As Hongshan spoke, he began to cry. Qian Shengyan was taken aback, not expecting that the reason he had been sleeping so well in bed was because of this.

She couldn't help but soften her heart, and most of her anger dissipated. She couldn't help but reach out and hug Hongshan, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his face.

It was only upon close inspection that one noticed the faint dark circles under the child's eyes, and that his once chubby face had become somewhat thinner.

Qian Shengyan couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She hugged the child tightly to her lap, gently patting his back as she whispered, "Mother knows, Hongshan wants to learn, doesn't he? He just can't remember, right?"

"Hmm." Hongshan felt utterly wronged. "Hongxiao doesn't learn as fast as me, but he never forgets, waaaaah..."

“Hongshan, do you know? That’s how our brains work; memory is for the purpose of forgetting. If you remember something today and then forget it, you can remember it again tomorrow and then forget it again, but you can remember it again the day after tomorrow…”

"But will this work?" Hongshan's little face was full of confusion and doubt.

Qian Shengyan patted his bald head and explained to him in plain language what the forgetting curve is, and told him how to overcome it. Although Xiao Hongshan's memory is not very good, he can remember things very quickly, so it doesn't actually take too much time to review.

Hongshan's mouth dropped open as he listened: "Mother, you mean that if I wake up the next morning and realize I've forgotten, I should quickly read the book again? But Teacher Zhang said I can't read the book; I have to remember it myself."

Qian Shengyan choked for a moment, which was rare for her: "...But you can't remember? If you memorize it again now and consolidate it, you should remember it more firmly."

Hongshan nodded knowingly, and the grievance and confusion on his little face disappeared. He was even a little impatient to try the method that Qian Shengyan had taught him.

Seeing that he was in a better mood, Qian Shengyan encouraged him a few more times: "You want to be a great general, which I think is great, but being a great general isn't just about riding a horse and drawing a bow. You need to study military books and tactics. Think about it, if you were to command tens of thousands of people, how would you make them advance? Would you just launch a chaotic attack without any strategy, or would you understand how to deploy troops and achieve the greatest success with the least damage?"

"I understand, son." Hongshan lowered his head in shame.

Qian Shengyan patted his head, but in her heart she was thinking about how to punish him.

Yes, there are reasons why Hong-sun skips school and sleeps, but does having reasons mean he can disregard everything and not care about doing wrong?

She hesitated, just about to send Hongshan to face the wall in repentance for half an hour, when she heard a loud "humph" at the door. Hongshan's face immediately turned pale, and he quickly got down from Qian Shengyan's arms and knelt on the ground, bowing dejectedly: "Son greets Father Emperor."

"Hmph!" Yinzhen snorted heavily again, walked to Qian Shengyan's side and stopped her from bowing, then sat down and looked down at Hongshan. After a long while, he said, "You've made something of yourself."

Hongshan knew this wasn't a nice thing to say, and couldn't help but shudder: "Son, son..."

"Since the beginning of the Imperial Study, you're the only one who's dared to skip class." Yinzhen's phoenix eyes were cold. "Hongshan, if you don't want to study, then so be it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hongshan immediately kowtowed and said, "Father, your son wants to study! Your son is willing to study!"

"Hmph!" Yinzhen's voice carried an imposing air even without anger. "Go and kneel in the Fengxian Hall for an hour to reflect on your actions! If you dare to do such a ridiculous thing again, I will punish you severely!"

"Father, please calm down. Your son knows he was wrong..." Hongshan knew he shouldn't have, but he still couldn't help but look at Qian Shengyan. Qian Shengyan said gently, "It is a great thing to know your mistakes and correct them, but if you do something wrong, you must accept the punishment. Go."

Hong Hao:......

Hongshan kowtowed listlessly: "Yes, son obeys."

Su Peisheng stepped forward, asked Hongshan to get up, and led him to Fengxian Hall. Hongshan took two steps, then turned back and said, "Your son truly knows his mistake. Father, please don't upset yourself."

"Hmph!" Although Yinzhen still snorted coldly, his expression had softened considerably. He said calmly, "Go."

The child walked away with his head down.

Yinzhen remained seated, and after a moment looked at Qian Shengyan: "Since you already know that his truancy is understandable, why don't you plead for him?"

Qian Shengyan: ? ? ? ?

She asked, puzzled, "Does Your Majesty want me to plead for Hongshan?"

Yinzhen pursed his lips. He had actually overheard the mother and son talking outside and knew why Hongshan had skipped school. He had originally intended to let Hongshan off the hook, but he couldn't completely let him off the hook. So he thought of scaring Hongshan by telling him to kneel for an hour, and then, if Qian Shengyan pleaded for him, he could reduce the punishment or just give him a scolding.

Who knows...

Qian Shengyan, seeing his expression and trying to guess his thoughts, couldn't help but find it amusing: "Your Majesty... Hongshan knows he's wrong, and there are reasons for his mistakes, but he has indeed done wrong. Skipping school is wrong, and hiding and making the adults worry is also wrong. Today he hid in Yongshou Palace, so if I look for him this time, he won't hide here next time. This harem has so many tall trees and artificial hills, and so many ponds and pools. If he were any bolder and ran outside the palace, where would Your Majesty and I find him?"

As she spoke, she sat down next to Yinzhen and said gently, "So I think Hongshan should be punished. Moreover... Your Majesty is lenient with Hongshan, much more so than you were with Hongli when he was young. But you should let Hongshan know to be afraid. If he has someone to fear, he shouldn't be so reckless."

Ultimately, it's about saving face for him as the ruler and father.

Yinzhen gave a light snort, but still held Qian Shengyan's hand: "Then you'll make my son kneel for an hour?"

Qian Shengyan: ...

Didn't you agree to this?

But arguing about this now was pointless, so she remained silent. After speaking, Yinzhen probably realized that he was not right either, so he coughed lightly and said, "He is small and weak, so it is probably not possible for him to kneel for an hour."

“Then His Majesty should go and see him in a little while,” Qian Shengyan suggested. “He should talk to Hongshan. He’s still quite shaken and needs His Majesty’s affirmation.”

Yinzhen couldn't help but chuckle as he glanced at her; she was asking him to give her a stern rebuke followed by a sweet treat.

But it suited him just as well, and he sighed, "Very well."

The two had lunch at Yongshou Palace. After the meal, Yinzhen did not rest but went directly to Fengxian Hall. After chatting with Hongshan for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he took him back to the South Third Palace.

Qian Shengyan only knew that her son had only been kneeling for less than half an hour and should be fine. However, she did not know that when Yinzhen took Hongshan back to his residence, he did not punish him again, but instead made him watch as his personal eunuch was beaten on a bench.

"What use are you if you can't protect the emperor! After you've received twenty strokes of the cane, send you to the Ministry of Punishments. You no longer need to serve the prince," Yinzhen said coldly.

Hongshan was so anxious he wanted to throw himself at Wan'an. He knelt before Yinzhen and sobbed, "Father, it's all my fault. I insisted on skipping school. They didn't know; they were the ones I abandoned..."