Chapter 66 The first aunt to open her heart to him...
Zhou Chuanxing was busy with court affairs all day long. If it was a major matter of the court, Tang Xinuan would definitely believe that what he said was true.
However, when it comes to the challenge and mentoring students, she feels that Zhou Chuanxing is not as good as her.
"Erlang..."
After spending several days together, Zhou Chuanxing had come to know the girl quite well.
You could tell from her expression that she was full of self-doubt.
Noticing Sun Qingzhao sitting next to him organizing the list, he kicked the leg of his chair, signaling him to express his opinion.
How could Sun Qingzhao not understand that the Regent Prince doted on his little male favorite and was reluctant to let him participate in the competition that afternoon?
Look at how intimately the two of them are whispering sweet nothings to each other.
When they look at each other, the deep affection in their eyes is so intense it's almost overwhelming.
You can forgive two men for spoiling you like this.
Or maybe he should just find a man too.
No, no, he still has the important responsibility of carrying on the family line. If he marries a man, his mother will hang him on the door with a rope.
It has to be a prince with courage, unafraid of worldly conventions, and unconcerned about his descendants.
"Brother Han, the results this morning were good. We can pause this afternoon and continue tomorrow morning, so they don't keep observing and it will affect the results."
Sun Qingzhao was the planner of this challenge, so his insights are certainly authoritative.
Tang Xinuan was delighted: "Alright then, we won't have the competition this afternoon. Brother Sun has found an academy, and I'd like to go take a look."
Zhou Chuanxing asked helplessly, "Can your body handle it?"
Tang Xinuan carefully observed Zhou Chuanxing's expression and was able to distinguish expressions that were more complex than just joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
I noticed his brow was furrowed, his pupils were deep, and fine lines appeared on his forehead.
Even the slightest touch caused a sharp pain in my chest.
She poked the man's cheek. "Are you worried about me?"
Zhou Chuanxing took her restless little hand in his. "What do you think? You finally recovered, what will I do if you get sick again?"
“I’m in good health,” Tang Xinuan said, rubbing his cheeks vigorously with both hands. “The imperial physician said I’m fine. As long as I take the medicinal diet he prescribed on time, it won’t be long before I’m even stronger than you.”
“Okay, I’ll do as you say,” Zhou Chuanxing instructed Zisu and Xiaoqian. “Take good care of her, go check on her, and then go back to the manor to rest.”
Zisu and Xiaoqian replied at the same time, "Yes."
Zhou Chuanxing left after having lunch with the little girl.
Tang Xinu dozed off for a while, then went to the academy with Sun Qingzhao.
Not far from the Prince's Mansion, it was originally a private school for a wealthy family.
More than a decade ago, rebel forces stormed the capital, and the entire original owner's family perished under their iron hooves.
This private school became the domain of the Lord.
Sun Qingzhao borrowed the address from Zhou Chuanxing after finding a good one, and it's almost ready to start classes anytime.
Zhou Chuanxing handed over the enrollment matters to Wei Minzhao.
He brought people to the academy these past few days to make preparations.
Hearing the news, Chao Li rushed over early in the morning to help.
When Tang Xinuan, Sun Qingzhao, and the others arrived, Wei Minzhao and Chao Li were busy leading their people.
“Lord Sun,” Wei Minzhao saw Sun Qingzhao eagerly seeking his advice, “His Highness means that this course is completely free, but there is a threshold: only those with a recommendation letter for the provincial examination can participate. The princess and I have prepared a registration list; please check if there is anything missing.”
Wei Minzhao had considered everything very thoroughly, and Sun Qingzhao couldn't help but admire him, saying, "Young Master Wei has done a very good job."
Wei Minzhao was praised in a common way, but in front of Princess Chaoli, it was enough to make him proud.
Although his expression remained calm, a smile appeared in his eyes as he looked at Princess Chaoli, his expression full of intriguing meaning.
Chao Li's feelings for Wei Minzhao are not strong enough. Having grown up in a difficult environment, she is now single-mindedly looking for a husband who can be helpful to her second brother.
Only when her second brother ascends the throne will the world be stable, and only then will she be able to live a peaceful and worry-free life in her later years.
However, when Wei Minzhao looked at her, she returned an encouraging look.
Tang Xinuan was present when Wei Minzhao asked Zhou Chuanxing for the hand of Princess Chaoli.
She has recently begun to experience romantic feelings and is gradually paying more attention to interactions between men and women.
