Chapter 53 Chapter 53 22
After finishing his official duties, Qi Ruiyi naturally changed into an ordinary set of clothes that were carefully designed and went to the Jiaofangsi.
Yesterday, he went there casually and asked someone to find him a set of clothes. Although it was not too bad, it did not fit him well. It was okay for him to wear it if he was going on a private visit, but it seemed a bit perfunctory in front of his sweetheart.
Although his outfit today is still not luxurious, his thoughts are hidden in the details. Whether it is the shoulders, waist, or even the cuffs, they have been specially treated to show his best side to the fullest.
He also took the purse that Ruoruo had dropped last time and carefully put it in his arms.
The purse that seemed a little weird at first now just looks cute, and it's probably the only one of its kind in the world.
As for Murong Bo and Qi Xunjing...
The former has been idle for so many years, and he did a pretty good job helping him some time ago. Now it's time for him to get some serious work. Jiangnan just happened to have something that required him to go to.
The latter was the Prime Minister of Daling. The late emperor had just passed away, and now was the time when he was needed as a Prime Minister. The capable should work harder, so he naturally had to work diligently with other officials.
As for him, he was still adjusting to the throne and naturally needed a balance between work and rest. Furthermore, his visit to the Imperial Music Bureau was a serious matter. After all, he hadn't been emperor for two days, and the ministers had already begun submitting petitions to appoint an empress and fill his harem. He had thus fulfilled their wishes, saving some of the pedantic old ministers from getting mad at him for having no concubines.
This time when he arrived at the Jiaofangsi, he heard that Ruoruo was practicing dancing. Of course, other people were not allowed to go in and watch, but who could blame him for his unusual status?
Not only did Ruoruo specifically instruct others on what to do if Qi Ruiyi came, but Nanxu also knew his identity. Although Nanxu knew his feelings for Ruoruo, he also remembered that he was just a eunuch.
When Murong Bo came to the Jiaofangsi to ask to see Ruoruo, he was still a little reluctant, but since the most distinguished person in Daling wanted to see him, he would never have any intention of stopping him even if it was for Ruoruo's good.
Ruoruo's dance skills are now just to follow others and do a few simple moves. After all, she hasn't been learning for long, so she can't do any difficult moves.
But she's so beautiful! Not to mention her exquisite figure, even with just a few simple movements, it's hard to take your eyes off her.
The dance teacher was an elderly court dancer who had never been able to become the lead dancer when she was young because her appearance was not as good as others. She always thought that her dancing skills were much better than those who snatched the lead dancer position from her, so she disliked Ruoruo from the bottom of her heart when she first saw her.
Some people, relying on their looks, often get things that others struggle to obtain without much effort, and she hated such people the most. In her opinion, Ruo Ruo's outstanding and easily soft-hearted face was the most typical example.
So even though there were people watching nearby, she still put on airs, picked up the blackboard brush, and swung it at Ruoruo without mercy.
When she faced the young and beautiful Ruoruo, she couldn't help but think of the grievances she had suffered in the palace, and she wished that someone like Ruoruo, who relied on her pretty face and had nothing else to offer, would also have a taste of the grievances.
For this reason, she didn't even bother to think about why Ruoruo had only come to her once more than a month ago and never came again after that, and why she came again after such a long time.
Anyway, she came from the palace, and even Eunuch Nan couldn't do anything to her. She was just teaching dance skills according to her habits. Who could criticize her?
But her teaching stick was stopped by someone.
"Do you understand the rules?" Not only did he come in without permission to watch the dance class, but he was also preventing her from teaching someone.
You have to know that she was invited out from the palace. She can't be said to be the biggest in the Jiaofangsi, but when she is teaching, others have no right to make comments.
Qi Ruiyi's face looked even uglier than hers, and he felt a burning pain in his hand. He couldn't imagine if the pain fell on Ruoruo, and whether the little girl could bear it.
When he heard the word "rules", he laughed out of anger. This was the first person who mentioned rules in front of him.
He winked and had her dragged away. It was time for her to learn some proper manners.
Nan Xu followed behind and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him stop the teaching stick. If it wasn't for Ruoruo's request, he wouldn't have been willing to let her take the risk.
But now the effect is very obvious. The new emperor is obviously distressed, and she has obviously used the skills he taught her before on the new emperor.
With a slender waist that can be held in one hand and a pitiful look on the goddess-like Ruoruo, not only men but even people of the same sex would easily feel possessive of her.
Nan Xu slowly exhaled. It was time for him to prepare to face the questioning from the new emperor's men. Of course, he had thought of a solution in advance. If nothing unexpected happened, after today, the Jiaofangsi would become his one-man show, and even those teachers who came out of the palace to retire and teach dance and songs would have to listen to him.
It was naturally good for some people to get along with him, but some people relied on the fact that they came from the palace and had some connections with the palace, so they acted arrogantly in front of him, turning a deaf ear to his arrangements and taking out their anger on the people from the Music Bureau. Nan Xu watched them coldly and felt uncomfortable.
Those who were disobedient in the Jiaofangsi would naturally be punished, but he was unhappy that a good girl was injured while being arranged to learn some skills.
Taking this opportunity, such people can also disappear from the Jiaofangsi.
