Eternal Life as False Emperor-Chapter 164 - 132: Imperial Tutoring Ruler

Changle Palace, Changxin Hall.

This place is located on the east side of Qiankun Hall, covering over a hundred acres and encompassing more than a dozen different halls.

This palace also has another nickname, "Crown Prince's Eastern Palace," and it has been the residence and learning place for crown princes through the generations.

Of course, the current Emperor Zhengyong is nearly in his thirties yet has not had a prince born, so this "Crown Prince's Eastern Palace" has remained unused.

It wasn't until several princesses began their education that it was reactivated, transformed into Your Majesty's private school for teaching the princesses.

In this matter, within Changxin Hall.

"At the beginning of a person, nature is inherently good..."

Five adorable little girls, like carved jade, were swaying back and forth reciting the Three Character Classic under the guidance of two girls around the age of twelve.

And in front of them sat an old man in green robes, hands behind his back, listening carefully.

These five adorable little girls, of course, are Zheng Yi's five little princesses.

Born in the fourth year of Zhengyong, they are now around five years old and have already started their education.

Today, they were simply completing the assignments given by their teacher.

As they recited, the Third Princess, Zheng Yuhuan, suddenly blinked and quietly tugged at the Second Princess, Zheng Yuxia.

The two little girls giggled softly, sneaking down from their seats.

While still muttering the lines, they quietly crawled towards the door, planning to slip away.

"Teacher~!"

Just then, a sweet voice rang out as the Fourth Princess, Zheng Yuxuan, raised her hand and said, "Langhuan and Jin Xia are trying to sneak out again, you should stop them."

The teacher at the head seat slowly opened his eyes and said calmly, "Langhuan, Jin Xia, where are you two going?"

"Replying to the teacher."

Langhuan immediately stood properly and said, "I feel that today's sunny weather is perfect for us to go outside and study."

"Just like Father said, breathing fresh air helps to relax the mind and enhances learning."

"So eloquent, stand properly!"

The teacher shook his head and said, "We have just begun today's lesson, not even enough time for a cup of tea, and are reviewing what we learned previously. What fresh air are you talking about?"

"Jade becomes a vessel through carving; people become accomplished through learning. I'll punish you by making you copy the Three Character Classic three times."

"Hmph~! I won't copy it. I'll go learn with Father~!"

Saying that, she disregarded the teacher's unpleasant expression, pulling Princess Jin Xia along as they ran towards Baiyu City.

"Outrageous! Outrageous! Such a breach of decorum, such a breach of decorum... cough, cough..."

"Teacher, are you alright~"

"Teacher, have some water, Huan'er meant no harm, please don't take it to heart..."

The two almost identical girls hurriedly brought tea to the teacher, constantly comforting him.

"Young Masters~"

At this moment, several figures walked in from outside Changxin Hall, blocking most of the sunlight.

"Father~"

"Father!"

"It's Father!"

Everyone turned to see Zheng Yi entering, surrounded by Liu Cheng'en and several eunuchs.

In his arms were two little girls, none other than Langhuan and Jin Xia, giggling continuously.

Seeing Zheng Yi, the remaining three little girls also quickly got up, hopping and skipping over.

"Father, hug me!"

"Father, Father, hold me!"

"Hold me, hold me~!"

Even the two twin girls quickly greeted him, gazing affectionately at Zheng Yi, and softly saluted, "Your subject's daughters greet Your Majesty!"

The teacher also quickly stood up, bowing and saying, "I greet Your Majesty."

"You may rise."

Zheng Yi was obviously in a great mood, lifting all five little girls at once. Langhuan, the cleverest one, surprisingly climbed onto Zheng Yi's head, perching herself on his neck like riding a horse.

"Alright, alright, come down. Father has come to test your knowledge, not to play with you!"

For his ten daughters, Zheng Yi truly cherishes them dearly, afraid they'd fall if not held carefully or melt if not spoken softly to, doting on them excessively.

