Chapter 522 Crown Prince Liu Jue
The young scholar took the fallen book from Ma Liang’s hand and nodded, saying, “Thank you, brother.”

“It’s just a small favor. It’s nothing.”

Ma Liang waved his hand, looked him up and down, and asked, “Are you also a student of the Imperial Academy?”

The young scholar in front of him was wearing the uniform of students of the Imperial Academy.

That’s why Ma Liang asked this.

The young scholar smiled and said, “That’s right. My surname is Deng, my given name is Ai, my courtesy name is Shizai, and I am a third-year student at the Imperial Academy. May I ask your name?”

Ma Liang suddenly realized what was going on and said, “So it’s Brother Shi Zai. My name is Ma Liang, with the courtesy name Ji Chang, and I’m also a third-year student at the Imperial College.”

Deng Ai was quite famous in the Imperial College. Every month, each grade in the Imperial College would have monthly examinations and list the rankings. Deng Ai was always among the top.

So Ma Liang was no stranger to Deng Ai.

Deng Ai was also surprised when he heard Ma Liang’s name: “Are you Ma Jichang, one of the Five Constant Virtues of the Ma Clan? I am so sorry for your disrespect.”

As he said this, he quickly bowed to Ma Liang.

Ma’s Wuchang, white eyebrows are the best.

Ma Liang was extremely talented and famous. He skipped primary and secondary school and went directly to university. After two years of study, he entered the Imperial College with the first place.

Even in the Imperial Academy, where talented people abound, Ma Liang is definitely considered a leader, and lecturers of many subjects value him very much.

“Since we are all classmates, why should we be so formal, Brother Shi Zai?”

Ma Liang reached out and helped Deng Ai up, invited him into the room to sit down, and personally made him a cup of tea.

Deng Ai thanked him, took the tea, glanced around the room, and asked, “Brother Ji Chang, why are you studying in the inn? Isn’t it noisy?”

There were books piled everywhere in the room, and the graduation examination of the Imperial College was approaching, so it was not difficult to guess that Ma Liang was preparing for the exam.

Ma Liang smiled faintly and said, “My younger brother is going to take part in the martial arts examination this year, and I am here to accompany him.”

“I don’t care whether it’s noisy or not. As long as I can calm down, anywhere is a good place to read.”

Deng Ai said with great admiration: “Brother Ji Chang’s realm is so high that I cannot reach it.”

“I am also preparing for the graduation exam. I haven’t slept well for several days. I am really worried and don’t know if I can make it to the palace exam.”

Like Ma Liang, Deng Ai’s goal was also to take the palace examination.

It was easy for them to pass the graduation examination.

But whether it can make it into the top 20 is not certain.

Because there were many people in the Imperial College who concealed their talents, a low ranking in regular exams did not mean a low ranking in the graduation exam. There had been many such examples before.

“With Brother Shi Zai’s talent, it will be easy for him to pass the palace examination. Why worry?”

“Just do your best in everything.”

Ma Liang advised, but he knew in his heart that even so, he couldn’t calm down.

Deng Ai sighed and murmured to himself: “The spring breeze is blowing and the horse’s hooves are galloping. I can see all the flowers in Chang’an in one day…”

There was an unconcealable yearning in his tone.

His Deng family needs to rise, and entering the palace examination and getting a good ranking is undoubtedly the most convenient way, so he needs to work harder.

Thinking of this, Deng Ai’s fighting spirit was rekindled.

He looked up at Ma Liang beside him and said with a firm look in his eyes: “Brother Ji Chang, I will do my best in this exam. We will meet at the top!”

“See you at the top!”

Ma Liang nodded heavily, his eyes full of passion. Wasn’t he also longing for the title of number one?

If he really becomes the number one scholar, then he will be truly glorious!

Deng Ai drank the tea in the cup, picked up the book beside him, said goodbye and left.

……

Weiyang Palace, Jiaofang Palace.

A clear and tender voice echoed in the hall: “…Jie and Zhou lost the world because they lost their people; they lost their people because they lost their hearts.

There is a way to win the world: win the people, and you will win the world; there is a way to win the people: win their hearts, and you will win the people…”

A handsome teenager who looked to be in his teens was reciting the “Mencius: Li Lou Shang” word by word.

After a long time, he actually memorized the entire article without missing a word.

After reciting the poem, the young man stood up straight, bowed respectfully to Liu Xie beside him and said, “Father, I have finished reciting the poem.”

After hearing what was said, Liu Xie closed the Mencius in his hand and said with a smile, “Every word is correct. Very good.”

The young man in front of him was none other than Crown Prince Liu Jue.

