In the imperial study, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Shen Qingzhuo kneeled on the ground, but his tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and his posture was slender and upright like a bamboo, as if he were just stating a very ordinary matter.
Emperor Guangxi sat behind the desk, looking down at the young man kneeling in the hall with an unfathomable gaze. After a long while, he slowly said, “Qingzhuo’s words are too modest.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “The minister is stupid.”
“Zhen thinks that you are smart and clever, how can you say you are stupid?” Emperor Guangxi praised slowly, “Your father is the famous King Zhenbei, and your elder brother is a mighty general who is feared by all. As for you, although you are still young, weak, and have never been on the battlefield, as the saying goes, a tiger father will not have a dog son. Zhen is naturally relieved to hand over the Seventh Prince to you.”
Shen Qingzhuo secretly laughed in his heart, but he looked more and more embarrassed: “Your Majesty’s favor, Qingzhuo is ashamed to accept it.”
Emperor Guangxi added: “It doesn’t matter even if the Seventh Prince is young and slow, he still has several older brothers, it’s not his turn to be the pillar of the family. Zhen also does not require him to be proficient in all aspects of civil and military affairs. It is enough for him to understand filial piety, brotherhood, loyalty, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. You can teach him with peace of mind.”
“Since Your Majesty trusts the minister so much, the minister dares not refuse again.” Shen Qingzhuo seemed to be relieved and said earnestly, “Qingzhuo will do his best to live up to Your Majesty’s favor.”
“Good!” Emperor Guangxi received a satisfactory answer. He began to like the young man in the hall more and more, so he kept him to have a meal with him.
Shen Qingzhuo had no choice but to accept the emperor’s gift out of flattery.
He ate lunch very carefully. Most of the questions asked by Emperor Guangxi were answered calmly. Occasionally, he would act innocently and make Emperor Guangxi laugh.
If such a thousand-year-old fox were flawless in front of him, that would be his biggest flaw.
Little Young Master Shen was good-looking, and his every move was graceful and calm. He smiled as he raised his eyes to answer, and Emperor Guangxi was particularly pleased with him. He ordered Eunuch Su to fetch a piece of fine white fox fur and give it to him.
Shen Qingzhuo immediately put on the fox fur coat and felt that it was both light and warm. It was indeed a good thing.
He thanked the emperor for his grace again and was about to leave when he heard Emperor Guangxi ask, “Are the servants serving in Jiyue Pavilion doing their job well? Zhen will assign you a few smarter maids, is that alright?”
Shen Qingzhuo thought for a moment and replied, “Most of the people in Jiyue Pavilion now are from the Eastern Palace, and the minister is quite good at using them.”
“Well.” Emperor Guangxi leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, and waved his hand after a moment. “Zhen is tired, you can leave for today.”
“Yes.” Shen Qingzhuo retreated respectfully.
Eunuch Su escorted him to the palace gate. Shen Qingzhuo nodded slightly and said, “Eunuch Su, you don’t have to see me off so far.”
“Then Zanjia will go back to serve His Majesty.” Eunuch Su said with a smile, “Young Master Shen, please return to the palace slowly.”
Shen Qingzhuo turned around, stepped down the stairs, and walked back slowly.
He had a good memory and a strong sense of direction and was confident that he could return to Jiyue Pavilion based on his impression of the way here.
He walked back, and before he knew it, Jiyue Pavilion was right in front of him, but he was suddenly stopped by a young eunuch.
“Young Master, please stay.”
“It’s you.” Shen Qingzhuo recognized him. This person was clearly the young eunuch who invited him to the Eastern Palace last time.
The young eunuch bowed and saluted, “Young Master’s birthday is coming soon. His Highness the Crown Prince has specially arranged a banquet in the Eastern Palace. Inviting the Young Master to come to the banquet.”
Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but roll his eyes secretly. The original owner’s birthday clearly hadn’t arrived yet, so why were so many people more anxious than him?
The first time is new, the second time is familiar. When Shen Qingzhuo went to the Eastern Palace again, he was calmer and more composed than last time. He stood at the door and adjusted his facial expression before stepping into the inner hall.
As soon as he entered the palace, he saw more than just the Crown Prince.
“Aiya, the birthday Gege is here!” A youth about fifteen or sixteen years old stood up first. His baby face had not yet lost its youthfulness, and he looked somewhat like the Crown Prince.
