Thirteen thousand and thirteen

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Fu Yuzhang glanced at Fu Yuan, then at Master Zhou, who had arrived unnoticed, and felt as if his small mind could no longer bear the weight of it all. His expression was utterly innocent. He was merely an auditor, not yet formally enlightened—was it really necessary to question his learning progress so thoroughly?

Fu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at the boy. “You were so proud earlier in the palace, weren’t you? Even dared to argue with the Crown Prince. And now you’re turning into a frightened little quail? Be honest—what exactly have you learned?”

Master Zhou’s expression was subtle as well. Standing with arms crossed, he watched Fu Yuzhang with great interest, curious to see just how much the little one had secretly absorbed.

Seeing that playing the innocent card was useless, Fu Yuzhang looked beseechingly at Fu Huai’an. “Brother, help me out!”

Fu Huai’an, the good elder brother from the House of Changping, did not disappoint. He immediately stepped forward, standing proudly before Fu Yuzhang and declaring, “Brother Zhang is clever. When I write large characters, he watches attentively—and he already recognizes them!”

Ah, so that was it! The younger brother was secretly receiving extra lessons from his older brother!

Fu Yuan tilted his head toward Master Zhou, who raised an eyebrow, took a copy of the Thousand Character Classic from his sleeve, flipped to the first page, and placed it before Fu Yuzhang. “Recite it.”

Fu Yuzhang glanced at Master Zhou’s face, then obediently began, “Heaven and Earth are mysterious and dark, the universe vast and wild…”

Master Zhou calmly flipped through the pages, and Fu Yuzhang, now fully engaged, recited smoothly without pause.

When he reached the phrase “four feasts set in order, zithers and flutes played,” Master Zhou’s calm expression finally showed a slight ripple, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at Fu Yuzhang. “The young lord hasn’t reached this part yet, but you recite it fluently.”

Fu Yuan gave Fu Yuzhang a surprised look.

Fu Yuzhang’s face was the picture of innocence. “Brother read it all to me once from start to finish.”

Master Zhou fell silent, then softly said to Fu Yuan, “My lord, judging from this, it seems the young lord’s enlightenment began a little late.”

Fu Yuan maintained a calm exterior but was inwardly puzzled: Was his elder son the same way? Had he really delayed his child’s education?

Fu Huai’an was generous about it. “No worries. I was little then, and even our parents didn’t know. Starting school now is the same—it’s not difficult, and I can memorize everything quickly.”

Those words struck a nerve.

Fu Yuan and Master Zhou had no reply.

Master Zhou wasn’t even envious of Fu Yuan’s two prodigious sons; with all this fuss, it must be a headache!

Fu Yuan was helpless. “I’m just an ordinary man who doesn’t understand the power of prodigies. I really have wronged you two boys!”

Master Zhou continued testing Fu Yuzhang. After reciting more than half the Thousand Character Classic, Fu Yuzhang refused to say another word, exhausted, gulping down two cups of drink in quick succession. When asked more specific questions, Fu Yuzhang simply gave him innocent eyes: “I can recite it, but I truly don’t understand the meaning.”

Master Zhou understood, closed the book, and smiled at Fu Yuan. “The young master has an excellent memory, but being so young, he can only parrot the words without truly comprehending them.”

Fu Yuan nodded. Fu Yuzhang’s eyes brightened with expectation as he looked at his father: “Exactly! I’m still little! I can’t understand the meaning yet—there’s no need to start schooling so early!”

Yet Fu Yuan coldly ignored his son’s hopeful gaze and clasped his fists toward Master Zhou. “In the future, please also take care of Brother Zhang’s education.”

“My lord is too polite. I am but a tutor of the Changping House and it is my duty to guide both young masters.”

Fu Yuzhang’s pupils dilated in shock. The sky was falling! Was there no one to restrain such heartless parents, making a child just over one year old study? How cruel!

Fu Yuan could read the boy’s expression clearly and knew he was up to no good, silently cursing him in his heart.

Fu Yuan said at once, “The Crown Prince has requested that both of you write letters updating him on your studies. You boys must write these letters carefully.”

Anything sent to the palace must be flawless. The two sons were required to write a letter to the Crown Prince every five days. Even Fu Yuan, calm by nature, found this somewhat taxing.

Perhaps this was the bittersweet joy of having two prodigious sons.

