Chapter 11
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Feeling the disapproving gazes of his two younger brothers upon him, the Fifth Prince quickly explained himself, “I didn’t push too hard! I was just in a hurry…”
Xue Yao hastily wiped away his tears and replied, “Your Highness, don’t worry. My hand is not badly hurt.”
His eyes were still teary, and his face, graced with the delicate beauty of his Southern mother, carried a natural touch of suppressed sadness, which only deepened the Fifth Prince’s remorse.
The Sixth Prince, just five years old, blinked his bright eyes and said with righteous indignation, “Big Brother said the most important thing in a competition is participation. You shouldn’t be too concerned about winning or losing. You should… you should…”
Suddenly, he couldn’t recall the exact words of his older brother and turned to Old Seventh beside him, appealing with his wide eyes, “What did Big Brother say we should do?”
The Seventh Prince, who never forgot a word once hearing it, put his tape recorder memory to good use, “Stop at a certain point.”
Witnessing the Fifth Prince’s discomfort, a eunuch who served them stepped forward to diffuse the situation. “Little Princes, you’ve worked hard all morning. It’s time for a break.”
The Fifth Prince, feeling uneasy, gave Xue Yao a brief glance and quietly ordered, “Your hand is injured. Come with me to the warm pavilion for a break.”
Xue Yao: “……” Together?
This nine-year-old boy was attempting to make amends in an awkward manner.
But that couldn’t allow him to take a break with the princes.
Xue Yao was about to speak, but the Fifth Prince swiftly strode out of the room, not giving him a chance to refuse, issuing a stern command, “Come!”
The attendants around couldn’t help but sneak glances at Xue Yao, their expressions filled with envy.
Xue Yao had yet to realize that he had already gained notoriety in front of the young lords.
Before he could collect his thoughts, a warm little hand firmly grasped his left hand.
Looking down, he saw the Sixth Prince’s bright, excited eyes fixed on him. “You can sleep next to me.”
“……” Xue Yao wasn’t sure if this request was within the proper etiquette and wanted to ask a eunuch, but he was already being led away by the Sixth Prince, hand in hand.
As he crossed the threshold, Xue Yao’s trailing robe was tugged by a chubby little hand.
He turned, casting his eyes downward.
The Seventh Prince looked up at him with displeasure in his tea-colored eyes. His long eyelashes cast a clear, ominous light onto Xue Yao’s face, giving a feeling of impending doom.
“Your Highness?” Xue Yao quickly released the Sixth Prince and bent down to inquire of the chubby cub, “What’s the matter?”
The Seventh Prince pouted. “Is Your Highness sleepy? Will Your Highness rest?”
At first, Xue Yao didn’t understand what the chubby cub meant, but then he realized that this toddler had a habit of repeating what others said.
Perhaps in the past, a reader-in-waiting would ask the Seventh Prince this question at this time.
But Xue Yao had gone off with the other princes!
Another entry in the Seventh Prince’s grudge book!
Xue Yao, quick to adapt, asked, “Is Your Highness sleepy? Will Your Highness rest?”
The Seventh Prince nodded his little head.
Xue Yao stood up straight, holding the hands of both the Seventh and Sixth Princes, following in the footsteps of the Fifth Prince.
Even the princes under the age of thirteen had to take their afternoon nap on time.
On this scorching day, the warm pavilion had already been prepared by the eunuchs, with the ice mirrors filled with ice. Upon entering, a refreshing coolness enveloped the room.
The beds of the three little princes were joined together, providing ample space.
The Fifth Prince slept on the far left, the Sixth Prince in the middle, and the Seventh Prince on the far right.
Following the Fifth Prince’s command, Xue Yao lay down on the pallet, resting between the Sixth and Seventh Princes.
After lying down, the Sixth Prince wasn’t in a rush to sleep. Instead, he gently cradled Xue Yao’s recently bruised hand, blew on the back of it, and softly massaged it, looking at Xue Yao expectantly. “Now it doesn’t hurt anymore!”
Xue Yao was touched by this child and expressed his gratitude, “It really doesn’t hurt anymore. Many thanks, Your Highness. You should get some rest.”
“I’m not sleepy!” The Sixth Prince shifted closer to him. “I’ll tell you a story!”
Xue Yao was so charmed that he almost forgot this little one was a royal offspring and listened to him with a tender expression as he told his story.
The Sixth Prince stumbled through the story of a monk, yawned, and got himself drowsy with his own tale.
Xue Yao gently smoothed his hair and praised him, “You told it really well, Your Highness. Now, it’s time to sleep.”
Unknown to Xue Yao, the Seventh Prince, lying flat behind him, turned his head in his direction.
