Raising Wolves CHAPTER 06

 

 Raising wolves  

 Chapter 06

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Chapter 6

After the incident with the lost hairpin, Lu Qingze noticed a marked improvement in the little emperor’s attitude toward him. For instance, when he entered the imperial city the next day, an imperial palanquin was already waiting.

Changshun came out to greet him personally, beaming. "His Majesty, mindful of Master Lu’s delicate health, has granted you the privilege of riding a palanquin within the palace."

The little brat has finally learned some manners. Lu Qingze allowed Changshun to help him into the palanquin, mentally tallying his benefits.

Chauffeur service to and from work, a royal-assigned three-courtyard residence in the western city—though the salary was meager and the job practically year-round, at least the bonuses were generous.

It would’ve been even better if his student weren’t a potential tyrant and the court weren’t dominated by the formidable Chief Grand Secretary Wei.

One-on-one tutoring officially entered its stride. Within days, Ning Juan’s learning abilities continually surpassed Lu Qingze’s expectations. Di Jian Tu Shuo was finished in no time, and必修二 (Compulsory Course 2) and必修三 (Compulsory Course 3) naturally followed.

No matter what book it was, Ning Juan could almost memorize it after just one read. For example, the Six Classics and Four Histories—before Lu Qingze even began teaching them, Ning Juan had already read them in advance. When Lu Qingze arrived, Ning Juan would ask about the parts he didn’t understand, and once explained, he could grasp them immediately and even extrapolate further.

Compared to his progress in learning, Ning Juan’s progress in calligraphy was much slower… crawling along at a snail’s pace, barely transitioning from primitive scribbles to slightly more coordinated strokes.

Only the two of them knew about these advancements.

To the outside world, Changshun was responsible for spreading rumors through casual chats with other palace attendants, saying things like, “His Majesty is still studying the Analects,” or “The Grand Tutor Lu coughed up blood again in frustration.”

In the afternoon, the lesson ended early. Lu Qingze, his throat parched and hoarse, took a few sips of tea to soothe his dry throat before glancing at the partially read Comprehensive Mirror on Ning Juan’s desk, feeling somewhat amused.

At first, he had doubted whether the little brat could really understand such texts, but now those doubts had completely vanished.

No wonder he was the lifelong rival of the protagonist.

Ning Juan was extremely perceptive and looked over with a serious expression: “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing,” Lu Qingze replied with a smile, brainwashing him as usual. “I was just thinking that Your Majesty has the makings of a wise ruler.”

The little emperor pursed his lips, put down the book in his hand, and his expression darkened. He wasn’t pleased by Lu Qingze’s praise.

Wei Herong monopolized power, even using the excuse that “the Son of Heaven is still young” to prevent Ning Juan from attending court. Although some ministers in the court had reservations, few dared to voice them.

Ning Juan had ascended the throne hastily, with no backing or faction behind him. Emperor Chong’an had left him nothing but a mess, and he couldn’t leave the palace freely or interact with officials outside, leaving him completely isolated and helpless.

No one dared to approach him.

Except for Lu Qingze.

He could have claimed illness and avoided coming, yet despite his frail health, he risked danger every day to enter the palace and teach Ning Juan.

But right now, Ning Juan’s ability to protect Lu Qingze was minimal at best.

Lu Qingze didn’t like seeing the child weighed down with worries, so he lightly pinched the little emperor’s cheek—soft, tender, and delightful to the touch, like a glutinous rice dumpling, with a pair of large, clear black eyes. The moment his fingers made contact, those eyes glared at him: “How dare you!”

Quite imposing for someone so small.

Even the fiercest alpha wolf’s bite doesn’t hurt when it’s young.

Not only was Lu Qingze unafraid, he even pinched the cheek again before withdrawing his hand, perfunctorily responding, “This subject deserves death.”

Though his words begged for punishment, the smile on his face didn’t fade. Yet his sickly pale complexion made it hard for anyone to stay truly angry.

