Sure enough, Wei Mao’s face changed after he’d said those words, restoring its original rebellious expression. He turned to Wei Xuan and said, “Big Brother, you have heard it all.  When you see Sixth Uncle later, you have to testify for me. I am a man of my word.”

Although Wei Chongrong didn’t understand what Wei Mao meant, now he knew that there was a reason for the incident and it wasn’t that Wei Mao really changed his attitude towards him. He breathed a sigh of relief and asked Wei Xuan for an explanation: “Big Brother, what does Third Brother mean? Why don’t I understand?”

Wei Xuan shook his head helplessly and explained with a smile: “When Qingjia City was taken, weren’t you trapped in the tunnel? Fourth Uncle mentioned this in his war report to Grandfather Emperor, saying that you were trapped in it for two days and two nights, but you still chiselled the stone door and escaped by yourself. Sixth Uncle heard about it and kept saying in the palace that you were amazing. Third Brother wasn’t convinced and said that there was nothing great about it. Sixth Uncle said…”

Speaking of this, Wei Xuan couldn’t help laughing. Wei Mao was really something. How old was Wei Hao, why be serious about him? But not only was Wei Mao serious, he also lost a bet. Now he had to go to Wei Chongrong and say that he was amazing.

Wei Xuan smiled while telling about Wei Mao and Wei Hao’s bet. Before he finished speaking, Wei Mao’s face was already as black as the bottom of a pot. Wei Chongrong actually wanted to give Wei Mao some face and tried to hold back, but eventually couldn’t and still puffed out a laugh.

When people are in a desperate situation, they will burst out with energy that you can’t imagine. Not to mention Wei Mao, if you gave Wei Chongrong himself a stone door of the same material and put it in front of him, he would never be able to chisel a hole in it. Wei Mao had no way to win.

Wei Mao was so angry that he didn’t say a word to Wei Chongrong on the way back to the city. Wei Chongrong didn’t care, but felt that such a Wei Mao was normal. Whenever Wei Mao was polite to him, he had to wonder if he was planning something behind his back.

Wei Zhao had done a great service in creating Lingzhou and deserved to be rewarded, but he was already Wang Qin, and any further reward would only be to confer an additional title of qinwang⁽¹⁾ on him. According to the customary practice, the sons of the emperor of the Great Yan were not given the title of qinwang, and only when the old emperor died and the new emperor gave his brother a promotion could he be given the title of qinwang. If Wei Zhao were to be named the qinwang now, when Wei Ming ascended to the throne in the future, there would be a situation when there would be no way to reward him.

Wei Zhao could see Wei Su’s dilemma and immediately said that he didn’t need any reward. But after Wei Chongrong’s coming-of-age ceremony next year, Wei Zhao wanted to make him his heir. In order to block the mouths of the old guys in the office of the Minister of the Imperial Clan, he wanted to ask the emperor for a decree first.

Seeing that Wei Zhao’s heart and mind were all on his precious son, Wei Su’s mouth twitched very slightly. Even though Helian Zhuo was already dead and Wei Zhao personally ordered the execution, Wei Su still felt awkward when he looked at Wei Chongrong, and it was impossible for him to treat him like Wei Xuan and others.

Wei Zhao saw that the emperor was moved but refused to speak for a long time, and cupped his fist: “Please, Father Emperor, grant your son’s request.”

Seeing this, Wei Ming echoed: “Father Emperor, Rong’er is smart and courageous, wise and brave, he is worthy of the position of the heir.”

The emperor’s gaze turned to the faces of the two sons, and he said in a deep voice after a moment: “Granted.”

“This child and subject thanks Father Emperor for his kindness.” Wei Zhao thanked Wei Su first, and then cast a grateful glance at Wei Ming.

Wei Su nodded slowly, motioning to Wei Zhao to get up. The Crown Prince and Wang Qin were brotherly and respectful, and he was extremely satisfied with what he saw.

