Chapter 201 - 176: Bihua Palace Preschool

"What new toys?"

Ever since Xie Sheng was old enough to understand things, all toys had been forbidden in Zhongcui Palace.

Guo Xiao Yi had placed all her hopes for the future on her son and would absolutely not allow him to let toys sap his ambition.

"The key to the Luanqi Library is with Gu Zhaoyi, so how could Bihua Palace possibly be short on new toys? I heard the Eldest Prince has a whole set of wooden puppets modeled after the animals in the Upper Garden. Their joints are so exquisitely crafted that each puppet can walk about on all fours in a lifelike manner."

Nanny Cheng wanted to use the sheer amount of Holy Favor enjoyed by Bihua Palace to inspire the young prince to compete for his Imperial Father’s affection. "Last time, for the Seven-piece Puzzle the Emperor gave Your Highness, didn’t Her Ladyship make a special exception and let you play for half an hour? Was the Seven-piece Puzzle fun?"

Xie Sheng nodded, a clear note of envy in his voice.

"It was fun."

"Things like the Seven-piece Puzzle are nothing special in Bihua Palace. That’s because the Eldest Prince has the Emperor’s deep affection. As long as Your Highness works hard and applies yourself, you will one day catch the Emperor’s eye and become even more favored than the Eldest Prince."

Nanny Cheng then reeled off the names of a whole slew of toys, none of which Xie Sheng had ever heard of.

Back when she used to discipline the junior palace maids, she had been very skilled at using the carrot and the stick.

She sternly warned Xie Sheng of the hardships his mother faced in the palace, while also tempting him with the promise of how wonderful life would be if he gained the Holy Favor.

"When Your Highness arrives at Bihua Palace, Gu Zhaoyi will surely welcome you with pastries and toys. But those will all be the Eldest Prince’s hand-me-downs. Would Your Highness be willing to accept that?"

Xie Sheng said, "Of course I would!"

...

’Thank heavens Her Ladyship didn’t hear that,’ Nanny Cheng thought. ’Otherwise, she would have coughed up blood from sheer rage.’

"If Your Highness applies yourself and earns the Emperor’s esteem, you’ll be able to receive rewards that are yours and yours alone."

Seeing Nanny Cheng getting anxious, Xie Sheng pressed his lips together and fell silent.

But deep down, he felt that it didn’t matter if the toys were new or old; just being able to play with them was wonderful enough. Guo Xiao Yi and Nanny Cheng had told the Second Prince a mountain of bad things about Bihua Palace, yet it only made him long for its "sugar-coated bullets." A three-and-a-half-year-old’s self-control is limited. He hadn’t yet developed any grand ambitions; he just wanted to eat good food and have fun.

Xie Sheng’s logic was simple and unbending.

’The Seven-piece Puzzle was his only toy. If his mother hadn’t taken it away, he wouldn’t have given it up for anyone. By that logic, if the Eldest Prince was willing to share his toys, then the Eldest Prince must be a truly, truly good person.’

Filled with this hopeful thought, Xie Sheng, accompanied by an entourage of palace maids and eunuchs, was ushered into Bihua Palace.

* * *

Xie Sheng remembered that he first had to go to the main hall to pay his respects to Lady Zhaoyi, and he couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

Speaking of Gu Zhaoyi, she was a legendary figure in both the imperial court and the harem.

Xie Sheng had only ever seen her from a distance at palace banquets.

A child’s heart is pure; he had no particular feelings, good or bad, toward Gu Zhaoyi, so the effect of the "Fan Filter" was somewhat diminished. When he looked at her, he didn’t see the radiant glow that others saw. Still, he could tell she was a one-in-a-million Beauty, though her expression was a little cold, and she didn’t seem very approachable.

"I have come to pay my respects, Lady Zhaoyi."

After being led into the main hall, Xie Sheng bowed his head and offered a proper greeting.

"You may rise."

Gu Zhaoyi’s pleasant voice rang out from above him.

Xie Sheng’s heart began to pound in his chest.

"Before you came, did Guo Xiao Yi tell you anything in particular?"

Jiang Xian asked, her tone casual.

Nanny Cheng was about to intervene. However, Jiang Xian—having been a manager in two lifetimes—naturally exuded an aura like that of a dean of students. Furthermore, Xie Sheng had been taught by his strict nanny to be a little too docile. Without a second thought, he blurted out what he had been holding in: "My mother said that Your Ladyship would tempt me to indulge in idle pleasures and forsake my ambition."

A cold sweat instantly beaded on Nanny Cheng’s forehead. "That’s not what Her Ladyship meant..."

A single glance from Jiang Xian silenced her.

"And what do you think?"

"Your Ladyship," Xie Sheng said, mustering his courage, "please tempt me with toys. I’m very easily led astray."

The corner of Nanny Cheng’s eye twitched.

