Qiuqiu
Jiang Heng actually knew Shen Wenqiu was coming a long time ago.
From the moment his father-in-law led Shen Wenqiu outside Zhaolin Palace to the moment Shen Wenqiu walked into Zhaolin Palace, he heard everything clearly.
However, Jiang Heng did not act rashly.
He pretended to be about to leave, but when he saw the obedient Shen Wenqiu stop and bow obediently, he saw her bow again.
His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and he could only manage a timid smile.
"I am Jiang Heng."
"Are you the study companion my father chose for me?"
"Shen Wenqiu... I like this name."
"Can I call you Qiuqiu?"
Shen Wenqiu was taken aback. Looking at Jiang Heng's timid yet almost ingratiating smile, he felt a pang of sympathy for the prince.
If it were someone unrelated, perhaps his concern would be superfluous, after all, Jiang Heng is a prince.
But now he's Jiang Heng's study companion; they're in the same boat.
Moreover, with just a few words, without even needing to recall the details in the book, Shen Wenqiu could guess that Jiang Heng's situation must be very bad.
"Your Highness may call me whatever you like." Shen Wenqiu knew it wouldn't be good to say it out loud, but he couldn't bear to refuse.
"That's great." Jiang Heng's eyes widened slightly, revealing a smile full of surprise and shyness. He stepped forward and took Shen Wenqiu's hand. "Then let's go to school."
Shen Wenqiu nodded, handed the luggage in his hand to the only eunuch in Zhaolin Palace, and then followed Jiang Heng out.
What he didn't notice was that when Jiang Heng took his hand, her gaze lingered on his hand for a moment.
Jiang Heng looked at the hand and suddenly remembered Shen Wenqiu who had thrown herself into his arms that night.
The texture is so similar.
It's just unknown whether Shen Wenqiu will still be able to obediently let him hold her in his hand like this in the future.
-
The princes' school was also located within the Princes' Residence, and was called Zhaoming Hall. It was not far from Zhaolin Palace.
On the way from Zhaolin Palace to Zhaoming Hall, Shen Wenqiu mentally reviewed most of the plot of the book.
If nothing unexpected happens, they will meet the protagonist of the book, Crown Prince Jiang Yunyan, later.
Strangely, after going through the plot again, Shen Wenqiu realized that... in the book, it would be several years before Jiang Heng returned to school after leaving the cold and desolate Yaoyue Palace.
Why did it happen earlier here? Thinking of this, he turned to look at Jiang Heng, and his eyes met Jiang Heng's.
How did someone just happen to see him? He was so embarrassed that he quickly looked away and didn't dare to look again.
"Qiuqiu, what's wrong?"
Jiang Heng is clearly tall and strong. Although he has become somewhat thin due to being deliberately mistreated over the years, he is still much taller than Shen Wenqiu.
This person, who calls out "Qiuqiu" and has such a childlike nature that he can't keep a secret, is quite a contrast.
"No...nothing." Of course, Shen Wenqiu couldn't say that, otherwise how could he explain it? Should he say it was a rebirth? That wouldn't be right either, this didn't happen when the original owner was still alive.
"We're almost there, let's go in." Jiang Heng could tell that Shen Wenqiu had something on his mind, but since Shen Wenqiu was clearly unwilling to say, he naturally wouldn't waste time asking any more questions.
Upon arriving at Zhaoming Hall, Jiang Heng was the last to arrive, which made Shen Wenqiu a little nervous, as today was Jiang Heng's first day of school since moving into the Prince's Residence.
He was inevitably a little scared. What if they sent people to make things difficult for him because of this?
Are they really going to start a conflict right from the start? The people here aren't reasonable, especially since they arrived late. What if they get into trouble...?
As Shen Wenqiu was thinking, she subconsciously reached for Jiang Heng's sleeve, wanting to remind him of something, but when she looked up, she met his eyes.
"Qiuqiu is a little nervous since this is her first time entering the palace, isn't she?" Jiang Heng had a harmless smile on his face, and his words carried a hint of guidance. However, the impression he had made on Shen Wenqiu at their first meeting was so deep that Shen Wenqiu couldn't think of anything deeper.
