Chapter Eighteen: Cleverness and Foolishness

  "Second Master, you've been sneaking food again, haven't you?" Seeing Xi enter the room, Wang Ye hastily hid the pastry plate and asked with a straight face.

  "No, who's sneaking a snack?" Zhao Yan said with a straight face.

  "Second Master, there's still some porridge at the corner of your mouth and on the table too, yet you won't admit it!" Xi also couldn't do anything about Wang Ye, but according to the rules in the palace, children were not allowed to eat too much, so he could only 'advise' him from time to time.

  "Hehe, you've arrived, don't tell the official, or he'll lecture me again!" Zhao Yan wiped his mouth and blew away the remaining crumbs on the table, laughing as he spoke.

  "You're also afraid of him, let him know that I'll get a beating if you don't stop sneaking food!" Ji Xi persuaded with a bitter face.

  "Upon seeing him, his mother said: 'In this household, who is the greatest? Who has the final say?'"

  "Of course it's you, Your Highness! We are all at your service. Whatever you say goes!" Jian Xi said without hesitation.

  "Now that I've said it, eating something is like stealing, is what I say right? It's what you guys say that counts!" Zhao Ze shouted in a huff.

  "Second Master, it's not that we won't let you eat, but this is the rule in the palace!"

  "Bullshit, am I in a palace now? You guys make so many dishes every day, but only let me have two bites of each, not even allowing a third bite. Just enough to keep me half-full, and I wake up hungry in the middle of the night! Are you guys intentionally trying to starve me to death?" Zhao Ze said angrily. Now that his daily training has increased, he's not allowed to eat his fill, and this is going on every day, his body definitely can't take it. Every day, he has to think of ways to find something to supplement himself.

  "Second Master, your eating and drinking habits are all regular, how dare we change them casually!" Jian Xi said with some trepidation.

  "Ha! Rules are made by humans, and since I'm in charge here at the mansion, can't I even make this one decision?!" Zhao Yi's eyes narrowed as he said, "Starting tomorrow, instruct the kitchen to stop making so many dishes that no one can finish. Four dishes and a soup per meal is enough! As a duke, if I don't even get to eat my fill, wouldn't it be an embarrassment to the imperial family?!"

  "Is this old man all right?" Ji Xi said with a worried expression.

  "How can it not be done? Just say I ordered it, and if anyone is unhappy, let them tell me. If you don't even have this bit of guts, then you can only muddle through in this job!" Zhao Ke said coldly.

  Zhao Zhan didn't seem pleased to see Ji Xi, and he smiled awkwardly, not knowing whether it was his own decision or if Huang Jingchen had been persuaded. Anyway, from the next day on, Zhao Zhan's meals were prepared according to his instructions, and every day the kitchen would send over a menu for him to review. Snacks and fruits were available at his beck and call, and no one bothered him about it anymore. By doing so, Zhao Zhan not only solved his eating problem but also conducted small tests time and again.

  A few days after the Tianning Festival, someone suddenly came from the palace, bringing with them an imperial edict and a pile of gifts bestowed by the emperor and empress, but not the news he had been hoping for - that he would be summoned back to the capital. The gifts were quite generous, including: a gold belt, 1 million in cash, 100 bolts of silk fabric, 100 bolts of gauze fabric, a silver fox fur coat from the tribute of the Liao State, and two imperial horses. Zheng Guifei also sent over 300,000 in cash, dozens of winter clothes, as well as high-quality brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

  "Is there anything you'd like to say in private?" The eunuch who had entered was one of his own men, and after dismissing the others present, Huang Jingchen asked.

  Everyone knows that the Emperor read the congratulatory memorial from the Second Prince, first laughing and then praising the prince's filial piety with tears. He ordered a heavy reward for the Second Prince through an imperial edict, and scolded Yang Zhen for putting the prince in danger. The other consorts in the palace didn't look too good after hearing this. Xigui said to Huang Jingchen.

  "What instructions does the princess have?" Huang Jingchen asked again.

  "This time, my mother asked me to bring the money saved from cosmetics and told the official to buy more good land, repair the villa, and also brought a calligraphy work for the prince, let me hand it over to the prince personally!" Xi Gu said, taking out a small scroll from her sleeve and handing it to Zhao Shi with both hands.

  "Hmm, you've worked hard this time, let's celebrate and give some money for wine!" Huang Jingchen nodded and said.

  "Thank you, Your Honor! The official rewards!" Xi Gu saw the two small ingots being handed to him and hastily expressed his gratitude. "Oh, Your Honor, Yang Gong has brought several strong men this time to escort Your Honor's safety!"

  "Haha, this has indeed made him worry!" Huang Jingchen said with a smile.

  "Hehe, Yang Dian was scolded by the Emperor and didn't dare to slack off. This time he didn't choose people from the Temple Straight Class, but instead picked a few strongmen, two of whom had entered the top ten in the Kaifeng Prefecture's wrestling competition, their skills are impressive!" Xi Gui was delighted with the reward and said a few more words.

  "Sumo wrestlers?!" Zhao Shu was shocked to hear this, and thought that sumo wrestling already existed during the Song Dynasty. But weren't they like the small Japanese sumo wrestlers of today, weighing several hundred kilograms, having trouble walking, and being raised as super fat people who only eat and sleep?

