The Grand Secretary's Child-Raising Diary

Xiao Linzi's face turned pale: "Young Master, that is Xiao Shubai, the youngest son of the Crown Prince's wife. His elder brother is currently studying in the first-class class with His Highness the Crown Prince. He shouldn't be talking nonsense."

"Should I go and inform Eunuch Shun?"

Lu Youning refused without even thinking. It was something that hadn't even happened yet, and it would be too embarrassing for him to complain. Besides, did he think he couldn't handle a few little kids?

He was more afraid of being slapped on the hand by the teacher than of the Eighth Prince's threat.

Lu Youning drank the hot goat milk and ate a few pastries before reluctantly opening the Three Character Classic and beginning to study.

In the other dormitory, Huang Shuheng looked up from the thick "Jijiupian" (a primer for learning the basics of Chinese characters), hesitated for a long time, then quietly tugged at Cao Li's sleeve and whispered, "Do you think we should tell the supervisor about this?"

Cao Li peeked over at the Eighth Prince and saw Lin Wu and Ding Ge chatting happily with him. He shook his head and lowered his voice as well: "If we tell the school supervisor, the Eighth Prince will probably hold a grudge against us."

At this moment, the one who regretted entering the palace as a study companion the most was Cao Li. In just a few days, he had already discovered that this Eighth Prince was extremely petty and could be described as vindictive.

Just because His Majesty praised him a few more times the day before yesterday, this prince has been finding fault with him in every way these past few days. Today, he even shouted and threatened to kill him, which is really annoying.

Cao Li had already made plans. When he left the palace during his ten-day leave, he would ask his father for help. In any case, he was unwilling to continue serving the Eighth Prince. Since he had already made plans, he might as well avoid trouble.

He thought for a moment and advised Huang Shuheng: "We are the Eighth Prince's study companions. If you tell your classmates about this, your days in the palace will probably not be easy."

It has been a history that princes have bullied their study companions.

Seeing that Huang Shuheng still looked somewhat conflicted, Cao Li continued, "Lin Wu and Ding Ge aren't fools either. At most, they'll make a commotion to please the Eighth Prince; they wouldn't dare to really do anything to Young Master Lu."

Seeing Lin Wu looking in their direction, Huang Shuheng quickly lowered his head and pretended to read a book, not daring to mention going to find the school supervisor again.

Lu Youning genuinely didn't take the Eighth Prince's attempt to cause him trouble to heart. After completing the assignment given by Master Pei, he enthusiastically spread out his paper and began to draw.

He wasn't used to writing with a brush, but he could manage to draw. Xiao Linzi stood by and ground the ink for him. He saw Lu Youning sketch a strangely shaped animal on the paper with just a few strokes. It had long arms and legs, looked like a dog but not quite, and from another angle, it looked like a deformed tiger.

Well, once you get used to it, it's actually quite cute.

Lu Youning looked at his masterpiece and was very satisfied. He had studied art when his mother was still alive in his previous life, and he hadn't forgotten it after so many years. He drew a few more pictures, and then it was time for him to go to bed.

Before going to bed, Lu Youning took a moment to think about how the Eighth Prince was going to punish him, but he fell asleep before he could come up with a solution.

Xiao Linzi tucked the blanket around him, lowered the bed curtains, and went out to sleep as well.

midnight

Lin Wu and Ding Ge groped their way up in the dark. Looking at the bright moonlight outside, Lin Wu hesitated, "Are we really going? What if we scare that kid and cause him some kind of serious injury?"

Ding Ge was a troublemaker at home, but he had been severely restricted by various rules in the palace these past few days. Today, he took the initiative to teach Lu Youning a lesson and vent his anger for the Eighth Prince.

Although his simple mind still doesn't understand how Lu Youning offended the Eighth Prince.

Disappointed by Lin Wu's cowardly appearance, Ding Ge said impatiently, "Are you going or not? If not, I'll go by myself. If His Highness asks about it tomorrow, I won't cover for you."

Lin Wu's family background was not as good as Ding Ge's, so becoming the Eighth Prince's study companion was a great thing for the entire Lin family. Seeing the Eighth Prince's attitude towards Cao Li today, Lin Wu immediately stopped backing down.

The trick of dressing up as a ghost to scare people was a dirty trick that Ding Ge came up with to frighten his father's concubine. He used it a few times and each time he managed to scare the women in his father's backyard so badly that they cried out like ghosts.

The moon is shining brightly tonight, perfect for dressing up as a ghost.

He skillfully put on the things the Eighth Prince had ordered the eunuch to bring him, placed stones under his feet, and leaned over the window of Lu Youning's bedroom. Then he began to sob and whimper.

Inside the bed curtains, Lu Youning was fast asleep. The disturbing sounds had barely reached his ears when his brain automatically processed them. Lu Youning thought, "The man in room 304 next door is going crazy again. It's been so long since I've heard that; it's kind of nostalgic."

Lin Wu imitated Ding Ge's mannerisms, making muffled noises for a long time, but still couldn't hear any sound coming from inside. He wondered if they had come to the wrong place.

Even Ding Ge began to doubt himself. After all, usually, if he and his servant made even the slightest noise, his father's concubines would immediately scream as if they had seen a ghost. How come this kid is sleeping like a dead pig and doesn't wake up even with such a loud noise?

Seeing that continuing would likely lead to discovery by the school supervisor, Ding Ge reluctantly took Lin Wu back.

The next day, Lu Youning was woken up on time. Seeing him rubbing his eyes and looking sleepy, Xiao Linzi casually said, "It's like wild cats got into this courtyard last night, disturbing the young master's sleep."

Lu Youning: "No, I was sleeping soundly."

It's been a long time since I've heard sounds like a mental hospital; it feels strangely familiar. He was sleeping soundly.

He arrived a little late today. When he got to the Dingzi School, the Eighth Prince's group of five had already arrived. They all looked at him when they saw him.

Lu Youning was puzzled. He had seen Lin Wu and Ding Ge yesterday and they were both fine, so why did they suddenly have dark circles under their eyes after just one night? Could it be that people in this era also like to stay up late?

Seeing that Lu Youning was still as annoying as he had been when they met yesterday, the Eighth Prince glared fiercely at Lin Wu and Ding Ge.

As soon as Lu Youning sat down, the chubby Xiao Shubai leaned over familiarly, looking nervous: "Did you hear anything last night?"

Considering the chubby boy's kind reminder yesterday, Lu Youning didn't pretend not to hear: "Oh, I heard it, a stray cat meowing."

Xiao Shubai stared wide-eyed: "So it was a stray cat? It almost scared me to death."

Ding Ge and Lin Wu, who overheard their conversation, retorted: "You're the stray cat! Your whole family are stray cats!"

.......

When the news of Lu Shiyan's disappearance after falling into the river reached the Chengen Marquis's residence, Lu Chong lost his grip on the teacup, and it fell to the ground and shattered. Qin Shi couldn't help but smile.

Lu Jingyan stared at the messenger: "The person fell into the river, and they haven't even found the body?"

The messenger hung his head and said, "The place where Second Master fell into the water is full of hidden reefs. The local boatmen said that once someone falls in, they will be swept away by the current very quickly. If we can't find him in three days, he's probably stuck somewhere at the bottom of the river."