The cold voice came from the indifferent young man in the main hall, the Crown Prince. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at her, his short, thick eyelashes partially obscuring his eyes, his gaze devoid of warmth.
Shen Qingchen wasn't too surprised.
As Chen An said, if Wang Lishun were a narrow-minded person, and fearful of others taking his place, then this situation wouldn't be surprising. Moreover, the crown prince before them was only twelve years old. Although he was taller than his peers and possessed a maturity beyond his years, no matter how precocious he was, he was still a child. Having lost his mother at a young age, and with his father being a ruler who couldn't provide him with much love, it was only natural that he would trust and rely on someone who had saved his life.
Qingchen lifted her robe, knelt down, and quietly looked at the Crown Prince before her.
Since ancient times, Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, parents, and teachers have been revered. The position of Zanshan is essentially that of a tutor to the Crown Prince, and she was not originally required to kneel. However, she had only just taken office today and had not yet taught the Crown Prince a single lesson or offered a single suggestion; she was, in essence, a figurehead.
Therefore, she had no choice but to kneel as ordered by the Crown Prince.
It was the dead of winter, and the north wind blew intermittently. The stone slab beneath Qingchen's knees seemed to have absorbed the chill of the entire winter; it was extremely hard and cold. Soon, the chill spread from her knees to her whole body.
Crown Prince Zhu Yuluo stood in the main hall, silently looking at Qingchen kneeling before him, his cold gaze scrutinizing this person he had never seen before.
She was nearly ten years older than him, but not much taller. Although she was wearing thick clothes, he could still tell she was rather thin. Her expression was calm and composed; she didn't seem nervous or flustered by his sudden kneeling. Her features were more attractive than he had imagined—the kind that was hard to dislike. He had also heard that she was quite intelligent and had once offered some kind of fundraising strategy, but he didn't quite understand it and didn't want to.
This person will become his mentor, giving him advice, guiding him, and staying by his side for a long time.
Zhu Yulu frowned as he thought about it. He didn't like the arrangements Zhu Rui had forced upon him. His father always believed those he shouldn't have, both in the past and now.
After a moment of contemplation, the young man in the gold-embroidered red robe spoke again, "Shen Qingchen, this Crown Prince has something to ask you."
Qingchen calmly said, "Your Highness, please ask."
"Since you are appointed as the Left Spring Palace Advisor and assist the Crown Prince, what do you think constitutes a good teacher?"
"Can someone who bewitches a king be a good teacher?"
"Can someone who curries favor with treacherous officials be a good teacher?"
"Can someone who holds four positions and cannot devote all his energy to teaching students be considered a good teacher?"
After asking the question, he squinted at her and raised his chin slightly.
The boy's voice hadn't fully changed yet, but it sounded very cold.
These questions surprised Qingchen somewhat. They seemed unrelated, but each one was clearly aimed at her. For a twelve-year-old to ask such questions, unless someone had taught her, was indeed far more precocious than her peers.
At this moment, a person came out from the warm pavilion on the side. It was Wang Lishun, the registrar who had stepped on Qingchen's foot at the Gu residence.
He glanced at her, then walked straight to Crown Prince Zhu Yuluo's side, draped a black cloak over the boy who was half a head shorter than him, and said softly, "Your Highness, it's too cold outside. Standing for too long will make you catch a chill. Let's go inside."
Qingchen was also looking at him. His expression suggested that he was not surprised by her kneeling outside the main hall, which clearly indicated that he had already anticipated the Crown Prince's actions and had spoken in advance about sowing discord.
"Hmm." Zhu Yulu nodded, then turned to Qingchen and said, "Think carefully about those questions. You are not to get up without my order."
Having said that, he turned and went back into the house. Wang Lishun followed beside him, glancing back at Qingchen with a smug, understated expression. This showed that the man was not cunning, nor was he the kind of petty, impulsive person who would jump around recklessly.
When Zhu Yuluo entered the room, Qingchen noticed that he was clutching a gold necklace with a small gold auspicious lock hanging from it. The wind blew his dark cloak, revealing a golden dragon robe woven with gold underneath. The young man's back already showed the beginnings of an emperor's appearance.
Light snow began to fall from the horizon.
The guards and eunuchs serving at Cining Palace were all wearing thick winter clothes, boots, gloves, and collars. Even so, they kept breathing on their hands and rubbing them together.
Qingchen knelt on the ground under the open sky, his knees already aching slightly. Snowflakes seeped in through the back of his collar, their chill penetrating to his very bones.
"Bewitch the king, curry favor with treacherous officials"—Zhu Yulu asked her this, indicating that he had a very bad impression of her.
His mother, Empress Chen, died young. Rumors circulated in the court that she hadn't died of illness, but had been murdered by Consort Zheng. Before Consort Zheng entered the palace, Emperor Zhu Rui and Empress Chen had a good relationship. After Consort Zheng's arrival, Zhu Rui's feelings for his wife cooled, and there was even a record of him not visiting Kunning Palace for several months. Later, perhaps due to loneliness and depression, or perhaps because she was persecuted and couldn't escape her fate, Empress Chen's health deteriorated day by day, and she passed away within two years.
As the son of Empress Chen, Zhu Yuluo naturally hated Consort Zheng for bewitching the emperor and causing the death of the empress. He would also hate anyone who, like Consort Zheng, had bewitched the emperor.
She was given four positions by Zhu Rui, an unprecedented move that was already likely to attract criticism. If someone were to use this as an excuse to make trouble, the twelve-year-old crown prince would surely believe it without a doubt.
This is the origin of his first question.
Furthermore, Xu Yan, being a follower of Consort Zheng, and manipulating the court by deceiving his superiors, naturally disliked Zhu Yuluo. His accusation that she was currying favor with treacherous officials likely stemmed from the incident at the Gu residence, where Xu Silin forced Wang Lishun to apologize to her. Xu Silin's cold, "If you don't apologize, don't blame me for being impolite" demeanor would likely have made anyone think he and she were very close. The fact that the other party was Wang Lishun, and that he used this incident to his advantage, was simply unfortunate.
She will be working with Wang Lishun from now on, and she will likely face many difficulties.
However, it wouldn't be so easy for Wang Lishun to suppress her, sow discord between her and Zhu Yuluo, and prevent her from performing her duties properly.
Qingchen glanced at the falling snow, summoned a guard from Cining Palace, and said, "Please inform His Highness the Crown Prince that I wish to see him."
The man shook his head sympathetically, "His Highness the Crown Prince made you kneel and think, how could he expect to see you so soon?"
"If you just pass on one message for me, he will definitely see me."
The man was somewhat skeptical. "May I ask, sir, what are you referring to?"
"But it enters the empty nest, chirping sadly all night long." Qingchen said, picking some snowflakes from the ground and handing them to him, "And this handful of snow. Thank you!"
The man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately helped.
Not long after, he came out of the main hall and said, "My lord, His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you."
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