When Wei Zhao left the palace and returned to the residence, Wei Chongrong had already settled Huo Qingyue and Huo Yingying in the side courtyard. Huo Qingyang was given the title of Hou Wu’an, and the emperor must have given him a mansion, but he was in Lingzhou and couldn’t come back in a short time, so the people in the Ministry of Works wouldn’t be too diligent.

Besides, even if there was a mansion, Huo Qingyue, a single woman who had been taken away by the Fuyu people for many years and had a daughter of half-foreign descent, wouldn’t be able to live in the capital she was not familiar with without Huo Qingyang. So Wei Zhao directly brought them to his residence.

Wei Zhao listened to Wei Chongrong’s report and felt that everything was appropriate. He didn’t ask much about the Huo family’s mother and daughter. Instead, he asked, “Rong’er, that Tuoba Xianhan, how do you plan to settle him?” In Fuyu before, Wei Chongrong didn’t even have a companion of the same age by his side. Tuoba Xianhan had saved his life and he was a few years older than Wei Chongrong, so Wei Zhao let him follow Wei Chongrong, both as a companion and a guard. Now that they were back in the capital, he could no longer be so casual. Tuoba Xianhan had the ability, and it was wasteful not to use him to his fullest.

Wei Chongrong thought for a while, and then said, “Let Xianhan be my study companion first. He doesn’t speak the Han language and can’t read, so it’s not convenient for him to do anything for me in the future.” Sometimes, he felt that Tuoba Xianhan was a lot like himself in his previous life.

Wei Zhao had no objection to Wei Chongrong’s arrangement, but just asked: “How old is he this year?” Fuyu’s children were generally precocious. It was really difficult to judge their age from their appearance, and Wei Zhao had long given up such efforts.

“Thirteen years old, four years older than me.” Wei Chongrong said, extending his right hand, tucking away his thumb and spreading the remaining four fingers.

After a few days of rest back in the capital, Wei Chongrong returned to study at the palace school, bringing along a study companion who was half a head taller than him. He hadn’t been to school for more than half a year. Although Wei Chongrong had taken time to study by himself, he was still a lot behind his classmates.

At the palace school, Wei Chongrong’s best friend was Gu Chuan, but he was at home in mourning and hadn’t come back yet. Wei Chongrong and others were just general acquaintances, he was not particularly familiar with them. He wanted to find someone to borrow the notes from and chose Wei Mao.

“Third Brother, can you do me a favour?” During the break between classes, Wei Chongrong suddenly walked up to Wei Mao, startling him.

Wei Mao was stunned for a moment, then regained his senses and quickly assumed the posture of an elder brother, saying slowly: “What’s the matter, tell me.”

Wei Chongrong didn’t beat around the bush and said straightforwardly: “Third Brother, I want to borrow your notes.”

Wei Mao was taken aback again. Did he hear it right? Wei Chongrong actually came to him for help. This felt really good. Wei Mao sat up straighter and swept his eyes back and forth over Wei Chongrong, then said: “All my notes are in the Eastern Palace. Shall I bring them to you tomorrow?”

Wei Chongrong smiled and nodded: “Yes, thank you, Third Brother.” After saying that, he returned to his seat under Wei Mao’s astonished gaze.

“What the hell is going on?” Wei Mao muttered to himself and pinched his face, as if checking whether he was dreaming.

The next day, Wei Mao brought Wei Chongrong all the notes during his absence from class. He gave them to Wei Chongrong and said casually: “That’s it. Take them home and read them slowly. If you don’t understand something, you can come and ask me at any time.”

Wei Chongrong took the notes with both hands and looked through them briefly. He found that Wei Mao made very good notes. He also wrote his own opinions next to them. Wei Chongrong couldn’t help but look up and smile at him: “Thank you, Third Brother, I won’t be polite.”

Wei Mao scratched his head, still confused. But Wei Chongrong asked him for help; this feeling was really great.

On the way home, Tuoba Xianhan said to Wei Chongrong in Fuyu: “Little prince, did you do it on purpose?”

