Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Emperor Jin took it, examined it for a while, and then frowned and sighed.

Seeing that Xiahou Che was observing his expression, and that his face was full of frustration and disappointment, Emperor Jin gave up on teasing him and said with a smile, "Well written, you've improved."

Xiahou Che then secretly breathed a sigh of relief and put the paper away.

Emperor Jin picked up a brush and taught him how to hold it and how to exert force with his wrist. The atmosphere in the study was relaxed, and the father and son were enjoying themselves immensely.

Xiahou Che studied very diligently, and after mastering the essentials, he wrote another copy in front of the Jin Emperor.

Emperor Jin sighed softly as he looked at his focused expression.

Xiahou Che noticed this and looked up to ask, "Father, is something troubling you?"

After considering for a moment, Emperor Jin asked, "Che'er, would you like to reunite with your maternal grandparents?"

Xiahou Che was taken aback, but quickly understood why the Jin Emperor had done this.

He wanted to support his maternal family so that they could become his backing for survival in the palace.

Once he was poisoned, he would do it again. The more favored he became, the more dangerous his situation in the palace became.

Although Emperor Jin was the supreme ruler, he could not keep a close eye on him at all times.

Even if you replace everyone around him with trustworthy people, there will always be those who would betray their lives and even their entire family for money and power.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly stay in Linzhi Palace forever without ever leaving.

Xiahou Che remained silent for a moment, then gently shook his head: "I don't want to."

"Why?"

“My mother taught me when she was alive not to rely on others. If I want to protect myself, I can only rely on myself,” Xiahou Che said.

“Your Majesty, I have read a lot of history books these past few days. Looking back, if a maternal family is powerful enough to become a prince’s support, it will either arouse the jealousy of one’s own brothers or the suspicion of the emperor. Your Majesty, I do not want to put you in a difficult position, and I do not want to become estranged from you because of this.”

These words were quite treasonous, but the Emperor of Jin was not angry. Instead, he asked with great interest, "Then tell me, how do you plan to protect yourself?"

Xiahou Che thought for a moment, then put down his pen: "Father, please find me a martial arts teacher. I want to learn some martial arts to protect myself. That way, Father won't have to worry about me being ambushed in the future."

Emperor Jin couldn't help but chuckle, but at the same time, he sighed. This child had grown up in a small place like the Yeting Palace and didn't understand how vicious people and methods could be in the palace. He was so naive that he thought he could protect himself with just his fists and feet.

However, Xiahou Che's words reminded him that this child had only been on the imperial register for a little over a month and had almost been poisoned to death, which was enough to show how much those people in the palace feared him.

Especially now that the Crown Prince has passed away and the position of the Eastern Palace is vacant, many princes and concubines will use any means to eliminate dissidents in order to compete for that position.

Who knows what dangers await him in the future?

If I cannot plan well for him, he will be torn to pieces in this deep palace the day I am gone.

"Okay, I promise you."

When Emperor Jin relented, Xiahou Che became happy and tugged at his sleeve, saying, "Can I choose my own martial arts instructor?"

"Oh? You even looked into it beforehand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I wish to become your disciple, General Zhongyong. If I achieve some success in my training, I can follow him into battle to defend our vast land of Jin!"

The eleven-year-old's face was full of anticipation and ambition, but after saying these words, he was out of breath and coughed incessantly, covering his mouth.

Emperor Jin quickly patted his back to soothe him: "It's good to have ambitions, but you should take care of your health first."

"Yes... cough cough cough... I will listen to Father."

Despite Emperor Jin's words, the very next day, an imperial edict appointing the Loyal and Brave General as the tutor of the eleventh prince was issued to the General's residence.

General Liu Su, a loyal and brave general, was a second-rank military officer. When there was no war in the Great Jin Dynasty, he would train troops in the Shangjing military camp. Once there was a war, he would immediately lead his troops into battle. Over the past ten years, he has made countless contributions to the Great Jin Dynasty.

In the Great Jin Dynasty, he was a military general whose prestige was second only to Xiao Dingfang.

At this moment, in the residence of the Loyal and Brave General, Liu Su, who was nearly fifty years old, received the imperial edict with a frown so deep it could trap a mosquito.

After the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree left, he solemnly carried the decree to the backyard.

A close attendant whispered, "General, His Majesty trusts you and has entrusted you with the education of his most beloved eleventh prince. Isn't that a good thing? Why aren't you happy?"

Liu Su sneered: "A palace maid who crawled out of the filthy Yeting Palace has gone to great lengths to please His Majesty to get to where he is today. To ask me to teach martial arts to such a scheming person is clearly an insult to me!"

Close attendant: “…”

Liu Su rolled up the imperial edict, his eyes filled with ruthlessness: "I have the least patience for these scheming people. Once they're under my command, I'll teach them a lesson!"

Meanwhile, at Linzhi Palace.

Xiahou Che raised an eyebrow slightly as he watched the palace servants bring in the martial arts uniforms and boots lined up on the table.

Soon, he will soon be leaving this golden birdcage.

-

After a fourteen-day trek, Yan Zhen arrived in Bashu with five hundred soldiers.

More than three months have passed since the earthquake, and the disaster area is still devastated. Local victims walking through the ruins are dressed in tattered clothes and are emaciated, looking like walking corpses.

Yan Zhen frowned deeply; the situation here was more serious than she had anticipated.

Upon receiving the news, local officials waited outside the city early in the morning. When they saw the carriage approaching from afar, they immediately knelt down with their entourage to greet it: "Greetings, Princess Yining."

Yan Zhen lifted the carriage curtain and saw a plump official in a pine-green official robe and a black gauze hat kneeling in front of him. This should be Zhang Liao, the local prefect.

She calmly alighted from the carriage: "Lord Zhang, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

Zhang Liao stood up, and when he looked up and saw Yan Zhen, he was stunned for a moment, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes. He then said ingratiatingly, "Your Highness must be tired from your journey. I have prepared some simple wine in my residence to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. Please come with me to my humble abode."

Yan Zhen didn't reply. He looked around past Zhang Liao. The city was densely built, and the damage from the ground fissures was even more severe. Many disaster victims had already begun to rebuild on the ruins. The city was full of busy disaster victims.

At the end of February, the weather was still cold, and a gust of wind brought a faint, rotten smell.

She asked, "Have the numbers of people affected and killed by the earthquake been tallied?"

Zhang Liao paused for a moment, then gave a general number.

Yan Zhen didn't take it too seriously. In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and many roads were buried and cut off when the earth cracked. Some remote villages probably didn't even know how many people died.

"Where are the disaster victims in the city currently housed? Are they being provided with daily food?"

Zhang Liao replied, "They will be placed in the north of the city, with two meals of plain porridge and a coarse flour steamed bun each day."

As he spoke, his gaze toward Yan Zhen became strange.

He had initially thought that the Crown Princess's visit to "provide disaster relief" was just a formality to win over the Emperor, but judging from her current demeanor, it seemed that she genuinely wanted to do something.

Thinking of this, Zhang Liao's gaze fell on her slender waist, which seemed so small he could barely encircle it, and he sneered inwardly.

With such a small body that could be blown over by a gust of wind, what can it do?