Reincarnated as the daughter of my mortal enemy, all I want is to ascend the throne.

Mother unknown?

Standing there, Li Qingyan felt that if Li Yan heard these words, he would be so angry that he would chop off the other person's head.

"Brother Shao, why don't you resign from your post at His Majesty's request? Any one of the three princes is far better than this princess. Your career prospects..."

The conversation didn't continue because Liu Wenzhong saw Li Qingyan not far away.

The tiny figure, with a half-smile, looked at him, instantly sending chills down one's spine.

Seeing that she had been discovered, Li Qingyan simply stopped hiding and strode over with her short legs.

Liu Wenzhong's face paled, and he and Shao Yuzhen bowed to Li Qingyan, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Liu Wenzhong's eyes darted away.

Shao Yuzhen remained calm and composed.

This appearance made Li Qingyan wonder if Shao Yuzhen was betting that she was too young to hear.

She smiled slightly and said, "I didn't expect Lord Liu to care about me so much."

"Father will be very happy to know."

The little person's voice was soft and sweet, but what they said sent chills down one's spine.

Discussing matters within the palace can be a serious or minor offense, depending on how the emperor handles it.

But Li Qingyan was a child personally raised by the emperor, so the consequences of such gossip are predictable...

"Your Highness, please calm down. Lord Liu's careless words were only out of concern for me," Shao Yuzhen said, bowing. "If Your Highness wishes to punish someone, then punish me."

Punish Shao Yuzhen? Li Qingyan didn't want to for the time being, and she looked at Liu Wenzhong.

Liu Wenzhong had a handsome, scholarly face, and others described him as a gentleman with integrity. Shao Yuzhen, on the other hand, described him as talented but too rigid and dogmatic.

Upon meeting him today, Li Qingyan felt that Liu Wenzhong was a hypocrite, while Shao Yuzhen, though loyal and responsible, was a fool who couldn't judge people.

"Today is your first day of class, teacher. If I punish you, my father will reprimand me." Li Qingyan straightened up and gave a student's bow. "This way, teacher."

As the weather warmed up, Li Qingyan wore a light purple dress and a matching cloak, with two rabbit ears on the hood.

It exudes a touch of innocence and cuteness amidst its elegance.

Li Yan was born in the Year of the Rabbit, so everything he gave Li Qingyan was decorated with rabbit-related items, as if these items were made exclusively for him.

He had never received anything since childhood. His older and younger brothers' clothes were embroidered with their own zodiac signs, but his clothes had a crooked rabbit that he had embroidered himself, following the style of an embroiderer.

This seemed to be an obsession etched into his very bones...

Today, Li Qingyan's hairstyle also resembles two short ears, making her look like a short-eared rabbit, or rather, a slightly chubby little rabbit.

Li Qingyan's school was set up separately, not in the Imperial Study but in the Eastern Palace.

Because there was no crown prince, the Eastern Palace was left vacant and is now called the Misty Courtyard.

Li Yan personally wrote the plaque. Inside the main hall hung a large character, "Misty as Smoke," which was almost as if Li Qingyan's name was missing.

Books, desks, and chairs were already prepared.

Shao Yuzhen was about to open the book when a small hand pressed his hand down.

"Sir, today is your first day of teaching, and I would like to hear you talk about this."

A copy of the Tao Te Ching was thrown onto the table.

Li Qingyan appeared respectful of her teacher, yet her words carried an unyielding firmness. Shao Yuzhen actually saw a resemblance to Li Yan in her.

I unconsciously opened this book to tell stories, but I overlooked a very important point: this book is practically incomprehensible to a three-year-old. Even if I explained it to them, they still wouldn't understand.

The palace maids guarding outside were drowsy from the lectures coming from inside the school; the obscure and difficult-to-understand principles were simply too much for them to comprehend.

Li Qingyan listened with great interest, and studied for four hours straight. Shao Yuzhen drank a few sips of water, and only managed to sit down after supporting himself on the table with one hand. "Does Your Highness have any more questions?"

As the sun set, Shao Yuzhen had not eaten for four hours.

Li Qingyan shook her head and closed the book on the table. "The teacher's explanation was very clear. He truly deserves to be the second-place scholar."

Looking at Shao Yuzhen's pale face, she finally felt a little relieved. Did he really think she wouldn't punish him? If she didn't say get out of class was over, Shao Yuzhen would have to stand there the whole time; four hours was just a minor punishment.

She just didn't eat a meal, not that she didn't eat pastries.

But Shao Yuzhen didn't eat a single bite.

"Teacher, please take a rest. I have some questions for you."

