A huge question mark instantly appeared in Shen Jintang's mind.

friend?

What kind of punishment is this?

What exactly did he mean?

Seeing Shen Jintang's confused look, Gu Zhixing smiled slightly, his tone carrying a hint of doting: "Do you think being my friend is so easy?"

He paused, his voice carrying its usual arrogance: "As my friend, you must always care about my feelings. When I'm unhappy, you must cheer me up; when I'm happy, you must share my joy. When I encounter difficulties, you must face them with me; when I have happy occasions, you must share my joy. In short, you must put your heart into me."

He paused slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes: "Of course, as my friend, I allow you to scheme against me occasionally, but on one condition—when I ask you a question, you must answer truthfully."

Gu Zhixing turned around, looked at Shen Jintang, and asked, "That's all for now. Do you have any other questions?"

Looking at Gu Zhixing's elated face, Shen Jintang suddenly thought, "Am I not His Highness's only good friend?"

A crack appeared on Gu Zhixing's face, and he forced himself to say, "This young master's good friend is not someone just anyone can become!"

He's not someone you can easily scheme against!

"As His Highness's good friend, may I ask him to return?" Shen Jintang asked again.

Gu Zhixing's expression changed, realizing something was wrong, and he turned to run away.

"Liu Huo!" Shen Jintang called out towards the door.

Liu Huo immediately pushed the door open and came in, but Gu Zhixing was even faster.

He suddenly pushed open the window, and in a flash, leaped out from the window.

Although the movements were hasty, they were also quite efficient.

Shen Jintang walked quickly to the window and glanced out the window.

After landing, Gu Zhixing swayed slightly before regaining his balance.

Without pausing, he turned and sprinted toward the street.

"Grab him," Shen Jintang ordered coldly.

Liu Huo nodded, and with a swift movement, leaped out of the second-floor window.

His movements were swift and decisive. He landed with only a slight tremor before regaining his footing and then chased after Gu Zhixing.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Jintang led Xinghui out of the main gate with a brisk pace.

Gu Zhixing was chased by Liu Huo through the back window all the way to the front door, but his path was blocked.

Shen Jintang saw his figure from afar, only to find that he had been entangled by the flowing fire, and the two were fighting.

Although Gu Zhixing's movements were nimble, they were clearly somewhat rushed. He was trying to get rid of Liu Huo's entanglement while also dodging the surrounding crowd, making him appear rather flustered.

"Your Highness is quite skilled; you've actually managed to exchange blows with Liu Huo." Xing Hui watched from the side, her tone tinged with surprise, as if she were watching a spectacular performance.

Shen Jintang narrowed his eyes and said seriously, "His skills are much better than Liu Huo's."

"Then why did he..."

“He’s overthinking things.” Shen Jintang’s voice was low and calm, as if he were dissecting a very simple fact.

She watched as Gu Zhixing, in the midst of the fight, supported an elderly woman's swaying vegetable basket with his left hand, grabbed a reckless little boy with his right, and even managed to deal with Liu Huo's attacks in between.

Although he was agile, every moment he was distracted brought him one step closer to failure.

As time went on, he gradually lost ground.

Liu Huo, on the other hand, was completely different. He only had his goal in mind and was determined to capture Gu Zhixing, ignoring everything else.

In comparison, Gu Zhixing's flaws gradually became apparent.

Finally, Liu Huo seized the opportunity, grabbed him, and then threw him into the carriage without mercy.

Inside the carriage.

Seeing that only Shen Jintang had entered the carriage, Gu Zhixing made a move to run away again, but unexpectedly, Shen Jintang directly tied their arms together.

“Shen Jintang, you…”

His face instantly darkened, and he stared at Shen Jintang as if trying to see what was going on in her.

"Run, take me with you." Shen Jintang looked at Gu Zhixing with a calm expression.

Gu Zhixing's expression darkened further. He glared at Shen Jintang, his voice low and tinged with anger: "What exactly do you want?"

Shen Jintang's tone remained calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary: "Of course, His Highness should obediently come back with me to study."

Gu Zhixing laughed angrily and said, "This young master doesn't read! I'm not cut out for studying! Do you understand?"

“It’s alright, I can teach Your Highness how to become a scholar.” Shen Jintang stared into Gu Zhixing’s eyes and said earnestly, “Diligence can make up for lack of talent. If you don’t understand it once, learn it ten times. If you can’t finish learning it in one day, learn it for ten days. You will eventually be able to finish learning it.”

Gu Zhixing was stunned. Looking into Shen Jintang's clear and firm eyes, he suddenly felt powerless.

He truly felt like he was talking to a brick wall; Shen Jintang simply couldn't understand what he meant.

He can't learn it? He can't finish learning it?

Is that what he meant?

He means not to read!

Gu Zhixing sat down angrily to the side.

Shen Jintang was different from Gu Zhixing; she even had the mind to look at the scenery outside.

The horse-drawn carriage slowly started moving at the end of the long street, its wheels gently rolling on the stone pavement, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

Upon arriving at the Princess's residence, Shen Jintang immediately locked Gu Zhixing in the study, ignoring his calls.

"Shen Jintang, open the door for me!"

"Open the door, did you hear me?"

Gu Zhixing slammed his fist on the door of the study, making a loud thud.

Shen Jintang had already reorganized the study; there wasn't a single thing to play with, just books!

Shen Jintang ignored him and simply had Xinghui summon all the maids and servants serving in the courtyard to her.

Xing Hui placed a chair at the entrance of the study. Shen Jintang sat down, leaned back slightly, and calmly glanced across the courtyard.

In the courtyard, the servants and attendants of the mansion stood in a row, filling the courtyard.

Gu Zhixing's banging and shouting echoed in their ears. They looked at each other, completely baffled as to what Shen Jintang was up to.

"I've been too busy the other day and haven't had time to get to know you all, so let's take this opportunity to get to know each other today."

"Starting with me, my name is Shen Jintang. I am from the Crown Prince's residence. I hope you will all take good care of me in the future."

Shen Jintang began her introduction calmly, her voice clear and steady. She slightly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

She sat calmly in the chair, while the others stood respectfully in complete silence.

They all knew that Shen Jintang's actions today were not simply to get to know them, but to establish his authority over them.