In the next few days, Shen Qingzhuo lived a very leisurely life.
Since Xiao Shen did not come to find him, he did not show up on his own initiative either. He only asked Xiao Dezi to secretly deliver necessary items to the cold palace a few times to simply improve the dumpling’s current quality of life and reduce his suffering.
Of course, he was not completely idle either.
He flipped through the original owner’s collection of books and then ordered people to buy folk story books from outside the palace. They covered everything from love stories, criminal cases, gods and monsters to historical and folk stories, and he would read them with relish every day while leaning on the coach.
Soon, the system could no longer tolerate the host’s idleness.
System: [Can you please do something serious?]
Shen Qingzhuo was deeply immersed in the story of “the oiran was cheated and abandoned by a scholar, then hanged herself and turned into a female ghost to come back for revenge” and couldn’t stop. Suddenly, a mechanical sound rang in his mind, which scared him so much that he almost threw the story in his hand.
“Can you please not come out suddenly to scare me?” Shen Qingzhuo was speechless and choked up. He retorted unwillingly, “What do you mean I don’t do anything serious?”
System: [I went through so much trouble to bring you into this world, is it just for you to read storybooks to kill time?]
The mechanical voice clearly contained a hint of disappointment.
Shen Qingzhuo: “Oh.”
“Then throw me back and replace me with someone else.”
System: [……]
Shen Qingzhuo slightly adjusted his lying position, and Xiao Dezi immediately asked with concern, “Young Master, are you feeling unwell?”
“No problem.” Shen Qingzhuo reached out and picked up a piece of red bean and jujube paste cake, put it in his mouth, and took a bite, his mouth full of sweetness.
“Does Young Master like this jujube paste cake?” Xiao Dezi secretly noted his young master’s preference in his heart: “Then the servant will ask the small kitchen to make more later.”
Shen Qingzhuo sucked his fingertips gently and handed the plate to him. “It’s delicious. Would you like to try a piece?”
“The servant dares not!” Xiao Dezi knelt down in panic. “Young Master, did the servant say something wrong again?”
Shen Qingzhuo smiled helplessly: “If you keep kneeling down to me, I will really punish you.”
Xiao Dezi recalled what his young master had said, he told him not to be so reserved in private in the future, and then he stood up embarrassedly.
“Then, even my hands are sore already.” Shen Qingzhuo gestured, “Try a piece, if you don’t like it, don’t eat it.”
Xiao Dezi hesitated for a moment, raised his hands to take the plate, and blushed: “Thanks, Young Master.”
The master and servant went back and forth, and the system was completely ignored.
After a while, the familiar electronic male voice sounded in Shen Qingzhuo’s mind again: [Why don’t you tell me about your next plan?]
Shen Qingzhuo: “What’s the point of telling you?”
System: [I can help you with some advice.]
Shen Qingzhuo: “Fine, then help me draft a teaching manual for ancient elementary school students.”
System: [……]
Shen Qingzhuo closed the storybook and rolled his eyes in his heart. “Do you think I really have nothing to do?”
System: [I would like to hear more details.]
Shen Qingzhuo: “According to the calculation, it’s also time for my little disciple to come to the door.”
Afternoon is the warmest time of winter.
Xiao Shen stood in front of the Jiyue Pavilion door, staring at the vermilion door, but hesitated to step in.
His body had almost recovered, thanks to the medicine Shen Qingzhuo gave him and the soft and thick quilt he sent the young eunuch to bring him, so that he no longer shivered from the cold at night.
He has been thinking about this for the past few days. When this person said he wanted to be his tutor and teach him to read and write, was he serious or was he just joking? Or was it just a lie?
First, let him be full of expectations, then crush his hopes in one fell swoop and trample his wishes into the quagmire.
Just like before…
“Your Highness the Seventh Prince, you are here!” He was immersed in unbearable memories, and a shrill voice sounded in his ears, pulling him back to reality.
Xiao Shen looked at the visitor with a stiff expression, feeling uncomfortable with his enthusiasm.
“It’s windy outside, why don’t you come in?” Xiao Dezi ran out, “Young Master has been waiting for you for several days already!”
“He’s waiting for me?” Xiao Shen raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Xiao Dezi realized that he had let the cat out of the bag and quickly made up his mind: “Aiya, Your Highness, please go in quickly!”
Xiao Shen did not continue asking questions and stepped into the palace with a serious expression.
With a creaky sound, the door of the inner hall was pushed open, and his eyes couldn’t help but fall on the warm couch.
Shen Qingzhuo lay on his side on the couch, his eyes quietly closed, one hand behind his ear, the other holding a half-closed book, and was sleeping soundly.
The sunlight from the window shone on half of his face, casting a layer of gentle and transparent light, making him look much better and more handsome.
Xiao Shen unconsciously slowed down his pace and approached step by step.
“Being a thief?” A clear and pleasant voice sounded, with a soft hoarseness, and Shen Qingzhuo slowly opened his eyes.
Xiao Shen’s raised right foot froze in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward, and for a moment he was like a wooden chicken.
“Puff” As soon as he opened his eyes and saw such a funny scene, Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but be in a good mood. He propped up his upper body lazily and asked, “Your Highness, are you performing the Golden Rooster Stand?”
Xiao Shen came back to his senses, his thin face turned red, and he wanted to say something to defend himself, but he didn’t know where to start. In the end, he just stared at the person on the couch with an embarrassed look.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Shen Qingzhuo got off the couch and teased him deliberately, “You scared me, not me scared you.”
Xiao Shen said nothing and quietly looked away.
“Alright, I’ll forgive you this time.” Shen Qingzhuo gave the dumpling a way out. “Your Highness came to see me, is there any matter?”
