DCPRT Chapter 52

“Your Highness, I…” Huo Xiling felt his face growing somewhat hot.

“If you won’t give it to me, then I’ll just have to take it myself.”

The next moment, You Yusui reached out his hand, his wrist — white as jade — hooking around Huo Xiling’s neck. Then he sat up slightly and pressed his lips directly against Huo Xiling’s.

You Yusui was terribly inexperienced. Although he had lived through more than ten lifetimes, love was something he was experiencing for the very first time, and even a single kiss carried with it a measure of rashness and naivety.

Huo Xiling could feel the faint taste of blood flowing between their lips and teeth — that hint of blood was like honey, luring him to press You Yusui down and deepen the kiss further and further.

Only when You Yusui fell back against the bed with tears glistening at the corners of his eyes did Huo Xiling finally release him, then gently wiped away the trace of blood on his lips with the pad of his finger.

You Yusui, however, grabbed Huo Xiling’s hand and pressed it against his own chest, murmuring softly, The more we kiss, the weaker I feel. Why is that?

His body felt soft all over, as though he were about to melt into a puddle of water — nothing like the stories in those storybooks that claimed love could give a person boundless strength.

“Does Your Highness want to kiss more?” Huo Xiling looked down with a smile at You Yusui beneath him, then gently kissed away the teardrops at the corners of his eyes.

He could never bear to watch His Highness the Crown Prince cry. A person like the Crown Prince ought to live freely and do as he pleased.

“No.” You Yusui shook his head. “Help me up. Comb my hair. I’m going to settle accounts with him.”

The “him” he referred to was You Fengyun — who had not only seized You Yusui’s right to name the academy, but had also upgraded it from an academy to a grand academy, causing a massive drain on You Yusui’s treasury. Now, if the grand academy was to run smoothly for years to come, surely the ongoing expenses couldn’t be put on him as well.

“All right.” Huo Xiling smiled and reached out to help You Yusui up.

Once You Yusui had tidied himself up, he immediately rose and went to see You Fengyun.

The moment the Crown Prince’s palanquin left the Eastern Palace, You Fengyun at Xuande Hall had already received word. He set down the writing brush in his hand and looked toward An Hai at his side. “What do you think the Crown Prince has come to Xuande Hall for?”

An Hai smiled upon hearing this. “He likely found out that Your Majesty took away the right to name the academy, and has come to make a fuss.”

You Fengyun glanced sideways at An Hai and said, “Is there anyone in this world who dares make a fuss with me?”

You Fengyun’s tone was cold and carried the air of one accustomed to life-and-death authority. In an instant, the Eunuch An Hai shrank his neck in fright.

“His Highness is simply childlike in nature,” An Hai hastily added by way of remedy. He had only meant to say something about the deep bond between father and son, yet somehow the flattery ended up landing on the horse’s leg instead.

(TL: “Flattery landing on the horse’s leg” comes from the Chinese idiom 马屁拍在马腿上, meaning someone tried to flatter another person but did it badly, offending them instead.)

You Fengyun merely let out a quiet laugh and said, “He hasn’t come to make a fuss with Zhen.”

He was most likely coming to ask for money, now that he knew Zhen had changed it from building an academy to building a grand academy. His Crown Prince was not one to enjoy being at a disadvantage.

An Hai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. As long as His Majesty wasn’t angry, all was well. It seemed His Majesty truly favored the Crown Prince above all others — he was clearly raising His Highness as his very own successor. It seemed he ought to build a good rapport with the Crown Prince early on. To be able to leave the palace and spend his old age in comfort would be the best possible outcome.

Before long, a young eunuch standing guard outside came in to relay the message that the Crown Prince had requested an audience.

“Let him in.” You Fengyun, who had already been waiting, spoke up.

You Fengyun had already prepared himself — no matter what the Crown Prince said, he would hold firm and refuse to give so much as half a coin.

