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Chu Zhaoyou felt the dire need for earplugs to shield himself from Xiao Xingxing’s incessant news updates. As a bonus, he decided to prepare a pair for the Regent Prince as well.
Fortunately, the now court physician had a sudden idea: he wanted to take Xiao Xingxing as his apprentice and teach him his exclusive medical skills.
Having spent a few years in the capital, the physician suddenly had a change of heart, realizing that a life of leisure and luxury suited retirement, so he stayed in the palace, going out for a stroll a few times a year.
Mainly, he was just too wealthy and feared being robbed if he took all his belongings outside.
He had a special fondness for Xiao Xingxing and even skillfully crafted an herbal sachet to repel mosquitoes for him.
In recent days, the constant clamor from Xiao Xingxing’s mouth was no longer about fresh state affairs, but various medicinal prescriptions.
Chu Zhaoyou didn’t understand the prescriptions and simply treated them as background noise. However, even as background noise, he couldn’t ignore the fact that each time Xiao Xingxing recited the same prescription, the names of the medicines were different, each time presenting a new variation.
Just as he would mix up the contents of the official documents, attributing events from the northwest to Qi Prefecture, Chu Zhaoyou suspected that Xiao Xingxing might not be suitable for a medical career.
“Xiao Xingxing, did the court physician teach you about medicinal prescriptions?” he inquired.
Xiao Xingxing puffed out his chest, his eyes shining brightly. “He did, Your Majesty. Let me recite it again.”
Xiao Xingxing was enthusiastic about reciting anything and most of the time, he had to recite it for both of his fathers to hear.
Chu Zhaoyou nodded and smiled as he listened to his son recite, then gave him a thumbs up. ” Xiao Xingxing is truly amazing. Tonight, he will be rewarded with an extra bowl of food.”
His son was truly exceptional, and even the court physician would have to praise the appearance of this groundbreaking medicinal prescription.
After being rewarded with an extra bowl of food for lunch, Xiao Xingxing patted his tummy. Could he have a different reward?
Chu Zhaoyou took Xiao Xingxing to the court physician to express his concerns, “It seems like he’s having trouble memorizing the medicinal prescriptions.”
Although Xiao Xingxing was only two and a half years old, Chu Zhaoyou was already experiencing the new parent ordeal of having a child who couldn’t complete his homework, and now he had to appeal to a strict teacher.
The court physician replied, “What?”
“Xiao Xingxing, recite it for the court physician,” Chu Zhaoyou requested.
Xiao Xingxing’s eyes lit up, and he promptly ran over from the medicine sieve, standing with his hands behind his back. “Grandpa, is one recitation enough, or should I do it twice?”
Chu Zhaoyou listened to two newly composed medicinal prescriptions and earnestly looked at the court physician. “He’s only two and a half…”
The old man was ecstatic, “He’s only two and a half and has an extraordinary memory! What a talent, what a talent! He’s more gifted than that lad Lu Jinghuan.”
Chu Zhaoyou realized that the court physician had only been teaching Xiao Xingxing to recognize simple herbs and hadn’t been fervently making a two or three-year-old memorize medicinal prescriptions.
The medicinal prescriptions Xiao Xingxing recited were just ones the court physician had happened to mention in passing, yet Xiao Xingxing remembered them vividly.
The old man glared at Chu Zhaoyou, “Are you both setting the bar too high for him? He’s so young, yet you think I’d make him memorize medicinal prescriptions! You’re trying to read my mind like a monarch!”
Chu Zhaoyou felt utterly innocent. It was clear that neither he nor the Regent Prince had any such demands on Xiao Xingxing. The Regent Prince simply read official documents to the young prince as bedtime stories.
…
Having finished reviewing the official documents early, the Regent had some free time and took Xiao Xingxing to play hide and seek in the royal garden.
Xiao Xingxing obediently closed his eyes, saying, “Father Emperor said to count from one to ten.”
Chu Zhaoyou and Xiao Xingxing played a simple version of the game. As soon as Xiao Xingxing closed his eyes, he would lift a blanket and cover himself, making it easy to find, suitable for all ages.
At this point, he would burst into laughter and pounce on the blanket, calling “Father” repeatedly.
Evidently, the Regent had a different idea. Confidently, he said, “You only need to count to one.”
“One,” Xiao Xingxing blinked.
The Regent vanished!