Ning Juan gritted his teeth. For the sake of the jade hairpin, he suppressed his temper, only to hear Lu Qingze mutter to himself, “There’s no meat on your face at all, so skinny. What if you end up shorter than Changshun when you grow up…”

The little emperor’s eyebrows rose higher and higher.

Seeing the little wolf cub about to bite again, Lu Qingze swiftly changed the subject: “I have a surprise for Your Majesty in a few days. It’s almost curfew—I should head back now.”

Without waiting for Ning Juan to respond, another bout of coughing ensued, so wrenching it made one’s heart ache.

Ning Juan: “…”

He suspected Lu Qingze was doing it on purpose.

Lu Qingze really wasn’t, though. He weakly closed his eyes, feeling as if the last of his energy had been coughed out. After gulping down another mouthful of hot tea, his paper-white complexion improved slightly. When he stood up, his vision even blurred for a moment.

Ning Juan instinctively reached out to steady him but froze halfway, awkwardly retracting his hand.

The spring chill in Yanjing hadn’t yet dissipated. The daily commute was time-consuming and exhausting, even if he rode the imperial carriage. The imperial physicians had repeatedly advised Lu Qingze to rest properly—his health was already compromised, and he needed careful recuperation.

Lu Qingze was too thin. When he coughed, his entire frame seemed too fragile to support itself, making onlookers anxious.

Ning Juan frowned deeply and finally couldn’t hold back: “There are duty rooms in the Zhan Shi Fu inside the Duan Gate. Why don’t you just stay in the palace?”

Lu Qingze waved his hand with a smile: “That won’t do. Someone’s waiting for me at home.”

Chen Xiaodao waited eagerly every day for him to return and teach him to read. By now, he was probably already squatting outside the palace gates, chatting with the imperial guards.

A shadow slowly crept over Ning Juan’s expression. His little face was emotionless as he stared at Lu Qingze’s retreating figure.

Someone was waiting for him to return?

Who?

Were they more important than him?

Hadn’t Lu Qingze said he wasn’t married?

…Why was it that he only had Lu Qingze, while Lu Qingze had others?

Lu Qingze remained completely oblivious to the little emperor’s mercurial thoughts.

Back at the Lu residence, after teaching Chen Xiaodao the day’s characters and reviewing them, Lu Qingze suddenly remembered something: “Has Minister Fan gone to Shanren Tang to get the medicine yet?”

Chen Xiaodao nodded: “I almost forgot to tell you—today I went to chat with Minister Fan’s neighbors.”

Chen Xiaodao’s mouth was either idle or unstoppable. Lu Qingze set down his brush, intrigued: “Now this is something I can stay awake for.”

“Hehe, I found out a few things.” Chen Xiaodao was proud to be of service to Lu Qingze. “This Minister Fan is named Fan Xingyan. He lost his father young and was raised single-handedly by his mother. He wasn’t fond of studying as a child, but his mother forced him to endure hardship and study hard. Only after passing the imperial exams did he turn his life around.”

Lu Qingze nodded—this matched the original story.

“For his mother’s illness, Minister Fan borrowed money from all his neighbors and colleagues. Now, everyone avoids him when they see him. He’s even sold off his writing desk and handles official business sitting on a rock in the yard. Out of respect for his filial piety, no one’s pressing him for repayment right now.”

Lu Qingze: “…”

The gossip was far too detailed. Truly befitting of the social butterfly Chen Xiaodao.

But it seemed Fan Xingyan was already at his wit’s end.

If he still wanted to save his mother, he’d have to challenge his own principles—embezzle and skim profits. But given his current position, he wouldn’t be able to get much.

All Lu Qingze had to do was wait patiently for Fan Xingyan to make his move.

Several days passed like this, with Lu Qingze dutifully entering the palace for his daily lessons.

One day, as the imperial carriage meandered toward the Qianqing Palace as usual, it suddenly stopped midway.

A voice came from outside: “Who’s inside this carriage, daring to ride within the palace grounds?”