He couldn't hold the girl in his heart, but he had to hold the Jiaofangsi in his hands. As for receiving minor punishments, they were naturally inevitable. He had been in the palace for many years and had been punished before. As long as his life was safe, it was not a big deal for him.
"Miss Ruoruo, are you okay?" Qi Ruiyi supported Ruoruo's frightened body, and the worry in his eyes was very obvious.
But the next second, she felt the touch of her hands through the clothes and her face turned red uncontrollably.
Ruoruo seemed not to feel his stiffness at all. She trembled in his arms, and only after a while did she start to pay attention to the red marks on his hands.
"Thank you very much, sir, but your hand..." Ruo Ruo hesitated to speak, tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's fine, but there are some red marks, which will disappear in a while."
The eunuch who was following Qi Ruiyi not far away heard his words and hesitated to speak. He secretly raised his eyes to look at the emperor, then glanced at the girl in the man's arms, lowered his head and said nothing, no longer struggling.
"I still have to thank you, sir, otherwise..." Ruo Ruo raised her head and wanted to say something, but the next moment she realized how intimate their actions were. Her face immediately turned red, and she let go of the hand that was touching Qi Ruiyi. She also moved two steps to the side and withdrew from his arms.
"Miss Ruoruo, just call me Ayi. From now on, I will call you by your name, okay?" He thought about it over and over again last night, and always felt that his conversation with Ruoruo was a little strange. However, he had been busy all day dealing with his father's errands, guarding against his brothers, and worrying about the common people. He had never been with a girl, and for a moment he couldn't figure out what went wrong.
It was not until today, on the way here, that he happened to meet a young couple chatting with each other. The one called her by her maiden name, and the other called him Alang. The two were very close, and he realized the importance of names.
"Ayi." Ruoruo looked up at his eyes and called softly.
Qi Ruiyi's face suddenly turned red, and even his ears were red. Fortunately, he had been outside in the sun these days, so his skin was not so white.
"By the way, is this the purse that the girl dropped last time? I found it on the ground. I thought she might have accidentally left it behind last time, so I brought it here today."
As he spoke, he took out the purse with a somewhat awkward embroidered pattern from his arms as if he were taking out a treasure.
Ruo Ruo lowered her head and felt a little embarrassed when she saw the rough stitching on the purse.
"I'm not good at sewing, and I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sir... and Ayi." Ruo Ruo lowered her head, as if she was ashamed to see others because of this awkward sewing work.
"Where? This embroidery is very lovely, the purse stitching is dense, and the fabric is also exquisitely chosen. But I see that you are wearing something else, Ruo Ruo?"
"Yes, after I lost this purse, I sewed a new one." Ruo Ruo nodded. "If Ayi doesn't mind, I'll give this purse to Ayi, okay?"
Qi Ruiyi nodded repeatedly. Whether he was a prince or the new emperor, he certainly needed a purse. But the purse made by Ruoruo himself, which he had picked up when they first met, naturally held a special meaning in his heart.
Not to mention that this was the first thing Ruoruo gave him. Let alone a purse, even if it was a stone, he would regard it as a treasure.
"This Jiaofangsi is a mixed bag. Ruoruo, you will inevitably suffer grievances here. If you don't mind, why don't you follow me and leave the Jiaofangsi." Qi Ruiyi asked tentatively.
Originally, he hadn't planned to be so hasty. After all, the Bai family was still in prison. If he confessed his identity to Ruoruo now, it might scare her. It would be better to wait until Bai Jing was released and then propose marriage, openly and honestly crowning her as queen. This would be more legitimate, but what happened today really made him worry about Ruoruo.
The little girl didn't know how to tell him when she was bullied, for fear that she would be bullied again in a place where he couldn't reach her.
In Qi Ruiyi's heart, Ruoruo is now like fragile glass and needs to be well protected.
Ruo Ruo shook her head and rejected his proposal. "The family of a criminal cannot be redeemed by others at will. Besides, Eunuch Nan has already taken good care of Ruo Ruo. How can Ruo Ruo cause him more trouble? Ah Yi, please don't mention it again in the future."
"But I am..." Qi Ruiyi wanted to confess his identity.
"Ayi isn't going to say that he can make an exception because of his high position and power, is he?" Ruo Ruo widened her eyes, her clear gaze filled with questions and suspicions.
"Although I am only a little girl, I have heard my father say that a country cannot be governed without laws, and officials must be fair and honest. The higher the position, the more they should set an example. If it is because of Ruo Ruo that Ayi breaks the rules, Ruo Ruo will be ashamed to live."
...Qi Ruiyi was so stunned by her words that he couldn't say anything for a moment.
Why hadn't he heard of Bai Jing being so rigid before? He could have been good to Ruo Ruo, but instead of teaching her, he kept talking about these nonsense all day long.
Although Qi Ruiyi had some complaints, he inevitably felt more at ease with Bai Jing.
"Then Ruoruo must protect herself in the Jiaofangsi. If something like this happens next time, don't tolerate it." Qi Ruiyi reminded her, and was ready to go back and give the person in charge of the Jiaofangsi a good beating.
"I didn't suffer any injustice. This incident was just an accident. But Ayi was injured because of me..."
When Qi Ruiyi heard her say this, he felt that she was easy to be bullied. After all, she was so kind-hearted that even if she was really bullied, she might not be able to tell.
He made up his mind that the Bai family's affairs must be investigated thoroughly and resolved as soon as possible.
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