Chapter 207: The Crown Prince Falsely Accused of Treason and Placed Under House Arrest…

When Xie Yan¹ heard the unfamiliar form of address, he furrowed his brows and pondered for a long while. Lowering his gaze, he noticed the intricate embroidery on the Crown Prince’s robe.

“Father? But I think I heard someone say it should be ‘Royal Father’.”

The title of Crown Prince was still a royal one, so the term wasn’t exactly wrong. But compared to “Father,” it lacked a certain intimacy.

“Did you hear that from others, or from me?”

“From the Crown Prince, of course. Nanny said the Crown Prince is the most important person here.”

Xie Hui reached out to straighten the boy’s rumpled clothes and gave a faint nod.

“That’s more like it. Since you’re listening to me, what should you call me now?”

Xie Yan tilted his head as he stared at the man before him, then softly said:

“Father.”

“I remember there’s still a Ningtang Courtyard. Tell the steward to have it cleaned up.”

Guard Lu bowed and acknowledged the order.

“From today onward, you’ll stay by my side.”

Xie Yan instinctively pointed at himself and asked with a puzzled look:

“Father, do you mean me?”

“Yes.”

It was understandable that the child wasn’t immediately close to him after so many years apart. Guard Lu, always adept at reading the Crown Prince’s intentions, gave the steward a few extra instructions when he passed along the order to prepare the courtyard.

Now that the young master had caught His Highness’s attention, his treatment needed to be elevated accordingly. Better not do anything that might displease the Crown Prince.

As the Crown Prince, the client had no shortage of affairs to handle each day. Xie Hui sat behind his desk and, seeing that Xie Yan was still lingering nearby, beckoned him over and asked:

“Come here. Do you know how to grind ink?”

Xie Yan walked over. Though he wasn’t that young anymore, he was still short and had to stand on tiptoe to reach the items on the desk.

Seeing him just standing there, staring longingly, Xie Hui put down his brush and lifted him onto his lap. Watching the boy squirm nervously but not daring to resist, he asked in a low voice:

“You don’t know how?”

“…No.”

“It’s fine if you don’t. You can learn. Speak up boldly. No one is born knowing everything. Father won’t punish you for it, so there’s no need to be so nervous.”

In ancient times, unless a child was raised from infancy by their own parent, they usually weren’t very close. Xie Hui had already prepared himself for this.

He gently ruffled the boy’s hair. A bit of physical closeness could help build a bond between them.

Since he intended to raise this child to be a future emperor, it didn’t matter if the boy wasn’t affectionate toward him. What mattered was that he trusted him.

“Got it, Father.”

Xie Yan had never experienced this kind of closeness before. His mind kept reminding him that this was the Crown Prince, yet he couldn’t help but yearn for the warmth of that hand stroking his head.

He tried to resist, but in the end, he couldn’t. He closed his eyes and leaned in, gently rubbing against the hand.

Like a stray cat that had finally found someone willing to take him in, he cautiously tried to please.

While reviewing memorials, Xie Hui held the child in his arms. Seeing how the boy nervously clasped his hands together, he couldn’t help but smile faintly. Human children, when they looked like this, were actually quite adorable.

In the client’s memories, this child had managed to retain a rare purity of heart. Whether he had any talent for statecraft remained to be seen. That would have to wait until he found a tutor to evaluate him properly.

After keeping the boy by his side for lunch, Xie Hui noticed him standing in the warm sunlight, his head nodding sleepily as if he might topple over at any moment. He turned to glance at Guard Lu, who immediately understood and stepped forward to carry the child to rest.

But just as he touched him, the drowsy Xie Yan stirred, opened his eyes with effort, and mumbled:

“I’m not sleepy…”

“Take a nap, then come back later.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Xie Yan peeked out to confirm it was Xie Hui who had spoken. Only then did he relax and close his eyes again, resting peacefully in the guard’s arms.

After they left, the steward arrived to report on the courtyard preparations.

“Pick out a few things from the storeroom. Tomorrow, I’ll be taking Xie Yan to visit his maternal grandfather.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once everyone had left, Xie Hui remained in the study, reading a letter sent by one of his subordinates. As he considered the current situation, he realized that if he was going to rebel, he had to act soon.

The next morning, he rose early to attend court. Meanwhile, in Ningtang Courtyard, Xie Yan, who had gotten used to lazing about, was still buried under the covers despite the nanny calling him several times. The more she called, the deeper he burrowed into the blankets.

He wrapped himself tightly, leaving only his head exposed for air. When the noise became too much, even that disappeared under the covers.

Back in the imperial court, Xie Hui did nothing out of the ordinary. He simply nodded in agreement whenever the emperor spoke. It wasn’t until court was dismissed that he noticed the eunuch by the emperor’s side walking toward him, his pace quickening.

Fortunately, the client had always been considerate of familial ties and had shown restraint in all things. So even if Xie Hui’s actions now seemed a bit bold, they wouldn’t arouse the emperor’s suspicion.

By the time Xie Hui returned to the Crown Prince’s estate after court, Xie Yan had finally emerged from his blankets. As the nanny helped him dress, he yawned.

