I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 248 The Empress's Baby Ball Skills! The Crown Prince Asks Me to Be His Teacher?

"match?"

The Empress frowned.

What kind of trouble is this little thief up to now?

Fan Sijin also stared at Chen Mo with an unfriendly expression and said in a deep voice, "His Highness the Crown Prince is here to learn, not to have fun. If he acts recklessly, it may be improper and cause public criticism. I hope Lord Chen will be careful!"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and said, "Playing with a ball is considered reckless? Then aren't these rules a bit too strict?"

"Fan Sigui, just play for a little while~"

"I promise I'll study hard later, okay...?"

The crown prince tugged at Fan Sijin's sleeve, tilting his little face up to look at her expectantly.

"But……"

Just as Fan Sijin was about to speak, the Empress said calmly, "A bow that is fully drawn is easily broken, and a string that has been slack for a long time is difficult to strum. Studying and cultivating oneself should also be combined with rest... It is rare for the Crown Prince to come here, so let him relax first."

Seeing that the Empress had spoken, Fan Sijin naturally dared not say anything more and lowered her head, saying, "I will follow Your Highness's arrangements."

"Great!"

The Crown Prince grabbed Fan Sijin's hand and ran excitedly toward the palace gate.

……

……

boom--

The ball arced through the air above the racecourse, and joyful laughter echoed in the air.

Located in the inner courtyard of the palace, this area served as a training ground for members of the royal family to practice their horsemanship and archery skills. It was extremely spacious and perfect for playing football.

When the Empress and Chen Mo arrived at the horse farm, the Crown Prince was already having a great time playing with Fan Sijin.

"I never imagined that the football match you mentioned would actually be a real football game. I thought..."

The Empress hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

Chen Mo blinked and asked, "What does Your Highness think?"

The Empress blushed slightly and turned her head away, saying, "I thought you hadn't had enough fun at Xuanqing Pool..."

"..."

Seeing her embarrassed and ashamed appearance, Chen Mo's heart almost skipped a beat.

Your Highness's thinking is way too far astray...

Even so, would they still be willing to cooperate with me?
The Queen baby is as adorable as ever!

Chen Mo steadied himself and shook his head, saying, "What Your Highness said can only be done in private. Even if I were the most unreliable person, I would never do such a thing in front of others."

"Hmph, at least you have some sense." The Empress wrinkled her nose, then asked with some curiosity, "So what exactly are you planning?"

"It's actually nothing."

Chen Mo looked at the Crown Prince playing football in the distance and pondered, "I have a guess in my mind, but I can't verify it yet. I just want to find an opportunity to observe it carefully."

The Empress's expression also turned serious.

This person may be a bit eccentric in daily life, but he is never ambiguous when it comes to serious matters. Since he does this, he must have his reasons.

"Mother, Chen Mo, you two come and play together!"

The prince saw them from afar and waved excitedly.

"coming."

Chen Mo responded and extended his hand, saying, "Your Highness, please."

"Ah."

The Empress had already changed into casual clothes, wearing a red high-waisted long skirt.

To make movement easier, the skirt was slightly lifted and tied at the waist with a ribbon, revealing a section of fair calf that looked like a lotus root segment.

After stretching for a bit, he and Chen Mo walked onto the court together.

Playing football is a popular sport in Da Yuan because the manufacturing process of the ball is also very advanced.

The surface of the sphere is made of twelve specially treated pieces of oxhide, almost perfectly round, and filled with the bladder of some kind of exotic beast. When air is blown in, it has excellent elasticity and can withstand tremendous impact.

Even compared to industrial products from the previous life, the gap is not that large.

Chen Mo briefly outlined the rules.

Four people form two teams, using the hay sheds on either side of the racecourse as goals. Scoring the ball into these sheds counts as a point, and the first team to reach five points wins.

Soon, the game officially started.

Chen Mo originally brought the Empress along just to make up the numbers, but unexpectedly, her ball skills were quite good.

With flowing sleeves and agile movements, she moved her long legs, making the ball seem to float on her phoenix shoes as it nimbly swung from side to side.

Her ample curves rose and fell as she ran, making it difficult for him to decide which ball to look at for a moment...

The prince also played very seriously, running around the field with his short legs.

Not only was it very fast, but each kick was also powerful and heavy, easily sending the ball dozens of feet away, a strength that a six-year-old child should not possess.

