Emperor Chongzhao’s hand itched, but in the end, after holding back for a long time, he only managed to say: “Once you’re better, you’re going to the study hall. Listen well to the lectures!”
If it were any other prince, he would have spanked them long ago, but what could he do?
This child was now more fragile than a porcelain cup.
Qu Dubian shifted his bottom, about to say something when his nose itched again. He immediately held his breath and sat up, lowering his head and covering it with his hand.
Emperor Chongzhao’s eyelid twitched, and he couldn’t think of anything else, “Quick, handkerchief, handkerchief.”
Qu Dubian held his breath without making a sound, his little face gradually turning red.
Emperor Chongzhao: “Breathe, don’t you know how to breathe??”
Qu Dubian opened his mouth wide to inhale, still holding his nose, stubbornly saying: “No! Fishy!”
He had just eaten, and it would be a waste to throw up later.
Emperor Chongzhao: “…You’re disgusted by your own blood?”
After some fuss, the nosebleed finally stopped. The high fever had caused his nasal mucosa to break and bleed. To get better, he just needed to quickly resolve the thesis.
After all the commotion, Emperor Chongzhao swallowed the lecture he was about to give. Forget it, he’d say whatever he wanted to say after this was over.
In the afternoon, Emperor Chongzhao went to review memorials. Qu Dubian sneakily took out his hidden paper and charcoal pencil when the bed curtains were drawn.
As he started writing, he asked: [If I get a nosebleed while writing and it drips on the paper, it won’t deduct points from the presentation, right?]
Simulator: […]
Simulator: [It won’t.]
Qu Dubian felt relieved and lay on the bed, his raised feet swaying back and forth.
Based on his previous experience, this time he carefully wrote about his feelings from last night until now, as well as the number of nosebleeds, with the time ending after lunch. A full day hadn’t passed yet, so he wrote half first, leaving the rest for the evening.
He wanted to finish quickly, so as not to worry Ye Banban and Xiaochun.
As he wrote, Qu Dubian yawned, hid the charcoal pencil, folded the paper, and tucked it into the small pocket of his sleeping robe.
[Watch carefully, okay? If someone tries to take it secretly, remember to wake me up. It wouldn’t be good for either of us if it’s exposed.]
Simulator: […]
After Qu Dubian fell asleep.
Da Hei, curled up beside the dragon bed, suddenly raised its head alertly.
Someone had appeared in the sleeping chamber at some point. The person walked to the dragon bed, and a stream of true qi shot out from above, landing right in front of its paw.
This was a warning from Zichen Palace’s hidden guard.
Yi Shi’er didn’t even pause, glancing to the side and making eye contact with Da Hei.
This colleague… this dog, shared two characters of its name with his code name. He wondered if the little prince had some obsession with the characters “Da Hei” (Big Black).
Man and dog gazed at each other for a moment, achieving a historic meeting.
Da Hei silently wagged its tail.
Yi Shi’er approached, half-crouching by the bed, gently lifting a corner of the curtain. His pale hand, cold from being outside, held a freshly picked golden jade winter sweet flower.
He silently placed the flower beside Qu Dubian’s pillow.
He thought this branch was the most beautiful one he had chosen.
The hall quickly became empty again, and Da Hei curled up once more.
Except for the faint, lingering fragrance, there was no sign that anyone had been there.
In the flower garden.
An angry roar echoed through the garden: “Who! Who was it?!”
The manager’s lips trembled as he pointed at the golden jade winter sweet tree in the courtyard, which had been the most beautiful but was now completely stripped bare. “Which devil would ruin things like this?!”
The ground was littered with discarded branches and twigs of the golden jade winter sweet, all wasted.
The manager was in so much pain he could hardly breathe.
He had been preparing this to decorate the banquet during the New Year festival. It might have brought a smile to the nobles’ faces and earned him some rewards. Now it was all gone!
