"Who sewed this clothes for you?"
The emperor asked seemingly casually.
"Father, I sewed it myself," Zheng Yuanqing replied. "My wet nurse accompanied me to the border, but unfortunately, she caught an epidemic and couldn't be saved."
As Zheng Yuanqing spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. "After that, I took care of everything myself."
"What about your maids?"
Zheng Yuanqing looked embarrassed.
Only then did the emperor remember that all of his maids had died on the way and at the border because of an assassination attempt.
As a prince, Zheng Yuanqing had ended up like this! He had even developed such a short - sighted and timid personality, not daring to fight or strive for anything!
The emperor had never paid attention to the person in front of him before, but now he felt a bit emotional. So he said, "Get up."
"Yes."
It seemed that there was something fishy about the crown prince.
The third prince was so hard - up. Most likely, the money embezzled from the dam project hadn't ended up in his hands.
"Are you Lin Xiqing's disciple?"
He turned to look at Song Huaizhi and said, "Raise your head and stand up. Let me take a look."
Only then did Song Huaizhi stand up. He glanced at the emperor and respectfully said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"You seem to be quite decent," the emperor said. "I wonder if you know my third prince?"
"Your Majesty," Song Huaizhi looked up at the emperor and replied, "I do."
"I used to be a merchant. That's how I met the third prince when he came to buy rice and flour, and we got to know each other."
The emperor fell silent.
Buying rice and flour by himself? It seemed that the third prince was living a more miserable life than he had imagined.
"Step back. I'm tired."
After a moment of silence, he let the two of them leave. Before they left, he glanced at Song Huaizhi and asked, "Why don't you take the imperial examinations?"
Song Huaizhi paused and said, "I was just a merchant before. I only started studying after being taken in as a disciple by Mr. Lin."
"So I don't think I can compare with those future pillars of the court. I came to the capital to assist Mr. Lin in managing the academy. I don't dare to dream of entering the court."
Dare not? Or didn't want to?
The emperor suddenly laughed and said to him, "Not bad. You know when to advance and when to retreat, and you're cautious in your words and deeds."
"Song Huaizhi, the next time you see me, you don't need to refer to yourself as a commoner."
Hearing this, Song Huaizhi bowed his head and saluted again before turning around and walking out.
The grand eunuch sent the two of them out of the palace with a beaming face.
Song Huaizhi and Zheng Yuanqing had come on horses, but they were sent back in sedan - chairs arranged by the emperor.
The two of them didn't dare to say much in the sedan - chairs. Only when they returned to the academy did Zheng Yuanqing instantly flop onto a chair. He looked at Song Huaizhi blankly and said, "It seems that the capital is simply your world!"
"Brother Song! No one can outsmart you!"
Zheng Yuanqing was completely in awe. He never thought that after his trip to the palace, nothing had happened to him, but instead, he had earned the emperor's pity by telling his hard - luck story.
Amazing! Song Huaizhi was really amazing!
Before he could say another word, Meng Ruyi, who had got the news, rushed over in a hurry. She asked the two people in the yard, "Brother Song! Are you okay?"
Seeing the anxiety on Meng Ruyi's face, Song Huaizhi finally relaxed. He poured a cup of tea for Meng Ruyi, who had trotted over, and said gently, "Don't be in such a hurry next time. Be careful not to fall."
Zheng Yuanqing beside them felt a strange sourness in his teeth.
Meng Ruyi already knew everything through the bullet - screen comments, but she still listened to Zheng Yuanqing recount it to her. He told the story with great enthusiasm and a glowing face.
He even exaggerated a ten - point achievement into a twelve - point one.
After listening, Meng Ruyi couldn't help showing a bit of admiration on her face. She looked at Song Huaizhi and said, "Sure enough, Brother Song is amazing! You're so awesome!"
Song Huaizhi's face was gentle. Different from his coldness towards Zheng Yuanqing, he said softly, "It's just a small matter. What do you want to eat, Yu Yu? I'll ask the kitchen to make it for you later."
Zheng Yuanqing: ... He shouldn't be here. He should be on the roof.
Sour teeth!
[Hahaha, Brother Song also loves to act cool. It's killing me!]
[Song Huaizhi can't even hold back the smile on his lips. The moment he saw Yu Yu, he almost laughed. If he had a tail, it would be wagging like a propeller now.]
[Brother Song towards others: (cold) (calm) Hmm.
Brother Song towards Yu Yu: (gentle) (with eyes full of her): It's a small matter. What do you want to eat, Yu Yu?]
[Ahhh, the sweet smell of love! More of it, please. I like it!]
Meng Ruyi felt her ears turn red when she saw the bullet - screen comments. She said, "It's okay. It depends on what Brother Song wants to eat."
Zheng Yuanqing accidentally caught a glimpse of Jingzhe. His expression froze for a moment, and he looked at her at a loss and said, "My lady Jingzhe, long time no see."
Jingzhe was standing behind Meng Ruyi. Hearing this, she just nodded at him faintly and said, "Your Highness, the third prince."
Zheng Yuanqing didn't know where the faint sense of loss in his heart came from. Seeing that Jingzhe didn't say anything else, he had to shift his attention to Song Huaizhi.
As a result, he saw Song Huaizhi glance at him expressionlessly.
Zheng Yuanqing: " ... It's getting late today. I'll go back first. See you another day."
"Okay." Song Huaizhi and Meng Ruyi stood up to see him off and watched him leave.
"It was really dangerous today," Meng Ruyi couldn't help sighing after seeing him leave. "Fortunately, Brother Song was smart."
"By the way," the two continued chatting as they walked towards the study. "Brother Song, does the emperor want you to become an official in the court?"
Zheng Yuanqing had also repeated the emperor's last words.
Meng Ruyi had watched the whole process. At first, the emperor had deliberately ignored Song Huaizhi to test him, but later his attitude had become more amiable, and he even wanted Song Huaizhi to enter the court.
Meng Ruyi couldn't figure out his intention for a moment, so she probed, "What does he want to do? Could it be that he wants to win over Mr. Lin through you?"
"Yes, Yu Yu is right," Song Huaizhi explained. "The emperor must be dissatisfied with the crown prince now, so he intends to let me, who is close to Zheng Yuanqing, enter the court to balance the forces in the court."
"I'm backed by the academy, which is actually neutral," Song Huaizhi said with a slightly cold look on his face. "So the emperor must be out of his mind, trying to drag everyone into the fight."
"If everyone gets desperate in the end, won't the common people suffer? He's really no good. He only cares about the art of balance as an emperor."
Meng Ruyi sighed and asked, "What are you going to do, Brother Song?"
"Don't be in a hurry. Let's wait for Gu Ling to come back first, and then see what's going on with the crown prince."
As he said this, Song Huaizhi looked at Meng Ruyi's profile and said gently, "The sky is cloudless today. The moon should be beautiful. I wonder if Yu Yu would like to enjoy the moon with me."
Meng Ruyi was still thinking about the emperor's matter. She nodded subconsciously. When she looked up, she saw Song Huaizhi looking at her, with a gentle look in his eyes and a faint smile on his face.
Eh? Why did the topic change so suddenly!
Meng Ruyi felt her ears turn red under his direct gaze and said, "Don't you want to take a rest, Brother Song? You've been so tired today!"
It was already sunset. Meng Ruyi had been on tenterhooks all day and was really worried about Song Huaizhi.
But unexpectedly, Song Huaizhi smiled and looked at her and said, "That's not necessary."
His tone was calm. He slowly curled his lips and said, "I have plenty of energy."
Huh?!
Meng Ruyi: Song Huaizhi, you're acting strange!