Chapter Eleven: Bringing Candied Hawthorn to the Prince and Princess of Han

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“Balancing the powers?!”

The old Daoist stared in utter astonishment. Listening to the frank words of his adopted student, he felt as though his heart were about to leap from his chest, and he murmured to himself, “Balancing the powers…”

In truth, no qualified emperor would ever place his faith entirely in the doctrines of any single school. He would merely select whichever doctrines were suitable and convenient to use. In short, there was no doctrine that was best—only those that were useful. One had to maintain a balance among all sides in order to establish one’s supreme authority.

Yet what drove the old Daoist to the brink of collapse was that no one had taught Zhu Zhanhe any of this. How had the boy learned it on his own? He certainly had not taught him.

“Who taught you this?! Quit spouting nonsense. Go, go, go! Leave at once. I’m going to sleep, and I’m not feeding you today!”

After hearing his adopted student’s words, the old Daoist could no longer keep his composure and immediately began driving him away.

Seeing that the old Daoist was sending him off, Zhu Zhanhe knew he would not be getting a vegetarian meal that day. He had no choice but to return home and eat there.

“Teacher, you’re going to sleep at this hour?”

Zhu Zhanhe glanced at the sun, which had not yet set behind the mountain, then looked helplessly at his teacher, who was throwing a childish tantrum like an old boy. With a sigh, he asked, “Are you really going to sleep now?”

“What business is it of yours?! Hurry up and leave!”

The old Daoist clearly had an excellent memory. He had not forgotten that he had tried several times that day to sound Zhu Zhanhe out, only to learn nothing. With a stern expression, he continued to drive him away.

“All right, then. Teacher, Yanhe will take his leave.”

Zhu Zhanhe could only cup his hands toward the old Daoist to indicate his departure.

The old Daoist impatiently waved him away, signaling for him to leave at once, without even lifting his head to look at him.

Zhu Zhanhe shook his head helplessly, toyed with the wooden ceremonial scepter in his hand, and turned to leave.

The moment he stepped outside, before he could even turn back for one last lingering look, he heard the door slam shut.

Zhu Zhanhe turned around and stared in stunned disbelief at his teacher’s outrageous behavior. The instant he had walked out, the old Daoist had slammed the door shut behind him.

“Ah…”

Zhu Zhanhe twitched the corner of his mouth helplessly, flicked the wooden scepter in his hand, then shook his head and continued on his way.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Listening as Zhu Zhanhe’s footsteps gradually faded into the distance, the old Daoist, Zhang Zhengheng, sat inside with a helpless expression and let out a long sigh.

“What is the matter with this Han heir? Could he truly have been born with the destiny of an emperor? His upbringing was not imperial education at all, merely the ordinary education given to a member of the royal family. How could he possess such extraordinary insight?”

The old Daoist, Zhang Zhengheng, sat alone in a chair, deep in thought. He simply could not understand what had given Zhu Zhanhe such a broad and penetrating vision.

It could be said that over the past several years, the old Daoist had been in contact with Zhu Zhanhe every day. Yet he had never discovered the slightest trace that anyone had taught the boy the principles of rulership. There was not even any sign that the Yongle Emperor had secretly cultivated him.

This made the old Daoist understand clearly that there was only one possibility: his earlier guess had been correct. The boy had been born this way. He needed no one to teach him.

Could this boy, like Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and Emperor Taizu, Zhu Yuanzhang, have been born with the qualities of an emperor?

The old Daoist sank into deep doubt.

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Meanwhile, Zhu Zhanhe had already reached the front courtyard of the Daoist temple, where he once again encountered Jindou, the young novice. The boy was gazing expectantly from time to time toward the path leading to the rear courtyard, clearly waiting for someone to come out and buy him candied hawthorn.

“Senior Nephew Jindou!”

Seeing the nervous-looking child, Zhu Zhanhe felt especially fond of him and took the initiative to speak.

“Uncle Yanhe, you’ve been inside for such a long time. I thought you had already left.”

The little Jindou’s face lit up when he saw Zhu Zhanhe. He looked at him with both anticipation and a trace of awkwardness.

“How could I leave without you? I promised to buy you candied hawthorn. Come on, we’ll go right now.”

Jindou was six or seven years younger than Zhu Zhanhe, who treated him like a younger brother. Having said this, Zhu Zhanhe headed out first.

