WK Chapter 39

Changxin Palace

 

Qu Dubian spent nearly half an hour feeding Da Hei and even found a small comb to groom her fur.

 

He still refused to enter the hall.

 

Inside, Noble Lady Chu sat at the dining table but couldn’t sit still any longer. The weather was freezing outside—what if the Seventh Prince caught a cold from staying out there too long?

 

She stepped out of the hall herself, dismissing the helpless palace attendants who had been watching from afar. Walking up to Qu Dubian, she said gently: “Little Prince, if you don’t come inside soon, the food will get cold. Your Father Emperor had it specially prepared for you—if you don’t eat it, he’ll be heartbroken.”

 

“And besides,” she added softly, “it’s very cold outside.”

 

Qu Dubian replied matter-of-factly: “Da Hei is cold too.”

 

Noble Lady Chu suggested: “Then let her sleep in the servants’ quarters—we can arrange a special place for her.”

 

“But I want to sleep with her,” Qu Dubian said bluntly. “In Zichen Palace, I slept with Father Emperor. If he’s kicking me out now, I’ll just sleep with my dog.”

 

Noble Lady Chu: “……”

 

So… what does that say about His Majesty?

 

Forcing herself to maintain her gentle demeanor, she smiled awkwardly and said: “Little Prince, please don’t stay outside any longer—it’s getting late.”

 

Qu Dubian didn’t want to make things difficult for her. After all, Noble Lady Chu and Emperor Chongzhao’s actions had only crossed his boundaries—they hadn’t truly harmed him.

 

Just then, an attendant approached and reported: “Noble Lady Chu, Fifth Prince has arrived at the East Wing.”

 

Noble Lady Chu frowned slightly—what was the Fifth Prince doing here?

 

Changxin Palace housed both Noble Lady Chu and Noble Lady Rong (the Fifth Prince’s mother). Although Noble Lady Rong wasn’t a primary consort, she had been allowed to raise the Fifth Prince herself due to Noble Consort Lan’s influence and occupied two side halls of Changxin Palace.

 

The two women had long-standing grievances against each other.

 

“Consort Chu… Seventh Brother… greetings,” greeted the Fifth Prince as he walked over in a light blue cloak. His face still showed traces of sleepiness—it seemed he had just been woken up.

 

Noble Lady Chu asked stiffly: “What brings you here, Fifth Prince?”

 

The Fifth Prince replied calmly: “Mother said that if Seventh Brother isn’t comfortable staying with you, he can come stay with me instead.”

 

Noble Lady Chu’s expression darkened visibly despite the cover of night.

 

Her relationship with Noble Lady Rong was superficially cordial but secretly tense—both women coveted Changxin Palace’s primary position. If she were chosen to raise the Seventh Prince, there would be no place left for Noble Lady Rong in this competition.

 

Clearly, Noble Lady Rong was trying to stir trouble!

 

“That won’t do,” Noble Lady Chu said firmly. “Two princes sharing one sleeping hall along with their attendants? How could that possibly work?” She reached out and grabbed Qu Dubian’s arm gently but firmly. “Little Prince, come back inside with me.” She applied slight pressure as she spoke.

 

Qu Dubian paused in combing Da Hei’s fur and looked up at her from where he was crouched on the ground.

 

“But I want to play with Fifth Brother,” he said innocently.

 

Noble Lady Chu suggested reluctantly: “Then how about letting Fifth Prince stay here and play with you for a while?”

 

Qu Dubian pulled his arm free from her grasp and stood up. Taking hold of the Fifth Prince’s icy hand, he immediately noticed how thinly dressed his brother was beneath his thick cloak—a single layer of nightwear.

 

“Fifth Brother! Why are you wearing so little? You’ll get sick!”

 

The Fifth Prince held his hand lightly in return and asked softly but with a hint of tension: “Seventh Brother… are you staying here or coming with me?”

 

Qu Dubian hesitated briefly before smiling brightly. “Of course I want to play with Fifth Brother! The food from the imperial kitchen is delicious—I’ll go with you so we can eat together!”

 

Hearing this agreement seemed to ease some tension in the Fifth Prince as he exhaled lightly. “Alright!”

 

The two brothers instantly became inseparable as they held hands like best friends preparing to leave together. Seeing this unfold before her eyes made Noble Lady Chu panic.

 

“Seventh Highness!” she called out urgently while forcing herself to soften her tone again. “It was His Majesty who instructed you to stay here.”