Shen Qingzhuo didn’t know which prince he was, so he just said in a confused tone, “Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Xiao Yichen asked in a friendly tone, “Why did you come so quickly?”
“Just now, when I was returning to Jiyue Pavilion, I happened to run into someone from the Eastern Palace at the door.” Shen Qingzhuo replied calmly, “So I turned around and came to see Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince was about to ask something when the youth suddenly asked, “Brother Qingzhuo, the fox fur coat you are wearing, could it be a gift from Emperor Father?”
Xiao Yichen’s eyes instantly fell on the white fox fur.
Shen Qingzhuo: “Why, Your Highness recognizes this fox fur?”
“Of course I recognize it!” The youth walked around the table and walked to him quickly. “During the autumn hunting last year, Third Brother hunted a rare white fox and later made this fox fur coat. Emperor Father has always treasured it!”
“Your Highness is right. This fox fur coat was indeed given to me by His Majesty just now.” Shen Qingzhuo had not expected that the fox fur coat had such a history, but it was exactly what he wanted.
The youth was envious: “Can I touch it?”
“Fifth Brother, stop making trouble for your Brother Qingzhuo.” At this time, His Highness the Crown Prince spoke up and then said, “It turns out that Qingzhuo went to see Emperor Father.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “That’s right.”
Xiao Yichen said jokingly, “With all the pearls and jade in front of you, doesn’t the birthday gift Gu was going to give you seem insignificant?”
“Goose feather sent from afar, a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it1Goose feather sent from afar, a trifling present with a weighty thought behind it (idiom); It’s not the gift that counts, but the thought behind it..” Shen Qingzhuo smiled faintly. “Besides, the birthday gift that His Highness the Crown Prince wants to give me can’t be just a feather, right?”
“Hahaha!” His Highness the Crown Prince couldn’t help but clap his hands and laugh, “Qingzhuo is really becoming more and more in line with Gu’s temperament!”
Shen Qingzhuo just smiled without saying anything. His slender and beautiful fingers untied the laces of the fox fur coat, took it off, and handed it to the Fifth Prince. “Your Highness, feel free to touch it, just remember to return it.”
After all, it is a gift from the Emperor and cannot be given to anyone at will.
Xiao Jingrui happily took the fox fur coat, held it in his arms, and said with great joy: “Brother Qingzhuo, you were sick and away during the autumn hunt last year, so you didn’t see the heroic figure of Third Brother when he hunted this fox! At that time, he…”
“Alright, who doesn’t know about your Third Brother’s heroic deeds?” Xiao Yichen interrupted him, “The protagonist of today’s banquet is Qingzhuo, so stop bragging about your Third Brother.”
“Oh, alright.” Xiao Jingrui closed his mouth reluctantly and returned to his seat, holding the fox fur.
Shen Qingzhuo did not interrupt the conversation between the two brothers. He thought to himself that the Fifth Prince was simple-minded and was praising the Third Prince in front of the Crown Prince. He was not afraid that the Crown Prince, whose mind was smaller than a needle tip, would be unhappy.
After sitting down, Shen Qingzhuo just picked up the teacup when he heard the Crown Prince ask, “Qingzhuo, what did Emperor Father talk about when he summoned you?”
He replied calmly, “Just some commonplace talk.”
Xiao Yichen paused for a moment and asked directly, “Did Emperor Father ask about Seventh Brother’s classwork?”
“Speaking of this.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince, frowning slightly. “His Majesty has put some pressure on me.”
Xiao Yichen: “Can you explain it in detail?”
“I reported back that the Seventh Prince is dull and difficult to teach.” Shen Qingzhuo sighed, “But His Majesty’s words implied that since I am the Seventh Prince’s tutor, I should teach him some results; otherwise…”
Xiao Yichen frowned: “What does Emperor Father thinks?”
“There is one more thing.” Shen Qingzhuo glanced at him and hesitated to speak.
Xiao Yichen immediately signaled the Fifth Prince: “Fifth Brother, go play outside for a while. I have something to discuss with your Brother Qingzhuo.”
“Alright!” The Fifth Prince did not doubt him and ran out obediently.
The Crown Prince turned his gaze to Shen Qingzhuo again: “You can say whatever you want.”
Shen Qingzhuo whispered, “His Majesty wants to replace all the people I brought from the Eastern Palace to Jiyue Pavilion.”
The Crown Prince’s face darkened: “What does Emperor Father mean?”
