Ruthless Host and Her Little Darling Quick Transmigration

Duan Jiufeng arranged a villa for Li Yunxiao and hired two tutors to teach him both literary and military skills.

The birds outside the window were chirping on the branches, and Li Yunxiao sat in the study, his mind wandering.

Who would have thought that this person, dressed neatly and looking so clean, was like a beggar this morning, kneeling on the ground begging to become the lowest of slaves?

Back then, he still had parents and family, but he was almost sold into a brothel. Now he is homeless, but he can sit in the study to read and write.

Li Yunxiao fiddled with the book in his hand, smelling the ink fragrance in the air, and listening to the teacher's teachings. He felt like a young master from a wealthy family, believing that as long as he worked hard, he would have a bright future.

This all feels so unreal!

Li Yunxiao was a little at a loss and wanted to poke a hole in the book to prove that this was not a dream.

These are precious books! The village scholars wouldn't even let them touch them. And now they're in his hands; he looks up, and the bookshelves are full of them.

"Listen carefully to the lesson, and don't let that master down." As a Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, he comes to teach a child every day, but the child keeps getting distracted. Zhang Guodong frowned, feeling quite displeased.

"Stand up and repeat what I just said." This was a bit of a deliberate attempt to make things difficult. Li Yunxiao had never encountered this before, and today was his first class, so it was inevitable that he was a little confused. Zhang Guodong knew this himself, but still made him stand up.

Li Yunxiao had already sensed the ill intent in the teacher's words. He glanced at him timidly, then lowered his head again. "At birth, people are inherently good. Their natures are similar, but their habits differ. If they are not taught, their nature will change. The way to teach is to focus on one thing at a time. Once, Mencius' mother chose her neighbors carefully. When her son didn't study, she cut the threads of her loom..."

"Enough!" Li Yunxiao recited everything he had just said verbatim, which made Zhang Guodong even angrier.

The finger pointing at Li Yunxiao was trembling. "I thought you just had some minor quirks, but I never expected... you lied to me and said you'd never learned it before. Did you think I'd respect you more for your little tricks?"

"Wh-what?" Li Yunxiao looked up in confusion, then slowly came to his senses when he saw his master's furious face.

“Sir, I didn’t! This is truly the first time I’ve encountered these things. There’s a small mountain village behind Li’s Cloth Shop; I grew up there. You can go and ask if you don’t believe me.”

Li Yunxiao lowered his head and mumbled, "Besides, what good would it do me to deceive you, sir?"

Although Li Yunxiao's voice was very soft, normally only he himself could hear it. But now the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even this soft muttering was clearly heard by Scholar Zhang.

Normally, he could spout a bunch of grand principles and berate him mercilessly, leaving him utterly ashamed and unable to hold his head high in Shengjing City ever again.

Faced with such a weak enemy, his artillery had nowhere to fire. It could have been easily knocked down with a single finger, but the problem was, there was nowhere to strike!

The emperor is behind him; what good would it do to curry favor with a mere Hanlin scholar like myself?

These words, though harsh, are true.

Instead of wasting time, they'd be better off currying favor with the emperor; who knows, they might even get a minor official position. And even that's a small matter; judging by this, they're clearly grooming pillars of the nation.

The Grand Secretary taught literature, while the Commander of the Imperial Guards taught martial arts. If it weren't for the age discrepancy, he would have suspected that this was the Emperor's biological son.

But whose son is covered in injuries, disheveled, and whose hands are rougher than those of the servants who do manual labor all year round?

The Emperor's image of being wise and mighty has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds. To doubt the Emperor? It's impossible for him to doubt in this lifetime. Could it be that this child really has some extraordinary talent?

Scholar Zhang read a passage of profound and difficult text, which Li Yunxiao once again recited flawlessly. They tried twice more, with the same result.

This is a genius with a photographic memory! No, he has a memory that can be heard; this child is destined for greatness.

The Emperor wasn't just giving him a task; he was clearly choosing a prized student for himself.

Of all the scholars in the Hanlin Academy, only he was chosen. Doesn't this directly demonstrate the Emperor's recognition of his scholarship? Scholar Zhang decided to entrust all his knowledge to him, so as not to betray the Emperor's trust and appreciation.

Surprisingly, this mentor-student relationship only lasted for two years.

Two years later, when Scholar Zhang had nothing left to teach, he had no choice but to let go and petition the emperor to find another renowned teacher, watching helplessly as his prized student joined another's school.

Fortunately, the boy respected his teacher and visited him often. He even married the boy's daughter and promised to marry only one person for life. Looking back on that time, he always felt that the boy hadn't actually come to see him specifically.

But that's a story for later. At present, Zhang Xueshi is full of ambition and is preparing to cultivate a pillar of the nation for the emperor.

As dusk settles and the moon hangs high, the bustling imperial palace gradually quiets down.

Duan Jiufeng couldn't wait to arrive at Fengqi Palace before dinner. After eating, he pretended to be reviewing memorials. In reality, his entire attention was on his sister. His sister got up and went to the bathroom.

bathroom……

His heart pounded in his ears, as if a soul-devouring monster was luring him into his tracks.

"Plop, plop, plop."

Duan Jiufeng raised his hand and pressed it against his wildly beating heart. "What are you doing? Your heart is beating so fast, your sister will hear it!"

Duan Jiufeng didn't go in, but a little eunuch carrying something in his hands tried to rush in.

This person was named Xiao Guizi. He was meticulous and attentive in his work and was in charge of the Empress's toiletries.

Just as Xiao Guizi was about to go in, Duan Jiufeng immediately stopped him. "Stop! What are you doing? Can't you see the Empress is bathing inside?" I can't even peek, but you want to go in openly? You must have a death wish.

Little Guizi knelt on the ground, trembling with fear. The news of Aunt Liu's incident that morning had already spread throughout the Empress's palace. Facing this erratic emperor, Little Guizi was filled with anxiety.

"This servant delivers toiletries to the Empress, as is the custom on ordinary days."

On ordinary days?

Wang Xiyan is utterly shameless! Eunuchs are men too; how can you let an eunuch get close to you while you're bathing?

The one taking a bath in there right now is my older sister!

"From today onwards, eunuchs are not allowed to serve the Empress; all those around her will be replaced by palace maids."

Duan Jiufeng looked at the palace maid beside him. The maid, knowing her place, took the things from Xiao Guizi, bowed, and entered the Empress's bathroom.

The Emperor's possessiveness towards the Empress is truly strong!

Which concubine in the harem didn't have eunuchs serving her? Why is this empress suddenly different? Could it be that the emperor intends to bring down the empress's maternal family?

There's a saying: "To love without restraint is to invite destruction." Could it be that the Emperor intends to use the other concubines to bring down the Empress?

There's a saying: the higher you stand, the harder you fall. The empress, standing at the highest point, thinking victory was assured, falls into the mud—that's the most painful and humiliating moment. That's how it's portrayed in little picture books—the most venomous heart of a woman!

The emperor is truly cunning and shrewd, having a firm grasp on people's hearts. Xia, who had been plotting to seduce the emperor, quietly withdrew, deciding to stay put and guard the study.

Isn't the Empress Dowager above the Empress? It seems the Emperor would need to die to become the Empress Dowager.

Xia shook her head vigorously, pulling her wandering thoughts back, and dashed into the small study.

Who cares? Anyway, the Emperor is plotting against the Empress.