 

Qu Dubian instructed Wen Xiaochun and Ye Xiaoyuan to gather his belongings while shaking his head confidently: “That’s not right—His Majesty only said I should stay in Changxin Palace; he didn’t specify that I had to stay with Consort Chu. Staying with Fifth Brother also counts as staying in Changxin Palace.”

 

With that declaration—and still holding onto his brother’s hand—he quickly walked away.

 

Fifth Brother was only five years old—a genuine child—and wearing so little on such a cold night made him highly susceptible to catching a cold.

 

Wen Xiaochun followed closely behind them while Ye Xiaoyuan stayed back momentarily. Maintaining an impeccable smile that left no room for criticism, Ye Xiaoyuan said politely: “Noble Lady Chu, this servant will pack up His Highness’ belongings now. If anything is missing tonight and His Highness becomes upset—and His Majesty finds out—it would be difficult for you to explain yourself, wouldn’t it?”

 

Noble Lady Chu forced a smile in return: “The princes are young—it’s natural for them to be playful. Eunuch Xiaoyuan… please follow me.”

 

Hearing herself addressed as Gonggong Xiaoyuan, Ye Xiaoyuan’s smile became even more courteous—it seemed Noble Lady Chu had done her homework on those close to Qu Dubian.

 

Eastern Side Hall.

 

Qu Dubian followed the Fifth Prince to his sleeping quarters. By tradition, princes had to move out of the harem and into the royal residence for princes between the ages of six and ten. The Fifth Prince, still young, was living with Noble Lady Rong in Changxin Palace.

 

As soon as they entered the room, the Fifth Prince’s shivering body finally began to relax. Embarrassed, he let go of Qu Dubian’s hand and said, “Seventh Brother, I’ll ask someone to fetch water for you to wash up.”

 

“No rush, no rush, Fifth Brother. Let’s eat something first.”

 

Qu Dubian had only eaten half his meal at Shunning Palace before being summoned here, so now was the perfect time to finish the rest. Soon enough, palace attendants brought in food from the imperial kitchen.

 

Twelve dishes filled the table.

 

Every single one was a dish that Qu Dubian had shown a liking for while at Zichen Palace.

 

He secretly rolled his eyes—if it were any other time, his cheap father would never have prepared so much for him since he couldn’t finish it all. This full table of food was clearly meant to placate him.

 

The Fifth Prince’s eyes slowly widened.

 

“So this is food from the imperial kitchen…”

 

It smelled amazing.

 

Qu Dubian said generously, “Fifth Brother, eat with me.”

 

The Fifth Prince looked at his younger brother’s clean and trusting gaze and fell silent for some reason. He sat down beside Qu Dubian, holding a small bowl and quietly picking at the dishes.

 

Even though the food had been reheated twice, it still smelled delicious.

 

He had never tasted food from the imperial kitchen before. If he told his younger brother the real reason he’d called him over, would his brother still share this meal with him?

 

After dinner, Ye Xiaoyuan returned with bedding and laid it out next to the Fifth Prince’s. Only after ensuring that all traces of coldness had been removed did he call Qu Dubian over to sleep.

 

The two princes lay side by side on the bed like two radishes of different sizes.

 

Qu Dubian turned over and asked: “Fifth Brother, why did you come looking for me earlier?”

 

The Fifth Prince nervously clutched his blanket.

 

His thoughts drifted back to what had happened earlier.

 

He had gone to bed early and was just falling asleep when Seventh Brother arrived at Changxin Palace. But soon after, his door was flung open by his mother, Noble Lady Rong, who stormed in with a face full of jealousy and urgency.

 

“Sleeping! Still sleeping! All you know how to do is sleep!” she snapped.

 

The Fifth Prince blinked in confusion. “Mother…?”

 

Noble Lady Rong paced back and forth anxiously. “How can you sleep at a time like this?! That wretched woman has brought the Seventh Prince here! If she manages to keep him, what place will there be for us in Changxin Palace? I’m not even a Pin—if that happens, I might not even be able to keep you by my side!”

 

She continued ranting: “It’s so frustrating! Out of all the princes, why is it that His Majesty pays no attention to you? Even with all the bad luck surrounding the Seventh Prince’s name, he can still cause a ruckus in Zichen Palace. Do you know how much trouble I’ve had since giving birth to you? Can’t you show some ambition?”

 

The Fifth Prince’s drowsiness gradually disappeared.

 

Noble Lady Rong didn’t stop: “Have you been getting along well with Sixth Prince? His Majesty visits Xiuxiang Palace most often—Noble Consort Lan comes from a good family and has helped us plenty. If you stick close to Sixth Prince, won’t your future prospects improve?”

 

The Fifth Prince lowered his head and listened quietly as she scolded him.

