152. The rescue attempt failed, and he ended up getting himself killed as well.
Fortunately, before the little dumpling and her second brother could take two steps, Jiang Xiyue spotted them in time and pulled the two little ones back.
Jiang Xiyue looked unusually serious today, and said in a low voice, "Don't run around! Stay obediently by my side!"
So the two little ones were escorted back to their seats.
The little dumpling stayed listlessly beside her mother, watching the lively scene unfold, but unable to go anywhere.
Why?
There are so many fun and interesting things to see, why can't we touch or go to them?
While Jiang Xiyue was exchanging pleasantries with a lady, the little girl couldn't hold back any longer. She quietly sidled up to the older boy sitting quietly to the side, tugged at his sleeve, and said in a slightly aggrieved voice, "Big brother... why won't Mommy let Yue'er go play? Yue'er wants to find Xiaoyunduo, wants to find Sister Fufu... Yue'er wants new friends..."
Jin Qizhi looked down at his younger sister's face, which was almost scrunched up like a bun, and explained helplessly, "Little sister, look, today, it's not just the uncles and aunts from the capital who came, but also many princes from faraway places, right?"
The little dumpling nodded.
“These princes, representing their father, have come from a very, very far place to express their respect to the Emperor,” Jin Qizhi said, trying to put it in a way that she could understand. “So today’s banquet is not just about appreciating the moon and eating mooncakes, but also a very, very solemn event. Everyone’s every move is being watched by many, many people.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar faces in the room who seemed to be chatting and laughing, but whose eyes were actually sharp as they observed their surroundings. He continued softly, "Your father and mother aren't stopping you from playing, but they're afraid that you might inadvertently offend an important guest or make a mistake in etiquette, which would make you a laughingstock and could even bring trouble to our family and the Emperor. Today's occasion is different from when we celebrate a festival at home."
The little girl listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion. She didn't quite understand why playing for a while would cause trouble, but she could sense the seriousness and solemnity in her older brother's tone.
She could also vaguely sense the tension around her, a tension that was invisible and intangible yet very real.
So the little dumpling behaved itself, leaning dejectedly against its older brother, looking at the unfamiliar princes surrounded by others in the distance, and for the first time vaguely realized that celebrating festivals and making friends were not always such simple and carefree things.
Her large eyes scanned the lively yet unsettling banquet scene with boredom.
Until her gaze settled on a seat not far away.
It's the Grand Tutor!
Qu Zijin was sitting among a group of brightly colored, jewel-adorned guests, like a slender bamboo that had strayed into a peony garden.
He was surrounded by a number of people, mostly officials and their families who wanted to take the opportunity to chat with this favorite of the emperor and the tutor of the prince.
But Qu Zijin was clearly not good at handling this kind of situation. He sat up straight, his body was even a little stiff, and the smile on his face was also very forced.
There's that awkward and tense feeling when you're forced to do something you're not good at and hate.
Little Tuanzi still remembers that the Grand Tutor had no friends and was afraid to communicate with others.
In her eyes, the Grand Tutor was like a pitiful little animal being watched by too many people.
"Mother," the little dumpling immediately tugged at Jiang Xiyue's sleeve, pointing in that direction, "Look at the Grand Tutor! He's so pitiful! Can Yue'er go keep the Grand Tutor company?"
Jiang Xiyue followed her daughter's finger and saw Qu Zijin being fawned over by everyone.
Although she looked extremely uncomfortable, she didn't quite understand what was so pitiful about it.
only……
Letting the little dumpling go over there seems better than letting her stay here feeling sullen or running around.
Moreover, Qu Zijin is Xiaotuanzi's teacher, so it is reasonable and not abrupt for the student to pay respects to the teacher.
“Go,” Jiang Xiyue finally relented, carefully instructing, “Behave yourself, pay your respects to the Grand Tutor properly, and do not make a fuss.”
"Okay!" The little dumpling immediately perked up, lifted her skirt, and ran towards Qu Zijin.
