Grand Tutor Kong nodded and agreed. “Su Xi-er is extremely proficient with the Lan Script, and great scholars can be men or women. Third Imperial Prince, it is good that you don’t have any prejudice.”
Situ Lin smiled after hearing that. “Third Imperial Brother, will you be practising calligraphy together with me today?”
“Yes, I will practice calligraphy and supervise you at the same time.” Situ Lin then sat down in another desk and opened up a Lan Script copybook before starting to grind an inkstick.
Grand Tutor Kong relaxed. If the Third Imperial Prince is here to supervise, His Majesty will be more disciplined. Relieved, he turned and left the Calligraphy Pavilion.
Seeing that Grand Tutor Kong had left, Situ Lin immediately put down the brush in his hand and walked over to Situ Li. “Third Imperial Brother, when will you return to the palace and live here?”
“I will stay in the palace today, but you should go back to practising and stop chatting.” Situ Li’s eyes didn’t stray from his inkstick.
“Third Imperial Brother, Second Imperial Brother has been away from the palace for so many years and never came back to visit, and he gets to be so carefree as he explores the outside world. If only I can do that.” Situ Lin’s eyes were full of longing.
When Su Xi-er saw him pouting and looking so adorable, she couldn’t help but join in. “You are the Emperor. If you live outside of the palace like the Second Imperial Prince, Beimin would become a mess. Prince Hao won’t let you do that either.”
When Situ Lin heard the words ‘Prince Hao’, he pouted again. “Can you not mention Prince Hao? This Emperor is scared of my Imperial Uncle. He is too strict, and will have me beaten if I make even a small mistake. Sigh, no one understands how that feels.” Situ Lin showed an expression of a heroic warrior valiantly facing death. He raised his hand and clutched his chest.
When Su Xi-er saw this, she gradually understood. Pei Qianhao doesn’t lust for power as much as Yun Ruofeng. If he did, then His Majesty would probably be more uptight like Lianchen, instead of his current lackadaisical personality.
“This Emperor really wants to leave the imperial palace, and travel the world with Second Imperial Brother.” Situ Lin muttered. I really don’t want the throne.
Situ Li knocked on Situ Lin’s forehead after hearing that. “Your Majesty, you should put away that thought. Although I am not Prince Hao, I still want to hit you after hearing that.”
“Third Imperial Prince, Imperial Uncle is currently in the army barracks, so please stop talking about him! Sigh, I want to go out of the palace and play, just once. After that, I will return to the palace, forget about all those things and properly learn how to govern the country!”
As soon as the words had left his mouth, another male voice made itself known. “When the late Emperor was still young, he often left the palace often and observed the sufferings of the people outside. It’s still within reason for your Majesty to emulate him.” After that, a man wearing a long white robe appeared ー Xie Yun.
Situ Lin wasn’t scared of Commandery Prince Xie, and he immediately nodded. “Commandery Prince Xie, that makes sense.”
When Su Xi-er saw Xie Yun appearing again, she slightly bowed to pay her respects before turning to go to the book depository.
“Weren’t you going to grind the inkstick for His Majesty? Do you have somewhere to be?” Xie Yun raised his hand and blocked Su Xi-er.
Situ Lin noticed the subtle interaction between Su Xi-er and Xie Yun, and the corner of his mouth raised as he walked forward. “Commandery Prince Xie, this Emperor thinks that Su Xi-er is thoughtful, so I will have her accompany me when I leave the palace. Since my Imperial Uncle isn’t in the palace right now, we will use this chance to sneak out and return in a few hours.”
Xie Yun smiled faintly. “Your Majesty, are you not scared that Prince Hao will find out?”
