Compared to the tutors at the Imperial Academy, An Honghan's teaching was much stricter. Anyone who dared to slack off under his watchful eye would be punished severely. Last time, Xi Xizhi was punished by being made to stand for an entire afternoon, until her legs were trembling uncontrollably.
Fearing that An Honghan would punish her again, Xi Xizhi decided to take the initiative. She grabbed An Honghan's arm and shook it, and the tail hidden in her skirt gradually came out, shaking violently in mid-air. Her cute and charming expression was a bit like a puppy wagging its tail, looking like she was saying "I was wrong" and trying to please her master.
An Honghan remained unmoved. "You think you can please me with just this? Do the math. How many days have you been learning to read? And in all that time, you've only learned 308 characters. Shouldn't you be ashamed of such a slow pace?"
Xi Xizhi blushed, a little bit of shame rising in her heart.
She thought to herself, "She's studying hard too, but traditional Chinese characters are too complicated, with so many strokes in each character."
Not only do you have to recognize characters, but you also have to write them. Each time you recognize a few characters, you usually waste five or six sheets of Xuan paper, and your hand holding the brush will ache terribly.
"I will definitely study hard when I get back," Xi Xizhi solemnly promised.
An Honghan raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "Do we have to wait until we get back?"
Xi Xizhi gritted her teeth, unsure how to make amends for her mistake.
"How do you want to punish me this time?" Xi Xizhi blinked. "Can we not make me stand as punishment? How about a slap on the palm?"
An Honghan slowly shook his head, seemingly uninterested in being slapped on the palm, his nonchalant demeanor driving one to the brink of madness.
“We need to change the way we punish people.” An Honghan loved to get what he wanted. Last time he punished Xi Xizhi, he saw her walking unsteadily, which made him feel bad. So this time he would change the method. “From now on, if your literacy doesn’t meet the standard, you must kiss me, understand?”
An Honghan pinched Xi Xizhi's chin and stared at her.
Xi Xizhi's round face had a baby fat lip and a double chin, and it felt very nice to pinch. An Honghan couldn't help but rub it repeatedly, he really liked kneading the child's face.
Xi Xizhi tried her best to ignore the large hand that was kneading her face like dough, cursing inwardly, "Why does An Honghan always like to punish me with kisses?" She had been kissed like this countless times before, and Xi Xizhi had gradually gotten used to it. Without feeling embarrassed at all, she leaned in front of An Honghan and kissed his cheek.
Her pink lips pressed tightly against An Honghan's handsome face.
An Honghan smiled slightly. It seems this child has a good ability to learn.
Before, she would blush every time I asked her to kiss me, but now she doesn't even blink.
"I'll let you off this time, but once you get back, you must learn all the characters in that calligraphy copybook. I will check your homework, so don't even think about slacking off." After giving this final warning, An Honghan pulled Xi Xizhi into his arms and made her sit on his lap.
The carriage moved slowly forward, with endless scenery on both sides.
Every now and then, Xi Xizhi would lift the carriage curtain and look outside. Spending all her time in the palace, facing the towering walls and glazed tiles every day, seeing these natural landscapes gradually brightened her mood.
Taking a few deep breaths, Xi Xizhi looked completely absorbed.
Located not far from the city outskirts, Youyun Mountain is a royal hunting ground exclusively for the royal family.
This place has been a hunting ground for generations, and only members of the royal family were allowed to hunt the animals in the mountains.
Whenever the number of animals in the mountains decreased, or the variety of animals decreased, the royal family would capture animals from other places and send them in.
Therefore, if we were to ask which mountain has the most diverse range of animals, it would undoubtedly be Youyun Mountain.
All animals have wild instincts, especially in Youyun Mountain, where danger lurks everywhere.
The carriage traveled from the foot of the mountain to the halfway point. Beyond that, it was hunting grounds.
A palace was built halfway up the mountain, specifically as a resting place for the royal family when they came to hunt.
The eunuch lifted the carriage curtain, and Xi Xizhi immediately saw the palace gate directly in front of her.
Although it cannot compare to the extravagance of the imperial palace, it is still an extremely difficult thing to build such a large palace on such a high mountain, and it must have cost a lot of manpower and financial resources.
As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, An Honghan said, "It's almost noon now. After lunch, we'll continue our hunt up the mountain."
This wasn't An Honghan's first time participating in the hunting festival, and he acted very casually, as if he didn't take it seriously at all.
Unlike him, Xi Xizhi was not only participating in the hunting festival for the first time, but also had a thorn in her side.
Peeking around, I happened to see several squirrels hopping and jumping in the nearby woods.
The thought of the animals on the mountain being cruelly deprived of their lives in the future made Xi Xizhi sigh heavily.
Just by looking at the geographical location of Youyun Mountain and the scenery around it, you can tell that the feng shui here is excellent; otherwise, it could not have nurtured so many living beings.
She had already made up her mind: now that she was here, she wouldn't continue to slaughter living beings. Xi Xizhi clenched her fists secretly. No matter what, she was determined to disrupt the hunting festival today. After all, An Honghan had said that whatever she did, he would take care of it.
With An Honghan saying that, who would Xi Xizhi be afraid of? So what if she caused trouble? It's not the first time.
As An Honghan entered the palace, a hundred palace maids and eunuchs had been waiting for a long time, standing on both sides. Upon seeing An Honghan enter, they all knelt down and shouted, "Welcome Your Majesty!"
The sound was so loud that Xi Xizhi had to pick her ears.
This hunting festival attracted not only ministers from Fengze Kingdom, but also outsider Dongfang Youyu, who came to join in the fun.
The palace where the guests were entertained in the imperial palace was quite large, with more than two hundred seats.
Lynn invited everyone to take their seats and diligently maintained order.
An Honghan sat at the head of the table. Because he did not want to be separated from Xi Xizhi, he specially instructed the servants to set up a small table next to him. Thus, this scene appeared in the palace.
On the high platform, a large table and a small table were placed side by side.
The man was handsome and aloof, captivating a large group of women, while the little girl was playful and adorable, attracting everyone's attention.
Xi Xizhi's silver-white hair was generously displayed, as pure as snow.
Ignoring the gazes cast around her, Xi Xizhi's bright eyes were already drawn to the pastries on the table.
Others may not understand her, but doesn't An Honghan understand her? Seeing her greedy eyes, he said indulgently, "If you want to eat, then eat."
It means, don't be restrained.
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