Chapter 19: A Wonderful New Son
Chu Lianmo continued to explain:
“To be honest, my style of parenting is that of a strict father; it’s not specifically targeted at him. I had carefully revised the rules of the Rui Wangfu (Prince Rui’s Mansion) in preparation for the day I would teach my children…
“It’s just that now, I can’t have my own biological children, so I will teach this adopted son well.”
“Why not?” Qi Xiaojun asked in surprise. Chu Lianmo was only twenty-six, only two years older than herself. At such a young age, how could he say that he would never have biological children?
“…I don’t think it’s necessary to have more children.”
That’s not how it works; having children isn’t something you decide not to do and then don’t have.
“Alright, I’m tired, I’m going back to my room,” Chu Lianmo clearly didn’t want to continue this topic, and turned to leave.
That night, he didn’t let Qi Xiaojun stay with him.
Qi Xiaojun felt a little disappointed, but she also sensed that she had touched upon a taboo subject, so she didn’t dwell on it.
Early the next morning, Qi Xiaojun went to visit Chu Yunxuan again and found that his fever had completely subsided, and his complexion had improved considerably.
“Xuan’er, are you all better?” Qi Xiaojun asked joyfully, “Is there anywhere else that still feels uncomfortable?”
“Returning to Mother Concubine, I am completely healed,” Chu Yunxuan’s attitude was very respectful.
Because Chu Lianmo had said yesterday, “I think this way of addressing me is very good,” Qi Xiaojun didn’t correct his way of addressing him.
Just then, a servant brought over a small booklet. “Young Master, these are the rules of the Rui Wangfu. His Royal Highness ordered you to read them thoroughly today.”
“Understood.”
Chu Yunxuan took the booklet, sat down at his desk, and diligently began reading it.
Qi Xiaojun was curious about what was written inside, so she also asked a servant for a copy.
She then discovered that the rules of the Rui Wangfu weren’t particularly special. They were the usual things: don’t violate the law, don’t gamble, don’t get drunk, etc. However, the rules were very detailed, covering all aspects of life.
The rules also stipulated a schedule: get up at Mao time (5-7 am), start reading at Chen time (7-9 am), learn riding, archery, and martial arts in the afternoon, and go to bed at Hai time (9-11 pm), without delay.
Seeing that Chu Yunxuan was studying earnestly, Qi Xiaojun didn’t want to disturb him and went to the accounting office to work.
It wasn’t until evening when Chu Lianmo came to check that Qi Xiaojun went to check on Chu Yunxuan again.
Chu Yunxuan recited the rules without missing a single word.
“Good,” Chu Lianmo nodded in approval, and praised lightly, “Now that you’re better, you’ll start studying tomorrow. I will specifically invite a tutor to the mansion to teach you. I may randomly check your daily lessons. I won’t force you to hunt if you don’t like it, but you still need to learn everything else you should.”
“Yes, Father.” Chu Yunxuan replied respectfully.
“Your Highness,” Qi Xiaojun interjected, “Could you ask the tutor to teach Ying Dong as well? He’s an orphan, forced to practice martial arts and kill people since he was young, and hasn’t had the opportunity to study literature.”
“…If he has free time, it’s not impossible. But the focus should be on teaching Xuan’er.”
With so much happening these days, Chu Lianmo had almost forgotten about Ying Dong. Qi Xiaojun’s reminder made him remember that the results of that matter hadn’t come out yet.
“I understand. Thank you, Your Highness.” Qi Xiaojun thanked Chu Lianmo.
So, from the next day on, the tutor hired by Chu Lianmo began to teach Chu Yunxuan and Ying Dong simultaneously.
When Ying Dong first saw Chu Yunxuan, he respectfully bowed. “Greetings, Young Master.”
“Ah, you don’t have to be so formal, please rise.”
Chu Yunxuan was used to being shy. In the past, at the De Wangfu (Prince De’s Mansion), everyone knew that his father didn’t value him, so sometimes even higher-ranking servants didn’t take him seriously. This was the first time he had seen someone so respectful towards him.
In Ying Dong’s eyes, Chu Yunxuan was a noble imperial grandson, unlike him, an orphan who didn’t even know his parents. After becoming an assassin, he was hunted by everyone, and his foster father only used him, never showing any genuine affection.
“Young Master, I’m afraid I’ll hinder your progress…” Ying Dong lowered his head in shame, “I can barely read…”
“But I heard that your martial arts are very good,” Chu Yunxuan smiled shyly at him, “I admire people who are good at martial arts, like Father… no…”
When he said the words “Father,” Chu Yunxuan immediately came to his senses and couldn’t help feeling a little sad, “I mean the Second Imperial Uncle, his martial arts are also very good. He always looked down on a bookish person like me.”
Ying Dong found this quite unbelievable, “Isn’t Chu a country that governs through literature? How can a martial artist look down on a scholar?”
Chu Yunxuan looked at Ying Dong in surprise.
“Cough, sorry, I said the wrong thing!” Ying Dong was an assassin, and didn’t understand the rules of the court, but he quickly reacted; how could he call a prince a martial artist?
“It’s okay.” Chu Yunxuan smiled faintly again. He suddenly realized that Ying Dong’s words made sense. Chu was a country that placed more importance on literature than martial arts, and he and Chu Weide just had different strengths; why should he be so inferior?
At this time, the tutor entered the room that Chu Lianmo had specifically designated as a schoolroom.
Chu Yunxuan whispered, “Let’s listen to the lesson first, and then we can chat later.”