In the blink of an eye, the father disappeared from sight, and Xiao Xingxing, looking around, teared up instantly. He silently cried, becoming a little bundle of tears. After a while, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, “Father doesn’t want Xiao Xingxing anymore…”
Hanging under the bridge, the Regent’s heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t hide and seek played differently?
Chu Zhaoyou immediately spotted his son standing on the White Jade Bridge in the royal garden, crying with a slightly reddened nose and teary eyes.
What happened to the Regent taking care of the child?
Tenderly, Chu Zhaoyou reached out to wipe Xiao Xingxing’s tears and asked, “What’s wrong? Where’s the Regent?”
Xiao Xingxing sobbed, “He’s gone.”
“Xiao Qi, where’s the Regent?” Chu Zhaoyou inquired.
Xiao Qi, who had witnessed everything, hesitated. The Regent was in trouble.
“Ahem, I’m here.” Xiao Heng glided up from the water, not a drop touching his shoes.
He ruffled Xiao Xingxing’s head, “Didn’t we agree to play hide and seek? I was hiding under the bridge. Don’t blink, and look again.”
Xiao Heng demonstrated slowly how he had hidden, finally coaxing a smile from his son.
After a trip under the bridge, Xiao Xingxing’s tears were dried, and he laughed heartily, singing while in the Regent’s arms.
Seeing Chu Zhaoyou’s eyes reddened, the Regent, thinking he had upset him, quickly assured, “Next time, I’ll hide where you can find me.”
Directly standing behind Xiao Xingxing did the trick.
Chu Zhaoyou replied, “Hmm.”
Sensing the situation becoming tricky, Xiao Heng entrusted his son to Xiao Qi and took flight for a while.
“Why are your eyes even redder than our son’s?” After seeing Xiao Xingxing’s teary eyes, the Regent noticed Chu Zhaoyou’s, and the sight of both of them with tear-filled eyes made him feel utterly remorseful, wondering if he had done something terribly wrong.
Xiao Heng embraced Chu Zhaoyou, who didn’t resist, and as he tightened his grip, he felt a sense of relief.
“What’s wrong?”
Chu Zhaoyou replied, “Nothing.”
In the fleeting moment when he saw Xiao Xingxing, Chu Zhaoyou was reminded of Xiao Heng waiting for Xiao Man by the Lingbi River.
Xiao Xingxing had just been seeking his father while crying, and that alone was enough to affect Chu Zhaoyou deeply.
As Xiao Xingxing bore a striking resemblance to the Regent, Chu Zhaoyou, looking at him, almost saw a seven-year-old Regent through his son.
Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t bear to imagine Xiao Xingxing with a few scars on his face, or the image of him starving and collapsing in the reeds.
He struggled to regulate his breathing, not wanting to show any sign of distress. He didn’t know how to be even kinder to the Regent, let alone bring up any unpleasant memories.
“Seeing you play with Xiao Xingxing just made me a bit emotional,” Chu Zhaoyou said without revealing the true reason.
Xiao Heng guessed it himself and couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “It’s all in the past. I’d like to think that I saved some happiness back then and passed it on to Xiao Xingxing. I’m glad to do so.”
“Why does it feel like you’re consoling me?” Chu Zhaoyou chuckled. “Xiao Xingxing, come here.”
He took Xiao Xingxing from Xiao Qi and placed him in the Regent’s arms, saying, “Xiao Xingxing, say thank you to your father.”
Xiao Xingxing, not quite understanding, loudly exclaimed, “Thank you, Father.”
Incredibly obedient.
Later, when Chu Zhaoyou listened to Xiao Xingxing reciting official documents, he had completely adjusted his mindset.
The Regent was clearly intent on letting Xiao Xingxing have a blast before formal schooling, satisfying his every whim, and practically wanting to entertain him three hundred times a day.
Xiao Xingxing didn’t realize the fortune he was in. Instead of enjoying this wonderful time to its fullest, he spent it reciting official documents.
Chu Zhaoyou thought about how, after so many official documents, Xiao Xingxing would eventually have to review them alone. This thought calmed him, and he transformed into a compassionate father.
He wondered if the Regent’s doting on their son would continue even when they were in their old age. Either way, he was certain he would retire early.
…
When Xiao Xingxing turned four, there was a period when he became particularly clingy. This was because the Regent had moved his small bed to the neighboring room, and he could no longer sleep with his fathers every night.
Every morning, Xiao Xingxing would run over from the neighboring room and cling to Chu Zhaoyou.
