The room was bathed in warm light, and fresh tea was being brewed on the stove.

As the first rays of summer sunlight climb along the stone wall and onto the lattice window, the half-rolled bamboo blind with tassels sways in the gentle breeze, and the delicate light and shadow are divided into clear strings by the gaps, reflected on the spotless table.

Outside the window, birds chirped, and Jide rolled around on the grass with a green leaf from a crabapple tree in his mouth.

Zhan Xinjia sat by the window with her hair loose and messy. The sunlight shone on her soft hair, giving it a soft golden glow. She lazily put her hands in her pockets and squinted her eyes contentedly in the sun.

Behind her, the young man was holding a wooden comb, carefully studying how to press down the few strands of hair on her forehead that had sticked up while she was sleeping.

"...How about we try it again after wetting it a little?"

Shen Suqing muttered to himself, slightly troubled.

No matter how he pressed, the few stray hairs on the girl's forehead stubbornly stuck up in an upward arc, like the fluffy feathers of a bird, and would sway softly in the wind.

Although he thought it was kind of cute, it was obviously not convenient to go out and meet people, let alone go to school.

He was actually shocked, stunned, and bewildered that Ah Zhi had been studying all along, as if he had just woken up from a dream and realized that it was all very wrong.

Although the Imperial Academy was the highest institution of learning under the direct administration of the imperial court, widely recruiting students from all ethnic groups, and mostly attended by descendants of officials and nobles, it still had at least one basic requirement…

Ah Zhi, she...

It's hard to explain Shen Suqing in a few words.

In order not to hurt the child's self-esteem, he hesitated for a moment and carefully considered changing to a more tactful way of asking the question.

"...Who took you to register at the Imperial Academy?"

The little girl was taken aback, then turned her head away angrily, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her clear, bright peach blossom eyes glared at him angrily.

"Young Master Shen, why don't you just ask me how I managed to sneak in? Goodness, I can't possibly be completely illiterate!"

My former teacher was the eldest daughter of the Mu family, who is now the Princess Consort of Yan. However, her health deteriorated and she no longer had the energy to teach me, so she recommended me to the Imperial Academy.

Mu Yunlan?

Shen Suqing recalled for a moment, and he did indeed know of such a person.

Before her marriage, Princess Yan had taught at the Imperial Academy for a period of time, where she taught astronomy, geography, and medicine.

It turns out that Ah Zhi was her student, which explains why she later went directly to the Imperial Academy...

If he really thought about it carefully, he seemed to have met Princess Yan once before.

It was an autumn rain several years ago.

I vaguely remember her frail and sickly appearance in the rain. Although she had a smile on her lips, her pale eyes seemed empty yet all-encompassing, giving people an indescribable and eerie feeling.

"Young Master Shen~ Have you finished combing your hair yet? I'm going to be late."

Zhan Xinjia, swinging her legs, started yawning out of boredom.

Coming to his senses, Shen Suqing looked at her still-upturned bangs with some helplessness. After a long while, he sighed deeply.

In short, let's get things settled first.

He wasn't actually very skilled at tying a little girl's hair; he had only learned it twice from the old lady selling wine at the alley entrance. His technique wasn't particularly refined, but it was passable.

His soft, long hair brushed against his fingertips inch by inch, combed from head to tail with a wooden comb. The tingling, itchy feeling from his scalp to his tailbone made Zhan Xinjia feel so comfortable that he wanted to spread his body out in a "big" shape.

In the morning light, she slyly squinted one eye and secretly glanced at the young man beside her.

Shen Suqing was dressed in a simple, wide-sleeved, double-breasted blue robe, with a section of snow-white inner garment collar showing at his neck, and his jet-black hair casually draped over his shoulders and back.

At this moment, his eyes were lowered, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyelids.

Under the play of light and shadow, his pale and slender face appeared even more refined, with a high and straight nose, and his pale red lips slightly parted, holding the blue ribbon she usually used to tie her hair.

It's hard to describe the feeling that Master Shen gave her.

He has a comforting, husbandly charm, and even the faint bluish tinge under his eyes from lack of rest is incredibly alluring.

I really want to know what kind of expression Little Shen made when he was forcibly forced to kiss me...

They'd probably panic and say things like "How dare you!", "What kind of behavior is this?", "This is outrageous!"

Because she couldn't free her hands, the hairband he was holding swayed gently as he tied her hair, brushing against her neck like a small brush. Zhan Xinjia twisted the hem of her clothes, trying her best to resist the urge to reach out.

Once his hair was finally tied up and the blue ribbon was woven into his braid, the young Crown Prince's tutor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He does these things with far more care than he does his usual official duties.

At least he wouldn't squirm around in his chair while doing his official duties, wouldn't keep muttering "Master Shen, Master Shen," and wouldn't deliberately mess up his braids like a little fox.

Undeterred, he tried again to press down the stray hairs sticking up on her forehead. Chen Suqing sighed helplessly and put down the comb.

"Alright, you can move around freely now."

The restless girl immediately wanted to run around in the yard with Jide when she heard this, but she had only taken two steps when the young man behind her grabbed her arm.

Zhan Xinjia tilted her head in confusion and turned back, only to meet his gentle, spring-like eyes.

He bent down and cupped her soft cheek against his own. After a moment, Shen Suqing released her with satisfaction.

"You really don't want me to take you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia bit her fingertip, her expression showing some struggle.

"...Although, in my parents' eyes, we only have a simple employer-employee relationship. What kind of head of a household would send his own little maid to school...wouldn't that be...too conspicuous?"

She blinked.

Shen Suqing smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and his voice was cold.

"Does Ah Zhi mean that I'm not presentable, that I can't stand the light of day, and that I'm only fit to hide in the shadows and watch you?"

I don’t know why… Ever since our last argument, Zhan Xinjia has felt that Xiao Shen’s smile is sometimes creepy. Even though it’s the same as before, it always gives her a chill down her spine.

She smiled awkwardly, then stepped forward and hugged his waist in a coquettish manner.

"I'll get everything sorted out at home soon, okay?!"

When she first started flirting with this handsome young man, she never dreamed that one day he would force her to demand a formal title...

But there was nothing she could do.

Not to mention that she was keeping her relationship with Lord Shen a secret from her master, she also felt that there were still things she wanted to do that she hadn't finished, although she couldn't think of what they were for the time being.

In any case, we managed to get away with it this time.

In the end, Lord Shen decided to take her to Anding Street near the Imperial College in the East City.

Although it was still early, the streets were already bustling with people, and shouts of vendors could be heard from time to time in the bustling city.

Walking among the crowd, Shen Suqing pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered something.

Do you know Wen Zhizhou?