Upon hearing this, the assembled court officials immediately stopped in their tracks—and even those who hadn’t intended to stop were called out and halted by the Marquis of Beiding, who insisted they offer a few praises before letting them leave.
Everyone in the imperial court knew each other and had already heard about the events of the previous night. Seeing the protagonist of the story appear right before them today, they were all rather curious.
Furthermore, they genuinely agreed with her title of a child prodigy, as she had indeed provided them with a completely different perspective on the matter.
Secondly, she was merely an honorary County Chief, which wasn’t enough to make them feel resentful.
Thirdly, no one would make things difficult for a three-year-old child… plus, the little girl truly was adorable.
Therefore, the people passing back and forth all stopped to offer a few words of praise—
“My, my, is this the little County Chief who presented the strategy to manage the drought? She truly is exceptionally intelligent, and her face radiates bright spirit!”
“The little County Chief is naturally gifted with brilliant wit. To be able to offer a strategy to relieve the people’s plight at the tender age of three means she will certainly become a pillar of the state in the future!”
“For the little County Chief to possess such wisdom at this age is truly Heaven’s blessing upon our dynasty!”
“The Marquis of Beiding is incredibly blessed. To have a daughter like this, what more could a man ask for!”
At first, little Jin Lanyue expressed her gratitude with perfect etiquette, but by the end, her tiny head was left spinning from all the compliments.
She felt light and dizzy from being praised so much.
Finally, the Marquis of Beiding picked up his daughter with great satisfaction. Holding his head high and puffing his chest out under the envious gazes of the ministers, he strode proudly toward the Wenhua Hall.
Outside the Wenhua Hall, Qu Zijin was waiting for Jin Lanyue to arrive for school as usual.
Seeing the Marquis of Beiding personally escorting his daughter to school, he hurriedly stood up to greet them.
The Marquis of Beiding still had to attend the morning court session. After bragging to Qu Zijin for a few moments, he set Jin Lanyue down and departed.
“Good morning, Grand Tutor!” Jin Lanyue looked up with her tiny face, suddenly remembering something as she asked, “Is the little prince not coming to school today?”
Just as Qu Zijin was about to answer, the palace doors were pushed open with a loud thud.
The little princess rushed inside like a whirlwind. “Who allowed that nuisance to come here?!”
Heaven only knew what her state of mind had been like yesterday when she heard that the little prince was going to attend classes with them.
The sky had practically fallen!
Anxious to the point of being unable to sleep well all night, she had arrived today sporting dark circles under her eyes like a panda.
The princess immediately grabbed little Jin Lanyue and said huffily, “Little Moon, let me tell you, if that little tyrant dares to show up, I’ll… I’ll…”
“Princess, please watch your words,” Qu Zijin gave a soft cough, interrupting the harsh threat that was about to slip from the princess’s mouth.
“Hmph!” The little princess was thoroughly displeased.
The little toddler said hesitantly, “But His Majesty said we have to go to school together… Since the little prince didn’t come, is he sick?”
She didn’t want the little prince to come either.
But at the thought of the little prince being sick, she couldn’t help but feel he was a bit pitiful.
Because being sick was very unpleasant.
Before Qu Zijin could speak, the princess chimed in ahead of him, “He’s faking it! He definitely suffered a loss yesterday and doesn’t dare to come today!”
Qu Zijin shook his head helplessly. “The prince has indeed requested sick leave. However… once he has recovered, the little prince will still attend classes alongside you.”
“I absolutely don’t want to go to school with him!” the little princess retorted immediately.
“The Emperor’s words are absolute and cannot be altered,” Qu Zijin said, not quite understanding her aversion. “Besides, isn’t it good to have one more person? You can play together.”
“Who wants to play with him!” The princess stamped her feet in pure vexation.
Qu Zijin did not understand.
But Jin Lanyue understood perfectly well.
A small wave of sorrow washed over her heart; their pure and innocent Grand Tutor still had no idea how terrifying it would be when those two met.
They would start fighting immediately!
Looking at the completely contrasting reactions of the two little girls, Qu Zijin remained somewhat bewildered. He tapped on the desk. “We shall proceed with today’s lesson first. As for what comes after… the Emperor stated that if anyone is unwilling to share a table, they may personally go before the imperial presence to argue their case.”
Similarly, he didn’t understand why His Majesty had gone out of his way to include this specific instruction.
In fact, when the Emperor had looked at him, his gaze had seemed three parts guilty, three parts evasive, three parts sheepish, and one part gloating.
Like a deflated balloon, the princess sat back down in her seat, utterly listless.
Little Jin Lanyue tilted her tiny head, already beginning to imagine how hard she would have to work to keep the Grand Tutor alive in the future.
Ah, the burden on her shoulders was simply too heavy!
