An Honghan took a sip of tea, gleaning the main point from Lin En's words: "You didn't learn anything?"
Xi Xizhi openly admitted, nodding, "What Grand Tutor Zhao said is not suitable for me."
She doesn't need the art of governing a country.
All she needs is a peaceful heart. With proper cultivation, she will one day ascend to heaven and reunite with her master.
"What do you mean?" An Honghan hugged the child and let her sit in his lap.
Xi Xizhi was embarrassed at first, but later she gradually got used to An Honghan's embrace.
“I can’t read…” Xi Xizhi said, “What Grand Tutor Zhao is saying are just principles, which I don’t need for the time being.”
“That makes sense.” An Honghan’s dark eyes flickered as he said, “Then don’t go tomorrow. I will set aside an hour each day to teach you to write. As for going to the Imperial Tutor’s Academy, we’ll talk about it after you’ve learned to read.”
An Honghan's time is extremely precious, yet now he is willing to spare an hour for a certain child.
Lynn no longer knew how to describe His Majesty. At least in his eyes, His Majesty's affection for the little girl far surpassed everything else. The Phoenix Cloud Sable, which His Majesty used to cherish, had been missing for two or three days, and His Majesty hadn't even bothered to inquire about it.
"You'll teach me?" Xi Xizhi repeated, a little uncertain.
“I’m teaching you, is there anything wrong with that? You are my pet.” An Honghan said coldly and ruthlessly, which immediately aroused the imagination of a large group of palace maids and eunuchs.
What does it mean to be raised by the emperor?
A mistress! A daughter! Or a daughter-in-law?
Lynn was also stunned, unable to guess His Majesty's thoughts.
However, Xi Xizhi found these words to be extremely reasonable. Since An Honghan was teaching her to read, she didn't need to get up early every day to go to the Imperial Tutor's Academy. Besides, she always felt that the way Imperial Tutor Zhao taught was simply not suitable for her.
It's like... a newborn baby who can't even speak yet, and you're forcing them to read some kind of article. This kind of learning mode that jumps through levels isn't something everyone can adapt to.
"That works too." It's always better to trouble your own family than to bother others.
Seeing that the child agreed, An Honghan couldn't help but pinch her cheek.
It's chubby and feels great to squeeze.
But Xi Xizhi was unwilling. Who would want their face to be kneaded and rubbed like flour every day? Taking advantage of An Honghan's attempt to touch her again, Xi Xizhi quickly turned her face away.
"Lin En, serve the meal." An Honghan hadn't forgotten his promise to the child.
When a group of beautiful palace maids brought out the dishes, Xi Xizhi's first sight was of the fragrant Phoenix Golden Scale Fish. The fish was fried to a golden brown and crispy perfection, and its aroma wafted from afar. Xi Xizhi's appetite was whetted as she watched the maids place the dish on the table.
Xi Xizhi reached for the chopsticks, but as soon as she bent her fingers, a sharp pain shot through her wound. There was no bleeding from her palm, but there was a large bruise.
Not wanting An Honghan to notice anything amiss, Xi Xizhi remained in her original posture without moving.
An Honghan noticed the unusual expression on her face and asked in a deep voice, "Not to your liking?"
However, these dishes were all carefully prepared by the imperial kitchen at his behest, according to the tastes of a certain little ferret. So that possibility can be ruled out. But how could the little ferret, who usually loves delicious food, not be tempted by such delicacies?
After thinking it over, An Honghan recalled the incident with the Empress Dowager, in which Xiao Diao was injured and lost his appetite.
Since Xi Xizhi has now transformed into a human and grown considerably larger, it's a bit inconvenient for An Honghan to examine her. He can only ask first, "Are you feeling unwell? Or are you in a bad mood?"
The first sentence was correct, but Xi Xizhi still shook her head, "I suddenly lost my appetite."
Of course, this was just a lie. In reality, she craved fish so much that her mouth was practically watering...
Xi Xizhi's eyes flickered; it was clearly impossible to fool An Honghan, that sly fox.
An Honghan put down his chopsticks and repeated, "What exactly happened?"
Xi Xizhi remained silent, saying, "It's really nothing."
He only got a slap on the palm from the Grand Tutor...
It hurts a bit, but it's not a serious injury.
Besides, it was only her first day at the Imperial Tutor's Academy. If An Honghan found out that she had been slapped on the palm, he would probably ridicule her in countless ways.
“Lin En, you speak,” An Honghan turned to ask Lin En.
Lynn was stunned. He had been staying outside the Imperial Tutor's residence the whole time, so he didn't know what was happening inside.
"Your Majesty, this servant does not know, but when this servant went in to fetch her, I saw her talking to Grand Tutor Zhao." Lin En reported truthfully, not daring to lie.
An Honghan's gaze grew increasingly gloomy, with a hint of an impending outburst. He suddenly grabbed Xi Xizhi's hand, pried it open, and saw that her once fair and tender palm was now covered in red marks, indicating that she had been struck with a vine.
The tutors who taught in the palace were given certain powers. For example, when students misbehaved, they could be punished with a cane, made to stand in the corner, or forced to squat in a horse stance, in order to make the students more obedient.
But looking at these injuries, An Honghan couldn't calm down. He wouldn't even hurt a hair on Xi Xizhi's head, yet he was beaten by someone else. How angry could he be?
Xi Xizhi lowered her head, feeling a little guilty. "If you want to laugh, then laugh."
On the first day of class, he was reprimanded by the Grand Tutor. Wouldn't that make him a laughing stock if word got out? The proud child immediately curled up into a ball, wishing he could transform into a little sable and hide in An Honghan's arms so that no one could see him.
An Honghan slammed his fist on the table in anger and said in a sinister tone, "Anyone who dares to laugh, I will cut out their tongue."
The entire hall was quiet; no one dared to make a sound.
An Honghan held Xi Xizhi's hand and examined her back and forth, then instructed Lin En to get some medicine for her injuries.
"Why did Grand Tutor Zhao hit you?" Although An Honghan was angry, he was not so irrational as to lose his temper.
Zhao Taifu was a strict man, and he was known for his strictness towards his students. However, knowing that Xi Xizhi was someone he had sent there, he still dared to hit her with a rattan cane, which was a huge disrespect to An Honghan.
Xi Xizhi told An Honghan all twenty-seven charges that Zhao Taifu had made when he reprimanded her, and while speaking, she deliberately imitated the old man's old-fashioned manner.
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