The weather gradually grew warmer. The princes in the Imperial Study were no longer as well-behaved during lessons as before, becoming increasingly restless.
While the tutor lectured at the front, a few princes kept staring out the window, not absorbing a single word. The Fourth Prince was secretly playing with a katydid hidden in his sleeve, occasionally glancing up at the tutor.
The eunuch standing at the doorway was already sweating profusely at the sight inside the study. When the tutor noticed the gaze, his face instantly paled.
He was about to bow in greeting but was stopped.
"Fourth Highness, stop playing," the tutor said, his tone somewhat stern.
The other princes sighed in annoyance and stopped what they were doing, but it wasn't long before they resumed their messing around.
Ji Zhaoxi really liked the books in the library pavilion, especially those about solving crimes. Before she knew how to read, she would have Xiao Yanchen read them to her. Now, she already recognized many characters.
"What does this mean?" Ji Zhaoxi asked in a low voice.
Xiao Yanchen leaned in and softly explained it to her.
Looking into the Imperial Study from the outside, the only ones actually reading were Ji Zhaoxi and Xiao Yanchen.
The Emperor, standing at the doorway, had a dark expression on his face.
As for the Second Prince, whom he valued the most, he was lost in his own thoughts and hadn't even lifted his head.
"Are you all pursuing your studies, or just idling your days away?"
The atmosphere in the room froze instantly.
The Emperor walked into the Imperial Study with a sullen face. The tutor hastily bowed, while the other princes turned pale with fright, scrambling to hide their toys and flip open their books.
"I stood at the door for quite a while, and not a single one of you was paying attention to the tutor's lecture." The Emperor was furious.
In truth, he had seen Xiao Yanchen and Ji Zhaoxi studying earnestly, but in his eyes, Xiao Yanchen was of no concern to him.
The tutor stood to the side with his head bowed, incredibly nervous.
The Emperor stopped in front of the Second Prince, his face dark. "Tell me your policy essays on 'Summer Solstice Farming and Sericulture.' Surely the tutor has covered this."
Hearing this, the tutor's vision went black. He was doomed. He knew better than anyone the actual academic level of these princes.
The tutor looked at the Second Prince with a glimmer of hope. Surely the Second Prince would know the answer.
The Second Prince, who sat at the very front, stood up. He stammered through his answer, even getting the names of the prefectures and counties involved in the water management wrong.
"Your Majesty, the Second Prince must be too nervous. He had memorized it very well just a few days ago," the tutor said, his smile somewhat strained.
The Emperor remained silent, veins bulging on his forehead.
It had been a long time since any of the imperial concubines had given birth to a prince. If things continued like this, was he really supposed to pass the throne to one of these princes sitting in the Imperial Study?
In the back, the Fourth Prince frantically flipped through his book. When it was his turn, he couldn't even find the original text.
The tutor forced a smile. "If the Fourth Highness cannot recite it from memory, then just read a passage."
However, the Fourth Prince kept his head down, endlessly turning the pages.
The other princes were even more panicked. They had assumed it would be fine as long as the Second Prince knew the answer, never expecting that they would be tested as well.
Soon, there were only two people left in the Imperial Study who hadn't been called on.
The Emperor was already annoyed, and looking at that face that so closely resembled the Empress made him even more irritated.
His gaze stopped on Ji Zhaoxi, who was sitting nearby, and he frowned. "Seventh Prince's study companion? You tell me."
Ji Zhaoxi stood up, looking completely bewildered. She stealthily closed the complete collection of detective stories in her hands.
She had to answer too?
"To reply to Your Majesty," Ji Zhaoxi began, stumbling over her words. "According to the law, the loss should be around twenty to thirty percent, and halved if transported by waterways. Based on the scale of the disaster just mentioned, thirty thousand shi of grain would be needed..."
The more Ji Zhaoxi spoke, the more panicked she felt, and her voice grew softer and softer. Xiao Yanchen, however, looked at her with bright, shining eyes.
As expected of the brilliant detective Xiao Xizi!
This nickname was actually forced upon Xiao Yanchen by Ji Zhaoxi. Having read too many crime-solving books, she felt that she too ought to become a master detective.
The tutor, whose heart had just been pounding with fear, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The other princes stared at Ji Zhaoxi in disbelief.
The Emperor's expression finally softened a bit. "Not bad."
But when he looked at Xiao Yanchen next to her, his expression grew cold again. "Seventh Prince, your turn."
Ji Zhaoxi was thrilled to have been praised. She looked at Xiao Yanchen encouragingly.
If he didn't know the answer, she would help him!
Xiao Yanchen's eyes curved into a smile as he stood up. Looking at the Emperor, he discussed everything from the pros and cons of farming seasons to the construction of dams.
