Ever since meeting Qin Zheng that time, Zhang Yun's initiative as a sycophant has been fully mobilized, and he has been looking at Qin Zheng much more often.
But after meeting him a few times, Zhang Yun noticed that Qin Zheng always seemed uncomfortable in front of her and kept trying to get up and bow.
Fearing that he would delay Zhang Yun's recovery, Zhang Yun stopped visiting him and instead asked the doctor about his progress every day.
So, every time Qin Zheng changed his dressing, he would hear these words—
"The young master summoned me again to inquire about your injury. If you ask me, this young master truly cares about you!"
"Why hasn't the young master come to see you these past few days? He noticed that you always seemed uncomfortable whenever he came to see you, and you kept trying to get up to bow to him. He was afraid of disturbing your recovery, so he stopped coming. But he's always thinking about you, and he asks me to check on you every day..."
"I told him you have a sensitive stomach and need to take medicinal diets to regulate it long-term. As soon as the young master heard that, he had the medicinal herbs and ingredients delivered that very afternoon. He couldn't wait until the next day and even said he would send them every day from now on..."
"Your injury has mostly healed. I told the young master yesterday that you can walk and do some things, but he insisted that you continue to stay in bed until you are completely healed, without leaving any lingering problems. He also asked me to check for any other ailments and treat them as well. I've never seen a young master as meticulous, gentle, and patient as him..."
"Ah, if I were a girl, twenty years younger, and cherished by such a noble person as the Crown Prince, I would have fallen for him long ago."
Qin Zheng, unable to bear it any longer, shouted: "Stop talking!"
"Hey, usually when I say these things to you, you just act like a block of wood and ignore me completely. Why are you finally willing to speak up today?"
Qin Zheng blushed.
"Young man, are you tempted?" Dr. Wu asked with a smile.
"No!" Qin Zheng immediately denied.
He had suffered so much before, his whole being immersed in the dirtiest darkness, and this was the first time someone had been so kind to him. Even if this kindness was mixed with other motives, Zhang Yun had given him too much.
Qin Zheng is not an ungrateful person. He is naturally grateful for all the kindness he has received, but no matter how grateful he is, he would not do it in that way!
On her way home from get out of class that day, Zhang Yun passed by Qin Zheng's room and peeked through the open window. She found the blankets on the bed neatly folded and no one in the room.
"Where is Qin Zheng?" Zhang Yun asked.
Hearing the noise, Doctor Wu from next door quickly came out of his room, knelt down and bowed, and said, "Your Highness, after Qin Zheng recovered from his injuries, he moved back to the stables, saying that was where he should live. I tried to persuade him for a long time, but I couldn't."
What happened?
Zhang Yun muttered in confusion, "Does he dislike me that much?"
When he saw Qin Zheng before, he noticed that Qin Zheng looked uncomfortable, so he guessed that Qin Zheng didn't like him. The "like" here was just a simple like or dislike, without any other meaning.
But when those around them heard this, it naturally took on that meaning.
Everyone thought: The young master really has taken a fancy to Qin Zheng and wants to bring him to his side to serve him.
Doctor Wu had no desire to get involved in these messy affairs of wealthy families anymore, so he seized the opportunity to say, "Young Master, I have been in your household for more than two months now. Young Master Qin has recovered. All that is left is for him to take his medicine and eat the supplements prescribed by me on time. Do you think it would be better if I could go home?"
Zhang Yun glanced at him. "Alright, you can go back now. Changxi, take him to the account and withdraw two hundred taels of silver."
"Thank you so much, Your Highness!" Doctor Wu was moved to tears.
Zhang Yun waved his hand and said to the people following behind him, "Let's go to the stables."
Upon arriving at the stables, Zhang Yun saw a group of servants gathered around the stables. He frowned, instructed his attendants to remain silent, and quietly walked over.
In the center of the circle formed by the crowd, there were indeed Qin Zheng and a few other servants.
