Chapter 267: Side Story 3: A Princeling's Life

1

The Eldest Prince, Xie Zhao, was born with innate wisdom and was exceptionally intelligent.

The Third Prince, Xie Qi, was humble and approachable, a master of both riding and archery.

It went without saying for Xie Zhao. His mother, Consort Hao, was a formidable woman in her own right—how could the son she raised be anything less?

Xie Qi’s mother, Ma Ronghua, on the other hand, had not deliberately groomed her son. Having been assigned as a companion to a young lady of the Rong Family since childhood, she lacked any great ambition. She was already content just to have a son. She feared that his brilliance might attract disaster, yet she couldn’t bring herself to poison his mind with the intrigues of adults. Torn by this inner conflict, Ma Ronghua, aside from doting on him, taught her son nothing at all.

But Xie Qi adored following his two older brothers around.

Xie Qi followed the “study regimen” designed by the Eldest Prince to the letter, needing no supervision. He gradually revealed a natural talent for riding and archery and also developed a keen interest in leading troops into battle.

And then there was the Second Prince, Xie Sheng, who, under the high pressure of his mother, Guo Xiao Yi, had mediocre schoolwork and simply coasted through his riding and archery lessons.

After the three Princes came of age, left the palace to establish their own manors, and received their respective assignments from the court, Xie Sheng took his slacking to a new level. Not only did he make no effort to learn his duties or take on more responsibility, but once he confirmed that the Ministry of Revenue could run perfectly fine without him… he simply checked out.

Show up for duty?

He was sick—with an illness that could only be cured by visiting a pleasure house and embracing a beautiful woman.

The work assigned to him?

Simple. A Prince is never short of Guests, and the Gu Family had plenty of capable people willing to handle matters for him.

Among the brothers who were gaining practical experience during this period, the Eldest Prince had shed his immaturity, growing more radiant and developing a quiet depth. The Third Prince had become tanned and lean, causing Ma Ronghua to shed tears of heartache every time he visited the palace. Consequently, she wouldn’t even give the Third Imperial Concubine a pleasant look, feeling that her daughter-in-law had failed to take proper care of her son.

Only Xie Sheng had a rounder face, a better complexion, and seemed to be in higher spirits.

Xie Sheng had been slacking off for over half a year, yet no one in the Ministry of Revenue dared to report him.

For one, the existing officials didn’t want their work disrupted by some well-connected newcomer who might swoop in and take their credit. Since he was a Prince in name only and didn’t interfere, no one saw a problem with it. At most, they just thought the Second Prince was lazy and lacked ambition.

Secondly, wouldn’t that be tantamount to telling the Emperor that he didn’t know how to raise his own son?

Whether Xie Sheng would be punished was uncertain, but the whistleblower would surely make a bad first impression on the Emperor. Thus, no one was willing to wade into these muddy waters.

But walls have ears, and word of this finally reached the Emperor.

The Emperor was furious and immediately summoned the Second Prince to the palace.

Jiang Xian was beside him at the time, patting his back to soothe him. “Your Majesty, please calm down. Why not hear the boy out first? The Second Prince is still young…”

“Qi’er’s wife, the Third Imperial Concubine, is already with child, and you’re telling me his second elder brother is still young?!”

‘To be honest, I don’t really understand the mindset of these privileged heirs,’ Jiang Xian thought.

But she knew that pressuring him would be useless. “If a scolding or a punishment for his attendants would have worked, the Second Prince wouldn’t be causing you this distress today. If Your Majesty just berates him, how is that any different from what Guo Xiao Yi does?”

Liang Yuyin was deeply impressed upon hearing this.

As expected of Consort Hao. She knew exactly what would get to the Emperor.

The Emperor looked up at Jiang Xian with a wounded expression. “Fine, I’ll change. But how could you, Xian’er, compare me to Guo Xiao Yi?”

“So, Your Majesty will be able to speak with the Second Prince calmly in a moment?”

The Emperor nodded, then beckoned for Jiang Xian to come sit on his lap.

He asked her what she thought of Xie Sheng’s behavior.

“Your Majesty, the Second Prince is not my son. Furthermore, Zhao’er is both his brother and his rival. It would be inappropriate for me to say anything, so it’s better if I say nothing at all.”

‘It would be a thankless task anyway.’

‘If she were forced to be honest, the truth was she just didn’t care.’

‘What right did they have to ask her? She’d clawed her way up from the abyss. She had to give one hundred and twenty percent just to be considered on ‘equal’ footing with people who put in eighty. She was supposed to comment on the Second Prince, who had such a good family that he could do whatever he pleased? She didn’t just not understand the worries of the privileged—she found them to be an outrageous luxury.’

“You’re right. I’ve put you in a difficult position, Xian’er. It’s just that the Second Prince used to visit your palace often. I thought you might have some insight into his character.”

“I may have helped him with his studies, but I never taught him how to conduct himself. I wanted to avoid giving Guo Xiao Yi any reason to come looking for trouble with me.”

‘By putting it so bluntly, she knew the Emperor wouldn’t hold this against her.’

‘She was no saint and had no interest in raising other people’s children for them.’

2

When Xie Sheng arrived, Jiang Xian insisted on waiting in an adjoining hall, refusing to listen in on the conversation between father and son.

“No matter how close we were when he was a child, the Second Prince is a grown man now. If the Emperor is disciplining his son while his favored concubine listens in, how is he supposed to maintain his dignity?”

“If he had any sense of shame, he wouldn’t have done this in the first place…”

Under Xian’er’s steady gaze, the Emperor finally relented. “Alright, fine. I will hear what he has to say!”