Gu Zhixing said helplessly, "This isn't how you make amends!"

This is simply a fantasy, something that is completely impossible!

He stood with one hand on his hip, pacing back and forth, racking his brains but unable to think of even the slightest possibility that he could become a third-rank official.

At this moment, all he could think about was how to make Shen Jintang feel less upset and find a suitable reason to get rid of this matter.

He never imagined that he would actually risk his life to earn an imperial title for Shen Jintang.

"Then Your Highness will come and study with me?" Shen Jintang asked appropriately.

Studying? A high-ranking official (rank three)?

Comparing the two, reading is obviously easier to accept, although it's not exactly a pleasant task either.

A thought flashed through Gu Zhixing's mind, and then he suddenly understood. He turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Jintang, and revealed a relaxed smile on his face: "Alright! You say we should study, then we will study. Tomorrow morning, I will invite the best teacher to teach us."

After saying that, he turned to leave, but Liu Huo blocked his way.

Gu Zhixing was slightly taken aback, a hint of embarrassment on his face. He turned around awkwardly to look at Shen Jintang and said, "Studying is not something that can be accomplished overnight. We have to take it slowly."

Writing implements, ink, paper, inkstones, and other stationery items require careful consideration and can be quite time-consuming and laborious to select.

If we were to carefully select, it might take a month to finish.

By then, Shen Jintang might have already lost interest in reading.

When it comes to things he doesn't want to do, there's only one word: procrastinate.

This trick has never failed him!

However, Shen Jintang's voice rang out at this moment, as if she could see through his thoughts: "The master has already made arrangements and is currently waiting for His Highness in the study."

What? !

The gentleman has already been invited?

Gu Zhixing's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly sensed that something was wrong.

He seemed to suddenly realize that Shen Jintang had dug a pit for him, and he was jumping into it step by step.

——

When Gu Zhixing changed into simple clothes and sat properly in the study listening to Master Tao's lecture, his mind was still on this matter.

He turned to the side and whispered to Shen Jintang, "Did you never expect me to become a third-rank official from the very beginning? Was all of this just a scheme to get me to study with you?"

"Thump—" Mr. Tao's pointer slammed down on the desk in front of Gu Zhixing, making a crisp sound.

"Your Highness, watch your attitude. No idle chatter is allowed in class." Mr. Tao's voice was icy, and his face was expressionless, like a wooden sculpture.

Gu Zhixing looked up and met Mr. Tao's cold face, and his anger flared up instantly.

He was already extremely reluctant to sit there, and now that he was being scolded like this, he felt even more wronged.

He slammed his hand on the table, about to get up, ready to show this Master Tao the power of the number one playboy in the capital.

"You...you dare to hit me?" Tao Yi was so angry that his beard stood on end, and his eyes widened as if they were about to spit fire.

He was originally a learned Confucian scholar, respected by others, but now he was being looked down upon by Gu Zhixing, which naturally made him furious.

"Heh!" Gu Zhixing sneered. Before he could make a move, he felt a soft touch on the back of his hand.

He looked down and saw Shen Jintang looking up at him. Her eyes were calm as water, but with a hint of reassurance.

Meeting her gaze, Gu Zhixing pursed his lips slightly, swallowing back the cold words that were about to spill from his throat.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil, and finally slowly sat down.

"I wouldn't dare, please continue." Gu Zhixing's tone was full of reluctance.

He muttered to himself that if it weren't for the guilt he felt towards Shen Jintang, he would never have sat here listening to this old scholar spout such outdated nonsense.

Tao Yi was furious, but considering that this was the residence of the Princess, and he couldn't afford to offend her, he could only swallow his anger and continue teaching.

He cleared his throat and continued, "The Analects, Book 2, Chapter 2, contains the essence of Confucius's discourse on governance. The line 'Governing with virtue is like the North Star, which remains in its place while all the other stars revolve around it' is the foundation of governing a country with virtue..."

After listening for a few sentences, Gu Zhixing found the content dry and boring. The whole thing was full of "Confucius said," which was just some old-fashioned doctrines. It made him drowsy and his eyelids kept drooping.

He barely managed to keep his eyelids open, but still couldn't help but yawn.

When Mr. Tao saw Gu Zhixing dozing off, he wanted to remind him, but remembering Gu Zhixing's temperament, he suppressed the urge to speak.

He lectured with one eye open and the other closed, pretending he couldn't see it.

Shen Jintang glanced at Gu Zhixing and, seeing that he was about to fall asleep, gently poked him.

Gu Zhixing, who had been dozing off, suddenly jolted awake, rubbed his eyes, and mumbled, "get out of class is over?"

"This child is beyond redemption!"

Mr. Tao was already fed up with Gu Zhixing's careless attitude, and upon hearing this, he became even more furious and stormed off, leaving behind a room full of books fluttering in the wind.

Gu Zhixing had just woken up and was still a little dazed. He only knew that he had finally gotten rid of Mr. Tao's nagging and was probably free.

However, before he could even smile, he saw Shen Jintang gently place a book in front of him.

"Your Highness, what does that mean? I didn't understand." Shen Jintang looked at Gu Zhixing with her clear eyes full of curiosity.

Gu Zhixing originally wanted to say, "If you don't know, go ask the teacher; he's not the teacher," but the words wouldn't come out. How could he, a dignified heir, not be able to answer such a simple question?

So he looked down at the sentence in the book: "A person without integrity, what can he be good for? A large cart without a linchpin, a small cart without a linchpin, how can they move?"

"This...this means...this means..."

Gu Zhixing stammered, unsure how to explain. There were two unfamiliar words in that sentence. How was he supposed to explain it?

"Your Highness, is it that you don't know how?" Shen Jintang spoke in a gentle tone, but her words were so hurtful.

How could Gu Zhixing possibly admit that he didn't know? His youthful pride prevented him from acknowledging it: "How could that be? How could I not know something so simple? I just wanted to test you, to show you that you have to think things through carefully. How can the answer someone gives you be as solid as the answer you seek out yourself?"

Yes, that's right.

It's not that he doesn't know how, he just wants Shen Jintang to remember it more firmly.

Gu Zhixing continued stubbornly, "Think about it carefully today. Tomorrow, I, the young master, will come to check and see if you have studied properly."

With that, Gu Zhixing stood up and started to walk out.

"Your Highness, you still have the Doctrine of the Mean to study in an incense stick's time." Shen Jintang's voice sounded behind him, calm and firm, as if reminding him that his learning journey had only just begun.