Nine years later, Liu Jue had grown up, and he was very intelligent and gifted. Even the teacher who was responsible for teaching him in elementary education praised him highly.

“Thank you father for the compliment.”

A hint of joy flashed in Liu Jue’s eyes when he was praised.

It is extremely rare to receive praise from my father.

Lü Lingqi, who was standing by, smiled and said to Liu Xie, “Ever since your Majesty said last time that Jue’er would be able to take a seven-day holiday after passing the exam, he has been working even harder.”

Hearing this, Liu Xie couldn’t help but smile.

Then he turned his gaze to the two princes’ tutors beside him and asked, “What do you two think?”

The two tutors were Fei Yi and Guo Youzhi.

Both of them had graduated from the Imperial Academy several years ago. After Liu Xie heard about them, he directly arranged for them to be tutors to the crown prince.

Fei Yi smiled and said, “Your Highness, you have a hard time studying, so it’s okay for you to take a break. You must combine work and rest.”

Guo Youzhi, who was standing by, shook his head and said, “Your Highness the Crown Prince has inherited His Majesty’s photographic memory. Reciting articles is easy for His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“I think we should give them more difficult questions for the test.” The current emperor has a photographic memory, and the prince is the same. The father and son are exactly the same, so Guo Youzhi said this.

“That’s true.”

Liu Xie felt that what Guo Youzhi said made sense, so he looked at Liu Jue and asked, “Jue’er, do you dare to continue to accept the test?”

“Please ask the question, Father!”

As soon as Liu Xie finished speaking, Liu Jue straightened his little chest and agreed directly without any hesitation.

Liu Xie smiled and said, “Well, if you can pass the test, I will allow you to take a seven-day vacation.”

“Mr. Fei, you come up with the questions.”

Liu Xie gave this power to Fei Yi. Fei Yi naturally did not dare to refuse. He bowed and accepted it, then began to think about what topic to ask.

It would not do to set the questions too difficult, as the prince is still very young; it would not do to set the questions too easy, as that would give the impression of deliberately letting the students take the easy way out.

After thinking for a long time, Fei Yi finally said, “The Nine Chapters of the Han Code is the foundation of the country and is related to the stability of the country.”

“I would like to ask Your Highness, how should the crime of theft be punished?”

Liu Jue was calm when he heard the question. He only thought for a short while before responding clearly: “According to the Nine Chapters of the Han Dynasty Law, the penalty for general theft is based on the value of the stolen goods. If the stolen goods are worth more than ten gold coins, the offender will be tattooed and sentenced to working in the city for a day. If the property of the royal family or government is stolen, the crime will be aggravated by one level.”

At this point, Liu Jue paused for a moment, and then continued in an orderly manner: “However, the fundamental purpose of the law is to maintain order. Theft not only infringes on other people’s property, but also seriously disrupts the peaceful lives of the people.”

“Therefore, sentencing must be carefully determined based on the severity of the crime. The criminals must not be given leniency and escape the punishment they deserve, nor can the punishment be too harsh, which would lead to an imbalance in fairness and justice.”

Liu Xie, who was standing by, raised his eyebrows slightly, and a hint of expectation flashed across his deep eyes. He then asked, “Oh? In that case, in your opinion, in this peaceful and prosperous era, how should we weigh the pros and cons when enforcing the law to ensure the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty?”

Liu Jue looked solemn and serious, and without any hesitation, he immediately answered: “Father, now that the people are blessed by the peaceful and prosperous times, they can live and work in peace and contentment. The enforcement of the law should focus more on guidance and education.”

“For first-time thieves with relatively minor circumstances, they can be sentenced to do some public welfare work in the market, such as repairing streets and cleaning the market, with labor instead of punishment. This can not only allow them to make up for their mistakes through labor, but also allow them to be supervised by the public in the process and feel remorse.”

“For habitual offenders who refuse to change after repeated admonitions, we must increase the punishment to demonstrate the majesty of the law and let the people know that violations will be punished. Only by combining firmness and flexibility can the law be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and maintain the peace and prosperity of our Han Dynasty.”

Liu Xie nodded slightly, the approval in his eyes became more intense, and his expression softened a little.

This time, he looked past Fei Yi who was listening attentively, and looked directly at Liu Jue, and asked: “What do you think of the saying in The Analects of Confucius, ‘Governing with virtue is like the North Star, which stays in its place and all the stars revolve around it?'”

Liu Jue blinked his bright and intelligent eyes, and after a moment of thought, he continued, “This sentence means that if the emperor governs the country with moral principles, he will be like the North Star, firmly in his position, and all the stars will revolve around it.”