Qin Zheng was forced to kneel on the ground by two men. A fat servant in front of him spread his legs apart, seemingly wanting him to crawl between his legs.
"Crawl! Crawl! You lowly horse-breeding slave, don't you even look at yourself in the mirror? You really think the young master has taken a fancy to you!"
Qin Zheng's veins bulged as he struggled fiercely, but he was still recovering from serious injuries and was only a fifteen-year-old boy. He couldn't withstand the combined pressure from the two adult men.
"Still want to resist? You have a pretty face, no wonder the young master favors you. Don't worry, even if the young master doesn't want you, we grandpas will love you. We have plenty of brothers. From now on, we'll make sure you have a wedding night every night, and you'll be as happy as a god!" After the fat man finished speaking, he lewdly touched Qin Zheng's face.
A wave of nausea washed over him, and Qin Zheng spat it out violently.
"You've gone too far! Guys, strip him naked! Grandpa's at the stable today, we'll deflower him in front of everyone!"
The crowd cheered and started to tear off Qin Zheng's clothes.
Suddenly a brick flew over and hit the fat man directly on the forehead, knocking him to the ground.
The fat man felt his head buzzing. The people around him suddenly fell silent. When he came to his senses, he immediately stood up and cursed, "Which little maidservant's son smashed your master... young master!"
With a loud "thump," he knelt down.
"You were raised by a lowly maid?" Zhang Yun sneered as she walked over and kicked him away.
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I was wrong! I was a lowly servant... no, no, I was a dog's bastard, a dog's servant! Your Highness, spare me!" After being kicked away, the fat man lay on the ground, adjusted his posture, and knelt before Zhang Yun, kowtowing and frantically slapping his own face.
The surrounding servants all knelt down in a rush.
"You've truly opened my eyes," Zhang Yun said with a smile, standing in the middle. "I never knew such a scene could unfold in my own home!"
His voice was soft, even gentle, but it sounded incredibly heavy to everyone.
"Zhao Xu," Zhang Yun called out the name of one of his close followers.
Zhao Xu was a close attendant he had recently promoted a month ago. He had been guarding the West Corner Gate of the mansion. One day, Zhang Yun happened to pass by the West Corner Gate and learned that Zhao Xu's sister was seriously ill and had no money for treatment, so he had someone give him some money.
Zhao Xu's parents died early, and his sister is his only relative. The two have depended on each other since childhood.
Zhang Yun saved his sister, and he was very grateful, so he asked Zhang to allow him to follow her to repay the favor.
Zhang Yun was worried about not having any trusted confidants, so he promoted him to be a close follower.
"Your subordinate is here." Zhao Xu took a step and stood behind Zhang Yun.
"Tell me, according to family rules, how should this kind of thing be handled?"
“As fellow servants, those who gather to bully and humiliate other servants shall be punished with forty strokes of the cane, confiscation of all property, and sent to the mines to work as miners for life,” Zhao Xu recited in a measured tone.
Zhang Yun nodded, "Let's do it that way."
The courtyard was immediately filled with the sounds of people crying and pleading.
Zhao Xu waved his hand, and Zhang Yun's entourage rushed up behind him, grabbed everyone except Qin Zheng, and gagged them with cloth to prevent them from howling.
“Let’s carry out the execution here; it’s spacious!” Zhang Yun said.
"yes!"
Soon, a close attendant went to summon other servants to bring over the instruments of torture, which were then laid out in a row in the open space in front of the stables.
As the execution began, the person being executed, though gagged, still managed to groan in pain from his throat.
After dealing with these troublesome things, Zhang Yun walked up to Qin Zheng, intending to help him up. But as soon as he reached out his hand, he saw Qin Zheng dodge backward.
Zhang Yun paused halfway through extending his hand.
Qin Zheng hates it when I get close. Why?
Zhang Yun was not some kind of devoted sycophant; he had subtly hinted that everything he had done for Qin Zheng in the past two months had reached Qin Zheng's ears.
