxi dismissed the matter altogether, shifting to another spot to continue enjoying his novel, paying no heed to Prince Lu’s words.
Who’s Prince Lu Bohuan? He’s the regent who holds sway over the court. The more clueless this emperor appears, the more secure Prince Lu Bohuan, the regent, feels. Talking about studies or not studying, could it be that writing a couple of reflections on suppressing bandits will make Prince Lu start teaching him how to govern?
What a joke. It’s just finding a new way to cause trouble for him, a mere show of intentions will suffice.
The more of a lost cause he is, the more Prince Lu Bohuan should be delighted.
Ding Yi tapped His Majesty’s leg, responding seriously, “During the late emperor’s reign, the regent was already the Crown Prince’s tutor. An imperial decree was issued, instructing that he should be treated with the respect due to a teacher. He was even granted a ceremonial disciplinary ruler to serve as a symbol of the Emperor’s guidance.”
“He wants to punish me?!” Qin Yuanxi immediately sat up, no longer interested in his novel, tossing it aside. “Is that what he means? If I don’t write, and I don’t copy the book, he’ll punish me?”
Before Ding Yi could respond, Qin Yuanxi stood up abruptly. “Where’s the brush and ink? Hurry up, get me brush and ink.”
It’s not that he’s timely; Qin Yuanxi just suddenly remembered. The book actually seems to have this very scenario, where Prince Lu uses the disciplinary ruler to punish the puppet emperor, and it seems quite brutal, leaving the emperor unable to attend court for two days straight.
One can guess that a ruthless character like Prince Lu Bohuan wouldn’t hold back if he were to take action. Qin Yuanxi isn’t foolish. He doesn’t need to make himself uncomfortable. He knows too well those large hands of Zhao Tuo. If he were to use those calloused hands to hit him, it would definitely be painful.
Writing, it’s just writing an article. What’s the big deal? Just write it. Why make things difficult for oneself?
Qin Yuanxi encountered difficulty when he dipped the brush in ink. His calligraphy wasn’t bad; he had practiced with his grandfather when he was young. But writing characters is just the basics. What Prince Lu Bohuan, that wretched fellow, asked for was an essay about the strategy for suppressing bandits.
That’s definitely different from narrative essays. How could Qin Yuanxi possibly write it? He ended up with a pile of crumpled paper, finally slumping onto the desk, glancing at Ding Yi, who was attentively preparing the ink, and asked, “Can you write?”
Ding Yi focused on grinding the ink, sporting a pleasing smile. “Your Majesty, I’m illiterate.”
Another piece of paper fell to the ground. Qin Yuanxi really couldn’t write it out. “Then, what did Prince Lu want me to copy? Go fetch it.”
“Your Majesty, it’s ‘The Analects.’ Otherwise, would Your Majesty like to write the essay? Copying ‘The Analects’ might take the whole night.” Ding Yi brought over a book.
Qin Yuanxi breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a book as thick as a brick; it was within his tolerable range. He could just about manage to copy this. An essay? He didn’t have any ink in his stomach, so he couldn’t force that out2It’s like trying to squeeze water from a stone. He couldn’t produce something that he didn’t possess within him..
“Let’s go with this.” Qin Yuanxi simply took off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and started to prepare. It’s just copying a book, what’s the big deal? Who hasn’t copied their homework when they were young? Just consider it practice for brush calligraphy.
After handling court affairs on his end, Lu Bohuan proceeded to review some cases involving officials from the Ministry of Personnel. By the time he came out from the Imperial Study, the hour for the evening meal had already passed. Furrowing his brow, he squeezed out a question to the young eunuch by his side, “Is His Majesty still in the Ancestral Hall? Has he had his dinner?”
Upon receiving an affirmative response, Lu Bohuan strode towards the Ancestral Hall. Inside, Qin Yuanxi was engrossed in transcribing a book, while Ding Yi knelt beside him, fanning him diligently. Standing outside, Lu Bohuan noticed the incense burner on the table, from which a wisp of blue smoke spiraled upwards. Qin Yuanxi was writing with utmost seriousness, and with a fleeting glance, Lu Bohuan unexpectedly sensed a hint of tranquility.
“How is the writing coming along?”
Lu Bohuan was there to inspect Qin Yuanxi’s work, only to find out that Qin Yuanxi hadn’t even touched the assignment he had given him. Among the three options, Qin Yuanxi had chosen the simplest one—copying a book. He seemed to be enjoying the task, but the moment he heard Lu Bohuan’s voice, he immediately covered up whatever he had been writing.
Looking wary, he asked, “Why are you here? It’s clearly not time yet.”
It was akin to someone handing in their exam paper before the designated time. Clearly a violation! And if you were going to show up, couldn’t you at least give a heads-up? Suddenly appearing out of nowhere is quite alarming, you know!
