Don't Raise A Black Lotus Flower; Use The Emperor As A Substitute [Transmigration novel] - Chapter 11

The young eunuch’s face turned deathly pale, and his entire body shook like a sieve. “Cr-Crown Prince, have mercy! Please spare me!”

Ji Ruyuan said irritably, “You are so noisy. Drag him away already!”

Two large guards entered immediately, covered the young eunuch’s mouth, and dragged him away roughly. Soon after, the sounds of whipping echoed in the courtyard. The young eunuch cried out and begged for mercy at first, but his voice gradually faded until there was no sound at all.

Silence fell over the Shangshu Pavilion.

As if still unsatisfied, Ji Ruyuan muttered hatefully, “It is a pity I did not bring Black General today. Otherwise, I would have let Black General tear that little beast to shreds!”

Everyone knew perfectly well that when Ji Ruyuan said “tear that little beast to shreds,” while ostensibly referring to the young eunuch, he was actually aiming his words at Ji Ruxue.

Ji Ruxue lowered his eyes quietly, not showing any expression of being insulted. Lin Ruoxuan squeezed the boy’s thin shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Ji Ruhan fanned himself and sighed politely, “What a pity, what a pity.” It was unclear who he was referring to as pitiful.

Ji Ruhai, being somewhat thoughtless, beamed. “Eldest Brother, when we study archery and horsemanship in a few days, can you bring Black General? I really want to play with it!”

“Idiot, you only know how to play!” Ji Ruyuan scoffed, his face dark.

It was only after the guards reported that the young eunuch was dead that Ji Ruyuan felt somewhat appeased and finally sat down, flicking his sleeves.

Even though Lin Ruoxuan knew this was just the world of The Secret History of the Forbidden City, he still felt a pang of distress thinking of the living person who had just become a pile of lifeless flesh and blood. Yet, he was helpless. In this cruel world, even with all his effort, he could barely protect Ji Ruxue; he had no energy to care for others.

He hoped that under his guidance, Ji Ruxue would grow into a benevolent and kind Emperor. With this thought, Lin Ruoxuan patted Ji Ruxue’s shoulder again, silently urging him not to stray from the right path.

Ji Ruxue remained silent, his dark eyes fixed firmly on Ji Ruyuan’s back, his gaze filled with bone-chilling, icy intent. He closed his eyes, slowly withdrawing that killing intent. It was not the time yet; he could not be impulsive.

He had already made a mistake once just now. He knew clearly that he could not yet confront Ji Ruyuan directly, so why had he been unwilling to hand over that inkstone? After all, it was just an inkstone. He had always been indifferent to trivial material possessions.

However, he just did not want to.

Ji Ruxue could not help but glance down at the purple gold inkstone. It was a gift from the eunuch.

At that moment, his shoulder felt suddenly warm. Ji Ruxue turned his head and saw the eunuch gently draping a cloak over his shoulders, covering the large ink stain on his robe, and then neatly arranging the hair at his temple.

After finishing this, the eunuch leaned down to his ear, his voice soft and husky. “Do not mind it, Your Highness. I changed this cloak this morning, so it is clean. Just endure it for a while. The teacher will be here soon. You are a prince; your appearance must be impeccable.”

“Mm,” Ji Ruxue replied sullenly. He then could not help but raise his hand to gently clutch the collar of the cloak, which still held a faint trace of the man’s warmth.

Just then, a young eunuch at the courtyard gate announced loudly, “Master Zhong from the Hanlin Academy has arrived.”

Everyone in the Shangshu Pavilion went silent. Ji Ruhai could not help but ask, “Eldest Brother, is it not Grand Scholar Song from the Wenyuan Pavilion who is supposed to lecture today?”

Ji Ruyuan scoffed, “That old man is boring. It is better that he did not come.”

Ji Ruhan raised an eyebrow. “I wonder which Master Zhong this is today?”

Lin Ruoxuan was also curious. Lecturing the princes was no small matter; usually, it was handled by highly respected scholars. Who was this Master Zhong?

“Ahem.” With a light cough, a young man stepped into the room.

The man had a refined and elegant appearance with a slender build. Clad in green robes, he looked no more than twenty years old. He was Zhong Huaixiu, a compiler from the Hanlin Academy and a student of Grand Scholar Song Qian.

It is actually Zhong Huaixiu, Lin Ruoxuan blinked. This man was the future Chief Grand Secretary and Ji Ruxue’s right-hand man, and he especially despised Lin Ruoxuan.

Right, he thought, Zhou Sixun in the dungeon is apparently a close friend of Zhong Huaixiu. Although I have already cleared his name, the paperwork at the Ministry of Justice is not yet finished. Zhou Sixun is still in the dungeon and can only be released in two days. Zhong Huaixiu likely does not know this yet.

Zhong Huaixiu also spotted Lin Ruoxuan immediately. He froze for a moment before glaring fiercely at him.

“Master Zhong,” Lin Ruoxuan greeted him cheekily.

Zhong Huaixiu snorted and ignored him, saying coolly, “Your Highnesses, my teacher is currently feeling unwell. For the coming days, I shall take his place and lecture.”

Ji Ruyuan glanced at him with disdain. Ji Ruhai’s round eyes darted around, observing Huaixiu with curiosity.

Ji Ruhan smiled slightly and nodded. “Thank you for your hard work, Master Zhong.”

Ji Ruxue surveyed Zhong Huaixiu thoughtfully, remaining silent.

