Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

At the hour of Shenshi (3-5 PM), the gong sounded, and the Hanlin Academy closed its offices on time.

However, Chen Chang'an did not clock out on time today.

Tomorrow he will be teaching the princes and princesses. The content of the lessons will not be decided by him, but will be based on the textbooks prescribed by the Hanlin Academy.

This textbook, titled "The Essentials of Inheriting Heaven," was compiled by renowned Confucian scholars throughout the ages of the Great Ning Dynasty. It integrates content on self-cultivation and governance and was specifically designed for the enlightenment of royal offspring.

Chen Chang'an stayed for another half hour to plan the content of his lecture for the next day.

This wasn't his first time giving a lecture.

When I was a doctoral student, if my supervisor had something come up, he would ask Chen Chang'an to teach undergraduate classes.

However, those princes and princesses were all around ten years old, unlike the eighteen or nineteen-year-old adult students Chen Chang'an used to teach. He could only do what he could for now, and deal with the rest tomorrow...

When I returned home from the Hanlin Academy, the maids had already prepared dinner.

Qing Shuang and Gong Yue were already in the courtyard.

Seeing that Chen Chang'an arrived so late, Qing Shuang couldn't help but ask, "Why are you back so late? Did Dou Wenhuan make you recite again?"

Chen Chang'an shook his head and said, "He wasn't so direct this time; I was the one who wanted to keep him."

Princess Zhaoyue understood his implied meaning and asked, "Has the Headmaster made things difficult for you again?"

Chen Chang'an neither admitted nor denied it, but simply told them the truth about Dou Wenhuan asking him to teach the princes and princesses.

Upon hearing this, Qing Shuang frowned and said angrily, "That guy surnamed Dou is really persistent. Those princes and princesses are even more mischievous than I was when I was a child. I don't know how agonizing it was to teach them..."

Princess Zhaoyue smiled slightly after hearing this, then said, "You don't need to worry too much. You're different from those other teachers. Perhaps those princes and princesses will like you..."

There's no use in Chen Chang'an worrying about things that haven't happened yet.

The three of them had dinner together, and then Qing Shuang and Gong Yue left, while Chen Chang'an went to the courtyard to practice his martial arts.

Even after becoming an official, he could not slack off in his martial arts.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the inner palace...

Several richly dressed children sat on a set of steps, whispering and plotting something.

The royal family of Da Ning took Xiao as their surname. Several princes and princesses of school age were around eleven or twelve years old, a time when they were young, mischievous, and unruly.

They had all learned that classes would resume the next day, so after dinner they met up to discuss their plans for the day.

The Ninth Prince, Xiao Chengyu, was eleven years old this year and had the most unruly temperament. He sat on the steps, swinging his legs, and said, "Tomorrow a new teacher will come, and he's the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination. No matter who he is, once he comes to our school, he has to abide by our rules!"

The eleventh prince, Xiao Cheng'an, was his loyal follower. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "That's right. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll start disciplining us like our old teacher!"

"Yes, yes!"

The other princes and princesses also clapped and echoed the sentiment.

Only one little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, dressed in palace attire, rolled her eyes at them and did not agree.

The fourth princess, Xiao Muxue, is twelve years old this year. She is more mature than the princes and princesses. She scoffs at the idea of ​​teasing the teacher, but she does not object to it.

Xiao Chengyu thought for a moment and said, "How about we put a snake in the master's drawer...?"

A little princess immediately said, "No, I'm afraid of snakes..."

Xiao Jingyu continued, "Then I'll have the eunuchs catch a few rats. As soon as he opens the drawer, the rats will jump out and scare him to death..."

"This is great! This is great!"

The group grew more and more excited as they talked, having already devised a whole plan to prank the newcomer and make him give up.

Just then, a figure quietly appeared behind them.

"Heh heh, who cares what kind of top scholar he is, he can't control us!"

Xiao Chengyu was speaking enthusiastically when his ear was grabbed. He turned around, trembled, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

The other princesses and princes also turned around. When they saw that it was Princess Zhaoyue, they immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Royal Sister!"

Even among princes and princesses, there are differences in the degree of favor they receive. The third princess is the most favored by the emperor, and sometimes she even disciplines the princes on his behalf. They are most afraid of this princess.

Only the Fourth Princess, Xiao Muxue, affectionately took Princess Zhaoyue's arm and said, "Royal Sister, what brings you here? When are you going to take me out of the palace to play? You've promised me for so long..."

Princess Zhaoyue did not answer her. With one hand still pinching the Ninth Prince's ear, she said, "I heard everything you just said. Let me tell you, Mr. Chen, who will be teaching you tomorrow, is my friend and a meritorious official who has made contributions to the country and enhanced the prestige of our Great Ning Kingdom..."

She glanced at the group of princes and princesses and continued, "Tomorrow, Mr. Chen will be teaching you. If any of you dare to deliberately make things difficult for him, tease him, talk back to him, or cause trouble, don't blame me for being impolite. Even your mothers can't save you..."

Upon hearing this, the princes and princesses nodded obediently, not daring to utter a single word of objection.

They knew very well that the Third Princess was usually gentle, but if they angered her, even their mother couldn't save them.

Princess Zhaoyue glanced at them again and asked, "Have you remembered?"

Everyone responded in unison, "Understood!"

Upon seeing this, Princess Zhaoyue's expression softened slightly. She nodded gently, then turned and left, leaving behind several princes and princesses looking terrified.

"Tomorrow's teacher is actually a friend of the Third Princess?"

"Luckily, we didn't play any tricks on him. Last time I climbed a tree to steal a bird's nest, my third sister saw me and punished me by making me kneel for an hour..."

"So what do we do tomorrow?"

"What can we do? We'll just have to accept it. We've angered the Third Princess, and even Mother's pleas on our behalf haven't worked..."

The group sighed in unison, instantly abandoning their previous idea.

At that moment, on the palace path not far away, the Fourth Princess Xiao Muxue, holding Princess Zhaoyue's hand, asked curiously, "Royal Sister, how did you and that Mr. Chen meet? Are you close to him...?"

Princess Zhaoyue glanced down at her and said, "Why are you asking this...?"

Xiao Muxue grabbed her hand and shook it, saying, "I'm just curious..."

Left with no other choice, Princess Zhaoyue could only tell her how she met Chen Chang'an, and then tell her about the merits Chen Chang'an had made during this time...

However, she did not mention her engagement to Chen Chang'an.

As a member of the royal family, Xiao Muxue's sense of national honor is much stronger than that of ordinary people.

Da Ning belongs to the Xiao family; serving the imperial court is serving the Xiao family.

Hearing that the gentleman arriving tomorrow had made such a great contribution to the country, my eyes lit up, and I murmured, "Wow, this new gentleman is so amazing..."

Princess Zhaoyue suddenly remembered something, turned her head, and earnestly instructed her, "You must not tell Mr. Chen what we just said, and you must not tell Mr. Chen that I know him..."