As for Fan Sijin...

A gentle breeze seemed to swirl beneath their feet, and they floated along beside the prince, clearly paddling.

Chen Mo's eyes gleamed with a purple-gold light as he carefully observed the Crown Prince's every move.

Under the effect of the Golden Eyes of Truth, the prince's movements seemed to be in slow motion, with every detail of his breathing, expression, blood flow, muscle contraction and relaxation clearly visible.

"You can tell from his physical condition that the Crown Prince has an astonishingly strong physique and constitution."

"But there's no sign of any true energy circulating, it doesn't feel like it's being deliberately hidden..."

Everything has two sides.

In addition to "curses," royal bloodlines are also accompanied by "gifts."

According to what the Empress had said before, every member of the royal family had extraordinary talent. Some had excellent physiques, and some had amazing comprehension. It is said that Emperor Wu Lie was born with a martial physique and rose to the supreme level in just a few decades. His talent was so powerful that it was simply astonishing!
It's just that the flowering period is too short, otherwise Kyushu wouldn't be in the current situation of being divided among the three saints.

The question now is...

The Crown Prince has such great talent, yet he only focuses on physical training and doesn't practice any cultivation techniques.

As the heir to the throne, this is somewhat unreasonable, isn't it?

Chen Mo's thoughts were in turmoil as he pondered to himself.

……

……

boom!
The Queen kicked the ball into the goal.

Fine beads of sweat clung to her fair forehead, and her rosy lips were slightly upturned.

I must say, getting some physical activity occasionally has made me feel much more relaxed and cheerful.

Looks like I can play with the little thief more often in the future...

With Chen Mo's precise control of the score, the score reached four to four, and the situation was extremely tense.

In the decisive game, the prince became exceptionally serious due to his strong desire to win.

"Chen Mo, catch the ball!"

The Queen passed the ball precisely to Chen Mo's feet.

Without hesitation, Chen Mo raised his foot and unleashed a powerful shot.

However, the direction was slightly off, and it crashed straight towards the prince.

"Be careful, Your Highness!"

Fan Sijin's expression changed slightly, and she exclaimed in surprise.

As the ball hurtled towards him, the prince seemed to be stunned, frozen in place and forgetting to dodge.

Fan Sijin flashed to the Crown Prince's side, raised her hand and flicked out a stream of Qi.

The sphere exploded in mid-air!

The strong wind made her clothes flutter loudly, her hair ornament burst open, and her black hair was pulled straight back!

Only then did the prince come to his senses, plopping down on the ground with a pale face.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Chen Mo quickly approached, cupped his hands in apology, and said, "This humble servant accidentally injured Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Fan Sijin stared at him coldly and said in a deep voice, "Lord Chen, are you doing this on purpose?"

With Chen Mo's cultivation level, how could he possibly kick it off target?
Moreover, the ball exploded on its own before the energy she released even touched it, which seemed like it was done on purpose!

"Miss Fan, you've misunderstood. I had absolutely no such intention," Chen Mo hurriedly explained. "I was just a little distracted and didn't control my strength and direction properly. Fortunately, Miss Fan reacted quickly, otherwise a disaster would have occurred..."

Seeing that his lingering fear didn't seem fake, Fan Sijin frowned and hesitated slightly.

Could it really be an accident?
"Alright, I'm fine."

The prince snapped out of his daze, tugged at Fan Sijin's skirt, and said in a childish voice, "Chen Mo definitely didn't mean it, so don't make things difficult for him."

The Empress then came over and said, "It's good that he's alright. Chen Mo, be more careful next time. The Crown Prince is still young and can't withstand a kick like that."

Chen Mo bowed and said, "This humble servant knows his mistake."

Seeing that the Empress and the Crown Prince were speaking up for him, Fan Sijin didn't say much.

With something like this happening, the game naturally can't continue.

The prince was so frightened that his legs went weak, so Fan Sijin carried him away from the horse farm first.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Chen Mo narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

The Empress said in a low voice, "You're being too reckless. What if you really hurt the Crown Prince?"

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "This subordinate is aware of the situation; I was merely testing the waters a little. Fortunately, it wasn't entirely fruitless..."

He saw it clearly: just as the ball was about to hit the prince, a red mark spread out from his collar.

