darknovel Chapter 472 Extra: Not Wasting Youth, Only Regret for You
Chapter 472 Extra: Not Wasting Youth, Only Regret for You
Emperor Zhenyou was shocked. How could a three-year-old child have such great power?
"The Grand Tutor has such a fine grandson, why hasn't he been brought to the palace so I could see him?"
Grand Tutor Shen stroked his beard, his humility barely concealing his unyielding pride. "The granddaughter I spoke of is a girl, but she is exceptionally intelligent and mischievous. I dare not bring her into the palace, for fear of offending His Majesty."
Emperor Zhenyou laughed heartily, finding it rare to see the Grand Tutor like this. "If given the opportunity, I would still like to meet him!"
On that day, Li Yuanke received an imperial decree from his father, ordering him to go to the Shen residence to study every day, rain or shine, without fail.
When his brothers heard about it, they all laughed at him for being banished by their father.
But Li Yuanke thought this was a good idea, since he didn't want to stay in the palace anyway, and going to the Shen family would mean leaving the palace.
He was a minor prince, and had not established his own residence or military command. He was not allowed to leave the palace without imperial decree.
This is a good thing for him.
He longed for the world outside the palace.
On his first day of school, he got up very early and went to the Shen family after leaving the palace. By the time he leisurely strolled over, the sun was already high in the sky, and the Grand Tutor was already waiting for him.
But he wasn't angry. Instead, he put down the book he was reading and smiled, "Your Highness must have seen quite a bit of the excitement on the streets since you came out of the palace. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Li Yuanke, who had been like a hedgehog with its sharp quills raised, relaxed and sat down, saying, "Although I am just an ordinary citizen, I am trying my best to make a living."
Grand Tutor Shen was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "It is truly an honor for this old minister to have Your Highness as my disciple!"
Seeing that he didn't seem to be mocking or arguing, Li Yuanke held back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
The Grand Tutor did not pay attention to his attitude. After the two performed the apprenticeship ceremony, the Grand Tutor said, "This old minister is getting old and will not take on any more disciples in the future. Your Highness will be this old minister's last disciple."
"Your Highness is still young. Whether you will pursue a literary or military career in the future is unknown, and there's no need to rush to know. Let's lay a solid foundation first, so that whatever you choose to do in the future is fine."
Li Yuanke felt very pleased to hear this, thinking to himself that Li Yuanke was much more pragmatic than that old scoundrel Li Jizhong.
The Grand Tutor then said that he was a specialist in the Spring and Autumn Annals, and used this classic text to teach him. Li Yuanke neither agreed nor disagreed, since he had never thought of becoming a great master.
The Grand Tutor explained very carefully, but he listened absentmindedly. The Grand Tutor neither gave him a political lesson nor punished him. Instead, he dismissed the class early, giving him time to wander around outside.
Li Yuanke felt the Grand Tutor's kind fatherly heart and was very pleased.
To his surprise, as soon as he stepped out of the study, he encountered a little peach blossom spirit.
The little peach blossom spirit was sitting on the peach tree stealing peaches when she saw him. She actually asked him if he was ready to be emperor. At that moment, Li Yuanke was so frightened that his heart almost stopped beating. If it were someone else, he would have definitely beaten her to death.
But the little peach blossom spirit was too cute, chubby and with a pair of clever and lively peach blossom eyes. It was obvious that she was deliberately scaring herself. She even wanted to do a cool jump, but unfortunately, the peach tree branch caught on her skirt.
Li Yuanke really wanted to laugh, but he was holding it in so hard that he couldn't laugh anymore when he saw the little peach blossom spirit's eyes brimming with tears. He quickly stepped forward to rescue her, but to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and called him "handsome brother".
Her eyes were dark and bright, shining into his heart.
It felt soft all over, smelled sweetly of peaches, and had a bit of sugar powder on its lips. He guessed that the little thing must be hiding in the tree eating dried peaches, because the peach blossoms had just started to bloom at this time of year.
He held her in his arms and felt that the little peach blossom spirit was very heavy. Her chubby baby face was very cute, and her body was also plump and sturdy.
She said her name was Shen Shixi, and Shixi means "time is beautiful"!
Li Yuanke carefully pondered the two characters and felt that the Grand Tutor was truly learned and had a wonderful name. Such a name was a perfect match for someone like her.
Before parting, Li Yuanke told Shen Shixi, "Never again should you talk about being emperor in front of anyone, understand? You could get yourself killed if you're not careful."
The little peach blossom spirit said "Oh," and cupped his face in her hands, saying, "Handsome brother, I'm only telling you, I won't tell anyone else. Will you tell on me?"
Li Yuanke thought to himself, "How could I possibly report you?" "No, don't be afraid, I won't report you. However, you can't say it anymore."
The little peach blossom fairy smiled, a sweet smile. Her rosy cheeks resembled two ripe peaches, and a peach-colored ribbon was tied in her hair. He then had the idea of buying her pearl flowers to wear.
He thought to himself, "I'm really crazy!"
Upon returning to the palace that day, he lay on the couch with his head resting on his hands, his mind filled with the image of the little peach blossom spirit, and he could hear her calling him "handsome brother."
As if by some strange twist of fate, he got up to review his lessons, which terrified Li Gui.
What's wrong with Your Highness? Why have you suddenly become so interested in studying? Could it be that you've been possessed by something?
The next day, Li Yuanke went to the Shen family again, stepping through the morning dew. As soon as he entered the study, he saw the little peach blossom spirit, who was making the Grand Tutor quite angry. When the Grand Tutor said that the little peach blossom spirit wanted to study with him, Li Yuanke was overjoyed.
But outwardly, he still had to maintain his composure.
The little peach blossom spirit refused to sit at her own desk and insisted on squeezing in with him. When she got tired of sitting, she would lean against him like a cushion. Li Yuanke was also a little tired, but he couldn't bear to send her away. When she leaned against him, the warmth from her body seeped through his clothes, like a little sun, warming his heart, his seasons, and his entire life.
I thought she was just a mischievous girl, but I didn't expect her to be so talented. She was usually dozing off in class, but no one knew when she would suddenly wake up from her dream and start arguing with the Grand Tutor.
Grand Tutor never won. Sometimes, when the two were deadlocked, Little Peach Blossom's spirit would leave Grand Tutor speechless, and then she would win.
But it's clear that the Grand Tutor truly likes her. Who wouldn't like such a charming little peach blossom? He likes her too, and even studying becomes a joyful experience for him.
When he wanted to study hard, the little peach blossom spirit wanted to play, so she would pull him along and say, "Brother Yuan Ke, we are still young. There is no need to study until the wee hours of the morning. The books you are reading now may not be useful in your entire life. You are destined to do great things in the future. You only need to learn how to use people and distinguish right from wrong."
Li Yuanke gave a wry smile, placing the little peach blossom spirit on his lap. "Xi'er, do you know my identity?"
She was only three years old, but who could he confide in about his troubles? He didn't want to talk to anyone else, but he felt he could talk to her, probably because of trust, or perhaps because she always said surprising things, making him feel that she was more than just three years old.
"I know, your maternal grandfather was the emperor of the previous dynasty!" The little peach blossom spirit turned around and touched his face. For a moment, he felt like he was being teased, but the little peach blossom spirit said, "Brother Yuan Ke, has anyone said that you are destined to die?"