The eldest princess found her spiritual support and followed Yu Zizhen happily every day, as if she could generate a lot of courage and sense of security out of thin air by doing so.
The second prince felt the fatherly and brotherly love that he had almost no chance to feel before. His academic performance also gradually improved thanks to the eldest prince and Yu Zizhen. Not only did the emperor occasionally praise and reward the second prince, but the queen, Xiao Lu, felt relieved and her attitude towards the second prince also improved slightly.
The Second Prince was beaten and scolded less often, so his mood naturally improved. In addition, because of the change in Xiao Lu's attitude, his palace servants no longer dared to secretly deduct his share of food, clothing and housing. He soon became more energetic day by day, just like a seedling nourished by soil and rain.
What made the eldest prince and His Majesty the emperor most happy was that the second prince's weak character was gradually improving unknowingly. Although he still didn't dare to talk back to Xiao Lu in person, he already had the courage to whisper to Xiao Lu in private after leaving Xiao Lu and her spies.
Especially when little Lu slandered the eldest prince, he would seriously refute them one by one whenever he got the chance to be alone.
This timid yet brave look made Yu Zizhen feel more favorable towards him.
She secretly told this to the eldest prince. Although the eldest prince was moved, when the two brothers were alone, he quietly warned the second prince not to do this again.
In his words, "There's no such thing as a truly deserted place in this palace. You're in a difficult situation, so you must always keep in mind the words 'be careful in what you say and do.'"
The second prince knew that the eldest prince really wanted him to have an easy life, so he gave him such serious advice. This warmth and kindness made the second prince suddenly remember all the grievances and sadness he had suffered before. He couldn't help but hugged the eldest prince and cried silently.
He didn't dare cry out loud because he knew that the eldest prince, like him, lived under the surveillance of others almost every moment. He was afraid that his crying would attract those with ulterior motives.
If he really couldn't help it, he actually didn't want to cry in the Grand Prince's Palace.
The eldest prince was suddenly hugged by his legs and almost subconsciously turned his wheelchair to move backwards, but before he could move, the second prince's face full of tears had already entered his field of vision without warning.
The eldest prince's hand paused for a moment, then finally moved from the wheelchair to the second prince's small shoulder. He patted his half-brother's shoulder and said, "Okay, stop crying. Don't let anyone see that you look strange."
It’s not that he is cruel to the children, but because of their status, they cannot do or not do whatever they want.
The second prince was obviously very sensible. He didn't even dare to wipe away his tears. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and control his tears. He sat quietly for a while and carefully used a handkerchief to absorb the water marks on his face.
Yu Zizhen, who was sitting outside to keep them out, felt helpless because Wu Mingyu, who had completely forgotten that he was the second prince's study companion, came to bother her again.
The other party has become more and more tactless recently. Although he still doesn't dare to come over and talk to her while she is reciting, he has started to make noise deliberately.
During the period when the second prince and the eldest princess were each doing what they wanted, Yu Zizhen also reaped a lot of rewards.
In terms of talent, in the primary school she set up in the palace, the children's favorability towards Yu Zizhen has been steadily increasing under Jiang Yunshan's subtle guidance.
Wen Xiaoman, the Lu family, and others she had recruited and subsequently released had already established themselves in their destinations. The powerful brainwashing system Yu Zizhen had given them had already been immediately put to use. Most of those who had benefited from their kindness would gradually become loyal to Yu Zizhen under their daily guidance.
As for money, what Wen Xiaoman and others earned for her through business, what she got from the Ji family's incense shop, her annual salary as a prince, and the rewards given by the palace during festivals and holidays were just a small part of the money. The bulk of the money was earned by her diligent work as a thief.
As a mysterious thief who specializes in robbing corrupt officials and using their power to punish them, Yu Zizhen has successfully become a terrifying figure that every corrupt official in Beijing fears and hates.
If she had many little secrets that were not suitable to be publicized in these two aspects, then when it came to improving her own abilities, Yu Zizhen didn't mind at all if others knew how hard she worked.
Reading, martial arts, medicine, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, songs, foreign languages, horse-hunting, horse-riding, Cuju, pitching pots, and cover-covering, learning the difficult dialects of various regions, gardening, brewing, and tea-making, carving, papermaking, and dyeing, learning to make lanterns and kites...
Apart from "reading" and the arts of calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs, which she either pretended to be talented in or really had no talent for, there was nothing she would not learn, and nothing she could not learn well, as long as she had the slightest interest in it.
She could even learn to flatter the eunuchs around the chief eunuch and she could do it perfectly.
She made rapid progress and was incredibly hardworking, so much so that every time her friends saw her quickly progress from unfamiliar to proficient, then proficient to master, and finally crush everyone else, they couldn't help but whine, "We're just playing around, are you really that complacent?"
They learned the word "juan" from Yu Zizhen.
Of course, Yu Zizhen's "paper" unfortunately did not help her gain much praise and envy, because she deliberately pretended to be not good at studying, and she really had no talent in piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs.
In addition, due to her occasional bizarre behavior and shocking remarks, she has always received mixed reviews in the powerful circles of the capital.
As for what good things she did...
She once asked the imperial physician if she could sew up the skin of people with serious injuries. Many people secretly called her the "reincarnation of an evil spirit."
Moreover, she was like a second-generation rich kid who only knew how to squander money. She was curious about everything and wanted to try everything. She occupied the courtyards in the mansion one after another for various purposes, and then quickly gave up halfway. Outsiders didn't know that she was actually taking the opportunity to recruit talents from all walks of life who were regarded as lowly by the powerful class, so her reputation for not doing her job properly has been widely circulated.
What made those guys who had ill intentions towards her speechless was that she was so curious and had obviously spent money in many strange places, but every time they wanted to lead her to do bad things, she would always be as slippery as a loach.
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