  Just as he was imagining the appearance of the sumo wrestlers at this time, four big men wearing brocade robes suddenly walked in to pay their respects. They bowed in unison to Zhao and said, "The little ones have defeated Mountain Panlong, (broken through the sky Songhu, swift as the wind Xuebao, one whip Zhangfeng) to see King Junwang!"

  The sound was deafening, Zhao Zhe's ears were ringing, and he looked up and down at the few people in front of him. He felt relieved that although they were tall and sturdy, they weren't those flabby Japanese goods. They would make good human shields to block bullets. He took a closer look, and each of the four men had coarse features, were tall and muscular, with ferocious expressions. Although they were smiling at him, Zhao Zhe thought it was better if they didn't smile.

  "Indeed, they are all good men. Yang Dian Tou's gift is not light!" Huang Jing Chen couldn't help but praise, "Your Highness, with these good men as guards, you can be at ease!" He knew the goods better than Zhao Ke, that when the Emperor went out, he would often dispatch sumo wrestlers to guard the carriage or serve as attendants during grand ceremonies. They were like door gods, and if anyone dared to make a loud noise or ***, they would strike immediately, causing blood to flow. The upper class followed suit, so now even when famous families went out visiting, they had to bring sumo wrestlers along, lining them up at the gate to show off their prestige, just like how big stars today don't dare go out without a few bodyguards in sunglasses and black suits clearing the way.

  "Yes, they're big eaters, that's for sure," Zhao said lazily. The others were shocked to hear this, as the king was known to be stingy with his wealth, but then he continued with a smile, "Feed them meat every day and make sure they're full!"

  "Haha, Prince Wang's temper really suits our several stomachs, we are meat-loving people!" Pan Long said with a big laugh.

  "Hehe, I also like to eat meat, they don't let me have too much, you guys secretly save some for me!" Zhao Xiang smiled and whispered to Pan Long, making everyone in the room laugh!

  The eunuchs in the palace retreated, leaving only Zhao Shi and Huang Jingchen in the room. He opened the scroll that Zheng Guifei had given him, the characters were written neatly and elegantly, revealing a quiet and simple demeanor. After finishing reading, Zhao Shi was stunned, put down the scroll on the table, sat there stupidly, and didn't speak.

  Huang Jingchen picked it up and read it aloud: "Everyone raises children hoping they will be intelligent, but I was misled by intelligence all my life; I only wish that the child would be foolish and clumsy, without disaster or difficulty until he becomes a high-ranking official." After finishing reading, his face also showed a puzzled expression. This is a Buddhist poem written by the great scholar Su Shi. He pondered for a moment, somewhat not understanding why the empress would give such a poem to Zhao Che, was there another meaning behind it?

  Zhao Zhan returned to the small study and let Jian Xi hang the scroll on the wall. He waved his hand for him to leave, then sat in a chair and sighed deeply at the scroll on the wall. Su Xue Shi was proud of his talent, but had spent his life drifting through officialdom. With one word "望" (hope), he expressed people's expectations for their children; with one word "误" (mistake), he revealed his own experiences. Because of his intelligence, he encountered too much foolishness and suffering, and realized that sometimes being too clever could lead to jealousy and harm. He hoped that his simple and honest children would be able to be content with ignorance, understand that taking a loss is a blessing, and not show off their small cleverness everywhere, lest they suffer from envy and trouble.

  "Could it be that Mother wants me to paint?" Zhao Xiao couldn't help but smile wryly and shake his head. Having a clever mother isn't necessarily a good thing, she gave him so much money to buy a house and land, wanting him to become an idle prince, while also advising him not to show off his cleverness again and just live a peaceful life in the countryside.

  Actually, Zhao Che understood it quite well. That night in the palace, many things happened. At the birthday banquet, the Empress Dowager proposed that a crown prince should be appointed early, but was rejected by the Emperor. After the banquet, the Emperor stayed overnight at Zheng Guifei's palace. Wang Huanghou held her son and cried all night, and the next day her illness worsened, and she took to bed. When Wang Shufei returned, it is said that she beat the third prince Zhao Kai, making him kneel for half a night, scolding his poetry for being bad. The other consorts who had given birth to princes did not say anything, but they all looked like they had eaten flies and were uncomfortable. In Cui De's palace, news spread that night that the second prince had received the Emperor's praise and would return to the capital with the intention of being appointed crown prince.

  Rumors filled the air in the capital, and officials of all sizes in the imperial court were eager to gather information. It was said that the small eunuchs on duty that night had received bribes. However, just a few days later, news came from the palace that the second prince's old illness had suddenly relapsed, and his life was in danger. The emperor bestowed a large batch of medicine. News from Xiangyi also stated that the mansion was shrouded in gloom, the inner courtyard was tightly sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. Royal Physician Wang had not left the inner courtyard for many days.

  "Second Master, what would you like to eat? Just give the order and it will be done. How can we let you do it yourself?" The kitchen maid said in a panic.

  "Xian Xi, don't just stand there waiting to eat, hurry up and bring the salt over!" Zhao Ye stood on a small stool, his head dripping with sweat, stirring the pot of meat with a ladle. "Chen Jie, you won't know how to make this dish, wait till you taste mine later!" He sprinkled some salt into the pot, turned his head to face the cook and said, his sweaty face beaming with excitement, not looking like someone who had been seriously ill at all.