He would almost always agree to their requests, being the epitome of a doting father.

This, of course, made several little princesses even more unruly, acting like little tyrants within the palace.

However, there are some princesses with gentle and pure characters, who delight Zheng Yi very much.

For instance, the Eldest Princess Zheng Yuyao is the most pleasing to Zheng Yi.

Having finally set down the five little princesses, Zheng Yi came up to the teacher and said, "Teacher, thank you for your hard work."

The teacher before him was the contemporary great scholar named Luh Ziqian.

He was the Third Place Scholar in the eleventh year of Tianqi, known for his indifferent nature, disliking officialdom, yet he traveled around Great Yu lecturing and promoting his Daoist studies.

He eventually became a contemporary great scholar and is also the junior of today's Cabinet Minister Zheng Xuanyue, one of the representatives of the Southern Scholarly School.

"Today, I have come, to test the learning progress of the princesses. How far has the learning reached?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, the Three Character Classic has been completed, and now we are studying Seeking Instruction for the Children."

"Oh? So quickly?"

Zheng Yi said, "Having completed the Three Character Classic, can the princesses recite it?"

"Yes."

"Then, one by one, come up; whomever recites fluently and completely will earn a reward from me."

"Yes!"

All five princesses were eager to try, except for Langhuan and Jin Xia, whose little faces were wrinkled like buns.

"Who will go first?"

"I will!"

Zheng Yuxuan was the first to raise her hand, then stood up and recited in a sweet, childlike voice, "At the beginning of a person, nature is inherently good..."

"Mm, not bad, not bad."

Zheng Yi nodded, casually taking off a piece of milky white jade pendant, "Xuan'er recited well, this piece of mutton fat jade pendant is yours."

"Thank you, Father!"

Next up was Zheng Yuyang, who also recited quickly and received a reward from Zheng Yi.

Among the five little princesses who started their education, the fourth and fifth princesses are the closest, entirely because their mothers are Xu Qingluan and Li Changle.

And the Second Princess Zheng Yuxia and Third Princess Zheng Yuhuan are the closest, their mothers being Consort Bi and the Empress.

Usually, the four of them make the most noise, often arguing endlessly over trivial matters.

As for Eldest Princess Zheng Yuyao, her nature is pure, and she likes to be alone.

Among the ten princesses, several small groups formed based on their mothers.

Zheng Yuyao recited steadily, her enunciation clear, neither rushed nor slow, unlike Yuyang who had to pause several times.

Zheng Yi nodded, then took out a jade bead necklace, handing it to Yuyao.

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

"And you two~"

Looking at Langhuan and Jin Xia shrinking away, Zheng Yi frowned.

The two little lolis couldn't escape and reluctantly began to recite.

But it was obvious; they were stumbling even at the beginning, forget about completing it.

"What's going on, Yuyao, Yuxuan, and Yuyang can recite it completely. Have you two been studying at all?"

The two little lolis were bashful and didn't know how to respond.

"Jie'er Yu'er?"

Zheng Yi looked towards the two girls.

They were Dongyun Feng's daughters and had been raised under Noble Lady Zhen in Cuiping Hall.

About a month ago, Zheng Yi visited them, and the former seven or eight-year-old little lolis had grown into twelve-year-old graceful young girls.

Everyone in the palace knew their identities, so no one troubled them, even subtly calling them "Young Master," which secretly pleased them.

Even Zheng Yi ordered that the two girls study alongside the princesses and tutors.

Jie'er sneaked a glance at Zheng Yuhuan, who was sitting upright but whose eyes were somewhat anxious.

She stammered, "M-maybe the princesses were too excited to see Your Majesty and forgot a little."

"Yes, yes!"

Zheng Yuhuan quickly said, "Sister Jie'er is right. Father Emperor, I haven't seen you for days, and I've been missing you. Seeing you today, I got very excited~"

Zheng Yuxia quickly chimed in, "Yes, Father Emperor, Huan'er and I have been talking about you in private~"

Zheng Yi's lips twitched, these two little girls, who taught them this?