“In my opinion, this is not only the way to govern a country, but also the foundation of a ruler’s conduct. In today’s peaceful and prosperous times, we should advocate governing the country with virtue, so that the people will consciously abide by the law and treat others with kindness under the influence of morality.”

Liu Xie’s eyes were sharp as he continued to ask: “But now that the world is unified and the people are living a stable life, where should we focus on implementing ‘governing by virtue’?”

Liu Jue straightened his expression and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: “Father, now is a good time to implement benevolent policies.”

“We can set up a ‘virtue and kindness list’ to publicize and commend the deeds of the people who are kind and generous, respect the elderly and love the young, so that the people can learn from them. Officials should set an example, be honest and dedicated, and set a model of virtue for the people. In this way, virtuous governance will become the norm, and the peaceful and prosperous times will last for a long time.”

After hearing Liu Jue’s answer, Fei Yi and Guo Youzhi were both surprised.

Obviously, he had not expected the prince to give such a detailed answer.

Fei Yi’s face was full of admiration, and he said with emotion: “Your Highness the Crown Prince is still young, but he has such a deep and thorough understanding of the law and Confucian classics, and can draw inferences from one example. It is really a great blessing for our Han Dynasty!”

Liu Xie’s eyes were full of praise. He raised his hand and patted Liu Jue on the shoulder, saying in a gentle voice, “The answer is really wonderful. Very good.”

Liu Jue smiled brilliantly, scratched his head, and said modestly: “This son is just a superficial opinion. I hope that your Majesty will teach me more. This son will study hard and study hard.”

Liu Xie smiled and said, “It is right to be humble. You answered so well, and I will not be stingy with my praise. You have passed the test successfully. I will allow you to rest for seven days.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Jue was extremely excited and said loudly, “Thank you, father!” After that, he turned around and left happily.

Looking at Liu Jue’s back as he happily left, Liu Xie’s eyes flashed with relief, and he whispered softly: “Time flies, like a white horse passing by…”

In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed and the children have grown up.

Lu Lingqi said, “When Jue’er is older, Your Majesty can let him participate in government affairs.”

“Compared to Jue’er, Ying’er is really a headache. She doesn’t want to read books but insists on learning martial arts from her grandfather.”

Lu Lingqi’s words were full of helplessness.

Liu Xie couldn’t help laughing and joked, “Isn’t this exactly like you? Think about it, Ying’er likes martial arts so much, who could she have inherited it from?”

Being teased by Liu Xie, Lu Lingqi’s pretty face instantly flushed, and she said coquettishly: “How can that be the same? The Han Dynasty is now in a peaceful and prosperous era, with many brave generals in the court. Why would we need women to practice martial arts?”

Back then, she learned martial arts only to protect herself in troubled times.

But now that times have changed, she fully hopes to train Liu Ying into a gentle and virtuous lady like Zhen Mi.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Perhaps because he inherited the Lu bloodline, Liu Ying showed a strong interest in martial arts since he was a child.

She went to military academies and barracks all day long, learning military tactics and battlefield fighting techniques from various generals, and she was born with supernatural powers.

At such a young age, she can already compete with the fierce soldiers in the army. If she continues like this, in a few years, I am afraid that some generals will not be her match.

Liu Xie smiled and consoled her: “Let her be, as long as she is happy, what’s the harm in having one more female general in our Han Dynasty?”

Lu Lingqi sighed helplessly, thinking to herself, if she had known this would happen, she should have handed her daughter over to Zhen Mi to be raised. Maybe she would have learned Zhen Mi’s gentle temperament.

She put these messy thoughts behind her and asked, “How is Guo Situ’s condition now? Has it improved?”

When Liu Xie mentioned Guo Jia, his original joy instantly disappeared. His expression became gloomy. He shook his head and said, “It’s not optimistic. Mr. Zhang said that there are only three months left at most.”

“Three months…”

Lu Lingqi was slightly stunned and didn’t know how to comfort him for a moment. She could only gently hold Liu Xie’s arm.

She knew very well how important Guo Jia was in Liu Xie’s heart. If this loyal minister, the chief civil official of the Han Dynasty, passed away, Liu Xie would surely be extremely sad.

After hesitating for a moment, she said softly, “Guo Situ is a lucky man. Besides, His Majesty has issued an order to recruit famous doctors from all over the country to treat Guo Situ. He will be safe.”

A faint smile appeared on Liu Xie’s lips, but he did not respond, and his eyes were full of loneliness.

He thought to himself, among the famous doctors, are there any better than Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing?
As for medicines… the palace treasury has everything, and rare medicinal materials are especially numerous, so there is no shortage at all.

He issued the order to recruit soldiers just to grasp the last glimmer of hope.

(End of this chapter)