Xiao Shen blurted out, “Didn’t you say you would teach me how to read and write?”
Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyebrows slightly: “Oh, so Your Highness is here to become a disciple and learn?”
Xiao Shen’s eyes were filled with doubt, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you going to regret it?”
“Since Your Highness is here to learn from me, you must follow my rules.” Shen Qingzhuo stood with his hands behind his back and said, “First of all, your address of Master is very impolite.”
Xiao Shen was obviously relieved and readily changed his words: “Master.”
“En.” Shen Qingzhuo responded, “Go out now, knock on the door, and come in again.”
Xiao Shen looked at him hesitantly, as if he were afraid that he would not be able to come back in once he went out.
Shen Qingzhuo raised his chin slightly, signaling him not to hesitate.
Xiao Shen gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran to the door, knocking on the door frame with his hands. “Master, may I ask if I can come in?”
This action was clearly a child’s sulking. Shen Qingzhuo laughed secretly but replied in a dignified voice, “Come in.”
He handed the book to the dumpling, “Do you understand?”
Xiao Shen frowned. “You obviously know…”
Shen Qingzhuo: “En?”
Xiao Shen choked up in the middle of his words and whispered back, “Master, I can’t read.”
“Have you used all the medicine I gave you?” Shen Qingzhuo didn’t respond and suddenly changed the subject.
Xiao Shen was stunned for a moment, then replied subconsciously, “Yes.”
“Ah, then it seems that Your Highness is not illiterate ah.”
Shen Qingzhuo stared into his eyes with a smile. “Your Highness, you have to tell Master the truth, so that Master will know where to start.”
Xiao Shen’s face froze, and he lowered his thick, black eyelashes, which were as black as crow feathers, hiding the expression in his eyes.
Shen Qingzhuo patiently waited for him to speak.
“At first, when my Mother Consort was occasionally awake, she would teach me some simple words.” After a moment, Xiao Shen finally spoke, “Later, when my Imperial Brothers and their friends went to study, I would find opportunities to lie on the wall or hide outside the window to eavesdrop on what they were doing….”
As he spoke, his voice became lower and lower.
Once, he was lying on the wall to eavesdrop on a lecture but was unfortunately discovered by his fourth brother, who secretly asked the eunuch to release the dogs, which scared him so much that he almost fell off the wall.
That day he was chased and bitten by a vicious dog. He ran until he was exhausted and his calf was bitten hard. Fortunately, he managed to climb up a tree at the last moment and avoided having his leg bitten off.
From then on, he no longer dared to eavesdrop on lectures. He could only flip through the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ that he had picked up by accident over and over again, until the book was torn and many of the words could no longer be seen clearly.
Shen Qingzhuo understood.
According to the old rules of Dayong, the Princes entered the Wenhua Hall to study at the age of seven. The Emperor summoned famous scholars from all over the country and personally selected talented officials from various departments or scholars from the Hanlin Academy to lecture the Princes. He also selected talented people to serve as companions to teach the Princes and answer their questions.
Xiao Shen, who was in the cold palace, was unable to go to study without the Emperor’s order, and even the opportunity to study secretly was cruelly deprived.
“It’s fine. We don’t have to eavesdrop anymore.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand and stroked the dumpling’s head. “From now on, Master will teach you everything he has learned in his life. Alright?”
Xiao Shen was stunned, staring at the young man in front of him without blinking.
He leaned down slightly, and the palm he placed on his head was very warm. His calm expression once again revealed an inexplicable compassion.
At this moment, the young tyrant felt a lump in his throat and couldn’t help but feel tears welling up in his eyes.
“Really?” His stubborn lips trembled slightly, and he raised his pale and thin face, his tone still doubtful and uncertain. “Can I trust Master?”
“Of course.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled faintly, “I am your Master ah.”
Outside the small study.
Shen Qingzhuo lay in a rocking chair made of fragrant wood and painted with gold, basking in the sun while continuing to read a storybook. From time to time, he picked up a small and exquisite pastry from the plate. If he choked while eating, Xiao Dezi would bring him hot tea in time. He felt so comfortable.
Inside the study, Xiao Shen was standing in front of a desk that was not much shorter than him, holding a brush, and repeatedly copying the first page of “Thousand Character Classic”.
“Master.” After an hour, he couldn’t help but ask, “When can I finish copying the first page?”
“Let me see how your copying is going.” Shen Qingzhuo put down the book, patted the pastry crumbs on his hands, stood up, and walked back to the study.
Xiao Shen turned his head and looked at him eagerly: “I already know all the words on the first page.”
Shen Qingzhuo glanced at it and chuckled, “Sprinkle some rice on the paper, and the words a chicken will peck out will be even better than what you write.”
Xiao Shen: “……”
His face turned red, and he whispered in defense: “I-I rarely have the opportunity to write.”
When he first started learning to write, he used a tree branch to copy the dust on the ground. He had never had the chance to touch such fine writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone before.
The heavy snow that fell a few days ago was like natural paper to him. When the snow stopped, he could squat in the snow and write for a long time.
It’s just that the branches and the brush are used differently. When he held the brush, he always felt that his hand was not quite under his control.
“So?” Shen Qingzhuo glanced at him, “Now you have a great opportunity to write, why don’t you cherish it?”
Xiao Shen nodded: “I will practice well.”
Shen Qingzhuo approached the desk, covered the dumpling’s thin body from behind, and held his red and swollen little hand. “Come, Master will teach you the correct way to hold a brush.”
The author has something to say:
Master *Poisonous Tongue* Shen Qingzhuo is officially online.
