Did the Empress Dowager think he was stupid?
After a moment's thought, he still stepped forward two paces as she asked. Sure enough, he saw Shi Muyuan's smile grow even wider.
Shi Muyuan laughed and then gave a hard swing. Sure enough, with a "splash", a curtain of water cascaded down from above, once again separating her from Huo Qizhou.
She just wanted to see Huo Qizhou lose his composure. Imagining his white robe getting drenched made her feel excited.
However, when the water curtain fell, Huo Qizhou still stood there like a celestial being in his white robe, completely unaffected.
Shi Muyuan couldn't control her expression and showed her surprise. It couldn't be! It was the right spot! Unconvinced, she gave the swing another hard push. It must be that she had misjudged the direction just now. One more try.
Seeing this, Huo Qizhou just smiled and said nothing. He stood still on the spot, as if deliberately teasing Shi Muyuan. Even the National Teacher himself didn't realize that he could be so childish.
When the water curtain fell for the second time, there still stood a man like a celestial being, completely untouched by the water splashes. Shi Muyuan even seemed to see a rainbow in front of him.
But Shi Muyuan's movement was too big. She even turned the swing seat 180 degrees and "plop" landed on the ground.
The wet mud on the ground mixed with rainwater immediately stuck to Shi Muyuan's dress, making it look patchy and rather comical. It was a typical case of all gain and no loss.
Shi Muyuan was extremely embarrassed and wished she could dig a hole and hide.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the usually cold and unapproachable National Teacher seemed to let out a chuckle. Although the sound was very soft, Shi Muyuan, who was in the middle of her embarrassment, heard it clearly.
The National Teacher also seemed to realize his impoliteness and quickly stopped. He covered his smile with his slender finger on his lips.
Shi Muyuan was angry but didn't dare to show it. She had to swallow her anger silently.
Xiao Xiao, who was a bit slow to react, quickly helped her up. As for Yao Kun, her mind was completely focused on Huo Qizhou. It was the first time in two years of pestering him that she had seen such an expression on his face.
It was as if an otherworldly fairy had descended into the mortal world and involuntarily showed his first smile.
Having spent a long time with Yao Kun, Shi Muyuan had already noticed her infatuation. But she still cursed her for being so easily tempted by a bit of good looks in her heart!
But Shi Muyuan didn't dare to look at Huo Qizhou at this moment. So she left in a hurry with Xiao Xiao without even calling Yao Kun.
Huo Qizhou watched her leaving back and unconsciously curved his lips. His look towards Yao Kun was also not as cold and distant as before.
Yao Kun was overjoyed. Just as she was about to step forward to admire his beauty, Huo Qizhou turned his finger from his lips and pointed behind her. His voice was clear: "Aren't you going to chase after her?"
Only then did Yao Kun notice Shi Muyuan's fleeing figure. She was stunned. She looked back at Huo Qizhou, but the man had already turned around and left. Yao Kun frowned slightly, bit her lower lip, and finally chased after Shi Muyuan.
So Ze Ze, who came back after changing his clothes, and Zi Huan, who returned with a food tray, were both confused when they saw the empty swing under the tree. Ze Ze even deliberately stayed away from the puddle on the ground. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt that the puddle seemed to have grown a bit bigger than when he left.
On the other hand, Concubine Rui wasn't idle either. Knowing that Ji Ling and Ji Huang liked sweet pastries, she sent Zhu Er to the small kitchen in the Palace of Longevity to have some pastries steamed. Finally, she chose the sweetest one and put it in a food box, planning to go find Ji Ling and the others.
In the Yunya Hall, Shi Li was teaching little Ji Ling the Book of Songs from a bamboo scroll. Ji Heng and Ji Huang were reciting books as usual.
It wasn't that Shi Li was partial. It was just that the two boys were older after all. Although Ji Huang looked a bit slow-witted, he was by no means stupid. The two brothers were very perceptive and usually didn't need Shi Li to explain much to understand what he said.
As for the younger Ji Ling, although she studied hard and wanted to catch up with her two elder brothers, after all, they had studied for two more years than her. Naturally, they knew more characters than her.
So most of the time when Shi Li taught her to read poems, he also taught her some simple characters.
Fu Lu came to find Ji Heng and said that the National Teacher had something to discuss with him. Ji Heng had no choice but to put down the book in his hand and left the Yunya Hall with Fu Lu first.
Such things happened quite often in the Yunya Hall, and everyone was already used to it. Ji Ling obediently said goodbye to her eldest brother and then continued to study. Her imperial grandmother had told her that all the knowledge she learned was hers, and others would envy her. Thinking of the joy she felt when her little friends praised her for her casual recitation of poems, that was also the motivation for her to study hard.
But Shi Muyuan also found it funny that such a studious little girl couldn't resist the temptation of skipping class.
Not long after Ji Heng left, Concubine Rui suddenly barged in, startling the three people who were studying seriously in the hall.
Shi Li was stunned for a moment, and a hint of dissatisfaction rose in his eyes. But he still bowed politely and said, "Greetings to Your Highness the Concubine."
"Um, be excused." Concubine Rui had never liked the Shi family, so her attitude wasn't very good. But in front of the two children, she still softened her tone.
"Mother."
"Mother."
Concubine Rui replied with a kind smile.
"Your Highness the Concubine, may I ask what brings you to the Yunya Hall?" Shi Li still asked, interrupting her actions.
Concubine Rui lifted the food box in her hand: "I thought that Huang'er and Ling'er must be hungry after studying for so long, so I brought some pastries for them to fill their stomachs."
Ji Ling pursed her lips and looked at her: "Thank you, Mother."
Ji Huang said nothing and just stared at her. Concubine Rui felt a bit nervous under his gaze. But then she thought that he was just a few-year-old child. What was there to be nervous about?
But didn't Zhu Er say that Ji Huang liked these pastries the most, which was why he was so chubby? Why didn't he show any reaction when he saw the food box?
What Concubine Rui didn't know was that although Ji Huang and Ji Ling loved to eat, they were also well-behaved gluttons. For example, they wouldn't easily eat things given by others.
This was taught to them by Shi Muyuan. After all, she had watched many palace intrigue dramas where children were often targeted. So sometimes she would deliberately or inadvertently tell the three little ones about such things.
Naturally, she was the most serious when talking to Ji Heng.
Concubine Rui saw that they didn't move, especially Shi Li with his cold face and silence.
She felt a bit embarrassed. She simply walked to Ji Ling's desk and pushed all her books to one side to make room for the food box.
Ji Ling immediately panicked when she saw her action!