After cleaning up the influence of several troublesome sons and restoring a relatively clear atmosphere to the court, the Emperor finally remembered the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi, who were still imprisoned in the Tiantao.
A person silently sat in Ganqing Palace for the entire morning, until the tea on the table became cold, the Emperor then lifted the cold tea from the table and drank it all in one gulp, and finally made a decision.
A royal seal was stamped on the already written edict, as the Emperor looked at the bright red seal on the edict, he sighed gently, "This tea is really hot..." The hot tea made his hand holding the seal tremble.
According to the edict, the King of Qin was demoted to commoner, his mansion was confiscated, his property was confiscated, and he was confined to the ancestral temple; the King of Qi was also demoted to commoner, his property confiscated, but unlike the King of Qin, he was not recalled to his mansion after being confined. As for the wives and children of both parties, the Emperor allowed the Queen of Qi and the Queen of Qin to return home after separating, the daughters could go with their mothers, but the sons had to be sent to the palace for upbringing.
On the day of the Crown Prince's funeral, the newly appointed Crown Prince Huo Ling carried the coffin, while the King of Qin and the King of Qi, both in mourning clothes, were under the guard of the Imperial Guards, kneeling and kowtowing three times, accompanying the Crown Prince to the imperial tomb.
After the Crown Prince's funeral, the former Crown Princess Li went to the ancestral temple alone to meet the Queen, and after returning to the residence, she committed suicide.
Upon learning this news, the Emperor had no special reaction, and let his subordinates handle it according to the rules, not paying much attention to it, even when the Prime Minister Li Deqigai submitted a memorial, he approved it without much hesitation.
With everything settled, one day after the morning court, the Emperor summoned Huo Ling to the palace.
A prince who did not need to dream and did not want to make an effort did not need to know too much, he could even skip the morning court if he wished, but the Crown Prince could not do so.
So, in addition to his busy schedule, the Emperor did not forget to take the time to care about Huo Ling's studies.
After receiving the advice from the Queen Mother to "study well", Huo Ling worried for several days at first. But when he noticed no significant progress, he finally calmed down. When the Emperor finally took action against him, even though he had become the Crown Prince, he still wanted to be an inconspicuous prince.
After the morning court ended, while it was still dark outside, Huo Ling, who had difficulty getting up, was full of complaints, but not daring to voice any. Instead, he was tested by the Emperor to see if he understood the Four Books and Five Classics. He did not want to study, get up early, or trouble himself.
"Today is also a day when I don't want to be the Crown Prince."
Sitting at the top, the Emperor could not see Huo Ling's expression as he lowered his head. Unaware of his thoughts, he took a book and prepared to test Huo Ling with a simple question, "What does 'governing through virtue is like the North Star, which dwells in its place while the other stars revolve around it' mean?"
Huo Ling: "... I don't... know... didn't understand."
The Emperor: "..." All right, let's try a different question. "What about 'subduing the cruel and having the way, what do you think'?"
Huo Ling: "Zzz..."
Although the Emperor had no expectations for him, he did not expect Huo Ling to be so careless. Maybe he had given all the books he had read over the years back to his teacher. During the test, he even had the audacity to doze off in front of him.
"Huo Ling!"
The Emperor's stern shout startled Huo Ling.
"Hmm?" Huo Ling, with sleepy eyes, looked up. "Father, do you need me for anything?"
Being called into the palace early in the morning and being told things he could not understand, why wouldn't he doze off?
Thinking like this, facing the Emperor who seemed about to drive him away, Huo Ling felt that he had regained the courage to stand up straight. He even straightened his back subconsciously, but before long, his head slowly drooped, and even his eyes were about to close.
—Can't help it, got up too early, can't stand it at all.
The Emperor: "..." Listening to this unabashed voice, seeing this seemingly half-awake appearance, and the attitude of "Father, are you going to dethrone me as the Crown Prince? That would be great," the Emperor could not find the right words to describe his son. The more he looked, the more disheartened he felt, and the Emperor did not even want to scold him.
He casually tossed the book on the table, leaned back, and took a deep breath, suppressing all the anger in his heart with a forced smile.
Don't get angry, can't get angry, absolutely can't get angry, no one besides him could be the Crown Prince. For the sake of Da Zhou and to prevent Da Zhou from being ruined by his disappointing son, the Emperor decided to make one more effort.
"Since you don't know anything, then start learning."
"Huh?!" The moment the Emperor's words fell, Huo Ling was completely awake.
Suddenly, two voices echoed in Huo Ling's mind.
【"After becoming the Crown Prince, remember to study well." The voice of Noble Consort Ye was full of schadenfreude.】
【"Since you don't know anything, then start learning." The Emperor's voice was full of helplessness.】
The voices of the Emperor and Noble Consort Ye alternated in Huo Ling's mind, causing him a headache. However, before his drowsiness disappeared, he realized that the Emperor was no longer behind the desk. As he looked up, he was met with the smiling face of Butler An De.
Huo Ling: "...?"
"Your Highness, please follow me."
"Follow?" Huo Ling was a little puzzled. "Where are we going?"
After An De explained, Huo Ling finally understood how he had ended up in such a drowsy state due to the Emperor's testing him. His father had already found a teacher for him, and aside from letting him experience the lack of paternal love all these years, he also wanted to assess his capabilities. If his performance was passable, he would only need to attend a class in the study room every three days after that, then observe and listen to the handling of state affairs during the morning court. But since Huo Ling had missed this opportunity, he would have to attend classes every day from now on. After each morning court, he would have to report to the Emperor on his insights gained from observing.
If the Emperor wants you to get up at five in the morning, then you won't be allowed to sleep until dawn.