However, the Emperor's expression remained placid throughout, making it impossible to tell whether he was satisfied or not.
Only after Xiao Yanchen finished speaking did the Emperor say, "Let us end it here."
Once the Emperor left, the tutor finally let his guard down.
He had been afraid the Emperor would think he didn't know how to teach, but these princes had all grown up spoiled; they simply wouldn't listen to him.
"Xiao Xizi, I was a little nervous just now," Xiao Yanchen said, secretly grabbing Ji Zhaoxi's hand and looking at her pleadingly.
Ji Zhaoxi replied loyally, "Don't be afraid. In the future, if you can't answer, I'll remind you."
After today's events, Ji Zhaoxi suddenly realized that she might actually have a talent for studying.
Xiao Yanchen nodded vigorously and sat even closer to Ji Zhaoxi.
He really wanted to lean against Xiao Xizi...
Inside the Jingren Palace, various fine tributes from the Imperial Household Department were displayed, including a red coral found by Grand Secretary Lin. But at this moment, all these treasures had been smashed to pieces on the floor.
The Noble Consort slumped on her chaise longue. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red, and she looked as though she might collapse at any moment.
"I have been with the Emperor for so long. Just a few days ago, he was holding me, saying that I was the one he loved the most," the Noble Consort cried shrilly. "I fought and won against so many concubines, and even defeated the late Empress, but now I've lost to a wild girl who only knows how to play the zither!"
Why!
The palace maids on the floor were terrified and kneeling all over, while the Noble Consort wept heart-wrenchingly.
Ignoring the broken shards on the floor, Xiao He, with red eyes, hugged the Noble Consort tightly. "Your Ladyship! Please don't be sad, Your Ladyship. The Emperor is just seeking novelty. How could First Attendant Ling ever compare to the deep affection between you and the Emperor?"
Xiao He couldn't help but cry out loud as well. In her eyes, the Noble Consort had always been the wildly flamboyant lady back in the Lin Manor. Seeing her reduced to this state, she finally understood what the saying that the palace eats people alive truly meant.
Choking back sobs, she gently patted the Noble Consort's back. "Master, let us not be angry anymore. That First Attendant Ling may enjoy her glory for a moment, but she won't enjoy it for a lifetime."
The Noble Consort gradually stopped crying, and the sorrow in her eyes turned into a vicious glare.
"Xiao He, you are right." She let the dangling hairpin fall from her head to the ground, her tone growing softer and softer. "Since she loves playing the zither so much, I will let her play to her heart's content."
The snow in the palace had mostly melted, and the Ruhui Palace was no longer as gloomy and cold as before. The group of eunuchs who had previously embezzled supplies meant for the Ruhui Palace had disappeared at some unknown time.
A study companion was supposed to sleep in the same room as the prince, either in the side room or on the footstool.
Ji Zhaoxi naturally refused to sleep there, and Xiao Yanchen wouldn't let her, either.
In the end, Ji Zhaoxi slept in the main hall, while Xiao Yanchen slept in the adjoining side room.
"Seventeen, now that Xiao Xizi has moved in, you shouldn't squat on the roof beams anymore. It's inconvenient," Xiao Yanchen told Seventeen earnestly.
Seventeen was puzzled. What was inconvenient about it?
But since his master had said so, he complied, and so he squatted on the roof beams of the side room instead.
At night, only a single dim lamp was lit in the hall. Their shadows cast upon the folding screen, and the table was piled high with thick books.
Xiao Yanchen looked at Ji Zhaoxi, who was sleeping soundly beside him. She still held a writing brush in her hand, and a few stray strands of hair clung to her cheek, rising and falling slightly with her breathing.
Xiao Yanchen felt as if his heart had been gently tickled. He eagerly leaned in close to Ji Zhaoxi, rested his head on the table right next to hers, and then secretly poked her cheek.
The great detective Xiao Xizi would only let him poke her face when she was asleep.
Seventeen, who was hiding up on the roof beams: ...
Were these two going to study or not?
Only after finishing his coursework did Xiao Yanchen carry Ji Zhaoxi to bed.
He just wanted Xiao Xizi to keep him company all the time.
During their usual days off, Xiao Yanchen would follow Ji Zhaoxi to Eunuch Liu's courtyard to clean up.
Every time they finished cleaning, they would leave their large brooms at the door to let Eunuch Liu know of their hard work.
Returning to his courtyard after a busy day at the Department of Punishments, Eunuch Liu stared speechlessly at the two large brooms by the door.
In truth, they really didn't need to tidy up his courtyard for him. Every time they came over, he always ended up losing something!
