The warm source behind him approached, and he smelled the familiar rich plum fragrance again. His thin back straightened up in an instant. Xiao Shen’s whole body tensed up, and he unconsciously entered a state of alertness.
In this palace, everyone avoided him like the plague or approached him just to bully him, so he resisted getting close to others and was always ready to escape or save himself.
This is a conditioned reflex ingrained in his bones.
But the person who was clinging to his back at this moment had saved him, hugged him, slept in the same bed with him, and had never laid a hand on him despite so many chances…
“What are you thinking about?” Shen Qingzhuo noticed the dumpling’s stiffness and moved back a little. “Master is demonstrating to you, don’t be distracted.”
Xiao Shen seemed to wake up from a dream, a blush appeared on his ears, and he apologized softly: “I’m sorry, Master.”
The twelve-year-old boy’s voice was still not fully developed, but he is used to disguising himself, and his voice sounds more mature and indifferent than his peers.
But at this moment, he temporarily let down his guard, and his weak little voice became soft and endearing.
So, Shen Qingzhuo slowed down his tone: “Alright, from now on, focus.”
He lowered his eyes to look at the small hand held in his palm. The back of the hand was covered with red and purple chilblains, and there were several scabs on the chapped surface. It didn’t look like a child’s hand at all.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly and moved his brush with the dumpling, the tip of the little wolf cub’s hair brush moving across the fine paper.
“The sky and earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and boundless. The sun and the moon wax and wane, and the stars are lined up. Winter comes and summer goes, autumn harvests and winter stores.”
Shen Qingzhuo stopped writing and asked casually, “How does Master’s handwriting compare to yours?”
Xiao Shen stared at the black words on the paper blankly, not saying a word for a while.
He had never studied calligraphy seriously, let alone done any research on calligraphy, but he could tell the difference between good and bad calligraphy.
Although he couldn’t explain why, but the few lines of words his master wrote were more beautiful than the words engraved on the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ book he memorized.
“It seems that you can distinguish good and bad characters.” Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but laugh, “But Master is bullying you by comparing with you.
“When Master was your age, my handwriting looked like it was scratched by a puppy’s paw as well.”
In fact, he told a little lie. His handwriting was already very beautiful when he was twelve years old. He was much more comfortable using a brush than a pencil or a pen. From childhood to adulthood, he has always been the boy with the best handwriting in the class.
He said this just to make the dumpling happy.
Sure enough, the dumpling seemed to be amused by his words. Although it was fleeting, but his stiff body relaxed a little.
“Calligraphy is acquired through practice. Just as it takes time for a drop of water to wear away a stone.” Shen Qingzhuo released his little hand. “The key to calligraphy practice is perseverance. In time, you will be able to write better than Master.”
The warm palm suddenly left his hand, and Xiao Shen looked at his own hand unconsciously and suddenly felt that his hands seemed ugly too.
Shen Qingzhuo took a step back and said, “Did you remember the brush-holding posture I taught you?
“Try writing it yourself.”
“Alright.” Xiao Shen concentrated and held his breath, trying hard to recall the feeling just now and write with the correct brush-holding posture.
However, his hands were still not very obedient, his fingers were shaking, and the lines drawn by the brush tip on the paper were crooked.
“Relax a little.” Shen Qingzhuo stepped forward again, holding up the thin wrist with his slender, jade-like hand. “Don’t use brute force, use your wrist to exert force, right…”
He was surprisingly patient, his voice was gentle and soft, and he never tired of teaching the dumpling to practice the postures.
The day slipped away unnoticed, and at dusk, the crimson sunset passed through the high walls of the palace, fell on the desk piled with papers, passed by silently, and then disappeared completely.
“Young Master, it’s getting dark.” Xiao Dezi opened the door and walked into the study. “The servant will light the lamp.”
Shen Qingzhuo sat aside and saw that the dumpling was practicing calligraphy without distraction and was not disturbed at all. He couldn’t help feeling relieved.
Maybe he is not a good teacher, but Xiao Shen will definitely be a good student.
“Dinner will be served in half an hour.” Xiao Dezi glanced at his Highness quietly. “Does Your Highness want to stay for dinner?”
Hearing this, Xiao Shen finally raised his head.
He looked at Shen Qingzhuo first, with a hint of expectation in his eyes that he himself was not aware of.
Shen Qingzhuo didn’t look at him but replied calmly, “His Highness will not stay to dine with us.””
Xiao Shen lowered his head again, as if the conversation just now had nothing to do with him.
Xiao Dezi couldn’t help but say, “Young Master…”
Shen Qingzhuo glanced at him: “En?”
