Chapter 62
Qi Junyou had always believed he understood Qi Junmu. Even after this man became emperor, he felt that his temperament must still be the same as before. In Qi Junyou's eyes, Qi Junmu had always been a very rigid and stubborn person.
When they were children studying together, Qi Junmu was never the type who could memorise things after a single reading. So more often than not, this younger brother of his would use the most laborious method to recite his lessons—once wasn't enough, so he'd do it twice; twice wasn't enough, so he'd do it three times…
The Empress Dowager had been extremely strict with Qi Junmu back then. If he failed to memorise his texts, she would berate him without mercy. Many people in the rear palace knew that the Third Prince studied diligently, with the lamps in his chambers burning all the way until dawn.
Yet for a prince, being praised for studying hard was, in a way, also a sign that others had low expectations of him. Qi Junyou was clever, and with his own mother's careful guidance, he never suffered such troubles himself.
Sometimes Qi Junyou felt that this younger brother was rather pitiable. If he himself had been pushed so harshly, he would have broken down long ago.
Qi Junmu, however, managed. Right or wrong methods aside, he could still keep up with what the tutors taught—it was just that his mind wasn't very flexible, he spoke too bluntly, and he wasn't particularly likeable.
Once in a while, when Emperor Jing was in a good mood and decided to test the princes on their studies, he would ask about passages from the Book of Songs. Even Qi Junyan would rack his brains to connect those verses to the current state of Da Qi, taking the opportunity to praise Emperor Jing as a good emperor and a good father.
[Book of Songs (诗经): the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, compiled around 600 BCE, containing 305 poems that reflect early Chinese society, culture, and language — one of the Five Classics of Confucianism.]
Qi Junyou, naturally, needed no introduction—every time he performed flawlessly, showcasing his learning while flattering Emperor Jing.
Then came Qi Junmu. Whatever the book said, he would repeat it verbatim, even if it touched on love poems inappropriate for their age. He would recite them outright, without the slightest hint of tact or subtlety.
Every time Qi Junmu finished answering, Emperor Jing would cast them all a cold glance and walk off without a word. Though he never punished them for it, it still left them terrified for days.
Qi Junmu was no exception—he too felt the fear. Yet the next time, he would make the same mistake again. If it was his fault, he would admit it immediately; if it wasn't, he would never confess, even under threat of death.
The Empress Dowager would be frantic every time she heard that Qi Junmu had angered Emperor Jing, and she would then treat Qi Junmu even more harshly.
Back then, Qi Junyou would sigh to himself, thinking how slow this younger brother of his was.
When this slow-witted younger brother became emperor, Qi Junyou felt deeply unsettled for a long while. Deep down, he truly believed Qi Junmu was unworthy of the throne—inflexible in his ways, unable to turn a blind eye when needed, meddling in every little matter. That was no way for an emperor to behave.
It wasn't that Qi Junyou wished him ill, but he genuinely thought that an emperor like Qi Junmu wouldn't last long.
Because if anyone made a mistake before him, he would never spare their dignity—just like when they were children. Yet he could never be another Emperor Jing either, because Emperor Jing had ascended by his own strength, by shedding others' blood, by standing atop a mountain of bones. Qi Junmu, on the other hand, relied on those who had installed him and on his maternal relatives.
Of course, if Qi Junyou himself took the throne, he too would have to rely on his maternal relatives—but unlike Qi Junmu, he had no desire to be some paragon of impartial justice.
Looking back through history, even the wisest emperors had their moments of foolishness.
Water too clear has no fish. Even for an emperor, being too brilliant and too intolerant of the slightest flaw was not necessarily a good thing.
Qi Junyou had already planned out how he would make his entrance when Qi Junmu was finally abandoned by all, or perhaps what role he could play in hastening that downfall.
But before that day arrived, Qi Junmu suddenly learned to be shameless.
He grew even more doting toward their younger brother Qi Junzhuo, while treating Qi Junyou and Qi Junyan—his two elder brothers—very differently from his former indifferent attitude.
