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S T E L L A R C L O U D
[Azurixa] [Celeste S.] [Christine G.-L.]
O R A N G E S T A R
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Y E L L O W S T A R
[Leticia P.] [Maria P.] [Nicole]
G O L D S T A R
[Cindy] [Nanashi D. Y.] [Reece P.]
R A I N B O W S T A R
[Amanda] [Book W.] [Britnae M] [Caroline] [Christigale M.] [DetectiveGeek421] [Haruka N.]
[Hlau V.] [Ine O.] [Kiiayame] [kuroneko_chan] [Liznel M.] [Michelle K.] [onepiece] [Oushna]
[Quae] [Ray] [Scorpion Princess] [Sweetlove] [Victoria]
Being afraid of what was to come was no longer enough to describe Imperial Concubine Shu's current mood. She never expected that the Emperor would think of testing the Fifth Prince with his homework at this time.
His Majesty had a lot to take care of almost everyday and, in fact, didn’t have much time to test the several princes. Besides, the only ones he was most concerned with were the eldest prince and the Crown Prince.
One was his eldest son and the other was his di son.
For someone like the Fifth Prince, who was neither a di son nor the eldest son, the Emperor would at most check his articles. However, with Gu Jinyu's help every time, the Fifth Prince's articles were done very well.
Occasionally, the Emperor would summon the Fifth Prince and ask him some questions based on his articles. Gu Jinyu had also taught the Fifth Prince these in advance.
Don't look at the fact that the Fifth Prince was no good in class. He was actually gifted in cheating.
Gu Jinyu would tell him, ‘His Majesty may test you with this later, and this is how you answer,’ and then he would remember everything!
Therefore, all these years of cheating with Gu Jinyu, the Fifth Prince had never been exposed.
Imperial Concubine Shu's heart was trembling.
"Your Majesty..."
She still tried to prevent this, but the Emperor had already made up his mind.
On the other side, the three little beans also finished making their mortar and went to patch walls again, carrying their buckets.
Having lost the pleasure of watching, the Emperor got up and went back to his imperial study.
Empress Xiao, Imperial Consort Zhuang and the rest of the imperial concubines also got up to see him off.
The Emperor headed to the imperial study.
The Fifth Prince was also called over.
For the time being, he didn't quite understand what had happened. He only noticed that the people in the palace had strange expressions on their faces, and the expression of the Emperor looked even stranger.
"Imperial Father."
He went into the imperial study and made his salutations.
At this time, the three little beans had carried their buckets outside the imperial study to patch the walls there.
Eunuch Wei was really worried that the three little ancestors would patch the walls of the Emperor’s imperial study, so he quickly asked people to bring over some gray bricks.
Unable to patch some walls, binding bricks was also good.
Several little people crouched down, slowly moving their small brushes to bind the bricks.
Little Jing Kong was working the most seriously, but because he was too small and his control of strength was still not precise enough, his handiwork was the worst.
Second was Xu Zhouzhou, who seemed to have no talent in this aspect.
The one who seemed to be a real little expert in binding walls was none other than Qin Chuyu.
Originally, Qin Chuyu was simply indulging his two little friends when he went to play with them, but then, he found that he had the best handiwork among the three of them and gradually found the pleasure in binding walls.
"I can be a mason in the future!" Qin Chuyu said proudly.
Little Jing Kong deeply agreed, "You’re right, you build them the best!"
Xu Zhouzhou also nodded in agreement.
Eunuch Wei on the side was shaking, and he almost dropped the horsetail whisk in his hand in fright!
Little ancestor, you’re an imperial prince, and your lofty dream is to be a mason?! Can you still have a promising future?!
Within the imperial study, the Fifth Prince was no less frightened than Eunuch Wei, but his fright wasn’t from his younger brother who wanted to be a mason, but rather from the Emperor who seemed to be torturing his soul.
