Although Li Jue had tried his best to conceal his abilities, he was still targeted by Li Zhi, who regarded him as his greatest enemy.

After his encounter with Li Jue, Xiao Yu not only did not develop any aversion to Li Jue, but instead grew to like the child even more.

Because he realized from Li Jue's attitude that the child did not have any improper thoughts, he was now deliberately hiding his talents and pretending to be averse to studying, all to put Li Zhi, the crown prince, at ease and to clearly tell him that he would never compete with him!

Even if Xiao Yu is very strict, he can't bring himself to dislike such a sensible, careful, and cautious child!

Xiao Yu returned to his seat and began to examine the other students' homework one by one.

According to the normal procedure, he should have examined the Crown Prince's studies first, but today he was in a bad mood, so he perfunctorily examined the other students' studies first, and only then did he let Li Zhi stand up to answer the questions.

"Your Highness, what is your understanding of Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan?"

"I……"

"Sir, I think people are being too harsh on Duke Zhuang of Zheng..."

"Duke Zhuang of Zheng always treated his mother and younger brother with utmost generosity, granting his brother not only the best cities and lands but also providing him with elite troops and generals. However, Gongshu Duan was insatiable and attempted to seize Duke Zhuang's throne, which ultimately led to his own demise!"

"Although Duke Zhuang of Zheng's methods towards Gongshu Duan were too harsh, it was to maintain the integrity of the state of Zheng, and he shouldn't be condemned for a thousand years..."

Xiao Yu's pupils constricted upon hearing this, and he looked at Li Zhi with disbelief.

"Your Highness, is that really what you think?"

"yes……"

"These are just my humble opinions, please forgive me if I am wrong..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately came to her senses and then looked at Li Zhi with a smile.

"very good!"

"The fact that you could think of this is enough to prove that you have the talent of a king!"

When Li Zhi saw Xiao Yu, who rarely praised others, praising him in front of so many people, his face was filled with excitement.

"Sir, are you telling the truth? Do you really think the student's answer was very good?"

"certainly!"

"Gongshu Duan brought this upon himself, while Duke Zhuang of Zheng maintained the stability of the state of Zheng and preserved the ancestral legacy..."

"The fact that you can see this level is enough to prove that you have the heart of a king!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi happily bowed to Xiao Yu.

"Mr. Xie!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yu waved his hand with a smile, then picked up his book and walked out of Chongwen Hall.

But the smile on his face disappeared as he walked out of the East Palace.

What nonsense about the heart of a king; that was just a pretext he used to fool Li Zhi.

He is now extremely disappointed in Li Zhi, and he actually thinks that Duke Zhuang of Zheng was right to kill his brother!

If Duke Zhuang of Zheng was right, wouldn't that mean Li Shimin was right to kill his brothers and imprison his father, and by extension, that it would be right for the descendants of the Li Tang dynasty to do other things that violated natural law and human ethics?

Xiao Yu was a typical scholar-official. While he might not have been morally fastidious, he certainly did not believe that the bloody way the Li Tang dynasty seized the throne was right.

He would never flatter His Majesty or praise him for killing his brothers, let alone do so behind his back or even in front of His Majesty!

Of course, Li Shimin himself knew that what he had done was dishonorable, and he never boasted to anyone about killing his brothers and imprisoning his father.

If it weren't for the historians stopping him, Li Shimin would have torn up the history book that recorded that period of history!

Therefore, Xiao Yu's disappointment with Li Zhi is understandable.

Before this, he had always thought that Li Zhi was a kind and filial son, but today, after testing him with a simple question, he discovered the coldness and ruthlessness in the boy's heart.

Are all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty like this?

Xiao Yu is now extremely disappointed, not only with Li Zhi, but also with the entire Tang Dynasty.

However, as he walked, he couldn't help but recall Li Jue's initial answer.

Li Jue's answer was brilliant; a biased woman vividly portrayed Wu Jiang's character. The story of the two rebellious sons proved that he neither admired Duke Zhuang of Zheng nor Gongshu Duan; in his eyes, neither of them had done anything honorable.

Xiao Yu sighed deeply upon thinking of this.

What a fine child! How did he end up in an imperial family? If he had been born into an ordinary family, I would have taken him in as my disciple!

Over the next few days, Xiao Yu taught Li Zhi and the others while secretly observing their attitudes towards handling affairs.

Although she had intentionally distanced herself from Li Jue, even treating him coldly, Li Jue remained unchanged, greeting her warmly every day when they met. He showed neither obsequiousness nor cowardice, always being generous and open.

In comparison, Li Zhi was more standard, and his bowing was so proper that it could be described as ceremonial, without any emotion mixed in.

Therefore, Xiao Yu only remained indifferent to Li Jue for a few days before succumbing to Li Jue's enthusiasm and re-explaining the knowledge in the books to him, sometimes even giving him extra tutoring.

However, Xiao Yu only treated Li Jue well for a few days before he noticed that Li Zhi's attitude had changed.

Although he still bowed when he saw me, his expression was very cold, and I could even see some resentment and malice in his eyes.

Xiao Yu lived through both the Sui and Tang dynasties; how could he not see through this?

He knew that Li Zhi was jealous, jealous that Li Jue was receiving more attention from him, his teacher.

Xiao Yu understood this, and in the days that followed, he treated Li Jue even better, wishing he could keep Li Jue reading every day.

Xiao Yu did this to see how strong Li Zhi's jealousy was and how deep his scheming was.

On the tenth day, when he saw that Li Zhi was still far away from him, he pretended not to see him and slipped to another road. At that moment, his disappointment in Li Zhi reached its peak.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!