Chapter 44-Part 1

Jiang Xiurun initially thought that after being punished to kneel in the study and performing a dance in the main hall, the matter would be forgotten.

Unexpectedly, the next day, when she woke up early to go to the academy, the guard repeated the same stern words. Helpless, Jiang Xiurun had to seek out the Crown Prince again.

Feng Liwu had just put on his cloak, ready to attend court, and when he saw Jiang Xiurun, he said without looking up, “You’ve been quite exhausted these past few days. Rest at the residence for a while… With your intelligence, missing a few days of lessons won’t make a difference.”

The students in the academy all studied diligently; how could missing a few days not affect her progress?

Having returned from her escape and having given up any thoughts of fleeing again, Jiang Xiurun was now unexpectedly motivated to learn. Studying under Mu Feng had opened up a new world for her.

In her previous life, she was always entangled in the scheming and deceit of the pursuit of fame and fortune, and now this opportunity to listen to the sound of books and absorb the wisdom of the sages is particularly precious.

So, when she politely expressed that she was in good health and that it would be difficult to catch up if she missed her lessons, the Crown Prince considerately nodded in agreement.

He turned to the guard beside him and said, “Go, ask the academy’s teacher for a list of the lessons for the past few days. The young tutor’s studies must not be delayed. After court, I will personally help the young tutor make up the lessons.”

Now Jiang Xiurun had nothing to say.

The Crown Prince, with his numerous duties, was willing to spare time from his busy schedule to tutor her. How could she continue to complain?

So, after court, the Crown Prince indeed called her to the study to help her with her lessons.

To be fair, the Crown Prince’s explanations and interpretations of the texts were no less thorough than those of the teachers at the academy. And from an aesthetic perspective, the nineteen-year-old Crown Prince was far more pleasing to the eye than those white-bearded, short-haired old teachers.

But no matter how handsome a teacher might be, teaching in such an intimately close manner was inappropriate!

Jiang Xiurun leaned over the desk, but Feng Liwu’s long arms encircled her, and she couldn’t protest because the Crown Prince was correcting her brush-holding posture.

“Holding the brush like this, the force is uneven, and the characters you write will be ugly,” said the Crown Prince as he continued to correct her posture.

Although it was winter, the broad chest behind her radiated a warm heat, making Jiang Xiurun feel inexplicably awkward and stiff.

She tried several times to distance herself from Feng Liwu’s chest, but he would somehow end up closer again, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Unless she turned around to push him away, there was no way to shake him off.

Jiang Xiurun could barely stand it and had to turn her head to ask the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, being so close, be careful not to overheat…”

Feng Liwu lowered his head slightly, his nose almost touching hers.

“Does the young tutor feel hot? But I have seen you this close to your classmates in the academy before.”

Jiang Xiurun remembered the incident the Crown Prince referred to—it was before she tried to escape. Her classmate Dou Siwu, fearing public reprimand from the teacher, had asked her to review his work.

But Dou Siwu’s handwriting was so illegible that, after a long time, Jiang Xiurun couldn’t decipher it at all.

She had to ask Dou Siwu, and he leaned over to look at his work with her, but neither of them could recognize what he had written.

At that moment, the Crown Prince had come to the academy to pick her up and saw the two of them with their heads close together, looking at the bamboo slip.

However, Dou Siwu was simple-minded, showing his emotions openly, and Jiang Xiurun regarded him as a younger brother, studying seriously together with no hint of romantic feelings.

But the Crown Prince, despite being only nineteen, had such a noble demeanor that it was impossible to mistake him for an innocent boy. Jiang Xiurun couldn’t regard him as a harmless and pure younger brother.

Since they were not siblings, being so close naturally made her feel very uncomfortable.

Yet the Crown Prince seemed to find it extremely comfortable, and he spent a long time correcting her calligraphy.

Finally getting through that ordeal, the Crown Prince began to lecture.

Although the Crown Prince was cold by nature, his voice was mesmerizing and magnetic. When he lectured earnestly, it was easy to get drawn in.

Jiang Xiurun listened attentively for a while, forgetting the earlier discomfort of practicing calligraphy, and kept writing small seal script, taking notes on the Crown Prince’s lecture.

While she was focused on taking notes, Feng Liwu watched her dedicated profile without saying a word.

A surge of indescribable frustration welled up inside him. That Qin Zhao, before disrobing in the private chamber, had always been at odds with Young Master Jiang. But after disrobing, he was affectionate with her, indicating he knew the truth.

It was infuriating that Qin Zhao, once a loyal subordinate, chose to hide the truth… This girl—was she addicted to pretending to be a man? She blurred the line between genders, behaving inappropriately with her classmates at the academy…

The most infuriating thing was himself—why hadn’t he noticed Young Master Jiang’s obvious flaws before?

How could someone with such a soft fragrance be a man?

Jiang Xiurun was focused on her notes when she suddenly realized that her temporary “teacher” had gone silent.

She looked up to see Feng Liwu staring at her coldly.

This left her utterly confused, not knowing what she had done wrong.