“Nanny, why are we up so early?”

“His Highness said he’s taking you to visit the Xie family today. We mustn’t be late.”

Originally, the nanny had planned to drag him out of bed, but a guard who served closely by the Crown Prince stopped her. He said the young master only needed to be up before His Highness returned to the residence.

The steward had instructed the seamstress to rush through the night and finish the clothes tailored to Xie Yan’s measurements. A maidservant from the Crown Prince’s estate had also come over to help tidy his hair. After being groomed and dressed, he looked far more presentable than he had the day before when he’d hurried off to meet the Crown Prince.

“Come, today I’m taking you to meet your great-grandfather.”

When Xie Hui reached out his hand, Xie Yan was still covering his mouth with a yawn. Once he finished yawning, he stepped forward and took Xie Hui’s hand, walking out with him.

Someone from the Crown Prince’s estate had already come ahead to deliver the message, so the Xie household had made preparations early. Old Master Xie, in particular, had been unable to sleep the previous night, his mind occupied with the Crown Prince’s sudden change in attitude.

During the meal, Xie Hui brought up a matter: he wanted to ask Old Master Xie to help find a teacher to begin Xie Yan’s education.

“Your Highness… is that proper?”

After all, the child was of royal blood. Even if his mother had come from a lowly background, it didn’t change the fact that Xie Yan carried the blood of the imperial family.

Though Old Madam Xie often complained to the Empress during her visits to the palace, blaming the Crown Prince for his disgraceful behavior, her grievances were limited to his decision to take a courtesan as a concubine. She had never thought to take it out on the child.

Especially after learning that Xie Yan’s mother had died in childbirth, she felt even more pity for the boy.

“Father Emperor has never cared about me. It would be better for this child to be taught by you, Grandfather. I know it’s a bit late to begin his education, but I hope you won’t mind.”

After speaking, Xie Hui rose and gave Old Master Xie a respectful bow. Old Master Xie quickly stood up and supported his arm.

“Your Highness, please don’t be so formal. If you trust this old man, just send the child over.”

Once the matter was settled, Old Madam Xie took Xie Yan outside while the maids brought in a few plates of pastries.

They returned to the same lakeside pavilion as last time. Xie Hui and Old Master Xie discussed the details, and when it was time to leave, Xie Hui held Xie Yan’s hand. Noticing a few pastry crumbs still clinging to the boy’s cheek, he reached out and gently wiped them away.

Back at the estate, Xie Hui ordered brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to be prepared, then took Xie Yan with him to the study.

“Do you know why I took you to your great-grandfather’s estate today?”

“To find a teacher. So I can start learning.”

Xie Hui reached out and tapped his nose lightly with a finger, smiling as he praised him.

“Smart boy.”

Once everything was ready, Xie Yan took the brush that his father handed him. Xie Hui corrected his grip, then wrapped his arms around him from behind, patiently guiding him stroke by stroke.

“Xie…”

After finishing the character, Xie Hui read it aloud. Xie Yan instinctively repeated after him.

“Xie.”

“Chengqi.”

“Chengqi…”

When they finished writing, Xie Hui set the brush aside and let the ink dry naturally on the paper. Pointing to the characters, he said softly:

“Xie Chengqi². That is your name. Do you remember it?”

“Huh? But Father, I thought my name was Xie Yan?”

Though the servants usually called him “young master,” he had occasionally heard people refer to him as Xie Yan. He remembered it clearly. Now that his father was teaching him something that contradicted what he had always believed, he couldn’t help but voice his confusion.

“Xie Chengqi is your real name. Understand? That other one was just something someone made up. It’s not to be trusted.”

“Oh.”

Xie Chengqi nodded lightly. Even though he had been called Xie Yan more often, he chose to believe what his father said.

He committed the name to memory, staring at the three characters on the white paper and silently repeating them in his heart.

Xie Chengqi.

He didn’t know what the name meant, but somehow, it sounded much nicer than the one he’d had before.

Every day before tending to official duties, Xie Hui would first teach the boy to write his name. Then he would leave for work, instructing Xie Chengqi to sit at his little desk and write his name five times on his own.

The child’s great-grandfather was a learned man. He had kept a low profile for years, spending his days in the estate raising birds and avoiding attention. He hadn’t taken on any students in a long time. Now that one had finally come to him, and it was his own kin, he naturally took the task seriously.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. The Emperor finally sensed something was amiss and ordered the eunuch by his side to summon the Crown Prince to the palace.

Before, the Emperor had been content not to see the Crown Prince, enjoying the peace and quiet. But now, a sudden unease stirred in his heart.

When Xie Hui faced the Emperor, he maintained perfect decorum. His expression was respectful, and when he lowered his gaze, not a trace of emotion could be seen in his eyes.

He imitated the original host’s mannerisms and muddled through the audience. As he was leaving the palace, he turned back for a moment to glance at the red walls and green tiles of the imperial compound.

“Your Highness, now that autumn has come, the weather is starting to turn chilly.”

Translator’s Notes