The night was quiet and still.

Yun Qing paused for a moment before her thoughts slowly returned to normal. The burning heat from the young man's body emanating from her wrist unexpectedly calmed her down, and she met Xie Rang's gaze directly.

She should have noticed all those clues long ago.

Yun Qing had clearly realized it beforehand, but the little brat managed to dodge the question by changing the subject. Whenever she thought about it, she felt that she had been a bit... stupid.

She felt dizzy, her heart pounding like a drum, but her voice remained calm: "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Yun Qing had always known that the little tyrant's true character was not so kind, but as long as he could be a wise and benevolent ruler, she could pretend not to see it.

Besides, Xie Rang had always been quite obedient in front of her, and his occasional rebelliousness was harmless.

She had imagined the future, perhaps she would be able to travel the world freely after relinquishing her official position, and she had also considered the worst-case scenario, that she might not be able to leave.

But I never imagined that before that day even arrived, Xie Rang would actually set his sights on her!

Perhaps Xie Rang had given prior instructions, so no one dared to light lamps here. Only the cicadas chirped incessantly in the courtyard, irritating the ears. All the ambiguous and hazy atmosphere fermented to an almost intense degree.

After a long silence, he laughed: "Of course I know what I'm talking about. Hasn't the Grand Tutor already realized it?"

Xie Rang had always known that his tutor was very perceptive and had an alarmingly strong ability to sense any crisis. He never imagined that one day he himself would be considered a crisis.

He didn't want to be alienated any longer, nor could he tolerate being truly alienated, so after cautiously probing, he decided to slowly reveal his sharp claws.

After all, he was never some gentle, harmless little puppy.

However, if the Grand Tutor wanted to see, he wouldn't mind continuing to pretend.

But none of these are reasons to avoid his feelings.

If giving in only leads to being pushed away, why doesn't he take a gamble?

If one were truly a qualified emperor, one should not choose to back down at such a time.

Yun Qing looked at him, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time. She no longer knew what she was thinking, but she could still make a rough guess about Xie Rang.

Historically, no one has ever truly stayed by the side of a young tyrant, but I'm different. He's trusted me since childhood... He might not even be able to distinguish what kind of feeling this is, and besides, my current identity is that of a man!

When Yun Qing came into this world, the first person she made contact with was Xie Rang. It is undeniable that she did have some special feelings for Xie Rang, but they were not the feelings between lovers, but at most they were deeper than the bond of family.

She calmed herself down and silently freed her hand from Xie Rang's grasp: "Your Majesty, you should think this through. This is not a joke, and it's completely different from your decision not to have a harem. Putting aside... can you be sure you can distinguish between them?"

In her previous life, Yun Qing had never been involved in matters of love, which made her somewhat oblivious to Xie Rang's situation.

[It's normal for seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys to misjudge their feelings when they're just starting to experience romantic feelings... I should have listened to Qinglan and kept my distance from him instead of repeatedly giving in to her advances.]

Yun Qing kept thinking that she would just help him out a little more, but she never expected that in the end, she would end up getting herself into trouble!

Therefore, it's true that those involved are often blinded by their own interests.

Yun Qing calmly thought things through step by step, and her previously rapidly beating heart gradually calmed down. She looked straight at Xie Rang, her eyes filled with inscrutable emotions.

Xie Rang was silent for two seconds before finally speaking in a hoarse voice: "No one understands this better than me. The decision to open a harem or not has nothing to do with this matter. I am no longer the naive child in the Grand Tutor's eyes, and I know that the Grand Tutor doesn't mind, so... I will make the Grand Tutor see things clearly sooner or later."

The boy's voice was steady. He stood opposite Yun Qing, gazing at her with extremely complex emotions in his eyes. He seemed to be about to break through, but at the last moment, he was forcefully suppressed and finally returned to calm.

To some extent, it must be said that Yun Qing's teaching of Xie Rang was quite successful. Even at this point, Xie Rang did not make any extreme moves, and even after saying those words, he considerately left space for Yun Qing.

"I don't necessarily need an answer right now, and Grand Tutor, you don't need to overthink it. It's late, Grand Tutor, you should get some rest."

As Xie Rang spoke, he subconsciously reached out to check the temperature of Yun Qing's hand, but Yun Qing, realizing what was happening, dodged him. However, he wasn't annoyed and smiled as he withdrew his hand.

Yun Qing had no choice but to sigh and leave on her own.

Behind him, Xie Rang's smile faded further until Yun Qing's figure completely disappeared from sight. Only then did he regain his composure, turn around, and order, "Go and light the lamps."

After hiding in the corner without making a sound, Quail-like Wind finally emerged shakily. He was now filled with regret, wondering why he had to come out at this particular time.

Fortunately, His Majesty didn't care, and Lord Li didn't notice.

However... judging from His Majesty's appearance, he probably never intended to hide anything!

-

The next day, the imperial tutor claimed illness and requested leave.

The originally planned activity was a boat trip on the lake.

Dai Liangchun was standing next to the young emperor when he saw the emperor's face darken instantly, and he finally gave a sinister smile: "Let's go."

Xie Rang understood perfectly well that there was no such coincidence; it was clearly a method devised by the Grand Tutor to avoid him.

Both of them knew the truth, but they were unwilling to expose it. Xie Rang had already prepared for this before it was brought up, but when he actually saw it, he still felt an overwhelming sense of grievance and sadness.

The Grand Tutor was sometimes unbelievably calm, but Xie Rang couldn't bring himself to say anything wrong.

From those heartfelt words, we can infer that the Grand Tutor was afraid of his youth and lack of stability... all of which are understandable.

Xie Rang knew from a young age what he truly wanted, including the throne, power, and the position of Grand Tutor.

He could use any means necessary to seize the first two, but it was different with the Grand Tutor. He didn't want to see the Grand Tutor's disgusted look one day, so he could take his time.

The Grand Tutor hoped he could become a wise and benevolent ruler for a prosperous era; if he were to resort to force and plunder, he would be unqualified.

He couldn't bear to disappoint Yun Qing, nor could he tolerate Yun Qing's gaze passing over him and landing on someone else.

It's just about enduring.