For the first time, the ideals in Qu Zijin’s heart began to waver.
The opportunity to realize his lifelong dream was right at his fingertips, yet he found himself completely unable to speak the words.
Seated high upon the throne, the Emperor raised his eyes, his gaze calm and deep as if peering straight through the confusion in Qu Zijin’s heart. “Grand Tutor Qu, the position of Grand Tutor is by no means an obstacle to your ambitions.”
He continued, “I understand your thoughts. You feel that instructing the princess as her introductory tutor is a waste of your talents. But, Grand Tutor, children grow up. They are the offspring of the imperial family, holding power beyond that of ordinary men. Because of this, they are the ones who most desperately need a Grand Tutor of noble character and immense learning to preach the truth, impart professional knowledge, and resolve doubts.”
“You are well-versed in the teachings of the sages and understand that the sovereign is the guide of the subject. A hundred honest and diligent officials cannot make up for the damage caused by a single foolish and tyrannical ruler… As a Grand Tutor, talent is only part of it; more importantly, you must possess excellent moral character so you can guide the princes and princesses toward goodness, help them understand reason, know right from wrong, guard against arrogance and indulgence, and restrain themselves to restore propriety.”
“Grand Tutor, this is my great expectation of you.”
Qu Zijin trembled violently upon hearing this. As if hit by a sudden epiphany, he prostrated himself on the floor and kowtowed. “Your servant understands! I was too narrow-minded to comprehend Your Majesty’s painstaking care! Thank you, Your Majesty, for waking your servant up!”
Wei Xiuming offered a smile. He looked down at Qu Zijin, who was kowtowing in sudden enlightenment, and then lowered his gaze to meet Jin Lanyue’s blank stare.
His smile widened, and he gave her a playful wink.
Jin Lanyue seemed to understand something. She straightened her tiny torso, did her best to lean close, and whispered in a very small voice, “Are you… lying?”
“Most of it is the truth,” Wei Xiuming whispered back in an equally tiny voice. “Except, I am about to do something bad.”
It was indeed mostly the truth.
The only lie was that—he had genuinely forgotten all about Qu Zijin.
But that did not stop him from coaxing Qu Zijin so thoroughly that he would willingly and obediently continue to serve as the Grand Tutor.
“Huh? Do-do something bad?” The little toddler’s head shook like a rattle. “No can do, that is wrong-wrong…”
Wei Xiuming pinched her small mouth as if pinching a little duck’s beak. Seeing her eyes widen round with absolute accusation, he could not help but chuckle softly. “Shh, shh… this is a very good thing for your Grand Tutor, you know.”
“Mmph, huh?” The little toddler’s grape-like eyes filled with immense confusion.
What kind of thing could be both a bad thing and a good thing at the same time?
Wei Xiuming raised his voice, “Grand Tutor, please rise quickly.”
Seeing Qu Zijin stand up, the Emperor continued with deep sincerity, “I already clearly understand your heart’s desire to serve the imperial court. Since you do not disfavor it and are willing to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the Grand Tutor, I also have an important matter to entrust to you.”
Hearing this, Qu Zijin was about to bow and kneel again. “Please speak, Your Majesty! Your servant will not hesitate even if it means ten thousand deaths!”
Wei Xiuming stopped him and spoke of that “good yet bad” matter: “The Grand Tutor of my imperial son, Wei Jiayou, resigned due to illness some time ago. I would like you to take over his education. Of course, you will also continue to teach the princess and this little toddler.”
Qu Zijin froze, and then a look of genuine emotion washed over his face. “Your servant thanks Your Majesty for your trust! I will absolutely not fail Your Majesty’s faith in me! I will dedicate my heart and soul to this task!”
A tutor to a princess and a tutor to a prince were two completely different concepts.
Especially when the current Emperor had only one son and one daughter, the only prince, Wei Jiayou, was practically guaranteed the position of Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor—that was a position with a truly boundless future!
Wei Xiuming merely smiled without saying a word.
He certainly would not tell Qu Zijin that this was a miserable chore.
His rebellious son had made his previous tutor so angry that the old man fell sick and could no longer get out of bed. Out of sheer exasperation, the old gentleman had handed in his resignation to retire to his hometown, absolutely refusing to continue teaching.
The old tutor had even stated that if he continued, he would probably be vexed to death within a few years.
Left with no choice, Wei Xiuming had personally watched over the boy for two days. Even when his son was intimidated by him and behaved somewhat with restraint, within those short two days, the Emperor had actually developed the urge to give this rebellious son away to someone else.
He could not handle him; he really could not handle him at all.
