Chapter 831: Lord Song, You

"It's nothing." Tuan Tuan pressed her little face against his chest and nudged, "Imperial Uncle, how many little documents are you going to approve today?"

"I am busy today," Xiao Jieyun deliberately put on a stern face, "I have no time to play with you."

"Oh," Tuan Tuan nodded, "then I'll just stay here keeping you company, I won't disturb you."

After saying that, she crawled from the Emperor's embrace to the side of the dragon throne and settled in comfortably.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Jieyun looked down at her, "I still have to approve memorials."

"Go ahead and approve." Tuan Tuan stretched out her hand, pointing at the memorials on the desk, "I'm not stopping you."

Xiao Jieyun shook his head helplessly, picked up his brush and continued reviewing.

After only approving two, he felt his sleeve being tugged.

Looking down, Tuan Tuan was holding a piece of osmanthus cake, tilting her little face and handing it to him: "Imperial Uncle, this is something I brought you from home, it's very sweet, give it a try."

Xiao Jieyun kept his stern face as he took the osmanthus cake and shoved it into his mouth.

The sweetness hadn't yet dissolved on his tongue when his sleeve was tugged again.

"Imperial Uncle, are you thirsty? Shall I pour you a cup of tea?"

"Cheng Jinyan is right beside me, I don't need you."

"Oh." Tuan Tuan obediently sat back down.

A moment later, she tugged the Emperor's sleeve again: "Imperial Uncle, are you tired? Let me give you a back massage?"

Xiao Jieyun set down his brush, looked down at her: "Tuan Tuan, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, an innocent expression: "I just want to keep you company."

Xiao Jieyun stared at her for a moment; those bright, sparkling big eyes clearly said, "If you don't agree with me, I won't leave."

He took a deep breath, lifted his brush again, and decided to ignore her.

Tuan Tuan stuck to the Emperor's side without moving a step, handing tea, water, giving back massages and shoulder rubs, busily enjoying herself.

Xiao Jieyun continued to approve the memorials.

Tuan Tuan nestled beside him, quietly shelling peanuts; after shelling, she blew the shells clean, arranged them into a smiling face, and placed them on a small plate.

Then, she very obediently pushed the small plate to the Emperor's hand: "Imperial Uncle, have some peanuts."

Xiao Jieyun looked, and his stern face almost couldn't stay stiff.

Eunuch Cheng stood nearby, his shoulders shaking as he stifled laughter, tears nearly spilling out.

After much effort, Xiao Jieyun finally finished approving the memorials.

He set down his brush, stood up, and Tuan Tuan immediately slipped down from the dragon throne, her two little hands firmly grabbing his hem: "Imperial Uncle, where are you going?"

The Emperor replied irritably, "Going out for an audience."

"I'm going too!"

Xiao Jieyun slipped his foot: "I am going out for an audience, what are you going for?"

Tuan Tuan with an innocent face: "I'll pee for you! Imperial Uncle!"

Xiao Jieyun: "......"

This time Eunuch Cheng couldn't hold it any longer; he quickly covered his mouth, yet still burst into laughter.

Xiao Jieyun glared at him, and Eunuch Cheng hurriedly stifled it again.

The Emperor frowned and asked Tuan Tuan, "Where did you learn all this?"

"I learned it when I went with Third Elder Brother to the Marquis of Jinghai's residence to see that little brother!"

Xiao Tuanzi said earnestly, "The little brother's mother said that when a boy goes out for an audience, that's how it is; you have to pee!"

"Imperial Uncle, you're a man too; when you go out for your audience, I won't go inside, I'll just stand outside and pee for you!"

"You want me to pee for you?"

"If this gets spread, I, the Son of Heaven, would still need someone to pee for me to go out for an audience; would I even keep my face?"

Xiao Jieyun's face sank: "I don't need it."

"Don't need?" Tuan Tuan looked up and down at the Emperor, confused, "Imperial Uncle, aren't you a man?"

Xiao Jieyun looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath.

He lowered his head, looked at the little tail at his feet, and finally couldn't help but laugh helplessly.

As soon as Tuan Tuan saw him smile, she immediately pounced and hugged his leg: "Imperial Uncle, you agreed with me, right?"

