Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 16

The next day, Zhen Puren arrived at the study early.

He carefully prepared all the ink and calligraphy tools that He Lang might need, waiting with a hint of anticipation for his arrival.

Yesterday, the teacher had truly punished his elder brother. For his elder brother, it must have been a devastating blow, right? He smiled, surprised to find that such a strong sense of pleasure could rise within him.

But when he turned around, he unexpectedly saw He Lang entering the room hand in hand with Zhen Puyang.

There was no barrier between the two, and they seemed almost inseparable, holding hands as they walked in, appearing closer than ever before.

Zhen Puren’s pupils contracted slightly. He never expected this outcome—it was completely contrary to his expectations.

Seeing his expression, surprised and forgetting to hide it, Zhen Puyang felt even more disdain. Ha, this person is simply shameless, daring to show his face in front of them.

He narrowed his eyes, suppressing the quietly rising anger.

So be it. The Grand Tutor had taught him to learn patience, so he decided not to bother with such a petty person.

Zhen Puyang casually walked past him, picked up a book, and eagerly clung to He Lang, asking him to explain every sentence.

He Lang, not minding the trouble, patiently taught him as if he were an illiterate child. The close conversation and lively atmosphere between them made Zhen Puren, already feeling guilty, even more unable to get a word in.

It wasn’t until study time was over and Zhen Puyang was pulling He Lang to leave that Zhen Puren, lost in his thoughts, suddenly snapped out of it and grabbed He Lang’s arm, pleading with him to stay.

This action caused Zhen Puyang’s expression to darken immediately, and he slapped his hand away. How dare this filthy, insignificant person touch his teacher?

He Lang had no intention of staying. He only left Zhen Puren with a piece of advice: “I hope the Twelfth Prince can live up to his name.” 

Zhen Puren felt as if he had been struck and didn’t dare to speak further. Was the teacher implying that he was not benevolent? He gave a bitter smile. Was this a case of turning the tables on him? The teacher truly favored his elder brother after all. With a long sigh, he stood there stiffly, watching the two of them leave.

He couldn’t understand why the teacher would prefer someone so difficult to serve, with such strange quirks, when clearly he was the student who admired him the most…

Zhen Puren sniffled and turned to leave. When Scholar Li returned, he no longer had the face to approach He Lang, and their relationship ended there.

Because of this incident, Zhen Puyang’s temperament finally became much more stable. No longer did he express his emotions as freely as before. Once he realized that patience could help him achieve his desired goals, he gradually became more inscrutable.

This greatly pleased the emperor. Finally, one day, the emperor entrusted him with some state affairs. After all, his previous careless demeanor had made the emperor hesitant to give him important responsibilities.

He Lang realized that this was an opportunity, and he knew it was just the beginning.

That day, while Zhen Puyang and his brothers went hunting, He Lang finally had some personal time and stayed at home to play with the rabbits and sip tea.

In his boredom, he happened to receive a visitor.

The Grand Tutor’s residence was usually quite quiet. Apart from the prince frequently coming and going, other officials who wanted to build connections avoided the place, fearing the prince’s disfavor.

The visitor was Jiang Qiubai, an old friend of his. It was said that Jiang Qiubai had been convalescing at home due to illness, which was why they hadn’t seen each other for some time.

Seeing him now, memories of this person suddenly came flooding back.

Jiang Qiubai held the position of Minister of Works. They had once traveled to the capital together to take the imperial exam and had been tested in the imperial court together. Over the years, they had shared a deep trust and were among the few people He Lang could completely rely on.

Facing such a person, He Lang finally relaxed a bit. Although it was his first time spending time with Jiang Qiubai, the latter’s unpretentious nature and his complete trust in He Lang quickly increased He Lang’s fondness for him.

In his previous life, He Lang had never had a close friend, so meeting someone like Jiang Qiubai now made him feel that they had met too late in life.

After casually discussing recent events, He Lang noticed the restless look in Jiang Qiubai’s eyes and tentatively asked, “Brother Jiang, are you troubled today? What is the matter?”

“You truly understand me, Brother He!” Jiang Qiubai’s eyes lit up slightly as he sighed. Indeed, it was the frustration in his heart that had led him to seek out Brother He.

Every time he faced setbacks, Brother He would offer advice, helping him to relieve his frustrations and overcome difficulties. This had happened so often that he had become accustomed to seeking comfort from the understanding Brother He.

“I am willing to listen.”

“It’s that old fool Yue Gaoyang again!” Jiang Qiubai said with an angry expression. Just mentioning this person irritated him, causing him to fidget restlessly in his chair and pace back and forth in agitation.

He Lang nodded knowingly. So, it was him again.

Yue Gaoyang was the Minister of Revenue, a senior official who had served for many years, and his age was comparable to that of Jiang Qiubai’s father. Despite living for so long, Yue Gaoyang still behaved as competitively as a young man.

From the moment Jiang Qiubai, who was much younger, was appointed to a position on par with him, Yue Gaoyang had harbored resentment and consistently tried to marginalize him. This had led to an unspoken rivalry between them.

However, Yue Gaoyang, being proud and arrogant, never saw Jiang Qiubai as a real threat. He treated him as an up-and-coming youngster who wouldn’t amount to much, and while he didn’t go out of his way to target him, he never missed an opportunity to make things difficult.

Jiang Qiubai, who came from a humble background and lacked the deep familial support that Yue Gaoyang had, had always endured these slights with a smile, pretending as if nothing was wrong while working alongside him.

Although he appeared calm and composed, Jiang Qiubai had a bit of a temper. Every time he had a confrontation with Yue Gaoyang, he would end up seething with anger, and He Lang was helpless in the face of this.

