Chapter 4
To be honest, the Grand Tutor was indeed hungry.

He had risen early in the morning to attend court, spent the entire morning patching up the crumbling affairs of the Great Wei Dynasty, and then walked for a long while in the cold wind.

The few sips of ginseng and chicken porridge he had hastily consumed in the morning had long since been digested.

But since he had deliberately come to discipline this inexperienced young emperor, he naturally had no interest in those stale steamed buns.

With a flick of his hand, he sent the copper tray and the buns clattering to the floor.

The tray rolled noisily across the ground, spinning cheerfully all the way to the door.

The maids and eunuchs outside were all cowering, not daring to breathe too loudly for fear of drawing the Grand Tutor’s wrath.

An Qiao’er’s heart clenched even tighter.

This was a man even the late emperor had grown to fear in his later years—so much so that he had been driven to attempt uprooting him entirely, only to bring about his own demise.

And this child… how old was he? Now an orphan with neither father nor mother, yet still subjected to such humiliation by this living demon.

The thought brought tears to her eyes before she could stop them.

Nie Qinglin, clutching the hem of her robe, stood at the precipice of this volcanic fury, enduring the scorching heat of his anger.

She stole a glance at the Grand Tutor’s still-frosty expression and suddenly seemed to remember something.

Lightly stepping over the mess on the floor, she went to a nearby cabinet and took out a plate of golden-thread jujubes.

With a small spoon, she deftly removed the pits and placed them in a bowl, then skillfully mixed them with the fried flour An Qiao’er had prepared to make a sweet jujube oil tea.

She carried it over to the Grand Tutor and said softly, “The buns are too hard—they might hurt your stomach. This is better, though it’s a bit hot, so drink it slowly.”

To be honest again, the young emperor’s reaction had indeed taken the Grand Tutor by surprise.

This was the behavior of a clueless child! After offending someone, bringing out their treasured snacks to coax them back into good humor.

But did this child even know who he was trying to coax?

Having been steeped in the world of power and intrigue for so long, the Grand Tutor was accustomed to bribes of beauty and jewels.

The young emperor’s unorthodox approach felt oddly refreshing.

It had been a long time since anyone had tried to flatter the all-powerful Grand Tutor Wei with such childish methods.

Wei Lenghou’s towering rage was once again stifled, this time by a cup of honeyed jujube tea personally “brewed” by the emperor.

Nie Qinglin’s slender arm, held up for so long, began to tremble slightly.

She peeked at the Grand Tutor, wondering what he was stewing over.

This was a miscalculation, she thought.

The water used for the tea had just boiled.

If he flings it away, I’ll end up with blisters. Who knows if An Qiao’er still has any of that badger oil ointment left in her box? And in this season, getting more from the imperial physicians would be troublesome…

Just as her thoughts wandered, the weight in her hands lightened—the Grand Tutor had actually taken the cup.

However, he didn’t drink immediately.

Instead, he narrowed his eyes, watching the jujubes swirl in the tea.

Nie Qinglin seemed to recall something else.

She moved to sit beside the Grand Tutor and, without taking the cup back, leaned in close to sip from it herself.

“The temperature is just right now,” she said.

“You can drink it, Grand Tutor.”

Wei Lenghou never ate or drank casually outside.

With enemies lurking everywhere, those who stood at the pinnacle of power had to guard against poison.

Just now, he had been momentarily disarmed by the young emperor’s gentle words.

Watching the child’s flushed face and earnest efforts, the way she prepared the tea with such innocent sincerity—it was almost endearing, like a naive younger brother next door.

Without thinking, he had taken the cup.

But the moment he did, regret set in.

He was about to toss it aside when—

This seemingly foolish and useless child suddenly showed unexpected cleverness, understanding his concerns and personally testing the drink for him.

Wei Lenghou had originally risen through the military examinations before circumstances led him to the civil path.

At heart, he still retained the habits of a martial man, and after years supervising the border armies, he had grown indifferent to minor details in food and daily life.

