Faint aroma engulfed the room and on the dresser, there was a silver hair tie along with accessories and pins made of excellent materials such as jade and silver thread... Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Qi Mingyue withdrew his gaze. Although he felt dissatisfied with his young body, he had to admit that this face was indeed excellent, even similar to his face in the previous life. With a pair of peach eyes, the bridge of his nose was straight, and his thin lips were obviously inherited from his Father.
Just listening to the light footsteps behind him, he quickly pulled Hong Qui's hand that tried to put more hair ties on his head. "Don't put anymore, HongEr, this is enough."
"Today is the day Your Highness has to go to the Royal School for studies. This servant has to dress up Your Highness beautifully."
Qi Mingyue stood up and let Ying Ran fasten the ornament on his waist.H He sighed, "It turns out HongEr thinks that I am not good-looking enough..." Before he could finish speaking, Hong Qui flushed with anxiety, "This servant didn't mean that. How could this servant dare to scorn Master? I meant..."
"It's alright, His Highness was just teasing you. Look at how anxious you are." Ying Ran adjusted Qi Mingyue's robe, smiled as she took out a handkerchief.
Unexpectedly, he reached out and took it. After standing on his feet, he pulled Hong Qui to sit down, holding the delicate handkerchief, he gently wiped away the anxious tears on Hong Qui's face. He said jokingly, "It was wrong of me to make a beauty cry."
Sitting there in shock, Hong Qui forgot her tears and started blushing inexplicably. She thought to herself that if her master was already like this at such a young age, how would he be when he grew up?
Ying Ran, on the side, sighed. Their master was really powerful. Although he was only five years old, his whole person showed the nobility of the royal family. He raised his hand and took it easy. Every movement of his was carefully calculated and he even treated the servants reasonably. Even as a child, he had attracted the affections of all the female servants and all of them wished they were born a few years ago.
Looking at the sky outside, Ying Ran quickly reminded, "Your Royal Highness, it's getting late."
Qi Mingyue nodded, "No need to follow me." Then he went out.
Hong Qui and Ying Ran bowed to him. They knew that as long as His Highness had instructed them, they would have to follow orders. Although he treated them very well, they still had to follow the rules.
His Highness often joked with them, but still gave them a sense of awe from the bottom of their hearts. When he looked at you with a smile, the sense of oppression made people have the illusion that they were standing in front of His Majesty.
Recalling what the Grandmaster had said five years ago, they both looked at each other and confirmed: whether or not His Royal Highness was the alien star, they would take good care of him.
•×•×•×•
Since Qi Xutian had ordered the two princes to be moved to Zixia Pavilion, Qi Mingyue had lived in the Yuexia Pavilion for the past five years, Qi Musheng also lived close in the Ziyang Pavilion. However, everyone knew that the two princes were almost under house arrest. Although they had no shortage of food and clothing, they were not allowed to take a step out of Zixia Palace before the age of five until the day they had to go to school to study.
But they did not know that this order was actually Qi Xutian’s intention to conceal Qi Mingyue’s uniqueness. After Qi Mingyue had started talking on the 100th day, he did not want to drink breast milk anymore and asked Qi Xutian to prepare fresh milk for him, then transferred both Hong Qui and Ying Ran here.
Whenever he was bored, he read the content of the books provided to him. The language here was similar to the native language of his previous life, but the text was slightly different. If he was not so young, he would have already started to learn to write. Qi Xutian originally wanted him to live in the Xuantian Palace but was rejected by Qi Mingyue on the grounds that it was inappropriate. How could a prince live in the Emperor's palace? If he moved there unreasonably, doesn't that prove his special treatment?
Zixia Palace was located on the west side of the Xuantian Palace and was regarded as the closest residence to Qi Xutian and it was also convenient for him to visit occasionally. However, he didn't want to be seen so he didn't go there often. In the past five years, he had visited only a few times. Therefore, there were rumours that the two princes had been forsaken by the Emperor because of the 'alien star'. It was a pity that no one knew which one of them was the 'alien star', and this ended up dragging down the innocent one as well.
No matter what other people said, Qi Mingyue only cared about the things that mattered. He wished that they would gossip more, that way he could gather more intelligence. In the past five years, Qi Xutian had accepted several more concubines, making him sigh in amazement at the life of an Emperor. He also heard that Concubine Xiao and Concubine Lin had a prince and a princess, respectively. Both Prince Lianshuo and Princess Ninglu were half a year younger than him and were very favoured by the Emperor.
When compared with the two in Zixia Palace, their life could be described as worlds apart.
Listening to these gossips, he fiddled with all kinds of famous craftworks, jade and gold pieces secretly sent by his Father Emperor, and raised his eyebrows with a smile.
