Was there even a choice?
Being around the emperor was like being near a tiger—better to keep your distance whenever possible.
But appearances had to be maintained.
Fu Ye replied softly, “I haven’t studied much, and I don’t understand politics. I barely know palace etiquette. If I stay in the palace, I’m afraid I won’t be able to share any burden with my imperial brother.”
Besides, participating in politics was dangerous.
He definitely didn’t want to be the Empress Dowager’s weapon aimed at the emperor.
Fu Huang’s expression grew serious when he heard Fu Ye call himself “your humble younger brother.” He pinched the memorial tablet in his hand and said coolly, “If you think setting up a household outside the palace means you can live free and easy, surrounded by strong servants and handsome men, then you’re mistaken.”
“If you do leave and open your own household, this spring the Empress Dowager will arrange a marriage for you.”
Fu Ye: “…”
He knew ancient princes liked men and still got married and had children, but he was a modern soul. He just couldn’t do that!
After thinking it over, he figured just saying he liked men wasn’t enough: “Imperial brother, your humble younger brother… is very bad with women.”
Suddenly outside, Eunuch Qin coughed abruptly and hurried away from the hall.
Prince Huan, truly… truly straightforward!
Fu Huang said, “Then go study in the Hall of the Middle Executive.”
Fu Ye left the main hall of Qingyuan Palace and sighed deeply.
Eunuch Qin asked, “Is Your Highness unhappy living here?”
Fu Ye replied, “Not exactly unhappy.”
It’s just that living beside the Son of Heaven, inside palace restrictions, is never truly free. If he lived outside the palace, he could still enter anytime he wanted.
“The emperor’s head ailment hasn’t healed yet, so he needs you nearby to attend him. Plus, you’ve just returned and haven’t had the chance to enjoy family life with the emperor and the Empress Dowager. How could you move out so quickly?”
Fu Ye answered, “Yes, I feel reluctant too. It’s better to stay.”
Then he went away, frowning.
Because of school, Qingxi, Shuangfu, and others worked late into the night. Fu Ye tossed and turned, only falling asleep at dawn.
Eunuch Qin noticed the emperor’s headaches flared up again, but it wasn’t too serious. Before daybreak, the emperor rose and, accompanied by guards, headed to the North Garden Archery Pavilion.
The North Garden Archery Pavilion was where the emperor and his descendants practiced horseback riding and archery. Though now gaunt and skeletal, the emperor’s skill hadn’t diminished—his archery was still deadly accurate.
He was tall and strong, his arrows piercing all the targets into the ground.
The emperor’s archery was truly impressive!
The princes had to get up early to study—at the hour of Yin.
The hour of Yin was from 3 AM to 5 AM.
Who could save him?
Fortunately, today was just a meeting with the teacher, not a formal school day—no need to rise so early. But thinking this might be the only chance to get a good sleep for a long time, Fu Ye felt drained.
When dawn brightened the sky, after a light breakfast, he left with Shuangfu and the others. Just as they reached the palace outer corridor, they saw Fu Huang walking toward them, cloaked in a heavy coat, leading his retinue.
Fu Ye stepped aside and bowed, “Good morning, Imperial Brother.”
Then straightening, he asked, “Why are you up so early, Imperial Brother?”
“It’s already the hour of Chen,” Fu Huang said, looking at him. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll need to rise at the hour of Yin.”
Maybe it was because Fu Huang looked particularly heroic and stern today. He seemed older than his actual age, with furrows between his brows. Hearing him speak this way reminded Fu Ye of his middle school homeroom teacher.
Fu Ye’s mood was absolutely awful.
The prince’s studies took place in the Hall of the Middle Executive. To get there from Qingyuan Palace, he had to pass through Ci’en Palace. At dawn, the Empress Dowager sent one of her female attendants to summon him, ordering him to stop by her palace before going to the Hall.
The Empress Dowager was still getting ready, and behind the curtain she said, “I have chosen your teacher for you. He is a member of the Zhang family, trustworthy and very learned. The emperor is suspicious and won’t allow you out of his sight, so for now you will study hard inside the palace. Ye’er, you must apply yourself diligently, and not disappoint my hopes for you!”
The Empress Dowager’s instructions were many, and Fu Ye listened carefully, sensing the deeper meaning behind her words, trembling with caution.
Nobody was really expecting him to succeed the emperor, right?