Hearing her words, Shao Yuzhen was taken aback. Even if royal children were precocious, they shouldn't be this mature.

Despite his shock, Shao Yuzhen did not show it on his face.

"Your Highness, please ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

The school stipulated that princes and princesses were simply students while studying there, so teachers did not need to use honorifics and could address them by their first names.

Shao Yuzhen is a man who values ​​rules the most. The fact that he said this now shows that he has discovered that Li Qingyan deliberately punished him and is unsure whether she will continue to let him be her teacher.

"Turns out he's smart, not a bookworm."

Li Qingyan went straight to the point, "Which one do you prefer, sir?"

The roll call ceremony is over, and the question is quite obvious. Pretending not to understand or changing the subject is unnecessary.

"The First Prince."

Shao Yuzhen spoke frankly.

Li Qingyan didn't have a deep impression of Li Qinghong, only remembering that Li Yan had valued him highly in previous lives.

Li Qinghong could compose a poem in seven steps when he was three years old, displaying remarkable literary talent. Li Qingyan was not surprised at all that Shao Yuzhen chose him.

"Is the gentleman unwilling to teach me?"

A child this age should feel wronged, angry, or have other emotions when she hears that the person she chose didn't choose her, but Li Qingyan's eyes were calm, without the slightest ripple.

"My position and the young prince's are simply different, but that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to teach him." Shao Yuzhen picked up the teacup in front of him and took a few sips. Even though he was extremely thirsty, he maintained his manners.

This person is frighteningly principled; even though he was so hungry he could barely sit still, he still straightened his back.

Li Qingyan looked at him, trying to discern the truth or falsehood in his words, but she couldn't see anything because he had already fainted.

The eunuchs swiftly helped the person sit upright, fed them the prepared pills, and then transported them away in a sedan chair—the entire process was remarkably smooth.

"It's good to be prepared in advance, otherwise it would be too embarrassing." Li Qingyan yawned, "Let's go back to the Hall of Diligent Governance."

After being tidied up by the palace maids, Li Qingyan felt dizzy. These palace maids were quick and efficient, but they didn't seem to care how old she was. Seven or eight hands served her by changing clothes and washing up, giving her no time to react before she was already sitting on the bed.

Without having to lift a finger, Li Qingyan's lips twitched. "Where did Old Deng get these palace maids from?"

These palace maids were frighteningly efficient, as if they had been specially trained. They didn't speak as they washed her, changed her clothes, and combed her hair.

There were so many hands that they almost wrapped her up, but they didn't hurt her at all.

She had long felt that the people in the Diligent Governance Hall were all wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with them.

However, she was troubled by Shao Yuzhen's matter. She wrapped herself up completely in the quilt and crawled back and forth on the huge bed like a caterpillar.

When Li Yan came in, he saw a fleshy worm on the bed. He picked it up casually and said, "The fat worm has become a spirit."

Li Qingyan stretched her neck and tried to bite his hand, but unfortunately her neck was too short and she missed.

"Didn't we already punish Shao Yuzhen? Why are you still troubled?"

Li Yan knows everything.

"Old Deng has so many informants." Li Qingyan rolled around a bit, and only after the blanket fell away did she sit up.

"Father, if you want to kill him, is that alright?"

"He's bound to say something shocking or outrageous. A three-year-old child utters words about killing someone. Others might think their child is going astray, but Li Yan has a proud expression that says, 'He's definitely my son.'"

"Not for now. His father is the teacher of most of the civil officials. Killing Jian Dan would create loopholes and cause trouble. Unless... you can find a suitable charge against him."

Instead of completely rejecting the proposal, Li Yan offered Li Qingyan a solution.

Li Qingyan knew that the eldest prince would become a formidable enemy sooner or later, but she couldn't afford to mess with him. She lay sprawled on the bed, sighed heavily, and said, "Never mind, let him continue to be my teacher."

She had been observing Shao Yuzhen's character quite a bit during this time. He was a man of his word; if he said he would teach her well, then he had no ulterior motives. In any case, she couldn't kill him now.

In the middle of the night, a few loud drumbeats startled Li Qingyan awake. Li Yan, wearing a cloak, ran over from the side hall. "Don't be afraid, little brat," he said, patting Li Qingyan's trembling body.

Although Li Qingyan's soul has lived for a long time, her body is still that of a child, especially after nearly losing her life recently, which left her with an uncontrollable trembling problem.

At this moment, Yan Xu rushed in, "Your Majesty, someone has been beating the Heavenly Drum to appeal for justice."

This is because someone has filed a complaint with the emperor.

The Heavenly Drum sounds, for the people have suffered injustice.