Raising Wolves CHAPTER 04

 

Raising wolves  

 Chapter 04

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

Lu Qingze recalled the plot of the original novel and vaguely formed a plan in his mind.

A key figure was needed, but the timing wasn’t right yet—it wasn’t the right moment to approach them. He’d have to wait a bit longer.

For now, he needed to deal with the little emperor in front of him.

Lu Qingze lectured earnestly, and Ning Juan listened even more intently, his dark eyes gleaming faintly.

Ning Juan’s mother, Consort Jing, came from a family of physicians. During Emperor Chong’an’s incognito trip to Jiangnan, he suffered from severe水土不服 (altitude sickness or travel fatigue), vomiting and diarrhea. The accompanying imperial physician also fell ill, so the entourage hastily summoned her. The young woman had an elegant demeanor and striking looks, and Emperor Chong’an was instantly smitten, bringing her into the palace, where she enjoyed fleeting favor.

In the fifteenth year of Jian’an, the Empress miscarried, and the evidence pointed to Consort Jing as the culprit. Though the evidence was inconclusive, Emperor Chong’an had already grown tired of her. He banished Consort Jing and Ning Juan to the冷宫 (cold palace) and even implicated Consort Jing’s family back in Jiangnan.

Life in the cold palace was harsh, especially since they had offended the Empress. The palace servants, ever eager to kick those who were down, frequently harassed them under the Empress’s orders. Consort Jing, already frail, passed away when Ning Juan was five.

After Consort Jing’s death, Ning Juan’s life became even more difficult.

When he was starving, he even fought with wild dogs for food.

As Emperor Chong’an became increasingly obsessed with immortality, completely forgetting he had such a son, a dizzy and starving Ning Juan sharpened a stone, plotting to kill that dog for dinner.

But hunger was the least of his worries. Every time the Empress remembered her unborn child, she would send people to torment Ning Juan, leaving him barely alive on several occasions.

Fortunately, the Empress died of depression before Emperor Chong’an.

The characters Ning Juan knew and the texts he memorized were all taught by Consort Jing, who guided his hand as they wrote with branches in the dirt. Today, when Lu Qingze checked his homework, it was the first time Ning Juan had ever held a brush.

So, of course, his handwriting was terrible.

But Ning Juan didn’t explain any of this to Lu Qingze.

The original novel didn’t go into detail, only briefly mentioning that the little emperor’s childhood was miserable. As for how miserable, Lu Qingze didn’t know.

"A prince of the realm—no matter how bad it got, surely he wouldn’t be reduced to fighting dogs for food, right?"

That was the thought that had crossed his mind when he skimmed that page.

The morning’s lessons ended with another fit of coughing from Lu Qingze.

Ning Juan watched coldly as Lu Qingze coughed as if his lungs were about to give out, even leaning back slightly to avoid him.

Catching this out of the corner of his eye, Lu Qingze nearly laughed in exasperation.

This kid had no manners—not only did he not pat his back to help, but he also躲瘟似的 (avoided him like the plague).

He absolutely had to discipline this little brat into a respectful, virtuous student.

By the time the coughing subsided, Lu Qingze was practically out of breath. Weakly, he waved his hand. "It’s time for lunch, Your Majesty. Please eat first."

The boy was scrawny and clearly malnourished—he needed to eat properly and on time.

When lunch was served, Lu Qingze glanced around the Southern Study Hall. Aside from Changshun, no one else came forward to serve, showing how little the palace servants cared about the young emperor.

But Ning Juan didn’t mind. He detested being surrounded by people.

Lu Qingze had no appetite. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Ning Juan couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you eating?"

Lu Qingze frowned slightly, pointing to his throat. His voice was low and strained. "It hurts to swallow."

His throat already ached from coughing, and after lecturing, it felt like being pricked by needles. Now that he’d stopped, even swallowing was agony.

Ning Juan’s gaze unconsciously followed Lu Qingze’s finger. His lips, usually pale, were now tinged with a faint red from the violent coughing, a stark contrast to his sickly, sweat-beaded face—making them all the more noticeable.

Even in his weakened state, the man’s beauty was undeniable, his spirit and bone striking.

Ning Juan snapped back to reality, startled to realize he’d been staring at Lu Qingze’s face.

How could a grown man look like this?

Pursing his lips, Ning Juan glanced at Changshun. "Have the kitchen prepare a bowl of red date and white fungus porridge."

Lu Qingze raised an eyebrow slightly.

Had the little brat’s conscience finally kicked in?