But did the emperor even know about this? He probably guessed something.
He most likely didn’t care at all.
Images of Fu Huang’s half-dead, worn-out appearance flashed through his mind.
When he arrived at the Hall of the Middle Executive, Zhang Hanlin was already waiting inside. Princes didn’t study like commoners—the teacher arrived first and quietly waited in the hall. Fu Ye entered and saw a man in his forties, with neatly groomed sideburns and beard, looking very dignified and scholarly.
Zhang Hanlin stood silently, having heard the announcement. Fu Ye first sat in the main hall to accept the formal greeting, then bowed and performed the student’s salutation toward Zhang Hanlin.
This was the proper order: respect the elder first, then the teacher.
Today Zhang Hanlin only tested his knowledge level. Fu Ye had carefully discussed relevant topics with Xiao Ai the night before. If he pretended to be too dumb, starting with basic primers, it might take years to learn everything, which would be painful for himself. But if he performed too well, it would arouse suspicion.
Fu Ye really couldn’t endure these grueling days, waking up at three or four in the morning.
Even in high school, he hadn’t suffered this much!
And though it was spring, the weather was still very cold.
In the end, they decided on a compromise: limited knowledge, but unusually intelligent and quick to understand.
This had its risks too. He shouldn’t stand out too much—after all, the Empress Dowager and many others hoped to use him to replace Fu Huang. Excelling too much would raise expectations, and then Fu Huang would grow wary.
So finding the right balance was tricky.
Fortunately, Fu Huang himself was very capable and had set the bar for excellence very high.
Shuangfu said the emperor had been called a prodigy in his youth.
Although they weren’t actually born of the same mother, officially they were. Since they were said to have the same father and mother, if their intelligence differed too much, wouldn’t that just raise more suspicion about Fu Huang’s origins?
So he directly demonstrated knowledge at the level of the Four Books and Five Classics.
Seeing how quick-witted he was, Zhang Hanlin said, “Your Highness is truly worthy of being the emperor’s full brother—you grasp things instantly.”
Fu Ye asked, “Was my elder brother really that good at studying back then?”
When it came to praising the emperor, Zhang Hanlin held nothing back.
“When I first entered the Hanlin Academy, I had the honor of teaching several princes their classical texts. The emperor was truly exceptionally brilliant, wise beyond his years, naturally insightful. With just a hint, he would understand the flow of literature. By the time he was around ten, the Hanlin Academy had no teacher able to instruct him further, so the emperor invited Master Dong to come out of retirement. If it weren’t for the Hu tribes invading the capital, His Majesty would have been a great talent in the world. I’ve heard that even now, when reviewing memorials, he remembers everything perfectly. Even if I overlook something, he spots it at a glance.”
The overly flowery praise made Fu Ye sum up a few characteristics of his elder brother:
First, excellent memory and broad knowledge—one look and he could remember it all.
Second, politeness—this explained his good reputation in childhood, and why later his reputation worsened so drastically.
Such a stark contrast.
Third, no weak subjects. He had high artistic talent, especially skilled in painting and calligraphy, and was a master at horse riding and archery. His archery was exceptional—when the late emperor tested his military skills, Fu Huang once shot through seven layers of golden armor with a single arrow.
Fu Ye felt like he didn’t learn anything useful today.
Instead, he became a half-fanboy of Fu Huang.
After school, he ate dinner with Fu Huang and said, “I heard a lot of praise about you today.”
Fu Huang still ate as if it were poison, barely swallowing, and glanced at him.
Fu Ye polished up Zhang Hanlin’s flattering words, making them sound softer and more pleasant before telling them to Fu Huang.
Qin, the internal supervisor, was listening nearby, seemingly stirred by some distant memory and looking quite dreamy. Fu Huang, however, showed no expression and said, “Don’t speak during meals.”
Fu Ye obeyed and ate quietly but there was a spark in his eyes.
Qin watched, recognizing that look. Many people had looked at the emperor that way before.
Fu Ye’s eager, bright eyes burned with an almost unbearable admiration.
But since he had wanted to leave the palace just yesterday, it had to be just a façade.
Qin thought to himself, “Men shouldn’t be too beautiful, it makes people easily misread their intentions.”
He also thought, faced with such praise from Prince Huan, the emperor was still like before, as if he hadn’t heard a word.
Indeed, noble bloodlines naturally command respect and admiration. Things one is born with often fail to provoke any feeling at all.