Logically speaking, the two have no grudges against each other. I have done so much for Qin Zheng. Even if he is not grateful, he should at least not hate me so much, right?
Zhang Yun was completely baffled.
However, this was a trivial matter, and since he didn't like to be around him, Zhang Yun didn't force him.
"Take him downstairs to wash him clean, change him into new clothes, and send him to my place."
"yes!"
Seeing Qin Zheng instantly lean back tactically and turn pale, a question mark slowly appeared on Zhang Yun's forehead.
"You should go back first, sir. I'll take care of things here," Zhao Xu said as he walked over.
"OK."
After Zhang Yun left, Zhao Xu stood in front of Qin Zheng and said expressionlessly, "You know how I've treated you. Even if you don't repay me, you should at least do what a servant should do."
"I went to great lengths to save your life, and you didn't even thank me before running back to the stables. Are you taking advantage of my kindness or just playing hard to get?"
"I've been promoting a lot of people lately, and you're just one of them. Don't try to figure me out with your dirty thoughts."
The last sentence sent a chill down Qin Zheng's spine.
He recalled the events of the past two months. Zhang Yun had indeed not revealed any such thoughts, and his gaze was always clear whenever he saw him.
If, if the Crown Prince really only wanted to select some people to cultivate as confidants, and not...
Dr. Wu misled me!
They led him astray!
Zhao Xu could tell from the expression on his face that he had figured it out.
Although none of the people the Crown Prince promoted cared for as much as he did for Qin Zheng, Zhao Xu did not intend to tell him.
Through these days of interaction, Zhao Xu realized that his master was not the same as the rumors suggested. He respected them, his servants, and if Qin Zheng was truly unwilling, his master would not force him.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xu looked at Qin Zheng with some disdain and said, "If you can understand human speech, why are you lying here like this? Are you waiting for me to call a sedan chair to carry you?"
Qin Zheng was jolted awake by his words and quickly stood up from the ground, following Zhao Xu to take a bath and change clothes.
Half an hour later, in Zhang Yun's study.
Zhang Yun's eyes lit up slightly as he looked at Qin Zheng, who had been cleaned and dressed in brand-new personal guard clothes.
His personal attendants all wore the same red collars, cuffs, and belts, paired with black outer robes.
Qin Zheng was already very tall, and this outfit made him appear even more robust and upright, as resolute as a pine tree.
After learning that Zhang Yun had summoned him in the study, Qin Zheng's last bit of worry was completely relieved.
Looking across the desk at Zhang Yun sitting opposite him with a dignified and refined air, Qin Zheng even felt a pang of shame.
"Can you read?" Zhang Yun asked.
Qin Zheng was startled. Fragments of his childhood memories surfaced. His life of enslavement had lasted too long, so long that he could see no hope. Reading and writing seemed like a distant illusion that had appeared in a dream.
"know."
After saying that, as if afraid that Zhang Yun would not believe him, Qin Zheng took two steps forward, picked up a brush from the table, and wrote the two characters "Qin Zheng" on a piece of white paper.
Although the writing is somewhat awkward and immature, it has its own style.
"This is my name." Qin Zheng turned the white paper upside down and respectfully placed it in front of Zhang Yun.
"Qin Zheng," Zhang Yun murmured.
Hearing the person in front of him gently call his name, Qin Zheng felt a strange sensation in his heart.
The former, completely unaware that his actions had flirted with someone, slightly curled the corners of his lips: "Have you been to school?"
"I read the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames when I was young, but later..." Qin Zheng recalled that blood-soaked night, his eyes darkening, "Later, my family fell into poverty, and I stopped reading them."
"That's great!" Zhang Yun exclaimed happily.
Qin Zheng: "?"
Zhang Yun quickly apologized, "It's not that it's great that your family has fallen on hard times, it's that it's great that you've read the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames, come here, come here!"
