"That's good. If you can't write it later, I will definitely punish you. As the saying goes, a strict teacher produces outstanding students, don't you think?" An Honghan put away the calligraphy book with a faint smile on his lips, seemingly looking forward to what was to come.
Xi Xizhi dared not refute; if an emperor said to go left, she wouldn't dare go right. She sat up straight, trembling, and nodded to An Honghan, indicating she was ready.
As Xi Xizhi picked up the calligraphy brush, she tried hard to recall the characters in her mind.
Every time An Honghan pronounced a word, Xi Xizhi would start sketching it out. She wrote very carefully, trying her best to make every stroke perfect. However, the handwriting she produced was both laughable and pathetic.
An Honghan sat quietly to the side, watching the child's serious expression, and a sense of satisfaction welled up within him.
Only after all fifty characters were written did An Honghan walk to the desk to check them.
The sheet of rice paper was covered with tadpole-like characters. Although they were not aesthetically pleasing, one could tell how hard the writer had worked from the strokes.
Xi Xizhi stared up at An Honghan with a serious expression, as if afraid he might say something wrong.
The child's worried and frightened eyes aroused An Honghan's teasing urge again, "Here... and here it seems..."
Her words came out haltingly, and Xi Xizhi's heart trembled slightly.
"Where's the problem? Where?" A small head quickly approached An Honghan, its bright eyes scanning the spot An Honghan pointed to. After thinking carefully for a while, Xi Xizhi shook her head with absolute certainty, "This character is clearly written like this, where is the mistake?"
An Honghan couldn't help but laugh. What an easy little brat to fool.
"Am I wrong?" He didn't utter a single word of 'wrong' from beginning to end.
Xi Xizhi was speechless, cursing inwardly, "Insidious, so incredibly insidious!"
An Honghan was just teasing her and making fun of her!
Xi Xi's teeth chattered, and she glared defiantly.
The more Xi Xizhi acted this way, the more pleased An Honghan felt. From the very beginning, after scanning the entire sheet of Xuan paper, he knew there were no mistakes. However, teasing Xi Xizhi was indeed quite amusing.
An Honghan spread the Xuan paper out on the table and nodded to her, "You've improved a lot this time; at least you didn't make a single mistake."
Xi Xizhi breathed a sigh of relief, her tense expression instantly relaxing. She slumped into a chair, reclining comfortably.
Many palace maids and eunuchs stood around. When they saw a child sitting so casually on the chair, completely disregarding His Majesty beside him, they were all greatly surprised... This child is really bold. He actually dares to snatch the chair that His Majesty sits on when he is handling state affairs.
Stared at by many strange eyes, Xi Xizhi stiffly turned her head and looked around, somewhat confused.
She didn't do anything wrong, so why is everyone staring at her like that?
Seeing that An Honghan was still standing to the side, without making any move.
Even the slow-witted Xi Xizhi noticed something was wrong.
An Honghan came to the Imperial Study to handle government affairs, but at this moment, the only desk was occupied by him. Where was An Honghan supposed to look at the memorials?
Realizing the problem, Xi Xizhi quickly jumped up from her chair, wanting to return the seat to An Honghan.
Just then, a eunuch's loud shout came from outside the door.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Lüyun Kingdom requests an audience."
Xi Xizhi's ears perked up. Dongfang Youyu is here? What's he doing here? In recent days, he has rarely interacted with Dongfang Youyu, and the number of times he has taken the initiative to come to the Imperial Study has been pitifully small.
The saying goes, "No one visits the temple without a reason," so Dongfang Youyu's visit this time is probably not simple.
"Sit down." Xi Xizhi tugged at An Honghan's sleeve, gesturing for him to sit down in the chair.
If the ruler of a country doesn't even sit down, and everyone else occupies their seats and refuses to leave, isn't that just courting death?
As An Honghan sat back down, Xi Xizhi was about to stand further away when her arm was suddenly grabbed. In a dizzying moment, Xi Xizhi fell into An Honghan's arms.
“Since you have yielded the throne to me, how can I let you stand?” An Honghan said with a half-smile.
Xi Xizhi cried out in her heart, "This seat was originally yours! How could she have given it to you? She was just returning the seat to its rightful owner."
The interaction between the two puzzled the palace maids and eunuchs. If His Majesty had feelings for Miss Xi, she was only a seven or eight-year-old child...
They probably don't even understand love and romance, so how could they possibly have romantic thoughts!
It's truly impossible to fathom what His Majesty is thinking.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Dongfang Youyu bowed as he entered the room.
He was refined and gentle, with a faint smile on his lips, always making people feel close to him.
It is precisely because of this appearance that many people have been deceived.
"What business does Your Highness have with me?" An Honghan asked directly, unwilling to beat around the bush.
Although Dongfang Youyu had a smile on his lips, a trace of anxiety appeared on his face. If he had a choice, he would not have come to An Honghan.
On someone else's turf, he can mobilize manpower and resources, but they are limited. Even a powerful dragon fears a local snake. Of course, Dongfang Youyu cannot be as free as he is in his own country.
"I have a request, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it." Dongfang Youyu performed the proper etiquette, exuding the noble air of royalty.
Although his aura wasn't as strong as An Honghan's, he was still outstanding compared to others, far surpassing most people.
"Your Highness, please speak first." An Honghan opened a memorial and said this seemingly casually.
However, despite An Honghan's nonchalant demeanor, he actually took Dongfang Youyu's visit to the Imperial Study very seriously.
Xi Xizhi's curiosity was also piqued. She leaned against An Honghan's chest, staring at him intently. Even though she didn't ask, everyone could tell that her eyes clearly said, 'What is it? I want to know too.'
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