At the Princess Mansion.
After accompanying Mother Chen to choose gifts, Qiuqiu couldn't wait to rush to the Princess Mansion to find Shen Baozhu.
She hummed a song and bounced into the mansion. Not watching where she was going, she bumped head - on into someone and fell straight to the ground.
Qiuqiu covered her butt and looked up blankly. Seeing a familiar figure, she exclaimed, "Sister Miaochun, you're back!"
The person in front of her was dressed in a simple robe, with her black hair tied up with a wooden hairpin. With a smiling face, it was Chen Miaochun, who had been called away by Su Qian.
Chen Miaochun pulled Qiuqiu up helplessly and dusted off her clothes. "Why don't you watch where you're going? You bumped into me this time. What if you fall into the river next time?"
Qiuqiu hugged Chen Miaochun's arm and coquettishly said, "I secretly learned how to swim. If I fall into the river, I'll just swim back up. I can even protect Baozhu."
Looking at Qiuqiu's confident face, Chen Miaochun shook her head helplessly and led her into the mansion.
But when they reached the rockery, Qiuqiu stopped.
Chen Miaochun looked at her puzzledly. "What's wrong?"
Qiuqiu looked at the fork in the road ahead, looking a bit tangled. "Baozhu is this way, and Brother Mingli is that way. Sister Miaochun, don't you want to go find Brother Mingli?"
"You're wrong. It should be Baozhu and Ruxia this way, and Yan Mingli that way. Qiuqiu, what do you think I should choose?" Chen Miaochun smiled and threw the question back to Qiuqiu, who didn't hesitate and chose the first option.
When Yan Mingli heard about this, he glared angrily at Qiuqiu.
Yan Mingli was very sad. "Miaochun is back, but I wasn't the first one to see her."
Qiuqiu lowered her head and embroidered a small handkerchief.
"Alas, it's just my bad luck that I don't live on the same side as Baozhu."
Qiuqiu nodded in agreement. "You're right, Brother Mingli. You should change your courtyard."
"Of course not! That's the role - model's courtyard. I'd rather die than change it!" Yan Mingli blurted out.
Qiuqiu sighed. "Brother - in - law, can you let me embroider in peace?"
The title of "brother - in - law" instantly made Yan Mingli blush up to his ears, and he fell silent.
The Prince of Rui watched with amusement as Yan Mingli was subdued by Qiuqiu.
On the side, Shen Baozhu pulled Chen Miaochun to complain. She angrily told her about what happened at the pharmacy and said with concern, "Qiuqiu's hand bled a lot!"
"If it weren't for the help of the immortal, Qiuqiu wouldn't even be able to hold chopsticks or eat. It was so pitiful."
Qiuqiu embroidered a few stitches, looked at the small handkerchief she'd embroidered, and was very satisfied. Then she stuffed the handkerchief into Shen Baozhu's arms.
Shen Baozhu put away the handkerchief and continued to complain to Chen Miaochun.
The Prince of Rui was a bit curious. "Is that handkerchief embroidered by Qiuqiu for Baozhu?"
"Yes. Does Lord Gu want one too? You can ask Brother Mingli to embroider one for you." Shen Baozhu admitted generously.
The Prince of Rui stroked his chin, planning to tease the kids. "Lord Gu just wants the one in Baozhu's hand."
Shen Baozhu didn't quite understand, but the Fourth Prince saw the Prince of Rui's "ill - intention." He stepped in front of Shen Baozhu. "No, can't, grab, Baozhu's, things."
"Handkerchief, Baozhu's."
The Prince of Rui rolled his eyes and came up with a bad idea. He told the Fourth Prince that if he got the handkerchief from Shen Baozhu, the Fourth Prince could embroider a handkerchief and give it to Shen Baozhu.
Shen Baozhu understood and refused. "Qiuqiu spent a long time embroidering this handkerchief. If I give it to Lord Gu, Qiuqiu will be sad."
The Fourth Prince also refused. "No, can't, grab, Baozhu's, things. Qiuqiu's, handkerchief, Baozhu's. My, handkerchief, also, Baozhu's."
The Dragon King: [That's right, they're all the cute one's!]