It was somewhat similar to the blood-red snake scales that covered Chu Heng's body that day, but it did not have the foul smell of blood. In terms of shape, it was more like some kind of ancient seal script or rune.

"An automatic defense mechanism?"

"It seems the Great Yuan royal family is not as simple as I imagined!"

A cold smile crept onto Chen Mo's lips.

Seeing the Empress's curious expression, he transmitted his voice, "It's not appropriate to talk about this here. Let's go back and discuss it later."

Although he was constantly using his soul power to shield his senses, being inside the imperial palace meant it was always better to be cautious.

"Ok."

The Empress nodded and raised her hand to fan herself.

"I just took a shower, but I'm all sweaty again. I feel sticky and uncomfortable..."

"How about I rub it for Your Highness again?"

"No need, it'll be even stickier after you rub it..."

"?"

……

……

The inner court, the Cypress Garden.

Atop the treetops, a shadowy figure stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the horse farm from afar.

When he saw Chen Mo kick the ball towards the Crown Prince, his body was enveloped in swirling black mist, clearly indicating some emotional turmoil, but he still managed to restrain himself.

Only after the four people left did their figures vanish like bubbles.

……

...Qianji Palace.

The palace was dimly lit, with only a tiny candle flame flickering inside.

The emperor lay on the bed, covered with a brocade quilt embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon. He looked lifeless and his condition seemed even worse than before.

The newly appointed eunuch brought the elixir, and after the emperor took it, his complexion improved slightly, but he still looked like he was on his deathbed.

bell--

A gentle breeze wafted through the closed bedroom, and the nine golden bells on the door rang out with a clear, melodious sound.

"They've arrived," the emperor said in a hoarse voice.

The shadow slowly emerged, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"How is the situation?" the emperor asked.

"As Your Majesty suspects, Chen Mo has indeed realized something and is intentionally testing the Crown Prince. It is not yet clear how much he has learned," the shadowy figure replied.

"This couldn't be kept secret for long anyway, after all, he is... cough cough!"

Halfway through his sentence, the emperor suddenly coughed violently, and a trickle of dark blood slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health." The man in shadow hesitated. "Your health has been deteriorating these past few days. The palace servants in Qianji Palace have already been replaced. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to maintain our health for long."

The emperor took a breath, raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, and said calmly, "The dragon's energy is like the tide, rising and falling unpredictably. When it is at its peak, it is like a celestial river pouring down; when it declines, it is like a candle about to go out... This is just a predetermined cycle."

"I've had enough of this kind of life for so many years, but thankfully, a glimmer of hope has finally arrived..."

"Offering sacrifices to Heaven, seizing destiny, transforming into a dragon—as long as this path is viable, we can escape this damned fate… I have waited far too long for this day; it cannot be missed…"

The shadowy figure paused for a moment before asking, "What does Your Majesty wish me to do?"

"Just wait and see what happens."

Having spoken too much, the emperor's voice betrayed a hint of weariness as he said, "The mandate of heaven is like a torrent, crushing all who stand in its way. Even I can only go with the flow... and then, at crucial moments, give it a push, steer this torrent in a direction favorable to us..."

The voice gradually grew weaker and weaker until it was completely inaudible, as if the person had fallen into a deep sleep.

The shadowy figure gazed silently at the quiet golden tent.

"The torrent of destiny..."

……

……

After leaving the horse farm, the Empress went to take a bath, while Chen Mo returned to Zhaohua Palace first.

As soon as I entered the inner hall, I saw the Crown Prince sitting obediently on a small stool, biting his pen, looking like he had a deep grudge.

Fan Sijin, dressed in a light blue palace gown, stood to the side, her head now adorned with a new hair ornament.

"Your Highness, you haven't gone back?" Chen Mo asked curiously, as he had assumed the Crown Prince had already returned to the palace to rest.

Fan Sijin glanced at him and said quietly, "Thanks to Lord Chen's brilliant idea, the Crown Prince was tricked into playing football halfway through his studies, which has prevented him from finishing his coursework. I'm afraid he won't be able to explain this to Grand Tutor Lü."

"..."

Chen Mo's lips twitched slightly.

The way you're saying this makes it sound like you've corrupted the child...

"But it's already this late, why is Lord Chen still in the palace?" Fan Sijin said coldly, "Are the affairs of your Tianlin Guard so leisurely?"