Xiao Dezi fell silent instantly.
“It’s getting late, let’s stop here for today.” Shen Qingzhuo stood up and said, “Don’t sleep until noon tomorrow, come see me before noon.”
Children are still growing and need to get enough sleep, but if they want to read and write, they cannot develop the bad habit of sleeping in.
Xiao Shen couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the brush. “I want to practice for a while longer.”
“Be obedient.” Shen Qingzhuo walked over and slowly but without hesitation took out the brush from his hand. “Master has just said that it takes time for a drop of water to wear away a stone. Don’t you remember?”
Xiao Shen: “I…”
Shen Qingzhuo put the brush back on the brush holder. “Besides, you don’t know many characters yet, so take your time.”
Having said this, Xiao Shen had to stop.
He obediently withdrew his hands that were sore and numb from writing and stepped aside, “Master, then I’ll go back first.”
Shen Qingzhuo said “En” and reminded: “It’s getting dark, be careful on the way back.”
Xiao Dezi volunteered, “Young Master, the servant can take His Highness back!”
“You have something else to do, you forgot again?” Shen Qingzhuo winked at him.
“Ah?” Xiao Dezi looked confused.
Xiao Shen didn’t stay any longer. He bowed to his master, then turned around and walked out of the small study without hesitation.
Only the master and servant were left in the room. Xiao Dezi thought hard but still couldn’t remember what he hadn’t done, so he had to ask boldly, “Young Master, did the servant forget something?”
“You are so stupid, forget it.” Shen Qingzhuo rolled up the book in his hand, tapped his head gently, and warned, “In the future, don’t be too enthusiastic towards His Highness.”
Xiao Dezi scratched the back of his head and said, “The servant doesn’t understand.”
Shen Qingzhuo said coldly, “Have you completely forgotten what instructions the person in the Eastern Palace gave you?”
Xiao Dezi: “This…”
Shen Qingzhuo: “Do you think that everyone in the palace is a bad person?”
“Of course not.” Xiao Dezi shook his head without hesitation, his tone was particularly sincere: “Young Master, you are a good person.”
“You’re wrong. I’m not a bad person, but I’m not a good person either.” Shen Qingzhuo chuckled. “Then do you think there are many good people in the palace?”
Xiao Dezi hesitated for a moment and shook his head again: “Not many.”
Shen Qingzhuo said seriously: “Some people want to make His Highness the Seventh Prince’s life more difficult, and those who originally had no grudges against His Highness will no longer lend him a helping hand. What’s worse, in order to please certain people, they will step on him hard whenever they have the chance.”
Xiao Dezi’s expression suddenly changed: “Young Master, what you mean is…”
“You can be nice to His Highness, but you have to do it quietly and don’t let anyone find out.” Shen Qingzhuo threw the book to him. “As for the rest, I have my own plan. Just do as I say.”
This is the imperial palace. If you take the wrong step, you will fall into the abyss.
For several consecutive days, the sun was shining brightly, and Shen Qingzhuo’s mood became better and better with the sunny weather.
Of course, what made him most happy was that he discovered that he might have underestimated his little disciple’s learning ability.
In the original book, because the villain tyrant had not received systematic education, the way he usurped the throne was simple and crude, which was to kill, kill, and kill again.
He is not good at political struggles, but he is a natural murderer.
From the Fourth Prince to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he was like a wild beast lurking in the darkness. If he wanted to kill someone, he would stare at the prey silently and then wait for an opportunity to hunt, and he almost never missed.
And during these few days of study, he was like a huge dry sponge, which, once placed in the ocean of knowledge, would continuously absorb water.
He has an extremely strong learning ability and an extraordinary memory. In just a few days, he not only remembered all the new characters and words taught to him but also wrote very well.
With the current progress, Shen Qingzhuo believes that his teaching will soon enter the next stage.
However, there are still some problems that give him a headache.
For example, he set the class time for the dumpling to be at Chenshi17-9am, but his little disciple, who was eager to learn, often ran to Jiyue Pavilion at dawn, not daring to enter the small study without permission. Instead, he squatted in front of the bedroom door with his knees hugged, waiting for his master to get up.
The eunuchs and maids of Jiyue Pavilion had become less arrogant since they were punished to kneel by their young master last time. Now seeing the Seventh Prince sitting in front of their young master’s door, they did not dare to rush him away. They had to pretend not to see him and get busy themselves.
At Chenshi, Shen Qingzhuo stepped out of the room and saw the dumpling squatting at his feet again, with his round little head facing him, curled up into a cute little ball.