Noticing Wei Minzhao and Princess Chaoli's reactions, he quietly pulled Sun Qingzhao aside and asked, "Brother Sun, can you tell whether Chaoli likes Young Master Wei or not?"
This problem stumped Sun Qingzhao.
"This... I don't understand."
He's still an old bachelor.
After his family's downfall, he was busy studying and thinking about how to get ahead in life. He had no time to pay attention to romantic relationships.
There were things in the world that Sun Qingzhao didn't understand, and Tang Xinuan suddenly laughed.
"You don't even understand this? I always thought you were the smartest person in the world."
Lian Qiao was not far from the two of them and couldn't stand Sun Qingzhao's smug and petty behavior. "What could he possibly understand, Young Master Han? You might as well ask me."
Tang Xinuan asked curiously, "You can understand it? Then tell me, does the princess like Young Master Wei?"
Lian Qiao stammered, "Young Master Han, I've never been in love before."
Tang Xinuan didn't stay at the academy for long. There were people in charge of everything, so she couldn't help. Following Zhou Chuanxing's instructions, she returned to the palace to rest early.
On the way, she was curious about the origins of Lianqiao and Zisu. She only knew that the two were there to protect her, but she had no idea where their home was or who else lived there.
"Lianqiao, how did you meet Erlang? What were you doing before you protected me?"
Lian Qiao first looked at Zi Su, and only answered Tang Xinuan's question after seeing her nod.
“We were born in a small border town. Our parents were killed by invading enemy troops, and we became orphans. It was the prince who saved us.”
When Tang Xinuan first heard about their backgrounds, she was surprised to find that they were just as pitiful as she was.
They were all orphans without parents.
"Then astragalus and lily bulbs are included?"
Lian Qiao nodded: "Yes, we are all like that. In fact, there are many orphans like us. When the prince rescued us, we were still young. The prince took us orphans in together, gave us food and shelter, and sent people to teach us survival skills."
He would even train us personally when he had time. Most of my sister's and my martial arts skills were taught by the Prince. In our eyes, the Prince was like an elder brother to us, just like our father.
This was the first time Tang Xinuan had heard about Zhou Chuanxing's past.
"Exactly how many people are like you?"
Lian Qiao answered without hesitation, "There are seven or eight hundred people."
Tang Xi was deeply moved; she realized that Zhou Chuanxing had saved so many orphans.
If she had met him when she was a child, would her life have been different?
Tang Xinuan was feeling down. "Where are those people?"
Lian Qiao: "Many of them have already come of age. Some have been sent to the frontier, some have joined the Imperial Guard, and some have returned to their hometowns to live a quiet life after getting married. As for us, who don't want to go anywhere, the prince has arranged jobs for us."
Tang Xinuan became interested again, "Have you seen the prince when he went to war? Was he particularly brave?"
Lian Qiao spoke eloquently about Zhou Chuanxing's heroic deeds in leading troops into battle.
"The prince is not only brave, but also a god of war. He has led troops for so many years without a single defeat. He has made the surrounding small countries tremble with fear. They are terrified just by hearing his name."
When Zhou Chuanxing was mentioned as the commander of the troops, even Zisu, who was usually calm and reserved, became interested in speaking.
“Miss Tang, all the people on the frontier know the Prince. When the children in the farmhouses make a fuss, their parents use the Prince to scare them.”
Tang Xinuan asked curiously, "How do you scare them?"
Lian Qiao, with a stern expression, mimicked those parents, "That's it. If you cry again, the General will come and take you away!"
Tang Xinu couldn't help but chuckle, "Is he that scary? I think he's very gentle."
Lian Qiao snorted, "That's for you. You didn't see how strict he was when he taught us kung fu. We were all afraid of him."
Zisu added, "The prince is doing this for our own good. On the battlefield, a slight mistake can cost you your life. He wants us to practice our martial arts so that we can save our lives in critical moments."
Tang Xinuan was moved by these words.
His eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
"So that's what kind of person he is."
Reflecting on his own past, he asked, "So, he's met quite a few girls, but didn't he find one he liked?"
Zisu laughed: "He treats us like his children. How could he have a favorite woman? Miss Tang is the first girl he has ever liked."
Tang Xinu couldn't help but compare Chu Yannuo and Erlang in her mind.
As she compared them, she realized that comparing Erlang to Chu Yannuo was an insult to Erlang.
The second day of the challenge went smoothly.
By the third day, many people wanted to become Hanxi's students, and some were even willing to pay any price, offering their entire fortune, just to have her tutor them in mathematics before the provincial examination.