You Fengyun was well aware of the Crown Prince’s financial reserves. There was the dowry left by the late Empress, along with a food stipend from tens of thousands of households. On top of that, before falling ill, the Crown Prince had been well taught by Tutor Xu and held frugality in high regard. And so the Crown Prince’s small treasury had grown to a staggering sum — You Fengyun estimated that even building more than a dozen grand academies wouldn’t be enough to reduce You Yusui to poverty.

And so the moment You Yusui entered, You Fengyun wore a stern expression on his face, every bit the imperial authority of a sovereign.

You Fengyun thought this would be enough to intimidate You Yusui — but he, having faced this same grim expression of You Fengyun across more than ten lifetimes in the Purple-Gold Palace, felt not the slightest trace of fear.

Besides, he had long since adopted the attitude of someone with nothing left to lose. His own happiness came first. And most importantly, his money was being saved for Huo Xiling.

“Father Emperor.” You Yusui said, his face pale.

“What brings you here?” You Fengyun set down the memorial in his hand without any change in expression.

To ask you for money, of course. Otherwise, why would he make a trip all the way to Xuande Hall for nothing?

“I would like to ask Father Emperor to allocate the land near Lingchuan Grand Academy to be administered by the academy.” You Yusui did not beat around the bush with You Fengyun, but came straight to the point.

“Land?” You Fengyun’s expression softened slightly. As long as he wasn’t being asked directly for money, that was fine.

“This son has already decided to build Lingchuan Grand Academy on Mei Mountain outside the city of Chang’an. I therefore hope that Father Emperor will be willing to allocate Mei Mountain and the land within ten li surrounding it to Lingchuan Grand Academy, so that it may sustain its operations.” You Yusui spoke word by word. He needed to find a way to persuade You Fengyun — not by acting coy or throwing a tantrum, for those approaches would have no effect on him whatsoever. That much, he understood clearly.

You Fengyun rested his chin on his hand and said, “Did the Crown Prince not say he wished to give the scholars of the realm a home? And yet — rather than spending your own money, you come to ask Zhen for land?”

You Fengyun fixed his gaze on You Yusui, but You Yusui remained entirely unruffled. He met You Fengyun’s eyes directly and said, “That depends on whether Father Emperor wants a Lingchuan Grand Academy that lasts for a time, or one that endures for a thousand generations.”

Upon hearing this, You Fengyun couldn’t help but tap his fingers on the desk with a smile. “The court already has the Imperial Academy. What need is there for your Lingchuan Grand Academy?”

“Is Father Emperor referring to the Imperial Academy that is filled entirely with aristocrats and great clans?” You Yusui asked with an air of innocence.

Even the county schools that You Fengyun had established still had students of humble birth studying within them — but the Imperial Academy was an entirely different picture.

Whenever a scholar of humble origin sought to pursue higher learning, his path was invariably blocked by the great clans at every turn.

You Fengyun let out a cold snort upon hearing this, gesturing for You Yusui to continue.

“Has Father Emperor not long wished to establish an academy that could stand in opposition to the Imperial Academy — a place where scholars of humble birth could study?” You Yusui asked.

“Presuming to fathom the sovereign’s heart — Crown Prince, how bold of you.” You Fengyun rebuked him in a tone that was neither heavy nor light.

You Yusui lowered his head and inwardly rolled his eyes. Even if he hadn’t suddenly started building the academy himself, You Fengyun’s grand academy would have been built sooner or later — it was only a matter of when.

“This son only feels that if Father Emperor were to allocate the land near Mei Mountain to Lingchuan Grand Academy, the scholars of the realm would surely be grateful.” You Yusui did his best to look up at You Fengyun with an expression of admiration.

“When they learn that they are able to study at Lingchuan Grand Academy because of you, Father Emperor, they will surely work even harder and devote themselves to easing your burdens!”

“I have only given Lingchuan Grand Academy an empty shell — it is you, Father Emperor, who have truly given the scholars of the realm a home!”