Fu Huai’an was very enthusiastic about writing to the Crown Prince. It was understandable—there were only two children in the House of Changping, and though Fu Huai’an was young, no matter how talented, children naturally wanted to play with peers. Just look at how Fu Huai’an doted on Fu Yuzhang, the first time being an older brother. Fu Yuzhang could ask for anything and Fu Huai’an would grant it. If not for Fu Yuzhang’s admirable character, Fu Huai’an would have been spoiled into a little tyrant of the house.

The Crown Prince was just a year younger than Fu Huai’an and, objectively, slightly better at expressing himself than Fu Yuzhang. Naturally, Fu Huai’an’s curiosity and affinity for peers blossomed.

Besides, having pen pals at a distance was so much fun! Which child could resist such temptation?

Fu Huai’an eagerly recorded everything he learned each day, waiting for Fu Yuan to bring it to the Crown Prince during court.

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Fu Yuzhang, not yet able to write, was excused from putting pen to paper but was still required by Fu Huai’an to verbally report his learning progress.

Fu Yuzhang felt overwhelmed and deliberately boasted about his rapid progress: “Hehe, I’ve already memorized the entire Thousand Character Classic these past few days. Your Highness, how far have you gotten?”

I’ll show you! I won’t let you outpace me!

Fu Yuzhang pictured the chubby Crown Prince reading the letter, puffing up with indignation before opening his book, and felt surprisingly cheerful. Early schooling wasn’t so bad after all.

At present, Fu Yuzhang was only made to memorize the texts by Master Zhou—no madness of forcing him to write large characters. Fu Huai’an himself had only started trying to write at four years old.

Enlightenment wasn’t as difficult as Fu Yuzhang imagined. It was simply a shift from being an auditor to receiving half an hour of one-on-one tutoring with Master Zhou daily.

For now, the focus was on memorization, not understanding—at his young age and experience, it would be strange if he grasped all the meanings.

Every day, Fu Yuzhang happily memorized a few pages, then cheerfully recited them to Fu Huai’an, who would write them into letters for the Crown Prince.

The day before court, the brothers finally handed Fu Yuan a letter so stuffed it nearly burst the envelope. Since Fu Huai’an was new to writing large characters and couldn’t yet control the brush well, he had written the characters half the size of a palm, requiring several sheets.

Fu Yuan examined the bulging envelope with a calm expression and accepted it. “Tomorrow, after court, I will deliver this letter to the palace.”

Fu Yuzhang eyed him suspiciously. “Father, you’re not going to sneak a peek at children’s letters, are you?”

Fu Yuan’s expression almost cracked as he responded irritably, “A father reading his son’s letter—is that sneaking? Since these letters are addressed to the Crown Prince, I must ensure you aren’t writing anything inappropriate!”

With that, Fu Yuan opened the letter in front of the boys and read it word by word.

Seeing his father so riled up by a simple question, Fu Yuzhang wisely kept silent, watching as his unscrupulous father openly read the children’s correspondence. Then, he noticed his father’s expression growing more subtle, his gaze shifting from the letter to him.

Fu Yuzhang immediately straightened up, face serious, and loudly declared, “My brother and I definitely didn’t write anything nonsense!”

Fu Yuan rubbed his forehead. It was true, they didn’t write nonsense, but with the Crown Prince’s stubborn nature, this sort of bragging would surely make him demand more memorization immediately.

Better alert the tutors in the study—danger!

Fu Yuan felt a vague unease, sensing his well-behaved young son might again be scheming some mischief to surprise this old father.

Fu Yuzhang stared with clear, innocent eyes, and no matter how helpless Fu Yuan felt inside, his heart softened. “Well written.”

If the Crown Prince was troubled, as long as his son was happy, that was enough.

Fu Yuzhang puffed up proudly, grabbing Fu Huai’an’s arm. “Brother wrote it, and he’s really, really amazing!”

Fu Huai’an blushed at the straightforward praise. “My handwriting isn’t good, nowhere near the tutor’s.”

Fu Yuzhang’s big brother lens was thick as a thousand fathoms. “The tutor is old; brother just started learning. Brother is the best!”

Hearing this, Fu Huai’an’s confidence soared, and he looked expectantly at Fu Yuan.

Honestly, Fu Yuan couldn’t praise such inflated boasting, but seeing his two smart, adorable sons shining with the same bright eyes, his resolve softened immediately. He nodded, “The handwriting is indeed good.”

Fu Yuzhang beamed, clutching Fu Huai’an’s arm tighter. “I told you, brother’s the best.”

Fu Huai’an restrained a smile but happiness shone through his eyes and brows, warming the hearts around him.

