r18novel Chapter 473 Extra: Not Wasting Youth, Only Regret for You
Chapter 473 Extra: Not Wasting Youth, Only Regret for You
Li Yuanke was shocked for a moment, then nodded sincerely.
He thought to himself, "She really understands me so well."
The little peach blossom spirit patted Li Yuanke on the shoulder, "Brother Yuanke, don't listen to such nonsense. A person's fate is in their own hands. As long as you don't want to die, no one can do anything to you!"
She touched his face again, and Li Yuanke was really embarrassed. He grabbed her wrist, and the little peach blossom spirit was surprisingly unreserved. "Brother Yuanke, you are so handsome, more handsome than peach blossoms! Your skin is so smooth too."
Li Yuanke blushed and released her hand. He thought to himself, she's only three years old, still a child. She just likes his face, which is nothing.
Unexpectedly, two days later, the Grand Tutor told him that he would help him seize the throne.
Grand Tutor Shen always remained neutral. Even though he was a prince who wasn't qualified to observe politics, he knew that it must have been the little peach blossom spirit's idea. At that moment, his heart was filled with sweetness, but also inevitably bittersweet.
The little peach blossom spirit had a fight with Shen Shiyan and was very annoyed. Not wanting to stay at home, she followed him into the palace.
She still wanted to pay her respects to the Emperor. Li Yuanke was puzzled, as most people would avoid seeing the Emperor if they could avoid it.
She's only three years old, but she's quite well-mannered.
He thought his father wouldn't see him, but to his surprise, his father let them in and even served them tea and snacks. He wondered if the little peach blossom spirit had come for the tea and snacks at Qian Yuan Palace.
Clearly, the Emperor thought so too.
The little peach blossom spirit was enjoying snacks and tea so much that his stomach was rumbling. His father even rubbed his belly, wanting to grab a couple of pieces.
Taking this opportunity, the emperor inquired about his studies again, and Li Yuanke answered very well. Emperor Zhenyou then praised him and the Grand Tutor once more.
Before leaving, the emperor had a box of pastries packed for the little peach blossom spirit.
The little peach blossom spirit happily thanked him. Having eaten her fill, she didn't want to leave and asked him to carry her in front of her father. He dared not be disrespectful in front of the emperor, but his father said, "Then carry her. Can you carry her?"
Li Yuanke squatted down, and the little peach blossom spirit lay down on top of him, yawning sleepily. "Brother Yuanke is so good! I love Brother Yuanke so much! He's the best brother in the world! Thank you, Your Majesty, for raising such a wonderful son!"
Emperor Zhenyou and Shen Xianzhang were both students of the Grand Tutor and were fellow disciples. It was not inappropriate for Shen Shixi to call him "Uncle".
Emperor Zhenyou was amused by her adorable appearance and laughed heartily, "I also think my son is quite good!"
"Of course!" the little peach blossom spirit replied with pride.
When Li Yuanke stepped over the threshold, Emperor Zhenyou helped him up. Li Yuanke turned around and took his leave. Emperor Zhenyou waved his hand and said, "Be careful. Don't push yourself if you can't carry it. Let the eunuchs help you carry it."
Li Yuanke thought to himself, "Even if I can't carry her, I'll still carry her. I'm not going to let anyone else carry her!"
He knew perfectly well that the little peach blossom spirit was doing it on purpose, trying to win his favor.
In her words, the Sacred Heart is the most important!
Knowledge, ability, etiquette, reputation, support from court officials, achievements, etc., are all inferior to the Emperor's favor.
The emperor's mind is autocratic.
When they reached the entrance of Xianfu Palace, the two encountered Li Yuantai, who was seeing Shen Shixi for the second time and seemed quite interested.
Li Yuanke then put Shen Shixi down and bowed to him.
Li Yuantai didn't say anything, but circled around him twice. Seeing the little peach blossom spirit standing straight beside him, he asked, "Child, don't you bow to me?"
Shen Shixi stood with her hands in her pockets, looking terrified of him, her eyes following his every move.
