Chapter 13: The Youth From Over a Thousand Years Hence
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Changsun Wuji was deeply uneasy. He stole a glance at Wen He, silently asking whether he had said anything.
But Wen He merely held his head high and pretended innocence, as though he had not understood the question in his eyes at all.
After they had walked for a while, Changsun Wuji deliberately fell a few paces behind and walked beside Wen He.
“I hear that Young Master Wen is to tutor the three little princes?”
“His Highness the Prince of Qin noticed that our ages are similar and merely asked me to play with them. Calling it tutoring would be too grand.”
Wen He laughed it off.
Yet he kept his guard up.
The matter had occurred less than two hours ago, and Changsun Wuji had already received the news.
He had warned Li Shimin that walls had ears, but there were clearly plenty of spies within the Prince of Qin’s residence as well.
The only question was whether Li Shimin knew that Changsun Wuji knew.
“I see. Still, Young Master, you must be careful in both word and deed. Some things ought to be said, while others ought not.”
Changsun Wuji cast him a warning glance.
Wen He smiled, clasped his hands, and bowed to him, indicating that he understood.
Satisfied, Changsun Wuji nodded and stroked his magnificent beard. He was just about to move ahead when Wen He’s light voice drifted from behind him.
“But if His Highness asks me, I cannot refuse to answer.”
Changsun Wuji’s steps faltered. Frowning, he turned around in astonishment.
Taken by itself, Wen He’s remark seemed unremarkable enough—merely an assertion that he dared not defy the Prince of Qin.
Yet after Changsun Wuji’s warning, those words suddenly made the hairs on his body stand on end.
He glared at Wen He and was about to question him when Li Shimin’s voice came from ahead.
“Fuji, what is the matter? Why are you chatting so merrily with Young Master Wen?”
“Ah, Elder Brother Changsun was asking me—”
“Your Highness, I heard that you had asked Young Master Wen to teach the three princes, so I wished to test his learning.”
Changsun Wuji cut Wen He off before he could finish.
Wen He merely smiled and nodded.
“What?”
Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance before turning toward Wen He in surprise, scrutinizing him carefully.
The boy appeared to be no more than eight or nine years old. His clothes were ordinary, and there was nothing remarkable about his features.
At a glance, he seemed nothing more than an unremarkable child from a common household.
How could His Highness have been so absurd as to ask such a young child to teach the three princes?
“Your Highness, this seems rather childish. The heir’s position is of the utmost importance,” Du Ruhui urged, his expression displeased.
Among the eighteen scholars of the Prince of Qin’s residence, he alone dared to show such displeasure before Li Shimin.
If His Highness ascended the imperial throne in the future, the heir would become the Crown Prince.
The education of the heir was no trivial matter. Even an eminent scholar would find it difficult to undertake, let alone a mere child.
“He is only a playmate, not a teacher.”
Seeing Li Shimin in a difficult position, Wen He stepped forward and tried to smooth things over.
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Du Ruhui glared at him in displeasure.
“Impertinent! This old man is speaking with His Highness. How dare a child like you interrupt?”
“Um… I’m not allowed to do that either?”
Wen He stared at him in bewilderment.
Du Ruhui’s temper was truly enormous.
“Ke Ming, ah… Forget it. After we finish the meal, I will explain everything to you. I was already planning to wait until you arrived and inform you of the matter myself.”
Li Shimin cast a meaningful glance at Changsun Wuji, reproaching him for bringing up the matter at such an inopportune moment.
Changsun Wuji bowed apologetically, his face bitter, though inwardly he was delighted.
At last, he had managed to muddle through the matter.
Yet His Highness had clearly been unwilling for him to continue asking questions. That meant the boy must have spoken of something concerning the future.
What could it be that made His Highness so wary?
…
That morning’s breakfast had been specially arranged by Changsun Wugou.
It was called breakfast, but it was certainly not merely thin porridge and greens.
People of the Great Tang generally ate two proper meals a day. In addition, they had special pastries after rising in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Of course, this was the custom among the wealthy and powerful. For ordinary families, two meals a day and a bowl of wheat porridge was already considered quite decent.
“Big Brother! Boo-hoo!”
