Shen Qingzhuo hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. This time he couldn’t stop laughing. He laughed so hard that he almost choked.
The youth leaned against the wall on the inside of the bed, the grievance on his face suddenly turned into shock, and he raised his voice and shouted, “Master!”
“Yes!” Shen Qingzhuo responded subconsciously, trying to regain his serious face, “Master is here, hahahaha.”
“Master! How could you do this?” The youth’s tearful eyes were filled with deep grievance, and he complained in disbelief, “I was bullied, and you can still laugh!”
“Sorry, cough, cough.” Shen Qingzhuo covered his lips to hold back his laughter. “Master didn’t do it on purpose.”
The youth stared at him from a distance, his hands still tightly grasping the waistband of his pants, tears about to burst out of his eyes, like a little puppy who had suffered a great injustice.
Shen Qingzhuo finally felt guilty, stopped laughing, and waved, “Come here.”
Xiao Shen looked at him for a moment, then suddenly pounced on him and threw himself into his arms.
Shen Qingzhuo hugged the youth’s slightly thin body and gently stroked his back with his palm, one at a time, as if he were stroking a dog’s fur.
“Are you scared?” His master comforted him softly, “It’s alright, be good.”
“Wu~” The youth buried his face in his chest, holding his waist tightly with both hands, and said in a hoarse voice, “They are too much!”
Listening to his disciple’s repeated complaints, Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but curl his lips again and deliberately joked, “Aren’t you very strong? How come you can’t even beat two girls? Where did the food that Master fed you go?”
Xiao Shen instantly raised his face from his arms and retorted, “How could I not be able to beat them?”
Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyebrows slightly: “Why are you still crying and letting them bully you then?”
“I…” The youth’s thin face flushed, and he looked up at his master with his wet puppy eyes. After a long while, he managed to utter, “Didn’t Master tell me that no matter how strong I am, I have to use my strength in the right place, and I can’t fight with the elderly, the weak, the sick, and weak women?”
Shen Qingzhuo was slightly surprised and then felt quite relieved.
His cute and well-behaved little disciple took every word he said to heart and put it into practice seriously.
Does this mean that his education over the past few years has been successful?
“Master told you not to bully weak girls, but self-defense is still necessary.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand and stroked the youth’s slightly messy hair lovingly, saying with a smile, “Master’s precious little disciple, you can’t let others bully you.”
Xiao Shen pursed his lips again and replied aggrievedly, “Am I Master’s treasure?”
Shen Qingzhuo said without hesitation, “Of course.”
“Then am I the person that Master’s loves most in this world?” Xiao Shen continued to ask like a spoiled child.
Shen Qingzhuo hesitated for a moment but still nodded: “Yes.”
He didn’t notice that in the brief moment he hesitated, the youth’s dark eyes suddenly sank. But the youth did not intend to press the issue and simply responded in a serious tone: “Master is also my favorite person.”
Without any hesitation, without any qualifiers, his master is his favorite.
The youth’s eyes were pure and passionate, and only his figure was reflected in his starry eyes, as if he were his whole world.
Shen Qingzhuo’s heart shuddered slightly at the sight of this look, and he could not help but hold the youth back in his arms. “Alright, Master knows.”
“En.” Xiao Shen put his chin into the crook of his neck, sniffing the familiar cold scent of snow plums, and asked innocently, “By the way, Master, do you know what relationship between a man and a woman is, and what happens behind the bed curtains?”
“Cough, cough, cough.” This sudden question caused Shen Qingzhuo to choke on his own saliva and cough continuously.
“Master, are you alright?” Xiao Shen turned his head and saw that the tips of his master’s jade-like ears were stained bright red, and his slender swan-like neck also turned pink and tender.
The blush spread all the way down to the collar, making people want to peek and see if the skin hidden by the collar was also…
Xiao Shen swallowed unconsciously, and the inexplicable heat suddenly surged up again.
“That…” Fortunately, Shen Qingzhuo let go of him at this time. “How should I tell you about this problem?”
The youth straightened his back and acted as if he were listening attentively.
Shen Qingzhuo looked at his little disciple’s innocent eyes, his brain raced, and finally replied solemnly, “This question is complicated. Master will go back and sort out the information, and then Master will-will teach you again.”
His little disciple grew up in a wild way, and his biological parents were absent. However, he had been teaching his little disciple the Four Books and Five Classics1The Four Books refer to The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects, and Mencius; the Five Classics refer to The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals., and even taught him to strengthen his body. He thought he had taken care of all aspects, but he had forgotten physical education.
