Chapter 917: Not Accepted

Song Shujun saw her looking like a little thief, couldn't help laughing, and waved at her: "Hurry up and come in, Grandfather isn't here, don't worry."

Song Zhulin jumped down from the stone bench and ran toward the moon gate, shouting as she ran: "Tuan Tuan! You've finally come! I'm about to die of boredom all alone!"

Xiao Er carried Tuan Tuan into the rear courtyard, gently set her down on the ground, and placed the two boxes he was holding onto the stone table.

He cupped his fists and said, "Miss Song, the Prince ordered this to be sent to Master Song; please accept it, Miss."

Song Shujun glanced at the box, immediately understood, and smiled: "Grandfather's injury is fine; it's just been red for two days, and he left early this morning."

"Thank you, Prince Ning, for your concern. Hua Ping, take the boxes to Grandfather's room."

"Yes." Hua Ping lifted the boxes and turned to leave.

Tuan Tuan grabbed Song Zhulin's hand, her eyes darting toward the garden: "Come on, let's go play ball! We didn't get to have fun with it that day!"

Song Shujun gently shook her head: "Don't play ball today."

"Grandfather said that if you came and he wasn't here, he'd have me teach you."

Tuan Tuan's little head drooped with a "swish".

Xiao Er lifted his head, astonished: "Master Song actually had Miss Song substitute as teacher?"

For the young lady, Master Song really went to great lengths.

Song Zhulin leaned close to Tuan Tuan's ear and said: "Don't be scared, Tuan Tuan, Sister teaches really well—nothing like Grandfather!"

Tuan Tuan lifted her eyelids, glanced at Song Shujun, and muttered: "Oh."

Song Shujun chuckled, reached out and lightly tapped the stone bench beside her: "Come, sit here."

Tuan Tuan shuffled over reluctantly, her little butt only touching half the edge of the stone bench—clearly ready to bolt at any moment.

Song Shujun said: "Don't worry, I won't teach you the stuff from those books."

Tuan Tuan's head rose, her eyes instantly lighting up: "Then what will you teach?"

Song Shujun gently laid the handkerchief on the stone table, smoothed it out, and pointed with her fingertip: "Look."

Tuan Tuan leaned in to look: the handkerchief was embroidered with a carved wooden window, inside which several little children held books, their heads drooping, eyelids nearly sticking shut.

Outside the window, however, was bright spring sunshine—a boy and a girl tugging at a spool as they ran, a butterfly-shaped paper kite with outstretched wings fluttering above their heads.

Beside it were four lines of tiny characters, the embroidery exquisitely fine, each stroke glowing with a soft light.

Song Shujun softly recited: "When the sun warms, people grow drowsy; when the book lengthens, eyes want to close. Suddenly hearing laughter outside, two or three people flying kites."

Tuan Tuan tilted her head, stared for a while, then lifted her head and asked: "Sister, what does this mean?"

Song Shujun pointed to the children in the window on the handkerchief: "These children are reading."

"It's just that the sun is warm, the book is long, so they're a bit sleepy."

Tuan Tuan instantly perked up, her little head nodding nonstop: "Exactly! That's me! I get sleepy as soon as I look at a book!"

Xiao Er lowered his head, trying not to laugh, while Song Zhulin burst out with a "pfft" laugh.

Song Shujun also couldn't help curling the corner of her mouth, moving her fingertip to the two little figures outside the window: "They're dozing off, when suddenly they hear laughter from outside."

"It turns out two kids are flying paper kites, having a great time."

Tuan Tuan looked at the little boy and girl on the handkerchief, then turned her head to Song Zhulin, then lowered her gaze to the butterfly paper kite on the ground.

Xiao Tuanzi exclaimed in realization: "Sister! Those two little kids are me and my brother!"

Song Shujun pressed her lips into a smile and nodded: "Exactly."

"Come, recite with me: 'When the sun warms, people grow drowsy...'"

Her voice was soft and gentle; after each line she paused, explaining the meaning of every word in the sentence.

When she reached the word "paper kite," she also pointed specifically to the paper kite on the ground.

Tuan Tuan read along very seriously.

By the second round, Xiao Tuanzi could recite the whole thing from start to finish in one breath.

Song Shujun looked at her, delighted and surprised: "Tuan Tuan, you're really smart."

Song Zhulin also looked envious: "Tuan Tuan, you're amazing!"

"When Sister taught me, I went over it several times but still couldn't memorize it!"

Xiao Er stood beside the stone table, his dark, broad face full of smiles, his gaze resting on that handkerchief before drifting away slightly.

Tuan Tuan stretched out her little finger to touch the little girl flying the paper kite, her eyes shining: "Sister, who wrote this poem?"

Song Zhulin beamed with pride: "It's my older sister!"

Tuan Tuan lifted her head to look at Song Shujun, her face full of admiration: "Sister, you're wonderful—this is the first time anyone has put me in a poem!"

Song Shujun reached out and ruffled her hair: "All right, you've finished studying—go play."

Tuan Tuan froze: "That's it?"

"Exactly," Song Shujun laughed, "you've already memorized it—why keep studying?"

Tuan Tuan sprang up from the stone bench with a "whoosh," grabbed her, and rubbed her little face against her: "Thank you, sister!"

"Your lesson was great—I love it! I want to take you as my teacher!"

Song Shujun laughed through tears: "No can do—that would mess up the seniority."

"Hurry up and go play in the garden—just don't kick anyone else again."

"Got it!" Tuan Tuan replied cheerfully, took Song Zhulin's hand, and the two little ones ran happily toward the garden.

At the same moment, in the Phoenix Etiquette Palace.

Li Zhong stood with hands lowered in the hall, his head bowed nearly to his chest, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty the Empress, Princess Consort Ning says her illness hasn't fully healed, so it's really not appropriate for her to enter the palace."

Murong Jin's expression remained calm: "What about the medicinal herbs the palace bestowed on her? Have they been accepted?"

Li Zhong lowered his head further: "The Princess Consort says she dare not accept such precious things—she hasn't, she hasn't accepted them."

Murong Jin's fingertip lightly curled inside her sleeve.

She fell silent for a moment, then asked: "And the princess? Have you ever seen the princess?"

Li Zhong shook his head: "I haven't seen her. The Princess Consort said the Princess went to study at the Song Duke's Mansion."

Murong Jin slightly raised hand: "Go away."

"Yes." Li Zhong, as if granted a great pardon, bowed and withdrew.

Si Yu whispered in advice: "Madam, perhaps Princess Consort Ning really is ill."

"It's better if she doesn't come; if she really passes the illness to you, wouldn't that harm your phoenix body?"

Murong Jin looked at Si Yu, a faint bitter smile touching the lips: "Ill? How coincidentally."

Murong Jin gazed out the window: "Princess Consort Ning is not ill; she simply does not want to have anything to do with my Phoenix Etiquette Palace."

Si Yu opened mouth, not daring to utter a word.

Murong Jin slowly opened mouth: "His Majesty personally said that if I intended to adopt Tuan Tuan as a foster daughter, I would need the Prince Ning couple's nod."

"Now Princess Consort Ning avoids me at all costs; it seems Tuan Tuan, I also cannot rely on her."

Si Yu felt a sourness in the heart, asking: "Madam, do you really intend to act according to what's written on that slip of paper?"