He was being forced into conversation by several overly enthusiastic officials, and he felt completely overwhelmed, his smile almost frozen on his face.
He truly couldn't understand why, even though he had made it so obvious—his refusal to socialize was practically written all over his face—these people still wouldn't say a word!
Fortunately, just when he was about to be overwhelmed, he caught a glimpse of a figure running towards him like a little sun.
Qu Zijin’s eyes lit up with a look of relief!
He stood up almost immediately, unprecedentedly taking the initiative to greet them, and skillfully avoiding the several officials who were still chattering beside him.
"Teacher," Qu Zijin squatted down and grabbed the little dumpling's hand, almost crying with excitement, "It's so great that you've come."
If he hadn't been forced into this social situation today, he wouldn't have known how good his life had been before.
In the past, children used to chatter around him, and four children would make the noise of four hundred.
Although he also found it annoying, he was still somewhat cute.
But if it's an adult...
A group of people surrounded him, spouting a bunch of ambiguous and nonsensical things. They would say one thing in eighteen roundabout ways, leaving him to guess what they meant. Their words were like a cacophony of noise, and they wouldn't leave, even when he tried to be tactful. They took advantage of his good temper and started to gather more and more people...
That's terrifying.
That's absolutely terrifying.
"Grand Tutor?" The little girl didn't know why the Grand Tutor was so excited to see her, so she tilted her head to look at him.
Qu Zijin was just thinking that he could finally use the little dumpling as an excuse to get away and find a quiet corner to stay for a while...
However, things did not turn out as he had hoped.
Those officials and their families who were originally surrounding Qu Zijin, seeing that the Princess of Fukang, personally appointed by the Emperor, had also come over, how could they let go of this good opportunity to strike up a conversation?
More people swarmed in—
"Oh my, is this the Little Lucky Star County Princess? She's so beautiful and lovely!"
"Even the county princess has come to pay her respects to Grand Tutor Qu? How truly respectful of her teacher!"
"Your Highness's dress is truly exquisite today; the jade rabbit embroidered on it is so lifelike!"
"Grand Tutor Qu, I have a question I'd like to ask you..."
"Grand Tutor Qu, I wonder if you would be interested in taking on a disciple? As the saying goes..."
In an instant, enthusiastic attention and praise flooded over the little dumpling.
The pressure that Qu Zijin had been bearing alone just moments before immediately became a burden that the master and apprentice were sharing.
The little dumpling was a bit bewildered by the sudden enthusiasm and subconsciously shrank behind the Grand Tutor.
She looked up at the Grand Tutor and saw that the expression on his face, which had just relaxed for a moment, had stiffened again, even more so than before.
He looked down in despair and met the little dumpling's gaze; they both saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.
The little dumpling was confused, but she felt that the Grand Tutor seemed even more confused than she was.
She finally realized, belatedly, that she had not only failed to rescue the Grand Tutor, but had also gotten herself involved...
Fortunately, the slight commotion here quickly caught the attention of another person.
Xie Wenling was talking with an older prince when he caught a glimpse of Xiao Tuanzi and Qu Zijin surrounded by a crowd. The two of them had the same awkward and helpless expressions on their faces, which made him feel helpless.
He couldn't understand why someone's social skills would be so bad, but since the little dumpling was also trapped, he couldn't continue to sit idly by as before.
---
A note from the author:
I recently looked at the comments and saw some feedback, so I'll respond to what I saw.
First of all, thank you for your suggestion.
Lin Fuman and Lin Lingrong will not force themselves to reconcile and live together. Their relationship will be better, but they will not force a happy ending.
The text mentions several times that the reason they had to live together temporarily was because of the Gan family. Gan Fanggui wanted to change her identity as the daughter of a disgraced official, gain freedom and the right to divorce, and even take Lin Lingrong away. She needed an opportunity.
And now, that opportunity is about to arise.
The fates of the people in the Duke of Anguo's mansion will follow the storyline of the heir apparent, and will continue for some time, but not too far off.
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