Shen Qingzhuo continued, “Even after I moved to Jiyue Pavilion, I went back to the Eastern Palace several times, and His Majesty knew it all.”
After these words came out, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked even uglier.
“His Majesty has always disliked people doing something under his nose. Maybe he heard some rumors.” Shen Qingzhuo made a worrying conclusion, “The king’s mind is hard to predict. Just in case, I’d better not come to the Eastern Palace much in the future.”
Shen Qingzhuo’s words made His Highness the Crown Prince feel uncomfortable, but he was the one who invited the person over, so he still went according to the original plan and held a lively birthday party for Young Master Shen.
All those attending the banquet were officials from the Eastern Palace. Young Master Shen, the protagonist of the banquet, accepted birthday gifts from everyone one by one. The happiest thing was to eat while looking at the Crown Prince’s forced smile.
Since ancient times, the relationship between the Eastern Palace and the Emperor has been naturally tense, and the autocratic monarchy has always been unable to tolerate the Eastern Palace’s division of imperial power.
Since contradictions exist objectively, with just a little provocation, the fire of contradiction will spread like wildfire and become uncontrollable.
Of course, he just took the opportunity to plant a small seed today and will be patiently waiting for it to break through the soil and sprout.
Xushi27-9pm was approaching, and the banquet gradually ended. Shen Qingzhuo bowed to His Highness the Crown Prince and took his leave.
The Crown Prince did not keep him for long and only asked the young eunuch to send Young Master Shen back to Jiyue Pavilion safely.
Shen Qingzhuo returned to Jiyue Pavilion and drank a cup of tea to sober up. Then he remembered that he had spent the whole day outside and forgot about his little disciple.
He called Xiao Dezi over and asked, “What did His Highness the Seventh Prince do today?”
“Since Young Master left, His Highness has been staying in the small study alone. When the servant brought him lunch at noon, His Highness was full after just a few bites.” Xiao Dezi reported everything in detail. “When the servant went in for dinner again, His Highness was gone.”
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly. “Alright.”
He changed his outer robe, wiped his face and hands, simply cleaned himself up, and prepared to go to the cold palace quietly again.
It was a quiet night. He closed the door quietly, and just as he walked into the yard, he heard a rustling sound.
“Who?” His nerves tensed up, and he looked towards the source of the noise. His slightly tipsy brain worked rapidly, thinking about how he could save himself if the other party came with bad intentions.
But soon, he calmed down the heart that had risen to his throat.
The person who slowly walked out from behind the pillar was none other than his little disciple that he was going to find.
“What are you doing hiding here in the middle of the night?” Shen Qingzhuo walked over. “Just to scare me?”
Xiao Shen stood there, saying nothing, his dark eyes fixed on his face.
“Or…” Shen Qingzhuo stopped and said with a smile, “Are you waiting for me on purpose?”
The moon is bright and the stars are sparse tonight, setting off the rosy face of the person under the moon, as beautiful as peach and plum. Young Master Shen stands with his hands behind his back, smiling, and is breathtakingly beautiful.
Xiao Shen felt a little dizzy for a moment, but he still remembered the reason why he was waiting here and asked, “Why didn’t Master come back today?”
“Ah—” Shen Qingzhuo deliberately dragged out the last word, “Because Master not only went to meet your Emperor Father today but also went to the Crown Prince’s mansion in the Eastern Palace.”
Xiao Shen’s expression changed, his toes unconsciously rubbed back and forth on the ground, and his voice became tense: “What did they say? Is it related to me?”
Shen Qingzhu knew that he was still thinking about the incident a few days ago and had been waiting cautiously until now because he was afraid that he would suddenly change his mind.
“You!” Young Master Shen tapped his little disciple on the forehead affectionately. “You may not be that old, but you have more ideas than anyone else.”
Xiao Shen felt a pang in his heart, and with his big wet eyes, he looked up at his master silently.
Like an abandoned puppy, he finally found his owner after much trouble, but he didn’t dare to approach. He just stood up pitifully with his little ears erect, hoping that his owner would take the initiative to hug him.
Shen Qingzhuo’s heart moved, he raised his hand to stroke the back of his little disciple’s furry head and said almost with a sigh, “How many times do I have to tell you before you are willing to believe that Master will not abandon you so easily?”
The author has something to say:
The little wolf cub began to turn into a wet little puppy, hehe~