He wailed to the heavens: “This is sabotage! Someone must be jealous of me!!”
–
Evening.
When Emperor Chongzhao returned and lifted the curtain to look, Qu Dubian was still asleep. He noticed the winter sweet flower by the bedside.
He didn’t think much of it, assuming it was picked by his son’s personal eunuch to aid sleep.
He patted Qu Dubian’s bottom, “Time to eat.”
The first thing Qu Dubian did upon waking was to feel for the experience essay tucked in his sleeping robe’s inner pocket—
If he lost half of what he’d written, he would truly be devastated.
He felt for it, and it was still there.
He got up to eat, but having eaten too much at lunch, with high body temperature and low enzyme activity, he wasn’t hungry and only drank some porridge.
After he finished drinking, Emperor Chongzhao said: “The imperial physician said you caught a chill from the wind, plus the fright. I’ve heard about it all, so don’t ride the little dog cart anymore. Send this dog to the kennel.”
Qu Dubian: “Then I’ll go live in the kennel too.”
Emperor Chongzhao: “I’ve already shown exceptional favor by letting it into Zichen Palace. What if you get a fever again? I still need to take care of you.”
Qu Dubian pushed away his bowl, his eyes turning red and tears falling instantly.
“You think I’m a troublesome child, are you going to throw me away?”
Emperor Chongzhao: “…I’m not.”
Qu Dubian turned his back, sniffling, “I understand. You know I’ve never had a mother, I can only rely on Your Majesty. If you don’t want me, I’ll go live with Da Hei.”
Da Hei immediately stood up, looking intently at Emperor Chongzhao.
As if to say, do you still want this pup? If not, I’ll really take it away to raise myself.
Emperor Chongzhao: “…”
“…Fine, fine, keep it! Happy now?”
Qu Dubian: “Thank you, Father.”
Da Hei’s job pulling the cart, his means of transportation, was finally secured. Qu Dubian stood up holding Emperor Chongzhao’s arm. Feeling dizzy, he swayed a bit. Under Emperor Chongzhao’s silent gaze, he assumed a stance.
“What are you doing?”
His son must have finally gone mad from the fever.
“Practicing Tai Chi.”
He hadn’t checked in today yet. If he persisted for a few days, he could draw lots again soon. It would be too much of a loss to break the check-in streak.
Emperor Chongzhao watched for a few seconds, his brows furrowing. He stood up and walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. He waved at Head Eunuch Yu in the hall, who immediately went out and soon returned with an imperial physician.
Imperial Physician Yang looked at the little prince, still maintaining a straight face while “cutting and dividing watermelons” on the bed despite his unrelenting high fever, and his mouth twitched.
Emperor Chongzhao quietly asked: “Can he still be treated?”
Imperial Physician Yang: “…”
–
Due to various inconveniences in Zichen Palace, it took Qu Dubian over two days to complete the second experience essay.
It was longer than expected, but the result was good. Out of a maximum of 90 days of lifespan, he scored 80, bringing his total remaining lifespan to 125 days.
On the day the simulation ended, Qu Dubian’s fluctuating temperature finally returned to normal. After the imperial physician diagnosed his recovery, the atmosphere in the entire Zichen Palace relaxed.
Qu Dubian found an opportunity to stuff the crumpled paper into the charcoal brazier. To cover it up, he burned a few more sheets. Come to think of it, the paper in his cheap father’s place smelled better than other paper when burned.
Burning some paper might be wasteful, but it’s okay. Consider it showing filial piety to his cheap father in advance.
For three consecutive meals after his recovery, every meal included blood-nourishing foods like pig liver, some sent from Shunning Palace, some from the Imperial Kitchen.
When he was sick, too many consorts wanted to visit him, so Emperor Chongzhao simply treated everyone equally and decreed that visits to Zichen Palace were prohibited. Now that he had recovered, although still under observation and confined to his room, he could finally see people.
The first to visit him was the Fifth Prince.