The latest conflict arose over the earthquake in Jinnan. Jiang Qiubai was appointed as the official in charge of disaster relief, a position that greatly displeased Yue Gaoyang. In retaliation, Yue Gaoyang repeatedly delayed the allocation of funds for the relief efforts.

“That senile old fool! How dare he play games with such a critical matter!” Jiang Qiubai cursed, taking a swig of the now-cold tea on the table to quell his anger.

He Lang nodded, recalling that His Highness had also been involved in this disaster relief effort, tasked with supervising its progress. Although his role was nominal for now, since it concerned His Highness, He Lang had no choice but to pay close attention.

Moreover, He Lang knew that Yue Gaoyang was a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince’s faction. This alone placed Yue Gaoyang firmly in opposition to He Lang.

Although the court had officially forbidden factional alliances, such activities had never ceased. Once the princes reached the appropriate age, it was inevitable that various officials would begin to support their favored heir to the throne, forming alliances and engaging in mutual back-scratching.

Furthermore, Yue Gaoyang was a distant relative of the Empress’s family, so it was only natural that he would give his full support.

In the past, when His Highness had not yet entered the court, all the political infighting had nothing to do with him. But now, the situation was different. He Lang believed that Yue Gaoyang had already taken precautions when His Highness entered the court and that he might intervene at any time. Yue Gaoyang would definitely not sit idly by, and in the long run, this could become a hidden threat.

“Don’t worry,” He Lang ordered someone to set up a chessboard, then poured a pot of clear wine to share with Jiang Qiubai, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

“How can I not worry? Brother He, you—fine, fine, let’s play chess, right?” Jiang Qiubai flicked the hem of his robe, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and picked up a white chess piece, but he couldn’t calm down, and his moves were erratic.

He Lang watched him, full of impatience yet trying to appear calm. He couldn’t help but smile and, with a thoughtful expression, picked up a chess piece, suppressing the dark emotions surging within his eyes. “Let me share a strategy with you.”

Jiang Qiubai leaned forward to listen, nodding slightly, his eyes gradually filling with a hint of a smile.

Just then, Zhen Puyang returned from hunting. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he saw the two of them leaning close together, whispering in each other’s ears, and then exchanging a smile. His face darkened, and he threw the quiver in his hand beside the door with a loud clang.

He Lang looked at him and smiled slightly, beckoning him over. “Yang’er, you’re back?”

“Hmm.” He nodded, quickly glancing at the unfamiliar man beside He Lang before walking up to He Lang and blocking their line of sight.

“Greetings to Your Highness,” Jiang Qiubai immediately recognized his identity and bowed to him.

Zhen Puyang eyed him up and down without saying a word, trying to guess who this person was.

Jiang Qiubai cupped his hands and politely introduced himself, but when he inadvertently added, “a long-time close friend of the Grand Tutor,” Zhen Puyang became very interested.

He narrowed his eyes and asked again, “A long-time close friend?”

Jiang Qiubai was momentarily stunned, then nodded affirmatively. He had clearly misunderstood, thinking that the prince genuinely wanted to hear about their past, so he earnestly recounted how they had shared hardships and developed a deep mutual appreciation.

Seeing Zhen Puyang’s face grow darker, He Lang’s eyelid twitched. He placed a hand on Jiang Qiubai’s shoulder, signaling with his eyes, “Brother Jiang, enough reminiscing for today. We can meet again another time. Please give some thought to what I just told you.”

Jiang Qiubai nodded, flashed him a bright smile, then bowed to Zhen Puyang and left.

Once he was gone, Zhen Puyang relentlessly questioned, “How long were you two together? Was what he said true? What did you talk about while I was gone?”

What did we talk about? He Lang looked troubled and could only reply, “…It’s not convenient to tell you.”

“…” Zhen Puyang seemed to glare at him. He had only been gone for a short while, and not only did this person not miss him, but he also got along so well with someone else that he wouldn’t even share what they talked about. Could there be some unspeakable secret? The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

He Lang nonchalantly changed the subject, curiously asking about the items Zhen Puyang had brought back.

As soon as this was mentioned, Zhen Puyang perked up.

He had had a fruitful hunt this time, bringing back many spoils. After quickly processing them, all that remained were fine furs. He couldn’t use much himself, so he immediately thought of making winter clothes for his teacher.

He enthusiastically measured the furs against He Lang. “Teacher, when the weather gets cold, this fine fox fur will make a perfect scarf for you, or it could be attached to the back of your cloak to keep your neck warm—”

The fur was pure in color, and its sleek, shiny softness would surely complement his teacher’s complexion.

However, by coincidence, among the pile of furs he had brought back, there was also some rabbit fur. Seeing the bunny that had just finished eating melon, Zhen Puyang mischievously placed the fur in front of it, instantly scaring it so much that it jumped into He Lang’s arms.

He Lang scolded him, tapping Zhen Puyang on the forehead, then stroked the bunny’s head. “Naughty, don’t scare the bunny. Be careful, even a rabbit will bite when it’s desperate.”

A wicked sense of glee rose in Zhen Puyang’s heart. This stupid bunny was always clinging to his teacher, not being proper at all. Why should this dumb bunny get to stay in his teacher’s arms every day? His teacher even scolded him just for this creature.

He pouted, “If I get desperate, I’ll bite the bunny too.”

*Author’s Note:*

O（∩＿∩）O Thank you to the babies who comforted me, and thanks to Chu Huai and Qiangqiang for the landmines. So moving to know that Shui also read my *Zhi Lao*. Thank you for the encouragement, love you all!