Zhong Huaixiu did not waste time. After exchanging courtesies with the princes, he flipped through the book in his hand. “My teacher told me that last time you discussed the Doctrine of the Mean: The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this.”

Lin Ruoxuan listened for a while. As a science student, he found it completely confusing and soon grew drowsy. He pinched his own thigh hard to stay awake. To distract himself from the drowsiness, he began observing the princes.

The Crown Prince, Ji Ruyuan, was squinting out the window. He seemed completely unbothered by the pool of blood in the courtyard from the young eunuch and was lost in thought. Tsk, this good-for-nothing Crown Prince is not only narrow-minded but also cruel.

The Second Prince, Ji Ruhan, listened earnestly to the lecture, occasionally smiling as he offered his own opinions. He was refined and appeared to be a model student.

The Third Prince, Ji Ruhai, was only fourteen, the same age as Ji Ruxue. Raised in a pampered environment, he remained a willful child, playing with his brush and inkstone. He did not seem cut out for studying.

After observing the three, Lin Ruoxuan turned his attention to his own ward.

Ji Ruxue held his brush and frowned slightly, listening attentively to the lecture. He appeared very serious, yet he did not volunteer questions, keeping a very low profile.

My child is indeed the best, Lin Ruoxuan thought with satisfaction.

After more than an hour, Zhong Huaixiu finally put down the obscure Doctrine of the Mean and began lecturing on military strategy.

When speaking of military affairs, one naturally had to speak of Liaodong and Xiao Tunan.

The Great Yuan Dynasty had been established for a hundred years, yet Liaodong remained restless. In the dead of winter, the Jurchen cavalry often crossed the border to raid, leaving the people in misery. Thanks to Xiao Tunan, who defended the Daping Pass, the region had enjoyed peace for years.

When mentioning Xiao Tunan, Zhong Huaixiu’s tone was filled with admiration, almost reaching a state of fascination. “Last December, the Prince of Ningyuan once again defeated a superior force, forcing the Jurchen Prince Tu’ermin to retreat. The Prince of Ningyuan was struck by three arrows, yet he personally led five thousand elite troops to pursue Tu’ermin for over eighty miles. After returning to Daping Pass, he fell into a coma for three days and three nights. He is a true hero and a pillar of our Great Yuan Dynasty.”

Ji Ruxue was thoughtful and said softly, “Indeed, he is a great general.”

Hearing this whisper from Ji Ruxue, Lin Ruoxuan blinked. A brilliant idea suddenly struck him.

That’s it! I can frequently praise Xiao Tunan in front of Ji Ruxue. If I brainwash him from a young age, he certainly won’t peel Xiao Tunan’s face off when he grows up!

He immediately struck while the iron was hot. “Yes, yes, gold is easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by.”

Ji Ruxue nodded. “That is indeed true.”

“Your Highness is right,” Lin Ruoxuan agreed, secretly pleased with himself. He had discovered another great way to complete his mission: helping Xiao Tunan build favor with Ji Ruxue! Praising someone wasn’t hard, was it? He would have to praise Xiao Tunan in front of Ji Ruxue often! Praise him in every way, praise him heavily, and help the male lead win some goodwill!

What a brilliant plan!

However, when was this original protagonist going to return to the capital? He was actually quite curious and wanted to see the man in the flesh. But then, thinking of the stack of sorrowful love letters in the secret drawer, Xiao Tunan’s vague and hesitant letter, and Emperor Chengwu’s strange words, Lin Ruoxuan felt a headache again.

Forget it, he thought, Male lead, you old man, please take your time returning. Let me prepare myself mentally first.

Zhong Huaixiu droned on and on about Xiao Tunan’s glorious deeds before suddenly changing the subject. “Having said all that, let me pose a hypothesis. If you were defending Daping Pass with only ten thousand men, and Tu’ermin arrived with eighty thousand iron-clad Jurchen cavalry, how would you defend it?”

Ji Ruhai slammed his hand on the desk, his spirit soaring. “Open the city gates and fight to the death!”

Ji Ruhan could not help but chuckle while fanning himself.

“Idiot!” Ji Ruyuan seemed to feel that his younger brother was too stupid, glaring at him, but he could not think of a better plan either. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, “Since Fourth Brother just arrived at the Shangshu Pavilion today, why don’t we ask Fourth Brother to answer?”

Lin Ruoxuan frowned. Ji Ruxue had only attended classes for half a day, and this “dog of a Crown Prince” was clearly waiting to see him make a fool of himself!

Zhong Huaixiu likely realized this, looking at Ji Ruxue hesitatingly, remaining silent.

Ji Ruxue’s expression was very calm; he did not look nervous and even turned his head to glance at Lin Ruoxuan.

“Do not worry, Your Highness, feel free to speak,” Lin Ruoxuan whispered.

Although they needed to keep a low profile, Zhong Huaixiu was the future Chief Grand Secretary, and it was necessary to leave a good impression. Even if he did not speak well, it was better than showing cowardice.

Ji Ruxue pondered for a moment and said confidently, “Master Zhong, in your hypothesis, does Tu’ermin’s eight-thousand-man cavalry have sufficient supplies?”

Zhong Huaixiu thought for a moment. “The Jurchen tribe has always lived by herding cattle and sheep. I assume that they have poured their entire nation’s strength into taking Daping Pass this time and have brought several thousand head of cattle and sheep to serve as rations. These cattle and sheep are at the rear of their camp. However, they are not dead supplies; if you want to raid them, it will likely not be easy.”