"Your Highness, you must know that you need a calm mind to pursue scholarship, a calm mind to learn martial arts, and an even calmer mind to be an emperor. If you can achieve these three calmnesses, there is nothing in the world that you cannot accomplish." Li Ting said these words to Xiao Sheng meaningfully.
Xiao Sheng nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"How many of these books on the table have you read?" Li Ting's gaze was stern. He had heard that this crown prince was unlearned and hadn't even started his formal education yet.
Xiao Sheng stared at the few books on the table; he couldn't even recognize all the words.
Li Ting shook his head, and Xiao Sheng lowered his head in embarrassment.
Seeing this, and considering his pitiful background, Li Ting decided not to scold him further. He didn't seem stupid; if he didn't know, he'd teach him.
So Li Ting first taught Xiao Sheng to recognize characters.
While teaching, Li Ting observed Xiao Sheng with great focus and concentration, almost unaffected by any external factors.
It's rare to see a six-year-old child so focused. Li Ting always felt that Xiao Sheng had a different kind of temperament than ordinary people. Although he was a child, Li Ting found that communicating with Xiao Sheng was not difficult at all.
Xiao Sheng was also a quick learner, so Li Ting sped up the teaching. After teaching him a hundred characters in one go, Li Ting was pleasantly surprised to discover that Xiao Sheng had a photographic memory.
Now that you've learned the characters, it's time to practice writing them.
Xiao Sheng held the pen firmly and powerfully, and his depiction was quite lifelike.
Li Ting was relieved and also admired Zhao Yunshu very much. He knew his own child best.
He was simply corrupted by his upbringing, not inherently evil.
Fortunately, it was still in time to correct it.
Xiao Sheng, it seems, doesn't need any external force to correct him; he himself is quietly changing from the depths of his heart.
The morning passed just like that.
Little Ma stood nearby, and seeing Xiao Sheng's performance, he was overjoyed, constantly reporting to Zhao Yunshu in his mind:
“Miss, the Crown Prince is so clever, just like you. He was spoiled by that wicked woman, but thankfully there was Grand Tutor Li who corrected him. Are you watching over His Highness from heaven? It must be you protecting him, right?”
During the break, Xiao Sheng noticed tears in Xiao Ma'er's eyes. He thought Xiao Ma'er was tired from standing and found reading difficult, so he told him that he didn't need to stay with him and could walk around.
The other palace servants who had come with him were left at the entrance of the courtyard by Xiao Sheng. The servants of the Li family brought them tea and snacks. Their task was simply to monitor Xiao Sheng's every word and action.
From the entrance, it seemed that Li Ting and the Crown Prince were chatting idly, neither teaching martial arts nor demonstrating basic introductory movements.
When you return to the palace, just tell the Empress the same thing.
Li Ting had instructed Liu Fu early on to treat the palace servants brought by the Crown Prince well, to serve them good food and drink, and to distract them.
Liu Fu was a shrewd man. He knew that these people were just lackeys. After the tea and snacks were finished, he called over a few servants who were good at playing cards and gathered the palace servants to play cards.
When playing leaf cards, there should naturally be a prize involved.
The servants were shouting that the brothers and sisters in the palace were all nobles, so they couldn't play like ordinary people. The losers shouldn't draw turtles or stick on paper anymore; instead, they should play a few big rounds and gamble a small amount for tea.
The palace servants were immediately captivated and had a great time.
At lunchtime, Xiao Sheng followed Li Ting out of the courtyard. Seeing the dejected look on Xiao Sheng's face, the others thought that the Crown Prince was unlearned and incompetent, and must not even be able to practice the basics to be like this.
Li Ting also noticed that the Crown Prince's emotional expressions in front of the palace servants were different from those in front of him.
The crown prince must know something. Otherwise, he would never believe that a six-year-old child could change his expression so quickly.
Upon seeing the palace servants playing leaf cards, the crown prince exclaimed urgently, "I want to play too!"
"Lunchtime is the time for the Li family to eat; no other activities are allowed. Your Highness, please follow me to the main hall; lunch has been prepared."
Li Ting's voice was as loud as a bell, and several palace servants felt a sense of fear upon hearing it.
"Liu Fu, arrange for the nobles in the palace to have lunch. Serve them well and do not neglect them, or you will lose your head!" Li Ting then gave the order to Liu Fu.
The palace servants wanted to play a few more rounds and try to coax the Crown Prince into joining in, but Li Ting forcibly stopped them. They had no choice but to follow Liu Fu to dinner.
Seeing how lavish the lunch was, the palace servants forgot their duties and wolfed down their food, each one burping contentedly.
Liu Fu shook his head. These little tails were too incompetent. Did they underestimate the Crown Prince, or did their master overestimate them?
Upon arriving at the main hall, Xiao Sheng discovered that the young masters of the Li family had all returned from school, and their teacher's wife was chatting and laughing with them.
Li Xingran was placed on a small, exquisitely made wooden bed.
Xiao Sheng was curious, but he dared not forget his manners.
He mimicked Xiao Ding's manner of greeting Xu Ningyou every time he returned home from school, and then cautiously asked Xu Ningyou, "Master's wife, may I go see my sister? And the little bed she sleeps in, I feel there's something mysterious about it."
“Your Highness, there’s no need to be so polite. Your mother is my junior sister. If you’re not being formal, you should call me Aunt according to seniority.”
Xu Ningyou looked at the crown prince before her; he looked so much like her junior sister. If her junior sister hadn't been framed, and she had personally raised this child, perhaps the Southern Chen Kingdom would have produced another wise ruler.
Xu Ningyou's gaze followed Xiao Sheng's movements. Xiao Sheng walked to Li Xingran's crib, where Li Xingran was gesturing wildly, looking very happy.
Xiao Sheng reached out to grab Li Xingran's chubby, soft hand.
But the smile on Li Xingran's face vanished the moment she saw Xiao Sheng.
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