Permitted to Indulge

A new emperor ascends the throne, and his trusted prime minister dies, leaving behind a son. The prime minister said the boy was clever and could be put to use.

The emperor looks at the little dumpling in front of him, who is clearly eleven years old but only as tall as a seven- or eight-year-old. The boy is grinning foolishly at a steamed bun on the ground. He may be small, but he has great ambition. Could the prime minister have been lying to me?