Li Zhi felt extremely frustrated upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, but dared not express his anger.

After all, this old man can speak directly to the heavens!

If he really goes to the Emperor to complain, I'll be in deep trouble!

"The student will heed your teachings!"

Xiao Yu revealed a cunning smile only after seeing Li Zhi obediently accept his fate.

He had been teaching Li Zhi for almost two years, so how could he not know Li Zhi's achievements in calligraphy?

This child's calligraphy not only closely resembles His Majesty's, but he can even write with his left hand and produce completely different fonts.

When Li Zhi was doing Li Jue's homework, he deliberately used the same handwriting as Li Jue, clearly showing his ulterior motives and his intention to punish Li Jue.

Therefore, Xiao Yu decided to punish him a little.

Just as Xiao Yu was about to begin his lecture, Li Jue spoke up.

"Mr. Xiao, please don't punish the Crown Prince!"

"One should take responsibility for one's own actions. I asked the Crown Prince to do this, so you should punish me instead!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu glanced at Li Jue indifferently.

"May I ask, Your Highness, if I were to punish you with 15,000 words of homework, could you guarantee you could finish it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jue honestly shook his head.

"I can't finish writing!"

"Then what makes you think you can plead for the Crown Prince?"

"Because I can take a beating better than him!"

"puff……"

This was the first time Xiao Yu had heard such an honest answer.

"Please sit down!"

"You'd better write three thousand words and hand them in tomorrow. If you dare to have someone else write them for you again, I'll really tell your grandfather, and he'll punish you!"

"Oh oh oh..."

"Uncle, I'm so sorry, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that Mr. Xiao is inflexible..."

Li Zhi smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.

"fine!"

"Mr. Xiao is right. As an elder, I should punish him severely!"

Seeing that Li Zhi was so sensible, Li Jue immediately stood aside and listened to Xiao Yu recount the Zuo Zhuan.

The Zuo Zhuan and the Spring and Autumn Annals are one entity; the Zuo Zhuan is a commentary written by ancient people specifically for the Spring and Autumn Annals.

Otherwise, later generations would not be able to understand the profound meanings of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

Xiao Yu's lecture was so witty and engaging that even Li Jue, who disliked studying, listened with great interest.

However, the stories from the Spring and Autumn Period were too far removed from Li Jue's life, so he only listened to them as stories to pass the time.

Li Jue patiently made it through another day, and as school was about to end, he ran up to Xiao Yu and picked up Xiao Yu's books for her.

"Sir, your student will escort you out of the palace!"

"oh?"

Xiao Yu had thought that making Li Jue stand all day would surely make the brat hold a grudge. But to his surprise, the brat not only didn't hold a grudge, but even offered to help him carry his things!

"This child is teachable!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Xie!"

This was a plan that Li Jue had racked his brains to come up with. Since he couldn't get out on his own, he would try following Xiao Yu and see if he could get out of the palace with Xiao Yu!

"Eldest grandson, the palace gates are just ahead. Hand over your things to me, and I'll leave the palace myself..."

"No!"

"The student wants to escort the teacher home!"

"oh?"

When Xiao Yu heard this, he already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. When he saw the guards at the gate stopping Li Jue, his guess was immediately confirmed.

So this grandson was being so attentive just to use the opportunity of escorting me to sneak out of the palace?

Xiao Yu felt a mix of amusement and exasperation upon thinking about this, but when he saw Li Jue's sullen expression, a thought suddenly struck him.

If I take him out, will he be able to open up to me?

"Go back and tell His Majesty that the eldest grandson escorted me home, which shows respect for his teacher and is worthy of praise!"

"If you're worried, you can send someone to follow them!"

"oh?"

The guards at the gate dared not delay and hurriedly ordered someone to go to the palace to inquire with His Majesty. Only after receiving His Majesty's permission did the guards allow Xiao Yu to leave with Li Jue.

"Please proceed, Lord Xiao!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately looked at Li Jue standing to the side.

"Let's go, eldest grandson!"

Li Jue's face was filled with disbelief upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Xiao Yu to help him, and he certainly hadn't expected Li Er to actually let him leave the palace.

"Isn't the eldest grandson going to escort me home?"

"deliver!"

"We absolutely have to send it, hahaha!"

Xiao Yu was an honest and upright official who traveled to and from get off work in a very simple horse-drawn carriage.

After the two boarded the carriage, Li Jue kept peering out the window, which aroused Xiao Yu's curiosity.

"Why is the eldest grandson so determined to leave the palace?"

"Sir, it's too stuffy in the palace!"

"stuffy?"

How boring?

"Sir, the people in the palace are too disciplined. Everyone follows the rules step by step, they're like living dead!"

"Comparatively speaking, the people outside the palace are much more vibrant. Although they have to struggle to make a living, everyone's face is filled with hope and anticipation. Even the beggars on the street, when they see someone give them two extra copper coins, will fantasize about being able to eat an extra steamed bun or buy a sesame cake for dinner."

"Oh oh oh..."

"Does His Highness the eldest grandson prefer the lively atmosphere outside the palace?"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

Li Jue looked out the car window for a while, then his expression suddenly changed.

"Mr. Xiao, has Guanzhong suffered from a disaster, or has there been a reduction in grain production?"

"Why would the eldest grandson say such a thing?"

"Sir, I just saw that Wang's Sesame Cake stall has raised its prices. The sesame cakes that used to cost two coins each are now three coins!"

"oh?"

Xiao Yu was shocked to hear this. His eldest grandson, who stayed in the deep palace all day, could guess that Guanzhong was in trouble just because the price of sesame cakes had increased by one copper coin?

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