“Didn’t I tell you that you can sleep a little longer in the morning?” He covered his lips and yawned, his tone somewhat helpless, “Master really can’t get up.”
He originally had very good sleeping and resting habits, but since he entered this body, he has become more and more sleepy.
He didn’t know whether it was because this body was inherently weak or his soul needed to be adjusted to the body, but he always felt tired from time to time.
Hearing his master’s voice, Xiao Shen jumped up and stared at him with his big, shiny black eyes, “I can’t sleep.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “……”
“When you grow up, you will understand the benefits of sleeping.”
He walked down the wooden stairs slowly and suddenly had an idea: “Since you can’t sleep in the morning, how about this? Starting from tomorrow, when you come here, you should do horse stance in the yard first.”
Xiao Shen was stunned: “What?”
The eunuch who was cleaning the yard overheard it and thought to himself, Young Master has come up with a new way to torment the Seventh Prince again!
Shen Qingzhuo stopped and glanced at the dumpling. “You don’t know how to do horse stance? If you don’t know, I’ll teach you.”
After that, he called the system in his mind: “007, are you there?”
System: [Why did you suddenly think of me?]
Shen Qingzhuo: “Please help me search Baidu for the correct method and key points of horse stance.”
System: [……]
[Do you really think I’m Baidu Encyclopedia?] The mechanical electronic voice sounded speechless.
Shen Qingzhuo: “You are not?”
Despite the complaints, the system still quickly collected relevant information on horse stance, compiled it into a document, and sent it directly to Shen Qingzhuo’s brain.
Shen Qingzhuo took advantage of the breakfast break to go over the relevant information in his mind and was confidently preparing to personally guide his little disciple in practicing horse stance after the class today.
The body is the capital of revolution. Learning is important, but physical exercise is also important.
However, before he finished his breakfast, an uninvited guest came to Jiyue Pavilion.
Junior Preceptor Pei was dressed in a white jade brocade robe, looking gentle and unrestrained, like a graceful and elegant lady. As soon as he entered the palace, the young palace maids waiting at the side could not help but secretly take a few glances at him.
“Junior Preceptor Pei?” Shen Qingzhuo put down his chopsticks and wiped his hands with a wet towel on the table. “Sorry for not welcoming you in person.”
Although he said that, his tone and expression were very cold, and there was no sign of apology at all.
Pei Yanqi didn’t care either and smiled faintly: “I came at an inopportune time and disturbed the Third Young Master’s breakfast.”
Shen Qingzhuo stood up and asked, “I wonder why Junior Preceptor Pei came here today?”
Pei Yanqi: “If there’s nothing, can’t I come and bother you?”
Shen Qingzhuo: “……”
You’ve already said it’s a bother, why are you still asking if it’s fine or not?
“No, no.” Young Master Shen’s lips curved slightly, drawing a polite arc, “Junior Preceptor Pei, please come this way.”
At present, he is not clear about the relationship between the original owner and this person, and Pei Yanqi was the top scholar in the imperial examination of Dayong and now the Crown Prince’s tutor. How dare he neglect him easily?
The two moved to the main hall to talk.
After some pleasantries, Pei Yanqi still refused to state the purpose of his visit.
Shen Qingzhuo understood and dismissed the palace maids serving them.
“Now that there are only Junior Preceptor Pei and I left, so please be frank.” Shen Qingzhuo took a sip of hot tea and went straight to the point.
Pei Yanqi was silent for a moment, then said slowly, “Third Young Master has been ordered to teach the Seventh Prince. It has been more than three months now. May I ask how the progress is?”
Shen Qingzhuo was confused as to his true intention and replied cautiously: “His Highness the Seventh Prince has not yet been enlightened, and his progress is slow.”
It was exactly the same as what he reported to the Crown Prince last time.
“Third Young Master, I am not here to question you on behalf of the Crown Prince today.” Pei Yanqi looked at him with a gentle and clear gaze.
Shen Qingzhuo remained calm and secretly pondered the credibility of this statement.
Since he came back from the Eastern Palace last time, he has not openly punished Xiao Shen again. His actions must have been reported to the Eastern Palace a long time ago, but because he had given a warning in advance, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would probably not have any doubts for the time being.
So, what was the real purpose of Pei Yanqi’s sudden visit early in the morning?
“Teaching His Highness the Seventh Prince is a difficult task for anyone, let alone someone who comes from the Eastern Palace.” Pei Yanqi also picked up the teacup and gently skimmed off the foam on the tea leaves. “Third Young Master, why don’t you get out of this as soon as possible?”
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly and looked back at him in surprise.
In just a quarter of an hour, he thought of many reasons, but he never expected that Pei Yanqi came to persuade him to get out.