The Qingzhou campaign in particular—Qi Junyou didn't even want to recall those days of being under Qi Junzhuo's constant watch. Even after returning to the capital, the moment he took off his clothes, those memories would flood back, and he could barely perform even before his beautiful concubines.
All because of that, he had been nursing a grudge against Qi Junmu.
But Qi Junmu never gave him a chance to vent his anger. Unable to find the right opportunity, Qi Junyou could only swallow his frustration. Moreover, Qi Junmu's temperament had changed so much from before that he had to stay on guard.
That was also why he had been keeping an extremely low profile lately—because he wanted to figure out what Qi Junmu was really up to, what was going on in that head of his every day. After many days of observation, he realised that Qi Junmu truly was different.
As for how he was different, Qi Junyou couldn't quite put his finger on it. Perhaps it was that his actions had become harder to predict, or perhaps he had simply grown more shameless.
Thus, Qi Junyou trod very carefully. After all, if Qi Junmu's mind suddenly snapped and he decided to eliminate his brothers, that was still a very real possibility.
Yet that suppressed frustration still crept back into his heart on certain late nights, leaving him tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He always felt a lingering sense of resentment—as if he had been fooled by someone who had never been his equal.
Lately, his rear courtyard had been quite unsettled, and today the matter had even been brought before Consort Dowager Xian.
Somehow, the Empress Dowager had caught wind of it, and she proceeded to take jabs at Consort Dowager Xian through veiled remarks, saying that both the primary consort and the secondary consorts of Prince Ping's mansion had no sense of propriety, bringing shame upon the imperial family and upon Emperor Jing's legacy.
She went on to say that if a secondary consort didn't know how to behave, she should simply be replaced—and that the palace maids by her side were perfectly well-mannered. One of them would be more than qualified to serve as Prince Ping's secondary consort, and could also teach his unruly consorts some proper etiquette.
Consort Dowager Xian was a dowager consort, outranked by the Empress Dowager. Naturally, she would not pick a fight over this matter. Moreover, accepting the arrangement would only make the Empress Dowager appear domineering and the emperor high-handed.
In the eyes of the world, there was always a scale—who was right and who was wrong was plain to see.
Even if they didn't say it aloud, they knew it clearly in their hearts.
This worked to their advantage. The lower the emperor's prestige, the more possibilities the future held.
In the past, Qi Junyou would have been of one mind with Consort Dowager Xian. They would have gone along with the Empress Dowager's wishes, adopting the most submissive posture, accepting the maid into the mansion and treating her well—letting everyone know that a palace maid had been bestowed upon Prince Ping as a secondary consort, and that this secondary consort was to instruct even the primary consort on proper conduct.
But perhaps because of his experience in Qingzhou, Qi Junyou now felt an unbearable frustration about the whole affair—as if he had finally found an outlet for the anger he had been bottling up for months.
So upon receiving the news, he did not go to see the Empress Dowager. Instead, he ran straight to Quanhua Hall, intending to make a scene before the emperor.
Seeing the emperor's utterly clueless expression, Qi Junyou assumed he was only pretending. But he couldn't say that outright, so he explained the entire situation from beginning to end, then stiffened his neck and waited for a response.
After hearing him out, Qi Junmu raised an eyebrow. It suddenly came back to him—this had indeed happened in his previous life too, though somewhat earlier.
Back then, Qi Junyou had kept a low profile, almost invisible, and the Empress Dowager had handled everything herself. Later, Lin Xiao had mentioned it, saying that the Empress Dowager had overstepped. Even if her intentions were good, others would take it as evidence that she was deliberately suppressing Consort Dowager Xian and Prince Ping.
After all, Prince Ping was already married, and all his secondary consort positions were filled. This was hardly the time to meddle in another family's household affairs.
It made the Empress Dowager's methods seem rather petty.
But by then the deed was done. Qi Junmu and Lin Xiao had come up with other ways to salvage the Empress Dowager's reputation somewhat.
Now, Qi Junmu simply stared at the seething Qi Junyou. He stared for a long while.
Only when the anger on Qi Junyou's face had been replaced by confusion and unease did Qi Junmu finally speak, in a light, offhand tone: "So, Prince Ping, what exactly do you want me to do today?"
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