The Dragon King: [I really admire the Fourth Prince. Why bother distinguishing whose handkerchief it is? They're all the cute one's.]
Lin Yu: [Baozhu, I've prepared the things.]
The Dragon King: [What things are there?]
Lin Yu: [Ointment to remove the scars on Xiaotao, a memory - enhancing potion for Qiuqiu to drink, and some skin - care products for Mingli.]
The Dragon King: [The fool is going to be even more of a fool with joy.]
Just as everyone was talking, Shen Haiyan led a man in. His face was extremely grim.
The newcomer, on the contrary, had a beaming face. "Why is Third Young Master so angry? I'm no longer the tutor of the Shen Family School. I'm just here at the Princess Mansion to teach His Highness the Fourth Prince... Oh, why is Baozhu here too? Do you still remember me?"
The Dragon King: [This sounds so strange.]
The Dragon King: [It's like asking, why are you staying at your own home.]
The Prince of Rui had the same thought and gave his friend a "I can't bear to look" look.
Li Xingzhi ignored the Prince of Rui and still wanted to talk to Shen Baozhu, but was blocked by Shen Haiyan.
Shen Haiyan picked up the Fourth Prince with one hand and placed him in front of Li Xingzhi. "Your disciple is here."
"Oh, so this is my disciple. Baozhu, what do you like? Hairpins or pretty clothes? Master has them all." Li Xingzhi brazenly ignored Shen Haiyan's unwelcoming attitude and tried to strike up a conversation with Shen Baozhu.
Shen Haiyan looked at Li Xingzhi helplessly. Knowing that he was invited by the Queen, he had no choice but to step aside.
Then he emphasized to Shen Baozhu, "Baozhu, what did Third Brother tell you before? Birds of a feather flock together..."
"Birds of a feather flock together, and people of a kind come together. A bad person's friend is also a bad person. Stay far away from bad people!" Shen Baozhu replied loudly.
Everyone present vaguely guessed who the bad person and the bad person's friend were, but Li Xingzhi, who wasn't familiar with Shen Baozhu, had no idea.
In the end, the kind - hearted Prince of Rui "kindly" pulled Li Xingzhi. "What's your relationship with the Shen Family?"
Li Xingzhi didn't understand the implication. "It's okay, I guess. Baozhu's grandfather and I once shared the same tutor, so we're sort of like fellow apprentices."
The Prince of Rui couldn't hold back his laughter. "Good, good, good. Being sort of fellow apprentices, that's a very close relationship!"
Obeying Third Brother's words, Shen Baozhu silently took a step back. Since Teacher Li had a good relationship with the bad person's grandfather, she should stay away.
The Dragon King: [Does the Prince of Rui have a grudge against this guy?]
Lin Yu: [Judging from the way they're talking, it doesn't seem so.]
Li Xingzhi looked at the Prince of Rui in confusion. "Why are you laughing?"
"Nothing, nothing. Why did you come to the Princess Mansion? Weren't you saying you'd wait a while before?" After all, he was his friend, and the Prince of Rui knew that Shen Baozhu was protective, so he didn't mention that Li Xingzhi had once thought the Fourth Prince was a fool.
Li Xingzhi did think the Fourth Prince was a fool at first, but now that the Fourth Prince was his disciple, he wouldn't allow anyone to say a single bad word about him.
He was invited by the Queen this time.
After tricking Li Xingzhi into taking in the Fourth Prince, the Prince of Rui told the Queen about it.
The night before, on the night of the fire at the Cui Family, the Queen sent a fine writing brush made of wolf hair, hoping that Li Xingzhi would enlighten the Fourth Prince as soon as possible.
Li Xingzhi was reluctant. He knew that the Fourth Prince still couldn't speak clearly and wanted to wait until the Prince got better.
But the Queen was extremely eager and was even willing to meet all of Li Xingzhi's requirements.
The Prince of Rui had already guessed what would happen next. "You wanted to take Baozhu as your disciple, so you asked to come to the Princess Mansion?"
"That's right." When Li Xingzhi took in the Fourth Prince, he didn't consider the Prince's wishes. But when it came to Shen Baozhu, he couldn't bear to force her. He wanted to patiently guide her so that she would willingly worship him as her teacher.