But in the era in which he lived, information on s*x education was actually quite scarce, and most people’s enlightenment came from erotica books and the like, and they could be said to be self-taught.
As for himself, his demand in this area has always been weak, and he has not delved deeply into it.
Therefore, before teaching his disciple, he had to prepare himself, ask the system for information, and then study how to explain the knowledge in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
“Oh.” Xiao Shen nodded and asked very actively, “Then when will we start?”
Shen Qingzhuo: “Let me go to the Empress Dowager and report your situation first.”
When he mentioned this, the puppy’s face fell again. “The two women sent by the Empress Dowager were really scary, like wolves and tigers!”
“Hehe.” Shen Qingzhuo laughed dryly, fearing that his disciple would have a traumatic impression of women, so he tried to save the situation by saying, “In fact, most women are gentle, beautiful, and generous by nature. Don’t be afraid, and don’t generalize either.”
Xiao Shen frowned in disapproval, “I don’t think so.”
“Take it easy first.” Shen Qingzhuo soothed, “Master will solve this hidden danger for you.”
Xiao Shen asked, “How does Master plan to solve this?”
“Well…” Shen Qingzhuo’s beautiful peach blossom eyes slightly tilted up, and he smiled mysteriously, “Master has a good plan.”
“Chen’er is thoughtful.” In the Changshou Palace, the Empress Dowager sat on a high seat with a kind face.
“Respecting grandmother is what a grandson should do.” Xiao Yichen looked obedient. “It’s good that Grandmother doesn’t dislike the ginseng given by Grandson.”
“How could that be?” The Empress Dowager gently said, “Grandmother is very happy that you can think of Grandmother in your heart.”
Xiao Yichen quickly replied: “Grandson naturally misses Grandmother all the time, but due to the busy affairs of the Eastern Palace, Grandson can’t come to pay his respects to Grandmother often. Hope Grandmother won’t blame Grandson.”
“You are the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of Dayong. It’s right for you to be busy.” The Empress Dowager took a sip of ginseng tea and spoke slowly.
The grandmother and grandson pretended to be polite for a while, and the Empress Dowager was about to invite the Crown Prince to have dinner in Changshou Palace, but she heard a palace maid’s announcement from outside: “Niangniang, Young Master Shen requests audience.”
The smile on Xiao Yichen’s face frozen.
The Empress Dowager was not surprised at all. “Let him in.”
After a moment, Shen Qingzhuo opened the curtain and said, “Greetings Empress Dowager Niangniang.”
“No need to be so polite.” The Empress Dowager raised her hand slightly.
Shen Qingzhuo stood up and bowed to the Crown Prince again, “Your Highness.”
“What a coincidence today.” Xiao Yichen looked him up and down with an ambiguous look. “Gu and Qingzhuo are really in tune with each other.”
Shen Qingzhuo allowed him to look at him, his face was magnanimous, and he replied, “The minister doesn’t deserve it.”
“Aijia watched you two grow up since you were little.” The Empress Dowager wiped the corners of her lips with a silk handkerchief, “Stay for dinner today.”
Shen Qingzhuo calmly replied, “Reporting to Niangniang, Qingzhuo has to go to the Beizhen Fushi later. Perhaps I’ll have to disappoint Niangniang’s kindness.”
“Oh?” The Empress Dowager glanced at him. “Then why do you want to see Aijia?”
“This…” Shen Qingzhuo showed hesitation, but in his heart he thought that the old Empress Dowager’s ability to pretend to be deaf and dumb was becoming more and more perfect.
Xiao Yichen, who was sitting nearby, drank a sip of tea calmly and refused to leave.
He is sitting here today, wanting to see what Young Master Shen was up to.
“Chen’er, the flowers in the garden are blooming beautifully. Go and cut a few branches for Grandmother to put in the vase.” The Empress Dowager had embarrassed Shen Qingzhuo enough, so she spoke slowly.
Since the Empress Dowager had spoken, Xiao Yichen had to stand up and said, “Grandson will go now.”
“Say, why do you want to see Aijia?” The Empress Dowager turned her gaze back to that handsome face.
Shen Qingzhuo got straight to the point and said, “The two girls that Niangniang sent to Changle Palace, Qingzhuo took the initiative to send them back.”
