Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Imperial Study

Both Gu Xin'e and Wang Yuhuan had a very good impression of their first conversation with the emperor.

Lü Shuo praised one aspect of inner depth and the other of erudition, both hitting the bullseye.

That slight air of superiority was neither obsequious nor arrogant.

If someone lacks self-control, they might be easily captivated by Lü Shuo at first sight and become his new master.

Unfortunately, Xia Youmi's study companion had been given a lot of warnings beforehand.

Initial appreciation is not enough to shake their stance.

As for Mu Ying, she showed little emotion.

Everyone had only seen the new emperor Lü Shuo from afar, but she was different. Her father, Mu Shun, was a high-ranking official in the court, holding the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for the affairs of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War, and also in charge of supervisory duties. (1)

Although he and the Right Vice Minister check and balance each other, they are involved in personnel appointments and removals and important matters concerning the Ministry of War.

He is generally considered to be of a slightly higher status than the Right Minister.

Their superior, the Minister of State Affairs, is a figurehead position, almost entirely so, except for the current regent, Sheng Ze, who holds absolute power.

Mu Shun and Cai Feng jointly managed the government affairs of the entire country.

They naturally also had to find time to communicate with Emperor Lü Shuo.

With some of the deep-seated concerns of an elderly father.

Mu Shun once told Mu Ying about Lü Shuo's shortcomings when he first came into contact with politics.

To keep his daughter away from trouble, he even praised Lü Shuo when he made progress, emphasizing that emperors are all corrupt!

Peeling away the layers of glamour one by one, the daughter dared not neglect her duties.

Therefore, Mu Ying, who was the first to approach Xia Youmi, had the least interest in the emperor, almost none at all.

Even the slightest bit of concern was for her father's sake.

He hoped that after Lü Shuo came to power, he could use his good impression to prevent his father from being removed from his high position.

In this way, at least some respect has been shown.

Lu Shuo was very satisfied with the reactions of the four people, especially Xia Youmi, whose cleanliness was still immediately apparent.

There was also a sense of pleasure in finally having someone to show off to.

The red-faced girl finished singing.

Then it was the turn of the "bad cop" to step in.

"Your Highness, how is your progress being arranged?" Fei Liangcai asked with a practiced fake smile, his respectful demeanor superficial and his tone casual, which was quite displeasing.

Xia Youmi didn't even glance at her, seemingly focused on the tea and snacks.

Gu Xin'ong then asked directly, "Young Master Fei, what stage of progress have you reached? Do you have any references?"

Since they enrolled together, there's no reason for them to miss their turn.

Who knows if the Master had a completely different set of theories to fool the four of them?

As the oldest person present, Gu Xin'e also had the most experience and was able to distinguish between truth and falsehood in words.

She was always like that, used to standing up for her younger sisters.

“Miss Gu, please take a look…” Fei Liangcai took out a piece of paper and clearly listed all the humanities subjects they were studying, according to their goals and assessment progress.

“Young Master Fei is certainly well-prepared.” Wang Yuhuan also huddled together with Gu Xin’e to take a closer look.

During the two days she returned home, she had already taken out and read her grandfather's books and notes on the education of princes, and had a clearer understanding of the whole process and intensity.

At this moment, Xia Youmi could only sit on the side, feeling sleepy, as if she knew nothing. Fortunately, Mu Ying was by her side.

In pastoral families, hard work is a matter for the men.

Aside from etiquette and filial piety, Mu Ying only ever chose to learn things that interested her.

The content of the Imperial Study was too profound and could not arouse her interest at all.

The reason I didn't refuse to become a study companion is...

It was also based on my impressions of Xia Youmi herself, as well as my curiosity and exploration of new things.

This scene was entirely within the expectations of Lü Shuo's companions.

even,

Fu Yu couldn't muster any interest in leisurely observing, and after greeting everyone, he practiced calligraphy alone in a corner.

He has good hand control, but he rarely picked up a calligraphy brush before.

He was just one step behind in the humanities.

Before long, Wang Yuhuan and Gu Xin'er whispered their conclusion, "It's not far off, and I reckon it shouldn't be too difficult to make up for it, but..."

“Well, young ladies should also pay attention to being average,” Fei Liangcai added.

In fact, the amount of knowledge they gained from following Lü Shuo for one year was more than what an average family would learn in three years.

All of them had some basic skills, but they were all amazed by Lü Shuo's efficiency when they helped him catch up with his progress.

One after another, they surpassed it.

If it were someone like... Princess? No... Fei Liangcai glanced around the scene, pondered for a moment, and then changed the person. If someone with Mu Ying's talent were to study alone for ten years, he was afraid she still wouldn't be able to keep up with His Majesty's pace.

With some positive impressions still lingering, Fei Liangcai chose the seemingly more shallow Mu Ying when picking the easier target.

Little did they know, the moment of truth was yet to come.

Beneath Xia Youmi's impeccable acting lies a mind full of unrestrained吐槽 (tu cao, a form of online commentary or witty remarks) from Nian Nian.

It was actually quite obvious, although Sheng told them they didn't have time to think about it. But Fei Liangcai still investigated the situation of the companions thoroughly and informed Lü Shuo and the other two.

They had a premonition about Gu Xin'e and Wang Yuhuan's knowledge.

She also realized that Mu Ying and she were complete nobodies.

If these three exceptional individuals continue to cling to stereotypes and fail to recognize their potential for change in the future, then they will lose all value in trying to win them over.

It can only be a stepping stone.

After circling the progress, Gu Xin'e picked up a pen and quickly wrote down the list of names that the four of them needed to catch up with on another piece of paper.

Ignore the princess's provocative words that she wanted to dissuade.

Before coming,

The four of them had already determined the central idea and filled in the progress on their own.

Never engage in verbal disputes, and never provoke others.

Take it one step at a time and proceed steadily.

Fei Liangcai was about to press on and bring that chasm into the open when Huo Pan interrupted him, "Ahem, the teacher is here!"

A lean gentleman entered and calmly accepted the greetings and inquiries.

"My surname is Cai. I am honored by the late Emperor's favor and have come to teach you all. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask." Master Cai is no ordinary person. He not only teaches the current Emperor, but he was also the teacher of the late Emperor and more than a dozen princes.

The dust has settled after some disputes.

He was still able to stand firmly in the spotlight, fully in charge of the task of constructing Lü Shuo's knowledge system.

One can imagine his true abilities.

The art of imperial power—isn't that exactly the kind of tactic they've learned, to have the last laugh?

Master Cai standing there is a living advertisement.

He did not treat Xia Youmi and the others coldly, and said calmly, "The Empress Dowager instructed that women should be talented and insightful. She instructed me to treat them all equally, regardless of their status, education, intelligence, or temperament."

After a brief but necessary reminder, Master Cai handed a thin booklet to Gu Xin'e.

The above details the skill levels of the four of them.

I identified which books they had read that overlapped with the class content, marked the homework they were missing, and indicated that they should make up for it.

Gu Xin'e compared it with the content circled by Fei Liangcai earlier and found that they were almost the same.

The Master was able to do this to such an extent; he truly put in a lot of effort.

After the interlude ended, Master Cai began today's formal lesson.

Mu Ying looked at her book list, which was about the same length as Xia Youmi's, and felt a little fortunate.

Those who suffer

She wasn't the only one.