Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Princess had skipped class for too long and was forced to return to the Imperial Study.

I hadn’t slept well last night and nearly failed to get out of bed this morning.

The Princess and the Crown Prince sat in the same row.

I sat behind them, keeping my head down like a timid quail, not even daring to look up.

Song Qinian and Song Yunjiao were fooling around in front of me.

Suddenly.

Song Qinian turned around and looked at me with a strange expression.

“Sister Yao, why have you been so quiet lately? You didn’t even greet me when you arrived.”

“I…”

I was indeed trying to avoid him on purpose.

But the more I tried, the more obvious it seemed to become.

Song Yunjiao came to my rescue. “Stop teasing her. She’s been troubled by a certain man’s affairs lately.”

“Oh?”

The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning dark as he looked at me.

Song Qinian usually appeared gentle, but when he wasn’t smiling, he looked incredibly sharp, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Just as he was about to speak.

Someone shouted, “The Grand Tutor is here!”

Dressed in black brocade robes with cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread along the hem.

Fu Yanheng still wore that cold, world-weary expression, as if no one was worthy of his notice.

His father was once a Central Cabinet Elder who had held absolute power.

After the new Emperor ascended the throne, he grew wary of the Fu Family and forbade them from attending court. Instead, he appointed Fu Yanheng-who had placed first in all three levels of the imperial examinations-to the Imperial Study to serve as a teacher for the princes.

At twenty-three, he had become the youngest Grand Tutor in the history of our dynasty.

Fu Yanheng held a stack of completed policy essays, critiquing them one by one.

Every word was sharp and incisive, insulting without using a single vulgarity.

He lectured the princes until they were all looking dejected and crestfallen.

When it was my turn, I lowered my head in terror.

Fu Yanheng handed the paper to me with cold eyes, saying only a single, flat sentence:

“This time wasn’t bad. You’ve learned to cite the classics. It would be even better if you hadn’t written any characters incorrectly.”

The Third Prince sneered. “She’s been studying for ten years and still writes the wrong characters? What a joke.”

My face flushed with shame.

I knew Fu Yanheng hadn’t lectured me to save my dignity; since I wasn’t a prince, he didn’t hold me to such rigorous standards.

“Has the Third Prince finished the lines he was ordered to copy last time? Do you really have the leisure to laugh at others?” Fu Yanheng looked over with a cold gaze.

Everyone immediately fell silent and bowed their heads, beginning to revise their essays.

I took out a fresh sheet of Xuan paper to write.

Fu Yanheng stood beside me, watching.

He was the one I feared most. My hand trembled so much I could barely hold the brush steady.

He used his ruler to lightly tap my shoulder.

“Lower your center, focus your mind.”

That familiar voice.

It reminded me of Eighteen.

Once, he had said:

“Lower your waist, stay down.”

The images surfaced uncontrollably in my mind.

In my daze, a drop of ink fell from the brush onto the paper, forming an ugly blotch.

I stole a fearful glance at Fu Yanheng.

He hated it most when people were unfocused during their studies.

He raised a cold eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me?”

I hurried to pick up another sheet of paper.

My hand shook, and the paper fluttered down to his feet.

I thought he was going to scold me for being distracted.

Fu Yanheng let out a soft sigh and bent down to pick it up for me.

In that split second, a patch of skin was exposed at the back of his neck. The scratch marks on it were rather eye-catching.

A few nights ago, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I had also left a scratch on Eighteen’s neck.

How could they be identical?

Fu Yanheng handed the paper back to me.

I stared at his features, lost in thought.

The Grand Tutor was cold by nature; everyone said he had no interest in women.

It couldn’t be him, could it?

“Mu Yao,” he reminded me in a cold voice.

“Thank you, Grand Tutor.”

I hurriedly took the paper.

Because I had spent too much time daydreaming during class, I hadn’t finished my essay.

After school, the Princess was going to play polo with the princes.

The Crown Prince glanced at me and said, “Sister Yao, I’ll stay with you.”

I shook my head like a rattle in fear.

“No need. I’m almost finished. Please go and play, Crown Prince.”

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you used to always follow Jiao-jiao and me around? I suppose you’ve grown up and aren’t clingy anymore. Or could it be that you’re planning to sneak off to meet a lover?”

The Crown Prince spoke with a half-smile.

His stare made my heart drum against my ribs.

“A lover?”

Fu Yanheng walked over. “When did this happen? No wonder you were so distracted while writing today. So your mind was elsewhere?”

“Grand Tutor, I didn’t…”

“No excuses. Stay behind for an hour. I will personally watch over you while you write.”

“…”

That was so long. By the time I got back, the braised pork would be cold.

The Crown Prince’s expression shifted. “An hour? Isn’t the Grand Tutor being a bit too harsh?”

“What? Is the Crown Prince trying to teach his master how to do things?”

Fu Yanheng met his gaze.

The two of them were locked in a stalemate for a moment.

But soon, the Crown Prince pursed his lips and took his leave without another word.