The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard the Seventh Prince beside him say blankly, "Hey, little fatty, what are you crying about? Where in the Imperial Study do you work? I've never seen you before."
Wang Qingshan stared blankly as the Seventh Prince stared at the child.
The child, with tears welling in his eyes and a slurred voice, said, "I didn't cry."
Then, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. I... this servant did not mean it. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
With those words, two more tears slid down her cheeks.
Qi Qi: "..."
Seventh Prince: "..."
…It's not my fault! Who told this chubby kid to walk on the main road? Are you going to blame me for not watching where I'm going?…
Thinking this, I saw the chubby boy in front of me with such big, round, watery eyes, looking so wronged.
For the first time ever, the Seventh Prince felt a strange pang of guilt, but he scratched his head, unable to think of anything to say.
Why are there so many tears in this chubby boy's eyes? Is he terrified? I only said a few words, I didn't actually lay a hand on him.
"Your Highness, we are already late. Why don't we go to the lecture hall to register first?"
Hearing his companion's words, the Seventh Prince coughed and said, "Alright, consider yourself lucky. I won't pursue your mistake today."
Qi Qi's nose still hurt a little, and he sniffed, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Then, standing before him was the Seventh Prince, a head taller than him. He glanced down at Qi Qi's nose and forehead, then raised his sleeve and haphazardly wiped Qi Qi's eyes and face. Seeing that his subordinate's face only got redder with each wipe, half of his face covered in blood, turning him from a pitiful little boy into a pitiful little kitten, he said, "I'm warning you, if you cry again, I'm going to beat you up!"
Qi Qi's face was covered in the sleeve. After finally getting rid of it, he looked up at him in shock.
There are actually children like this in the world! The Ninth Prince isn't exactly cute anymore, and the Seventh Prince is even more despicable. These eunuchs have no human rights whatsoever...
Seeing that he still looked so pitiful, the Seventh Prince grabbed his hand and led him outside: "Look at you like this, anyone who doesn't know better would think that I, Your Highness, have beaten you up. Come on, let's go to the Imperial Hospital."
It's just a nosebleed, nothing serious, Qi Qi immediately said: "I don't want to go."
"You think you can just say you won't go? If you contradict me again, I'll give you ten lashes on the bottom."
Qi Qi remained silent.
Wang Qingshan stepped forward and reminded him, "Your Highness, today is the day of Grand Tutor Situ's class. You should go to class. I can take this little eunuch to the Imperial Hospital."
Situ Shaofu was a member of the Grand Secretary's faction and one of the few honest officials in the court. He was notoriously difficult to deal with in the Hanlin Academy. He would really sue someone if they complained, and he would even slap their palms. Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince hesitated for a moment: "Does Your Highness think I'm afraid of him?"
Wang Qingshan reminded him again, "But it's already the fifth day of the month, and you're already three days late... I'm afraid that Junior Tutor Situ won't let this go easily and will complain to the Empress..."
The Seventh Prince immediately stopped, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Never mind, you take him."
The chubby boy's hands felt quite soft, and he subconsciously squeezed them a couple of times. The Seventh Prince ordered, "Go with him. Don't say that I, Your Highness, am bullying you. Come find me after class at noon."
He walked away with his head held high, not caring whether the other person agreed or not. It was the first time Qi Qi had seen such a personality. He realized that it was no wonder his role in his previous life was penalized. It turned out that he simply didn't have that domineering aura. He was dumbfounded.
"Come on, young master, I'll take you to get your nose checked."
The young boy in front of him had a square face, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes. He looked very reliable and handed Qi Qi a handkerchief: "Cover your nose first."
Qi Qi shook his head: "No need, thank you."
He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and covered it.
Despite his young age, Wang Qingshan spoke with remarkable composure: "This is the Seventh Prince's order. Let's go and take a look."
"My food box..."
Wang Qingshan placed the box aside: "It's alright, I'll get it when I get back."
Since the order had been mentioned, Qi Qi had no choice but to follow the young man around.
The Imperial Study was quite a distance from the Imperial Hospital. With half his face covered in blood, the passing palace servants cast glances at him without him even noticing.
Qi Qi was unusually embarrassed. The young man who was leading the way didn't say anything, so he said, "Sir, what is your name?"
"No, sir. I hold no official position. My surname is Wang. You can call me Young Master Wang."
Qi Qi: "Young Master Wang, how much longer until the Imperial Hospital arrives..."
Wang Qingshan: "We'll be there in a quarter of an hour."
"Young Master Wang, could you please slow down a bit..."
Turning around, he saw that the little eunuch's forehead was already beaded with sweat. Wang Qingshan came from a family of military generals, so he naturally walked fast, and the little eunuch almost jogged to keep up.
He immediately slowed his pace.
Is there anything else that's bothering you?
Qi Qi shook his head: "No, I just can't walk much anymore."
Forgive him, he's just an innocent chubby boy. What chubby boy could possibly have good stamina? Besides, this body has never suffered since childhood, let alone exercise. That's impossible. He already used up all his remaining energy on the way to the study!
Wang Qingshan also fell silent. He had never seen such a weak eunuch before. He was just like a little girl. However, his three-year-old sister could walk around the courtyard several times a day. The little eunuch was growing up very well. He must have come from a wealthy family that had suffered a disaster, which was why he was sent to the palace.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Shall I carry you on my back?"
Qi Qi looked at his much taller and stronger body than his peers: "Is it permissible to carry people in the palace?"
Wang Qingshan sighed again, it seemed this little eunuch hadn't learned the rules very well either: "Alright."
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