Chapter 48 The smile didn't disappear, it just shifted.
After Xie Yunwen disappeared from sight, Zijuan came up and whispered, "Princess, the Fourth Prince, he..."
She was just a palace maid, and she never knew that the Fourth Prince had been bullied all along.
Sheng Sheng looked up at her and asked, "Sister Zijuan, why does Fourth Brother's mother dislike him?"
“This…” Zijuan thought for a moment, “This servant dares not discuss Consort Liang, but this servant has indeed heard that when the Fourth Prince was born, the imperial physician diagnosed that he would never be able to walk. When Consort Liang found out, she did not see the Fourth Prince for a whole year. It was only after His Majesty found out that he scolded her severely that Consort Liang put the Fourth Prince by her side.”
After saying that, Zijuan lowered her voice even further: "Uh, this servant only heard it, Your Highness, you can just listen to it yourself. Consort Liang's family has no power, so she relies on the Fourth Prince to fight for her. But the Fourth Prince... the Fourth Prince is the one that His Majesty pays the least attention to among the princes. Consort Liang is the only one who has an imperial heir but is not in the rank of consort. So Consort Liang has always resented the Fourth Prince and felt that it was all his fault."
Sheng Sheng frowned and muttered, "How can you blame Fourth Brother?"
Zijuan nodded silently, agreeing with what Shengsheng said.
After a while, Sheng Sheng chuckled and vigorously scratched Xiao Bai's chin.
Little White squinted comfortably.
"Hehehe, Little White, Little White~"
Little White lazily glanced at her: "Go ahead and say it. I'm in a good mood, so I'll grant your wish."
"Wow, Little White, Little White, you're so kind!"
Sheng Sheng leaned close to Xiao Bai's ear and whispered something. Xiao Bai wagged its tail and glanced at her, saying, "You're so kind."
"She's Sheng Sheng's brother, Xiao Bai, thank you for helping me. How about Sheng Sheng takes you fishing for small fish tomorrow?"
"Oh, okay, I'm a kind cat too, it's not because of the little fish."
"Haha, thanks, Xiaobai!"
The two little ones huddled together whispering to each other, probably plotting something.
Xie Yun, with her hair tied in an orange ribbon, was the last to return to her seat. The Grand Tutor had already begun his lecture.
Xie Yunwen was inconvenient in his wheelchair and it would easily block other people's view, so he sat alone in the corner.
Coincidentally, in another corner was Pei Ji.
Pei Ji glanced at the headband on Xie Yunwen's head. Others might not notice, but he could tell that Xie Yunwen had changed his headband after going out.
Pei Ji's gaze lingered on the hairband for only a second before he looked away.
The words spoken by the voice kept swirling in Xie Yunwen's mind, lingering there for a long time.
The little dumpling is right; he shouldn't always trap himself in the maze.
His mother disliked him, and his father didn't care about him, so he had to stand up for himself.
He shouldn't have let others bully him because of that strange sense of pride.
If word got out that a prince was being bullied, it would really damage the royal family's reputation. His father and mother might despise him even more because of it, and might even think that he was born weak.
So what? Xie Yubin and the others are fearless precisely because they are convinced that they are afraid of being disliked.
What does it matter if I'm rejected compared to fulfilling their wishes?
Xie Yunwen gripped the bow in her hand tightly; a faint lotus fragrance seemed to linger on it.
Liu Taifu was Xie Yuxiao's teacher when he was the crown prince. He was highly respected and learned.
After Liu Taifu finished explaining a new article with great enthusiasm, he invited someone to stand up and share their insights.
"This is what the 'Strategies for Pacifying the Country and Governing the World' is all about." Grand Tutor Liu looked around and saw Xie Yubin, who was practically burying his head under the table: "Prince Yong, you tell us about it."
"Huh? It's me again?"
Xie Yubin stammered for a long time but couldn't get anything out. He hadn't been listening at all. He felt panicked whenever he saw those words, and he suspected he had typos.
Grand Tutor Liu frowned in displeasure and lectured him: "Your Highness, you didn't memorize the essay assigned yesterday, and now you can't even express your own views?"
Grand Tutor Liu is the current emperor's teacher. No matter how dissolute Xie Yubin is, he becomes a quail in front of him.
Xie Yubin thought for a moment, then suddenly pointed at Xie Yunwen and said, "Grand Tutor, why don't we let the Fourth Prince speak? Isn't the Fourth Prince the most knowledgeable about these things?"
Qin Xiang and his two companions, being Xie Yubin's loyal henchmen, joined in the jeering as soon as their boss opened fire.
"Exactly! Let him talk!"
"Oh dear, aren't you making things difficult for our Fourth Prince? Didn't you see that he only returned after the entire article was finished?"
“Ye Zhongshu, you’re mistaken. Our Fourth Prince must have thoroughly understood this article before arriving late. He certainly didn’t mean to be disrespectful to the Grand Tutor by being late!”
This is Xie Yunwen, who was being sarcastic and unfriendly; he was just late.
Xie Yubin was certain that since he hadn't even listened to the article, he couldn't possibly offer any insights.
Hmph, let's see what he does this time!
"Quiet! Your Highness, how can you always act like this and live up to Prince Yong's expectations? You will stand for the rest of the lesson!"
Grand Tutor Liu slammed his book on the table and looked at Xie Yunwen: "Your Highness is late. If you would like to hear this article again, you can come to me after class."
Teachers are always more lenient with good students. Xie Yunwen was always diligent in his studies, and since he was only late once, Liu Taifu certainly wouldn't blame him.
Xie Yubin scoffed, "Grand Tutor Liu, you're being biased! Why is he fined for being late, while I'm punished for just daydreaming?"
Those attending classes in the Wenhua Hall were all sons of noble families, and they all knew that Xie Yubin and Xie Yunwen were at odds, so they kept glancing back and forth between the two of them.
Xie Yun frowned. They were both his brothers, but he would definitely favor his own brother more.
Just as Xie Yunyang was about to stand up to help Xie Yunwen out of the predicament, Xie Yunchuan, who was sitting next to him, stopped him.
Xie Yun looked at him with a puzzled expression. Xie Yunchuan shook his head at him and smiled faintly, gesturing for him to look at Xie Yunwen.
Xie Yunwen bowed and said before Liu Taifu could speak: "The 'Strategies for Pacifying the Country and Governing the World' offers suggestions on the economy, culture, and military. It mainly advocates frugality and care for the people, urging the monarch to be thrifty, people-oriented, and reduce the burden on the people in order to consolidate the foundation of rule. However, this essay relies too much on tradition and ignores the shortcomings of the system and laws, thus having limitations. Overall, as long as it is innovated and improved according to reality, this essay has great reference value."
Grand Tutor Liu listened and nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. He repeatedly praised, "Your Highness, you've already read this policy essay? Not bad, not bad. This policy essay is indeed excellent. Although it's better than others, it's inevitably a bit idealistic and ignores the current situation. Your Highness's answer is good, not bad at all!"
Xie Yunwen: "Thank you for your praise, Grand Tutor. I was delayed for a while, but it was not intentional that I was late."
"It's alright, I know your character well."
Grand Tutor Liu could not hide his smile, while the smiles of Xie Yubin and the others vanished.
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