“Aijia has heard about it.” The Empress Dowager said in a low voice, “The two girls Aijia sent over are nominally Aijia’s maids, but in fact, Aijia treats them as juniors. So having them be Shen’er’s bed-warming maids is not a grievance for Shen’er.”
“Niangniang, please forgive me.” Shen Qingzhuo immediately knelt down and apologized. “The two girls are gentle and dignified, beautiful and intelligent. Qingzhuo definitely did not mean that.”
“Then talk about it nicely, what do you mean?” The Empress Dowager placed the teacup on the table gently. “Aijia feels sorry for Shen’er, who grew up in the cold palace since he was young. He is still alone at the age of fifteen. Aijia wants to send him two maids to take care of his daily life and keep his bed warm at night. You are good!”
“Niangniang, calm down.” Shen Qingzhuo sighed and explained, “It was not Qingzhuo’s intention to interfere. There is indeed another hidden story behind this matter.”
The Empress Dowager took a breath and said, “Say.”
“One night two years ago, His Highness the Seventh Prince ran into a maid and a guard doing something dirty in a remote bush near the cold palace.” Shen Qingzhuo seemed to find it difficult to speak and lowered his voice a little. “The maid and the guard were caught having an affair, and they suddenly became malicious and boldly wanted to force His Highness to join them…”
The Empress Dowager seemed to have not expected this to be the reason, and her expression changed slightly.
In the deep palace, the years are long and lonely. Some older palace maids or unfavored concubines are restless and secretly have affairs with guards to seek temporary pleasure. Bushes and woods have always been the hardest hit areas.
“At that time, fortunately, the minister arrived in time and rescued His Highness the Seventh Prince. However…” Shen Qingzhuo said helplessly, “Since then, His Highness has avoided women like the plague, and he is extremely resistant to that kind of thing. Niangniang sent the two girls to Changle Palace for His Highness’ sake, but His Highness was frightened.”
The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then spoke again: “Although there is such a hidden truth, but Shen’er is a prince after all. He will have to favor women in the future and contribute to the royal family’s expenses.”
“Niangniang is absolutely right.” Shen Qingzhuo nodded in agreement, “So the minister will teach His Highness carefully and try to eliminate the haze in His Highness’s heart as soon as possible. Hope Niangniang will give the minister some time.”
The Empress Dowager carefully looked at the young man kneeling in front of her. His eyes were open and frank, and his words and behavior were graceful. It was impossible to tell that he was making up stories.
“In this case, Aijia will give you some time, guide Shen’er well.” After a long while, the Empress Dowager finally spoke.
Shen Qingzhuo immediately breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her, saying, “Qingzhuo will definitely live up to Niangniang’s trust.”
The Empress Dowager’s tone returned to her usual gentleness: “Get up.”
“Thanks, Niangniang.” Shen Qingzhuo stood up as he was told.
The Empress Dowager suddenly asked again, “How old is Qingzhuo this year?”
Shen Qingzhuo’s heart skipped a beat, and he replied respectfully, “Answer Niangniang, twenty-two.”
“In the blink of an eye, you have grown up so much already.” The Empress Dowager seemed to be quite emotional. “Ordinary men have already married and had children after they are over twenty years old, but you don’t even have anyone to talk to in private. Qingzhuo, do you have a favorite girl in your heart? No matter which family the young lady is from, Aijia can arrange a marriage for you.”
Shen Qingzhuo calmly said, “Thanks Niangniang for her kindness, but Qingzhuo is currently too busy to think about love.”
He knew that the Empress Dowager had ill intentions, and since she could not get anyone to interfere with her grandson’s side, she turned her ideas to him.
The Empress Dowager paused and said, “But has His Majesty given you many tasks recently?”
Shen Qingzhuo: “It is a blessing for the minister to be able to share His Majesty’s worries.”
“Yes.” The Empress Dowager picked up the teacup again and said, “It is your blessing that His Majesty trusts you.”
Shen Qingzhuo did not want to stay any longer and was about to bid farewell when the Empress Dowager called him again.
“His Highness the Crown Prince was thoughtful and gave Aijia two thousand-year-old ginsengs. You can take one back to replenish your body.” After saying that, the Empress gestured to the senior palace maid beside her.
Shen Qingzhuo: “His Highness the Crown Prince is offering a gift to Niangniang. The minister dares not accept it.”