Pei Yanqi reminded calmly, “If Pei remembers correctly, Third Young Master’s birthday is in ten days.”
“En?” Shen Qingzhuo subconsciously expressed his doubts, but he reacted very quickly and immediately changed his words, “It’s hard for Junior Preceptor Pei to remember my birthday.”
The book did not explicitly mention the original owner’s birthday, so he naturally had no way of knowing it. He did not expect that Pei Yanqi would bring it up today.
Junior Preceptor Pei stopped talking and changed the subject: “Third Young Master’s tea is good.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “If Junior Preceptor Pei likes it, I will send someone to deliver it to your place later.”
“Pei dares not enjoy this tea alone.” Pei Yanqi said meaningfully, “We are both serving in the palace. If Pei misses Third Young Master’s tea, can he come uninvited?”
Shen Qingzhuo lowered his eyelashes and chuckled, “Junior Preceptor Pei’s presence at my humble abode is a great honor to me. How can it be called uninvited?”
Pei Yanqi also laughed, “Third Young Master has becoming more and more humorous.”
“Really?” Shen Qingzhuo’s heart skipped a beat, but he looked calm. “Maybe it’s because I moved out and lived alone, the place was more spacious, and my mood also became more open.”
Pei Yanqi smiled and said, “That’s great.”
The two of them drank a cup of tea quietly, and Pei Yanqi took the initiative to stand up and bid farewell.
The purpose of his trip was simple. Now that the message had been delivered, he had no intention of staying any longer.
Shen Qingzhuo personally saw him out.
The two walked out of the main hall one after the other, only to see Xiao Shen standing far away in front of the corridor, staring at them expressionlessly.
Shen Qingzhuo lowered his voice and explained simply: “The king’s mind is hard to predict, but we still have to do what we should do.”
“Don’t worry, Third Young Master. Pei has already found a new tutor for you.” Pei Yanqi looked at the Seventh Prince. Although there was a distance between them, he could feel that there seemed to be something hidden under the child’s calm gaze.
He had very little contact with the Seventh Prince, but he had a hunch that the Seventh Prince was not as submissive as he seemed.
“Junior Preceptor Pei, take care.” Shen Qingzhuo called over a young eunuch, “Escort Junior Preceptor Pei back to the Eastern Palace.”
Shen Qingzhuo smiled and watched Junior Preceptor Pei leave his sight, then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He stretched his sore neck a little and waved to the dumpling in the distance, “Come here.”
Xiao Shen stood there motionless, not knowing what he was thinking.
Shen Qingzhuo repeated patiently, “Come here.”
This time, the dumpling moved obediently, with a stern poker face, and walked towards him with his two short legs.
Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand and his head and said, “Let’s go, let’s get ready to start today’s study.”
Xiao Shen: “……”
Shen Qingzhuo ignored his little disciple’s silent protest and first checked his homework from yesterday, then continued with the new day’s lessons as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Shen had a lot of questions in his mind, but once the class officially started, he quickly put all other questions aside and concentrated on learning.
Shen Qingzhuo touched his chin with satisfaction. His little disciple had a very strong concentration. Since ancient times, all those who achieved great things had outstanding perseverance and concentration.
Lunch is also eaten in the small study.
In the first two days, Shen Qingzhuo insisted that the dumpling go back to the cold palace for lunch and come back to continue studying in the afternoon. In the past few days, he became less strict and allowed him to eat with him.
Young Master Shen’s three meals a day were always sumptuous, and there were rules in the palace that leftovers from the previous meal could not be added to the next meal, and eunuchs and palace maids were also not allowed to eat the leftovers of their masters.
He originally thought that this was a waste, as he could only eat a few bites in one meal. But now that there was an extra dumpling on the table, his appetite improved a lot.
“Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch the food from you.” Shen Qingzhuo knocked on the table and reminded, “Don’t get choked.”
The dumpling put down his chopsticks shyly, with his mouth still full of food. He looked like a little frog with puffy cheeks. His face was motionless, and he only blinked his big eyes. He was both cute and funny.
“I told you to eat slowly, not to stop eating.” Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help laughing. He put a piece of soft and sticky braised pork into his bowl and served him a dish of green vegetables. “Mix meat and vegetables. Don’t be picky.”
He looked at the dumpling who had started eating again and thought that this was the first time in his life that he had taken care of a child like this.
He is an only child with no brothers or sisters. When he was fifteen, his parents died in a plane crash, leaving him only a huge inheritance and a company to be inherited.
He was still a minor at the time, and his uncle naturally took over the company and the huge inheritance.
