With just one glance, Zhao Yan lowered his head in fright.
Father Emperor's gaze was truly terrifying.
Zhao Yan appeared so cowardly that it was almost unbearable to watch. The Tianyou Emperor indifferently averted his eyes and proceeded routinely to test the knowledge of the princes.
When only that child remained, he stood up and walked out.
Catching sight of the child heaving a huge sigh of relief from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but sneer: So this is all the guts he has.
But before the Tianyou Emperor could leave, the Fifth Prince suddenly stood up and declared loudly, "Father Emperor, before you and Teacher Liu arrived, Xiao Qi was sleeping the entire time."
These words struck like a bolt from the blue. Zhao Yan never expected this little brat to hold such a grudge. Chasing after him to apologize early in the morning was one thing, but now he even dared to tattle.
He looked up, his dark eyes glaring at the Fifth Prince.
The Fifth Prince pouted, returning his gaze with a smug expression.
The Sixth Prince beside Zhao Yan glared at the Fifth Prince. Although he had only mentioned Xiao Qi, this act of betraying a brother still angered him.
The Tianyou Emperor, who had only taken two steps, halted and looked down at Zhao Yan from his height, asking calmly, "Is what your fifth brother said true? Were you sleeping throughout the lesson?"
The Tianyou Emperor had expected him to Revert to a previous save, but instead, the child nodded with utmost honesty. Pressing his lips together, he defended himself in a particularly aggrieved and soft voice, "Father Emperor gifted me many calligraphy copies. I, I was tired…"
So, it was all his fault?
The Tianyou Emperor could easily imagine the child repeatedly rewinding time to avoid the situation when he had sent the calligraphy copies.
No wonder he had fallen face-first while bathing—it turned out he had brought it upon himself!
The Tianyou Emperor cleared his throat lightly and said to Liu Hanlin, "The Seventh Prince is not yet six years old. From now on, permit him to arrive at the Imperial Study half an hour later."
After he spoke, the other princes were quite astonished: Wasn't Father Emperor the one who most despised princes slacking off in their studies?
Was he protecting the seventh brother?
Hadn't Father Emperor always disliked the seventh brother?
The Tianyou Emperor didn't want to be so accommodating either. If it were any other prince, he would have surely reprimanded them. But he no longer wished to wake up at Yin hour every day, with the Dragon Vein fluctuating and clothes being put on and taken off repeatedly.
If this continued, his dragon root would be ruined.
He glanced at the child: He didn't seem particularly clever either.
The not-so-clever Zhao Yan wore his joy plainly on his face, standing there dumbly without expressing gratitude.
He had thought it through before answering—he definitely couldn't say he was tired from memorizing texts. What if Father Emperor suddenly felt inspired and made him recite again?
By saying he was tired from practicing calligraphy, Father Emperor might take pity and let him off.
After all, Father Emperor didn't know his hand was injured.
The Tianyou Emperor waited for a long moment but received no words of gratitude. His face stiffened slightly, and he strode out.
As soon as he left, all the princes turned to look enviously at Zhao Yan. The Fifth Prince, who had tried to sabotage but ended up worse off, glared at him resentfully, stamped his foot, sat down, and began shedding golden tears.
Liu Hanlin called for order and resumed the lesson.
Zhao Yan held his book upright, sitting properly. His fair, tender face was brimming with smiles, radiating sheer delight—so much so that he didn't even notice he was holding the book upside down.
Outside the Imperial Study, by the window in the northeast corner.
The Tianyou Emperor stood there, quietly observing the child through the carved window lattice.
Feng Zongguan stood bent at the waist nearby, not daring to ask or move.
The Tianyou Emperor stood by the window for a full hour, silently observing the pattern of this child's time reversals. Whenever Liu Hanlin called on him to recite texts or answer questions, he would repeatedly reverse time.
He reversed time when he recited incorrectly, when he couldn't recite at all, when he didn't understand, and even when he understood but wanted to listen again.
In just one hour, he reversed time over a dozen times.
The Emperor watched again and again, unable to believe that all the suffering he had endured these past days was due to these trivial, insignificant matters.
He never would have imagined that the one forcibly reversing his time was a child.
He could eliminate Li Meiren for her impure intentions, but he couldn't bring himself to harm a five-year-old child who was still his own flesh and blood.
What could a five-year-old possibly understand?
