Chapter 319 Slapping Zhao Ning in the Face
There were two boys behind Shen Xu, one on his left and one on his right.
The boy on the left is a head taller than Shen Xu, with a chubby, robust appearance.
It was Xue Chengxuan, the heir of the Duke of Xue, whom Empress Xue personally requested from His Majesty to be chosen as Shen Xu's study companion.
The boy on the right is named Feng Yaojie. He is the second son of the Marquis of Wenchang and also Feng Yuzhen's cousin.
Feng Yaojie was also Shen Xu's study companion.
Li Nanke was not surprised by the appearance of Xue Chengxuan and Feng Yaojie.
What surprised her was the person who was half a step behind Shen Xu.
Zhao Wanqing!
How did she end up at Jingxingyuan?
Upon seeing Shen Xu appear, Princess Zhaoning glanced triumphantly at Li Nanke before quickly going to greet him.
"Royal brother."
Xue Miao and Feng Yuzhen respectfully curtsied.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Wang Tongyun and Zhao Kang tugged at Li Nanke almost simultaneously from the left and right, bringing her back to her senses before she curtsied.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Amidst the sounds of greetings and bows, her voice stood out as particularly clear and melodious.
Shen Xu's gaze fell on her in an instant.
Today, Li Nanke wore a red cross-collar shirt with embroidered vine patterns on the collar, paired with an autumn-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her jet-black hair was still styled in two buns.
Her red hairband, with its delicate openwork butterfly ball hanging beside her ears, swayed slightly, adding a touch of liveliness to her whole being.
Shen Xu's expression became somewhat dazed.
It's strange, why do I always feel a strange sense of familiarity whenever I see Li Nanke?
But it was clearly during the palace banquet on New Year's Eve that he first met Li Nanke.
Li Nanke also said that he had never seen him before.
Shen Xu felt puzzled.
Princess Zhaoning saw that Shen Xu was staring straight at Li Nanke, snorted, and said arrogantly, "From today onwards, my imperial brother will be studying here with us."
Of all the people here, my royal brother is the most honorable. From now on, you must wait for my royal brother here for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before class.
"Once my elder brother arrives, you may pay your respects to him before you begin your lessons, understand?"
Upon hearing these words, Shen Xu's eyes flickered slightly, and he gently tugged at Princess Zhaoning.
"Zhao Ning, this...this isn't appropriate, is it?"
Princess Zhaoning disagreed.
“What’s wrong with that? You are a noble prince, and they should all bow to you whenever they see you.”
"Brother, you must establish yourself now so that they will submit to you."
Is that really the case?
Shen Xu has no memories of his childhood. Six years of wandering outside the palace made him noticeably insecure when facing Princess Zhaoning.
Princess Zhaoning straightened her back. "Of course, you can ask them if you don't believe me."
She pointed to the Xue siblings and the four Feng siblings.
As Xue Miao and Feng Yuzhen served as companions to Princess Zhaoning, Xue Chengxuan and Feng Yaojie dared not contradict Princess Zhaoning.
All four nodded.
Feng Yuzhen readily agreed.
“The princess is right. We will definitely come to pay our respects to the Crown Prince earlier in the future.”
Zhao Wanqing stepped forward, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her face showing a look of utter helplessness.
"Your Majesty, I will follow your instructions and come to pay my respects to the Crown Prince as soon as possible. Today is my first time visiting Jingxing Courtyard."
"I was unfamiliar with the location and terrain, which is why I arrived late. Luckily, I ran into the First Prince outside the courtyard."
She gave Shen Xu a grateful smile.
Princess Zhaoning waved her hand.
“I’m not talking about you, Wanqing. You are different. You are my brother’s savior. At the Lantern Festival, it was thanks to you and Lord Zhao that my brother was able to escape safely by passing on the news in advance.”
Princess Zhaoning pouted and glared at Li Nanke and Wang Tongyun.
"I'm talking about some self-righteous people who think they're something special just because they got a small county magistrate position."
"Ha, which one of you here isn't born into a noble or royal family? You really think you're so high and mighty?"
"Hey, Li Nanke, I'm talking to you. Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to come and pay your respects to my royal brother ahead of time?"
Princess Zhaoning pointed out Li Nanke's name and looked at him aggressively.
Li Nanke found Princess Zhaoning's behavior utterly baffling.
Just as she was about to retort, Wang Tongyun spoke up first.
"Princess, we are here to study. Grand Scholar Wu has already set the rules: roll call at 7:45 AM."
Classes are supposed to begin at 3:45 AM, but now the princess has added another rule, requiring us to wait for the Crown Prince a short time beforehand.
Those who know say we respect the First Prince, but those who don't might think he's come to Jingxing Courtyard to put on airs.
Shen Xu's expression changed slightly.
Princess Zhaoning was furious.
"How dare you disrespect my imperial brother!"
"Guards, slap him in the face!"
The nannies and maids that Princess Zhaoning brought were waiting at the door, but they rushed in when they heard this.
Wang Tongyun's face turned pale, and the anger in her eyes almost burst out.
Her aunt was Consort Wang, and the palace eunuchs and maids would give her some face. Unexpectedly, Princess Zhaoning directly ordered someone to slap her.
"you......"
Li Nanke stepped forward, blocking Wang Tongyun and also separating the approaching palace maids.
She gave Princess Zhaoning and Shen Xu a cold look.
"I heard that when His Majesty was the Crown Prince, he studied in the Zizheng Hall in the palace. The late Emperor granted special permission for the sons of dukes, marquises, and kings to enter the Zizheng Hall."
His Majesty has established a rule in the Zizheng Hall that all those who study in the Zizheng Hall are merely classmates, and everyone is required to treat them with the courtesy due to classmates.
His Majesty also treated others with the respect due to classmates, engaging in lively discussions with them about the state of the world, which became a popular topic of conversation.
Today, on their first day of study, the First Prince and Princess Zhaoning established a new rule: to pay their respects beforehand. They even threatened to slap the Fourth Miss Wang for this.
"I wonder what His Majesty and the Empress will think when the news gets back to the palace."
Is it because they find the Crown Prince and Princess Zhaoning's royal bearing impressive, or because they suspect the two are not genuinely here to study?
Her eyes held an undisguised coldness, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Shen Xu's expression immediately changed, and he quickly waved his hand to explain.
"This is not my original intention. I came here to study and learn, so naturally I should follow my father's example and treat everyone with the respect due to fellow students."
As for the matter of paying a visit in advance, it was just a joke from Zhao Ning; everyone should take it to heart.
These words are tantamount to slapping Princess Zhaoning in the face!
Princess Zhaoning stomped her feet in anger.
"Brother! Don't listen to Li Nanke's nonsense, she..."
Shen Xu glanced at Princess Zhaoning with displeasure and interrupted loudly.
"Zhaoning, have you forgotten what the Empress Dowager told us? When I said we don't need this rule, I mean we don't need it!"
If you insist on causing trouble, I will report to the Empress Dowager after we return to the palace, and she will forbid you from studying at Jingxing Academy anymore.
Princess Zhaoning's eyes widened in anger.
"You! You...Brother, I'm doing this for your own good! How can you bite the hand that feeds you? You don't appreciate my good intentions!"
Shen Xu's face darkened.
"You dare call me a dog?"
"I......"
Seeing that the brother and sister were about to start arguing, the Xue siblings and the Feng siblings quickly stepped forward to mediate.
Xue Miao and Feng Yuzhen coaxed Princess Zhaoning.
"The teacher is about to report for duty, Princess, let's hurry."
Princess Zhaoning pouted angrily and glared fiercely at Li Nanke.
"Li Nanke, we'll see!"
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