 

Finally, Noble Lady Rong pulled him out of bed. “Be good—don’t go back to sleep yet. Help your mother with something. Go to the front hall and bring back the Seventh Prince—whether by coaxing or causing a scene doesn’t matter.”

 

“As long as the Seventh Prince doesn’t get close to her, I’ll still have a chance at securing Changxin Palace’s Pin position! And your status will rise too.”

 

He barely managed to put on his shoes and wrap himself in a thick cloak before being hurried off by Noble Lady Rong toward Noble Lady Chu’s residence.

 

Even though he was young, he vaguely understood something.

 

Noble Lady Chu was chosen by Father Emperor as a potential foster mother for Seventh Brother. If he took Seventh Brother away now… would that mean his little brother might end up without a mother?

 

The Fifth Prince felt deeply guilty.

 

But this was something his mother had asked him to do—he couldn’t betray her by revealing her instructions.

 

So when Qu Dubian asked why he’d come looking for him, he lied.

 

“I haven’t seen you at the study hall in so long—I missed you,” he said awkwardly. “Oh right—Fourth Brother also wanted me to ask when you’ll come back so he can share a bed with you again.”

 

When children lie, their stories are always full of holes.

 

Qu Dubian instinctively guessed it had something to do with Noble Lady Rong but didn’t expose him. Instead, he leaned back lazily and said: “I don’t know—I’m not even three yet. There’s no rush.” Princes weren’t required to attend study hall until after turning three years old.

 

If it weren’t for learning how to read and write essays, he wouldn’t want to endure the hardships of studying either.

 

As thoughts about today’s events swirled in his mind, Qu Dubian grew restless and couldn’t fall asleep. After rolling around on the bed several times, he finally said: “Fifth Brother—I’ll teach you a game.”

 

The Fifth Prince asked curiously: “What game?”

 

Qu Dubian fetched ten sheets of rice paper and had palace attendants cut each into four pieces before grabbing two charcoal pens. “The game is called Gomoku[mfn]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomoku[/mfn].”

 

“Gomoku? Is it like Go? Our tutors haven’t taught us that yet.”

 

“Nope,” Qu Dubian replied cheerfully before explaining Gomoku’s rules. The simple rules piqued the Fifth Prince’s interest as they began playing together—it was his first time seeing chess pieces drawn on paper like this.

 

At first, he thought about going easy on his younger brother—but after half an hour of losing repeatedly—he was nearly in tears. Every time he couldn’t handle losing anymore, Qu Dubian would let him win once—which only made things worse because now his eyes were red from frustration.

 

By then they’d already gone through a thick stack of used paper.

 

After losing six games in a row again just now—the Fifth Prince held back tears as his trembling hand drew another circle on their makeshift board. “Alright… this time—I’m definitely going to win! Little Brother—it’s your turn.”

 

But after waiting for ages without hearing any response—he turned to look beside him only to find that his younger brother had already fallen soundly asleep on his pillow—completely relaxed and carefree.

 

Bullying your older brother is also a way to build bonds… right?

 

The Fifth Prince stared blankly for a moment before finally breaking down into tears.

 

Waaahhh—I could’ve won this round! Little Brother—wake up!

 

Covering his mouth so as not to disturb Qu Dubian’s peaceful slumber—the Fifth Prince cried quietly into his hands.

 

—

 

Meanwhile—

 

Noble Lady Chu barely slept that night.

 

Though she didn’t throw tantrums or break things—she became even more cautious about her behavior—careful not to let any servants around Seventh Highness see her displeasure lest they report back to His Majesty. If that happened—it would truly ruin her chances forever.

 

She was fuming with anger at Noble Lady Rong’s scheme to steal the Seventh Prince away.

 

If Noble Lady Rong had come herself, she could have stopped her. But sending the Fifth Prince instead? Two brothers sleeping together seemed perfectly reasonable.

 

This was just the first night. If this continued every night, how could she possibly raise the Seventh Prince?

 

She needed to come up with a plan to make sure the Seventh Prince wouldn’t want to leave.

 

—

 

The Next Morning.

 

The Fifth Prince was woken up by palace attendants.

 

He glanced at the pitch-black sky outside, then at his younger brother, who was still soundly asleep. Forcing himself to overcome the overwhelming drowsiness, he got out of bed.

 

He asked the servants to bring more charcoal pens and extra paper.

 

After losing so badly at Gomoku last night, he felt his skills had improved significantly. But he was certain that his brothers and classmates at the study hall had never seen this game before.

 

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T/N: triple updates per week June!

 

(advanced chapters available on kofi)