Today, however, the emperor’s appetite was better than usual—he ate an extra bowl of blush rice.
With the Lantern Festival approaching, and two days of heavy snow in a row,
the cold was bone-chilling. This late spring chill was really harsh.
It felt like heaven was against him!
Fu Ye had to get up every day at just after 4 a.m., when it was still pitch dark outside.
Not just him—Shuangfu could barely keep his eyes open, and only Qingxi looked unfazed in the whole hall.
This showed just how twisted Fu Huang’s subordinates were.
The cold was unbearable. Fu Ye was sensitive to the cold—inside the hall he was fine, but once outside the cold wind pierced right through him. Passing the main gate of Qingyuan Palace, he saw the door tightly shut and wondered if he should learn something from Fu Huang.
Fu Huang was a king who did as he pleased, so maybe Fu Ye could be a spoiled playboy who does as he pleases too. That way he’d look more like a true blood brother, and maybe Fu Huang would treat him better.
He stepped through the deep snow, one step sinking deep, the next shallow, walking forward while daydreaming about this and that.
Sigh, his heart was so tired.
Speaking of which, he had already endured plenty of hardship as a student back then. High school was tough enough, and university studying medicine was even worse. He had barely managed to forget the pain of being a student, and now here he was again—a student well beyond his age.
After the early morning class, when Fu Ye went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, his eyelids were heavy with fatigue and his mind weary. He frankly spoke of the hardships of studying.
“Good child, all palace kids go through this,” the Empress Dowager said. Indeed, the prince’s lessons from early morning to evening were no joke. On top of that, Fu Ye was all alone, with no companions nearby—a big problem.
The Empress Dowager thought for a moment, then said, “How about I find some companions for you to study with?”
Choosing study companions for Fu Ye was a serious matter for the Empress Dowager.
A prince’s companions were very important—because they spent so much time together, they often formed close bonds. Usually, the emperor’s study companions became trusted ministers, with a closeness no one else could match.
But not just anyone could be a companion. Usually, they were chosen from sons of nobles, high-ranking officials, or royal relatives.
However, Fu’s clan likely had no one willing to enter the palace for this. And among the officials’ sons, few would want to get involved in this messy business.
They were all clever enough to avoid such trouble.
So the Empress Dowager issued a formal decree: all officials and royal relatives in the capital with sons around Fu Ye’s age must come to the palace to meet Prince Huan and allow him to choose his companions.
It was mandatory.
She assumed that since the emperor had agreed to let Fu Ye study, he wouldn’t object to the companion selection, so she sent a female court attendant to inform the emperor.
Fu Huang indeed had no objections.
Fu Ye’s restless nature made sitting still for study difficult for him—it was a hardship. And of course, all other princes had companions for their studies. Fu Huang himself had a companion who now served as a commander in the imperial guard.
However, Eunuch Qin had some reservations. “It’s normal for the prince to select companions, but the Empress Dowager is making it sound like a marriage selection—sons of the right age all lined up waiting to be chosen.”
Fu Huang looked up slightly.
The female attendant had not reported that.
Qin continued, “Prince… you have a known preference for handsome young men. If you pick too good-looking a companion, it might interfere with your studies.”
Fu Huang frowned at that.
Fu Ye didn’t expect it would be such a big deal.
He only got the notice the next day, telling him to come to the Ci’en Palace for lunch and to pick a companion while there.
He expected maybe a choice of two or four, but when he arrived at the front courtyard of Ci’en Palace, he saw dozens of young noble sons standing there.
Some were as young as fourteen or fifteen, the oldest barely over twenty. They came in all shapes and sizes—fat, thin, tall, short—dozens of them!
He walked through the courtyard and saw the Empress Dowager seated under the main hall’s porch, surrounded by several senior ministers.
Many young noble sons all turned to look at him. Fu Ye walked past them and bowed to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager, in front of the senior ministers, praised him generously, saying, “After two days of study, he’s becoming more versed in etiquette.”
Then she introduced Fu Ye to several ministers.
They were all familiar faces—he had seen them at the New Year’s palace banquet.
“These young men standing in the courtyard are sons of ministers and nobles. You can look them over and pick whoever you want as your study companion.”
Fu Ye bowed and was about to choose in the courtyard when suddenly an announcement came from outside: “The emperor has arrived!”
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