Chapter 8: Accompanying the Crown Prince in His Studies

After court dismissed, the Emperor made no change to Jiang Mingyu’s appointment, leaving him as Crown Prince’s Tutor.

Although the Emperor was displeased with his blunt nature, amid the congratulations of all court officials, he could only swallow his bitterness and reluctantly accept it.

Three days later, before dawn, Jiang Mingyu donned his court robes and entered the palace by imperial decree.

Today was his first day serving as Tutor, accompanying the Crown Prince in his studies.

Due to his candid remarks during the Tahe Hall examination, Jiang Mingyu had already become thoroughly famous!

Not only were all court officials aware of him, but even within the palace, no one was unaware; rumors about him had spread vividly to every corner of the palace.

Yet within the palace, the prevailing opinion of Jiang Mingyu remained largely negative; this was evident from the way the eunuchs gave him every kind of petty hardship.

This was not hard to understand—anyone who dared to rebuke the Emperor before the entire court would never earn a kind glance from the eunuchs!

Jiang Mingyu himself did not notice, but his attendant, Zhang Guanxia, quickly sensed something was amiss; the courtesies due to the newly crowned Zhuangyuan—such as lantern-lit pathways, water, and tea—had almost all been omitted!

Fortunately, Jiang Mingyu had Zhang Guanxia beside him; the former Vice Minister of Personnel understood palace etiquette well.

Had Zhang Guanxia not been prepared, bribing his way through with silver notes, Jiang Mingyu’s blunt nature combined with the eunuchs’ spite would have kept him outside the palace gates until dawn!

Accompanied by Zhang Guanxia, the two arrived smoothly at the Crown Prince’s study hall—Wenhua Hall.

In the Wenhua Hall lecture room, a large podium stood on a two-step platform at the center; below it, two desks stood side by side.

This arrangement made it clear: this hall was meant solely for the Crown Prince and his Tutor.

By protocol, the Tutor must arrive before the Crown Prince. At this moment, the Wenhua Hall held only Jiang Mingyu, Zhang Guanxia, and the palace eunuchs.

The eunuchs were busy arranging the hall.

Tables, podium, palace lanterns, high-backed chairs—each item placed precisely; another group of eunuchs prepared writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, and classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics.

“Oh… look who’s here— isn’t this Master Zhang?”

Eunuch Ming, holding a fly whisk, greeted in a mocking tone.

“Your Excellency overstates it! I am now a commoner, no longer worthy of the title Master.”

Zhang Guanxia humbly replied with good sense.

Eunuch Ming: “Ah, who doesn’t know that though Master Zhang was dismissed, he still serves as a private secretary in Lord Weng’s household? Calling you Master is hardly excessive.”

After some polite exchange, Zhang Guanxia, who had some acquaintance with Eunuch Ming, cut straight to the point: “The Zhuangyuan is new to officialdom; I humbly beg Your Excellency… to offer guidance.”

As he spoke, he slipped a silver note from his sleeve into Eunuch Ming’s palm.

“Oh, you… what kind of talk is this!”

Eunuch Ming smoothly accepted the note and slid it into his waist pouch.

Then he added: “What kind of relationship do you have with the Zhuangyuan, to go to such lengths?”

“I must admit with shame!”

Zhang Guanxia smiled shyly: “I… am now the Zhuangyuan’s private secretary!”

“Private secretary!”

Eunuch Ming suddenly understood: “Then it’s no surprise. Hahaha… surely arranged by Lord Weng.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guanxia smiled but said nothing.

Later, after Zhang Guanxia explained to Jiang Mingyu the rules and taboos of tutoring, tidied the desk and texts, he followed Eunuch Ming out of the lecture hall to wait outside.

By protocol, to avoid disturbing the lesson, all non-essential personnel must withdraw during instruction; they may not re-enter unless summoned, until the lesson ends.

At 6:45 a.m., the Crown Prince arrived at the Wenhua Hall lecture room, accompanied by his personal eunuchs.

The Crown Prince was not wearing formal court robes today, but a white robe embroidered with golden coiled dragons.

The robe was entirely white, adorned with layered golden dragon motifs, lifelike and ethereal, shimmering with radiant gold against the pure white fabric—strikingly beautiful.

On his head sat a golden crown set with seven stars, topped with a red tassel that drew the eye.

The crown’s seven golden stars symbolized the supreme authority of the imperial line.

The coiled dragons curled tightly, exuding majesty.

The red tassel atop marked his royal lineage, suspended high like a blooming purple resin flower.