Wei Chongrong smiled without saying a word, very happy in his heart. Before returning to the capital, Wei Zhao repeatedly told him that during this special period, he had to have a good relationship with his cousins in the Eastern Palace and not give others an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

In this regard, Wei Chongrong was in a difficult position. He and Wei Xuan were very good from the beginning. But he and Wei Lan and Wei Mao were on bad terms since they met for the first time. The two sides maintained a situation where the well water didn’t violate the river water. Even if it was quite harmonious, it was not easy to improve.

But on the day the Crown Prince’s family went out of the city to greet them, Wei Mao’s performance in admitting defeat gave Wei Chongrong a different perception of him.

Wei Hao was less than four years old and it was easy for Wei Mao to deceive his little uncle; but he didn’t do that, he fulfilled his promise. Therefore, Wei Chongrong was ready to try. Compared with Wei Lan, who had a haughty personality and was not easy to reach, Wei Mao was still somewhat cute.

Wei Chongrong’s request to Wei Mao to borrow notes was purely on a whim. If Wei Mao was willing to lend them to him, Wei Chongrong would have multiple reasons to get close to him. If he refused, the relationship between the two could just maintain the status quo. For Wei Chongrong, there was no loss.

What Wei Chongrong didn’t expect was that Wei Mao was actually a good boy. Not only did he agree to lend him his notes, he also had no reservations about it. You know, if it was something Wei Chongrong wrote himself, except for Wei Zhao, he wouldn’t be willing to show it all to others.

When Tuoba Xianhan saw that Wei Chongrong was laughing, he couldn’t help but laugh too. Wei Chongrong recovered and asked in the Han language, “Can you understand what we are saying? You seem to be a quick learner. When we return home, I will teach you to read and write.”

Tuoba Xianhan nodded and said slowly: “I can understand a little bit, and I can guess the general meaning. Can you teach Yingying by the way?” His language skills weren’t something he only started learning when he returned to Yujing, he had learnt some of it from Huo Qingyue and Huo Yingying when he was in Qingjia.

“Yingying, ah…” Wei Chongrong said and slapped his forehead, “Fortunately, you reminded me, otherwise I would have forgotten. I have to tell Meng Junda to invite a female teacher to come home and teach Yingying to read and write, qin, chess, calligraphy and painting and so on.”

Tuoba Xianhan was stunned and said in a daze, “Is it possible?” He was a little surprised that Wei Chongrong was so kind to Huo Yingying.

“Of course it is possible.” Wei Chongrong said to Tuoba Xianhan very seriously: “Yingying is the niece of Hou Wu’an. At the moment, she is just a guest at Wang Qin’s residence. It is completely appropriate to invite a female teacher.” Since even Tuoba Xianhan had this misconception, it was time for Wei Chongrong to remind the servants of the residence again that Huo Qingyue and Huo Yingying were not a widowed mother and orphaned daughter relying on someone’s charity, they were Huo Qingyang’s family. No matter what Huo Qingyang’s origins were, he had gotten the title of Hou at the age of nineteen for his military achievements and had a bright future ahead of him. His sister and niece should not be neglected.

Tuoba Xianhan smiled blankly. He had preconceived ideas, but he forgot that Huo Yingying’s identity was already different from the past.

When the two returned to the residence, Wei Chongrong first found Meng Junda and conveyed his meaning. Meng Junda immediately said that Lady Huo and Miss Huo were both distinguished guests invited by the prince, and he would never dare to treat them lightly. He would invite the female teacher right away, promising to invite the best in the capital.

Back then, Wei Zhao wanted to replace Meng Junda, the chief steward, but unexpectedly, Meng Junda became enlightened after he had received a beating and was able to do his job properly and efficiently. Wei Zhao saw that he was quite satisfactory, so he gave up his intention to replace him and let him work until now.

Wei Chongrong had always been very comfortable with Meng Junda and let him go when he was done with his business. He asked Tuoba Xianhan to take his things and Wei Mao’s notes back to his courtyard and went to the main courtyard alone, ready to greet Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao’s reason for returning to the capital was that he was ill, so how could Wei Su be willing to let him continue to work? The day-to-day affairs of the Eastern Camp were given to the Ping County Wang Wei Chang, and Wei Zhao was also given permission to recuperate at home and not to attend court daily, except for the sessions on the first and fifteenth.