The next day after morning court, Emperor Jingshuo specially detained Fu Yuan, inviting him to the Wende Hall.

The civil and military officials were taken aback, unable to guess the emperor’s intentions. Why the sudden closeness toward Fu Yuan?

Many sharp-witted ministers speculated: Could it be the House of Changping’s luck from having two prodigious sons? Not long ago, when Fu Yuan brought his two sons to pay respects, the emperor had also donned matching parent-child outfits with the Empress and Crown Prince, causing envy among the palace ladies. Now, any palace woman with a child was making matching clothes for themselves and their children, nearly exhausting the palace seamstresses.

Such a grand trend could not be ignored. Even the ministers’ own young wives had commissioned seamstresses for new clothes, all matching parent-child outfits. This fashion was even spreading to commoners, with wealthy merchants donning matching sets. Some ready-made clothing shops had already seized the opportunity, offering various parent-child apparel. One must commend Daqi’s merchants for their keen business sense.

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Fu Yuzhang had, without meaning to, sparked a new fashion trend.

Especially among families with young children, biological mothers unanimously made outfits identical to Fu Yuzhang’s. Rather than calling them matching parent-child clothes, they preferred to call them “Prodigy Outfits.”

Knowing all this, Fu Yuzhang thought: …Well, if it makes you happy.

Fu Yuan cared little for food or clothing matters. Upon arriving at Wende Hall, he respectfully presented the brothers’ letter.

Emperor Jingshuo looked at the envelope, nearly bursting with letters, somewhat surprised. Curious, he opened it.

No wonder the emperor was so kind-hearted—he sincerely praised the childish handwriting: “This is really good, far better than Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi’s. Truly prodigies, outstanding in every way.”

“My lord flatters us.”

The emperor eagerly flipped through the letter, his smile growing wider toward the end. He teased Fu Yuan, “It’s impressive how different your two prodigious sons’ temperaments are.”

Fu Yuan gave a knowing look, smiling wryly. “Your Majesty is indeed discerning. One is steady, the other lively. Having raised one prodigy first, I cannot simply apply the same method to the second.”

Emperor Jingshuo laughed heartily. “Just like dragons’ nine sons, each is different. My nine sons vary in temperament as well, causing me no small amount of trouble.”

As they spoke, footsteps sounded outside—rapid and firm.

Only the Crown Prince would dare approach Wende Hall’s entrance so boldly.

Fu Yuan bowed and stepped aside, watching the chubby Crown Prince struggle over the high threshold, eyes sparkling as he looked at Emperor Jingshuo. In a loud voice, he asked, “Father, where is my letter?”

Since the Crown Prince was still largely illiterate, Emperor Jingshuo read the letter aloud to him.

Listening to the first half, the Crown Prince nodded calmly. But upon hearing the latter half, he leapt up, grabbing the emperor’s sleeve. “Father, I want to finish memorizing the Thousand Character Classic soon too!”

The emperor was pleased. “Then you must work harder.”

The Crown Prince nodded vigorously. “I won’t fall behind Fu Yuzhang!”

A true Crown Prince, outdone in knowledge by a one-year-old child—what face could he keep!

And so the Crown Prince began his own fierce academic race. Emperor Jingshuo was very satisfied, lifting the Crown Prince onto his lap and smiling gently, “When you know more characters, you can help me read the memorials.”

Fu Yuan quickly lowered his head, pretending not to exist.

Two days later, a palace attendant delivered the Crown Prince’s reply to the House of Changping. Fu Huai’an and Fu Yuzhang opened it to find eight large characters written: “I have also finished the Thousand Character Classic!”

It was unmistakably the stubborn tone of the Crown Prince who refused to concede.

Fu Yuzhang snorted coldly. This is just the beginning—watch me outdo you!

Thus, the three engaged in a lively correspondence, incessantly exchanging letters, each trying to outpace the other in learning, progressing by leaps and bounds.

Master Zhou was initially shocked but soon accustomed, even raising the difficulty for Fu Huai’an and Fu Yuzhang, eager to discover the limits of these prodigies.

Emperor Jingshuo and the tutors in the study were delighted: the Crown Prince’s diligence was truly a national blessing!

In high spirits, Emperor Jingshuo generously bestowed a great many rewards upon the brothers.

When the rewards reached the House of Changping, the ministers finally understood the significance and were utterly baffled as to how to envy Fu Yuan: What’s going on, Marquis of Changping? Having two prodigious sons was already impressive, but how could you, a military man in your prime, also profit from your young sons’ fame?

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