The child they've been raising lately has become a bit too clingy. No matter what she does, Jiang Yan follows her closely, yet he doesn't disturb her while she's doing anything; he just quietly stays by her side and watches her.

Shu Yun had also spoken to him, but Jiang Yan didn't explain when she asked him. He just lowered his eyes and moved closer to her.

Children who grow up in solitude are always better at reading people than ordinary people. Once they noticed any change in Shu Yun's expression, they would quietly walk away, but they would stick back to her again after a short while.

Feng Ziyi stayed in the Feng residence for several days without leaving his study. He sent someone to deliver a message to her, asking for permission to think things over for a few more days, promising to give his teacher a satisfactory answer.

Upon receiving the news, Shu Yun did not express his opinion on the surface, but simply had the servant deliver a message telling him to calm down and think about it.

When Feng Zi translated this sentence, it had already led to a dead end. The proposition was given, and the answers were varied and unpredictable. However, each of them was actually the optimal solution. The proposition written in Feng Zi's translation was that the person would rise to a high position and achieve great success.

What he should be trying to figure out is not the answer preferences of the leisurely teacher Shu Yun, but the thoughts of the current emperor.

Shu Yun reclined on the soft couch in the study, slowly flipping through her private collection of storybooks.

Human warfare is constant, dynasties rise and fall, and emperors have come and gone countless times, yet the folk tales still remain unoriginal.

The erotic stories also feature fox spirits and scholars, all of which are the same old tropes and boring.

With that thought in mind, Shu Yun leaned back lazily, her hands never stopping turning the pages, her mind wandering with the erotic stories in the book.

She was wrapped in a cool-colored Taoist robe. The loose clothes could hardly compare to the exquisite clothes made by the courtesans in the brothels. But somehow, when she wore this simple Taoist robe, she exuded a sense of aloofness and a clean, pure feeling like snow.

Jiang Yan carried in a freshly brewed cup of tea and immediately saw Shu Yun's languid appearance. Her usually indifferent eyes were slightly lowered, showing a more tender and affectionate side than when she looked directly at someone.

He walked closer and glanced at the book's cover—the I Ching.

One of the Three Changes, and the first among the classics.

It's content he can't access yet.

He placed the freshly brewed tea steadily on the small table beside the soft couch. "Master, this is freshly brewed tea, your favorite Peach Blossom Spring."

Shu Yun was engrossed in reading the storybook and didn't notice when her little apprentice had sneaked in again.

Jiang Yan obediently knelt down under the soft couch, offering her the cup of tea. His dark eyes were extremely bright, like two pools of black mercury, glistening with moisture.

His posture of looking up at Shu Yun from below was the most innocent and gentle, easily evoking pity.

With his young apprentice standing so close, it seemed as if the erotic stories in the book could be read at any moment.

Shu Yun took the tea, using the rising steam to conceal a hint of unease in her expression. Then, she slammed the book down with her fingers and casually set it aside.

"hiss."

The tea had just been brewed, and its scalding temperature made her involuntarily utter a sound.

Jiang Yan immediately approached, took the teacup from her hand, and anxiously asked Shu Yun, "Is Master alright? It's all my fault; I forgot to let the tea cool down before bringing it over."

"It's nothing." Shu Yun shook her head. The body she was using was a mortal body. If it were her original body, she wouldn't be afraid even if scalding water was poured over her head, let alone just the tip of her tongue.

Jiang Yan placed the teacup on the small table, moved closer, and said anxiously, "Master, please don't take this lightly. This water is so hot, has your tongue been scalded?"

Bubbling?

Shu Yun subconsciously moved the tip of her tongue, feeling only a slight pain, but no foreign object sensation.

Jiang Yan was frantic, his eyes red. How could he be so careless, unable to do even such a small thing right? After being in a safe and warm environment for so long, his previously tense nerves had relaxed.

He placed his palm on Jiang Yan's shoulder, pressing down the boy whose face was filled with anxiety, and then patted the other's head, rubbing his soft, black hair.

"It's okay, there are no bubbles. It was my own oversight, it has nothing to do with you."

The child looked dejected. He was young and had been living under oppression since childhood. Even after making a mistake in a short time, he was still so anxious and fearful.

Shu Yun put her hand around Jiang Yan's thin shoulder and patted his back to comfort him, "It's okay, it's okay..."

She naturally didn't see the strange light flashing in the boy's eyes as he lowered his head.

As expected, Shu Dajia is the most soft-hearted. As long as you show a helpless and pitiful scene, you can win her attention and pity.

After finally calming the boy down, Shu Yun pinched Jiang Yan's thin shoulders and spine, "You're too thin, it doesn't look good."

Jiang Yan tilted her head and asked, "Does Master like chubby girls?"

Shu Yun nodded, "Of course, who doesn't like a chubby, fair-skinned child?"

Jiang Yan lowered her eyes and kept her master's words in mind.

Fengfu Academy is grand in appearance, with green tiles and red eaves. Tall, verdant bamboo surrounds the white walls. A gentle breeze blows, and the bamboo leaves rustle, accompanied by the sound of students reading aloud, creating a scene full of elegance.

A handsome young man dressed in a blue robe sat quietly under the eaves, turning the pages of a book in his hand. Even when the teacher chased him outside, he didn't react much, only lowering his eyes to read and learn characters.

The sunlight cast long shadows under the vermilion railings, stretching diagonally until it reached the hem of the boy's clothes before finally stopping.

It could only be Jiang Yan.

He would not be allowed to enter the house as long as he refused to bow his head.

Many of the students in the academy were from poor families, while the truly wealthy and powerful families, like Feng Ziyi, hired learned teachers to tutor them individually.

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