The eunuch driving the carriage seemed to recognize the speaker and hurriedly replied, “Your Highness Prince Shu, it’s Grand Tutor Lu inside. Due to Grand Tutor Lu’s frail health and the daily strain of teaching His Majesty, His Majesty specially granted him the use of the imperial carriage for transport.”

Lu Qingze, who had been slowly lifting the curtain to take a look, froze.

Prince Shu, Ning Cong?

A few days ago, Cheng Wen’ang had mentioned that Prince Shu was nearing the capital.

Shu was quite far from the capital. Even with the fastest messengers, news of Emperor Chong’an’s death should have taken longer to reach him. How was he already here?

In the original novel, Ning Juan’s methods were so ruthless that the feudal princes remained docile, with little description of them.

Thanks to Cheng Wen’ang’s mention, Lu Qingze had asked Changshun to gather some information and learned a few palace secrets not mentioned in the book.

This Prince Shu was lecherous to the extreme. Before he had even left the palace to establish his own residence, he had dared to covet the imperial concubines. When the scandal broke, the then-emperor was so furious he nearly drew his sword to execute him. But Ning Cong’s maternal family was influential, so in the end, he was simply exiled far away, out of sight and out of mind.

Ning Cong snorted through his nose: “Ah, the Grand Tutor Lu who nearly got killed by the eunuch faction? Our little emperor is truly respectful of his teacher—granting his teacher a carriage but not his uncle.”

The disrespect in those words was blatant, as if the little emperor meant nothing to him. The eunuch driving the carriage broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to respond, and could only force a smile.

Ning Cong glanced at the motionless carriage: “What, does the Imperial Teacher think he can look down on this humble prince? Meeting on a narrow path, yet he won’t even come out to greet me.”

Lu Qingze: “…”

Lu Qingze coughed a few times and replied hoarsely, “Greetings, Your Highness Prince Shu. This humble official is afflicted with a cold and fears transmitting it to Your Highness’s noble person. I dare not emerge and offend, so I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”

The moment he spoke, Ning Cong’s eyes lit up.

He had indulged in pleasure since the age of thirteen, and as he grew older, his tastes became more refined. He had a ranking system for beauties, evaluating them on appearance, figure, voice, and temperament.

The voice behind the carriage curtain was unhurried, slightly hoarse but with a clarity like jade striking ice. The hoarseness didn’t detract from its allure—instead, it subtly evoked imaginings… of a voice roughened from torment in the bedchamber.

A rare gem.

Ning Cong judged instantly.

The thought that the carriage must hold a peerless beauty dispelled his earlier irritation and instead piqued his interest. He narrowed his eyes at the carriage: “If the little emperor isn’t afraid of your cold, why should I be? Grand Tutor Lu, if you won’t come out to see me, I’ll lift the curtain and come in to see you.”

Lu Qingze’s brows slowly furrowed as he considered how to respond.

Ning Cong hadn’t gotten his hands on a decent beauty in years. The ones in his residence had grown dull, and the more he recalled that voice, the more his itch grew. Adjusting his robes and smoothing his hair, he strode to the carriage with what he thought was dashing grace and reached to lift the curtain.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Qingze’s eyes.

Just then, another voice rang out—young but commanding, laced with sharpness: “Imperial Uncle, why are you detaining Our Imperial Teacher here?”

It was Ning Juan.

Surprised, Lu Qingze peeked through a gap in the curtain. The little emperor had clearly rushed over in a hurry, his face frosty as he glared at Ning Cong.

With the little emperor present, forcibly lifting the curtain would be a direct insult.

Lu Qingze thought Ning Cong would at least hesitate—after all, even if Ning Juan held no real power, he was still the emperor.

To his shock, Ning Cong merely paused before the curtain was yanked open.

Light flooded in, and Lu Qingze found himself face-to-face with a pair of brazen, scrutinizing eyes.

Lu Qingze: “…………”

My mistake.

I forgot this was the same guy who dared to covet his own father’s wives.

Author’s Note:

Little Emperor: Am I not Teacher’s one and only precious darling? QwQ

CONTINUE