Li Yuantai was quite pleased with himself. He used his fan to lift Li Yuanke's chin and said, "You seem quite protective of her. Why don't you perform the grand salute to me on her behalf?"
Just as Li Yuanke was about to kneel down, Shen Shixi pulled him back, stood in front of him, her eyes filled with tears, and looked at Li Yuantai, "Is all you know how to do is bully children?"
"Hahaha, so what if I bully you! Who told you to break the rules and not bow to me!" Li Yuantai became even more smug.
"Did I not want to bow? I just didn't have time to bow, and you started throwing a tantrum!"
"You dare say I'm throwing a tantrum? Come here, let me teach you what it means to throw a tantrum!" Li Yuantai rolled up his sleeves, ready to take action.
Li Yuanke clenched his fists and stepped forward. He could be humiliated, but he could not let the little peach blossom spirit be humiliated.
The little peach blossom spirit grabbed him, seemingly very agitated. "Do you know what it means to be the most virtuous yet gentle, the most noble yet humble, the most powerful yet weak? You know nothing! You're just taking advantage of being a few years older and a bit taller than others to act arrogantly!"
The Emperor is respectful and virtuous, and embraces all talents; the Crown Prince is kind and wise, and never bullies the weak or vulnerable! Why don't you learn from your father and brothers?
These words have different meanings to different people. To outsiders, they mean that Li Yuantai is of bad character, but to Li Yuantai, they mean that it's no wonder he can't become the crown prince.
This is something he cannot accept.
In what way is he inferior to the Crown Prince!
Enraged, Li Yuantai raised his fist to strike Shen Shixi. Just as Li Yuanke was about to shield her with his body, she stepped forward, head held high, and said, "Go ahead and hit me! Try hitting me and see what happens! If you dare to hit me, I'll make you regret it!"
At that time, Li Yuanke did not understand the weight of his words, and only thought that she was just relying on the power of the Shen family.
Li Yuantai thought so too, and he really didn't dare to make a move because the old man of the Shen family was extremely protective of his own.
If he dares to fight, Grand Tutor Shen would dare to smash his head against the Taiji Hall and die.
Moreover, at this moment, he also saw the eunuchs of Qianyuan Palace, and ultimately dared not act rashly, so he turned and left.
When the two returned to the palace, Li Yuanke was so angry that his chest felt like it was going to explode, while Shen Shixi acted as if nothing had happened, sitting in a chair eating snacks.
Seeing his sadness, Shen Shixi came over and plopped down in his lap. "Brother Yuan Ke, don't worry, he wouldn't dare bully me. I don't need you to protect me. I can protect myself, and I can protect you too!"
Li Yuanke was amused by her and wanted to laugh again. He patted her little head and said, "Okay, Xi'er, protect me!"
No one had ever said such things to him, no one had ever said they would protect him, and he had never experienced being protected.
Today, she shielded him with her small body, and at that moment, he had the idea of keeping her by his side for the rest of his life.
The road he was to walk was shrouded in darkness, but she was the light that allowed him to see into the distance, illuminating the path beneath his feet.
When Yang Tingyue heard that Shen Shixi had come again, she quickly followed. As soon as she entered, she saw Li Yuanke teaching Shen Shixi to write. She said, "Big cousin, I can't write either, can you teach me?"
"I won't teach him!" Shen Shixi said.
Yang Tingyue said, "I was talking to my older cousin, not to you."
Shen Shixi turned around, cupped Li Yuanke's face, and kissed him on the forehead. "Yuanke-gege is mine. I said I won't teach you, and I won't!"
A part of Li Yuanke's heart collapsed, making him feel that he was no longer alone or without support.
He looked at her with a beaming smile, overjoyed.
Yang Tingyue pointed at Shen Shixi, "You, you, you, you're so shameless!"
She was truly ashamed for Shen Shixi; what kind of unreserved girl would kiss a man's face like that?
"Shut up!" Li Yuanke roared. "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. Get out!"