When Chu Zhaoyou and the Regent attended court, the way Xiao Xingxing looked at them seemed like a father and son parting at the kindergarten gate.
Unable to resist, Chu Zhaoyou fell behind the Regent, taking Xiao Xingxing’s hand and proceeding to court.
Over the years, anyone close to the Regent had more or less seen the young prince, subtly absorbing certain things. But none of this compared to the impact of the young prince’s appearance in the court.
Was the Regent really not swapping the young prince with an imposter?
Anyone with eyes could decipher the insinuations between His Majesty and the Regent. Over the years, as both remained unmarried, the non-verbal communication in the court was anything but contrived.
Xiao Xingxing greeted everyone with a beaming smile, addressing each individual from left to right, “Uncle Li, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Liu…”
Those named trembled with respect and knelt down, only to look up and realize, from this angle, the smiling young prince bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Heng!
Naturally, they didn’t dare to entertain the sacrilegious thought that the young prince’s lineage might be impure. Even if it were, what did it matter? Whether the bloodline was pure or not, or the empire was surnamed Xiao or Chu, will ultimately be decided by those two above.
The Crown Prince was undoubtedly the legitimate son of His Majesty. Although his birth mother had never been publicly disclosed, she might have been a relative of the Regent Prince, or, at the very least, the Crown Prince was the offspring of the Regent and His Majesty!
The ministers found this outcome oddly acceptable. Not only did they accept it, they even engaged in mutual persuasion, working to straighten out the thoughts of some stubborn old-timers.
If the Crown Prince had connections to both His Majesty and the Regent, then when he ascended to power, he would undoubtedly not favor one side over the other or seek retribution.
Given that officials were most afraid of losing their positions late in their careers, what else could they possibly fear at this point?
The officials, tacitly understanding, observed a morning court and noticed that it was evident they were a close-knit family of three.
“In that case, I can rest easy,” the officials couldn’t help but think. Their eyelids twitched involuntarily. What extraordinary, incomprehensible matter had they come to accept!
Occasionally, when Chu Zhaoyou was absent from the morning court, Xiao Heng would take Xiao Xingxing to attend, so as not to disturb His Majesty’s rest.
Xiao Xingxing sat on the Dragon Throne, his feet barely reaching the ground. The Regent, facing the throne and the assembled officials, presided over the court affairs.
He felt that something was off during the morning court that day. It was as if his emotions had been anticipated in advance. At times, when he expected a minister to say something that would provoke his anger, the individual suddenly seemed to become more prudent, choosing to remain silent.
Even the Minister of Revenue approached him for funds to repair infrastructure, a matter the Regent normally had a threshold for negotiation. Yet, he always maintained an unyielding demeanor to prevent the Minister from making excessive demands.
Today, it seemed the Minister of Revenue had also become more astute, realizing that his request hadn’t crossed the Regent’s threshold.
Xiao Heng, sensing something, looked towards Xiao Xingxing on the Dragon Throne and noticed that his son was encouraging the Minister of Revenue with his eyes. He couldn’t help but acknowledge that, in this moment, Xiao Xingxing resembled the puppet that Chu Zhaoyou had once been.
Subsequently, the Regent Prince also noticed that when Minister Zhang spoke, he glanced at Xiao Xingxing first.
The Regent felt that Elder Zhang was being somewhat disrespectful, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Xiao Xingxing shake his head at the Minister.
With puffed cheeks, Xiao Xingxing stared at the Minister, silently conveying, “Father is getting angry. Uncle, please don’t provoke him further.”
Receiving a warning from the mini Regent, the Minister abruptly fell silent.
Chu Zhaoyou could discern whether the Regent was truly angry or not, often exposing him without giving face. Xiao Xingxing, having been influenced by this, developed a keen perception and quickly learned a thing or two.
The Regent was somewhat troubled. Should he teach Xiao Xingxing to conceal his emotions at this moment?
Chu Zhaoyou was slowly finishing his breakfast, about to doze off, when he was abruptly awakened by the Regent, who had finished court.
“Your son caused me some trouble in the morning court. Your Majesty, please compensate for his actions,” the Regent said.
Chu Zhaoyou started to respond, “But you’re also his fat—Hmm.”
The Regent, the biggest trickster of the court, managed to make Chu Zhaoyou repay a debt despite Xiao Xingxing not having done anything. It seemed that Chu Zhaoyou had to settle the score for an hour.
Author’s note: I might have to take a day off tomorrow.