Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 695: Hugging the thigh
Zhang Shou was completely unaware that he had inadvertently flattered his mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law. After all, it was fun to say a few nice words to his future daughter-in-law, but he really didn't expect that she would happily share them with others.
After a busy day of attending classes, running back and forth between the inner and outer cities, and persuading people, he said a few words to Wu as soon as he got home. Then he heard chicken soup stewing in the small kitchen, so he drank a bowl, washed his feet, and went to bed. He slept until dawn, and was woken up by Ah Liu.
He washed, exercised, and ate breakfast, and after getting on the carriage, he fell asleep again. When he was finally woken up, he opened his eyes and saw two eyes staring at him closely. He was immediately scared! Fortunately, he always relied on Ah Liu to prevent anyone from doing anything to him. As a result, he recognized the person after taking another look.
Who else could it be if not this naughty kid, the Fourth Prince?
Zhang Shou took a deep breath and then slowly sat up. He found that he was still in a moving carriage, and the Fourth Prince was sitting cross-legged in front of him. He couldn't help but frowned: "Why are you here?"
The fourth prince could tell Zhang Shou's bad tone, so he said with a bitter face, "Teacher, last night my father punished me to kneel in the Qianqing Palace to reflect on my mistakes, but my third brother just knelt with me until my father came back. My father was furious! He said..." Seeing Zhang Shou staring at him without saying anything, he was about to cry, but he knew he couldn't hide it from the teacher, so he could only be simple, direct and rough...
He actually leaped forward and hugged Zhang Shou's thigh directly!
Zhang Shou was so stunned by the kid's move that he subconsciously wanted to kick him, but then he realized that the person in front of him was not some random person, but a prince! Even so, he couldn't help but be extremely disgusted: "Zheng Yan, what are you doing? Be a real man, talk nicely!"
"I'm still young, not a real man!"
The fourth prince was used to playing tricks, but under Zhang Shou's cold gaze, he could only let go of his hand awkwardly, and then whispered: "Teacher, I was driven out of the palace by my father! He asked me to make up for my crime and do something worthy of his approval, and then I can go back, otherwise I will not be a prince! He also said that if I cause my third brother to be punished with me next time, he will no longer have me as his son!"
Zhang Shou naturally had some complaints about the emperor who always favored the two younger sons. Especially the fourth prince's increasingly arrogant character, it was obvious that without the two hungry tigers of the eldest and second princes, the monkey became king. However, he still felt it was a bit absurd that the emperor suddenly turned into a tiger father.
He calmed himself down, then looked at the Fourth Prince and asked, "The Emperor kicked you out, so where do you live?"
Seeing that the Fourth Prince didn't say anything, but his eyes looked like a homeless and pitiful puppy, his scalp immediately went numb, and then he immediately said righteously: "Isn't the King of Jiangdu the Grand Master? Isn't it natural for you to live with him?"
"My father said that he has instructed all the royal family members not to take me in." The fourth prince looked aggrieved and whispered, "Besides, I am penniless and I don't know how to do anything. If the teacher doesn't take me in, I will have to live on the streets, not to mention doing anything to make amends for my crime! Teacher, please take me in. I will do anything!"
Seeing that Zhang Shou didn't respond at all, the naughty child could only beg and curry favor, "I can grind ink and stretch paper. I can be your book boy, and I won't eat for free..."
Faced with such a persistent brat, Zhang Shou felt overwhelmed. Forget about what the emperor was thinking when he kicked the fourth prince out. How big of a heart would he have to have to really treat someone like a servant? It would be impossible to hide this from the civil and military officials who were watching him all the time! Moreover, what if something happened to such a restless brat left outside?
Wait, something happened... Zhang Shou's eyes suddenly turned fierce, staring at the naughty child who was counting on his fingers and talking about what he could do, and suddenly asked slowly: "The emperor said that you must do something that he approves of before you can go back, but you plan to be a little book boy by my side. When will you be able to fulfill the emperor's request?"
The Fourth Prince's face changed immediately, and he said awkwardly, "We have to settle down first. How can I have the time to think so far? Teacher, you are so capable. If I follow you and make some contributions, I will definitely be able to impress my father..."