At this time, Wei Minzhao and Princess Chaoli came to Caiyue Tower to announce that the academy founded by Hanxi had been established.
Anyone interested in learning can register on-site and go directly to the academy tomorrow.
Yang Zhi and Lin Yue participated in the entire Cold Xi Challenge.
The two were distressed because they had no chance to get close to Hanxi. When they heard that Hanxi was going to start an academy, they rushed over to register without hesitation.
But Lu Yuan blocked his way.
Lin Yue was somewhat displeased. "You don't want to listen to the academy that Han Xi opened?"
Lu Yuan scoffed, "He's holding a challenge at Caiyue Tower for three consecutive days. How much silver will that cost? He'll have to make it back from these students. Have you thought about that?"
Yang Zhi's face turned cold, and he subconsciously reached for the silver in his pocket, which was almost gone.
I'm afraid the cost of food and lodging won't even be enough to last until the provincial examination is over.
"What can we do? The imperial court has suddenly added mathematics as a subject, but our knowledge is limited. Now that Hanxi is recruiting students, if we don't go, won't we fall further behind?"
Lin Yue was even more anxious, "I've risked everything for this provincial examination, what if I fail..."
The whole family is going to die.
"Brother Lin, Brother Yang, why don't you go and register?"
Students who were staying at the same inn squeezed over after registering.
Lin Yue said with difficulty, "Is the fee very expensive? We don't have that much money..."
"What fee? Lord Sun said it's free. Anyone who is a candidate in this imperial examination can do it. Hurry up and go."
"Really?" Lin Yue didn't believe it and held on tightly to the other person.
The man laughed and said, "I just signed up. It's really free. Hurry up and go."
Lin Yue and Yang Zhi were still somewhat incredulous.
The two quickly squeezed to the registration area, and no one charged them until they finished filling out the information and left. Only then did they realize that Han Xi's lecture was free.
"Brother Yang, what incredible luck we've had to be able to receive a lecture from Young Master Han himself!" Lin Yue exclaimed without hesitation.
Yang Zhi also lamented, "The imperial court suddenly added mathematics as a subject, catching us off guard. If we miss this provincial examination, we don't know when the next one will be. To be honest, we can't find any good mathematics teachers in our hometown."
Lin Yue: "I wonder who Young Master Han is. He personally funded this challenge and even opened an academy to teach us for free. Do you think he's some kind of deity who descended to earth to save us students?"
Lu Yuan followed behind the two. Although he had also signed up, he felt that things were not so simple.
"There's no charge now. They won't wait until we enter the academy tomorrow to start charging us, will they? By then, we'll have finished the classes, and we can ask for as much as we want. Can we refuse?"
Besides, we're not locals, so what can we do when we encounter injustice? We can only suffer in silence.
Yang Zhi hesitated for a moment.
There are so many good people in this world. Even your own relatives can take advantage of your misfortune, let alone a complete stranger.
Given Hanxi's abilities, there would be plenty of people willing to pay 100 taels of silver for a single lecture at this time.
Why should they offer free lessons?
Lin Yue believed Han Xi. "He doesn't seem like a bad person. I trust him. Go to the academy after breakfast tomorrow. There are so many students who have signed up. Don't be late and there won't be any room."
...
Tang Xinuan was completely unaware of everyone's suspicions.
Although the course content had already been decided, she still wanted to organize it a bit more.
After lunch, I went into my study and stayed there until dark, without ever stepping outside.
When Zhou Chuanxing returned to the palace and heard about this, he rushed to the study and saw Xiaoqian sitting at her desk, looking like a student listening attentively to a lecture.
Tang Xinuan wrote down the prepared teaching content on a super large sheet of paper and hung it on the wall.
She told Xiaoqian the story over and over again.
Although Xiaoqian couldn't understand anything, it didn't affect her enthusiasm for teaching at all.
The little girl was dressed in boys' clothes, her face was stern and she didn't smile. Her eyes were bright and full of wisdom, and she really looked a bit like a teacher.
As Zhou Chuanxing watched, the eyes of this tough man who had fought on the battlefield for over a decade suddenly welled up with tears.
The young girl was training talent for him, hoping to free him from the tedious and complicated politics of the court.
From an innocent young girl, she now stands on the podium, about to face candidates recommended by officials from all over the country, using her firefly-like light to illuminate the path forward for all students.
What merit or ability did Zhou Chuanxing possess to have such sincerity?
Aside from his parents, the little girl was the first person to open his heart and give his all to him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