“Good.”
When Qi Xiaojun later went to check on them, she was surprised to find that these two people, who were equally wary of others due to past traumas, had already become good friends, laughing and talking.
“Greetings, Mother Concubine.” As soon as Chu Yunxuan saw Qi Xiaojun, he subconsciously hurried to stop laughing and bowed to her.
Qi Xiaojun laughed, “You’re still so nervous when you see me? It’s a waste of my affection for you.”
Chu Yunxuan became even more nervous, “I didn’t mean that! I keep Mother Concubine’s kindness in my heart!”
“Okay, okay, I was just joking with you, don’t take it seriously.”
Actually, Qi Xiaojun knew that in Chu Yunxuan’s eyes, she and Chu Lianmo were on the same side, and he would be more relaxed with Ying Dong, who was only a little over twenty years old and closer to his age.
Qi Xiaojun then looked at Ying Dong with concern and asked, “How was your first day of studying? Can you keep up?”
Ying Dong replied respectfully, “I have told the tutor to prioritize Young Master’s progress. I will try my best to listen, and I can probably understand about 30%, thank you for your concern.”
“Good.” Qi Xiaojun nodded, “If you have anything you don’t understand, you can ask me privately.”
“Yes, Young Master…” Ying Dong looked at Qi Xiaojun, his expression full of gratitude, “You are so kind to me, I really don’t know how to repay you…I… I’ll tell you who hired me to assassinate His Royal Highness Prince Rui.”
Qi Xiaojun was overjoyed, “You’re really willing to tell me?!”
Ying Dong’s eyes reddened, “Actually, I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I guessed that you were being so nice to me to get information out of me. I craved this warmth, and didn’t want to lose it, so I didn’t say anything…But now I realize that the longer I stay in this warmth, the more addicted I become, if I don’t say anything, I’ll never be able to leave…”
“Silly,” Qi Xiaojun interrupted softly, “I was indeed trying to get information out of you at first, but now I truly treat you as my younger brother. Don’t worry, whether you tell me or not, my attitude towards you will not change.”
Ying Dong choked, “You and His Royal Highness are such good people, I don’t know why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would plot against you.”
“…!” Qi Xiaojun couldn’t help but tremble, “So the one who hired you is really the Crown Prince?”
“Yes. The Crown Prince ordered me that if the assassination failed and I was interrogated, I should say that the employer was Jiang Chengjin.”
Qi Xiaojun remained silent, her expression solemn.
That night, she reported this important information to Chu Lianmo.
After listening, Chu Lianmo also thought seriously for a while.
Finally, he decided to take Ying Dong to the Jiang Mansion the next day.
He had Ying Dong tell the truth again in front of Jiang Zhenxiong.
“The Crown Prince…” Jiang Zhenxiong was greatly shocked – in his heart, the Crown Prince was always patriotic and benevolent, and very kind to his brothers and sisters, how could he do such a thing? “Why would he do this?!”
Chu Lianmo said solemnly, “According to my guess, he wants to sabotage the relationship between me and your Jiang family…Of course, it would be even better if that assassin had actually succeeded in assassinating me, he could get rid of me, an obstacle, and the blame could be placed on Jiang Chengjin.”
Jiang Zhenxiong couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
If he really became the murderer of Chu Lianmo, not only would Jiang Chengjin’s life definitely not be spared, but the Jiang family would also be implicated.
“Your Highness, should this matter be reported to His Majesty?”
“No need.” Chu Lianmo shook his head, “Even with your son’s testimony and Ying Dong’s testimony, do you think the Emperor would convict his beloved Crown Prince? Moreover, I told the Emperor before that all the assassins had been killed, and now I’m saying Ying Dong is still alive, that’s deceiving the Emperor.”
“…So Your Highness…” Jiang Zhenxiong understood Chu Lianmo’s meaning, “You didn’t plan to solve this matter through the Emperor from the beginning?”
“Yes.” Chu Lianmo’s lips curled into a wry smile, “From the moment the Emperor believed the slander and decided that my mother had an affair with someone else, I haven’t dared to rely on him anymore.”
Jiang Zhenxiong felt a little sad after hearing this.
He also knew something about what happened back then. In his eyes, Chu Lianmo’s mother, Noble Concubine Liang, was kind and virtuous, and it was unlikely that she had done such a thing.
The Chu Lianmo of the past was cheerful, bright, and full of vigor, but later he became an innocent victim of the struggle between his parents, becoming gloomy and strange, willingly standing in the shadows, not speaking a word in court for many years, which was quite saddening.
“General Jiang, I have always respected your talent and integrity,” Chu Lianmo changed the subject, “So I only want to tell you the truth of this matter! Now, both of us are temporarily unable to do anything to the Crown Prince, I only hope that you can be wary of him from now on, and don’t let him manipulate and use you anymore.”
“This subordinate understands!” Jiang Zhenxiong bowed deeply to Chu Lianmo, “His Royal Highness Prince Rui suffered this misfortune for no reason, and since the assassin insisted that Chengjin did it, others would probably hand Chengjin over to the Ministry of Justice and demand an explanation…But Your Highness was willing to believe Chengjin’s innocence, and secretly investigated the truth. Your great kindness, this subordinate will never forget! If there is anything that the Jiang family can do for you in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask!”
Chu Lianmo heard this and knew that Jiang Zhenxiong was willing to stand by him from now on.
Chu Lianmo just smiled faintly, “General Jiang, you’re exaggerating. Finding out the truth is what I should do. There’s one more thing…”