Buoyed by such flattery, You Fengyun immediately felt thoroughly pleased in body and spirit. He did indeed want a grand academy to stand against the Imperial Academy, and moreover he would gain such a fine reputation from it. He decided it was a good arrangement — all the land near Mei Mountain would be given to Lingchuan Grand Academy to sustain its operations and provide the scholars of the realm with a free environment in which to study.

“Very well. I’ll have someone draft the imperial decree at once.” You Fengyun said with a smile.

“Thank you, Father Emperor.” You Yusui was so moved that tears came to his eyes. He would go back immediately and have someone carve You Fengyun’s ugly handwriting onto a stone slab, then place it in front of the still-unfinished grand academy for all the world to behold.

After You Yusui left, You Fengyun looked at An Hai and said, “A pity that the Crown Prince is too frail to handle state affairs for long stretches.”

Eunuch An Hai thought: …If you truly kept him at Xuande Hall to handle state affairs, Imperial Physician Cui probably wouldn’t be able to leave Xuande Hall either.

Meanwhile, back in the Eastern Palace, after seeing You Yusui off, Huo Xiling began drilling the palace guards. These guards were all from respectable families, and not much older than Huo Xiling himself.

That day, when the group of them noticed that Huo Xiling’s lip was split, they couldn’t help but tease him. “Which passionate little palace maid was it that kissed Little General Huo? She even bit until it bled.”

The words had barely fallen when Huo Xiling’s cold, sharp gaze snapped in their direction, and the whole lot of them immediately shut their mouths, cowering like quails.

“I was careless eating and bit it myself. Anyone who says another word — training doubles.” Huo Xiling said in a frigid tone.

“Oh~” The guards all looked at Huo Xiling with knowing eyes. Little General Huo was so fierce — who knows whether the little palace maid was frightened or not.

“Training doubles!”

The guards: Oh no. He’s furious and mortified.

And so, by the time You Yusui returned to the Eastern Palace in his palanquin, he found that his palace guards were exhausted beyond measure — sprawled on the ground, able only to gasp for breath.

“What happened Xiling?” You Yusui asked, puzzled.

Huo Xiling wiped the sweat from his face and said, “Their physical condition is too poor. I intensified the training. At this rate, they’d go onto the battlefield like helpless little chicks.”

The guards lying on the ground thought: …In all honesty, they would probably never see a battlefield in their lives. Little General Huo really didn’t have to be so hard on them.

“Give them extra food tonight then.” You Yusui said casually.

The moment the words fell, the guards lying on the ground brightened at once and called out in unison, “Wonderful!”

As expected, in this cold and cheerless Eastern Palace, only His Highness the Crown Prince truly cared for them!

Huo Xiling shot a glare at the lot of them, then said, “No need. They’ll just eat their way to being fat.”

“Hm?” You Yusui was taken aback. But surely with their level of exertion, they burned a great deal of energy?

Beside him, the guards, upon hearing Huo Xiling’s words, were nearly in tears. With this training load, they could eat three pork knuckles a day and still not gain a single pound.

You Yusui said softly with a quiet laugh, “Did they make you angry?”

“No.” Huo Xiling turned his head away.

You Yusui knew the boy was thin-skinned. His lip had been accidentally bitten by him earlier, and the guards had surely teased him about it — there was no other reason he would be this upset.

“The rest of you, go and rest.” You Yusui said to the guards.

The moment the words left his mouth, the guards felt as though they had been given a pardon. Strength returned to them in an instant, and they bolted away at once.

After that, You Yusui waved the others off, then reached out and gently turned Huo Xiling’s face toward him.

“Good Xiling, tell big brother what happened. Why are you so upset?”

“Crown Prince…big brother…” Huo Xiling had barely finished saying it before his whole face flushed red. He quickly lowered his head and said, “It’s nothing!”

It was too embarrassing — he had actually let himself get upset over something like that.

You Yusui cupped Huo Xiling’s face in his hands and lightly licked the bitten corner of his mouth. “Don’t be upset.”