Qu Dubian was lost in thought, studying the true qi circulation diagram in his mind, when he heard movement and rolled over to sit up. “Fifth Brother?”
Fifth Prince: “Seventh Brother, are you better?”
Hearing this, Qu Dubian immediately jumped up and spun around, “Much better, but the imperial physician won’t let me go out yet, telling me to wait a few more days.”
“I brought you some dates.”
The Fifth Prince handed him a small bag of red dates, “I heard you need to replenish your blood. These red dates were picked and processed by me last year. They’re very tasty.”
He looked a bit embarrassed, “Mother Consort said it’s not princely behavior for me to make these things myself and scolded me. So I made very few, and this is all that’s left.”
“I love eating dates the most, thank you Fifth Brother!”
Qu Dubian’s favorability towards Noble Lady Rong had always been decreasing, but he also understood that in this godforsaken ancient time, people with Noble Lady Rong’s mindset were not uncommon.
He ate one on the spot, mumbling: “So sweet, I couldn’t eat these before in Ju’an Palace.”
The Fifth Prince breathed a sigh of relief and also showed a small smile, “I’m glad you like it, little brother.”
They played with Da Hei for a while, then Ye Xiaoyuan came in and said: “Your Highness, the Fourth Prince and Sixth Prince have also come to see you.”
“Let them in, we can all play together.”
When the Fifth Prince heard that the Sixth Prince had also come, his smile immediately disappeared. That bit of bright smile seemed to have never existed, and he turned back into a quiet shadow.
The Sixth Prince rushed in, “Little brother, did you miss me?”
Qu Dubian was shocked: “Sixth Brother, why is there a bruise on your head?”
The Fourth Prince slowly entered carrying his small pillow, not even glancing at the Sixth Prince. He sat down next to Qu Dubian and said, “He tore up my pillow, so I hit him.”
Qu Dubian: “!”
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be amazed that the sloth-like Fourth Brother would actually hit someone, or that the Sixth Brother dared to tear up the Fourth Brother’s pillow.
Two kids fighting, and Noble Consort Lan and Consort Yi didn’t get into a fight?
The Sixth Prince forcefully pushed the Fifth Prince away, sat on Qu Dubian’s other side, and declared a severance of friendship: “He’s just a nuisance. What kind of brother doesn’t give in to his younger brother? I always give in to you, but he doesn’t give in to me.”
The Fourth Prince, irreconcilable with the one who tore his pillow: “I only give in to the brother I want to.”
Sixth Prince: “If I had known you were coming back too, I wouldn’t have come here!”
Fourth Prince: “Oh, are you leaving then?”
Seeing the situation turning sour, Qu Dubian quickly said: “Stop!!”
The Sixth Prince pouted, “What’s that in your hand?”
“Red dates from Fifth Brother, a gift.”
The Sixth Prince angrily clenched his fist, “How dare you secretly give gifts without telling us.”
Fifth Prince: “…” Who knew you guys were coming too?
Not coordinating when giving gifts is the most awkward.
The Sixth Prince rummaged in his pocket and finally pulled out a white stone, saying bashfully: “I… I picked it up on the way. I think it’s different from other stones! I’m giving it to you.”
The Fourth Prince poked at his pillow and pulled out a small grain of wheat, reluctantly placing it in Qu Dubian’s hand.
It was clear that it pained him to part with it.
Qu Dubian gave ample emotional value, smilingly accepting them and expressing his thanks. He gave each of them a hug and pulled the excluded Fifth Prince back, asking someone to bring a new stool to place beside him.
Four children can be quite rowdy.
When Emperor Chongzhao returned from court, his Zichen Palace had turned into chaos.
Da Hei was covered in small braids, its whole body exuding an air of despair, using its paws to cover its head and ears.
Emperor Chongzhao cleared his throat.
The four princes immediately turned their heads, each with their own reaction. The Fifth Prince bowed respectfully, calling out “Father Emperor.”