"I was a little nervous, Your Highness, please forgive me." Shen Wenqiu smiled and continued, following Jiang Heng's words.
After being reminded by Jiang Heng, Shen Wenqiu also realized that her emotions had been showing on her face.
Although this book likes to portray the princes as overly useless in order to prevent the crown prince from appearing too stupid.
However, we still need to be vigilant, since Jiang Heng has already started attending school at Zhaoming Hall ahead of schedule.
It's not impossible that there might be something different from the original text.
Fortunately, the Grand Tutor had not yet arrived. When the eunuchs of Zhaoming Hall saw that Jiang Heng and Shen Wenqiu had arrived, they led them to the corner and then withdrew.
Seeing that nothing had happened as expected, Shen Wenqiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly helped Jiang Heng arrange the books, writing materials, and other items, preparing to listen to the Grand Tutor's lecture.
As for his own ninth prince, he wasn't too worried. He seemed like a well-behaved and honest boy, and he figured he would just listen attentively in class.
The Grand Tutor's surname was Zhuang, and he was quite old; in modern terms, he was a retired official who was rehired.
As he was a veteran of three reigns and had taught the emperor, his friendship with the emperor was beyond question.
He was very strict when teaching, and the Crown Prince, the main male protagonist, was extremely afraid of him when he was studying at Zhaoming Hall.
Later, after Grand Tutor Zhuang passed away, the Crown Prince, because of a few words of academic dispute during his time at Zhaoming Hall, retaliated against his family by bringing his grandson, who was preparing for the imperial examination, into the Eastern Palace to torment him day and night.
Shen Wenqiu didn't dare to go directly to the Crown Prince, for fear that Grand Tutor Zhuang would see him. He just stayed with Jiang Heng and listened attentively to the lesson, thinking that if Jiang Heng didn't understand anything later, he could explain it to him.
The morning classes passed peacefully. In the afternoon, the tutors taught only the Crown Prince, so the other princes had nothing to do and could leave first.
Shen Wenqiu was relieved that everything was calm and packed Jiang Heng's things to leave. When she noticed that the other princes all had page boys, she couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Previously, the Emperor had chosen a study companion for Jiang Heng and even found a royal physician to examine him, which was quite unusual for someone who wouldn't even provide a page.
He frowned slightly, leaned closer to Jiang Heng, and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, when you went to study at Zhaoming Hall, didn't the palace assign you a page to serve you with writing and ink?"
Jiang Heng hadn't expected Shen Wenqiu to ask this. Although it was indeed against the rules, Shen Wenqiu's cautiousness all morning almost made him think he had misjudged the situation.
He shook his head and said, "No, I suppose the palace is busy with the Emperor's birthday celebrations and they're short-handed."
Why is Jiang Heng making excuses for them? It's clearly a case of neglect, yet he's trying to be kind and defend them.
Looking at Jiang Heng's appearance, Shen Wenqiu opened his mouth as if to say something, but a feeling of helplessness welled up in his heart again.
He knew this was wrong, but he was just the Ninth Prince's study companion, and he had no say in the matter.
If only he were someone who could speak up.
Shen Wenqiu couldn't help but think.
Jiang Heng observed the changes in Shen Wenqiu's expression, secretly guessing what the other was thinking.
Is she concerned about him? Frustrated that she can't change anything?
How could Shen Wenqiu know what Jiang Heng was thinking? After a moment of wild thoughts, he couldn't help but hold Jiang Heng's hand, soften his voice, and comfort him, "Your Highness, things will get better."
At this point, Shen Wenqiu subconsciously wanted to say that line often found in male-oriented novels, but then felt it was a bit strange, so he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Stop with all this nonsense. The most important thing now is for them to survive under Jiang Yunyan's protagonist aura.
Unfortunately, their whispered discussion was still overheard, by Crown Prince Jiang Yunyan.