Realizing that his future would be like this for at least a year, Huo Ling became as sober as he could. He looked at An De, whose smiling face remained unchanged throughout the conversation, and once again tried to struggle, "I'm already so grown up, don't I need to go to school anymore?"
"Your Highness, I cannot make that decision."
In other words, please discuss the matter directly with the Emperor.
Rubbing his chin, thinking about the Emperor he had just angered and the possibility of softening the other's heart by clinging to his legs and crying, Huo Ling ultimately gave up, grumbling, "Fine, lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
...
Butler An De led Huo Ling to the study room and quietly took his leave.
In the study room, the teacher arranged by the Emperor had been waiting for a long time.
Today in the imperial court, after discussing the matters at hand, just as everyone was waiting for the signal to "begin the session if there's a matter, withdraw if not," the Emperor, in a casual manner, asked the ministers a question, "Gentlemen, how do you think the Crown Prince should be educated?"
The Emperor's question was posed delicately, but most people understood its meaning—this was about finding a teacher to educate the newly appointed Crown Prince.
However, no one wanted to take the initiative.
The "reputation" of Huo Ling was known to everyone, and some had even experienced his ability to "confuse and bewilder." No one dared to guarantee that the determined Huo Ling could be educated to fit the Emperor's expectations. Furthermore, the position of "Tutor to the Crown Prince" was just a prestigious title, of little value to the ministers of the third rank or above, and the ministers of the third rank or below... even the Emperor himself looked down upon them.
Under the silent but smiling gaze of the Emperor, the recent upheaval had reduced the number of people in the court, to the point where the Prime Minister, Wang Ancheng, could hear his own breathing.
Wang Ancheng tightened his grip on the tablet.
His opportunity had arrived.
After being suppressed by the Left Chancellor for so many years, to the point where he could doze off during court sessions without the Emperor noticing, when the Left Chancellor was removed, he thought, "Oh, now's my chance." Although he was now older and had little possibility of advancement, there were still younger generations.
The Wang family had a clean background and no idle heirs. He hadn't had the chance or possibility to interact with the Fifth Prince, Huo Ling, and by taking on the role of Tutor to the Crown Prince, he could not only make his presence known in front of the Emperor but also create an opportunity for the younger generation to get to know the Crown Prince, laying a foundation for the future. Wasn't this killing two birds with one stone?
Before others could react, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to educate the Crown Prince."
Following Wang Ancheng's initiative, some ministers who had realized the situation also rushed to volunteer themselves to the Emperor.
In the end, as someone who had been suppressed by the Left Chancellor and could only find solace in landscape painting, and whose reputation for good poetry impressed even the Emperor, along with the fact that he was the first to offer himself, Wang Ancheng became the Tutor to the Crown Prince that day.
Wang Ancheng had thought that educating Huo Ling would be a simple matter. At the very least, he wouldn't be as difficult to manage as a three-year-old child that cats and dogs found annoying. However, everything turned out to be exactly the opposite of what he had thought.
With a hint of selfishness, Wang Ancheng proposed, "Write a poem first, and let me see where you stand." He had to gauge Huo Ling's level before determining how to teach him, especially since he excelled in poetry, and poems could reveal a lot about a person, providing the quickest way to understand them.
Facing Wang Ancheng's request, Huo Ling appeared somewhat embarrassed, "Tutor, I don't know how to write poetry." Why did the Emperor and the Tutor take pleasure in examining others? Wasn't he afraid of encountering a vexing person like himself?
Huo Ling had self-awareness, but Wang Ancheng thought he was being modest. Waving his hand, he said, "It's okay, just write a poem at will, and I'll take a look."
Huo Ling treated his teacher Wang Ancheng with great respect. Although writing poetry was a long-forgotten skill for him, he obediently picked up the pen and wrote a poem on the prepared paper.
As soon as he picked up the pen, his writing flowed effortlessly. Huo Ling's actions surprised Wang Ancheng. Just as he was beginning to think that Huo Ling had been hiding his true capabilities behind his reputation as a "dandy," the reality proved that Huo Ling wasn't really being modest.
"In the blue sky and green water, the Tutor is fierce, the Crown Prince is pitiable. I don't want to write poetry."
Reading this "masterpiece," Wang Ancheng couldn't hide his confusion and even struggled to find his voice to say, "This... this..."
It was as if he was confronted with an idle and unskilled son of a rich family!
Huo Ling smiled and nodded in agreement, "Yes, I am indeed a dandy. Don't hold your breath for me to 'compose a poem in seven steps.'"
" ...?!" Wang Ancheng absently stroked his beard, "Did I really say that out loud?"
"Yes, you did, and your tone was particularly surprised and incredulous." Huo Ling chuckled and patted the back of his head, "I thought you already knew. Seems like my father fooled you into coming here without knowing anything."
"Ah, that's pathetic."
Listening to this tone of schadenfreude and looking at this "I am unskilled and don't want to study" appearance, Wang Ancheng, unable to find the right words, covered his chest and fell into contemplation.
Could the Crown Prince have truly been a dandy in the past?
After pondering for a long time, unable to come to a conclusion, Wang Ancheng decided not to torment himself further.
He stood up and looked at the Crown Prince, who thought he didn't have to learn how to write poetry, and slowly revealed a smile, "Your Highness, you are absolutely right." After a pause, Wang Ancheng continued, "However, your writing really does need more practice." At the very least, until it reached a level where he could understand what had been written at a glance.
Huo Ling blinked, "So?"
"For today, write ten pages of large characters first."
—After all, when he had initially asked the Crown Prince to write poetry, he hadn't really intended for him to do so. Since the Crown Prince had misunderstood, he decided not to explain.