"I'm afraid you have other intentions than to come to the bar." Zhang Shou chuckled. Seeing the Fourth Prince's confused face, he remembered that this little guy probably hadn't mastered that many idioms yet, so he simply said directly, "Could it be that you don't want to hang out outside as bait to see if you can lure out some people?"
"I didn't!" The Fourth Prince objected loudly and instinctively, but when he met Zhang Shou's eyes, he thought about how he vehemently denied it after being exposed last night, but Zhang Shou instead uncovered his disguise layer by layer. He was immediately completely discouraged.
He sat there with his head drooped, and said weakly, "I thought about it over and over again, and this is the only way. Otherwise, with my thin arms and legs, what else can I do? Father gave me three choices. Either I have to go to Zongzheng Temple to help my uncle do odd jobs for a month, or I have to do the cleaning work in Ciqing Palace for a month, or I have to come here to listen to the teacher's lecture."
"If I'm with Uncle Wang, he will definitely scold me to death! In Ciqing Palace, maybe Third Brother will do something out of pity for me, and then he will be scolded by Father. Only you, Teacher, are not only capable, but also trusted by Father, and you have Sixth Brother as a powerful helper, who will definitely help me! As long as I hang around you all day, if someone has bad intentions, I will definitely not be able to help him!"
"You kid, are you using me as bait?" Zhang Shou was both angry and amused, and poked his finger directly on the Fourth Prince's forehead. "Besides, do you think others are fools? Just because they see you hanging around outside, they will treat you as a target? Since ancient times, luring the snake out of its hole and luring the enemy into the bait has been used too many times!"
Seeing the Fourth Prince's face full of displeasure after being stunned, but with an expression that he would not leave even if you chased him away, he knew that this piece of sticky candy would probably not be shaken off. He gently touched his chin and then said expressionlessly: "In short, no matter what tricks you had before, if you want to stay, put them away! All actions are subject to my command, and you have to do whatever I tell you to do!"
This time, the Fourth Prince, who had just wilted, suddenly sat up straight and responded loudly without even thinking, "Teacher, don't worry, I will listen to you in everything!"
Ah Liu, who had just let the fourth prince get on the carriage, heard this and curled up his lips slightly. Then he turned his horse's head and waved to the group of guards who had just escorted the naughty child. Seeing them bowing and saluting on horseback and then really leaving quietly, he glanced at Han Lie and others who were obviously tense and alert.
"Don't worry, it's okay!"
These five short words certainly couldn't make Han Lie, who had already heard the conversation in the car, feel at ease. When he thought that the person he was supposed to protect was just the prince's teacher, and now he had to add another prince, he felt like his heart was about to burst out of his throat. After such a big mistake yesterday, he actually wanted to stay as far away from the fourth prince as possible!
This prince who doesn't play by the rules is extremely difficult to deal with!
Although the Fourth Prince had promised to follow orders in all actions, Zhang Shou did not believe that this naughty boy would really behave himself. After all, he had been very steadfast the last time he was beaten, but it had only been a few days since he relapsed. When he arrived outside the public school, he was about to get off the car, but he saw the Fourth Prince get up and jump off the car first. When he leaned out, he extended his hand attentively.
That cautious look was exactly the same as the flattery he showed in front of the palace last night!
Seeing Ah Liu easily carry the naughty kid to the side, Zhang Shou got out of the car quickly, and then ignored the Fourth Prince and walked straight into the door. He saw the short Fourth Prince jogging after him from the corner of his eye, and he said calmly: "It's good to respect your teacher, but don't forget that you are a prince, don't do anything that will cause outsiders to spread rumors."
Hearing that the Fourth Prince didn't say anything, he continued, "Since you want to follow me, then let's do this. Since you are wearing casual clothes today, go to the intermediate class and be a transfer student. Ah Liu, take him over there and listen to the class."
Knowing that Zhang Shou wanted him to go there to be a bodyguard, although he had no interest in any classes, Liu still readily agreed.
When the fourth prince, who had been mentally prepared and wiped the blackboard until his hands were tired, learned that Zhang Shou had such an arrangement for him, he was also dumbfounded. Although he couldn't understand most of the arithmetic Zhang Shou was talking about, he still wanted to stay with his teacher - after all, the feeling of having someone to support him even if the sky fell was real.
