After returning to her quarters, Fang He, who had descended from the heavens, put away her sullen expression.
For the hotel staff, a few days without unexpected situations felt like a holiday; retreating step by step to let customers calm down was nothing new.
The more pained her expression, the quieter the customers became… Alas, this forced acting was something she never wanted.
Fang He slowly took off her outer garment and threw herself onto the soft bedding, first giving the bedding several fierce punches.
She understood the reasoning, but still felt frustrated and angry; the center of the pillow she struck didn’t even deserve a name.
With the letter “F” for “£” on the left and the letter for “H” on the right, smashing it was the only bold way she could vent her feelings now.
Pulling her fluffy head out from the bedding, Fang He held a book as a pretense while starting to think.
Although Kangxi had just returned from the military parade looking terrifying and exuding an unprecedented aura, besides feeling suppressed, she also sensed a certain… familiar feeling.
Perhaps the impact of hearing Kangxi recite tongue twisters was too strong; Fang He couldn’t remember anything no matter how hard she tried.
She had no choice but to set that aside, focus on memorizing the content she needed to learn, and continue practicing her calligraphy…
This felt entirely like reliving the college entrance examination, without air conditioning, warm air, or electric lights; it was simply a greater tragedy than being a feudal version of a corporate slave!
Early the next morning, she couldn’t wait to head to the small study, hoping to try the route of the gentleman and plead for some leniency.
She wasn’t afraid of memorizing, but practicing calligraphy wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a day or two.
Even the Fifth Prince, who was indulged by the Empress Dowager and lacked any skills, had been practicing calligraphy since he was five years old.
How could she possibly compete in such a short time… how many brain cells would she have to sacrifice?!
For a marriage proposal that might not even happen, it was simply not worth it; this kind of motivation was just a fleeting whim.
Unfortunately, Kangxi, being the ruler of a nation, was well aware of the little calculations of those beneath him, and Liang Jiugong was already waiting for her at the door of the small study.
Seeing her, he smiled and said, “Miss Fang He, His Majesty has decreed that today he will take the Crown Prince and the princes out, so you need not come to study.”
Fang He’s mind turned, and she put on a sweet, bright smile as she approached, “Liang Grandpa…”
“Don’t!” Liang Jiugong retreated with a bitter smile, raising his hand to stop her from getting closer, as if he were warding off lightning.
“Every time you call me Grandpa, it never ends well. Let’s just stick to calling me Brother Liang from now on.”
Fang He fell silent: “… Have you asked Li Dequan’s opinion on this?”
She put away her exaggerated expression, which was originally just to scare Liang Jiugong, and now revealed a gentle smile to continue to placate him.
“Let’s just stick with Liang An Da; I’m used to it.”
She showed a hint of anxiety: “May I ask, An Da, did His Majesty say I need not come to the small study anymore, or just for today?”
The former would mean he was truly angry; given her relationship with the little teacher, how could the Fifth Prince plead for her…
If it was the latter… then yesterday, Master Kang was just acting for her!
Yes, a whole night was enough for her to figure it out.
No wonder it felt familiar; when she went to the Nanyuan to recognize her mistakes, she had also played it up to confuse people, hiding the pitfall in the middle of her words.
DO…
Liang Jiugong’s heart tightened; this ancestor was indeed clever, immediately hitting the nail on the head.
He smiled slightly and said, “How would this servant know? When you serve His Majesty later, you might as well ask him yourself.”
After saying that, he hurriedly moved outside:
“His Majesty is going out; this servant must attend to him closely and really has no time to chat with you. We’ll talk when I return!”
In terms of agility, Fang He could never match this brother, and she didn’t waste her energy; she merely pondered as she watched Liang Jiugong’s retreating figure.
Although there was no evidence, she was almost certain it was the latter!
When Liang Jiugong arrived at Wangjiang Tower, the lively atmosphere of the Jiangnan literati had not yet dissipated, and they were loudly reveling among the winding streams and small bridges.