Yang Tingyue stomped her foot in anger, pointed at Shen Shixi, and said, "Do you dare to fight me?"
Shen Shixi grabbed the inkstone from the table and threw it at Yang Tingyue, hitting her squarely on the shoulder. She clutched her shoulder and started wailing.
Shen Shixi laughed loudly, "Go ahead and hit me, you idiot! You shouldn't be asking me if I dare to fight you, you should be asking me if I dare to kill you! Well, I'll mercifully tell you, I dare to hit you, but I certainly don't dare to kill you!"
Yang Tingyue was both angry and in pain, and she burst into tears before returning to Consort Xiao's palace.
Consort Xiao was heartbroken. She took off her clothes and saw a huge bruise on her shoulder, which looked terrifying.
She was so angry that her hands were shaking.
Afterwards, Consort Xiao complained to Qingruo, "How could this child from the Shen family, so young, be so cruel!"
Qingruo said, "I heard that the Shen family dotes on this little girl very much, and she is indeed very domineering. Grand Tutor Shen is also very protective of his own. All the children on the street have fought with her, and none of them have been able to win."
The main thing is that if she loses a fight, she will find a way to get revenge that very night and never let it go overnight, so no one dares to mess with her.
Consort Xiao was taken aback.
Qingruo added, "It's a good thing that Miss Shen is now willing to befriend His Highness."
The Empress Dowager treats her two nieces so well, yet the Duke of Ying's mansion doesn't seem to stand up for the Eighth Prince.
Consort Xiao understood.
Once everyone in the hall was gone, Li Yuanke said to the little peach blossom spirit, "You can't kiss people casually anymore, understand?"
"I know!" Shen Shixi said dismissively. She was just taking advantage of her young age to deliberately provoke Yang Tingyue. Seeing Yang Tingyue jumping up and down in anger made her more excited than if she had drunk three catties of Wuliangye liquor.
Shen Shixi cupped his face and stroked it. "I'll just kiss Yuan Ke's face once. Who told Yuan Ke to have such a handsome face? I just want to kiss him. You're not allowed to let anyone else kiss you or even touch you without my permission."
"Okay!" Li Yuanke added, "You're not allowed to kiss anyone else..."
He was, after all, an ancient soul, extremely reserved, afraid that his thoughts would be discovered. "It's dangerous. If people find out... they'll laugh at you!"
"Okay, I know, I'm not stupid!"
After hearing a report from his subordinates about the conflict between Shen Shixi and Li Yuantai, Emperor Zhenyou asked, "Did that child really say such a thing?"
The most rigid is soft, the most supreme is humble, the strongest is weak. Does a three-year-old child truly understand this, or has he simply memorized it from what others have said?
But if she didn't really understand, how would she know when to say such things?
Emperor Zhenyou summoned Li Jizhong to accompany him and relayed these words to him, asking, "What do you think of these words, my dear minister?"
After a moment's thought, Li Jizhong said, "Your Majesty, these words come from the Tao Te Ching. The book says, 'The reason why rivers and seas can be the kings of all grains is that they are good at being lowly, therefore they can be the kings of all grains. Therefore, if a sage wants to be above the people, he must speak humbly to them; if he wants to be ahead of the people, he must put himself behind them.'"
The three sentences Your Majesty spoke are a summary and extension of this idea; just as the Emperor, who holds the supreme position in the world, governs the world with gentleness, is he not serving all the people of the world with his own body? This is how the supreme person is humble.
"The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind." The stronger and more rigid a tree is, the easier it is to destroy it. This is the essence of the saying "the highest good is like water."
Emperor Zhenyou remained silent for a long time before saying, "Tell me, is there any three-year-old child in this world who understands such a principle?"
Li Jizhong, puzzled, could only be cautious. "There has never been a shortage of geniuses in the world. Some are born with knowledge, while others are good at learning. I wonder who said this?"
Emperor Zhenyou said, "Grand Tutor Shen's three-year-old granddaughter said these words to Prince Wei today."