The moment Little Wenrou saw Wen He, she rushed into his arms.
In the unfamiliar surroundings, the little girl had been frightened half to death.
Wen He had originally expected to spend some time comforting her, but the instant she saw all the delicious food, she forgot everything and began eating with gusto.
Before long, her little face was smeared like a kitten’s.
Wen He had no time to worry about appearances either. He had been hungry for so long that his stomach was practically gnawing at itself. He snatched up a chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth.
The way the siblings ate left the three little princes and the young Li Lizhi staring in astonishment.
“I want some too! I want some too!”
Excited, Li Lizhi pushed away the nanny behind her and tried to imitate Wen He. But Changsun Wugou, who was attending to her from the side, stopped her.
“Mmm… Mother.”
“No.”
“Wugou, indulging her just this once will do no harm.”
Though Li Shimin was a nobleman, he had spent many years in the army and cared little for such elaborate etiquette.
Changsun Wugou merely nodded at his words. She did not openly contradict Li Shimin, but neither did she allow Li Lizhi to imitate Wen He and his sister’s rough manners.
“Ahem. We are country folk, so please forgive our lack of refinement. Someone locked us up for the entire night, and we were truly famished.”
Wen He wiped his mouth with the silk cloth handed to him by a servant and clasped his hands toward Li Shimin, who sat at the head of the table in the distance.
He showed not the slightest intention of restraining himself, however. He was still holding a piece of richly marbled mutton.
“Pay it no mind. A man ought to be free and uninhibited.”
With that, Li Shimin also picked up a piece of mutton and took a hearty bite. Turning to Du Ruhui, he said, “It has been many years since I have been so carefree. Chang’an is excellent in every respect, but there are simply too many restrictions. As the Prince of Qin, I truly feel stifled here.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
On the surface, he appeared to be complaining about the rules.
But every intelligent person present understood what he was really saying.
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When the feast ended, Changsun Wugou led the children away. Wen He took his sister’s hand and was about to leave as well, but Li Shimin stopped him.
After everyone else had departed, the inner and outer courtyards of the Prince of Qin’s residence were surrounded layer upon layer by the Black Armored Guards.
“Have you eaten your fill?”
Li Shimin sat at the head of the hall and looked toward Wen He.
His inexplicable question made Changsun Wuji’s expression somewhat awkward.
“Your Highness, this was my fault. I shall certainly apologize to Young Master Wen later.”
He knew that the Prince of Qin had suddenly asked the question in order to mediate over his having imprisoned Wen He.
Wen He licked his lips.
“Your Highness may rest easy. I am not narrow-minded, nor am I one to bear grudges over every slight.”
“That is good.”
Li Shimin smiled and nodded before continuing, “Then do not frighten Fuji again in the future. He will be one of my most important ministers. Do not scare him into refusing to serve me.”
“Your Highness, I would never dare!”
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Changsun Wuji’s body. He hurried forward and bowed deeply, proclaiming his loyalty.
Li Shimin’s words seemed to be warning Wen He not to speak recklessly of the future, but they were also a warning to Changsun Wuji.
“I understand,” Wen He said with a smile.
“Heh heh, Fuji, rise quickly. Why are you so flustered? Wen He said earlier that you and I, as lord and subject, are destined to leave our names in the annals of history.”
“Yes. I shall certainly do everything in my power to leave our names in the annals of history alongside Your Highness.”
Changsun Wuji breathed a long sigh of relief.
He knew that he had been too impatient.
There was still plenty of time. He would have many opportunities to question Wen He about the future. Why had he been so eager to press him at that very moment?
He was a minister entrusted with the care of an heir, which meant that he would live longer than the Prince of Qin.
No—what kind of treasonous thought was that? It was a capital offense, a capital offense!
Changsun Wuji hastily banished the frightening thought from his mind.
The scene left Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling utterly bewildered.
What exactly were the Prince of Qin and Changsun Wuji playing at?
Seeing their confusion, Li Shimin casually pointed toward Wen He.
“Ke Ming, Xuanling, are the two of you still confused?”
“Then allow me to introduce the boy before you. He comes from more than a thousand years in the future.”