“Really? I knew Uncle Yanhe was the best. You would never deceive me! Uncle, wait for me!”

Delighted by Zhu Zhanhe’s words, little Jindou nearly jumped for joy. He did not even bother watching the gate anymore and hurried after Zhu Zhanhe.

Outside the Celestial Palace, Liu Erniu and the others were already lined up waiting for him. The moment they saw Zhu Zhanhe emerge from the temple in the distance, they immediately straightened up and formed a welcoming line.

“Young Lord, you’re out. Where shall we go next?”

Liu Erniu hurried forward and respectfully saluted Zhu Zhanhe.

“First, we’ll buy candied hawthorn for Senior Nephew Jindou, then we’ll return to the estate. We’ve been out for quite some time. If I don’t go back soon, my father will have something to say.”

Zhu Zhanhe declined the horse offered by one of the attendants and chose to walk instead.

“As the Young Lord commands.”

Liu Erniu had not the slightest objection. Following the Young Lord meant good food, good drink, and generous rewards. He could not have asked for a better master.

Liu Erniu sent one squad ahead to clear the way, then led another squad around Zhu Zhanhe. The group set off in grand procession.

As for little Senior Nephew Jindou, he was extremely shy around strangers and did not utter a single word. He stayed close behind Zhu Zhanhe, evidently intimidated by the imposing presence and sharp gazes of Liu Erniu’s battle-hardened soldiers.

In no time, they reached the main street. Though it was already approaching afternoon, the street remained bustling, with vendors and shoppers streaming endlessly past one another.

“Fine porcelain here!”

“Fresh vegetables! Come and buy your vegetables!”

“Have you bought meat yet? Fresh meat!”

“Candied hawthorn! Candied hawthorn!”

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“…”

The lively scene on the street put Zhu Zhanhe in a pleasant mood, and he looked around with great interest.

Suddenly, he felt someone tugging at his clothes. When he turned around, he saw that it was Senior Nephew Jindou, staring fervently at the candied hawthorn in the distance. The child was gazing at it so longingly that he could not move another step, his little hand tugging urgently at Zhu Zhanhe’s clothes without even turning his head.

Unable to resist, Zhu Zhanhe laughed at the sight. He glanced toward Liu Erniu and gave him a signal.

Before long, Liu Erniu returned carrying an entire pole of candied hawthorn. Zhu Zhanhe gave it a rough count and found that there were indeed quite a few—no fewer than twenty skewers.

“Let me try one.”

Zhu Zhanhe reached out and took a skewer. Under little Jindou’s envious gaze, he put it into his mouth and tasted it. It was sour and sweet, and not bad at all.

“Mm. The flavor is quite good.”

After praising it, Zhu Zhanhe thought for a moment, then reached out and took down several more skewers.

“Little Jindou, the rest are all yours. Take them back and share them with the other children. You mustn’t keep them all for yourself.”

Zhu Zhanhe picked up another skewer and handed it to little Jindou, who was staring at him with saliva pooling in his mouth.

“Thank you, Uncle! I’ll definitely share them with everyone!”

Little Jindou eagerly stuffed the candied hawthorn into his mouth and licked it, his face filled with bliss. He spoke to Zhu Zhanhe indistinctly through the food.

“Erniu, send someone to escort Jindou back.”

Zhu Zhanhe looked back along the road as he spoke to Liu Erniu. After all, kidnappers were rampant in this era as well.

“Rest assured, Young Lord! Big Bao, make the trip and escort the young Daoist back. Be sure to see him safely through the gate!”

Liu Erniu’s reply was reassuring. He immediately selected a burly man with muscles bulging all over his body. The man cupped his hands toward Zhu Zhanhe, took the pole of candied hawthorn from Liu Erniu, and led Jindou toward the Celestial Palace.

Watching his young senior nephew depart, Zhu Zhanhe looked at the candied hawthorn in his own hand and fell into thought.

“Erniu, find me something to wrap these in. I’m taking them home to eat.”

In the end, Zhu Zhanhe decided to bring the candied hawthorn home and give one to each of his mother and father. They had probably not tasted anything like this in many years.

“Come on. We’re going straight home!”

After eating the candied hawthorn, Zhu Zhanhe was in an excellent mood. With a grand wave of his hand, he announced that they were going home.

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