Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 62 All the Princes Gather

A few days after the army set off, it was Empress Hua's birthday.

Because it was not a major birthday celebration, and given the difficult circumstances at the time, it was not appropriate to hold a grand celebration. Therefore, the emperor specifically ordered that no banquet be held and that no congratulatory gifts be accepted from his officials.

However, they still managed to reunite briefly in the gardens within the palace grounds.

Even the frail and sickly Prince Su has come today.

Each princess and queen presented the queen with an embroidery she had made herself, as a token of her filial piety.

"The handicrafts of Princess Wu are truly ingenious."

Stroking the exquisite patterns on an embroidered robe, Empress Hua smiled and praised it.

Princess Wu quickly bowed shyly and replied, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I still need to do my best."

The Prince of Jin, who was standing to the side, glanced over there slightly.

Princess Jin, standing to one side, also seemed a little nervous.

"Not bad."

After saying this, Empress Hua admired the embroidery made by the Princess of Jin and couldn't help but laugh, "Silly child, did you embroider this Nine Phoenixes design stitch by stitch?"

The embroidery of the Queen Consort of Wu was especially exquisite.

However, Princess Jin's side was covered in embroidery, both sides were covered with various colored embroidery threads, making it very elaborate.

"My skills are not as exquisite as those of Princess Wu, and my technique is rather clumsy, so I can only keep my head down and embroider a few more stitches," Princess Jin said honestly.

Empress Hua extended her hand.

Princess Jin bowed and leaned closer, extending her hand as well.

Holding her hand, Empress Hua looked at the needle marks on her fingertips and said with a pained expression, "The Nine Phoenixes design was too dense. You are very skillful. Next time for her birthday, there's no need to go to such lengths."

"As for filial piety, I dare not deceive my mother."

"Haha, good boy, you're such a good kid."

The Queen Consort of Wu, who had been praised, pursed her lips slightly and looked at the King of Wu.

The King of Wu gave him a subtle, solemn look, and only then did the other party resume his faint smile, not showing his emotions on his face.

"The peach blossoms in the palace are in bloom. Why don't you accompany me to admire them?"

After saying this, Empress Hua stood up.

Princess Wu, who was a little further away, walked up to her first, supporting her arm as she accompanied the Empress.

Princess Jin consciously stood aside and followed behind.

Then, Princess Su and Princess Zhongping followed behind.

Here, only the emperor and a group of standing princes remained.

"Prince Su."

The emperor looked at a tall prince who was thin and had excessively pale skin and said, "Your cold is not yet better. Go and greet the Empress Dowager, and then go back to your residence as soon as possible."

"Yes, Father."

Prince Su bowed to the emperor and then left.

Chen Bao went straight over and bowed to accompany him.

"Eunuch Chen, thank you for your trouble." Prince Su smiled and nodded.

"Your Highness Prince Su, you flatter me. Please."

After Chen Bao also left.

At this point, only four princes remained.

Prince Wei Yixuan of Jin.

King Wei Yiyun of Wu.

King Zhongping, Wei Yiyuan.

And Wei Yixun, the Prince of Changsha, who was only nine years old.

“Set up a seat.”

The emperor, seated in the very center, gave orders at will.

Then, the eunuchs brought in four chairs that were slightly shorter and smaller than the emperor's, and arranged them in a fan shape.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, please be seated."

Under the eunuch's 'arrangement,' Prince Jin sat in the middle of the two seats, on the left.

"Your Highness, please be seated."

The King of Wu sat in the right-hand seat in the middle.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, the left side was considered the place of honor, and this was the traditional seating arrangement at royal family gatherings. Of course, even with this unspoken rule, princes wouldn't actively seek out their assigned seats. As for those on either side, there was no need to distinguish their status based on rank.

The Prince of Zhongping was next to the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Changsha was on the far right.

"Wei Yixun." As soon as he spoke, the emperor found the youngest prince, the ninth prince, and asked, "Master Sun (Sun Kang, Grand Secretary of the Imperial Academy), which article have you been memorizing recently? Memorize it."

