Xiao Shen naturally refused to admit that he was too excited. He pretended to be calm as he got up from the ground and replied in a dry voice, “No.”
Shen Qingzhuo looked his little disciple up and down, but as the hall was dark, he had to give up for the time being.
He walked inside and said, “Light the lamp first.”
Xiao Shen came back to his senses, obediently lit the candle, and then stood beside the table, his dark and bright eyes fixed on his master’s face.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Shen Qingzhuo sat down and asked in a relaxed manner, “Could it be that you don’t recognize Master after not seeing him for more than half a month?”
Xiao Shen shook his head vigorously.
Shen Qingzhuo supported his chin with one hand, not shying away from his apprentice’s blunt gaze. “Then what happened?”
“Master has lost weight.” After a while, Xiao Shen replied softly.
The last time they met, his master was not so thin and emaciated. Now, in the dim candlelight, he seemed as if he would disappear in the wind and could not be caught.
“Is there?” Shen Qingzhuo smiled and sighed, “I can’t help it. When I think of my little disciple being confined in the cold palace, Master can’t eat. Nothing tastes good anymore.”
He did not tell his little disciple that he was bedridden and asked Xiao Dezi to keep it a secret from the Seventh Prince. Therefore, his little disciple did not know that he fell seriously ill after returning to the palace that night.
But unexpectedly, Xiao Shen couldn’t help but open his eyes wide after hearing his joke and said at a loss, “I, I’m fine in the cold palace…”
Anyway, he grew up in the cold palace, and he got through the most difficult times. What’s more, in the past half month, he had no worries about food and clothing, and his master also exchanged letters with him and taught him to read and write from a distance.
His master’s handwriting was so elegant and beautiful. He carefully flattened out every letter his master wrote to him, stacked them neatly together, and put them under the pillow.
“Speaking of confinement, your Imperial Grandmother mentioned you at the New Year’s Eve banquet today.” Seeing that his little disciple looked uneasy, Shen Qingzhuo changed the subject.
Xiao Shen was startled: “Imperial Grandmother?”
Shen Qingzhuo nodded slightly: “It was she who gave the order that established the relationship between you and me as master and disciple.”
Xiao Shen frowned and asked in a low voice, “What did Grandmother say about me?”
“She said a few good words for you.” Shen Qingzhuo didn’t plan to analyze the Empress Dowager’s intentions with his little disciple for the time being, so he replied in general, “It’s always a good thing that you have this Imperial Grandmother thinking about you. After the New Year, I will find an excuse to ask His Majesty to lift your confinement.”
“Alright.” Xiao Shen responded, “Sorry to bother you, Master.”
Shen Qingzhuo chuckled. “You still know?”
However, what made him feel grateful was that his little disciple was full of energy and made rapid progress, and he did not fall behind in his studies during the period of confinement.
When spring comes, he plans to start teaching his little disciple historical books and military strategies.
Xiao Shen pursed his lips, looked up at his master, and promised in an unusually serious tone: “From now on, I will listen to you, concentrate on my studies, and not cause any trouble for you.”
The young boy looked at him with shining eyes and said that he would be good and obedient seriously. It seemed as if a small tail emerged from behind him, wagging in a flattering manner.
Shen Qingzhuo’s heart suddenly softened. He felt that his little disciple looked like a cute little puppy no matter how he looked at him.
It turns out that as long as he was taught well, the villain tyrant that everyone fears can also be so soft and cute in his childhood too.
With his mind moving freely, he hooked his finger and said, “Come here.”
In stark contrast to his initial resistance, his little disciple moved his feet almost subconsciously and walked around the table towards him.
Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand and pinched his increasingly plump little face. “Master will see how you perform, and then he will decide whether to believe your promise or not.”
Xiao Shen’s face was serious: “Master, trust me.”
Shen Qingzhuo laughed silently and couldn’t help pinching the child’s cheeks and squeezing them. The tender cheek flesh peeked out from between his fingers, and he flicked it twice with interest.
If it were a month ago, he would have been bitten by the tiger’s mouth again if he had dared to ravage the little wolf cub’s face like this.
But now, his little disciple in his palm was as well-behaved as he could be, looking at him with bright, clear, and innocent eyes, which made him soften his heart.
Shen Qingzhuo had pinched enough and released his fingertips. “Alright, now tell me why you were unhappy during dinner?”
Xiao Shen blinked his eyelashes: “I’m not unhappy.”
Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyebrows slightly: “Xiao Dezi was kind enough to send you dinner, but you chased him out instead. And you said you were not unhappy?”
“I…” Xiao Shen was speechless for a moment and subconsciously lowered his eyes.
“Do you think it’s boring to spend New Year’s Eve alone?” Shen Qingzhuo guessed.
“Yes.” Xiao Shen raised his eyes, a look of loss on his face. “Early this morning, Mother Concubine beat me again.”
Shen Qingzhuo’s heart tightened: “Were you hurt?”
Some time ago, Concubine Zhao went crazy and wanted to strangle her son to death. The bruises on his little disciple’s neck gradually disappeared after a few days.
Xiao Shen shook his head. “No.”
In fact, he fought back in the morning, and when his mother concubine rushed over to hit him, he pushed her to the ground.
This was the first time he fought back. His mother fell to the ground, cursing unclearly, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes.
