Word about Qin Yuanxi being punished to copy books in the Feng Xiao Hall spread quickly.
There are no secrets under the sky, especially when it’s a big deal like this. The ministers were quite concerned about the relationship between the emperor and empress. Remember when Lu Bohuan acted as the regent prince, those two were at odds. Now that they’ve finally become lovey-dovey, bringing peace to the realm, everyone naturally hopes these peaceful days can last. Since the emperor and empress got married, they’ve been sweetly affectionate every day, even holding hands during court. It’s evident their relationship is very harmonious, which made the ministers happy too.
When they heard that His Majesty was once again punished to copy books in the Feng Xiao Hall, the ministers found it hard to believe and felt like it was a scene from another era.
The Feng Xiao Hall enshrines the ancestral tablets of the royal family, a place rarely disturbed. Lu Bohuan used to instruct His Majesty there, making him copy books as punishment. But that was years ago, and such a thing hadn’t happened again until now. Could it be discord between the emperor and empress?
Besides His Majesty’s punishment, the Empress has also stopped attending court with him recently, adding evidence to the discord between them. Various speculations and discussions arose, which Qin Yuanxi found absurd.
“Why would we be at odds? How come I didn’t know that we were at odds?”
Xiao Bao had started writing. Qin Yuanxi had been sick and then pretended to be sick, causing a lot of trouble recently. Lu Bohuan hadn’t had time to take care of the child, who missed a few days of classes. With both father and son making mistakes, Lu Bohuan simply skipped a few days of court to watch over Xiao Bao’s studies, aiming for progress every day.
Now, Qin Yuanxi had finished court, but Xiao Bao hadn’t finished his class yet.
Holding a brush in his hand, he looked slightly aggrieved. “Father, I’m done writing.”
“If you’re done, let me see. Bring it here to Dad.”
Qin Yuanxi was always very indulgent towards Xiao Bao. Even though he was just a tiny kid, his calligraphy was pretty good. The key was that Lu Bohuan’s demands were very strict, yet despite his young age, Xiao Bao’s handwriting was decent, which made Qin Yuanxi feel very pleased.
“Not bad.” Before he could finish praising him, the copybook in his hand was taken by Lu Bohuan. After the Empress earnestly inspected it, he furrowed his brows and began to comment, “Was this not supposed to be copied from memory? The handwriting is good, but look how many characters you’ve written wrong. There are seven or eight mistakes in this article alone. Is this the homework you want to show your teacher?”
“Huh? There are mistakes? How come I didn’t notice?”
Looking at his son’s face, Qin Yuanxi tried to cover up, “Pay more attention next time, alright? Oh, it’s already this late, Xiao Bao, are you hungry? Isn’t it time for breakfast?”
“Rewrite it three times.”
Lu Bohuan directly ignored Qin Yuanxi’s words, “If you don’t finish writing, you don’t eat.”
“No, how can you be like this!” Qin Yuanxi immediately opposed, “How can you not allow him to eat until he finishes writing? Do you even realize this is punishment? He’s just a child. How can he grow, develop, and get nutrients if he doesn’t eat? You say no eating until he finishes writing. You, as an adult, don’t skip meals all day long. Why would you subject my son to this? Writing is one thing, but not eating is unacceptable! I don’t agree!”
“It’s okay, Father Emperor, I can finish writing first and then eat.” Xiao Bao was very sensible and protective of his father, “Father is doing it for my own good. I’ll do my homework properly.”
His sensible attitude made people feel even more heartbroken.
“But that’s not okay,” Qin Yuanxi said discontentedly, “What time is it already? It’s unreasonable to go to class without having breakfast in the morning. Now you’re not letting him eat breakfast and saying he should finish writing first. Have you even looked at the time? Can it be finished in a short while? Not eating regularly will ruin his stomach in the long run.”
“Don’t listen to your Father, come on, let’s go eat with Dad.” Qin Yuanxi came over and held Xiao Bao’s hand, speaking angrily at Lu Bohuan, “How many characters can’t be written after eating? Why insist on withholding food? Eating is the biggest thing under the sky, the body comes first!”
Qin Yuanxi seemed resolute on the surface, but inside, he was feeling a bit anxious and uncertain.
He was afraid that Lu Bohuan would get angry.
He still hadn’t sorted out his own lingering issues, and now he was dealing with Xiao Bao’s matters. What if Lu Bohuan turned his back on him? What would he do then?
Fortunately, Lu Bohuan didn’t turn his back on him. When Qin Yuanxi said he would take Xiao Bao to eat, Lu Bohuan didn’t say much more. He followed behind the father and son, going to eat together.
In the past, when the three of them ate together, the atmosphere was always harmonious, but today felt a bit different.
Xiao Bao didn’t dare to say much since he hadn’t done his homework well. His father usually doted on him, but when it came to academics, he was very strict. One thing was one thing. Since his homework wasn’t done well, he didn’t dare to act spoiled. He quietly ate his meal, not even daring to glance in Lu Bohuan’s direction.