Jiang Yunyan chuckled, sized up Shen Wenqiu, looked at Jiang Heng, and said, "Ninth Brother's study companion is quite good at flattering people."
These words were spoken in a flippant manner, and the tone was full of mockery.
Shen Wenqiu's face turned pale instantly. He gritted his teeth and, faced with the choice between offending the protagonist and being killed by the protagonist's halo or enduring it, he chose to cowardly endure it.
My life is more important.
Shen Wenqiu lowered his head and remained silent, but Jiang Yunyan showed no sign of letting him off the hook.
Jiang Yunyan strode over to Shen Wenqiu's side and looked down at the excessively thin study companion.
He chuckled again, looking at Jiang Heng and said, "You're so timid and hesitant, it's quite a good match for you, Ninth Brother."
After saying that, Jiang Yunyan lost interest, turned around, and strode away with his arrogant steps.
Shen Wenqiu breathed a sigh of relief after Jiang Yunyan left.
He looked down at his hands; when Jiang Yunyan approached, Jiang Heng had gripped his fingers tightly.
It's as if they're afraid of losing the companion they've finally found.
Thinking of this, Shen Wenqiu felt even more affection for him.
This damned world in the book is terrifying in the face of the protagonist.
Can't we just let poor Jiang Heng live his life in peace?
Shen Wenqiu's resentment towards the author reached its peak, but he did not show it on his face.
He simply turned around and grasped Jiang Heng's hand, smiled at Jiang Heng, and said, "Your Highness, please go back first."
Jiang Heng stared at Shen Wenqiu for a while, then nodded.
But as he left side by side with Shen Wenqiu, he couldn't help but glance at his study companion a couple more times.
He wondered what Shen Wenqiu was thinking just now. What would have happened if Shen Wenqiu had stood up and said something to Jiang Yunyan?
Was it that the wicked Crown Prince Jiang Yunyan found it amusing and took away his study companion, or did Jiang Yunyan kill his study companion in a fit of rage?
Anything is possible.
Having been given a second chance at life, Jiang Heng knows more about the Crown Prince's despicable behavior than anyone else.
Upon returning to Zhaolin Palace, Shen Wenqiu noticed that no one had cleaned the room, so his first instinct was to find a rag and a bucket to clean it.
"A rag and a bucket?" Jiang Heng looked at Shen Wenqiu strangely, guessing what he wanted.
but……
Even if Shen Wenqiu is disliked at home, she shouldn't be treated like a servant.
This reaction was somewhat off. Jiang Heng lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before pointing out the place to Shen Wenqiu.
Shen Wenqiu only realized something was wrong after he stepped outside.
Oh no, they've turned this into a school dormitory.
First, clean the house after you move in, then tidy up the bed and your luggage.
Will Jiang Heng notice something's wrong?
Shen Wenqiu turned around and glanced at Zhaolin Palace.
His character was disliked from a young age and was a pitiful little thing. His family didn't provide him with maids or servants, so he had to do everything himself. That's... that's reasonable, right?
Shortly after Shen Wenqiu left, a man dressed as a eunuch entered Zhaolin Palace and closed the palace gates.
The man bowed to Jiang Heng, took out a secret letter, and said, "Your Highness, this contains everything about Shen Wenqiu. He is merely an unfavored son of the Marquis of Huai'an, and there seems to be nothing unusual about him."
Jiang Heng took the secret letter, deftly pulled out the paper inside, and sneered, "Nothing unusual? A young master who has been neglected since childhood and subjected to the discipline of the Marquis's mansion would dare to climb over the wall during curfew? You can't say that the man who fell from the wall into my arms that night wasn't Shen Wenqiu, can you?"
The man lowered his eyes in thought, then shook his head and said, "I will go and investigate further."
Jiang Heng raised his hand to stop him, saying, "No need. Keep a close eye on the Crown Prince first. Everything else is more important."
The man bowed in response, then began to speak again, "Your Highness..."
Just as the man opened his mouth, a creaking sound came from the direction of the door as it opened.
Jiang Heng turned his head sharply and saw that it was Shen Wenqiu who pushed the door open and entered.
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