Li Jizhong then said, "Hmph, Old Man Shen is always so proud of his good granddaughter. This child is indeed intelligent; if she wants to learn something, she can remember it after hearing it only once. It's just a pity that she's a girl!"
Emperor Zhenyou also felt that it was inappropriate for his son to bully a three-year-old girl, so he reprimanded Li Yuantai.
Li Yuantai didn't hold a grudge against Shen Shixi. He was pondering a question: was it because he always bullied others that he was not qualified to be the crown prince?
He asked his advisors, who also said that those in power should care for the weak and needy to demonstrate the virtue of respecting and valuing talent, thus winning people's hearts.
Li Yuantai decided to comply; he was determined to fight for the position of crown prince.
A few days before New Year's Day, the little peach blossom spirit went to pay her respects to the emperor again and received a lot of rewards. Emperor Zhenyou even apologized to her on behalf of Li Yuantai.
Like a little money-grubber, Shen Shixi stroked the peach-colored palace satin and said with a smile, "It's okay, Your Majesty. Yuan Ke's brother is also my brother. I will forgive him!"
The emperor was completely charmed by the little cutie and said with a smile, "Oh my, our little Xi is quite magnanimous! Hmm, good, a reward is due!"
He rewarded her with a lot of food and invited her to the palace banquet on New Year's Day, saying, "You'll sit with your brother Yuan Ke then!"
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhenyou thought to himself, "This child is quite polite. He always comes to see me whenever he enters the palace. He is a good child with a conscience."
Once back in the palace, with no one around, Shen Shixi said to Li Yuanke, "Brother Yuanke, you see, this is how relationships between people are built. Every time I go to the palace to see the Emperor, I take the initiative to get close to him, and he is forced to get close to me. Over time, we really become close."
From now on, when I'm in the palace, no one will dare to bully me easily. If anything really happens, the Emperor will at least consider my feelings, and not just my grandfather's. This is also an art of interpersonal relationships.
It means that you should take the initiative to build a good relationship with your superiors. The reason why a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative is mainly due to the frequency of visits.
Even if you're just begging for money, look at Granny Liu, she actually managed to build a family connection with a Duke's mansion – isn't that a skill in itself?
Li Yuanke admired her greatly. He never expected that she would find such a powerful backer in this way, calling the Emperor "Uncle" even more affectionately than calling him "Father."
On New Year's Day, Shen Shixi sat in the princes' camp. The Crown Prince, Li Yuantai, and others took the initiative to talk to her, greet her, and ask her what delicious food she liked to eat.
Shen Shixi chatted and laughed with everyone, not only without being stage-frightened, but also actively creating a lively atmosphere, which is quite impressive.
Yang Tingyue sat by the door, feeling the cold wind blowing on her. The table was full of cold dishes, and the hot dishes had all cooled down. Seeing the steaming hot dishes on Shen Shixi's table, which even the emperor and empress had rewarded with, she was extremely jealous.
When the emperor first saw Shen Shixi interacting with the princes, she quickly got them all on the same page and believed Grand Tutor Shen's words: if this child really came to Chongxian Hall to study, the princes would definitely be led astray.
After the palace banquet ended, Li Yuantai tried to trick Shen Shixi into going to his palace, saying, "My place is more spacious than his."
Li Yuanke was extremely nervous. Shen Shixi looked at Li Yuantai timidly, then turned around and threw herself into Li Yuanke's arms, "Waaah, the bad guy is going to catch me, I don't want to go with the bad guy."
Li Yuantai then realized that this was indeed a child, completely unable to distinguish right from wrong. "Where did I do anything wrong!"
"Don't think I don't know you're trying to kidnap me! Grandfather said, 'Don't talk to strangers.' You're a bad guy!" Shen Shixi hugged Li Yuanke's neck, secretly turning her head to look at Li Yuantai. She looked incredibly cute.
Li Yuantai was about to snatch it away when Li Yuanke, holding the little peach blossom spirit, turned and ran.