His Highness also wanted his hair to be smoothed!
Xue Yao, unaware of the “danger,” faced the Sixth Prince and drifted off to sleep.
For a moment, it felt as though he was in a nursery during his time as a reader-in-waiting.
Half a month later, Xue Yao gradually came to understand the personalities of these three children.
The Fifth Prince was a spirited and attention-seeking boy. After making Xue Yao cry on the first day, he became especially considerate of him.
The Sixth Prince was a sweet and affectionate cub, gentle with everyone, but he would stand up against injustice when he saw it and uphold fairness.
As for the Seventh Prince…
The Seventh Prince was probably too young and often immersed in his own world, bearing a slight resemblance to the aloof and taciturn Long Aotian from the future.
He didn’t like to talk and wasn’t very proactive in interacting with others.
If someone made a request he didn’t want to fulfill, he would always use “I’m very tired” as an excuse.
His cold and distant personality was enough to make Xue Yao hesitant to resort to his “Want Want milk” tactic.
One day, the little princes returned to the palace after their lessons.
The Fifth Prince, accompanied by his own reader-in-waiting, headed cheerfully to the cuju field.
The Sixth Prince, arm in arm with his reader-in-waiting, requested that he accompany him back to the palace to listen to the palace aunt’s stories.
Reluctantly, Xue Yao stared at the Seventh Prince, secretly hoping to be detained by him.
The Seventh Prince, with a blank expression, extended his arms, allowing a palace maid to lift him into the sedan chair for his return to the palace.
On this scorching day, Xue Yao felt a refreshing breeze, sending a shiver down his spine.
Was this cub naturally introverted, or was he nursing a grudge?
Helplessly, Xue Yao bowed and prepared to take his leave.
“Master Xue, please stay.” A middle-aged eunuch stepped forward with a smile. “Consort Xi invites you to the palace for a conversation.”
Xue Yao went to Qingqiong Hall and shared a meal with Consort Xi.
“Since you’ve been with him, Old Seventh has shown remarkable progress,” Consort Xi said joyfully, instructing her servant to serve dishes to Xue Yao.
“I can’t take credit, Your Highness. He has always been exceptionally talented with a remarkable memory.” Xue Yao thought Consort Xi was being polite.
“Old Seventh has always had a good memory, that’s for sure,” Consort Xi said happily, “But I’ve been concerned about his temperament being somewhat different from other children. Ever since you became his reader-in-waiting, he told me a bedtime story recently, something he’s never done before.”
Xue Yao looked at Consort Xi with curiosity and cautiously asked, “His Highness seems to not enjoy casual conversations with others.”
Consort Xi frowned at the comment, then sighed with a touch of disappointment. “You’ve noticed too? This child’s disposition is somewhat odd, quite different from other children his age.”
Xue Yao was puzzled. “Your Highness, he simply seems less talkative, nothing odd. There’s no need to worry.”
Consort Xi shook her head. “It seems you haven’t noticed yet.”
Xue Yao listened in confusion, eager to understand.
Consort Xi furrowed her brow as she recollected, “Old Seventh actually started speaking quite early, but when he talks to people, he finds it difficult to express his thoughts. He often conveys his intentions by repeating the words of others to make people understand what he wants.”
Xue Yao’s eyes lit up!
That’s it!
That’s the feeling!
He always had a feeling that there was something unusual about this Long Aotian cub, but he couldn’t put his finger on it!
Seeing him remain silent, Consort Xi explained further, “For example, sometimes Old Seventh would say to a palace maid, ‘Is Your Highness sleepy?’ When he says that, he’s actually trying to get the maid to coax him to sleep. But he can’t express his thoughts from a self-centered perspective, or even say things like ‘I’m sleepy’ or ‘I’m hungry’ like other children. He always prompts others from an outsider standpoint to convey his intentions.”
Xue Yao was shocked.
The fog in his mind that had persisted for days seemed to have lifted.
Suddenly, he remembered the first day when he became the Seventh Prince’s reader-in-waiting, the chubby little had tugged on his robe and said, “Is Your Highness sleepy? Will Your Highness rest?”
In a distant future, as Prince Ning Lu Qian made a comeback, he didn’t say the words, “You bullied me and broke my beloved toy” when he ended Xue Yao’s life. Instead, he repeated Xue Yao’s words from that day, “The wooden horse’s ear is broken.”
After spending so many days together, from his understanding of the chubby cub to Consort Xi’s reminder, Xue Yao was shocked to realize: in the novel, this Long Aotian repeated the words of the villains each time he killed them.
This probably wasn’t for provocation or showing off.
This Long Aotian was using his own method to let the villains know why they deserved to die.