Over the years, although they hadn’t met many times, Qi Mingyue discovered that his father was really kind to him, and it seems that his conditions were better than the other princes and princesses in terms of food and clothing. Almost everything Qi Xutian got would be sent to him. If there was something he liked, he would keep it, and return the ones he didn't like. Being treated so kindly, he couldn't help but sincerely trust his Father Emperor. Since his Father's attitude was different towards him from other people, then Qi Xutian definitely had a special presence in his heart for him.
Qi Mingyue had just stepped out of Yuexia Pavilion when he spotted a group of people standing close-by. This was the path to the royal school. Could they be going the same way? He wondered and continued to move forward without any hassle.
He saw a girl about his age standing there weeping, and a group of maids and guards around her all looked nervous and embarrassed. Seeing him coming, a bodyguard stepped forward alertly only to see that he was dressed in an extravagant manner. The bodyguard didn't know what his identity was, so couldn't help but hesitate and ask, "Young master, you are..."
"Mingyue." He said his name indifferently, kept walking forward.
"Your Second Highness?!" Everyone was stunned. The Second Prince who had never been out of Zixia Palace after his hundred-day celebration stood in front of them. Although he was not liked by the Emperor, he was still a prince. Thus, they hurriedly paid respects to him.
"You may rise." Qi Mingyue nodded faintly, not intending to talk to them anymore. As he passed by the girl, her small hand suddenly caught him. "Are you Second Imperial Brother hated by my Father Emperor? What about Eldest Imperial Brother? Were you not confined together?"
As soon as the girl's delicate voice fell, the maids and guards around the princess could not help but feel awkward. But they saw Qi Mingyue, who was standing still, hold her little hand and smile at her, "Are you Ninglu?"
The girl saw his smiling face, nodded and stared at him, and even forgot to cry. She pouted her small lips and asked: "Second Imperial Brother is so beautiful. Why did Father Emperor confine you? Is it because he doesn't want anyone to see you? "
Everyone saw that the Second Prince stretched out his hand, caress the princess' little face, wiped her tears away, and murmured, "Such a straightforward child, a pity... to be born in the palace." Then he flicked her forehead lightly, leaving a light red mark. "Remember, there are some words that can't be said."
After Qi Mingyue finished speaking, he turned to leave. However, after walking a few steps, he turned his head slightly, "You remember to tell Concubine Lin that those who talk too much should be punished."
Looking at his distant figure, everyone still stood in place, Ninglu even forgot why she had been crying. She only thought about how this brother of hers was the prettiest, the best and the nicest person in the world. She touched her forehead, smiled brilliantly, "Second Brother is also going to the royal school! Ninglu is going to go too!"
The maids on the side remembered that just now Her Royal Highness was crying because of the Royal School. Now that she met His Royal Highness, she was even more determined. The male guards around them couldn't help but smile bitterly. How could the royal school be a place for girls? They should go and get Concubine Lin immediately.
Even though Qi Mingyue found the royal school, it was too late. He calmly walked in. "This student is late, asking the teacher to please punish me."
After entering the royal school, no matter what your identity or status was, you must pay respects to the teacher. Lin Murong saw that although he was late, he had a favourable disposition and felt satisfied in his heart, but still, he said, "Why aren't you in your seat yet? The first day of class and you are already late. You will copy this book on tactics as punishment." As he said, he picked up a book that was not too thick but not too thin and placed it in front of him.
Qi Mingyue took the book and found his seat arranged according to his identity. His seat was next to the Eldest Prince Qi Musheng who was sitting in the middle of the front row. Qi Mingyue saw him for the first time, looked him over and saw that he was handsome and looked like Consort Hua. But his eyes were timid and dodgy which made it seem as if he had done something bad. He seemed like a thief with a guilty conscience.
Opening the so-called book on tactics, Qi Mingyue discovered that it was originally a language textbook that looked to be a prerequisite for this class. It was different from the three-character classics he knew of from his previous life, but the words were more complex. To make a five-year-old child who didn't even know how to read, let alone write, copy something like this. It seemed that Lin Murong deliberately made things difficult.
Everyone knew that the Emperor didn't like these two princes. They were seeing both of them for the first time as they were finally able to leave their palaces and enter the royal school at the age of five. The people sitting behind them were the children of the relatives of the royal family and some others, who entered the school to study after obtaining permission. They had long heard of Qi Mingyue and Qi Musheng's status. Naturally, their attitude towards the two was lukewarm, they were mainly ignored.
Qi Musheng remained silent and kept his head down to read. Qi Mingyue, as if nothing happened, just took a brush to copy the book on tactics, pretending that he was learning to write. Listening to Lin Murong reading the textbook, he shook shaking his head in impatience and realised that everything in this book was entirely useless to him.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the door, reaching all the way into the class. Everyone looked at the door in doubt only to see a little girl being held back by multiple maids, crying and trying to run inside the classroom.
"Second Imperial Brother!" She plunged her head into Qi Mingyue's arms, and raised her head to cry to him, "Ninglu wants to enter the royal school too!"
When did he become so familiar with her? Qi Mingyue had a headache as he pulled away Ninglu. "Sister, you should go and tell Father Emperor. You can only come to study if he agrees."
