Xiao Jinghan saw Yi Qing's happy expression. "Of course it's true. Why would I lie to you?"
Yi Qing thought for a while. "Then wasn't my anger in vain?"
"Even when you're angry, you're still cute, Qing'er."
Yi Qing gave him a disgruntled look. "I'm going to make your medicine."
"You're the medicine for me." Xiao Jinghan tried to pull Yi Qing closer for some intimacy.
Yi Qing placed her finger on Xiao Jinghan's chest. "Don't even think about it. You're still poisoned. Don't have any wild ideas until you're cured."
Xiao Jinghan felt disappointed. "Fine."
"I want to visit Baozi today. You stay at home alone."
"Okay." Xiao Jinghan nodded. They were about to leave the capital, so they had to say goodbye to Baozi.
Yi Qing pretended to have someone make medicine for Xiao Jinghan, using precious herbs, just to show those nosy people.
Although Yunyang Academy didn't allow servants for boarding students, parents could visit. Every noon, carriages would line up outside the academy as parents brought food for their children.
After class, Xiao Duo carried his book bag and headed for the canteen, but was stopped by several students.
"Xiao Duo, you still have the appetite to eat? Your father is about to die," said a scholar with a sneer.
"Yeah. Once your father dies, you'll be fatherless. Return the jade paperweight I gave you before."
"And my cold-smoke ink. I was reluctant to use it myself, but I gave it to you, a fatherless kid."
...
Although they were all from noble families, they were still young and lacked sophistication. They had been ordered by their families to befriend Xiao Duo before, but he ignored them, and they had given him gifts for nothing. Now that Xiao Jinghan was about to die, they were no longer afraid of the Xiao family.
Lu Tianxun and Yi Qing stood awkwardly to one side. They didn't expect that Yi Qing's first visit to the academy would turn out like this. "The children of the powerful and wealthy can be quite spoilt."
Yi Qing crossed her arms and watched. She wanted to see how Baozi would handle the situation. Would he still run away like before?
Seeing that Yi Qing didn't say anything, Lu Tianxun also stood aside and watched.
Hearing what they said, Xiao Duo thought they were lying. His father was the God of War. Gods never died. "I can return the things to you, but are you sure you want them? My grandfather has always doted on me. If he finds out, he might smash your front doors, and he won't compensate you."
The students looked at each other. Xiao Duo's father was so famous that they had forgotten about his grandfather, who was one of the most powerful nobles in the capital, second only to the royal family, although he rarely showed up these days.
"If there's nothing else, get out of my way. Don't stop me from having lunch. You're so petty. Don't make a fool of yourselves here." Xiao Duo said seriously and walked through the crowd with his head held high.
The others were speechless. They wanted to curry favor with the Xiao family, but they couldn't even dream of getting on the good side of the Di family.
Yi Qing thought that her little smarty Baozi already knew how to use his powerful relatives as a shield. It seemed that she didn't have to worry about him being bullied outside. "Baozi," she called out.
Xiao Duo turned around and saw his mother. He walked over slowly.
"Baozi?" a scholar laughed. "Xiao Duo is actually called Baozi."
"What's the filling?" another one joined in the mockery.
They couldn't do anything to Xiao Duo, but they could laugh at him.
Xiao Duo turned around and looked at them seriously. "Baozi is my childhood nickname, an affectionate name given by my parents. But in your eyes, it's a joke. Why don't you laugh at the fact that your parents don't even like you enough to give you an affectionate nickname?"
The others felt embarrassed. They realized that their parents didn't really care about them. Even the food was brought by servants.
Yi Qing gave her precious son a mental thumbs up. He was so awesome.
"Duo'er is precocious and has a steady mind. I told him to focus on his studies and not to seek fame too early. Otherwise, with his ability, he could already be a scholar," Lu Tianxun whispered.
"It's good to be steady. Duo'er has never been an impulsive person," Yi Qing said with a smile as she looked at Baozi.
"Greetings, Principal and Mother," Xiao Duo bowed formally.
"Your mother has come to see you. If there's something at home, you can take half a day off," Lu Tianxun reminded him and then left.
He knew about Xiao Jinghan's assassination and thought the situation must be serious. He thought Xiao Duo should go back.
"Thank you, Principal," Xiao Duo bowed.
After Lu Tianxun left, Yi Qing put her arm around Baozi's shoulder. He was growing so fast.
"How's my father?" Xiao Duo didn't seem as steady as before once Lu Tianxun left.
Seeing her son like this, Yi Qing felt relieved. At least he wasn't too rigid. "Your father is a bit injured. You should go back and see him."
Originally, Yi Qing didn't plan to let Xiao Duo go back. She had even brought lunch for him. But Lu Tianxun's words reminded her that when Xiao Jinghan was critically ill, his son should go back to see him. Otherwise, it would be too suspicious.
Yi Qing took Xiao Duo out of Yunyang Academy. People on the way pointed and whispered.
"Did you make too much of a name for yourself at school? So many people recognize you," Yi Qing joked.
"It's all because of my father," Xiao Duo said impatiently.
Yi Qing thought it made sense. The General's Mansion was strict, so some people tried to get to her son. "Today you relied on your grandfather. But that's still external help."
"I counted. I couldn't beat them," Xiao Duo said with a hint of regret.
Yi Qing suddenly felt that her son was so smart that she felt a bit frustrated. "Then I'll find you an even more powerful backer."
She decided not to go back to the General's Mansion. Instead, she took Xiao Duo straight to the palace. Fortunately, she had brought lunch. They ate a bit in the carriage.
Deng Xiao was kneeling outside the imperial study, confessing his guilt for not thoroughly investigating the Ruyi Cake last time. The emperor was very angry with him. He had told Deng Xiao to keep an eye on the spies, but instead, the spies had managed to assassinate Xiao Jinghan. It was ridiculous that he was still fixated on the Ruyi Cake.
Yi Qing saw Deng Xiao kneeling upright. She didn't expect to see him so submissive.
Deng Xiao ignored her. It was the first time he had let Yi Qing see him like this.
"Madam Xiao, His Majesty requests your presence," said Xiaodezi, who came out to greet them in person.
Yi Qing took Xiao Duo's hand and entered the imperial study. The emperor was delighted to see Xiao Duo. He couldn't believe how fast the kid had grown.
"Your Majesty, Duo'er has grown up under your watch. He was bullied at school," Yi Qing said with a pout.
The emperor wanted to refute but then remembered that he had indeed seen Xiao Duo when he was a child. "With Lu Tianxun at Yunyang Academy, who would dare to bully him?"
"It's all because of Your Majesty. Our general has to pretend to be critically ill. Now those people at school think the Xiao family is about to decline, so they're bullying my son. In fact, my son is being bullied because he's sharing the country's worries," Yi Qing said confidently.
The emperor was both amused and annoyed by Yi Qing. "Tell me. What do you want?"
Last time, she had asked for an amnesty token for saving his life, and she still had it. Now she was asking for something else again.
"Your Majesty, please bestow a golden whip on my son," Yi Qing said without hesitation.
"You're asking for too much," the emperor said. He thought it would be dangerous for a young boy like Xiao Duo to have an imperial golden whip.