Had the young emperor shown even a hint of resentment or burst into tears proclaiming his innocence, the Grand Tutor would have found it tiresome enough to punish him further.

But instead, the new emperor faced his humiliating overreach with calm acceptance, even appearing somewhat bewildered—like a heavy fist sinking into a bag of fine cotton, robbing him of the desire to torment further.

Since the young emperor had resolved his concerns, and since his stomach was truly empty, Grand Tutor Wei didn’t hold back.

He downed the fragrant oil tea in one gulp.

Was this intentional?

Wei Lenghou had once adored the taste of jujubes, always steeping them in water.

But over the years, as his burdens grew heavier, many of his old habits had faded.

Probably just a coincidence.

Once the warmth settled in his stomach, Nie Qinglin stole another glance at the now-less-volatile regent.

Softly, she ventured, “As for Nie Pu… I don’t remember him well. When I was eight, he came to the palace with the late Prince of Anxi to pay respects to the then-still-living Empress Dowager. I’m not sure what happened, but he said something improper in her chambers and was banished by the late emperor. After that, I rarely saw this cousin. Who would have thought the Prince of Anxi still remembers me? Though it seems his habit of speaking nonsense hasn’t improved…”

Listening to the young emperor’s uniquely tender voice, Wei Lenghou felt his stomach grow even warmer, his body relaxing.

As he reclined on the couch, a thought suddenly struck him.

He studied the little emperor—whom he had never held in high regard—more closely.

The slightly gaunt face, the large, moist eyes brimming with innocence—it all seemed like the artless chatter of a child.

But the child’s casual mention of the past had inadvertently reminded him of something.

Wei Lenghou had eyes and ears everywhere in the palace and knew of this secret history.

That Nie Pu had been a lecherous fool.

During a gathering of regional princes in the capital, he had apparently slept with one of the imperial consorts in the Empress Dowager’s chambers…

It was an old scandal, unfit for polite conversation.

But now that it had been dredged up, Wei Lenghou’s mind whirred with possibilities.

So the Prince of Anxi dares to slight me? Hmph. Then I’ll reduce his entire lineage to ashes!

With such venomous thoughts swirling, he had no more patience to waste on the young emperor.

Not even bothering with a perfunctory “This subject takes his leave,” he kicked aside the scattered buns and strode out.

Eunuch Ruan, who had followed him to the palace, stood outside the bedchamber, expecting to hear the young emperor’s cries for mercy at any moment.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

After all, earlier in court, the Grand Tutor had shown no mercy—executing the entire family of a censor who had spoken in defense of the Prince of Anxi.

A veteran official of twenty years, dragged straight to the execution grounds the moment his hat was removed.

When court adjourned, Eunuch Ruan had seen it clearly: the Grand Tutor’s rage was far from spent.

He had walked through the snow for a long time, steam practically rising from his head, so terrifying that none of the guards dared approach.

When the Grand Tutor turned toward the young emperor’s chambers, Eunuch Ruan’s heart sank.

This child won’t escape unscathed.

As a longtime palace servant, he knew that the Fourteenth Prince had always been inconspicuous in the vast imperial palace.

His mother, Consort Li, had been arrogant and cruel, earning many enemies.

As a child, the prince had suffered much due to her actions.

Later, as he grew older, it was as if he had vanished—no one remembered him anymore.

This child is just another tragic figure in the palace, born into a fallen imperial family and now thrust onto this precarious throne.

Pitiful indeed.

But in these chaotic times, everyone was too busy looking out for themselves to spare sympathy for others.

All he could do was watch as this rootless blade of grass was trampled underfoot.

Yet, after the initial clatter of the overturned tray, the hall fell silent.

A while later, the Grand Tutor emerged, his expression almost relaxed, and left the palace without a backward glance.

Eunuch Ruan wiped his sweat and glanced back at the young emperor, who stood obediently at the door, respectfully seeing off the regent.

He couldn’t help but marvel:

“In the deep palace, there are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers. They look inconspicuous, but they may all be talented!”