"Yes, Father."

With his baby-faced, youthful features, Wei Yixun stood up, bowed, and then spoke first: "A gentleman says, learning is a never-ending process. Indigo is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it surpasses the plant's natural color..."

Wei Yixun recited the entire article fluently, almost without pausing once.

Moreover, there wasn't a single typo throughout the entire process.

Such eloquence and accurate punctuation were something that none of the princes of the same age could achieve.

Therefore, both the King of Jin and the King of Wu turned their attention to the past.

Of course, their faces were all adorned with smiles of brotherly affection and respect.

The emperor smiled, but only with the indulgence often reserved for a child: "How do you interpret this 'Exhortation to Learning'?"

"Go back to Father."

Wei Yixun spoke with considerable confidence: "In my opinion, Song Sheng's encouragement of learning is advice to all scholars in the world. Regardless of whether one intends to pursue officialdom, as a gentleman, one should read. Books allow one to comprehend the wisdom of the sages and broaden one's horizons. Even if one travels the same vast distance, the insights and understanding gained will be different depending on whether one has read books. Moreover, one should calm down and avoid arrogance and impatience when reading. Otherwise, one is like a crab that, even with eight legs, still tries to steal the nest of snakes and eels, which shows that one's mind is too restless."

It was explained very clearly.

For a nine-year-old child, even if he had a teacher who taught him to speak like that, it is quite remarkable.

"Then what do you think of the saying, 'Indigo is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the plant itself'?" the emperor asked again.

"Father, I think this sentence means that as a student, even though you are taught by a teacher, you can still surpass your teacher."

Can a son surpass his father?

After a moment's thought, Wei Yixun replied, "According to what Song Sheng said, a son can also surpass his father. Because learning is a continuous process of accumulation. A son will always be able to read more books than his father."

"Can Yixun surpass Father Emperor?"

With a kind smile, the emperor asked jokingly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Yixun was stunned and immediately speechless.

Immediately, Prince Jin rose, bowed, and explained on behalf of Wei Yixun: "No one can surpass Father Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's face immediately darkened, revealing a somewhat disappointed expression. He gestured with his hand, "Sit down, everyone."

The two then sat down again.

"This Song Shi'an is indeed quite talented. I haven't seen his talent in governing the world yet, but his academic abilities are certainly excellent," the emperor commented. "This time, when Beiliang was in dire straits, he volunteered to serve as the magistrate of Shuofeng County. If he can return this time, we must make good use of him."

Everyone nodded.

"But if they don't return," the emperor pondered, "we should still reward the Song family, and give his younger brother... what was his name again?"

“Your Majesty, his name is Song Ce, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations this year,” said the Prince of Wu.

"Yes, Song Ce," the emperor said with a sigh. "Although Song Shi'an was a son of a concubine, he still died for our Wei family. If he doesn't return, then let's promote Song Ce."

Compensation for those who die in battle is normal.

However, not everyone who died in battle received compensation.

Otherwise, those with many sons, if they were all sent to the battlefield and died, they could be granted the title of Duke.

One factor is the deceased's social standing, and the other is the emperor's mood.

The emperor's mood is even paramount.

So everyone could see that the emperor liked Song Shi'an.

"By the way, Wusheng told me this before we set off on this expedition."

The emperor suddenly spoke, mentioning that name again, and everyone except Wei Yixun felt a sudden tightness in their chests.

He said that Zisheng had donated all his family wealth for the sake of the soldiers, but he didn't want me to know.

King Zhongping's ears stood up.

The Prince of Jin also looked serious.

The King of Wu himself was extremely uneasy.

My heart was in my throat.

Looking at the emperor, he dared not speak.

Until, unusually, the emperor showed a smile of approval to all the princes except for the young Wei Yixun: "Zisheng, you did a very good job."

As the words fell, the King of Wu's hand, which was lightly gripping his robe, trembled slightly with excitement.

Suppressing his emotions, he stood up, clenched his fists in a military salute, and said resolutely, "It is my duty to relieve Father's worries."

(End of this chapter)