"Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother! You have to help me!"
Hongchen wore a pained expression and clung tightly to Hongmin's sleeve.
Hongmin said helplessly, "Sixth brother, be good. Why do you have to provoke Xu Anda? He is a highly respected scholar. Although Father protects us, we should still show him some respect!"
Hongmin scolded Hongchen with exasperation, "You're not a three-year-old anymore, you're five!"
Hongchen pouted: "Xu Anda always scratches his head when he teaches me, and after he finishes scratching his head, he makes me copy the book. I was thinking of cutting his head bald and seeing how he would scratch his head then."
Hongmin couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Anda is scratching his head because you weren't paying attention in class."
“But his voice is really hypnotic! Mother said that I get sleepy easily when Anda talks. It’s true!” Hongchen looked at Hongmin very sincerely and asked, “Aren’t you sleepy?”
Hongmin twitched his lips. Although he was also prone to sleepiness, that was no excuse for not paying attention in class!
"Oh dear, anyway you made a mistake. Father wants you to go to Xu Anda's residence to report for duty. He will give you a private lesson. Hurry up and go, don't be late."
Hongchen was almost in tears, clutching Hongmin's hand tightly, wailing, "Brother! Brother! My dear brother! I'm your own brother! You can't just abandon me to my fate!!"
Hongmin was getting a headache from his crying and, fearing it would attract attention, covered his mouth and whispered, "I'll go with you! Stop crying! Is it something to be proud of?"
Upon hearing that his brother was willing to go with him, Hongchen immediately shut his mouth and revealed an innocent smile. The speed at which he changed his expression was astonishing.
Hongmin was truly impressed by his younger brother.
Xu Mansion...
Xu Shida was quite old. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Kangxi era and had worked in the Hanlin Academy for many years. He was very knowledgeable, but he was somewhat rigid and old-fashioned, a very traditional official.
Yinzhen asked him to teach Hongmin and Hongchen, hoping that he could temper Hongchen's temperament, make him less impulsive, and more steady.
However, Xu Shida's encounter with Hong Chen turned out to be the biggest setback of his career.
He touched his once gray hair, but it was all gone; he could only feel the scalp with a few strands of hair left.
"Sigh," he sighed.
He was genuinely afraid of the Sixth Prince. He was originally going to teach the prince, which his colleagues envied because it was an easy job and he could easily achieve good results, which the emperor would notice.
Moreover, there was no struggle for the throne. There were eight princes in total, six of whom were brothers born to the Empress. Victory was assured.
These young princes will definitely have a bright future.
So this is an excellent job.
On the day he took office, his colleagues even threw him a banquet.
Xu Shida squinted, recalling his triumphant day, feeling like an old steed still eager to gallop a thousand miles. Even in his twilight years, a hero's heart remains undaunted.
He intended to teach the two young princes well, and to impart all his knowledge and skills to them, so that they could protect the Xu family in the future.
He originally had a son who was exceptionally intelligent, but unfortunately he died young, leaving behind only his daughter-in-law and a lonely granddaughter.
He and his wife couldn't bear to see their daughter-in-law's prime years wasted, so they decided to let her return home and find a good husband.
Now, in the Xu family mansion, there are only him, his old wife, and a five-year-old granddaughter.
Xu Shida gave a wry smile. The Fifth Prince was alright; he was smart, diligent, and loved to read. But the Sixth Prince was a troublemaker; he didn't want to study and liked to cause trouble.
He could understand that few boys his age could sit still, especially since he had older brothers and loving parents, so it was normal for the Sixth Prince to be a little spoiled.
But to his utter surprise, the Sixth Prince dared to cut off his queue and shave his head. For a scholar who was always proud and aloof, this was an utter disgrace! An utter disgrace! An utter disgrace!
So in that instant, he was consumed by rage and could no longer care about anything else. He picked up a bamboo stick and slapped the Sixth Prince's palm. Seeing the Sixth Prince's shocked and aggrieved crying face, he was so startled that his rationality returned instantly, and he broke out in a cold sweat!
As his subjects, they naturally understood the emperor's attitude towards these princes' advisors. Emperor Kangxi was a prime example.
To put it bluntly, he was just an official; how dare he defy his superiors and punish the prince?
Even the prince's tutors had to kneel while attending classes.
Xu Shida broke out in a cold sweat. He was now familiar with the Emperor's style of doing things. A while ago, someone dared to plot against the princess. The Emperor sent the Sticky Rod Office and the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate all the officials in the court. Anyone suspected of being involved was dragged out and their entire family was executed.
Even the once renowned and illustrious Niohuru clan fell from grace.
What about myself?
So he knelt tremblingly before the Hall of Mental Cultivation, awaiting the Emperor's judgment, filled with endless regret. His own death was not the problem, but the fact that he had implicated his elderly wife and young granddaughter filled him with sorrow.
To his surprise, after kneeling for a while, he didn't receive the Emperor's decree to confiscate his property. Instead, Eunuch Su helped him up with a smile and told him to go back to his residence to rest.
This left him completely bewildered, and he asked tremblingly, "May I ask, Eunuch Su, what about His Majesty...?"
Eunuch Su simply smiled and shook his head: "Her Majesty the Empress is inside."
Xu Shida understood that it was the Empress who had saved his life.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, he knelt reverently at the door and bowed three times before returning home.
Eunuch Su also thoughtfully conveyed the imperial decree, saying that the Emperor, being considerate of his advanced age, had granted him permission to return to the Imperial Study after three months, and that he should stay at home to recuperate in the meantime.
Xu Shida understood; the emperor told him to wait until his hair grew back before going to the palace.
That's fine, that's fine too.
At least I won't be seen and laughed at by my former colleagues.
Xu Shida breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't expect who would teach the two princes after he returned to the mansion. He was afraid that a colleague would be borrowed.
Before he could recover his thoughts, a surprised, childish voice rang out.
"Grandpa! Grandpa, what's wrong? Where's your hair? Why did it all fall out all of it?"
Oh no!
My granddaughter and wife don't know about this yet. How am I going to explain this to them?
Xu Shida was used to shielding them from the wind and rain by himself, and now he didn't want them to be afraid, angry, or resentful.
So he forced a smile, a smile that was exceptionally kind and gentle, and took his granddaughter's hand to explain.
"Grandpa's hair is too thick! It's too dense! Grandpa wants to get it trimmed a little."
Seeing Xu Shida's almost bald head, Xu Qingxue smiled and said, "Grandfather looks so handsome! So imposing! Just like the bandits Erniu described!"
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