But she did have the confidence to do so. After all, even the most difficult young master in the manor was completely under her control. Who would dare to be presumptuous in front of her?

So, a sensible person cautiously stepped forward, his face full of ingratiating smiles, his voice carrying a deliberate gentleness: "Greetings, Miss Shen. My name is Zhang Sheng, and I work in the kitchen."

"Hmm." Shen Jintang nodded slightly, her eyes not changing much.

Seeing that Zhang Sheng had started, the others followed suit and introduced themselves one after another. Some voices trembled, while others feigned composure, but without exception, their eyes towards Shen Jintang revealed a mixture of awe and obsequiousness.

Shen Jintang sat in the chair, her gaze sweeping over everyone as she listened quietly, carefully memorizing each person's name and appearance.

"Shen Jintang...come in here!"

As the last person's voice gradually subsided, Gu Zhixing's voice had become hoarse and he was almost voiceless.

He slumped onto the cold ground, his back slightly hunched, his hands weakly supporting him on the ground behind him, his eyes staring blankly ahead.

He could only strain his ears to catch every tiny sound coming from outside.

Unfortunately, Shen Jintang ignored him.

"Before leaving the manor, Her Highness the Eldest Princess entrusted me with the affairs of the manor and asked me to supervise the young master's studies. Therefore, I hope you will all take good care of him and that all matters in the future will prioritize the young master's studies."

Shen Jintang gave Xinghui a wink, and Xinghui then distributed the copied papers.

Shen Jintang slightly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over everyone, her voice clear and firm: "Those who can read and write will serve in the Crown Prince's courtyard from today onwards, so that His Highness may hear your recitations at all times."

"Those who are illiterate are not a problem. Those who know the Crown Prince's preferences should quickly gather all the miscellaneous toys that the Crown Prince loves and lock them in the storeroom. No one may give them to the Crown Prince without my permission, and those who violate this rule will be severely punished."

She then looked at the crowd, her gaze slightly sharpening: "The rest of you will patrol day and night, constantly reporting the young master's whereabouts, without the slightest negligence. If the young master does anything out of line, you must report it immediately. Anyone who disobeys will be expelled from the manor and never employed again. Do you understand?"

The group exchanged glances, a hint of fear flashing in their eyes, mixed with a touch of helplessness.

They looked at Gu Zhixing, who was locked in the study and could only wail in vain, gritted their teeth, and said in unison, "We understand!"

"Squeak—"

The study door slowly opened, making a long and heavy sound.

The servants and maids, dressed in short blue and white shirts, filed in one after another, their steps orderly and their expressions solemn.

Gu Zhixing raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment. He looked at the maids and servants filing in, his heart filled with doubt.

They carefully lifted him from the ground, gently placed him beside the desk, and then quickly formed a circle around him.

Almost simultaneously, they all pulled out the same book from their pockets, opened the pages, and began to read aloud in unison.

In an instant, the sound of reading aloud rose up, engulfing Gu Zhixing like a tidal wave.

The sound echoed in his ears, incomprehensible yet impossible to ignore, like an invisible torment.

Gu Zhixing felt a splitting headache, but there was nowhere to hide.

He wanted to push these people away and get some fresh air, but as soon as he took a step, he bumped into another group of people. They were also holding books and were even louder, as if they wanted to completely drown him out.

While he ate, someone would recite the Analects beside him; before he went to sleep, someone would recite the Book of Poetry by his bedside; when he got up, someone would recite the Great Learning in his ear; even when he went to the outhouse, someone would be outside loudly reciting the Doctrine of the Mean.

Gu Zhixing felt that his ears were about to be worn out by these sounds, and even when he was sleeping and dreaming, the contents of the book were still echoing in his ears.

He tried to resist, tried to escape, but everyone in the mansion seemed to have become Shen Jintang's eyes and ears.

As soon as he made the slightest move, more than a dozen people rushed up, tied him up, and dragged him back to his study.

Gu Zhixing felt like he was being driven crazy.

Shen Jintang stood aside, watching indifferently as Gu Zhixing was surrounded by a group of people.

He picked up the book and put it down again, plugged his ears and covered his eyes, but the dry contents of the book still inevitably flooded into his mind.

His expression was one of extreme pain, yet utterly helpless!

Xinghui smiled and said to Shen Jintang, "Master's move is brilliant. This way, he has no choice but to study. As long as he's not a pig, he'll learn something."

"It's not that I'm clever, it's that he's too kind."

Xing Hui looked at Shen Jintang, somewhat puzzled.

Shen Jintang looked at Gu Zhixing from afar and explained, "What is my status now, and what is his status? If he really wants to embarrass me, what can I do?"

"But he didn't. He could tell that I was using him to establish my authority in the mansion, but he didn't expose me. Instead, he cooperated with me by shouting and making a scene, acting as if he was locked up and helpless."

"If he really doesn't want to listen to these people reading, he can simply kick them all out. He's the heir apparent; who would dare to go against him?"

Xinghui frowned, nodded, and said, "That makes sense, but... can he really think of all this?"

Shen Jintang smiled but didn't say anything.

She was just thinking about the time she went to the bustling city with Gu Zhixing, wanting to expose Grand Tutor Shen's cover-up.

When Gao Xi arrived with his guards, Gu Zhixing had a chance to escape, but he was concerned that most of the people around him were defenseless civilians and that a stampede would inevitably occur if a conflict broke out. So he surrendered without resistance and was taken away by the guards.

And that time when she was abducted and taken back to the Princess's residence, Gu Zhixing, in order to get revenge on her, made her a slave.

He thought he had the upper hand, but he didn't expect that it was all just a ploy by someone secretly instigating him, and that he had become a pawn in someone else's hands.

When he learned about this, he did not hide it. Instead, he tried to make amends and always went easy on her, all because of that sense of guilt.

For example, even though he wasn't hungry, he still ate seven meals a day, which allowed her, who was serving him, to fill her stomach.

Gu Zhixing is a person whose heart is much softer than he appears.

——

The night was as dark as ink, quietly enveloping the entire room.

Gu Zhixing dragged his heavy steps into the bedroom, his exhaustion overwhelming him like a tidal wave.

Shen Jintang was already waiting by the bedside. She skillfully made the bed, her movements gentle and meticulous.

Gu Zhixing didn't say much, but simply sank into the soft quilt, as if he had exhausted all his strength to speak.

The blanket sank slightly, and his muffled voice came from under the covers: "How many days until the exam?"