As for Qin Yuanxi, he was also feeling guilty. He had rubbed Lu Bohuan the wrong way several times already. Lu Bohuan attached great importance to Xiao Bao’s education, and Qin Yuanxi knew this. Not only did Lu Bohuan have high hopes for Xiao Bao, but Qin Yuanxi did too. However, their educational philosophies were somewhat different.
Qin Yuanxi had grown up in the modern education system and had a more tolerant and progressive approach to education. Lu Bohuan, on the other hand, was quite traditional in his educational philosophy. He was very strict in Xiao Bao’s studies, not only in academic subjects but also in martial arts training. The poor kid had to do horse stances every morning, which was quite tough.
Qin Yuanxi, on the other hand, hoped that his child’s childhood could be happier. As for learning things, couldn’t they wait a couple more years? Xiao Bao was still so young; there was no need to turn everything into a hellish system right from the start. Wasn’t Lu Bohuan afraid of instilling a rebellious attitude in the child?
He had always wanted to have a good discussion with Lu Bohuan about this idea, maybe even hold a debate, but Lu Bohuan never took the bait. Every time Qin Yuanxi hinted at it, Lu Bohuan would agree on the surface but wouldn’t really consider it. He would continue to be strict with Xiao Bao, not giving an inch.
Today’s confrontation was the first time Qin Yuanxi had directly challenged Lu Bohuan like this. While doing it, he felt confident, but afterward, he started feeling incredibly uneasy. What if Lu Bohuan got angry?
No, no, Lu Bohuan couldn’t already be angry, right?
He hadn’t said anything, hadn’t passed him any dishes, hadn’t served Xiao Bao any soup… Oh no, it seemed he really was angry.
Qin Yuanxi cautiously glanced at Lu Bohuan and saw him completely focused on his own meal. There was no discernible expression on his face, but Qin Yuanxi couldn’t shake off the feeling of doubt, making it hard to enjoy his meal.
“Eat well, then go directly to the study later.”
“Okay,” Qin Yuanxi agreed.
He was supposed to go to the study anyway. There were memorials to review, plenty of state affairs to handle; being an emperor was quite busy. Usually, Lu Bohuan went with him, but today, he wasn’t sure if he would still accompany him. Qin Yuanxi wanted to ask, but looking at Lu Bohuan’s calm expression, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. After dragging on for quite some time over their meal, Xiao Bao finished eating while Qin Yuanxi hadn’t.
Lu Bohuan held Xiao Bao’s hand and looked at Qin Yuanxi with a furrowed brow. “What are you doing? Counting grains of rice? If you don’t want to eat, then don’t. Let’s go.”
“Right, right, let’s go,” Qin Yuanxi immediately followed, watching as Lu Bohuan led Xiao Bao towards the study. He was quite puzzled but didn’t dare to ask too much.
When they arrived at the study, Qin Yuanxi noticed that Lu Bohuan had rearranged the layout. Previously, there were two tables—one for the emperor and one for the empress—to handle state affairs and meet with courtiers. Now, beside Lu Bohuan’s own table, there was a smaller one, obviously prepared for Xiao Bao.
Tugging on Lu Bohuan’s sleeve, Qin Yuanxi felt a bit uncertain. “You don’t mean to have Xiao Bao study here in the study, do you?”
Lu Bohuan: “Why not?”
“No, no,” Qin Yuanxi quickly shook his head. “It’s just… will the child feel restricted?”
“Father Emperor, I won’t.”
Qin Yuanxi’s question was answered by the Little Prince himself with his actions.
Xiao Bao had already let go of Lu Bohuan’s hand and ran to the side of the table. Sitting up straight with his little legs dangling, he placed two sheets of paper in front of him. Looking up at his two fathers, he said happily, “The child has long wanted to be with Father Emperor and Father. In the future, by Father’s side, the child will study hard. Father can also guide the child nearby. It’s very good.”
Despite his tender age, the little one spoke with remarkable maturity, far from a typical child.
Qin Yuanxi felt some concern about this.
Children should have a bit of innocence and whimsy. Would being too mature too early be a good thing?
“As long as you’re happy,” Qin Yuanxi nodded to his son, then pulled Lu Bohuan aside. “Let’s have a meeting tonight. We need to talk about this matter!”
Lu Bohuan knew he wanted to discuss the issue of Xiao Bao’s education. He neither agreed nor disagreed, just made a sound of acknowledgment and went about his own business, bypassing Qin Yuanxi.
That day, all the ministers who went to the study to report to His Majesty noticed something odd.
The atmosphere between the emperor and empress was strange. The discord was probably not just a rumor; it seemed to be true.
In the past, even if the two didn’t exchange many words while in the study, just an occasional exchange of glances was enough to delight the ministers. But today, the study was quiet. The Emperor and Empress didn’t exchange any glances, and there was an additional little prince. Most of the Empress’s attention was on the prince, giving the impression that neither of them was paying attention to the other.
Clearly, they had had a quarrel!
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)