Zhang Yun beckoned to him.
Qin Zheng walked to his side as instructed and watched him pull out the Hundred Family Surnames and the Thousand Character Classic from a pile of books on his desk.
“These are the Hundred Family Surnames, and this is the Thousand Character Classic. Familiarize yourself with them, then copy each one once. Finish it by tomorrow morning. Any questions?” Zhang Yun asked.
Upon seeing the books, Qin Zheng's heart pounded. "I... this... Your Highness, you... you want your subordinate to study?"
Seeing that the child was so excited that he started to stutter, Zhang Yun found it amusing and deliberately teased, "What? You don't want to?"
"I'm willing! I'm willing!" Qin Zheng suddenly shouted, as if Zhang Yun would regret it if he spoke softly.
"Hmm, not bad. Among all my close followers, you're the most literate. Keep up the good work, I have high hopes for you!" Zhang Yun patted his shoulder.
Qin Zheng suddenly knelt on one knee and said, "I have misunderstood you before, and I deserve to die. You have not held a grudge against me and have saved my life and given me the opportunity to be your disciple. It is as if you have given me a second life. In this life and the next, I am willing to go through fire and water for you and repay your great kindness."
"Get up quickly!" Zhang Yun reached out and helped him up.
No wonder Qin Zheng acted so normally since he entered the study; it turns out he had been misunderstanding me all along.
It's probably because the previous AI had such a bad reputation.
"From now on, you will come with me to sit in on the teacher's classes in the afternoons. You must listen carefully, because the homework the teacher leaves me will be your responsibility in the future."
Qin Zheng was stunned, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He originally thought that Zhang Yun wanted to train him to be a trusted subordinate, which was why he taught him to read and write. He never expected that the real reason was just to have him do his homework.
He was so moved he almost cried.
“From now on, you’ll be just like Zhao Xu, my right-hand man. Zhao Xu will be in charge of martial arts, and you’ll be in charge of academics!” Zhang Yun clapped his hands happily.
Qin Zheng blinked and suddenly asked, "Master, may I also learn martial arts?"
“You want to learn? Sure! If you can keep up with your studies, Zhao Xu can teach you this morning,” Zhang Yun said nonchalantly.
"Rest assured, Master, I will not neglect my studies."
Zhang Yun nodded, "Okay, as long as you can manage it. Alright, now hurry up and copy the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames for me! The teacher will be checking them when he comes to class tomorrow."
As he spoke, Zhang Yun stood up and gave up his seat, pressing Qin Zheng's shoulder as he sat down in his place.
As he sat down, Zhang Yun tilted his head to his left shoulder, and a warm breath brushed past his ear, making his heart skip a beat.
Then, Zhang Yun reached out from behind him and picked up a folding fan that was on the table.
As his sleeve brushed against him, Qin Zheng caught a whiff of the faint scent of pine on his body.
Zhang Yun walked to the opposite side of the desk, unfolded his fan with a "chua" sound, and waved it in front of his chest with a very stylish air. Paired with his delicate and cute face, it created a kind of adorable contrast.
"You can copy it slowly, I'm going to play!" This exquisitely beautiful woman smiled playfully and then made her escape.
He had just stepped out the door when he remembered something, took a step back, leaned his body, and peeked out from the side of the door.
"Oh, by the way, you'll be living in my yard from now on. Your room will be the same as always, and you're not allowed to go back to the stables, understand?"
As he spoke the last word, he pointed at him from afar with his closed folding fan.
Qin Zheng felt a warmth in his heart and accepted it without any hesitation.
"Yes, thank you, Master."
Zhang Yun smiled brightly at him, said "That's a good boy," then swiftly unfolded his folding fan and left with a flourish.
After Zhang Yun left, Qin Zheng stared blankly at the door of the study.
After a while, he finally pulled his mind away from that somewhat dazzling smile, picked up the beautifully bound book on the table that smelled of ink, and began to read it with great eagerness.
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