How come they're carved out of the same mold as the Empress and Consort Bi?

Yet he's reluctant to punish them and can only sternly say, "I have important matters today and will let you off, but there will be no rewards."

"Yay! Father Emperor is the best!"

The two little lolis immediately jumped onto Zheng Yi, bouncing around excitedly.

Zheng Yi then turned and said, "Cheng'en."

"Your servant is here."

Immediately, he took two brisk steps backward and from a wooden tray held by a little eunuch retrieved an item and respectfully handed it to Luh Ziqian.

"Tutor, this item is a gift from Your Majesty, named 'Imperial Tutoring Ruler,' intended for disciplining mischievous princes and grandsons, I entrust you to educate them well."

"If the princes or grandsons misbehave, you may use this for slight punishment, and no one shall interfere."

"This, how could I accept this..."

Luh Ziqian was startled and repeatedly declined.

He had previously tutored at the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace and knew well how the royal princes and grandchildren were.

Any tutor before them was a subordinate, and with diligent and gentle princes it was enough to teach peacefully.

Though encountering mischievous ones, they sometimes used their royal status to press him to kneel while teaching. What sort of propriety was that!

Hitting was out of the question, scolding was not allowed; how was it possible to manage this?

Yet now, Your Majesty was gifting him a ruler specifically for disciplining the royal offspring.

This...

At this point, Zheng Yi said, "Tutor, please accept it."

"I am often busy with state affairs and may not fully educate the children, so I entrust their education to you."

"Any child of my bloodline or studying at Changxin Hall, you have the right to educate them, and no one may defy you."

"Even if I have a Crown Prince in the future, you must educate him well."

"For other subjects, when tutors educate students, you also have the authority to discipline."

"I trust you and hope you can guide my descendants well."

Zheng Yi was particularly attentive to his ten daughters.

In addition to the basic cultural lessons, he invited tutors for other subjects as well.

Subjects like mathematics, military strategy, dance, martial arts, and more, with her hobbies chosen freely.

Of course, cultural studies were the core subjects.

Other studies were merely interest-based, and it's up to them to pursue if desired. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Luh Ziqian immediately bowed deeply and respectfully said, "I follow your decree!"

At this moment, Zheng Yi also placed the two little lolis back on the ground, solemnly declaring, "My words were meant for the tutor, and naturally also for all of you."

"In the future, you will have younger siblings attending this class, and you must remind them that the classroom is for learning, not for playing."

"Should there be further misbehavior, I will not be lenient, do you understand?"

It was the first time the five young princesses saw their Father Emperor's face so serious, making them scared and immediately saying, "I-I understand now, Father Emperor."

"We will follow Father Emperor's orders dutifully..."

Among the five little lolis, Zheng Yuhuan and Zheng Yuxia lowered their heads the most, afraid to meet Zheng Yi's gaze.

The other three girls were quite obedient, especially Zheng Yuxuan, who even flashed her small tiger teeth at Zheng Yi.

"Alright."

Zheng Yi rose and said, "Today, besides presenting a gift to the tutor, there's another matter where I need to take several princesses away, is that alright, Tutor?"

Luh Ziqian immediately replied, "Your Majesty, please go ahead."

"I will take the princesses out; today's lesson concludes here, continue tomorrow."

"Understood!"

"Oh~ We're going out to play, hurry up, hurry up~!"

Zheng Yuhuan cheerfully shouted, pulling Zheng Yi's large hand and skipped outside.

While Zheng Yuxia held his other hand firmly, also pulling with all her might.

Zheng Yi walked while instructing, "Yao'er, Xuan'er, come along too."

He then noticed Zheng Yuyao carefully storing the jade bead necklace he had just bestowed, smiling gently as she followed them.