The other party's words were barbed and sarcastic, clearly still angry about what happened on the court... Chen Mo didn't care, and sat down in his chair casually, saying, "Besides being the Deputy Commander of the Tianlin Guard, I am also a Senior General of the Imperial Guard, so it's normal for me to stay in the palace."

Fan Sijin frowned and said, "Even the Imperial Guards can only patrol outside; I've never seen anyone who can freely enter and leave the palace."

Chen Mo shrugged and said, "Now you've seen it."

"..."

Fan Sijin turned her head away, feeling that if she said another word to this person, she would be driven mad.

Chen Mo glanced at the book on the table and saw that the title page read "Qiyuan Zhengyao" (Essentials of Qiyuan Politics), and the inside was filled with tiny, dense characters that made one's head spin.

The Crown Prince nearly chewed his pen to pieces, and said pitifully, "Fan Sigui, the question set by Grand Tutor Lü is too difficult. I don't know how to answer it..."

Fan Sijin shook her head and said, "The lessons assigned by the Grand Tutor are all within Your Highness's ability. As long as Your Highness studies diligently, you will definitely be able to solve them."

The prince pouted and said, "But this question is really not in the book. If you don't believe me, come and take a look."

"impossible……"

Fan Sijin picked up the paper, glanced at it, paused for a moment, pondered silently for a long time, and then put it back on the table.

"Let me answer your question when Her Majesty the Empress arrives."

"..."

Chen Mo chuckled and said, "Actually, you probably don't know either, right?"

Fan Sijin was quite frank, saying, "I'm just a palace maid, completely ignorant of governing the country. Isn't it normal that I can't solve this? Lord Chen seems to know a lot. If you're confident, you might as well come and take a look."

"Just take a look."

Chen Mo muttered something to himself, then got up and went behind the Crown Prince.

Looking down, I saw a line of vigorous cursive script written on the Xuan paper, the content of which was concise and to the point: Please summarize the way to govern a country in fifteen characters.

Chen Mo frowned slightly.

The simpler the question seems, the harder it is to answer.

Governing a country involves many dimensions, including politics, economy, culture, military, and people's livelihood. How can it be summarized in just fifteen characters?
Therefore, this question does not test practical skills, but rather the understanding of governance.

Seeing that Chen Mo remained silent for a long time, Fan Sijin assumed that he was stumped and curled her lips, "It seems that Lord Chen is not so great after all."

Tsk, this woman really holds a grudge...

Chen Mo said calmly, "What's so difficult about that? In my opinion, it doesn't need to be fifteen characters, seven characters will suffice."

Fan Sijin raised an eyebrow and said, "Lord Chen, are you joking?"

Chen Mo didn't say much. He picked up a brush and wrote seven large characters below.

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish?"

Fan Sijin looked at the sentence and said with some amusement, "If Lord Chen doesn't understand, there's no need to write nonsense. How can frying fish be compared to governing a country? If that's the case, then every cook can govern a country?"

Chen Mo said in a serious tone, "A good cook is not necessarily a good emperor, but a good emperor is definitely a good cook."

These words were somewhat unconventional, but since both of them had powerful backers, they didn't have many reservations.

Fan Sijin actually became quite interested, and said with his arms crossed, "Why don't you explain properly, Lord Chen?"

Chen Mo, with his hands behind his back, slowly said, "If the heat is too high, the fish will burn; if you stir it too often, it will fall apart. You must adjust the heat at the right time, remain calm, and follow the natural order... This applies to frying fish, and it also applies to governing a country."

?

Fan Sijin was stunned.

She was also present when Grand Tutor Lü was giving lessons to the Crown Prince, and through this exposure, she naturally grasped the deeper meaning of his teachings...

Unless one has an extremely deep understanding of politics, one could never utter such concise words!
So this guy actually knows it?!
The crown prince bit his finger, looking bewildered, and asked, "So you mean a good emperor should do nothing?"

"Those who cook fresh food fear breaking it into pieces; those who govern a country fear its chaos."

“If government orders are too numerous and harsh, like a boiling cauldron of raging fire, the people will not be able to bear the disturbance; if the administration is corrupt and chaotic, like slicing meat with a jumble of knives, the country will surely be damaged.”

Chen Mo crossed his legs and said with a smile, "I'm not afraid of incompetent rulers, I'm afraid of overdoing it. Compared to that, it's better to do nothing. That's called governing by doing nothing."

