Di Yuyun is attending school, and now she goes to school with He Chun. Imperial carriages are coming and going in front of the He residence.

Something happened today. Di Yuyun saw that He Chun, who was usually on good terms with her, was being punished by the teacher with several strokes of the cane.

Several red marks were imprinted on her fair palm, making it look unusually ferocious. Di Yuyun stood up, knocking over the stool next to her feet.

Di Yuyun glanced at her, and the other apprentices around her naturally helped her up. Di Yuyun smiled gently and said, "Thank you."

Then he turned around, but the teacher was already gone, leaving behind Hequn with red eyes, his white robe flowing, his head bowed, an aura of grievance spreading around him.

Di Yuyun pursed her lips, stepped over, and glanced at the slightly chapped palm: "What happened?"

A faint chill ran through Hequn's heart, along with a slight pain. A crisp sound reached his ears, and Hequn withdrew the gloom from his eyes, raising them once again to reveal those clear, bright eyes.

"It's nothing. Where would the princess like to go today?" He Chun seemed completely oblivious to the pain in his palm. His nonchalant smile made Di Yuyun's eyes flicker.

In the end, Hechun didn't say anything, but when Di Yuyun saw the sadness in his eyes, unlike his usual lively self, she felt a little uncomfortable. She wanted to ask Hechun, but he gently said that there was nothing wrong that made Di Yuyun unable to ask any more questions.

Back at the Crane Mansion, Di Yuyun could sense He Chun's low spirits. Her eyes fell once again on the boy's thin back, and her lips moved slightly.

Are you really okay?

Di Yuyun asked with concern, her watery eyes looking at Hechun, "If there's anything you need, you can tell me, and I'll definitely help if I can."

As the quail stared into those caring eyes, the pent-up grievances in her heart suddenly burst forth, and tears instantly streamed down her face. This reaction caught Di Yuyun completely off guard.

"Hey...why are you crying..."

Di Yuyun looked at him with panic in her eyes. How could a boy cry so easily? He must have suffered a lot of grievances.

The quail wept, its eyes red, and it raised its hand to rub its eyes, tears slowly streaming down its chin.

Today, Hechun and several other sons of ministers attended class together. One of them brought something that was not allowed in the school. Hechun and the others glanced at it but did not report it. Unexpectedly, one of the sons who did not get along with him went and reported him without permission.

Then the teacher punished the group of people who had covered for the wrongdoers by making them copy the book a hundred times. This was nothing, but the teacher said that he would report it to their parents. This made them lose their composure. The quail wasn't too afraid because Jiya was easy to talk to.

Somehow, the group found out that it was that young master who had made the report. He Chun, with his quick temper, made a sarcastic remark, but unexpectedly, the princess flew into a rage and scolded He Chun in a fit of anger.

Originally, this was nothing, but unexpectedly, the people who were with Hechun turned around and scolded him. The reason was that the young master had a good relationship with the teacher, and what if he went to the teacher to complain? So, for the sake of the young master, they scolded Hechun instead, and even caused Hechun to be punished by the teacher with a ruler.

Upon hearing this, Di Yuyun initially thought it was a trivial matter, but when she looked up into Hechun's eyes, the sorrow within them was undeniable. "Why do you put yourself in such a lowly position?"

"It's fine to stand up for the weak, but they turned around and bit you, so you should just stop associating with them. But you still hang out with them. What does that mean?"

Hequn's eyes were wet with tears. Hearing Di Yuyun's words, his heart ached again. He knew that Mother He was going to tell him not to be a stick-out.

“I considered them brothers,” He Chun looked at Di Yuyun with sorrow, her eyes filled with pain: “We were so close, and they all clearly hated that person, so why couldn’t they stand with me against him? Why did they gang up on me behind my back?”

Di Yuyun seemed to understand the words "heartache" that Dou Shiliu had said. He Chun was 11 years old, an age when people valued loyalty and righteousness, so it was natural for him to like protecting his brothers.

But did others treat him like a brother? His reception room had already made many people envious, and his appearance and knowledge were so enviable.

Di Yuyun patted Hechun's head with a mixture of helplessness and heartache, and said earnestly, "Why do you insist on playing with them? Who among them is worthy of your trust?"

"...Nobody plays with me."

"Am I not a human being?"

"It's inconvenient for girls."

Is there anything inconvenient about it?

Di Yuyun found this strange. What did she mean by "it's inconvenient for girls"? She looked at Hechun with a puzzled expression.

"We'll climb books and raid bird nests."

Emperor Yu Yun: "..."

"So that's what makes you want to play with them?"

"...No, it's because I can't find anyone to play with, so they ostracize me, and that makes me really upset..."

The quail said sadly, he didn't know why they were ostracizing him.

(You are pure, but I am not.)

"You play with me"

"Girls..."

"If you don't want to be bullied, play with me."

He Chun looked up at Di Yuyun, and for the first time, a haughty look appeared on her face, which was still exceptionally beautiful.

A princess is a princess; she's beautiful no matter what.

"Princess, I'm alright now. Actually, they're not so bad. Last time they even brought me some sweet cakes," the quail said, wiping away her tears and making a weak excuse for their exclusion.

Di Yuyun raised her eyes and glanced at him: "Shut up. Anyway, you'll be with me tomorrow, so don't play with them anymore. They're all useless people, and I don't like them either."

Di Yuyun firmly believed that there was no need to associate with people she didn't like, while Dou Shiliu cultivated her thoughts to be exceptionally domineering, believing that fists were the only way to win.

To Dou Shiliu, this is not a society governed by the rule of law; this is ancient times. People can kill whomever they want without any regard for consequences. Here, power reigns supreme. Modern power is entangled with an extraordinary number of interests and the ability to endure all pain with a smile.

The only thing Dou Shiliu liked about ancient times was that it was exceptionally easy to kill people without being chased by the police, which was incredibly satisfying.

Bai Tuan responded with: "..." This is what a violent host is like. Can someone show her how other girls behave? It's just abnormally violent.

Hequn sighed, "Friends you've truly connected with aren't so easily severed; you still feel a lingering attachment."