Jiang Xian replied, "I can see that."

Facing the little boy before her, she recalled the Emperor’s advice. The Emperor had said, ’The world always says that play saps ambition, but in Our opinion, a Prince is the one person who absolutely must know how to play. If you suppress his desire for fun when he’s young, he will only overcompensate for it when he grows up. It is because We played to Our heart’s content as a child that We can now focus wholeheartedly on the court.’

"The Emperor sent you to Bihua Palace as a guest, so for the next three hours, you are under my care. Bihua Palace has no shortage of palace maids and nannies to serve you. As for your people, Second Prince, they can wait in the side hall."

As soon as Jiang Xian spoke, Nanny Cheng grew anxious again. "How could this old servant remain idle and trouble Your Ladyship’s palace maids..."

"You don’t like being idle? Fine. Zhenqiu, bring out all of Bihua Palace’s dirty laundry and have them scrub it clean."

Jiang Xian was bemused. ’I can’t believe someone actually doesn’t like being idle. Well, no matter. Bihua Palace has no shortage of chores.’

The palace maids and nannies the Second Prince had brought with him were quickly led away.

Anyone else would have been desperate for Nanny Cheng to supervise the entire time, lest something happen to the Second Prince in Bihua Palace and they be unable to clear their name. But Jiang Xian wasn’t afraid. She had no intention of harming anyone, and since Zhao’er was also being raised in Bihua Palace, every potential safety hazard had been meticulously eliminated, making it incredibly safe. She simply disliked having outsiders watch her every move while she was trying to do things; it was irritating. "I suppose I’ve spent too much time with He Guifei and picked up some of her domineering habits. You don’t mind, do you, Second Prince?"

Xie Sheng shook his head so fast it looked like a pellet drum. "I am at Your Ladyship’s command."

He understood. Oh, he understood perfectly.

’With the terrifying Nanny Cheng staring, Gu Zhaoyi wouldn’t dare bring out the toys.’

"Then I shall take you to see Zhao’er now."

Xie Sheng got up and followed her, his heart filled with hope. They arrived before a room with a plaque hanging above the door—

[Preschool Class]

In Xie Sheng’s imagination, the room would be filled with a sea of incredible new toys, more than he could ever dream of.

But when he stepped inside, he found it was filled with something else he would never have dared to imagine: the Four Treasures of the Study.

"Second Brother, you’re here!" Zhao’er, who had been practicing his calligraphy, leaped to his feet. He darted forward and grabbed both of Xie Sheng’s hands. "I’ve been waiting for you for so long! What took you? Never mind, come and sit down. This is the spot I saved for you. From now on, we’ll study and learn to read together. We can improve together!"

Xie Sheng looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

He stammered, "Eldest Brother, I-I don’t think this is a good idea! I’m here to have my ambition sapped by idle play."

’Not to come here and study.’

"Have your ambition sapped by play?" Zhao’er asked, looking at him with surprise. "What do you want to play with?"

"I heard you have a set of wooden puppets modeled after the animals in the Upper Garden. That must be really fun! And I want to eat some pastries."

"Oh, that set."

Perhaps he took after his mother, even from the womb, because Zhao’er wasn’t particularly interested in playing. He much preferred to stick close to Jiang Xian and listen to her stories. "According to the rules Mother set, as long as you memorize a text, you can pick anything you want to play with. But don’t eat too many pastries, or your teeth will hurt."

Hearing this, Xie Sheng’s eyes lit up.

In Zhongcui Palace, there were no rewards for memorizing his lessons or practicing his calligraphy well. The most he could hope for was a serving of his favorite pastry.

"Will it just be the two of us studying?" Xie Sheng asked.

"Mother will be teaching us."

"Oh... I see..."

Xie Sheng’s expression was a mixture of resistance to the idea of studying and a desperate craving to play with toys.

Faced with his slightly younger brother, Zhao’er was suddenly filled with an unprecedented passion for teaching. He finally understood why, during his "prenatal education," his mother was always making him recite things endlessly. It turned out that making someone else study was such a joyous experience! No wonder his mother loved to "grind" him; he was going to "grind" his Second Brother too!

Jiang Xian wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about raising children.

However, all the Princes in the harem were potential future competitors for Zhao’er. She wouldn’t sabotage any of them or raise them to be useless; she just hoped to foster at least a sliver of brotherly affection among them. Having them be classmates was the simplest way to do that.

Secondly, this was something the Emperor had wished for her to do.

He felt Guo Xiao Yi wasn’t doing a good job raising Xie Sheng and wanted her to lend a hand. She, in turn, gladly used this new "project" as a pretext to secure more and better educational resources for the two little ones, allowing them to progress together.

"Sit properly,"

Jiang Xian calmly interrupted the two boys’ conversation. "Remember, in this preschool class, I am your teacher. If you want to have fun, you must first diligently complete the assignments I give you."