In simple terms, it was about making them “die with understanding.”
But this way of expressing…
Xue Yao, who had studied clinical psychology, suspected that this Long Aotian cub likely had “communication disorder.”
An extraordinary memory.
A tendency to immerse himself in his own world.
Exceptional mathematical talent and creativity.
These unusual talents were often linked with children who had communication disorders, as if it were a small twist of fate.
Xue Yao couldn’t have dreamt that the Male God Prince Ning, who was taciturn and had extraordinary intelligence in the novel, had such a personality because he had a “condition”!
No wonder the male protagonist’s personality was so cold and distant. It was because his thought process was different from others. He might have always felt like an outcast.
Perhaps he was very lonely…
Just as he was deeply immersed in his shock, Xue Yao suddenly recalled the mechanical system prompt tone in his mind:
【Side quest initiated: Assist Lu Qian in improving emotional communication skills, reversing his reclusive and combative nature, to prevent the future reputation of a tyrant ruler. Quest reward: 500 Whitewashing Points】
Consort Xi felt a bit awkward seeing Xue Yao’s shocked expression. “This child is quite odd, isn’t he?”
Xue Yao snapped out of his daze and quickly replied, “No, Your Highness, there’s no need to worry. His Highness is still young, and both his personality and habits can change.”
“I hope so,” Consort Xi said with a hint of sadness.
After a moment of contemplation, Xue Yao looked up and asked, “Your Highness, could we have His Highness’ personal palace maid tell him a bedtime story every night before he sleeps?”
Consort Xi sighed. “She used to tell stories, but Old Seventh doesn’t seem interested in them…”
“Regardless of His Highness’ interest for now,” Xue Yao stated firmly, “Let the palace maid tell a story every day, even if His Highness doesn’t respond in any way. I have a way to make him become more like the other children.”
Consort Xi’s eyes lit up. “Really?!”
•••
On this day, during a break in the school, the Sixth Prince vividly told a new story to a group of young readers-in-waiting, captivating them with his storytelling.
Xue Yao had been discreetly observing his own Seventh Prince, hoping that the Sixth Prince’s captivating storytelling would pique the chubby cub’s interest.
However, the Seventh Prince’s expression remained utterly unchanged as he continued playing with his small toy as usual.
Xue Yao glanced at the Sixth Prince, who was seeking praise while holding onto his reader-in-waiting’s arm, and couldn’t help but feel envious.
Moving a chair, Xue Yao boldly sat down next to the Seventh Prince, clearing his throat.
The Seventh Prince cast a puzzled sidelong glance at him, but he didn’t inquire and continued fiddling with his toy, waiting for Xue Yao to speak.
“Is this Your Highness’ new toy?”
The Seventh Prince didn’t look at him but silently nodded.
Xue Yao persevered with a forced smile, “Has Your Highness heard any interesting stories recently that you could share with us?”
The Seventh Prince glanced at him, a hint of confusion in his eyes, but he didn’t respond. He lowered his head and continued to play with his toy.
Xue Yao lowered his head as well, joining the cub in silence.
He knew that to enter the world of these children with exceptional thinking, he had to first try to adapt to their rhythm, so as not to make them feel uneasy and rejected.
After a brief silence.
The Seventh Prince realized that the little reader-in-waiting hadn’t left yet. He turned to Xue Yao with a serious expression. His hazel eyes seemed to be scrutinizing his intentions.
Xue Yao casually glanced back, as if he hadn’t been sitting there waiting for about a quarter of an hour, as if he had been occupied with his own matters.
“Boring,” the Seventh Prince suddenly said these two-syllable word.
Xue Yao thought the chubby cub found him boring but then heard him continue, “Boring stories.” The Seventh Prince tilted his mouth mischievously as he said to Xue Yao, “Still want to share with us?”
In an instant, Xue Yao felt like the world around him had suddenly burst into bloom with little flowers!
What’s going on? Why does this child with a mental disorder seem to recover miraculously?
Is it Long Aotian’s halo?
Calming down, Prince Ning’s devoted fan, Xue Yao, tried to understand this sentence using the Seventh Prince’s thought process.
It should be in response to his earlier question, “Has Your Highness heard any interesting stories recently that you could share with us?”
The Seventh Prince’s meaning might be, “I only have boring stories, do you still want to hear them?”
The two children silently locked eyes.
“Yes, please!” Xue Yao smiled, his bright phoenix eyes full of anticipation as he stared at the Seventh Prince. “As long as they are stories told by Your Highness, they will surely be very interesting. I want to hear all of them, especially… I really want to hear Your Highness tell stories.”
The Seventh Prince’s eyes widened in surprise.
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Yes!!! First step to understanding