Chapter 709 The King's Pampering
Since neither of them had their parents pick them up, neither of them won.
Soon, Master Lü from the prodigy class came to teach the students.
Perhaps due to instructions from the king, Master Lü did not pay much attention to the young princess, but simply introduced her to the children in the class as a new student named Yan Xue.
"Naturally" is an alias.
Xiaoxue and Yanxue differ by only one character, but the latter, spoken by the Master in a serious and calm manner, makes it less certain that it must be a girl's name.
There are three reasons.
First, there's a boy in the class named Mo Hanxue.
Second, apart from Jingkong, no one else could have imagined that a woman would dress as a man.
Third, and this is the most important point, the little princess was too cutesy when she introduced herself to Xiao Jingkong, and she looked like an easy girl to bully.
Xiao Jingkong felt that a real young man should be like him, standing tall with his chest out, back straight, eyes firm, exuding a masculine aura of two meters and eight inches!
Master Lü: "Jingkong, why are you blocked by books again?"
The 2.8-meter height instantly dropped to 2.8 centimeters.
Xiao Jingkong silently moved the three books in front of him. That's the downside of being so small; the table was taller than him.
Actually, the young princess is young, but she is a princess. She is not here to study, but to experience life. Therefore, Master Lü will not be too strict with her.
...mainly because they dare not.
This was the first time the young princess had been with so many children, and it was quite different from her previous experiences.
The learning atmosphere is also very different.
Most of the students in the Imperial Academy were members of the royal family. Some of them actually studied, but many others just went there to pass the time.
The students in the prodigy class were basically not just loafing around; at least not before today.
They were all selected through a rigorous process; only those with exceptional intelligence could enter this class.
The young princess was one of only two people who entered through connections.
The first one is Yeonsan-gun, the father of the young princess.
Even Xiao Jingkong didn't immediately enter the prodigy class after receiving his admission documents; he was admitted later through an entrance exam.
The young princess found this class very interesting, even more so than the Imperial Academy. She decided to study hard and become the most intelligent and clever girl in the entire capital.
She took out her books and the special calligraphy brush given to her by her uncle, the king, and began to take notes carefully.
A morning has passed.
She drew eight little turtles.
Xiao Jingkong studied diligently for the entire morning, not because he loved learning, but because this was his task.
Who told my brother-in-law to be so useless, and my two older brothers to be so lazy and uneducated? He's the only one left to be the pillar of the family.
He wants to pass the imperial examinations as soon as possible, make a name for himself, raise his beloved daughter, spoil his brother-in-law, and support his two older brothers and children from the first to the eleventh grade.
The sudden arrival of a little princess in the class caught the students' attention. First, the little princess was too young, even younger than Xiao Jingkong. Second, the little princess was too cute, sitting there with her rosy cheeks and soft, chubby face, making people want to pinch her cheeks.
After class, a few bolder classmates gathered around, some standing in front of the table, others lying on it, their eyes wide as if they were watching a little princess.
Others feel awkward around adults, but it's the other way around with the young princess.
After all, no child in the palace dared to get so close to her.
"Hey, little one, where did you come from?"
"I... am from home."
His Majesty said that the palace is also her home.
How old are you?
The young princess counted on her fingers, holding up three: "Four years old!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
This little one can't even count, so adorably silly!
Everyone agreed that this little one was easier to fool than the other little one, who was too fierce, getting first place in every subject and having particularly hard little fists.
Did you understand what I said in class today?
"I understand!"
"What did Master Lü talk about?"
"I told you, I told you..." The little princess couldn't answer.
She spent the whole morning drawing turtles; she didn't hear a word the teacher was saying.
The students' mischievous side kicked in, and the boldest one reached out, wanting to pinch the little princess's cheek.
The young princess had plenty of experience dealing with adults, but she was completely bewildered by the children. She had no idea what to do and just stared blankly as a hand reached out to pinch her little face.
Suddenly, a chubby little hand with distinct knuckles (not really) grabbed the classmate's wrist.
What are you doing?
The owner of the small hand asked with an air of domineering confidence.
The nine-year-old classmate, who had been caught, immediately cowered and stammered, "N-nothing."
The class bully of the prodigy class, Xiao Jingkong, said with utmost authority, "Don't bully the new classmates, or I'll unleash Xiao Jiu to bite you!"