At that moment, he thought expressionlessly that even a crazy person would know how to bully the weak and fear the strong.
“That’s good.” Shen Qingzhuo was obviously relieved and suddenly had an idea and asked, “Dear disciple, do you want to see the fireworks?”
He heard from Xiao Dezi that the palace would set off fireworks on New Year’s Eve every year to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and it was very lively.
“Fireworks?” Xiao Shen’s eyes lit up, then dimmed again in an instant, “There are no fireworks in the cold palace.”
Every New Year’s Eve, he would lie in bed listening to the “bang, bang” sounds coming from afar, trying to imagine the sky full of fireworks in his mind, but he never succeeded once.
“Master has a brilliant plan.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled mysteriously and pulled his little disciple’s wrist. “Follow me.”
Xiao Shen couldn’t help but be stunned when the slightly cool fingertips touched the skin of his wrist.
After a moment, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he obediently followed his master out of the side hall.
Xiao Dezi stood at the bottom of the long ladder, holding the wooden ladder firmly with both hands, his eyes full of tension and worry: “Slow down, slow down, Young Master, slow down!”
“It’s fine. Your Young Master is very agile.” Shen Qingzhuo carried a small jar of wine in one hand and climbed up the wooden ladder step by step, finally successfully reaching the roof.
He turned around and said with a smile, “Come on, little disciple.”
Under the roof, Xiao Shen looked up and exchanged a glance with his superior master, then climbed up the wooden ladder without hesitation.
He was small and faster.
When they were about to reach the top, Shen Qingzhuo reached out, held the cold little hand, and pulled his little disciple up.
“The view here is great, I guarantee you’ll see the fireworks.” Shen Qingzhuo lifted his brocade robe, sat casually on the green tiles, leaned back slightly, and supported his body with his elbows.
Xiao Shen also followed his example and sat down.
The sky was clear tonight, with stars and the moon shining together. It was a good day to enjoy the moon.
Looking far away from a height place, Shen Qingzhuo slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
This was the most relaxing moment since he came to this world.
He pried open the lid of the jar with one hand, raised his head, and took a sip of wine, then raised the jar to the bright moon in the distance: “When life is happy, we should enjoy it to the fullest and not let the golden cup face the moon in vain1This line of poetry comes from the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai’s poem “Jiang Jin Jiu”. It expresses the author’s idea of enjoying life in time..”
Xiao Shen turned his head, his eyes inadvertently fell on the fair and slender neck, and asked softly, “Master, is the wine good?”
Shen Qingzhuo chuckled: “The fine wine of Lanling is the color of tulips and is served in a jade bowl with an amber luster. But if the host can intoxicate the guests, they will not know that they are away from home2It’s a poem..”
Xiao Shen seemed to understand, but not quite, and his curious eyes moved to the wine jar.
“Why, you want to try it too?” Shen Qingzhuo noticed his gaze, his smile deepened, and he casually handed the jar of wine to his little disciple.
Xiao Shen did not doubt it, took the jar of wine, and imitated his master’s posture, tilting his head back and taking a sip.
“Cough, cough.” The strong liquor went down his throat, like a lit flame, instantly burning from his throat all the way to his chest. Xiao Shen was choked and started coughing violently.
“Hahaha!” Shen Qingzhuo laughed out loud, “Stupid disciple, it’s your first time drinking, how can you be so fierce?”
The moonlight was bright, his picturesque eyes were smiling, and the teardrop mole under his eyes was dyed crimson. He was elegant and beautiful, extremely beautiful and vivid.
At that time, the young boy, whose eyes were blurred by the strong liquor, still couldn’t help but stare blankly.
Shen Qingzhuo took the wine jar back and took another sip.
At this time, a few “whoosh” sounds broke the silence of the night, accompanied by “bang, bang” sounds, and colorful fireworks slowly bloomed in the night sky.
Dazzling fireworks lit up the sky above the palace one after another. Shen Qingzhuo tilted his head, his eyes full of sparkling smiles. “Look, the fireworks are coming.”
Xiao Shen stared at him blankly and felt that his master was more brilliant and beautiful than fireworks.
When the fireworks burned out, Shen Qingzhuo took out an exquisite embroidered sachet from his wide sleeves and handed it to his silly little disciple.
“What is this?” Xiao Shen woke up as if from a dream and took the sachet hesitantly.
“New Year’s gift.” Shen Qingzhuo blinked gently. “If others have it, my little disciple must have it too.”
Xiao Shen tightly grasped the sachet, his throat suddenly choked, and he turned his face away in panic.
Shen Qingzhuo smiled and said, “Master can’t let you kneel for nothing.”
His palms were hot and wet, and his eyes were sore. Xiao Shen gritted his teeth and dared not make a sound.
Shen Qingzhuo took his little disciple’s thin shoulders and smiled softly: “One gift each year, one inch of joy. Everything will be a new beginning.”
This year, the twelve-year-old Xiao Shen finally ushered in the New Year’s Eve that truly belonged to him.
The author has something to say:
The Little Wolf Cub: It’s fine, Master, you can ravage my face as much as you want, I will ravage you back in the future anyway.
The next chapter will open the time Dharma, the little wolf cub, will grow into a 15-year-old handsome youth! My son has grown up!