The lingering rays of the setting sun cast a slanted glow across the pillars of the Wenhua Hall; it was finally time for dismissal.
The little princess had already returned to her palace ahead of them.
Strangely, however, the Marquis of Beiding, who was usually exceptionally eager to pick up his daughter, had delayed his arrival for a long time today.
Unable to wait any longer, Qu Zijin stepped out of the Wenhua Hall to check.
Suddenly, he spotted a servant dressed in the manor’s livery running toward him in a great rush, bowing deeply outside the palace doors.
“Grand Tutor,” the servant gasped out, completely out of breath. “The Marquis ordered me to deliver a message. He says there is an urgent matter at the manor today, so he must trouble you to escort the County Chief back home.”
Qu Zijin paused slightly.
The Marquis of Beiding had always doted on his daughter. In the past, even if he was swamped with government affairs, he would still come to fetch her in person.
For him to be this abnormal today was rather…
“Did the Marquis say anything else?” Qu Zijin inquired.
“An imperial physician was summoned to the manor. They said… they said the Madam is unwell.”
Qu Zijin’s heart instantly sank.
For the situation to leave the Marquis of Beiding with no time to pick up Jin Lanyue, it was highly probable that… she was gravely ill.
“I understand.” Qu Zijin’s voice remained steady, but his steps as he turned to walk back into the hall grew somewhat hurried.
In the side hall, little Jin Lanyue was standing on her tiptoes, trying to reach a picture book on the bookshelf.
Seeing Qu Zijin enter, she immediately broke into a bright smile. “Grand Tutor! Did Daddy come to pick up Yue’er?”
Qu Zijin squatted down. “I shall escort my teacher back to the manor today.”
He paused for a moment before adding softly, “The Marquis has some matters to attend to.”
The little toddler blinked her eyes, suddenly reaching out her tiny hand to touch the space between Qu Zijin’s brows. “It’s wrinkly here. Are you unhappy?”
Qu Zijin froze, then smoothed his brow. “My teacher worries too much… Teacher, how about I take you out to play? What do you say to an outing by the river that you liked before?”
The little toddler felt a bit tempted, but she shook her head and refused. “Yue’er wants to go home. If Yue’er doesn’t go home, Daddy and Mommy will worry.”
Qu Zijin wanted to push further. “They won’t. I will inform the Marquis so they won’t worry.”
The little toddler blinked, looking a bit downcast. “But… Yue’er misses Daddy and Mommy…”
Seeing her unwillingness, Qu Zijin let out a silent sigh and took her small bundle. “Then let us set off immediately.”
The carriage rolled slowly through the streets, the sound of the wheels grinding against the cobblestones exceptionally clear.
Leaning against the window, Jin Lanyue suddenly pointed to a sugar sculpture stall by the roadside. “Grand Tutor, look! Sugar sculptures! Mommy bought one for Yue’er before!”
Qu Zijin said softly, “Does my teacher miss the Marchioness of Beiding?”
“Yes.” The little toddler nodded, mindlessly twisting her sash. “Yue’er feels uncomfortable…”
“What?” Qu Zijin startled. “Where do you feel uncomfortable? Are you hurt?”
“Yue’er doesn’t know…” The little toddler raised her face, her expression somewhat blank as she placed her tiny hand over her chest. “Here, it feels stuffy… and very scary…”
Qu Zijin was temporarily left speechless, his own heart turning heavy along with hers.
This was likely a form of special telepathy between mother and daughter.
The carriage finally came to a halt in front of the Marquis’s manor.
The main gates were wide open, yet the housekeeper who usually came out to greet them was nowhere to be seen. There was only a young maid forcing a smile. “Young Mistress is finally back! Why didn’t you stay outside to play a bit longer…”
Before the young maid could finish her sentence, Jin Lanyue had already jumped down from the carriage, lifting the hem of her skirt as she sprinted toward the inner courtyard. “Mommy!”
Qu Zijin followed at a rapid pace, catching the heavy scent of medicinal herbs as he traversed the veranda.
A few imperial physicians were gathered around the exterior of the main room, conversing in low tones. Seeing their arrival, they hastily cleared a path.
Inside the room, the Marquis of Beiding was sitting in the outer chamber with his head in his hands, while the two young masters stood by the doorway with bloodshot eyes.
Hearing the commotion, the Marquis of Beiding snapped his head up, his eyes laced with heavy veins of red.
“Yue’er…” The Marquis, who had been full of spirited vigor just this morning, now possessed a voice that was incredibly hoarse.
The little toddler, however, had already rushed into the inner chamber.
Upon the bed, Jiang Xiyue lay completely still. Her face was as pale as paper, a cold cloth rested upon her forehead, and her breathing was so faint that the rise and fall of her chest was barely discernible.