While Qu Zijin was overflowing with gratitude on one side, Jin Lanyue gave a sudden shiver on the other.
She recalled that arrogant and overbearing little prince, who would raise his hands to hit people at the slightest disagreement.
She recalled the sight of the little princess and the little prince tangled together in a wild brawl…
And very soon, the two of them would be attending school together—no, that was not right, it would be three of them, because there was also her!
Then wouldn’t they be fighting every single day?
This was even worse. Just thinking about it was… very terrifying!
At this moment, Qu Zijin still did not know that what he was about to face was not just a little prince.
It was a bratty child.
A super bratty child who, when combined with the little princess, created a case where one plus one was far greater than two.
From now on, the Wenhua Hall would likely never know peace again.
Knowing nothing of his impending doom, Qu Zijin finished thanking the Emperor and looked up at Jin Lanyue.
Wei Xiuming was no longer pinching the little toddler’s mouth, but at the thought of her future life as a study companion, the tiny tot was too horrified to speak.
Qu Zijin, however, felt that since he had received a reward, he must also fight for his own teacher. “Your Majesty, regarding the ‘Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots’ plan, my teacher… the study companion Jin also played an indispensable role. Should Your Majesty not also reward her?”
“Of course,” Wei Xiuming agreed very readily.
Perhaps to compensate for the peaceful life that was about to grow wings and fly away from Jin Lanyue, he pondered for a brief moment before speaking: “How about bestowing the title of County Chief?”
A three-year-old County Chief was an incredibly weighty gift.
In some aspects, it could even be said to be much better than the reward given to Qu Zijin.
After all, this reward could be obtained immediately; it was tangible, substantial, and carried absolutely no negative side effects.
Wei Xiuming rubbed the tiny tot’s head with a beaming smile. “Who told me to like you so much, little potato?”
…A-Again with the little potato.
The tiny tot pouted, but remembering her mother’s teachings that one must say thank you upon receiving a gift and must not be picky, she still mumbled under her breath, “Thank you, Fairy Chief… but I am not a little potato.”
Though she did not know what a “County Chief” was, it sounded like a very formidable thing.
“It is ‘County Chief,’ little one. I will let your Grand Tutor explain it to you properly later,” Wei Xiuming thought about it again. “As for the honorary title, let’s go with ‘Potato’… Hahahahaha, just kidding.”
Looking at the tiny tot huffing and puffing like a pufferfish, he extended a finger and poked her puffed-out cheek.
The little pufferfish deflated instantly. “I am not a little potato…”
Wei Xiuming stopped teasing her and gave her a proper title. “The title shall be ‘Fukang.’ It carries a wonderful meaning, wishing for this little toddler to be happy and healthy, and you look like a blessed child indeed. I will have someone draft the imperial edict right away.”
He stopped calling her a little potato.
And he seemed to be praising her.
Jin Lanyue grew happy and offered him a joyful smile. “Thank you~”
“You are welcome,” Wei Xiuming set her down on the floor. “Alright, run along back with your Grand Tutor. The imperial edict will arrive today.”
The tiny tot immediately moved her short legs, thumping loudly as she ran straight to Qu Zijin’s side. She reached out her tiny hand to proactively grab his, and her completely unattached attitude made Wei Xiuming let out a “tsk.”
She had been so cowardly and aggrieved when she was with him, yet she was incredibly proactive the moment she ran back to Qu Zijin’s side.
It made him look like some sort of child-bullying monster.
Neither of them paid it any attention, however, as Qu Zijin held Jin Lanyue’s hand and took his leave.
[Mission Completed]
[You have cleverly utilized a strategy to easily resolve the issue of the Northwest drought, solving a major worry for the Emperor.]
[The Emperor is immensely pleased; Qu Zijin has successfully returned to his field of vision and re-entered the imperial court.]
[Now, Qu Zijin is unswervingly bound to your ‘pirate ship,’ and you have established your own faction within the court.]
[Reward Obtained: Universal Medicine]
Huh?
Jin Lanyue belatedly realized that her System Auntie seemed to have issued a mission to her some time ago, but she had completely forgotten about it.
To think it was actually completed now.
Just as the little toddler was being pulled over the threshold by Qu Zijin, she suddenly thought of something. She turned her head back to wave at the Emperor, her smile bright and radiant. “Thank you~ Goodbye!”
The little toddler’s smile was incredibly sweet, looking just like a fluffy peach under the illumination of the bright sunlight.
Wei Xiuming dinned for a moment, then smiled from his seat and waved back at her. “Goodbye~”