Chapter 20 The Tool Prince

Old Zhang said that his family and the Duke of Wei's mansion had had little contact in recent years, and this sudden letter left him feeling bewildered.

However, he originally planned to send Zhang Zhiheng to the capital, so he hoped that we would take good care of him in the capital.

After you finish eating, please write a letter to your father for me, asking him to take good care of him at the academy.

Xie Yunyu nodded.

...

Beijing.

Xiao Ling was in a good mood when he received the news from Qing Chen that Zhang Zhiheng had come to the capital.

As a result, seeing Zhang Zhiheng's confession to Xie Yunyu made him feel uncomfortable again.

He thought to himself: Once I'm in the capital, on my turf, let's see how you behave.

Qingfeng, seeing his master's face dark and gloomy with a hint of sourness, knew what was going on.

He stepped back, hiding to the side like an invisible person, not daring to make a sound.

As the saying goes, once the twelfth lunar month arrives, the New Year is just around the corner.

The Ministry of Personnel's official duties entered their final busy phase, and Xiao Ling was no longer as carefree as before.

Princess Jinyang felt sorry for him, as he worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, and prepared delicious food for him to be delivered to the Ministry of Personnel every day.

Finally, on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the emperor announced that he would stop writing.

The court officials finally caught their breath.

Xiao Ling then began to ponder how to get Xie Yunyu back to the capital quickly.

In the following days, he went to see Xie Yuntang repeatedly, which made Xie Yunman very unhappy.

She repeatedly warned him not to make any more advances toward her younger sister, and if he continued to pester her, she would make sure her younger sister stayed in Jiangnan forever and never came back.

Xie Yunman's words reminded Xiao Ling.

Xie Yunyu was in Jiangnan to take care of Old Master Xie.

If Grandpa Xie returns to the capital, will Xie Yunyu have to come back with him?

With that in mind, Xiao Ling went to the palace again.

The crown prince got up early, dressed and prepared to pay his respects to the emperor.

In the warm indoor space, I suddenly sneezed twice for no apparent reason, and I had a feeling that something was about to happen today.

Sure enough, Xiao Ling was seen in the Empress Dowager's palace not long after.

...

Xie Yunyu and her grandfather spent the New Year in Chengming Town.

On New Year's Eve, snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

It's been years since snow has been seen in Wu County, so the children in the town are very happy and run and jump joyfully in the snow.

Xie Yunyu bought a sesame oil duck and, returning from the street, tightened her cloak to keep warm.

Suddenly I understood the meaning of what I often said in my past life: the cold in the south is a magical attack, while the cold in the north is a physical attack.

The chill was like invisible dark matter, seeping into the very bones of a person.

Xie Yunyu was a native of the North in both her past and present lives, and had never experienced this kind of cold before. No matter how many clothes she wore, it was no use.

Sitting around the stove won't help.

Xie Yunyu couldn't help but reminisce about the benefits of electric blankets in her previous life.

Even without an electric blanket, a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) would be fine.

During the Spring Festival, Xie Yunyu could only warm herself up by exercising and sunbathing.

As the temperature rose, Xie Yunyu looked at the sprouting grass outside and thought that the beautiful spring scenery of Jiangnan in March was not far away.

I will definitely have to see the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan when the time comes.

But before Xie Yunyu could see spring in Jiangnan, news came from the capital that the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy had personally written a letter requesting that Old Master Xie return to the capital.

Xie Yunyu frowned upon hearing this.

The Imperial Academy? What does that have to do with anything?

To everyone's surprise, even Old Master Xie was puzzled after reading the letter.

"Let me return to Beijing to help with setting the questions for next year's spring imperial examination."

Xie Yunyu was very puzzled: "Isn't there anyone in the entire court who can set questions? Why do you have to travel all the way back?"

Grandpa Xie also found it very strange.

"The letter says it's the Crown Prince's idea."

"The Crown Prince?" Xie Yunyu asked, puzzled.

"When you were Grand Tutor, didn't the Crown Prince always dislike you? Why is he thinking of you now?"