And as he realized what he had just written, Qin Yuanxi’s expression grew even more grim.
He was feeling a little tired from copying the books and was just trying to change his mood a bit. He never thought Lu Bohuan would catch him red-handed. If he had known, he wouldn’t have dared to write anything. Now, it felt like a layer of fine sweat had formed on his back.
“Come see if His Majesty has been slacking off.”
“Impossible.” Qin Yuanxi forced a smile, his tone light but insincere. “How could I slack off?”
“It seems His Majesty has been enjoying himself outside the palace so much that he’s forgotten even how to address himself, huh?” Lu Bohuan bent down to pick up a few sheets of paper with Qin Yuanxi’s writing on them. As he lifted them, he glanced at Qin Yuanxi, his gaze holding a depth that hinted at concealed emotions. Unfortunately, Qin Yuanxi was too nervous to notice.
“Yes, the Prince Regent is right. I acknowledge my mistake.”
The issue of self-address, he just couldn’t remember it. It wasn’t a problem when he was relaxed and carefree outside the palace, and he hadn’t paid attention after returning. He never anticipated this, and now he was paying the price by being caught by Prince Lu.
“The Prince Regent is busy with state affairs. I assure you, I haven’t been slacking off here and won’t cause you any worries.” Qin Yuanxi covered the paper in front of him, sincerely pledging, “I will write diligently and take the Prince Regent’s guidance to heart.”
“Oh?” Lu Bohuan pinched the thin sheets of paper and shook them slightly, then let them go. The paper floated down lightly, almost landing on Qin Yuanxi’s face. He dodged it, but his hand on the table didn’t release its grip.
“What is my guidance? What have you been listening to, Your Majesty?” Lu Bohuan leaned over, placing a hand on the table in front of Qin Yuanxi, his tone slightly cool. “I instructed you to write an article about the bandit suppression. Since Your Majesty went out of the palace and gained some insights into the people’s livelihood, it’s only natural that you should have gained something from this experience. What have you written?”
“Writing? You said, I can copy the scriptures ten times? I’m copying the books then,” Qin Yuanxi initially felt he had a valid point.
It was always a choice among three, he couldn’t write an article and didn’t want to get beaten, so he chose the middle option – ten times of copying the scriptures. Even copying stroke by stroke was tiring. But when he looked at Lu Bohuan in front of him, he couldn’t seem to say anything, feeling as if he had inexplicably become shorter.
Especially since he had a piece of ‘evidence’ in his hand, he couldn’t look Lu Bohuan in the eye even more.
Shifting his gaze and pretending to be composed, he asked, “So how does the Regent Prince want it done?”
“I told you to write an article, but you’re doing the opposite. What does the Emperor say about that?”
“There’s no doing the opposite, I—” Qin Yuanxi suddenly felt a numbness in his wrist. Before he could react, the piece of paper he had been tightly guarding under his sleeve was already in Lu Bohuan’s hand. Qin Yuanxi’s expression also changed, and he subtly moved backward, his throat moving as if he swallowed non-existent saliva.
On the piece of paper in Lu Bohuan’s hand, there were only five large characters written: ‘Lu Bohuan is a real dog!’
“Listen to my explanation,” Qin Yuanxi tried to justify.
Lu Bohuan raised an eyebrow, “Explain.”
“Well, um…”
Qin Yuanxi stuttered and couldn’t really explain it. How could he explain this? Was I praising you? Complimenting your handsomeness, loyalty, saying you’re a good friend of humanity?
“Yeah, that’s, it’s a slang phrase. Commoners often use it to praise someone for having qualities like a loyal dog, diligence, simplicity, keen sense of smell, solving cases,” the more Qin Yuanxi explained, the more nervous he became, his palms sweating, “also intelligent, perceptive, and very loyal. It means a good friend, and…”
He couldn’t continue anymore, and Lu Bohuan, with an unconcerned expression, knocked his head against the table with a clear ‘thud’: “I was wrong, it’s not right. I shouldn’t have daydreamed while copying books, shouldn’t have written random things. The Regent Prince should forgive the mistakes of the small, don’t treat me as an equal.”
While Qin Yuanxi was apologizing and admitting his mistake, he also felt wronged. If it was only Lu Bohuan, he wouldn’t want to write anything related to that dog-like thing, not even a single stroke. But sitting here, copying books, all he could think of was that face.
Dog-like thing, return my General, ah, ah, ah, give him back quickly!
Lu Bohuan held the paper that was somewhat like a talisman, the words on it were a bit strange, but he could probably guess what they meant. Looking at the dejected Qin Yuanxi and his jumbled words, his emotions grew even more complex.
After a long while, he turned away, his tone icy and devoid of emotion, “Twenty times!”
The Author has something to say,
Qin Yuanxi: Lu Bohuan is a real dog!
Prince Lu: What kind of nonsense did you write!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