The Crown Prince’s features were finely drawn, his bearing extraordinary, making one dare not stare directly.

As he walked, his everyday robes shimmered with gold, drawing all eyes.

His presence seemed to infuse the room with light, inspiring awe and admiration; this attire was undoubtedly the finest embodiment of the Crown Prince’s noble status and imperial bloodline.

“Minister Jiang Mingyu, Jiang Xingqiu, pays his respects to Your Highness,” Jiang Mingyu rose immediately upon seeing the Crown Prince and bowed according to protocol.

After the Tahe Hall examination, the Crown Prince had formed a preliminary impression of Jiang Mingyu and greatly admired his boldness in defying the Emperor.

“Minister Jiang, rise,” the Crown Prince kindly helped him up, then said: “Your accent doesn’t sound northern…”

Jiang Mingyu: “Yes, Your Highness, I am from Dongzhou, Nanping.”

“Nanping… very far!” the Crown Prince asked: “Are your family well?”

Jiang Mingyu: “Your Highness, my family relocated to the capital last month and are settled.”

“That is good.” The Crown Prince then asked: “Minister Jiang, how old are you this year?”

Jiang Mingyu: “Twenty-seven.”

“Hmm… you’re three years older than I am!” The Crown Prince studied Jiang Mingyu again and remarked: “No wonder the Zhuangyuan is young and accomplished! Your bearing is dignified, truly the image of a gifted youth.”

“Your Highness overstates it—I am merely a scholar,” Jiang Mingyu demurred.

The Crown Prince: “What of it if you are a scholar? Those who lead armies and govern the state, who serve the people—none but scholars can do so. Our Great Feng Dynasty rests half upon scholars; you are all pillars of the nation.”

In court, not only did officials scramble to curry favor with the Emperor or Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince himself actively sought to cultivate ties with ministers, so that when he inherited the throne, he would have his own loyal faction.

Upon first meeting Jiang Mingyu, the Crown Prince had been impressed by his bold candor; now, upon meeting again, he was filled with curiosity.

After several exchanges, they discovered they were nearly the same age, got along well in conversation, and shared similar ideals—their mutual affection surged rapidly!

Soon after, the instructor entered the hall. As Zhang Guanxia had previously explained, today’s first lecturer was Ye Zonglin, Minister of Honglu Temple.

Minister Ye entered wearing a bright red ceremonial robe, his two-foot-long black beard hanging straight over his chest, his movements elegant, his demeanor dignified—a perfect Confucian model.

After exchanging formal greetings with the Crown Prince, he stepped onto the podium, opened his book, and began teaching: the Doctrine of the Mean.

Jiang Mingyu had heard the Doctrine of the Mean explained by his private tutor back in Dongzhou; now, hearing Minister Ye reiterate it, he found it even more profound.

Jiang Mingyu listened with keen interest, but the Crown Prince beside him grew drowsy!

Several times, Minister Ye had no choice but to descend from the podium, approach the Crown Prince, and use his shrill voice to rouse him.

At first, this worked—but after half an hour, the Crown Prince could not be woken; Minister Ye had to strike the desk with his ruler to rouse him.

Jiang Mingyu had initially been attentive, but as time passed, even he began to feel weary.

One must admit: Minister Ye’s lecturing tone, like white noise, quickly induced drowsiness—he was practically a sleep expert!

This made Jiang Mingyu admire the previous Tutor.

He thought: What kind of iron man could endure this hypnotic teaching for three years without collapsing?

Honestly, if Jiang Mingyu had to sit through such lessons, he’d rather play chess or chat with the Crown Prince—at least then he’d gain something.

Had it not been for the Emperor’s command, Jiang Mingyu would have fallen asleep too.

He turned to look at the Crown Prince—his unguarded sleeping posture—and instantly felt a pang of sympathy.

As the heir to the throne, enduring five hours of lectures daily—this intense study regimen was truly grueling.

As for Minister Ye’s effectiveness in educating the Crown Prince, it was highly questionable.

Jiang Mingyu estimated that if three years passed like this, both he and the Crown Prince’s scholarly levels would become a laughingstock in the palace.

Minister Ye was the first lecture of the day.

After one hour, He Xiang entered for the second lecture, another hour; then Mei Xiang, then Tu Xiang.

The final lecture was by Lu Tanwei, Minister of the Ministry of Public Works.

Only at 5:00 p.m. did the Crown Prince and Jiang Mingyu finally survive the day and end the lesson.

Having completed his first day as Tutor, Jiang Mingyu silently reflected: This role as Crown Prince’s Tutor is no easy task.