Upon hearing Xie Yunyu's words, Old Master Xie angrily rebuked her:

"Yu'er, watch your words. How dare you speak ill of the Crown Prince?"

Xie Yunyu was unconvinced and continued to complain in a low voice:

"That's true. Teaching the Crown Prince is different from teaching others, so it's right for you to be strict."

The Crown Prince disliked you because of this, which led to your early retirement.

"What crown prince? He's clearly a petty and narrow-minded person."

After hearing Xie Yunyu's words, Old Master Xie sighed:

"You're wrong. I caused this in advance not because of the Crown Prince, but because..."

What is it?

Grandpa Xie's gaze was deep and far-reaching, looking beyond the courtyard into the distant void, as if he were recalling something.

"In short, it has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. As his teacher, although he doesn't like my strictness, he still respects me."

Seeing that Old Master Xie was unwilling to say more, Xie Yunyu stopped asking.

“Grandfather, if we go back now, the canal in the north is probably still undeveloped, so it may not be possible to travel by water.”

Grandpa Xie waved his hand and said, "This matter is not urgent. First, go and write a letter to your second brother and ask him to find out what's going on."

Xie Yunyu nodded and turned to go inside to write a letter to Xie Yunman.

Four days later, Xie Yunyu received a reply.

After reading it, his expression turned strange, and he turned around to find Old Master Xie.

"Grandfather, my second brother has written a letter."

It is said that His Majesty personally appointed Chancellor Chen of the Imperial Academy, Dean Fu of Nanshan Academy, and Academician Zhao of the Hanlin Academy to be in charge of setting the exam questions.

When the three of them went to the palace to express their gratitude, His Highness the Crown Prince happened to be there.

The Crown Prince said that if there were any difficulties, he could consult you, since you had, after all, presided over the setting of questions for the imperial examinations many times.

Grandpa Xie nodded without saying a word.

Xie Yunyu thought for a moment and said, "Grandfather, what do you think is going on with this Crown Prince?"

Grandpa Xie sighed and said, "It's nothing, it was probably just something the Crown Prince said casually."

After all, I have indeed presided over the imperial examinations many times, so there's nothing wrong with what the Crown Prince said.

Looking at her grandfather's expression, Xie Yunyu didn't believe a word he said.

"Grandfather, should we go back or not?"

"Yes, the Crown Prince has spoken, so we must return," said Old Master Xie.

"Go pack your things first, and we'll set off in a couple of days when the weather gets warmer."

After Xie Yunyu turned and left, Old Master Xie was lost in thought for a long time before he came to his senses.

He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and swaggered into the house with measured steps.

The Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince and Xiao Ling sat by the window, playing chess while watching the snow scene.

"This year's late spring cold snap is quite severe; it's already February and it's still snowing."

As Xiao Ling spoke, he placed a white piece on the chessboard.

The Crown Prince had no interest in playing chess; he was currently glaring at Xiao Ling and questioning him:

"What's wrong with you lately? You've been acting so strangely."

First, they brought that young man from the Zhang family to the capital.

Then I was asked to stand in the Chuigong Hall and thank the three old tutors.

What exactly do you mean?

Xiao Ling watched as the Crown Prince made a random move, thus blocking his path.

Then he said calmly, "It's nothing. Wait a while longer, and I'll tell you when Grand Tutor Xie returns to the capital."

The Crown Prince stroked his chin and said, "Whenever you cause trouble for someone, you always call them over and deal with them in person."

"Has this old tutor Xie offended you?"

Xiao Ling remained silent, only staring intently at the chessboard.

"Hey, let me tell you, although Old Xie is a strict man and used to hit my hands when I was a kid, he's a good person."

He served as the Crown Prince's tutor for nine years and was the teacher who taught me the longest.

Even if he offended you somehow, he's retired now. For my sake, please don't hold it against him.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling looked up at the Crown Prince and said:

"You actually see me as someone who doesn't respect teachers?"

"Um...it's not normal, but it might happen when you're obsessing over something."