"Concubine Mother said that girls could not enter the royal school, so Father Emperor would not agree." Ning Lu's face was full of grievances.
"You naturally have to learn to read and write, just not in the royal school. What difference does it make if you study here? Don't be troublesome, go back." Qi Mingyue saw that everyone around him was watching this drama play, Qi Mingyue didn't stop it. He knew that everyone wanted to see entertainment, he had to play his role. They were all watching this play out and he couldn't help but start getting impatient.
"Concubine Mother won't allow me to come out and play with everyone else. Ninglu gets so bored alone in that house, so I wanted to come to the royal school to study with brother... Since second brother came here, Ninglu is even happier! Second Brother, let Ninglu be together..." She said with a face full of grievances and also shed tears.
Qi Mingyue sighed and turned to Lin Murong, "It seems that Master is not going to say anything?"
Lin Murong walked towards them and said softly to Ninglu, "This child, how can you make trouble here? Go back quickly."
Hearing what he said, Qi Mingyue remembered that Concubine Lin was the Master's daughter, so he should be a Princess Ninglu's grandfather. No wonder Lin Murong did not chastise her even though the rules of the school were broken.
Obviously, Ninglu was not afraid of him and kept shouting, "No! I want to study here! I want to study with Second Brother! Ninglu will not go! Ninglu will not go!"
While screaming, all the maids on the side pulled her way together and dragged her straight towards the door. Ninglu struggled, waved her hands and feet randomly, and kicked an object so hard that it flew straight out in the direction of Qi Mingyue.
Qi Mingyue saw the flying inkstone timely and some people around him also saw it, but they didn't pull him away. He knew how to avoid it, but his body was not flexible enough. He managed to dodge to the side but it still struck his forehead, blood instantly flowed.
Just then, Qi Xutian's voice sounded, "What's going on? Why is it so noisy?" The footsteps sounded, and he walked in casually with a fan. At the door, he saw everyone surrounding a teary-eyed Ning Lu and blocking the door, "Who made my little princess cry?" His face was suddenly filled with amusement.
Everyone hurriedly knelt down to pay respects, leaving only Qi Mingyue standing in the middle, touching the blood on his forehead, frowning with dissatisfaction.
Qi Xutian suddenly saw him standing on the spot with blood flowing down his face. His blood boiled in anger as he kicked the person in front of his feet and hurried over to hug him in his arms and cover the wound. "Does it hurt? I will take you back for treatment!"
"It's just a minor injury." Qi Mingyue remembered all the injuries he suffered when he was trained as an agent and while performing tasks. He thought that Qi Xutian was blowing this out of proportion.
Qi Xutian glared at him and saw the people kneeling on the ground watching his movements in surprise. There was no other reaction and he was even more annoyed. He roared at everyone. "Don't you see that Minger was injured?! Go call the Royal Doctor!"
At this time, Liu Yi appeared and said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I have requested for him to come. The Royal Doctor will arrive shortly."
Qi Xutian looked at Qi Mingyue, who was pale in his arms, and kissed his small face, complained in a low voice, "You know that getting yourself hurt is going to make me worry, how can you be so careless? Who hurt you? I will definitely make them regret living in this world." The last sentence was in a soft whisper but freezing. It made everyone shiver in fear.
With this sentence, Qi Xutian scanned the crowd. A suffocating sense of oppression engulfed the room, no one even dared to breathe. They all thought to themselves, who said the Emperor hated the Second Prince? He obviously adored and spoiled him. Whoever said it really spoke nonsense and made them suffer in this mess.
Ninglu knelt on the ground and shuddered. She knew she was in trouble. "It... it was me..." She was so scared that she started crying.
Qi Mingyue suddenly felt dizzy, accompanied by bursts of pain. He patted Qi Xutian's shoulder, "Father, she's so noisy."
Qi Xutian frowned, reached out to Ninglu, and pressed her pressure point. He instructed a servant with a cold face, "Take her to Concubine Lin to discipline her, she will not leave her room for half a year. Concubine Lin's teachings were inadequate, her silver allowance will be halved. As for you all... incapable of taking adequate care of the princess, you will be whipped twenty times! Leave!"
After waving them away, seeing that the royal doctor hadn't come yet, Qi Xutian hugged Qi Mingyue together, "I will take you back to Xuantian Palace. There is Bai Fu there, which can coagulate blood." Then he hurried away.
The kneeling crowd heard that the Emperor was going to use "Bai Fu" to heal the Second Prince and were shocked. "Bai Fu" was a royal medicine given by Empress of Lian Tong. Even in Lian Tong, it was extremely valuable. It was a surprise that His Majesty loved the Second Prince so much.
They shared a look, it seemed that His Majesty only cared about the Second Prince, so that alien star... was it the Eldest Prince? Looking over, they saw Qi Musheng still sitting there with his head hanging low and his face expressionless.
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