“What, you don’t value Aijia’s things anymore?” The Empress Dowager said in a neutral tone, “That’s also right, you are now in the presence of His Majesty, and what he can give you was probably better.”
Shen Qingzhuo bowed and said, “Niangniang’s kindness will always be engraved in my heart, and Qingzhuo will never dare to forget it.”
The Empress Dowager did not respond but just stared at him.
“Qingzhuo dares to say that once a teacher, always a father.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyes and said, “The humble minister always stands on Niangniang and His Highness the Seventh Prince’s side.”
The Empress Dowager was barely satisfied with this answer, and he withdrew.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace door, he saw His Highness the Crown Prince standing with his back to him and his hands behind his back.
Shen Qingzhuo: “Your Highness is in a very elegant mood.”
“Finished talking?” Xiao Yichen turned around and said in a half-sullen and half-massive tone, “Lord Zhenfu not only won the Empress Dowager’s attention, but he is also a big shot in front of Emperor Father. Gu really admires you ah.”
Shen Qingzhuo said modestly, “Your Highness the Crown Prince is too kind.”
Xiao Yichen was so upset by his words that he added, “If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have sent you to be Lao Qi’s tutor.”
The person he thought would be obedient had completely slipped out of his control over the past few years without him noticing, and even stabbed him in the back!
Seeing that the Crown Prince’s expression was becoming more and more gloomy, Shen Qingzhuo took a step back as if nothing had happened and then asked, “Your Highness, is the reason why you hate His Highness the Seventh Prince so much really as the rumors say?”
Xiao Yichen looked around vigilantly, making sure that no one was nearby, and shouted in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense outside.”
“Your Highness knows whether I am talking nonsense or not.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled faintly. “However, if it is really because of that rumor, Your Highness may have hated the wrong person for so many years.”
Xiao Yichen was startled: “What do you mean?”
Shen Qingzhuo replied calmly, “Your Highness also knows that I am now in charge of the Beizhen Fushi. A few days ago, I accidentally heard some rumors that a certain lady fell into the water that year, but there was actually another hidden story.”
Xiao Yichen’s expression suddenly changed. He stepped forward hastily and grabbed his wrist. “Explain it to me clearly!”
“There are too many people here. Your Highness, are you sure you want me to say it here?” Shen Qingzhuo tilted his head slightly.
“You’d better have some real evidence.” Xiao Yichen’s face was grim. “If you dare to lie…”
“If Your Highness wants to know the truth of the matter, the minister will try to find it.” Shen Qingzhuo looked at him calmly. “But the result may not be what Your Highness wants. Please think carefully.”
Xiao Yichen stared at him, his tone full of warning: “Shen Junnuo, you’d better not deceive me.”
“Junnuo” is Shen Qingzhuo’s courtesy name. When he was twenty years old, Youbei was attacked by northern barbarians. His father and brothers were unable to come to Shengjing for the coming-of-age ceremony, so he gave himself this courtesy name.
Shen Qingzhuo smiled slightly: “Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise and powerful, how dare Junnuo deceive him?”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a gloomy expression and stared at him intently, trying to find a flaw in this gorgeous face.
“Your Highness, you hurt me.” Shen Qingzhuo lowered his eyelashes and said softly.
Xiao Yichen subconsciously loosened his hand, then took a closer look and found that the snow-white wrist had turned red from his pinch just now, and several bright red marks were extremely conspicuous.
“Your Highness, come and find me again when you have made up your mind.” Shen Qingzhuo bowed and said, “There’s still official business in Beizhen Fushi, so the minister will take his leave first.”
Xiao Yichen stood where he was, following the handsome and elegant figure as he left with his gaze. His mind couldn’t help but recall the red wrist that he had pinched.
How delicate, he thought.
That night, the Changle Palace was completely silent.
During the day, the Seventh Prince flew into a rage and smashed a bunch of things. Even though Young Master Shen came to the rescue later, but the eunuchs and maids in the palace were still trembling with fear and treading on thin ice.
Their little master was usually moody and could scare them into trembling with fear just by looking gloomy. He would only smile when Young Master Shen came.
Just after a quarter of an hour of rest, the Seventh Prince’s cold voice came from the inner hall again: “It’s hot, change the bedding into a thinner one.”
The young eunuch on night watch hurried in and deftly changed the bed covers for the Seventh Prince.
Xiao Shen lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep, but his mind started to recall what the two maids had done to him.
But soon, a familiar figure appeared before his eyes.
