Just as Xiao Yanchen was walking forward in a daze, he was suddenly knocked into the snow.
Smelling the familiar scent of soap locust, he subconsciously wrapped his arms around the person in his embrace.
"Xiao Yanchen, I finally found a way!"
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes were incredibly bright. She looked as if she had just run over, panting slightly.
"I'll be your study companion, and then I can protect you! You don't have a study companion, do you? I see all the other princes have one."
She had heard this from the other little eunuchs. Those little eunuchs also wanted to be study companions, but the requirements were too high.
But she felt that she could definitely do it, because she was smarter than them.
"Xiao Yanchen, are you listening to me? I want to be your study companion." Ji Zhaoxi shook his shoulders.
Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Yanchen hugged her tightly. His whole body was trembling, and he didn't say a word.
Ji Zhaoxi froze for a moment, then carefully hugged him back.
Xiao Yanchen had grown taller than her at some point. She used to be a little bit taller than him, but now she found it a bit strenuous to hug him.
Should she be eating a bit more?
A sudden, scalding wetness spread across the crook of her neck. Xiao Yanchen didn't cry out loud; he buried his face deeply in her shoulder, his tears falling silently onto her clothes.
"It's okay. Once I become your study companion, I'll help you." Ji Zhaoxi awkwardly patted his shoulder and cleared her throat. "Don't be sad. Once I go to the imperial study, they will be the ones crying."
Xiao Yanchen was still crying, his tears flowing incessantly. Ji Zhaoxi sighed and rubbed his head.
Xiao Yanchen suddenly paused. He pulled away from Ji Zhaoxi's shoulder and looked at her with tearful eyes.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him with a bewildered expression. "Why did you stop crying?"
Xiao Yanchen silently wiped his tears and nudged his head into her hand.
Utterly confused, Ji Zhaoxi rubbed his head again.
The two held hands and walked forward together. Xiao Yanchen didn't know where they were going; he just followed Ji Zhaoxi.
"Then we can go to the imperial study together. Maybe I can become a scholar in the future too." Ji Zhaoxi was very excited about going to the imperial study.
Xiao Yanchen whispered, "Xiao Xizi, how about I teach you how to read? The imperial study is extremely dangerous, I don't want..."
Ji Zhaoxi tugged at the fur collar around her neck, her eyes shining. "There will also be horseback riding and archery classes. Don't worry, I can definitely protect you."
Xiao Yanchen silently tightened the fur collar around her neck.
"Xiao Xizi, if you like riding horses, it's not necessarily..."
Ji Zhaoxi looked a bit aggrieved. "I just asked Eunuch Liu. I wanted him to help me, but he rolled his eyes at me."
Xiao Yanchen breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of joy on his face. "Xiao Xizi, Eunuch Liu is just worried about you, so..."
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him triumphantly. "Then let's go find Sister Xiaohe now. She will definitely help me because she likes me."
Xiao Yanchen's mind went blank for a moment. He anxiously tried to persuade her, "Xiao Xizi, you can't go to the imperial study. The teachers and my imperial brothers there are all terrifying."
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him, her eyes gradually turning red.
Xiao Yanchen immediately panicked. "I... I won't say anymore, Xiao Xizi."
The next second, Ji Zhaoxi happily led Xiao Yanchen by the hand to find Xiaohe.
Suddenly, a flurry of panicked footsteps came from not far away. The faces of the eunuchs were filled with fear and despair as they ran forward, carrying someone.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"I can't go any faster! Support him a bit, he's slipping down."
They had originally gone to find Consort Shu to plead with the teacher, but when they returned to the imperial study, the Third Prince was gone.
They searched for a long time before finally finding the Third Prince in the water. By the time they found him, he had completely lost consciousness.
"It's all your fault. If you hadn't all gone to find Consort Shu, this wouldn't have happened."
"Alright, alright, now is not the time to talk about this!"
The lead eunuch was trembling with anger. He lowered his voice, "What time is it to still be arguing? If the Third Prince doesn't wake up, we can kiss our lives goodbye!"
Ji Zhaoxi hid in the corner, curiously watching this scene.
Xiao Yanchen watched silently, a look of surprise on his face as well.
The news of the Third Prince falling into the icy water quickly reached the ears of the Noble Consort.
The Noble Consort was overjoyed in her bedchamber, mocking, "Being that fat, he deserved to fall in."
Xiaohe gently held a grape and brought it to the Noble Consort's mouth, smiling. "Consort Shu has been so happy lately, who would have thought she'd run into trouble today."
The Noble Consort snorted coldly. Ever since that incident last time, the Emperor had some grievances against her. Consort Shu somehow found out about it and had been constantly hovering around the Emperor.
She wanted to see if Consort Shu would still have the time to seduce the Emperor now that the Third Prince had fallen into the icy water.
In such cold weather, it would be best if he was frozen into an idiot.
Red lanterns swayed in the wind. The snow never stopped, and the cold air constantly tried to seep into collars.
The breath Ji Zhaoxi exhaled was cold. She brushed away the snow-covered leaves and stared intently at the palace gates.
When would Sister Xiaohe come out?
Xiao Yanchen shielded her by her side, his face slightly red from the cold. He whispered, "Xiao Xizi..."
"Not listening!"
Xiao Yanchen glanced at her, stopped talking, and moved a bit closer to her.
Finally, a familiar figure opened the palace gates.
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed forward to hug her. "Sister Xiaohe!"
Xiaohe was knocked back a few steps by her. She looked a bit surprised but quickly recovered and pinched her cheek.
"Xiao Xizi, you're not allowed to tackle me like that next time."
Looking at the eager Ji Zhaoxi, Xiaohe crouched down. "You only come to find me when you need something, and never when you don't."
Ji Zhaoxi looked at her and said dryly, "Sister Xiaohe, I'll come find you even when I don't need anything from now on."
Xiaohe stuffed some food into her pocket and smiled. "Tell me, what is it? Running all the way here so late at night."
"Sister Xiaohe, I want to be Xiao... the Seventh Prince's study companion. Could you please put in a word for me with the Noble Consort?" Ji Zhaoxi buried her face in Xiaohe's embrace and rubbed against her.
Xiaohe stroked her head, neither agreeing nor refusing.
"Why does Xiao Xizi suddenly want to be the Seventh Prince's study companion?"
"Because I want to be the number one eunuch!" Ji Zhaoxi said earnestly.
"Sister Xiaohe, everyone says the eunuchs in the laundry bureau are the worst, and the eunuchs in the Department of Punishment are the least liked. So I want to be a study companion eunuch. I want to go to the imperial study."
Xiaohe didn't say a word. Watching her eyes dart around, she knew she was lying to her again.
"Sister Xiaohe, don't you dote on Xiao Xizi the most?" Ji Zhaoxi choked out.
Xiaohe watched her pretend to cry for a long time without shedding a single tear, and sighed.
"Alright, alright. I'll go ask Her Ladyship right now. You wait for me at the door."
"Thank you, Sister Xiaohe!"