The Fourth Prince was more casual, while the Sixth Prince showed a mix of happiness and fear, shrinking his neck, afraid of being questioned on the spot.
He nodded majestically, making a sound of acknowledgment, then his gaze fell on his youngest son, who looked particularly short compared to his brothers.
The latter yawned and waved: “You’re back so early today.”
Emperor Chongzhao: “You certainly know how to entertain your brothers in my territory.” He turned to the other three little ones, “Not bad, although you’re still young, you’re already showing some brotherly qualities, knowing to come visit your little brother.”
Qu Dubian: “There are gifts too, Fifth Brother’s red dates are very tasty.”
Emperor Chongzhao looked at the fifth son a bit longer.
The latter gathered his courage to raise his head, looking somewhat nervous.
In his impression, the fifth son was always quite quiet, liked to play with the sixth, and was still too young to show his academic abilities or talent, but his personality was a bit dull.
He praised: “Not bad. All of you are not bad.”
The Fifth Prince felt a flutter of excitement in his heart and became even more respectful: “Thank you for your praise, Father Emperor.”
Emperor Chongzhao passed by him, picked up Qu Dubian by the collar, lifted him up, and compared him to the Sixth Prince. Frowning, he said: “Why aren’t you growing taller?”
…That hurt, old man.
He’s still small, just internally mature for now.
Emperor Chongzhao was in a good mood and played with his sons for a while before urging them to go back.
The three princes bid farewell one by one and left with their palace servants.
The three of them were returning to the back palace together, with a part of the path overlapping. The Fourth and Sixth Princes had to hold their noses and walk together, while the Fifth Prince was still thinking about Father Emperor’s praise earlier.
The three little radishes each had their own thoughts, showing none of the liveliness they had in Zichen Palace.
Unexpectedly, after walking for a short distance, snow began to fall from the sky.
The Fifth Prince pressed his lips: “We didn’t bring umbrellas when we came.”
The Sixth Prince raised his head, quite happy, “It’s not rain, we just need to walk faster.”
They weren’t too worried, but the palace servants were anxious. If the princes caught a cold, their mothers would punish them.
“Fourth Brother! Fifth Brother! Sixth Brother!”
A small figure came running from afar, with two eunuchs chasing behind.
The Fourth Prince turned his head. In the misty weather with fine snow falling, a small figure wearing a deep blue furry thick cloak was running towards them.
Qu Dubian was wearing a hat and holding an umbrella, Da Hei was carrying one in its mouth, and Ye Xiaoyuan was holding another.
Snowflakes clung to his eyelashes, melting as he blinked.
“I’ve come to bring you umbrellas!”
He handed out the three umbrellas one by one. The palace servants gratefully accepted them and opened them for their respective princes, shielding them from the snow.
Fourth Prince: “Little brother, you’re so kind.”
Fifth Prince: “Thank you, Seventh Brother.”
Sixth Prince patted his shoulder, “Good little brother, big brother’s got your back.”
Qu Dubian smiled and said: “Great, great. Now hurry along, or you’ll end up sick like me.”
The four brothers said goodbye again. Qu Dubian stood on the steps, watching the backs of the three as they walked down. He was quite amused; Sixth Brother walked the fastest, Fifth Brother still followed behind him, and Fourth Brother walked the slowest.
He waved and shouted, “Be careful, the road is slippery!”
The Fourth Prince turned back, smiled at him, and waved.
After the three of them finished the part of the path where they walked together after receiving the umbrellas, they reached the bottom and separated, each going in their own direction.
Qu Dubian waited until he couldn’t see them anymore, then turned and returned to Zichen Palace with Da Hei.
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![Who Are You Calling A Canary? [Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250108211651_200_280.jpg "Who Are You Calling A Canary? [Transmigration]")
Well, that’s very cute. Thanks for the updates, TL!!!
Awww, cute…
Thank you for the chapter!