Is Xiao Jingkong able to become the class bully because his little fists are hard?
It must not be.
Who has a ferocious gyrfalcon following behind them, with really hard fists?
The crowd quickly dispersed.
Xiao Jingkong sat back down in his seat.
The little princess, relieved from the shock of having her cheeks pinched, looked at Xiao Jingkong with adoring eyes: "Wow, you're so impressive!"
Xiao Jingkong, who was once one of the three most notorious scoundrels of the Imperial Academy, waved the big boss's little hand and said with great pride, "It's nothing special. If anyone bullies you in the future, just tell me and I'll protect you!"
The little princess nodded sweetly, "Who is this Xiao Jiu you're talking about?"
Xiao Jingkong said, "It's a bird I keep."
The young princess exclaimed excitedly, "I have birds at home too!"
Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment, guessing at her excited little tone, and asked, "Do you want to compete with me in bird-related activities?"
The young princess opened her eyes wide: "Is it alright?"
“Of course.” Xiao Jingkong nodded seriously. “Then it’s settled. Bring the bird over tomorrow.”
"Um!"
As someone who's been through it all, Xiao Jingkong felt it was necessary to give her a heads-up: "But you have to bring it secretly, you can't let the teacher find out, otherwise, the teacher might confiscate your bird."
The young princess nodded readily, "Okay, I'll remember!"
Because she was well-behaved, Xiao Jingkong decided not to mess up her little pigtails today. Xiao Jingkong continued to remind her, "Also, if I'm not here and those stinky boys come to bully you again, you can be a little fierce."
The young princess shook her head decisively: "I can't be mean to them, I can't bully the younger generation."
Bullying Prince Ming doesn't count; that's only a generation apart. Besides, Prince Ming isn't a child either. These little classmates are about the same age as her little nephews and grandnephews.
As a grandmother, she should have the demeanor of a senior and know how to love the young.
The four-year-old princess's grandmother thought so.
...
The prodigy class at Lingbo Academy takes a break every ten days, and the day before the break is usually only half a day. Today, the little princess happened to be there.
After the king left court, he traveled incognito to Lingbo Academy to wait for the young princess. This was at the young princess's request; otherwise, she would not come to class.
The king rode in a two-horse carriage, and only brought two servants: the Grand Eunuch Zhang Dequan and the coachman.
The carriages were parked discreetly in a congested alleyway diagonally opposite Lingbo Academy. There were many carriages parked in front and behind, but the weather was hot and humid, so the people in the other carriages went out to find a cool spot.
The surroundings were relatively quiet.
The king arrived a little early and had been waiting for an hour.
Many memorials have been approved.
Seeing that no one was around, Zhang Dequan carefully hung up the curtain and gently fanned the king with a small palm-leaf fan.
Even so, the king was still drenched in sweat, his collar completely soaked.
Zhang Dequan was also suffering from the heat. There was a teahouse right next door, but the emperor refused to go.
Zhang Dequan couldn't help but recall the past.
When was the last time the king so braved the cold and heat to escort a child? It seems it was when the crown princess was a child.
Speaking of which, the Crown Princess was also a student in the prodigy class, but she got in based on her own merit.
Although the Crown Princess possessed the bloodline of the Xuanyuan family's God of War, she also inherited the wisdom of the King, making her the most intelligent of all the princes and princesses.
Putting aside her status as the legitimate daughter of the emperor and her powerful maternal clan, Zhang Dequan did indeed believe that she possessed the talent to govern the country and was the most suitable candidate for the crown prince.
What a pity.
"What are you thinking about?" the king asked casually as he reviewed the memorials.
"Ah." Zhang Dequan then realized that he had been lost in thought and slowed down his fanning.
Lying to the king will never end well; only a fool would take someone else's foolishness for granted.
Zhang Dequan said, "This servant was momentarily confused, but remembered that the Crown Princess had also studied at Lingbo Academy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Dequan secretly pinched himself.
How could you speak like that?
The Crown Princess has long been deposed, so she should no longer be addressed as such.
But the emperor seemed unaware of the taboo surrounding Zhang Dequan's form of address. He placed the memorials he had finished reviewing on a stack of imperial edicts on his right, then picked up a new one from his left, opened it, and asked, "What are they saying outside?"
Zhang Dequan asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?"
The king said calmly, "It's about Shangguan Yan's return."