Yet he couldn't simply ignore it either.
The Emperor had never paid much attention to this child before, but now he felt it necessary to get closer and understand the child's nature.
Only then could he decide how to deal with this child.
The sound of clear reading voices came from the Imperial Study.
The Emperor withdrew his gaze and suddenly turned to ask: "Feng Lu, when does the Seventh Prince finish his lessons?"
Feng Zongguan hurriedly replied: "The Seventh Prince hasn't formally started his studies yet. He doesn't attend the afternoon horsemanship and archery classes, so he finishes around 1:45 PM."
Feng Zongguan felt that the Emperor's thoughts had become increasingly unpredictable recently: His Majesty would inexplicably become irritable, inexplicably find fault with him, and inexplicably show concern for Li Meiren and her son.
Of course, this concern wasn't exactly good news for Li Meiren.
His mind raced through countless possibilities, yet he still couldn't fathom the Emperor's intentions.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already repeated this answer three times.
The Emperor wearily rubbed his temples and said: "Tell Liu Hanlin to find some excuse to bring the Seventh Prince alone to the side hall of the Imperial Study."
Feng Zongguan nodded and immediately went to carry out the order.
Liu Hanlin was quite surprised after hearing Feng Zongguan's instructions, but he asked no questions. When calligraphy class arrived, he called Zhao Yan aside and told him to go to the side hall to recite texts.
The other princes knew that Zhao Yan had injured his wrist and couldn't practice writing, so they didn't suspect anything.
As Zhao Yan followed Liu Hanlin out carrying his book bag, he felt somewhat confused: He could just as well recite silently at his desk without disturbing his brothers' writing. Why did he have to go to the side hall alone to recite?
He immediately thought of the hundred ways people were killed in palace intrigue dramas.
His cheap Father Emperor had just left – it probably wasn't that.
Besides, Teacher Liu seemed like a nice old man.
Zhao Yan kept looking back every few steps, remaining vigilant. When he reached the side hall entrance and saw two rows of solemn guards, he grew even more frightened. Clutching his book bag straps, he hesitated to take another step.
Liu Hanlin stopped ahead, turned back and smiled at him: "Seventh Prince, we've arrived. Please go in."
He stepped aside, and Zhao Yan stepped into the side hall. Looking up, he saw the Emperor sitting with a book, dressed in yellow robes with dragon patterns.
Standing beside the Emperor was Feng Zongguan.
Zhao Yan's heart leaped violently. Caught off guard, he tripped over the threshold and fell forward, heading straight for the floor.
The side hall's floor was paved with marble. If he hit it squarely, his little face would likely be ruined.
Liu Hanlin behind him broke out in a cold sweat and reached out to catch him.
The Tianyou Emperor, who had been deliberately hiding his face behind a book, let the book slip from his grasp as he rushed forward to support the child. However, the next moment, time reversed, and the child stood perfectly fine at the doorway, still holding the book in his hand.
The child cautiously entered again, showing no surprise upon seeing him, and knelt with a loud thud to pay his respects.
The sound echoed throughout the side hall.
The impact of his knees hitting the floor sounded painful.
The Tianyou Emperor cleared his throat lightly and said calmly, "Rise."
The little one, belatedly feeling the pain in his knees, struggled twice to get up but failed, nearly tripping over the book bag strap around his neck.
The scene was both comical and amusing.
The Tianyou Emperor sighed helplessly and signaled to Feng Zongguan with a glance. Feng Zongguan immediately stepped forward, reaching out to help the child up.
As he pulled, he happened to grab the injured right hand. Zhao Yan let out a sharp "Aiya!" and quickly retracted his hand, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.
The Tianyou Emperor frowned and asked, "What happened to your hand?"
Liu Hanlin promptly replied, "Your Majesty, it was the Seventh Prince's hand that was injured yesterday."
The Tianyou Emperor's frown deepened: Yesterday, the Imperial Physician had only mentioned that the Sixth Prince and Seventh Prince had suffered minor injuries but did not specify where.
This child injured his hand, yet he practiced calligraphy for half the night?
Though a bit slow, at least he is diligent.
The servants below need a stern warning—how dare they neglect even a prince?
In truth, this couldn't entirely be blamed on the servants. Everyone in the palace knew that the Emperor held no favor for the Seventh Prince. He hadn't even inquired when the child fell into the water, so why would they bother to report in such detail?