Fortunately, his uncle was not a greedy person. At least on the surface, he was very nice to him and almost treated him like a little emperor.
Since he was a child, he has only been interested in history and culture and has never thought about managing a company. His uncle has solved a problem for him.
After he became an adult, he successfully inherited the company’s shares and a huge inheritance, and then donated most of the inheritance to social welfare organizations. He continued to concentrate on his studies, living alone and keeping to himself.
He always thought that he was a cold-hearted person. Even if he donated money to social welfare organizations, it was not because he was kind-hearted. He just didn’t want to carry around a huge amount of property that would be coveted by others. Or he deliberately cut off his relatives’ thoughts and sought peace.
Therefore, from the first day he came to this world, he only regarded this place as a virtual world, completing the tasks assigned by the system as soon as possible and then smoothly returning to his own world.
However, after this period of time together, he discovered that his heart was not as cold and hard as he had imagined.
When he saw the little wolf cub eating seriously in front of him, looking at him with a pair of dark and watery eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a little pity for him.
Of course, the most satisfying thing for him is that he is now taking care of the biggest villain in this world.
Once he successfully trains a new wise ruler, he will become a true imperial preceptor.
Thinking of this, Young Master Shen’s smile became even gentler.
At this moment, Xiao Shen had no idea what his master was thinking and was concentrating on finishing his lunch.
The little wolf cub had been in a state of hunger for a long time, but Shen Qingzhuo did not allow him to be greedy. When he was about 70 percent full, he handed him a handkerchief and asked him to wipe his little face. Then he slowly got to the point.
“Do you know the man who came this morning?”
Xiao Shen tightened his grip on the handkerchief and said, “I don’t know him.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “Tell the truth.”
Xiao Shen: “I know him.”
“Very good. I like honest disciples, not bad kids who lie.” Shen Qingzhuo stared at his face. “Then are you curious about why he came to see me?”
Xiao Shen lowered his head and said slowly, “I can guess.”
“What can you guess?” Shen Qingzhuo narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. “How much do you know about your Elder Brother, the Crown Prince?”
Xiao Shen suddenly raised his head, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly lowered his eyelashes, closed his lips tightly, and said no more.
Shen Qingzhuo understood that this was the puppy’s signal that his fur was standing on end and he was starting to protect himself.
As the saying goes, the three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight.
Although he had taken great pains to teach Xiao Shen during this period, the years of bullying and torture made it difficult for the little wolf cub to completely open up to others.
So far, Xiao Shen still doesn’t trust him enough.
Shen Qingzhuo didn’t feel discouraged but happy instead, because it showed that his little disciple was smart, cautious, and able to keep his composure.
In this human-eaten palace, casually handing over trust is tantamount to exposing one’s back to the enemy, which is a very dangerous behavior.
“You guessed correctly, but there are still many things you can’t guess.” Shen Qingzhuo leaned back in his chair in a relaxed manner. “Junior Preceptor Pei came here today to persuade me to take advantage of my birthday to ask His Majesty to stop being your tutor and return to the Eastern Palace.”
“What?” As soon as these words came out, Xiao Shen, who had been trying to remain silent, couldn’t hold it anymore and stood up abruptly from his chair.
With a loud bang, the wooden chair was knocked to the ground.
Xiao Dezi, who was guarding outside the door, heard the noise and hurriedly pushed the door open, “Young Master! What happened?”
“It’s fine.” Shen Qingzhuo waved his hand calmly, “I’m talking to His Highness, you go out first.”
Sometimes he treated Xiao Shen like a twelve-year-old child, but sometimes he would communicate with him as an equal.
Xiao Dezi had no choice but to retreat worriedly.
Shen Qingzhuo: “Don’t panic. I told you to stay calm when faced with something. Sit down first.”
After all, he was just a kid in his teens, and his reaction was more excited than he expected.
Xiao Shen stiffly lifted up the wooden chair and sat back down.
“I only said that he proposed it to me, but I didn’t even say that I agreed.” Shen Qingzhuo said casually, “Now I want to ask for your opinion, what do you think?”
Xiao Shen lowered his voice very low: “I don’t want to.”
“What don’t you want?” Shen Qingzhuo asked.
Xiao Shen paused and said with difficulty, “I don’t want to change tutor.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “Alright, then do you want to hear my thoughts?”
Xiao Shen: “I want to.”
“For Master, you can say that I am neither good nor bad.” Shen Qingzhuo sat up straight, “But there is one thing, no matter what I do, I will ask for what I deserve.”
The author has something to say:
Young Master Shen: Master is not a good person.
The Little Wolf Cub: What a coincidence, Master, me neither.
