He let out a furious roar and charged straight at Xu Shu.
“Xu Shu, you’re asking for death!!!”
Chu Ning frowned and stepped forward to block Li Jie’s path.
“Li Jie, calm down.”
“Get lost, bookworm!”
Li Jie shouted in extreme rage.
Jin Anhao also rushed forward to grab Li Jie’s arm.
“Brother Li Jie, don’t go.”
“Let go!”
Blinded by anger, Li Jie flung his arm.
Jin Anhao lost her balance and fell hard onto the ground.
And then—
The little girl burst into loud tears.
Li Jie froze.
Chu Ning was stunned.
Xu Shu, enraged, charged forward and punched Li Jie in the face.
Li Jie snapped back to his senses and swung his fist in retaliation.
The two immediately started fighting fiercely.
Chu Ning and another child rushed in to break them up, while the remaining three helped Jin Anhao up from the ground.
Everyone had something to do—only the young emperor stood there blankly, confusedly watching everything unfold.
Feng Jingge looked at the little emperor and felt an indescribable disappointment.
This matter started because of him. Yet he neither explained, nor defended himself, nor admitted fault.
He was simply in one state of mind the entire time—
Confused.
Sigh.
Was he simply not intelligent… or just too innocent?
The Grand Tutor stepped beside Feng Jingge and lowered his voice.
“Your Highness, this…”
Feng Jingge said coldly, “Let them be.”
When they tire themselves out, they’ll stop naturally.
After Jin Anhao got up, she rushed over trying to stop the fight.
“Brother Xu, Brother Li Jie, stop fighting!”
Chu Ning snapped coldly, “Jin Anhao, stay back! You’ll get hit!”
Startled by his harsh tone, Jin Anhao stepped back.
Then she turned and saw the young emperor—and anger surged in her chest.
In a sudden burst, she rushed over and slapped the young emperor across the face.
The Grand Tutor panicked and rushed forward to stop her, but Feng Jingge grabbed him.
“Your Highness, this…”
Feng Jingge’s expression did not change.
“No interference allowed.”
With the Prince’s words spoken, even though the Grand Tutor was anxious, he could only endure it.
“You dare hit me?”
The young emperor’s eyes widened like copper bells.
“So what if I hit you? I’ll even kick you!”
As she spoke, Jin Anhao lifted her foot to kick him.
The young emperor reacted quickly and narrowly dodged.
But as soon as he avoided the kick, a fist came flying in.
This time he couldn’t dodge—it struck his face hard.
“You coward! You made a mistake and don’t dare admit it!”
“You’re a bad kid! No wonder no one wants to be your friend!”
“Someone like you should just play alone!”
The young emperor refused to back down and shouted back.
What began as verbal insults quickly escalated into a full-blown fight.
They screamed and hit each other wildly.
The Grand Tutor, hiding in the shadows, was both anxious and furious seeing the emperor being beaten.
He wanted to rush out and stop it, but Feng Jingge pressed down on his shoulders, immobilizing him.
“Your Highness, this can’t continue!”
Feng Jingge replied coldly, “Grand Tutor, with your vast knowledge, surely you know the saying—‘no fight, no acquaintance.’”
“…”
The Grand Tutor was speechless.
After about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, everyone finally grew tired and collapsed onto the ground.
Soon after, chatter began to rise.
Some complained, some laughed…
And then—came the young emperor’s voice of apology.
A faint smile flashed across Feng Jingge’s eyes and disappeared almost instantly.
Hearing the emperor’s reflection and apology, the Grand Tutor felt complicated emotions—bittersweet and hard to describe.
Feng Jingge said nothing more, only took out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the Grand Tutor.
Before the Grand Tutor could ask what it was, the figure before him flashed—and Feng Jingge was already gone.
Stunned, the Grand Tutor unfolded the paper.
Chu Ning, Xu Shu, Jin Anhao, Li Jie.
Four names were written on it.
This… was the list of study companions?
Wasn’t it supposed to be three people?
Why was there an extra one?
Moreover, among these four, only Chu Ning and Jin Anhao were somewhat proper and refined. Xu Shu was famously a little tyrant.
And Li Jie—judging from the handwriting—looked like he had been added later.
Hadn’t Li Jie just offended the Prince?
Why was he still chosen?
The Grand Tutor couldn’t understand it at all. After a long sigh, he put the list away.
Meanwhile, Feng Jingge had just stepped out of Nanshang Room when he saw Eunuch Chen waiting outside.
Seeing him, Eunuch Chen hurried forward with his whisk.
“This servant greets Your Highness.”
“Mm.”
Feng Jingge responded lightly.
“Have the study companions been chosen, Your Highness?” Eunuch Chen asked eagerly.
“Yes,” Feng Jingge replied calmly.
Delighted, Eunuch Chen smiled.
“Then may this servant go in now?”
“Mm.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
Eunuch Chen happily went inside.
Watching his hurried figure, Feng Jingge’s lips curled slightly in an almost imperceptible smile.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he spoke again.
“Wait.”
Eunuch Chen stopped and turned back.
“What instructions does Your Highness have?”
“For the next few days, if the emperor wants to go to the Empress Dowager’s residence, stop him.”
The young emperor was beaten black and blue. If he went like this, the Empress Dowager would surely seize the opportunity to make trouble again.
Before Eunuch Chen could respond, the Empress Dowager suddenly appeared behind Feng Jingge.
His expression instantly changed.
A cold laugh came from behind.
Feng Jingge turned.
The Empress Dowager approached with a frosty expression, followed by four palace maids.
“So the Regent Prince is extending his hand a bit too far, isn’t he?!”
“I am the Emperor’s birth mother. He must come to my residence every day to pay respects.”
“On what grounds are you stopping him?”
Feng Jingge: “……”
She really had terrible timing.
He glanced coldly at her.
“Literally speaking, there is no meaning behind it. But since you insist, then it simply means—tigers do not devour their cubs.”
The Empress Dowager’s expression changed instantly.
“You—”
Feng Jingge cut her off.
“If I remember correctly, the Imperial Garden and Nanshang Room are completely unrelated. It would be impossible for you to just happen to wander here.”
The Empress Dowager coldly asked, “I heard you are selecting study companions for the Crown Prince?”
Feng Jingge raised an eyebrow.
“Do you have objections?”
The Empress Dowager snorted.
“Selecting companions is a good thing. Why would I object?”
“If you have no objection, that is best.”
The Empress Dowager frowned. She felt something sharp in his words, yet couldn’t pinpoint it.
She changed the topic.
“Regent Prince, I recall you are already over twenty. Regarding marriage…”
Feng Jingge’s expression suddenly turned icy.
“My own affairs are not for the Empress Dowager to worry about.”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
The Empress Dowager turned to watch his departing figure. A cold smile curled on her lips, murderous intent rising in her eyes.
“Feng Jingge… you dared to break one of my Pei family’s arms. I will not let you go.”
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