Although it was called a tower, Wangjiang Tower had the layout of a front building and a back residence.
As the most luxurious restaurant in Jiangning, the five-story octagonal building was a landmark in Jiangning, overlooking most of the city.
The deep courtyard, separated by rockeries, flowing water, and greenery, belonged to the unique romance and elegance of the southern literati.
With a few warm and fragrant Wu Nong tunes, the flowing wine in the drinking pool swirled, as if hidden in this golden and silver constructed paradise, after a few drinks, one could dare to say anything.
As soon as Liang Jiugong stepped onto the fifth-floor steps, he saw Li Dequan gesturing to him as if he were killing a chicken, urging him to speak in a corner.
Once they reached the corner, Li Dequan hurriedly reported to Liang Jiugong:
“In front, the Xie family has a young man praising the loyal minister who serves in Cao’s camp while his heart is with Han, lamenting that he cannot emulate him. The eldest grandson of the Gu family’s second branch echoed, and there were many others who were drunk and making a fuss.”
Liang Jiugong: “…” Did this group of literati have water in their brains?
Was that praising the loyal minister?
It was clearly a veiled insult, mocking the Cao family as His Majesty’s lackeys, ridiculing the current loyal ministers for lacking the integrity of those in the Three Kingdoms.
Knowing that the nobles were still in Jiangning, they dared to speak so shamelessly; it seemed the Xie family’s swallows were about to lose their chance to fly into the homes of the common people!
Sure enough, Li Dequan lowered his voice even more, “The Crown Prince’s face is ashen with anger, and the Eldest Prince drew his sword to rush out. If it really escalates, people might say the court is bullying the southern people, and it was only with great difficulty that Lord Cao managed to stop him.”
Lord Cao has already sent someone to notify the heads of each family, but His Majesty… his expression doesn’t look good.
The Emperor wants to see the literary style of Jiangning, and knowing what kind of character the Cao family has, it’s impossible for them to do nothing.
But unexpectedly, despite countless reminders, something still went wrong.
The two from the Cao family were also anxious, urging and pleading with Li Dequan to come out and communicate with Liang Jiugong to calm His Majesty’s anger.
Li Dequan’s gesture of killing a chicken indicated that this was serious, and blood would be shed; anyway, the Crown Prince and several princes were quite furious.
His Majesty could not show his emotions, but it frightened Li Dequan so much that he didn’t dare stay inside.
The scariest time for their master was not when he was angry; if those family heads didn’t come, it would be hard to settle things.
Liang Jiugong was the one who understood the Emperor best; he choked back a curse and spat towards the literati, but he didn’t panic.
In any case, their master would never do anything to harm the imperial dignity outside; he was more afraid that his master would feel wronged.
Liang Jiugong entered and smiled as he approached Kangxi, his tone vaguely mimicking the enthusiasm Fang He showed when she called him Grandpa.
How to put it, although he didn’t dare to let Fang He take the blame anymore, occasionally pulling something out to cover for her was also quite good.
Like now.
“Oh my, luckily I didn’t bet with you! It seems you’ve been well-fed by His Majesty; that little ancestor is indeed clever, and a single sentence almost scared me to death.”
Kangxi’s expression didn’t show joy or anger; he merely narrowed his phoenix eyes to suppress a few overly impulsive sons.
When he saw Liang Jiugong drawing everyone’s attention to himself, he kicked him playfully.
“Still waiting for me to ask you?”
Liang Jiugong exclaimed, “How could I dare? It’s just that I wasn’t sure if I should say it in front of the Crown Prince and the other princes, after all, that little ancestor is indeed quite unconventional.”
Before Yinzhen and the others could speak, Yinzhi jumped in front, wide-eyed, and asked, “Is Brother Liang talking about my student Fang He?”
It sounded like it, but why call her an ancestor?
How should he address Liang Jiugong as a student?
Although he had been enlightened for a year, the Fifth Prince, who was still not proficient in addressing titles, wrinkled his little face in distress; he was out of line!