After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Xie Xun opened the book and laid it open on the desk, his fingertip pointing to the four characters "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li": "Today, let's learn these four first, and keep writing them until we can do it."

Afu nodded and reached for the pen.

Xie Xun suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on her wrist. His palm was dry and warm. He didn't use force when he placed it on her wrist bone, but it made her stop moving.

"Read before you pick up a pen."

He released his grip, took the pen from her hand, and held it himself, hovering it above the paper. "His thumb was on the outside of the pen shaft, his index and middle fingers were pressed together, and his ring and little fingers were naturally tucked in."

He demonstrated it once, his movements were delicate, his knuckles were distinct, and the tip of the pen gleamed faintly in the candlelight. "When holding the pen, your palm should be hollow, as if you are holding an egg."

After he finished speaking, he handed the pen back to her.

Afu took the pen and tried to hold it based on her memory. Her posture was roughly correct, but her knuckles were a little stiff.

Xie Xun stood behind her and suddenly reached out and covered her with his hand.

His fingers slipped between her fingers, gently prying open her tightly clenched knuckles, pushing her thumb up slightly, and then pressing down on the curve of her index finger with the pad of his finger.

"Relax." His voice was low and even in her ear, and his breath carried a faint scent of pine as it brushed against her ear. "It's not better to hold the pen too tightly; if you hold it too tightly, you won't be able to write anything."

Afu froze for a moment, but quickly relaxed again.

"Write." He guided her, placing the first stroke on the paper. Her fingers followed his, each stroke precise and straight. "Zhao."

He released his grip, took a half step back, and said, "Write it yourself."

Afu took a breath and picked up her pen again. Her fingers were still a little stiff and her strokes were not very steady, but she had a foundation in penmanship, and the basic structure of the characters she wrote was already there.

Xie Xun looked at the character "Zhao" on the paper and raised an eyebrow slightly. She had memorized the stroke order and structure after being taught once.

Xie Xun stood behind her, looking at her profile as she wrote with her head down, and suddenly felt a pang of regret.

If she were a boy, her talent would have been perfect for studying and taking the imperial examinations; what a pity.

After writing the last word, Afu looked up and found Xie Xun staring at her with admiration and regret in his eyes.

Afu's heart tightened, and the pen tip paused slightly on the paper. She deliberately slid her finger along the pen shaft, leaving a crooked ink mark on the paper.

"Oh dear," she exclaimed softly, quickly grabbing a handkerchief to wipe it, but the more she wiped, the smudged ink became, spreading out in a large patch.

Xie Xun looked at the soiled paper, took it away, replaced it with a new one, and said nothing: "Rewrite it."

Afu nodded obediently and started writing again.

This time, her writing was much worse than before; the strokes were crooked and the structure was loose.

Xie Xun stood by and watched for a while, his brows furrowing again, but he ultimately said nothing.

He sat back down at his desk, picked up his teacup, and took a sip: "That's all for today."

Afu put down her pen, took a step back, and curtsied: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Xie Xun glanced at her, then looked down at the papers covered with writing on the table, and suddenly added, "From now on, come here to do your homework every night."

"It's also a way of giving her some face," Xie Xun added in his mind.

At noon, Afu served Xie Xun his meal.

Xie Xun didn't seem to have much of an appetite; he put down his chopsticks after taking two bites.

Afu packed up the food box and was about to leave when Xie Xun glanced at her and said, "Go eat too, and come back when you're done."

Afu responded and left with the food box.

She ate a simple bowl of vegetarian noodles in the small kitchen; it was so hot today, she really didn't have much of an appetite.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a jar of candied plums on the corner of the stove. Cook Li quickly explained, "The candied plums that were delivered today are for making desserts, but we really don't know how to use them. If you don't mind, you can take them home as a snack."

Afu tried one; it was sweet and sour, refreshing, and quite appetizing.

Remembering that Xie Xun hadn't touched his food much earlier, she said, "Then I'll borrow the kitchen for a bit. I'll make some dessert for the young master."

She considered it a way of returning the favor and thanking him for teaching her to write.

Cook Li readily agreed and rolled up her sleeves to assist her.

Afu took the green plums out of the jar, sliced ​​them thinly, and then mashed them into a paste with a stone mortar. She filtered out the coarse residue, leaving only the clear green plum juice.

The milk was simmered slowly in a small copper pot over a low flame. Two spoonfuls of honey were added and stirred well. A little fried glutinous rice flour was then mixed in. The mixture was simmered and stirred until the milk became smooth and thick.

After cooling, she slowly poured the plum juice into the milk, adjusting it to a light bluish-white color. She then poured it into several small cups, chilled them, and topped them with a layer of fine crushed ice, a few pitted plums, and finally garnished them with two mint leaves.

The crushed ice condenses into a fine layer of water droplets on the cup wall, which looks cool and refreshing. The sweet and sour fruity aroma mixed with the milky fragrance spreads with the heat.

She carried the tray toward the study, walking faster than usual.

When I pushed open the door, Xie Xun was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting. Afu gently placed a small cup beside him: "It's hot, and I noticed that Your Highness doesn't have a good appetite, so I specially made a snack from my hometown. Please try it."

Xie Xun opened his eyes, looked down for a moment, and then picked up a spoon and scooped up a mouthful.

The tartness of the green plums hits the tip of the tongue first, followed by the richness of the milk and the sweetness of the honey. The coolness slides down the throat, and the feeling of unease dissipates.

He had lost his appetite due to the pressure of official duties these past few days, and nothing tasted good to him. But after taking this bite, he really felt a bit more life in his mouth.

He scooped up another spoonful and ate almost half a cup before putting it down.

"I've never seen you so skillful before." Xie Xun leaned back in his chair, looking at her with a hint of lazy satisfaction in his voice.

Afu lowered her head: "It's just rustic food, nothing to be served at a formal table."

"Make sure to stock up on this dessert when it gets hot," Xie Xun said casually, as if it were a matter of course. "There's plenty of ice in the ice jar; if you need more, have Changsong buy some."

Afu replied, "Yes, I will inform the small kitchen."

She paused, then added, "But these desserts are, after all, cooling foods. It's still early summer, and the weather is still chilly, so it's not advisable to eat too many."

"If Your Highness likes it, just use one cup every few days, otherwise it may upset your stomach."

This was said carefully, fulfilling one's duty without overstepping boundaries.

Xie Xun smiled.

The smile was faint, just a slight curve at the corners of her mouth, but the weariness in her eyes had lessened, revealing a gentleness rarely seen on her usual face.

"So concerned about me?" he asked, his voice rising slightly at the end, with a hint of mockery.

Afu kept her head down and didn't reply.

What she was thinking was: I'm just afraid you'll get sick from eating it, and then I'll be the one who gets punished.

"A few days ago, a batch of fine fabric was sent from Jiangnan. I'll have the embroiderer fetch it and make you a few outfits," Xie Xun suddenly said, looking up.

Afu was taken aback for a moment, then her face lit up with surprise and delight. "Thank you for the gift, Your Highness."

It seems Xie Xun is truly satisfied with this plum sorbet, and his feedback has exceeded expectations. We can make more of this kind of dessert in the future.