His master, who had just woken up from a nightmare, was so beautiful and fragile, with skin as white as cream and snow. It would become red sensitively at the slightest touch.
Especially the slender wrist. When he first read the poem “wrists as white as frost and snow”, he felt that it was used to describe his master.
His master’s waist was so slender that it could not be grasped with one hand. Even with layers of clothes on, it was still as thin as a willow branch. Every time he hugged him, he wanted to open his palm to grasp it and measure its size.
And his master’s hair is also so fragrant…
Xiao Shen suddenly opened his eyes and lifted the quilt that was covering his body.
His chest rose and fell, and he exhaled hot breaths with each breath. The surging heat swept through his body at an unstoppable speed, and he even had the illusion that he was lying on a stove.
He tried to clear his mind and calm his breathing, but it was of no use. The raging fire quickly gathered in one place.
The boy had a vague idea of what this was, but his limited knowledge on the subject prevented him from finding a solution to the problem.
He gasped impatiently, turned over instinctively, and lay on the bed, rubbing his body around in a disorderly manner.
His master’s face appeared in front of him again. He breathed more quickly and couldn’t help but murmured, “Master…”
The fire in his body burned more and more vigorously. Suddenly, the youth’s confused brain seemed to be struck by lightning, and he jumped up from the bed.
He knelt at the head of the bed and fumbled to open a locked wooden box.
This wooden box contained his most cherished treasures, including all the items given to him by his master.
The bottom layer is every letter that his master wrote to him when he was under confinement. On the top is the New Year’s gift that his master gave him on New Year’s Eve, it was a faded sachet.
Further up, there was a book that his master gave him on his first birthday. On the cover of the book was a poem that read: “So born by heaven we must be of use; spend all the money and more will come up2“Drink Wine”, by Li Bai, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. It means if you have enough talent, all the money you have spent will be earned back..”
And the top layer was the handkerchief he asked his master for that day.
He picked up the handkerchief, bent down, and sniffed it. Because it was sealed, the cold fragrance on the handkerchief had not yet dissipated.
He closed the wooden box, held the handkerchief, and lay back down. The familiar plum fragrance lingered in his nose, and the image in his mind seemed to become clearer, as if his master was lying next to him at this moment.
The youth tightly grasped his master’s handkerchief with one hand and covered his mouth and nose with all his strength, letting himself indulge in his master’s smell.
Not sure how long it has been. In a trance, he saw his master walking towards him with a slender waist, untying his white jade belt as he walked.
The belt loosened, the sky-blue brocade robe also became loose, his slender arms stretched out, and he took off his outer clothes.
“Master…” he called out dazedly. His master seemed to chuckle and continued to unbutton his robe.
He tried to open his eyes wide, but he still couldn’t clearly see what his master looked like after he took off his undergarment. He was so anxious that he almost cried.
The youth anxiously straightened his thin waist and stretched out his hands, eager to put his “Master” on himself.
But there were several layers of veil between them. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch his master. He could only hear his master’s soft and hoarse voice: “Xiao Qi, do you want to feel comfortable? How about Master help you?”
“Master ah.” He groaned and opened his eyes.
His mind was still blank, and he subconsciously reached out and touched something sticky and cold.
“Xiao Qi, are you awake?” At this moment, a real call suddenly sounded in his ears.
Xiao Shen was stunned for a moment, his body bounced twice as if he had received an electric shock, and he quickly jumped off the bed.
A mixture of inexplicable guilt and anxiety made him spin around in circles like a headless fly. Finally, he climbed back into bed, lifted the quilt, and wrapped himself tightly, leaving only a pair of dark eyes exposed.
“I’m coming in.” Shen Qingzhuo noticed and pushed the door open.
As soon as he entered the room, he found that the little disciple was lying on the bed, wrapping himself tightly like a silkworm cocoon. He couldn’t help but wonder, “What are you doing?”
“I…” Xiao Shen felt so guilty that his eyes were darting around, and he said without thinking, “I feel a little cold!”
Shen Qingzhuo: “En?”
His face was red, and his forehead was covered with sweat. Is this caused by the cold?
The author has something to say:
The Master: Did my little disciple start talking nonsense because of the heat?
Since the little wolf cub had never seen his master take off his undergarment, he couldn’t even imagine it in his spring dream3Lust. I didn’t laugh, hahahahaha!
T/N: Bro down bad bad :3