Although Ah Liu was also very powerful, that kind of power was too scary for him. He had nightmares at night because of that last-minute kick yesterday!
Although he was very reluctant, he had to agree to Zhang Shou in person. In addition, Ah Liu was personally escorting him, so the Fourth Prince had to go obediently. When he arrived at the classroom, he was a little confused when he saw a bunch of children of different ages sitting there in neat but tattered clothes.
Although he was not completely ignorant of the sufferings of the people - after all, he had gone to the fields to pick up wheat ears, rode a cow once, walked around the market, and even heard those depressing stories told by Zhang Shou, but the Fourth Prince was, at heart, a little prince who grew up in the palace and knew little about the sufferings of the people.
Therefore, he was a little confused... or rather, he sat next to someone as arranged by Ah Liu, and then he heard an exaggerated gasp next to him. When he turned his head, he recognized the person.
Isn’t this the little peanut he met at Zhang’s house before?
Peanut never dreamed that the person brought to class by Liu himself would be the Fourth Prince!
After he couldn't help but gasp, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva. He waited for the children around him who were curious about the newcomer to turn around and prepare for class - after all, the one who came to the mathematics class today was Lu Sanlang, who was always bad-tempered and spoke harshly. He couldn't help but take another sneak peek at the Fourth Prince, and he found that the person was also looking at him.
"Si... why are you here?" Peanut, mustering up his courage, finally asked in a low voice.
But almost at the same time he asked this question, the Fourth Prince also asked in confusion: "Why are you here?" The two questions were all mixed together, and the two little guys, who were a few years apart in age, stared at each other. In the end, someone in front of them suddenly turned around and knocked on their desks seriously.
"Class is about to start, be quiet! Peanut, do you want to be beaten by Mr. Lu?"
Xiao Huasheng was immediately silent. Even though the Fourth Prince suddenly sat beside him, he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He hurriedly tried his best to conserve his energy and prepare for the questions that might come today. Although he actually had a more solid foundation than most people here, he couldn't help but be extremely demanding of him and Xiao Cheng by Lu Sanlang. Doing sixty addition and subtraction problems in a hundred breaths was simply a life-threatening task!
When the Fourth Prince saw that Xiao Huasheng suddenly began to hold his breath and concentrate , ignoring him at all, he became even more confused. At this moment, Xiao Cheng had turned his head back to sit upright. He thought for a moment, then suddenly stretched out his finger and poked Xiao Cheng on the back. Seeing that he remained motionless, he could not help but use a little more strength and continued to poke.
This time, his efforts paid off. The child in front of him, who was about his age, finally turned his head again and shouted angrily in a low voice: "Little Peanut, what are you doing!"
Peanut was completely confused. What did I do... I didn't do anything! Having been blamed for nothing, he no longer cared that the Fourth Prince was beside him. He turned his head and glared at him angrily, but he saw that the Fourth Prince hadn't even had time to retract his finger. It was obvious that if Xiao Cheng in front of him didn't turn around, he would continue to poke.
Under the aggrieved gaze of Peanut, Xiao Cheng finally realized that something was wrong. When he saw the Fourth Prince's actions clearly, his eyebrows immediately raised. Knowing that he had just blamed the wrong person, Xiao Cheng, who had always been very serious, immediately bowed his head and apologized to Peanut without thinking, with an extremely sincere attitude, and then glared at the Fourth Prince with a very unfriendly look.
"This is a classroom, you must obey the rules!"
That's right, Xiao Cheng, who once worked as a handyman in the Imperial College and had a lot of Jiuzhangtang students living in his house, undoubtedly knew the Fourth Prince who once studied in Banshantang, but they didn't have much communication on weekdays. At this moment, being confronted in front of him, the Fourth Prince was stunned at first, and then he couldn't help but feel wronged: "It's not class yet! I just want to ask why you are here?"
Before Peanut could answer, Xiao Cheng said like a little adult, "Of course it's studying! Brother Zhang said that if the youth are wise, the country will be wise; if the youth are rich, the country will be rich; if the youth are strong, the country will be strong. We must study for the rise of China!"