"Governing by doing nothing?"

The crown prince pondered for a moment, then pressed on, "How should we strike the right balance?"

Chen Mo picked up his teacup, slowly took a sip, and said:

"In my opinion, it can be summarized in twelve words: harmonize the ingredients, observe the heat, and stir carefully."

"In other words, it means: to balance leniency and severity, like seasoning five flavors; to assess the situation and act neither hastily nor slowly; and once laws and regulations are established, not to change them lightly."

Upon hearing this, the crown prince fell into deep thought.

In terms of understanding of state affairs, Grand Tutor Lü is certainly superior to Chen Mo.

However, the Grand Tutor's lectures were too profound, making people drowsy every time they listened, while Chen Mo's vivid and engaging explanations piqued his interest.

Fan Sijin stared blankly at Chen Mo.

She originally wanted to see Chen Mo make a fool of himself, but she didn't expect to hear such shocking remarks!
After regaining his senses, the Crown Prince looked at Chen Mo with sparkling eyes and said with admiration, "I didn't expect that besides being good at football, you also know about state affairs... How about you become my tutor in the future?"

"puff!"

Chen Mo spat out a mouthful of tea, exclaiming in disbelief, "Cough cough, Grand Tutor?!"

The Crown Prince nodded and said, "I only have a Grand Tutor, not a Grand Preceptor or a Grand Protector. Anyway, the positions are just sitting there... Hmm, I'll go see my father tomorrow and ask you to tutor me..."

Chen Mo waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Your Highness, please don't joke. I am just a fifth-rank military officer. How could I be qualified?"

The Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Protector were collectively known as the Three Dukes.

Among them, the Grand Tutor held real military and political power, the Grand Preceptor guided academic and moral conduct, and the Grand Protector was responsible for the Crown Prince's etiquette and safety.

Although the power of the Three Dukes has weakened and gradually become an honorary title, they are still real first-rank officials!
The granting of such official titles has strict standards; they are either founding fathers or powerful ministers and chief ministers... As a fifth-rank military officer who doesn't even have the qualifications to participate in politics, the gap is too large, and there is absolutely no possibility of him being directly granted a title.

If this were to get out, it would only make us a laughing stock.

The Crown Prince, however, didn't seem to care and said, "So what? I heard Grand Tutor Lü say that the Qilin Pavilion is just your starting point. Sooner or later you will rise to prominence... Becoming a Grand Tutor will be a piece of cake then."

?

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment.

Grand Tutor Lü actually said something like that?
Seeing that the Crown Prince was getting more and more excited, Chen Mo didn't dare to linger any longer and made an excuse to run away.

He knows his own limitations; he was just showing off, and what he said was nothing but parroting others' ideas—mere armchair theorizing…

Teaching the crown prince to play ball is fine, but teaching him to govern a country is just too far-fetched.

Besides, he didn't want to get involved with the Crown Prince...

After the Empress finished bathing, she had just arrived near Zhaohua Palace when she saw Chen Mo hurriedly leaving.

"Strange, how come this little thief ran so fast?"

"I changed into a new undergarment and was thinking of showing it to him..."

……

……

Chen Mo passed through the inner court and arrived at the Qianqing Gate.

Although today was full of twists and turns, we did make a significant discovery, which should be reported to the Imperial Concubine.

With Her Majesty's knowledge and understanding, she might know what the red runes on the Crown Prince's body are.

After the palace servants announced their arrival, a figure in white robes arrived gracefully in no time.

"Director Xu..."

Before Chen Mo could finish his greeting, Xu Qingyi stretched out her hand and asked impatiently, "Where's the stuff?"

Chen Mo asked in confusion, "What is it?"

"What do you think? Of course, it's the sequel to *The Plum in the Silver Vase*!"

"..."

Xu Qingyi frowned and said, "It's been several days already, don't tell me you haven't written a single word? You promised me last time that you would update at least five times!"

Chen Mo said awkwardly, "I've been too busy lately and haven't had the time..."

"Chen Mo, I really have to control you!"

Xu Qingyi said angrily, "Come to my place later, I want to watch you write it with my own eyes! You're not allowed to leave until you finish!"

Chen Mo: "..."

It's one thing to urge someone to update in person, but to lock them in a dark room?

This generation of readers is way too violent...

(End of this chapter)