The Emperor took out a section from the Works of Mencius, "There is a city, whose walls are distinguished for their height, and whose moats are distinguished for their depth, where the arms of its defenders, offensive and defensive, are distinguished for their strength and sharpness, and the stores of rice and other grain are very large. Yet it is obliged to be given up and abandoned. This is because advantages of the situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from the accord of Men. What’s next?"
Fifth Prince: "It’s... It’s..."
Little Jing Kong shook his head as he was binding the bricks, "In accordance with these principles it is said, ‘A people is bounded in, not by the limits of dykes and borders; a State is secured, not by the strengths of mountains and rivers; the kingdom is overawed, not by the sharpness and strength of arms.’ He who finds the proper course has many to assist him. He who loses the proper course has few to assist him. When this - the being assisted by few - reaches its extreme point, his own relations revolt from the prince. When the being assisted by many reaches its highest point, the whole kingdom becomes obedient to the prince. When one to whom the whole kingdom is prepared to be obedient, attacks those from whom their own relations revolt, what must be the result? Therefore, the true ruler will prefer not to fight; but if he does fight, he must overcome.”
The four-year-old’s voice was clear and loud, still carrying a hint of childishness.
The whole imperial study was silent.
The Emperor glared at the Fifth Prince and said, "Men's being ready with their tongues…"
The Fifth Prince still couldn't answer.
Little Jing Kong: "...arises simply from their not having been reproved."
Emperor: "Small as my virtue is, in the government of my kingdom..."
Little Jing Kong: "...I do indeed exert my mind to the utmost."
Little Jing Kong was in no way competing to be the first to answer with the Fifth Prince. He simply blurted those out without much thinking.
It was like listening to music on normal days. When you hear the last sentence, you would automatically sing the next part. That was all.
The Emperor was so furious that he pointed out of the window and said, "Listen, you’re not even as good as a four-year-old child!"
Qin Chuyu asked Little Jing Kong oddly, "What were you reciting just now?"
Little Jing Kong spread his hands, "I don't know, I just heard it from the big brothers from the Imperial Academy."
The Four Books and Five Classics were required items in imperial examinations. Examinees often recited them within the Imperial Academy, and Little Jing Kong wrote them down after listening to them.
Qin Chuyu: Why don’t I remember anything?
The Emperor gave the Fifth Prince a few more arithmetic problems, but as a result, he couldn't do any of them. The Emperor was so enraged, saying, "Aren't these all the problems you used to answer? The numbers are just different!"
The Fifth Prince trembled in fear and dared not move under such an atmosphere.
The falsification of the Fifth Prince's knowledge was basically certain. If it weren't for Imperial Concubine Shu making such a scene, the Emperor wouldn't have doubted the Fifth Prince— she dared to take other’s credit and placed it onto the Fifth Prince, then, did the Fifth Prince’s former knowledge also involved some deception?
"Who is it that did all your previous homeworks?" The Emperor asked with a stern voice.
At first, the Fifth Prince still intended to bite his teeth, but he was unable to resist the pressure from his imperial father. He faltered and confessed, "It’s, it’s cousin."
The Emperor almost fell back in anger.
It was Gu Jinyu again!
The Emperor smiled angrily.
He was still wondering where Gu Jinyu learned the skill of easily taking other people’s credit. Now, it turned out that she was shaped by her environment. Her talent was taken away from her, so she just went and took other people's things for herself.
What was this called? If the upper beam was not straight, the lower beam would be crooked!
The beauty of Imperial Concubine Shu suddenly made the Emperor feel terrible at this moment!
But this son was still his own; he really couldn’t just leave him alone.
The Third Prince was already conferred the title of Rui Wang, and the eldest prince the title of Ning Wang, both the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince were no longer too young too. A court official passed a memorandum indicating they should also be conferred Wang titles.
Just this morning, the titles of his two sons were drawn up.
But now, the Emperor felt that they were still not ready enough for these titles.
[T/N: The translations for the Works of Mencius in this chapter aren't from me, all credits to these sites.
]
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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