Chapter 354
The children hadn't slept enough, so lessons were a complete daze. In the morning, Grand Tutor Ji would lecture and explain, and in the afternoon, he'd have them recite and copy texts. Most couldn't memorize the passages even after the whole afternoon. Those who did manage stumbled through haltingly. It wasn't that they were slow—they were just low on energy. Without any sense of urgency or proper atmosphere, they were basically just going through the motions.
Every morning, Guaizai was the only one full of life in the classroom. The others looked completely wilted, as if they hadn't eaten for days and had no strength left. Their complexions were poor too, nothing like Guaizai's rosy cheeks. Grand Tutor Ji noticed something wasn't right and told the children to try arriving later. After a few days of this, everyone became more energetic. Though throughout the dynasties, imperial princes had always studied diligently, and the hours at the Imperial Study had been set by the ancestors, now that he'd spotted this flaw, Grand Tutor Ji wasn't the sort to cling to old ways. With a wave of his hand, he told them to come at youshi (5–7 PM) instead.
Once they'd had enough sleep and were also trying to carve out more time for play, each of them put in real effort. Their recitations became surprisingly smooth. Grand Tutor Ji knew these children were naturally bright and also understood that they were memorizing so quickly only because they wanted to play. So he set aside one shichen (2 hours) each day just for them.
Whether it was the bicycles, the building blocks, or the paintbrushes, the children absolutely loved these things. But they weren't greedy. They huddled together, whispered among themselves, and ran off to Lord Fang's residence to beg Fang Zichen. They crowded around him and heaped on the flattery until Fang Zichen felt completely at ease and beaming with joy.
"Uncle Fang, you're the most handsome man I've ever seen in my whole life. Such a pity I wasn't born a girl—boohoo~"
"Uncle Fang, you're elegant, dashing, extraordinary, and graceful—a true role model for us men. I want to grow up to look just like you."
"Uncle Fang, you're the best in the whole world."
"Uncle Fang, we want bicycles. Won't you make them for us, please? Uncle Fang is the most handsome, kindest, and best-hearted person ever."
"Uncle Fang, you're so brilliant and charming…"
How could anyone resist that?
Besides, these were his own son's classmates—he couldn't exactly turn them down!
Fang Zichen took the blueprints to a carpenter, made the tires himself at home, and even painted them in red, yellow, and blue. When Guaizai told the children to come pick them up, the sight of that row of bicycles made them so overjoyed that they shouted with delight and were about to rush forward to choose their bikes—when suddenly the son of the Right Chancellor started breathing rapidly and collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
Even Zhao Ger was startled and quickly sent Da Li to fetch a physician.
Li Yisheng arrived, took his pulse, and had an indescribable look on his face.
The child came from a noble family. It would be terrible if something happened to him at their house. Zhao Ger asked urgently, "Brother Li, what's wrong with the boy? What happened? Heatstroke?"
"It's nothing." Li Yisheng almost laughed. "He was just too excited and fainted, that's all."
Zhao Ger: "……"
After that, the children rode their bicycles every time they went out, zooming around the imperial palace like they were flying.
Earlier, when they had left the palace to ride to Fang Zichen's house, the roads were crowded. Guaizai clearly remembered how Fang Zichen would slow down whenever they rode together to the palace each day. Fang Zichen would say that in crowded places, one must not urge the horse forward quickly, as doing so might hurt someone. So Guaizai specifically told his friends to ride slowly and not bump into anyone. The other children understood too. When they got to Fang Zichen's house, the space was too small. In the end, the palace was still the best place to ride.
Xia Jinghong watched them race past him on their bicycles, laughing and fooling around. Every single one was drenched in sweat, but their laughter never stopped, and he could still hear them from far away. Guaizai had been in the palace for about a month now. After realizing his mistakes, he had "turned over a new leaf" and no longer messed with the flowers and plants. Occasionally, during the noon break, he'd play hide-and-seek or duck-duck-goose in the imperial garden.
The children all seemed much livelier. Xia Jinghong felt gratified. "So this 'heartless creature' made the bicycles too?"
Eunuch Huang, who had all the latest intelligence, replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Xia Jinghong said, "Why is he suddenly so generous?" This thing was made of iron and wood—it must have cost a lot of copper coins. He just hoped that tomorrow Fang Zichen wouldn't show up with a sack again, asking for more stuff!
Seeing the pained look on the emperor's face, Eunuch Huang laughed. "The young princes flattered Lord Fang so much that he felt good about it—and that made him generous."
"I wonder how he ever came up with such a thing." No matter how many times Xia Jinghong saw it, he still couldn't control his curiosity about a vehicle that required no horse and moved just by pedaling.
"I hear it's something from overseas."
"Then overseas must be a truly wondrous place."
The children often went to the Fang residence, each time riding their bicycles like the wind. The bicycles came in all sorts of colors. Lined up in a row, the moment they left the palace gates, they became the most "gorgeous sight" in the capital. Crowds of people gathered to watch. At first, the children felt a bit embarrassed and blushed deeply. But human beings have a natural desire for attention and admiration. Eventually, they got used to it and even grew to enjoy being the center of attention—that feeling of "none of you have this, only we do; don't be jealous."
Sometimes they'd also ride to the Right Chancellor's residence or the Minister of Rites' residence. After enough visits, the sons of the great noble families learned about bicycles. Seeing how fun it looked to ride one, they didn't dare ask the princes, but they felt bold enough to ask the sons of the Minister and the Right Chancellor. After trying out a bicycle, they went home and started clamoring for one of their own.
But when their servants asked around outside, no one sold them.
The carpenter who had originally made the bicycles for Fang Zichen knew how to make them. Seeing how many people were inquiring about them, he realized he could make a fortune if he started selling them. However, he had signed a contract with Fang Zichen. When Fang Zichen left, he had made it clear: if the carpenter broke the contract, he would be made to suffer the consequences.
Unable to buy a bicycle anywhere, and with their children raising a ruckus at home, several of the noble ladies, knowing that Fang Zichen knew how to make them, came directly to his door.
Late that night, as they were about to go to sleep, Zhao Ger threaded his fingers through Fang Zichen's hair, smoothing his ink-black locks, and asked softly, "Are you thinking of starting a bicycle shop?"
Fang Zichen rested his head on Zhao Ger's belly, listening for any movement from the baby, when suddenly a tiny foot kicked him right in the face. A small, clear footprint appeared on Zhao Ger's stomach.
Recently, Zhao Ger's fetal movements had been very noticeable. Worried that Zhao Ger might get bored stuck at home alone, Shi Nianqi, Second Sister-in-Law Zhao, and Zhao Yunyue often came to visit.
Shi Nianqi said that when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter and her previous children, the movements had never been this noticeable. Around the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy, the baby would only move about once every one to two shichen. It wasn't until closer to delivery that the movements became more frequent. But the twins in Zhao Ger's belly—they were a whole different story.
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