NFBE Chapter 140: The Prince's Junior Tutor, Assisting the Crown Prince
Chapter 140: The Prince's Junior Tutor, Assisting the Crown Prince
Zong Yanli looked a little suspicious. He walked forward and looked over. He saw that from this angle he could just see several people in the pavilion in the yard.
Concubine Gao and Concubine Shu sat in the pavilion, with two little princes sitting beside them.
Zong Yanli immediately saw the Ninth Prince He Jiarong who was sitting next to Concubine Shu. The fourteen-year-old boy was quite handsome, with gentle eyes and a bit of elegance. At this moment, he was sitting quietly next to his mother.
"Mother, why hasn't father come yet?" The little kid He Honglang who was sitting opposite couldn't sit still. He tilted his head and looked around from time to time, with bright eyes and raised his head to ask Gao Jiayue.
"I'll be there in a moment." Gao Jiayue lowered her eyes and looked at He Honglang gently, then picked up a small toy on the table for He Honglang to play with.
He Honglang fiddled with the toy for a while, then looked up at He Jiarong who was sitting opposite him. He stood up happily and invited He Jiarong, "Brother, let's play together!"
Just as He Jiarong was about to speak, he was stopped by Concubine Shu, who stared at He Honglang with vigilance and disgust and said, "The Emperor will be here soon, Your Majesty, please take good care of the little prince."
Gao Jiayue tilted her head and said innocently, "Children are so lively and active at this age, why does Concubine Shu have to restrict them like this?"
Gao Jiayue picked up the teacup and took a sip nonchalantly, then said to He Honglang, "Go play."
"Just sit still." However, Concubine Shu did not let He Jiarong go out to play.
He Jiarong felt a little bit reluctant when he saw He Honglang's disappointed look, but he did not disobey his mother's wishes. He bowed his head respectfully and continued to sit in his seat.
The old emperor looked at it for a long while, and finally stepped back to look at Zong Yanli and asked: "General, which of my two sons do you think is more suitable?"
"Your Majesty should have the answer." Zong Yanli bowed his head and bowed with a smile.
"..." The old emperor was stunned when he heard this, then laughed and said, "Zong Yanli, I wish I had known you earlier."
"Let's go." The old emperor felt desolate. He closed his eyes, sighed, turned around and stepped into the palace gate.
Concubine Gao and Concubine Shu, who had been waiting in the pavilion for a long time, finally saw the emperor coming. They immediately stood up and kowtowed. Out of the corner of their eyes, they caught a glimpse of Zong Yanli following closely behind the emperor. Concubine Shu's hands were shaking violently and her eyes were full of excitement.
The old emperor waved his hand slightly: "Everyone, get up."
"Give General Zong Yan a seat." The old emperor was so serious that he actually arranged Zong Yanli's seat directly next to himself. This scene made Concubine Shu even more excited.
"Please sit down." The old emperor sat upright in the main seat and slightly raised his eyes to look at Concubine Shu and He Jiarong, mother and son, beside him. In terms of character, the old emperor was still satisfied with He Jiarong. This child was too obedient and had no opinions of his own. To put it bluntly, he was too kind.
If the times were prosperous and peaceful, the old emperor would choose He Jiarong as the crown prince without hesitation, and would put benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and filial piety first in governing the country.
But now the State of Wu is surrounded by enemies. After years of war, the State of Wu cannot be called stable at all. In such a situation, if there is no monarch who can shoulder the heavy responsibility, how can the State of Wu last long?
The old emperor looked at He Jiarong deeply, and then asked, "What has Rong'er learned recently?"
Concubine Shu quickly pushed He Jiarong and asked him to come forward and talk.
He Jiarong seemed a little nervous and afraid, and didn't even dare to look directly at the emperor. He walked forward with his head lowered and talked about the knowledge that the teacher had taught recently. He was indeed a smart child. The old emperor picked a question to ask, but perhaps the angle of the question was a little tricky, so the teacher did not teach him.
It was all up to the child to come up with the answer himself, and He Jiarong was a little at a loss. He thought for a long time and came up with a relatively mild answer.
"Not bad." The emperor praised, but there was no trace of joy or anger on his face.
"Father, I have also learned it. Please ask me." He Honglang waited eagerly for a long time, and seeing that the emperor had no intention of speaking, he could not wait to speak.
"Oh? Really?" The old emperor smiled when he heard He Honglang's baby voice. He turned his head leisurely and looked at him and asked patiently, "Then tell me what you have learned."
He Honglang raised his little head and recited a poem to the old emperor in a baby voice.
The emperor asked him if he knew what the poem was about. Unexpectedly, the little baby could answer the question. After answering, he even said, "But I still don't know what the poem means about the people's sorrow and suffering."
He Honglang's words made the emperor's heart tremble, and the emotions in the eyes of the ignorant child became deeper and deeper.
At this moment, the emperor finally made up his mind. He raised his hand and waved at He Honglang, saying, "Come to father."
"Father." He Honglang walked over with his eyes blinking, looking up at the emperor.
"Alang, do you want to see for yourself the suffering of the people?" The old emperor looked down at him and asked with a smile.
"I wonder if your father can take me to see it?" He Honglang asked seriously, holding the emperor's hand.
"Father cannot accompany you, but..." The emperor paused, turned around and pointed at Zong Yanli beside him and said, "Father has found a teacher for you. Can you let the teacher take you to see it?"
He Honglang seemed a little confused, as if he didn't know why his father couldn't accompany him to see it. Then he turned to look at Zong Yanli, and met Zong Yanli's solemn and cold eyes. The two of them looked at each other, and at this moment it seemed that some gears of fate were turning silently.
Zong Yanli lowered his eyes slightly and bowed his head, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
The emperor reached out and patted He Honglang's little head and said, "Father hopes that you can understand the sufferings of the people and the difficulties of the country, so that when you grow up, you can make decisions for the country and the people."
The emperor made his words so clear that even a fool could understand them. Concubine Shu's face changed drastically. She couldn't believe that the emperor had made up his mind so easily. She said anxiously, "The little prince is still so young, why not let Rong'er follow General Zong Yan?"
The old emperor looked back at Concubine Shu and said in a rather gentle manner, "Rong'er is now under the guidance of Scholar Song. I see that Scholar Song has taught Rong'er very well, so there is no need to look for another teacher."
Concubine Shu was a little unwilling, and clutched her sleeves and wanted to speak.
But the old emperor interrupted directly and said: "Okay, take Rong'er back first."
Even though Concubine Shu was full of resentment, she did not dare to disobey the emperor's will and could only get up and leave unwillingly. On the way back, He Jiarong did not understand why his mother was so angry. He felt that his father praised him a lot today. Isn't this a good thing?
The old emperor had made up his mind and had no intention of delaying, so he immediately asked He Chang to draft the decree.
The youngest son He Honglang was named the Crown Prince, Gao Jiayue was named the Imperial Noble Consort, and Zong Yanli was appointed the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, performing the duty of assisting the heir to the throne.