To Zhao Yan, the Emperor's question sounded rather callous: So, the medicine bestowed yesterday was indeed given casually, wasn't it?
Feng Zongguan directly carried him to a wooden chair and immediately went to summon the Imperial Physician.
After examining him, the Imperial Physician said, "The jade restorative ointment bestowed by Your Majesty is more effective than the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Hospital. If the Seventh Prince applies it a few more times, his hand will recover swiftly."
Zhao Yan was horrified: His hand is almost healed? How could that be! He must not use that jade restorative ointment again.
Only after confirming that all was well did the Tianyou Emperor wave his hand to dismiss everyone.
A moment later, only the father and son remained in the room, along with Feng Zongguan attending to them nearby.
Zhao Yan felt restless yet curious, stealing glances at the Tianyou Emperor once, then again.
During the earlier examination, he had been too tense to notice. Now, upon careful reflection, he realized that every time he reverted to a previous save, his cheap Father Emperor's actions showed slight deviations.
This had never happened before.
Could it be because the other party was the Son of Heaven, endowed with dragon energy, making him different from others?
Zhao Yan's thoughts wandered further off track.
Why does my cheap Father Emperor always hide his face?
Yesterday, he used a screen; during the examination, he used a fan; and now, he's using a book.
He recalled what the Sixth Prince had said: Father Emperor is taller than a horse and twice as burly as Grandma Li… Could it be that my cheap Father Emperor is extremely ugly and afraid of scaring children?
He stole another glance and found himself locking eyes with the Tianyou Emperor.
The child panicked for a moment, immediately reverted to a previous save, and afterward refused to lift his head again.
The Tianyou Emperor thought: This wretched child is truly wasting a divine gift, using such an extraordinary ability for petty, sneaky acts!
He finally asked, "Xiao Qi, you fell into the water a few days ago. Are you feeling unwell?"
Zhao Yan thought: Only asking now? Isn't it a bit late? He grumbled inwardly but merely shook his head outwardly.
The Tianyou Emperor asked again, "Has anything unusual happened to you recently?"
Zhao Yan shook his head.
The Tianyou Emperor, unwilling to give up, continued probing, but the child across from him only responded with nods and head shakes. When pressed further, he would nervously lower his head, his hands anxiously clutching the straps of his book bag.
He appeared excessively timid and fearful.
Just as the emperor prepared to ask another question, the child’s stomach rumbled twice.
"Hungry?" The Tianyou Emperor glanced at the water clock in the side hall. "It’s almost time for breakfast. Feng Lu, prepare some food for the Seventh Prince."
Perhaps the child would let his guard down when faced with delicious food.
Feng Lu promptly departed, while Liu Hanlin was instructed to delay the other princes’ breakfast time.
Quiet returned to the side hall.
Zhao Yan sat rigidly on the wooden chair, not daring to move or lift his head.
Soon, tables and chairs were arranged, and breakfast was served.
There were twelve dishes in total, including pastries and porridge.
Zhao Yan had never seen such an extravagant breakfast before. His eyes immediately landed on the scallion-fried eggs placed right in front of him.
His mouth watered uncontrollably, his mind screaming: Is this cheap old man testing me?
Right? Right? Right?
Unable to resist the temptation of the scallion-fried eggs, he quickly picked up a bite, then immediately reverted to a previous save. He picked up another bite, reverted again, picked up another, reverted again…
The Tianyou Emperor, who had just taken a sip of tea, blinked and found his tea gone. He took another sip, and it vanished again. Another sip, and it disappeared once more…
After ten consecutive attempts without managing to drink a single mouthful of tea, the emperor grew parched with thirst. On the eleventh try, he slammed the teacdown heavily.
The teacup shattered instantly, and tea spilled in a winding stream toward Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan’s outstretched chopsticks clattered to the table. Oh no, oh no! Has my cheap Father Emperor noticed something off about me?
Is he going to crush me like a teacup?
Stunned for a moment and unable to devise a clever solution, Zhao Yan simply mimicked his fifth brother’s signature move—he suddenly burst into loud sobs!
His tear glands seemed naturally prolific, and within moments, tears streamed down his face like rain.
The Tianyou Emperor sighed in frustration: On my first formal meeting with Xiao Qi, I’ve already reduced him to tears?