TRBDM -Chapter 105 The Portrait of the Princess

Someone emerged from the darkness—it was none other than Zhao Jingheng.

Nangong Hai was utterly shocked, and the other students froze in place as well. Their raised fists stiffly lowered, and they glanced at each other in confusion.

“Y-Your Highness… the Tenth Prince… you’re here too? We—we were just playing around,” Nangong Hai said nervously.

“Yes, Your Highness, we were just playing,” someone else echoed.

“The visiting students don’t know the rules of the Imperial Academy. We were just going to teach them properly, hand by hand.”

One of them nudged Xie Lan’s shoulder. “See? Isn’t that right?”

The starkly contrasting expressions from this group made Xie Lan feel sick.

He didn’t want trouble, but Nangong Hai had clearly done something wrong and yet wanted to take it out on the Xie brothers. Xie Lan couldn’t stand it.

“That’s not true. You all collectively violated the school rules, fighting in the dormitory and trying to bully the visiting students. I ask Your Highness, the Tenth Prince, to judge fairly.”

Just yesterday, Xie Lan had still doubted Zhao Jingheng’s intentions. Today, he was seeking his protection. He secretly despised his own hypocrisy.

But for Xie Yu’s sake, he would risk it.

If he admitted they were “just playing,” once the Tenth Prince left, Nangong Hai still wouldn’t let the two of them off.

As the older brother, he had to protect his younger brother. He couldn’t let Xie Yu be harmed.

“Your Highness, Third Brother is not lying. Nangong Hai and the others deliberately picked a fight and bullied the visiting students.”

Xie Yu straightened his chest, showing no fear of Nangong Hai and the others’ threats.

“You—”

Nangong Hai hadn’t expected the two visiting students to be so defiant. They thought that with the Tenth Prince as their lifeline, he would surely back them?

Dream on!

Nangong Hai had been at the Imperial Academy for two years and knew the Tenth Prince better than anyone.

Zhao Jingheng, powerless and low-profile, kept himself unusually discreet in the academy.

Apart from his cold expression and silent demeanor, he never interfered in any disputes among the students.

Previously, the Ninth Prince and Zhao Shizi had clashed several times. Neither would yield to the other, and they almost tore off the roof of the lecture hall—but the Tenth Prince never said a single word.

And now this Xie Yu dared to imagine that the Tenth Prince would enforce justice for him? Ridiculous!

“Hm, I see it.”

Zhao Jingheng spoke coldly, sending all the students present into shock.

Nangong Hai froze. Did the Tenth Prince just speak?

No… it couldn’t be a hallucination.

He said, I see it.

See what? That he and the other students had bullied the visiting students?

Cold sweat broke out across Nangong Hai’s body.

He forced himself to remain calm and tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Your Highness, we were truly just playing.”

Zhao Jingheng didn’t look at him, his thin lips barely parting. “Jianxi.”

“Your Highness, this servant is here.”

“Please, Dean.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Before long, the Dean arrived. Along the way, he had already learned the truth from Eunuch Jianxi.

He was furious.

The visiting students came to the Imperial Academy to study, to exchange ideas and improve together.

For the resident students to form cliques and bully them—how could the Sacrificial Instructor explain this to Master Dong?

Moreover, in a few days, these visiting students were scheduled to compete academically with the Imperial Academy students.

Only a few days in, and the resident students were already acting out?

Without listening to any excuses, the Dean declared: “All students present, confinement immediately.”

Silence fell over the hall; no one dared to speak in protest.

Being put in confinement was far better than being expelled from the Imperial Academy.

Soon, someone came to take all the students away.

Nangong Hai lowered his head, and in a place where no one could see, he glared fiercely at Xie Lan.

After everyone had left, the Dean bowed to the Tenth Prince: “Thank you, Your Highness. If it weren’t for you, these two students might have been bullied. Xie Lan, Xie Yu, go ahead and thank the Tenth Prince.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Xie Yu was the first to bow, his eyes shining brightly.

He thought the Tenth Prince was a truly good person—he had given them candles and helped them out of trouble. What a kindhearted man!

When Xie Yu was a servant, he had rarely experienced any kindness. Except for Xie Lan, the other servants, using their seniority and age, constantly ordered him to do extra work. Being bullied was a daily occurrence.

Therefore, whenever someone showed him even a little kindness, Xie Yu was sincerely grateful.

On the other side, Xie Lan’s expression was more complex. He stood behind Xie Yu and bowed to Zhao Jingheng: “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Nothing in the world comes free.

The Tenth Prince had broken his own principles to repeatedly help the Xie brothers, which was inherently suspicious.

Xie Lan couldn’t figure out the Tenth Prince’s intentions, and his heart remained on edge.

“Your Highness, I shall take my leave now,” the Dean said, intending to head to the confinement room, and did not linger further.

After the Dean left, Zhao Jingheng looked at Xie Yu and asked, “Did you bring candles from the library today?”

“I did!” Xie Yu took a candle from his bag and scratched his head awkwardly. “The candle Your Highness gave me yesterday—I hid it away because I didn’t want to use it. This one… I took from the storeroom.”

After saying this, he realized his words had been too abrupt.

The Tenth Prince was probably just making casual conversation; he didn’t actually need to know where the candle had come from.

Yet Zhao Jingheng responded to his words anyway: “Mm, get some rest early tonight. Learning is not accomplished in a single day; don’t be eager for instant results.”

“But in a few days, Third Brother and I will leave the Academy. I haven’t finished reading the books in the library yet.”

“Which books?”

Xie Yu counted on his fingers: “Five books—Yiwen Zhi, Qilue, Changduan Jing…”

“Which one do you most want to read right now?”

“Qilue,” Xie Yu said without hesitation.

“Mm, noted.”

Zhao Jingheng nodded.

Xie Lan didn’t understand what he meant by “noted.” He didn’t want Xie Yu to have too much interaction with the Tenth Prince.

So he quickly tugged on Xie Yu’s arm and said, “Your Highness, we’ll take our leave now.”

Zhao Jingheng responded with a faint, “Mm.”

Once the two of them disappeared into the night, Jianxi cautiously asked, “Why did Your Highness step in to help the Xie brothers?”

Zhao Jingheng glanced at him, and Jianxi immediately shut his mouth.

He could never figure out the Tenth Prince’s thoughts.

It was obvious that the Tenth Prince treated the Xie brothers unusually well, yet as a personal eunuch, he couldn’t even read the slightest trace of his master’s mind. He felt useless.

Predicting the master’s intentions, earning his trust, and becoming his confidant—that was what a competent, ambitious eunuch should be able to do.

After serving the Tenth Prince for three years, Jianxi still hadn’t earned his trust. This constantly discouraged him.

Still, he comforted himself: the Tenth Prince would at most become a leisurely prince; the throne was a thousand miles away, and in the future, he couldn’t hope to become Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace. So whether he gained his master’s trust or not, what difference did it make?

One day at a time.

Back at the storeroom with the Tenth Prince, Jianxi waited outside. Without the Tenth Prince’s order, he wouldn’t step inside.

In the study, Zhao Jingheng was painting.

He had already finished half of Xie Yu’s portrait during the day. While talking to Xie Yu just now, he had observed carefully, so now his brush moved both quickly and accurately.

Half an hour later, a complete portrait of Xie Yu sat on the desk.

Anyone who knew Xie Yu could recognize him at a glance.

Zhao Jingheng turned and opened a chest.

He took out a scroll and slowly unrolled it.

On it was the most favored Eldest Princess of the Dachong Dynasty—Zhao Lingchen.