I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 418 Xie Jue Becomes a Disciple

Master Gu stroked his chin, then turned his gaze back to Xie Jue and began to examine him closely.

Xie Jing is so smart, his younger brother must be pretty good too.

But at this age, she is really too young.

Unlike Master Gu, Master Shen did not show surprise; instead, he maintained a smile.

"Xie Jue, is it?" he said slowly. "This is the first time I've seen such a young student as you."

"I just don't know if you are really as talented as your second brother said."

"How about this, I'll give you a few math problems to try."

"If you pass the test, I will take you as my apprentice."

Xie Jue blinked, looked up at Master Shen, and instead of fear, there was a hint of eagerness in his eyes.

He straightened his back and answered crisply, "Alright! Please, Master Shen, give me the question!"

Master Gu still frowned, harboring deep doubts.

Master Shen stood up, walked to the table to the side, and quickly wrote down several questions on a piece of paper.

A moment later, he placed the paper on the desk and looked at Xie Jue with a smile.

"You try it."

Xie Jue stepped forward, took the paper, and glanced at it.

These math problems are not simple; a slight mistake will prevent you from getting the correct answer.

Xie Jue remained silent, stared at the question carefully for a while, then took out the jade abacus he always carried and began to move the keys rapidly.

Master Shen stroked his long beard, observing Xie Jue's every move with great interest.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a small yet clever child.

It's interesting and novel.

For a moment, only the crisp sound of abacuses clicking could be heard in the study.

Xie Jue's movements were clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

His focused expression was nothing like that of a five-year-old child.

After a moment, Xie Jue stopped what he was doing and pushed the abacus aside.

She raised her head and said crisply, "Master Shen, I've finished calculating."

Master Shen immediately picked up the paper Xie Jue handed him and checked the answers one by one.

The result was exactly as expected!

Master Shen's smile deepened; he had truly struck gold!

Such a small child was able to solve such a difficult problem in such a short time!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a child prodigy!

He closed the paper and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, indeed a good prospect."

"You are a child with extraordinary talent and a good character. I am willing to take you as my disciple. Would you be willing to take me as your master?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Jue's eyes lit up, and he immediately bowed, saying in a clear voice, "I'm willing! Thank you, Master Shen! I will definitely study hard!"

Master Shen nodded, his eyes showing more affection.

"Alright, starting tomorrow, you will learn abacus with me. Remember to be attentive."

-

Wutong Academy.

"Why haven't I seen Xie Jing in class lately? No one answers the teacher's questions, the atmosphere is so quiet."

"Yes, Xie Jing was always able to answer the difficult points very well before."

Another student nodded in agreement, "Where did he go?"

"Didn't you drop out of school?"

Everyone chimed in with their own comments.

"Where did you go after dropping out of school? Is there a better place in the capital than Wutong Academy?"

"He probably went home and found a tutor himself," Xu Qing suddenly interjected.

"Find your own teachers?" A student raised an eyebrow. "Can the teachers you find at home be as good as the teachers at our Wutong Academy? This place is full of renowned teachers."

Xu Qing curled his lips into a half-smile and said, "Don't forget, his father is Prince Xie, so of course the tutor he finds is the best."

The other students listened and looked at each other.

Xu Qing casually smoothed his sleeve, his tone becoming even more dismissive.

"And think about it, finding your own tutor is so much more flexible. You can proceed at your own pace without waiting for those who are slower, saving you so much time."

He spoke casually, his tone seemingly without malice, but the students perceived it differently.

Some classmates initially felt sorry for Xie Jing and were worried about him.

But after hearing Xu Qing's words, he couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.

"So, it's like we're a burden to him?" A student frowned. "Xie Jing has never said anything like that before."

“Who knows,” another student sneered. “They found a better teacher and now they think we’re in their way.”

"Hmph, we thought he was a humble person before, but it turns out he didn't take us seriously at all."

Xu Qing listened from the side, pretending not to notice these emotions.

She even added, "I was just saying, Xie Jing is certainly not that kind of person. But you can't blame him, he is the young master of the Xie family, he has a higher starting point than us."

Before he finished speaking, the students' expressions became even more somber.

What began as longing for Xie Jing gradually turned into a lingering resentment.

Xu Qing glanced at them, and the corners of her mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

The front courtyard of the Marquis's residence.

"Master Li, you can rest today," Xiao He said softly.

Meng Chen looked puzzled: "Why don't we suddenly stop giving lectures?"

Xiaohe replied with a smile, "The young mistress said you've worked hard these past few days, so you don't need to teach today and can have a good rest."

"Then thank you for your kindness, young mistress."

After Xiaohe left, the room became quiet again.

Meng Chen frowned deeply, and his gaze darkened.

Just then, a series of light footsteps came from outside the door.

“Boss, you can rest today. This is a good opportunity. Let’s go and investigate the Summer Palace where Madam Zou lived back then.”

"There's no rush," Meng Chen said softly.

"I always felt something was wrong with this. Why would they suddenly give me a day off?"

Meng Chen turned his head and instructed, "Go and find out where Xie Jue went today?"

The subordinate nodded, turned around, and left.

Qinglan Courtyard

Qin Jiuwei was sitting at her desk, flipping through an account book, but her eyes were not on the words.

"Has that fake teacher made any move?"

"Reporting to the young mistress, everything is normal at present. There has been no unusual behavior. He has been staying in the front yard and has not gone out."

Qin Jiuwei nodded. "Keep an eye on them, but don't alert them. Report any changes immediately."

The guard responded and then quietly withdrew.

Qin Jiuwei put down the account book, looked up at Xiaohe, and asked, "Has Granny Li's illness improved?"

Xiaohe gently shook her head. "There hasn't been much improvement yet. Physician Lin said he needs to try recuperating for a while longer, but he's not sure if it can be cured."

Qin Jiu lowered his eyes and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

She wanted to investigate Xie Yanli's background.

Unexpectedly, we got stuck here.

"Continue to take good care of Granny Li, and don't let anyone else find out about this."

Xiao He nodded, "Yes."