The Crown Princess has been deposed and reduced to a commoner. She should indeed be addressed by her given name, but why does it sound strange to me?
Zhang Dequan considered his words carefully before saying, "There has been much discussion about it."
The ruler said, "Speak."
In general, there's no need to hide anything in this situation, since the ruler is most averse to others showing off their cleverness in front of him.
Zhang Dequan said, "Some say that Shangguan Yan has returned to accept the investigation, and she cannot leave Shengdu until the case of the Imperial Mausoleum is solved; others say that His Majesty took this opportunity to bring Shangguan Yan back to the palace for protection, and will send her back to the Imperial Mausoleum after the assassin is brought to justice."
The king, reviewing the memorials, asked, "Anything else?"
Zhang Dequan said, "There's also the saying... that the reason you haven't killed Shangguan Yan all these years is because you can't bear to part with her..."
The king gave a faint "hmm": "Continue."
How did you know I hadn't finished speaking?
Therefore, never try to play tricks on the king; those who have tried have all died.
Zhang Dequan is only alive today because he is the most honest one.
Zhang Dequan said, "The Xuanyuan family has suffered such a great tragedy, yet you did not depose the Empress, but merely banished her to the Cold Palace. Furthermore, since the Empress has been dead for many years, you have not appointed another Empress. Some people speculate that you still harbor feelings for Empress Xuanyuan, and that one day you might, for her sake, pardon the deposed Crown Princess."
If she is pardoned, given that the king has not yet established a new empress, Shangguan Yan, even if she is not the crown princess, is still the king's only legitimate heir.
It would be a lie to say that this status is not prestigious.
The king's expression remained calm, as if he were only hearing someone else's story: "Who are these people who are saying this?"
Zhang Dequan said, "There are many, including the various princes' mansions, officials of the Six Ministries, and concubines in the harem, all of whom are talking about it."
The king seemed unsurprised: "Didn't the people from the Crown Prince's residence say anything?"
Zhang Dequan said, "The people around the Crown Prince are always cautious, and we have not heard any remarks that are detrimental to Shangguan Yan."
The king gave a faint hum: "He's just too cautious. He's the one who most wants Shangguan Yan to get into trouble."
Zhang Dequan's expression changed: "Your Majesty!"
The king said, "I didn't say that the crown prince is definitely the murderer, but the crown prince's guards did indeed injure Shangguan Yan in the palace. What do you think?"
Zhang Dequan said with trepidation, "This servant dares not make any presumptuous remarks."
The king sneered and continued to bury himself in reviewing the memorials.
Zhang Dequan broke out in a cold sweat.
It's not that I'm afraid the ruler won't tell you, it's that I'm afraid he'll tell you everything. The more you know, the faster you'll die; he understands this principle.
Just when he thought the king would ask him, "Do you think Shangguan Yan has truly lost her memory or is she faking it?" the king suddenly changed the subject: "Still no news of Shangguan Qing?"
Shangguan Qing, the son of Shangguan Yan, was only half a month older than Prince Ming, and successfully usurped the position of the eldest grandson of the emperor.
Zhang Dequan replied, "No, I heard from a palace maid from the imperial mausoleum that His Highness the Great is traveling and sightseeing, and he won't be back for at least half a year."
The king did not speak again.
The king doted on that child. Although the child also had the blood of the Xuanyuan family flowing in his veins, the child was physically weak, and the Grand Preceptor said that he would not live past the age of twenty.
Such a grandson of the emperor, destined to die young, could not become a puppet of the Xuanyuan family. Perhaps for this reason, the emperor treated Shangguan Qing more purely than he treated his other children.
When the young Shangguan Qing wanted to go to the imperial mausoleum with the Crown Princess, the king was furious.
The king truly loved that child, even more than he loved the young princess.
I went to the hospital today and had my surgery, which was postponed for a month. The doctor told me to rest more, so I have to lie down after every few seconds of typing, which is making my typing very slow.
I'll write more tomorrow, and everyone can check back in the afternoon.
It's not a very serious surgery, so don't worry about me or feel sorry for me typing this. It's something I should do.
Many people are working hard to make a living.
However, it does cause physical trauma, so both the mental and physical state need to be adjusted. I also need to receive intravenous infusions every day and cannot write for several hours, so the update time may be irregular.
(End of this chapter)
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