In addition, the emperor sent the imperial doctor to Wei Zhao every ten days to check his pulse. The emperor’s decree also sent Sun Ye, the Lord Consort of Wang Lu, to visit Wang Qin’s residence when he could. Sun Ye was certainly superior to the imperial doctors, but his character… he was a bit difficult to get along with.

When Wei Chongrong walked through the hall, he heard a familiar voice from inside the room: “…You still have some self-awareness and didn’t stay in Lingzhou bravely. If you really decided to come back after the winter, I guess you would have never come back…”

“Fourth Brother, come and sit down.” There was a boy about five or six years old sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. He saw Wei Chongrong and beckoned to him, motioning to him to sit down. That was Wang Lu’s only child, Wei Ruo, and Wei Chongrong’s only younger cousin. He was six years old this year.

“Ruo’er, how long have you been here?” Wei Chongrong walked over and sat down next to Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo stretched out his hand, curled up his thumb, ring finger and little finger, and held up his index and middle fingers.

Wei Chongrong sweatdropped and expressed his deep sympathy for Wei Zhao who had been listening to Sun Ye’s nagging inside the room for two shichen, but he had no intention of going in to rescue him. The nagging power of Wang Lu’s Lord Consort was so extraordinary that even his precious son was powerless to resist and could only avoid it.

After sitting with Wei Ruo for a while, Wei Chongrong sighed: “I am very curious, how does Third Uncle usually live his life?”

Wei Ruo was expressionless as he spat out a few words: “One is willing to give a beating, one is willing to get a beating⁽²⁾.” He was the only one caught in the middle, and the most pitiful one.

Wei Chongrong put his hand on Wei Ruo’s shoulder and patted him lightly, his eyes full of affection and helplessness.

Wei Zhao spent the winter at home, only to return to the Eastern Camp at the beginning of spring. Many people speculated that Wei Zhao wasn’t really ill but was avoiding the limelight to stay away from confronting the Eastern Palace head-on, just like he had previously given up his reward to seek the position of the heir for his son.

Neither Wei Zhao nor Wei Ming responded to such claims, which were simply nonsense.

For the children of the palace school, there was a very important event in the third month, the spring hunt in Shanglin Park. Wei Chongrong was proficient in archery and horse riding, and every year he was the best in the spring hunt. Many people gritted their teeth but were helpless against him.

This year, it was an extremely rare occasion for Jun Qing to come to the spring hunt, supposedly due to Jun Hua’s insistence.

“Brother Rong, will you take me to ride a horse? Daddy won’t let me ride alone.” Before Wei Chongrong could think of what he was going to do, Jun Hua tugged at his sleeve.

Jun Hua had just turned five years old; he looked lovely like jade and snow, his eyes black and bright like crystal grapes, and no one could bear to refuse his request. Wei Chongrong had always doted on Jun Hua, and naturally he wouldn’t refuse, so he immediately took Jun Hua to the stables to choose a horse.

“Brother Rong, I want that black horse, I want…” As soon as Jun Hua arrived at the stables, he took a fancy to a tall black stallion.

Wei Chongrong smiled and shook his head. The horse was too tall and fast. It was good to hunt on it, but it was a bit wasteful for them to just ride on it for fun. Fortunately, Jun Hua was not an unreasonable child. Wei Chongrong carefully explained the reason to him, and he agreed to choose another horse.

They were slowly choosing when Wei Mao came over. He also took a look at the dark horse, immediately spoke to the people of the imperial stables and took the horse away. Jun Hua muttered unhappily: “The beautiful horse is gone…”

Wei Chongrong rubbed his head, smiled and said, “When you grow up a little bit, I will take you to ride on our family’s Liuyun.”

Jun Hua was delighted, his eyes curved in a smile. In the end, Wei Chongrong chose a white mare with a docile personality.

1. Prince of the first rank
2. From the Romance of Three Kingdoms

Previous / ToC / Next