Chapter 121 Am I, Your Highness, no longer worthy of being a prince?

Just as Sheng Sheng was pondering this, she heard that voice again, and it sounded quite enthusiastic.

"Stop looking, stop looking, I'm here!"

Sheng Sheng raised her eyebrows, blinked twice, and saw the green parrot in the iron cage by the window flapping its wings incessantly, as if to tell Sheng Sheng that it was she who was speaking.

"This woman is pretending; she never cared about the Fourth Prince before!"

He paused, then turned his gaze back to Consort Liang, who was lecturing Xie Yunwen about not wasting his time.

"His Majesty is wise and mighty, and his benevolence is far-reaching. His poems and essays are all gems, and his knowledge enriches the world. This is a blessing for the Kingdom of Yu. As a prince, how can you indulge in pleasure?"

Xie Yunwen frowned, hesitating to speak, but seeing that Consort Liang looked like she was doing it for his own good, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

After a long while, Xie Yunwen finally exhaled from his chest, lowered his head, and remained silent.

Xie Yunqi disagreed: "Consort Liang's words are not good. According to you, wouldn't I, Your Highness, have lost my virtue and become unworthy of being a prince?"

"Your Highness, what are you saying? Yunwen is my own son. I was only doing this for his own good. How could I possibly harm him? Learning is like rowing against the current. If you go against the current, you can reach the distant shore. If you slack off, you will surely be swept away by the torrent. Life is only a few decades long. How can we waste our time? As for any other intentions, there is absolutely no such intention."

Xie Yunwen's eyes were a little red, and her hands crumpled the book in her hands, which looked more like she was holding back her emotions than moved.

Like a withered tree blossoming in spring, even if it's just a fleeting illusion, it's still a sweet treat.

Sheng Sheng's brows twitched as he watched.

"Impatient for quick success and overexertion, isn't Consort Liang ashamed of what she said?"

Everyone in the palace knew that Consort Liang disliked her son, but others only knew this and did not know that Consort Liang not only disliked Xie Yunwen, but also had never fulfilled her duties as a mother for a single day.

Others might not know, but how could Xie Yuxiao not know?

Xie Yuxiao glanced at Consort Liang with a complicated expression. How could he not see what Consort Liang was thinking?

It's just that I saw the father and son getting closer recently, and they even occasionally come to Liuyun Pavilion for a short visit. I thought I could take this opportunity to regain the emperor's favor.

Xie Yuxiao had to admit that his feelings for Consort Liang had vanished long before she stopped caring about Xie Yunwen.

If she weren't Xie Yunwen's biological mother, it would be an act of mercy for him not to demote Consort Liang. Why would he still be trying to give her another chance now?

If Consort Liang could finally understand after all these years and treat Xie Yunwen properly again, that would be one thing. But Xie Yuxiao really couldn't understand why she, a girl who wasn't even a teenager, would still want to do those fancy things.

Xie Yuxiao held back for a long time, and out of respect for Xie Yunwen, he didn't say anything harsh. He only said coldly, "The children are grown up and have their own things to do. Why should a mother care so much? According to you, should Sheng'er start studying the classics now? Isn't it a blessing for the Yu Kingdom that the brothers and sisters can have a good relationship?"

Suddenly called out, Sheng Sheng exclaimed, "No, no! Sheng Sheng is only five years old, and she hasn't even learned all the characters yet!"

It's fine for her to read, but she shouldn't be a bookworm who buries herself in books all day and has no time for anything else.

Xie Yunqi empathized: "That's right, that's right. This outing was started by the Crown Prince and Second Brother. Even they know that we should balance work and rest. Fourth Brother isn't much older than us, so how is this a waste of time?"

Consort Liang froze, then awkwardly shut her mouth: "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant."

Xie Yuxiao had only acted on impulse after seeing Xie Yunqi's terrible exam paper, which was why he brought Xie Yunqi here hoping he could learn from Xie Yunwen. After being distracted like this, Xie Yuxiao lost the desire to stay any longer.

"Alright, that's all I have to say. I'm not stupid; I can see through your little schemes. If you truly care about Yunwen, instead of messing around with all this nonsense, you should ask him what he likes to eat and what he wants!" Xie Yuxiao looked at her coldly, the warning unmistakable. "He's already very outstanding. Among the twenty-eight students of the Wenhua Hall, he's the one Grand Tutor Liu favors the most. Consort Liang, you'd better think twice."

After saying that, Consort Liang was still stunned and wanted to say something, but Xie Yuxiao didn't give her a chance.

"I will take care of this for you. Shengsheng has only recently returned to the palace, and your elder sister just came back a few days ago. It just so happens that Wenhua Palace has just finished its winter bath, so it's a good time for you to go and relax together! I will send a team of imperial guards to accompany you and protect your safety. Just don't come back too late, and also, you must protect your younger sister."

"Yay! We can go out and play together!"

Xie Yunqi and Shengsheng were very happy and clapped their hands, saying "good".

Xie Yunwen's throat was dry. He glanced deeply at Consort Liang, who was speechless and embarrassed, and felt a mix of emotions. He simply said softly, "Thank you, Father Emperor."

Xie Yuxiao patted him on the shoulder, ignored Liang Guiren, and walked away.

Consort Liang took a few steps after him, then coughed a few times, covering her face, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

All that remained for her was the man's retreating figure, with a hint of impatience and anger still visible.

With tears in her eyes, Consort Liang tossed aside the handkerchief covering her face and returned to her palace without looking back.

She didn't even glance at Xie Yunwen.

Sheng Sheng turned her head to look at Xie Yunwen, who could not hide her disappointment and stared at the book in her hand, her attention elsewhere.

Everyone has left, and Xie Yunqi is the happiest because he no longer has to write.

"Xiao Quanzi, come and give me a shoulder massage, I'm exhausted." Xie Yunqi stretched and stood up, leaning on the table, enjoying Xiao Quanzi's massage. He said happily, "Finally gone. So what if I didn't do well on the exam? Why did you drag me out to recite poems after my day off? It's like you're discovering for the first time that I'm bad at studying."

Sheng Sheng laughed at him: "Fifth Brother only dares to say this when Father is not around. He wouldn't dare to say it in front of Father. Don't you agree, Fourth Brother?"

"Hmm?" Xie Yunwen snapped out of his reverie and gave a slight smile. "Hmm."

Seeing him so out of sorts, Sheng Sheng couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

But since it was between him and Consort Liang, Sheng Sheng didn't know how to comfort him, so she tried to change the subject by talking about something else.

Looking around, he noticed a test paper with red ink under the sheets of paper Xie Yunqi was writing on, and asked, "Fifth Brother, is this your test paper?"

"yes."

Remembering what Xiao Quanzi said about Xie Yunqi's test paper being almost entirely covered in crosses, Sheng Sheng asked curiously, "Sheng Sheng, can I take a look?"

"sure."

With his approval, Shen Shen pulled the exam paper out from the bottom, picked it up with both hands, and glanced at it briefly.

Ha!

Xiao Quanzi was right; there really weren't many marks on this packed test paper.

Sheng Sheng couldn't understand the analyses and fill-in-the-blank exercises, nor did she know where she went wrong, so she went to ask Xie Yunwen: "Fourth Brother, what is wrong with this?"