"When did I agree?"

"You smiled!" Tuan Tuan lifted her little face, confidently, "Smiling means you agreed!"

Xiao Jieyun shook his head helplessly, bent down and lifted her up: "Alright, alright, consider that I'm scared of you."

"However," he paused, "if you want to go with Lao Qi to Taiyuan, you must recite a text for me."

"If you can recite it, I will let you go."

"Alright, alright!" Tuan Tuan clapped her little hands and asked, "What book should I recite?"

Xiao Jieyun thought for a moment, "I won't make it hard for you; just recite the Three-Character Classic."

"What is the Three-Character Classic?"

The Emperor tapped Tuan Tuan on the head, "I'll give you ten days; after ten days, you come tell me what the Three-Character Classic is."

"Okay!" Tuan Tuan rubbed her little belly, "Imperial Uncle, I'm hungry."

Xiao Jieyun hurriedly said, "Quickly deliver the meal! Order the Imperial Kitchen to prepare more light, soft, mushy dishes for the princess!"

"Yes!"

The next day, Xiao Ningxun had just returned to the residence when she unexpectedly found her younger sister holding a thin little booklet, sitting in her own room waiting for her.

Xiao Feifei carried Xiao Jinjin, quietly lying at her feet.

He took off his court robe: "What's wrong, Tuan Tuan? Something about Third Brother?"

Mm! Tuan Tuan jumped down from the chair, holding the book in her hands out to him, "Third Brother, will you teach me to memorize this?"

Xiao Ningxun lowered his head to look: "The Three Character Classic?"

"Right!" Tuan Tuan looked up at him with her little face, "Imperial Uncle said, as long as I can recite this, he'll let me go to war with you guys."

Xiao Ningxun suddenly realized, His Majesty really went to great lengths, thinking up this trick just to get his sister to study well.

He bent over, picked up his sister, sat down at the table: "All right, Third Brother will teach you."

He flipped through the little booklet: "Did Lord Song not teach you this?"

"Seems like he did," Tuan Tuan thought for a moment, then simply shook her head, "but I don't understand it, and I can't remember it."

"Uh." Xiao Ningxun choked a little, The Three Character Classic is the simplest primer, Tuan Tuan is so smart, how could she not understand?

Lord Song, being an Imperial Teacher for two generations, how could he possibly fail to explain something this simple?

"All right, then Third Brother will teach you."

"Mm-hmm!" Tuan Tuan wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you, Third Brother!"

Xiao Ningxun smiled, placed the book on the table, opened the first page: "At birth, human nature is good."

He pointed his finger at the "good" character: "This sentence means that every person, when born, is good."

Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, thought, then shook her head: "No."

Xiao Ningxun blinked: "What's wrong?"

"Xiao Feifei isn't like that! When it was a Gu Worm, it was so nasty!"

"It made Mother's head hurt terribly, obviously it only got better after drinking my blood!"

Xiao Ningxun took a deep breath: "Tuan Tuan, Xiao Feifei isn't a person; here, it refers to people."

"Oh." Tuan Tuan nodded, "I get it."

A relieved smile appeared on Xiao Ningxun's face; his sister is obviously easy to teach.

Tuan Tuan turned her head to look at him, blinking her big eyes as she asked: "Third Brother, were Prince Chen and Prince Qing also good when they were born? Then how did they become bad later?"

Xiao Ningxun: "……"

How would I know that!

He thought for a moment: "Let's set this aside for now and look at the next line."

"Nature is similar, habits diverge. This means that people's innate nature is initially roughly the same, but later, because they encounter different people and events, they gradually become different."

"Third Brother, if the people and events one encounters are the same, then they wouldn't differ, right?"

Xiao Ningxun blinked, what kind of question is this?

"I suppose… right."

Tuan Tuan shook her head again: "This one isn't right either."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Little Eleven and Little Twelve both encountered those two villains, and both have been emperors."

"But Twelve's courage is now much greater than before, while Eleven remains just as he used to be."

Xiao Ningxun was at a loss for words, he rubbed his forehead, slowly closed the book, and looked up toward the window.

Lord Song, you've worked hard.