But Ning Juan didn’t look at him, his small face dark. "Master Lu, you should find a mask to cover your face when you have time."

Lu Qingze found a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead and, puzzled, touched his face.

What was wrong with his face?

Was his sickly appearance offending the little tyrant?

After a day of teaching, Lu Qingze was nearly voiceless and hadn’t gained much of the little emperor’s trust.

Ning Juan was like a wary young beast, its fur perpetually bristling, distrustful of everything, occasionally baring tiny fangs to scare off anyone who approached.

A child this young, if in the modern era, would still be at an age for carefree play.

Lu Qingze sighed inwardly, assigned Ning Juan some homework, and left behind the unfinished Di Jian Tu Shuo (Illustrated Lessons for Emperors).

Only then did Ning Juan’s face finally break into a genuine, childlike smile.

The boy was good-looking, and his smile was especially sweet, like a spoonful of golden, thick honey. But the smile melted away like a handful of snow, vanishing so quickly Lu Qingze wondered if he’d imagined it.

Lu Qingze smiled. "This subject will return tomorrow to continue lecturing. Your Majesty, don’t forget to complete your homework."

The little emperor didn’t offer to see him out, merely tilting his small head slightly. "You may leave."

Lu Qingze didn’t trouble Changshun to escort him and left the Qianqing Palace alone.

On his way out, he was suddenly stopped by a group of guards. Their tone was polite but firm. "Master Lu, please come with us."

During the palace’s great purge, countless had died. The Imperial Bodyguard, which had once认阉党叫干爹 (acknowledged the eunuch faction as their "godfathers"), was replaced after the coup by the Capital Guards of the Five Armies and the Embroidered Uniform Guards (Jinyiwei), who jointly patrolled the palace. The commander of the Five Armies was on good terms with Wei Helong.

Clearly, Wei Helong wanted to see him.

Lu Qingze had expected this. Without a word, he followed the guards.

His compliance surprised them, but they said nothing.

After a while, they arrived at the Wenyuan Pavilion, where the guards halted.

Steeling himself, Lu Qingze pushed open the door and entered.

Wei Helong, the young tyrant’s greatest adversary in the early stages of the original novel, sat at the desk.

Unexpectedly, this arch-villain looked like a pale-faced scholar, his appearance anything but sinister. He even smiled slightly as he regarded Lu Qingze.

Only the faint traces of coldness in his eyes betrayed his true nature.

Lu Qingze didn’t dare let his guard down. He bowed. "This humble official greets the Chief Grand Secretary."

"No need for formalities, Grand Tutor Lu." Wei Helong studied Lu Qingze. "Have a seat."

Lu Qingze’s hands and feet were icy from standing too long. Without ceremony, he pulled over a chair and sat.

Wei Helong feigned concern. "How is Grand Tutor Lu’s health? I heard you lectured His Majesty today. How did it go?"

Lu Qingze thought, So this is what he’s after.

He hesitated briefly before pulling out the copy of The Analects the little emperor had transcribed earlier and handed it to Wei Helong with a sigh. "His Majesty… struggles to sit still. This humble official had him copy from the book, and it took him all afternoon to produce just this much…"

Wei Helong took the paper covered in scrawled, chaotic characters and examined it with interest.

The handwriting was a mess—strokes were haphazard,幼稚笨拙 (childish and clumsy). It looked less like writing and more like drawing. More complex characters were simply blotted into ink blobs.

Lu Qingze lowered his gaze. "This humble official heard His Majesty never attended school before. Starting to learn characters at almost twelve… perhaps he’s still adjusting."

The ink blots were his doing. To avoid arousing Wei Helong’s suspicion, he had to sacrifice the little emperor’s reputation.

Wei Helong, who had initially grown suspicious after the drowning of Little Fu Zi, burst into laughter. Slowly, he said, "His Majesty is still young. Even if he isn’t studious, don’t push him too hard. It’s just a child’s nature."

Lu Qingze wore a troubled expression, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Wei Helong didn’t care. This young状元郎 (zhuangyuan, top imperial examination graduate) was upright to the point of naivety—so straightforward it was almost foolish. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked his life to remonstrate against the eunuch faction when they were at their peak.

A bit dumb, but with his frail health, he likely wouldn’t live past three years anyway. No harm in letting him stay.

Casually flipping open a memorial, Wei Helong dismissed Lu Qingze. "Grand Tutor Lu has worked hard. Rest early."

This hurdle was cleared.

Lu Qingze exhaled inwardly, cupped his hands in salute, and slowly turned to leave.

