Chapter 120 The Tenth Prince's Lazy Reader

For two consecutive days, Yin'e squeezed out time during the morning reading break to copy his homework. Finally, on the third day, he managed to collect ten copies and hurriedly handed them to Gu Badai to complete the task, not wanting to waste a single moment.

Gu Badai flipped through the ten assignments submitted by Yin'e, and after confirming that each one was written clearly and without any errors, he let Yin'e pass. Checking the copies submitted by Yin'e did not take too long from beginning to end.

After all, it's just a mechanical punishment of copying; the content is fixed. As long as you copy it carefully instead of writing it randomly, you can pass. Unlike essays and policy proposals, it doesn't require careful review or serious commentary.

Gu Badai let him pass directly, and Yin E secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter was over.

However, Gu Badai showed Yin'e that things were not so simple. Since Kangxi had personally imposed the punishment, Gu Badai indeed had no objections. But while the punishment ended, the reprimands and scoldings for Yin'e's violation of the rules of the Imperial Study did not.

Half an hour later, Yin'e, who had been thoroughly lectured by Gu Badai, walked out of the study where the Inner Da sat during his off-duty hours, looking dejected and listless, and headed towards the most spacious classroom in the middle of the Imperial Study.

After being scolded for nearly an hour, Yin'e was completely dazed, and his ears were ringing. Even though he was far away from Gu Badai, it seemed as if Gu Badai's stern and earnest reprimands and admonitions were still lingering in his ears, as if the sound would echo for three days.

Walking down the corridor outside the Imperial Study with his head down, Yin'e was like a wandering corpse, his whole body dizzy and his steps unsteady. He was just short of ascending to heaven, his soul already devoured by Gu Badai.

The consequence of not looking up to see where he was going was that Yin'e, on his way back to the school, bumped into the Crown Prince and his entourage coming out of a side room next to the school.

Fortunately, as the heir apparent, the Crown Prince was always surrounded by a large group of people when he traveled. Someone stopped Yin'e, who was walking unsteadily and slowly, in time, preventing him from offending the heir apparent and bumping into the Crown Prince.

When the Crown Prince came out of the side room, he walked hurriedly. Both his expression and movements revealed his urgency, which meant that he had something important to do. Otherwise, he would not have left the study halfway through.

However, upon encountering Yin'e, who was clearly not in a good state, the Crown Prince suppressed his anxiety and, restraining his emotions, adopted the demeanor of a heir apparent and elder brother to inquire about Yin'e's condition, asking gently, "What's wrong, Little Tenth?"

They look like they've lost their souls!

They look rather pitiful.

Having been thoroughly scolded by Gu Badai to the point of near losing his mind, Yin'e had finally snapped out of his daze after this unexpected incident. Upon hearing this, Yin'e shook his head, made no attempt to hide anything, and honestly replied, "It's nothing, I just got a severe scolding from Master Gu."

The Crown Prince nodded slightly, a hint of understanding in his eyes.

Clearly, the Crown Prince, who was also studying in the Imperial Study, knew very well what Yin'e had done and was not surprised that Yin'e had been caught and reprimanded by Gu Badai.

Seeing that the Crown Prince's handsome and refined features still held a trace of unconcealed anxiety, and that he could not even maintain his usual gentle and composed demeanor, Yin'e knew that the Crown Prince must have encountered something serious, otherwise he would not have lost his composure like this.

As a prince who was later in the order of birth, Yin'e had little contact with the crown prince, but he knew that the crown prince, who had been raised by Kangxi since childhood, was never one to show his emotions.

The Crown Prince's current state suggests that something significant is about to happen.

Taking a step to the left, Yin'e made way for the Crown Prince, not blocking his path, nor intending to waste his time by exchanging pleasantries with him.

Throughout his life, Yin'e maintained a respectful distance from the Crown Prince, neither becoming too close nor too distant, always adhering to rules and etiquette. He was impeccable in his dealings with the Crown Prince, yet there was no personal relationship between them; he neither offended nor flattered the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince did indeed have urgent business to attend to. Without whining or putting on airs, he simply nodded amicably to Yin'e and hurriedly left the study with a string of attendants behind him, heading straight for the Qianqing Palace.

What exactly happened? Watching the Crown Prince's hurried departure, Yin'e muttered to himself.

Is it a matter of court affairs, or a struggle with the eldest prince? If it's the latter, the crown prince, who currently holds the upper hand, wouldn't be so out of control.

The eldest prince had only graduated from the Imperial Study for a little over two years when Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Empress Xiaoyi passed away one after another. He was unable to accomplish anything significant, let alone establish any merits.

That must be a major event in the imperial court, but it's unclear what exactly it is or what aspects it involves.

Although he was somewhat worried and curious, Yin'e looked down at his small hands and feet and knew that no matter what major event happened, it was probably none of his business and not his concern.

At his age, he couldn't do anything important. Even when it came to going to the northern frontier to escape the summer heat, Emperor Kangxi wouldn't consider taking him along, as he was too young and couldn't handle the long journey.

Shaking his head, Yin'e turned around and continued walking towards the central classroom. Since it wasn't something he could control, he decided to suppress his curiosity and take care of himself first.

Although the ten repetitions were handed in, completing the punishment did not mean that the matter was simply over.

Gu Badai just gave Yin'e a very stern warning, telling him not to do it again, and that he would keep a close eye on Yin'e for the next period of time to prevent him from causing trouble or disrupting discipline in the Imperial Study.

Now that Gu Badai has his eye on him, Yin'e's days are numbered.

In mid-November, Yin'e and Ninth Prince's son, Haha Zhuzi, was summoned to the palace to accompany Yin'e and Ninth Prince in their studies.

Although they were called study companions, they were more like playmates. These children selected to enter the palace were all around the same age as Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, with the oldest only three or four years older than them. They were still children, and none of them were mature enough to know how to take care of others or provide more important help in their studies than their teachers.

Yin'e wasn't particularly close to his Haha Pearl. Firstly, he didn't lack playmates; he was still closest to the Ninth Prince and spent the most time with him.

Secondly, the servants around him were all too cautious, making him feel like he couldn't find any playmates. His servants had all been carefully instructed before entering the palace, and each one was taught to be obedient and sensible. They were very respectful and submissive to Yin'e on a daily basis, which actually created distance between them, making it impossible for Yin'e to get close to them.

But Yin'e had no way to change this situation. The hierarchy of superiors and inferiors was not something he could change on his own. He was just drifting along aimlessly.

At times like these, Yin'e would feel grateful for his acquaintance with the Ninth Prince.

Fortunately, there was also the Ninth Prince. They were brothers, so they were naturally close. In addition, they had grown up together since childhood and had a deep bond. They were the most relaxed and comfortable with each other, without having to worry about too many things. They could let loose and didn't have to worry about the consequences of fooling around together.

Yin'e and the Ninth Prince dared to act like unruly children in the palace because they had the confidence to do so, while the other children didn't have that confidence and naturally couldn't let loose and play with them—Yin'e knew this and never thought of dragging them down with him.

Although Yin'e and the Ninth Prince often acted foolishly and caused trouble intermittently, they had one good point: they would not drag their study companions into their mischief, nor would they let their little bead be made a scapegoat and suffer punishment for nothing.

They really caused trouble, but they also took the blame for it, which shows they were willing to do what they did and be responsible for it.

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 16:55:44 and 22:54:15 on May 10, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Yanwen and TT (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!