133. As expected, she's fickle and doesn't like him anymore.
Seeing the three children huddled together, Qu Zijin couldn't help but ask with a smile, "What important matter are you discussing?"
"Grand Tutor!" The little dumpling's eyes lit up, and she ran over happily. "We're going to have a banquet! We'll invite Big Sister and Sister Fufu to come and play!"
Qu Zijin paused slightly upon hearing this, then squatted down to be at eye level with the children: "Who came up with this idea?"
The little princess proudly puffed out her chest: "It's me! I'll ask Mother to host a maple leaf viewing banquet!"
Qu Zijin paused, seemingly hesitant to speak, before finally saying tactfully, "Princess, a banquet in the palace requires His Majesty's approval. I'm afraid the Virtuous Consort..."
Although Consort Xian still maintains a semblance of power, she has actually lost all real authority.
However, the naive little princess did not realize that something was wrong.
After all, even if her mother was not favored, she was still the emperor's only daughter and a beloved princess. No one dared to neglect her, and Consort Xian maintained her dignity because of her.
The little princess was disappointed to hear that the banquet couldn't be held, and her face immediately fell: "Oh? Mother can't we hold it?"
Then she remembered something and rallied: "Then, then I'll go and beg my father!"
As he spoke, he started to run towards the Imperial Study.
Suddenly remembering something, the little dumpling grabbed the princess's sleeve: "No! No, we can't go to the Emperor..."
She remembered her mother telling her that her eldest sister's mother was the daughter of a disgraced official, and that her father was an examiner who was exiled for cheating on the imperial examinations.
My mother said that His Majesty abhors cheating in the imperial examinations, so we should try not to mention it in front of him.
My elder sister and mother escaped that disaster, but it wouldn't be good if His Majesty remembered and wanted to settle scores again.
Although the little girl didn't understand everything, she understood at least one thing—the Emperor must not be allowed to meet her older sister and mother.
The little princess was a bit confused, but seeing the little dumpling's insistence, she returned dejectedly: "Okay, okay..."
The three children immediately wilted like frostbitten eggplants.
The second brother squatted on the ground and drew circles: "Sigh, what a disappointment..."
Qu Zijin looked at the three dejected little ones and felt a little sorry for them.
He pondered for a moment, then said softly, "Actually... there is a workaround."
Three pairs of eyes immediately lit up and looked at him.
Qu Zijin said gently, "Next time, the county princess can bring the two young ladies from the Duke of Anguo's mansion to the palace, and then you can meet..."
The little princess immediately went from worried to happy: "The Grand Tutor is so clever!"
"Great!" The second brother was also very happy.
Seeing them lively and energetic again, Qu Zijin smiled, stood up, and glanced at the sky: "It's getting late, time to go to class."
The little girl tugged at his sleeve, tilted her head up, and asked earnestly, "Grand Tutor, can Big Sister really go to the palace? Won't...won't there be any trouble?"
Qu Zijin's eyes flickered slightly, and he gently squeezed her small hand: "Don't be too flamboyant, just don't run in front of His Majesty."
So the little dumpling was relieved and showed a sweet smile again.
The three children cheered and ran towards the school.
but……
When they arrived in class and saw Qu Zijin pull out a stack of papers and distribute them, everyone's laughter died down.
"Ah—no—!" Everyone, including the young prince, cried out in unison.
"Today is a classroom assessment. Let me see how well you've learned." After Qu Zijin finished distributing the assignments, the Grand Tutor, who had been quite gentle outside, transformed into an iron-faced and strict teacher once he entered the classroom.
"You have half an hour. During this time, you are not allowed to whisper, make any noise, draw, or..." Qu Zijin repeated several prohibitions. "Alright, let's begin."
The Wenhua Hall was unusually quiet.
The usually chattering little ones were now frowning and hunched over their desks, each biting their pens and deep in thought.
"The questions the tutor set are too difficult..." the little dumpling thought bitterly, her pink face scrunched up.
But in the end, he still tried hard to think and wrote carefully, each stroke of his pen being exceptionally neat.
The second brother squirmed in his seat like an ant on a hot pan.
"Oh no, oh no..." He scratched his head and lamented inwardly, "I was so busy playing that I'm not cut out for studying..."
However……
The youngest prince, who usually had the best grades, sat up straight today, but his eyes kept glancing at the little dumpling.
Ever since the argument, he ran into the school and deliberately waited for a long time, but the little dumpling didn't come in to coax him...
Damn it, she really is fickle and doesn't like him anymore.
Thinking about this, he scribbled a few lines on the paper in a state of agitation.
However, no one noticed that a tall figure had appeared outside the palace gate at some point.
His Majesty Wei Xiuming stood with his hands behind his back, quietly observing the situation in the school through the window.
Qu Zijin, who was patrolling the hall, glanced outside and happened to see him.
He was taken aback and was about to get up to bow when Wei Xiuming stopped him with a gesture.
Qu Zijin nodded in understanding and continued to pace around the school.
The young prince was very irritable; after writing a few questions, his mind wandered again.
He turned his head and saw his second brother sweating profusely with anxiety.
"What an idiot, it's obvious he hasn't been studying hard again," he thought to himself. "He's probably going to be at the bottom again, his grades aren't even as good as three-year-old Little Moon's."
"You always do so badly on exams, it's embarrassing to tell anyone." The little prince rested his chin on his hand, glanced at him several times, and seeing that he hadn't answered a single question in so long, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh in a mature manner.
"Never mind," the little prince quietly tore off a piece of paper, wrote the answer on it, and then crumpled it into a ball. "Hmph, I'm not trying to help you. I just don't want you to embarrass me."
Then, he found the right spot and tossed it in—
The little paper ball landed smoothly on the second brother's desk.
The second brother looked up in surprise, only to meet the little prince's arrogant gaze.
"My benefactor..." The second brother was deeply moved and was about to reach out to take it—
"presumptuous!"
Qu Zijin's sharp shout startled his second brother so much that he almost jumped up from his seat.
He strode over, snatched the crumpled paper, unfolded it, and his face immediately darkened.
"Your Highness, Second Young Master, is this your way of learning?" Qu Zijin's voice was not loud, but it silenced the entire school.
The little prince's face turned bright red as he tried to deny it: "No! I didn't throw this note away!"
"If it's not you, then who is it?" A familiar voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Emperor Wei Xiuming had entered at some point, his face grim.
The young prince immediately cowered: "Father...Father Emperor..."
Wei Xiuming strode into the school, first nodding to Qu Zijin, then walking straight to the young prince: "Bring me your answer sheet."
The young prince nervously handed over the almost blank exam paper.
Wei Xiuming only glanced at it before his brows furrowed even more: "Is this all the skills you've learned these past few days?"
"No!" The second brother stood up. "It's all my fault! I was too playful and didn't study hard enough. Your Highness just... just..."
"But what?" Wei Xiuming interrupted him coldly, "As a prince, instead of setting an example, you help others cheat. What kind of behavior is this!"
The little dumpling and the little princess were both completely bewildered by this unexpected turn of events.
Looking at the note in the Grand Tutor's hand, listening to their conversation, and observing Wei Xiuming's attitude, they realized what was going on.
So the two little ones quickly ran over hand in hand.
The little princess tugged at Wei Xiuming's sleeve and pleaded, "Father, don't be angry... Jiayou is usually very hardworking!"
The little dumpling timidly spoke up, "Your Majesty... the little prince... he was teaching Yue'er to recite a few days ago..."
Wei Xiuming's expression softened slightly when he saw the pitiful look on the little ones' faces.
He turned to Qu Zijin: "Grand Tutor, what do you think should be done about this matter?"
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