Outside the imperial city, he saw Chen Xiaodao—the社交牛逼症 (socially fearless) kid—chatting with the guards again.

To Lu Qingze’s surprise, the guard captain who had been expressionless yesterday was now engaged in conversation, even showing a hint of regret when Chen Xiaodao stopped talking upon seeing Lu Qingze.

Impressive.

A true talent.

After lecturing and dealing with Wei Helong, Lu Qingze boarded the carriage and weakly closed his eyes, mentally planning the next day’s lesson.

It was time for officials to leave work, and the main road was filled with carriages of other capital officials.

As Lu Qingze teetered on the edge of sleep, a voice suddenly called out from outside: "Oh? A carriage from the Lu residence—could this be Master Lu Qingze inside?"

Chen Xiaodao, blocked by someone, had to stop the carriage.

The man blocking the way was a young official in a green robe. With his limited knowledge, Chen Xiaodao only knew this was probably a fifth-rank official.

The scene of a carriage being stopped mid-journey drew the attention of many nearby. Those who overheard the name "Lu Qingze" halted in their tracks.

After all, that name had shaken the capital twice last year—first when he topped the imperial exams in glorious fashion, and again when he offended the eunuch faction and was imprisoned.

Now, with the young emperor a mere puppet and Chief Grand Secretary Wei holding absolute power, Lu Qingze dared to enter the palace to lecture.

While most chose silence for self-preservation, his stance was awkward, and many watched with schadenfreude, curious about him.

Under the public gaze, after a few muffled coughs, the carriage curtain was lifted slightly by a pale, slender hand.

Even in the dim light, the hand seemed to glow, like flawless羊脂美玉 (mutton-fat jade), utterly captivating.

It was said Lu Qingze’s beauty was extraordinary.

The curious crowd craned their necks, but Lu Qingze didn’t step out. He only opened the curtain a crack, his voice soft and hoarse: "What is it, sir?"

Others couldn’t see due to the angle, but the young official blocking the way got a clear view.

The man inside looked sickly, yet his beauty was dazzling—like a white优昙 (udumbara) flower, breathtaking in its splendor.

Hearing Lu Qingze’s words, the official smirked coldly. "Master Lu is so noble you’ve forgotten your humble同乡 (fellow townsman) so quickly."

Fellow townsman?

Lu Qingze searched his memory. Did the original novel have such a character?

Cheng Wen’ang, seeing him deep in thought, finally lost his temper. "Don’t look down on me! I’m only here to tell you I’ve been promoted to工部郎中 (Director of the Ministry of Works)—I’m not much worse off than you!"

What was so great about being a状元郎 and the emperor’s teacher? In the current climate, it was just an empty title.

As he fumed, Lu Qingze finally remembered who this was.

Cheng Wen’ang appeared only a few times in the novel. He was from the same hometown as Lu Qingze but ranked much lower in the palace exams, making him bitterly jealous of the top graduate. In the original story, he was a minor character.

Lu Qingze was too exhausted to think straight, nearly dozing off as he replied weakly, "Ah, is that so? How wonderful for you. Keep up the good work."

Cheng Wen’ang: "..."

Lu Qingze was even worse than before! He wouldn’t even look at him properly, and his tone was so dismissive!

The officials, tired from a long day’s work, no longer felt fatigued. The best way to relax was simple: enjoy the drama. Many wished they could pull up a stool and start munching on melon seeds.

Cheng Wen’ang suppressed the urge to curse and, staring at Lu Qingze’s striking face, snorted. "You don’t know yet, do you? Prince Shu is about to arrive in the capital."

With Emperor Chong’an’s death, the imperial uncles—the feudal princes—had legitimate reasons to return to the capital.

Cheng Wen’ang’s mention of Prince Shu wasn’t because Lu Qingze had any enmity with him, but because… Prince Shu had寡人之疾 (a weakness for lust), particularly for male beauty.

With Lu Qingze’s祸水 (disastrously beautiful) looks, if Prince Shu saw him, could that puppet emperor protect him?

Cheng Wen’ang sneered inwardly, waiting for Lu Qingze to panic.

Lu Qingze, however, was losing the battle against sleep. Half-dreaming, he wondered: Who’s Prince Shu?

Chen Xiaodao peeked inside and carefully lowered the curtain. "My master has fallen asleep. Are you done? If so, please move aside."

Cheng Wen’ang seethed with rage but took a furious step to the side.

And made way.

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Lu Qingze: This kid has no manners.

Little Emperor: quq???

*寡人之疾 (guǎ rén zhī jí): A euphemism for lust.

CONTINUE