I Don't Want to Be a Charmboy【Quick Wear】

Chapter 372 The Crown Prince's Unparalleled Elegance ( )

Emperor Qi and his entourage arrived silently outside the Zichen Palace. Before even entering, the scene inside was already visible through the open palace doors.

In the flickering candlelight, Grand Tutor Zhang Zhengyuan and Crown Prince Lin Shen stood extremely close, a distance that far exceeded the safe boundaries between ruler and subject, teacher and student.

Zhang Zhengyuan leaned forward slightly, one hand seemingly about to be raised, his target being Lin Shen's delicate, white earlobe!

In an instant, Emperor Qi's brows furrowed tightly, and an unnamed rage mixed with his instinct to protect his offspring surged to the top of his head.

He didn't even have time to think; his body reacted before his reason could.

He strode into the hall with the powerful strides of a dragon and the swiftness of a tiger, his large hands already unconsciously raised with a sharp gust of wind!

At this moment, Zhang Zhengyuan was completely immersed in the "beautiful scenery" that was so close at hand, and his fingertips could almost feel the warmth of the earlobe.

Suddenly, he felt a strong gust of wind hit his face, and he had no time to react.

"Snapped!"

A resounding slap, imbued with the emperor's boundless rage, landed squarely on his face! The force was far beyond that of an ordinary person; Zhang Zhengyuan felt half his face go numb instantly, followed by a burning pain and a ringing in his ears.

He was thrown backward by the force and fell heavily to the ground with a thud, looking disheveled, his hair ornament askew.

Emperor Qi's face was frighteningly dark, like the sky before a storm.

Without even glancing at the person on the ground, he immediately bent down, stretched out his long arm, and scooped up Lin Shen, who seemed to be stunned, from the chair, holding him tightly in his arms.

His large hands patted and stroked the child's back and arms urgently, checking him over, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible fear and tension: "Baby, are you alright? Were you frightened? Let your father take a look!"

Lin Shen was indeed stunned for a moment. He lay in Qi Di's firm and warm embrace, blinked, and first looked at Zhang Zhengyuan, who was struggling on the ground and couldn't get up for a while.

Father is truly amazing; he is indeed both scholarly and martial. The power of that slap was comparable to a punch.

It's both confusing and mind-boggling.

Hearing the Emperor's urgent question, he snapped out of his daze and softly replied, "Father, I'm fine."

At this moment, Zhang Zhengyuan, who was lying on the ground, finally recovered from the dizziness of the slap.

His face burned with pain, and a faint, metallic taste spread from the corner of his mouth. He looked up in a daze, and the first thing that caught his eye was the bright yellow robe that symbolized supreme imperial power.

His pupils contracted sharply, and intense shock and fear gripped him instantly.

Your Majesty?! Your Majesty saw it? How much did he see? No, impossible! He clearly hasn't even touched it...

Overwhelmed by panic, he ignored the pain and scrambled to his knees, his head touching the ground. He trembled violently, his voice shaking, "Your...Your Majesty..."

At this moment, all that remained in his eyes and heart was panic and fear, with no trace of romantic thoughts.

Emperor Qi breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming that his precious son in his arms was indeed unharmed, without even a single hair missing, but his tense expression did not ease.

He gently patted Lin Shen's back and soothed him in a soft voice, "Bao'er, don't be afraid. Your father is here. No one can bully you."

Lin Shen narrowed his eyes, obediently resting his head on Emperor Qi's broad chest, but his gaze lightly fell on the trembling figure on the ground, his eyes calm and calm, even carrying a hint of coldness.

Emperor Qi was now preoccupied with his son and too lazy to deal with the eyesore on the ground immediately.

He scooped Lin Shen up in his arms and carried him straight to the inner palace, leaving Zhang Zhengyuan and his filthy thoughts exposed on the cold floor of the outer palace.

Upon entering the bedchamber, Emperor Qi gently placed Lin Shen on the soft bed. He then sat by the bedside and soothed the child with gentle words for a long time until he felt the child was completely relaxed.

He held Lin Shen's small hand and asked casually, "Bao'er, what did you and the Grand Tutor talk about just now?"

Lin Shen lay in the brocade quilt, tilted his head, and answered innocently, "The Grand Tutor gave me some guidance on my policy essays."

Emperor Qi smiled affectionately, reaching out to pat the child's head, full of praise: "Our precious child is truly diligent." He paused, his tone becoming even gentler, guiding the conversation, "Then what do you think of... the Grand Tutor?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shen immediately frowned and pouted unhappily.

Emperor Qi felt a chill run down his spine, but his face still wore an encouraging, gentle smile as he asked, "What's wrong? Bao'er, just tell your father, and your father will stand up for you."

Lin Shen blinked his clear, large eyes, leaned closer to Emperor Qi, and lowered his voice as if he were about to reveal a secret, his tone childlike in its directness and disdain.

"Your subject does not like the Grand Tutor. He always speaks too close, and... he has a cloyingly sweet smell about him, which I dislike."

A cloyingly sweet taste?

Emperor Qi narrowed his eyes; a clear guess had already formed.

But he didn't show it on his face, only nodding readily and speaking in a gentle tone that could melt hearts: "If Bao'er doesn't like it, then he won't come anymore. From now on, your father will teach you personally, okay?"

Lin Shen's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had fallen into the stars, and a pure and joyful smile bloomed on his face: "Really? Father! I'm so happy!"

Emperor Qi smiled and patiently coaxed him for a while, gently patting him until he saw the boy's breathing become steady and long, and he finally fell asleep. Only then did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

After tucking his son in, he bent down and gently kissed the child's forehead.

Emperor Qi gently closed the carved wooden door of his bedchamber, shutting out the tranquility and warmth of the inner chamber behind him.

When he turned around, the forced gentleness on his face to comfort the child had vanished, like a volcano covered in ice and snow, calm on the surface but surging with lava capable of burning everything inside.

In the outer hall, Zhang Zhengyuan remained in the same position as before, as if his bones had been removed, trembling and crawling on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold gold bricks, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Hearing the steady footsteps approaching, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Unexpectedly, the anticipated thunderous wrath did not immediately descend.

After being suppressed to the extreme, Emperor Qi's furious emotions manifested in a strange calm.

He stopped in front of Zhang Zhengyuan, the hem of his bright yellow dragon robe like a shadow of death, enveloping the humble figure on the ground. He didn't speak immediately, but paced back and forth, the sound of his boots striking the ground was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent hall, each strike feeling like a blow to Zhang Zhengyuan's heart.

As they drew closer, a faint, sweet fragrance indeed wafted into Emperor Qi's nostrils.

This scent is definitely not from ordinary incense; it's more like the lingering fragrance of something...

The disgust and revulsion in Emperor Qi's eyes were almost overflowing. He even felt a sense of relief and fear, thankful that he had arrived in time. If he had been any later and this filthy thing had touched his precious baby, even just a single hair, he didn't know how crazy he would have gone.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." Zhang Zhengyuan could not bear the silent pressure and squeezed out two words in a broken voice, with a sob in his voice.

Emperor Qi finally stopped and let out a very soft chuckle, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Grand Tutor..." His voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling coldness, "Zhang Zhengyuan, you are a talented young man from a prominent family. You have become famous at a young age. I think highly of you."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a cold blade, scraping across Zhang Zhengyuan's violently trembling back.

"I have defied all opposition and chosen you as the Crown Prince's tutor, entrusting you with the important responsibility of educating the heir apparent. Of all the civil and military officials, I value your scholarship and character most highly. Do you understand?"

Zhang Zhengyuan, as if grasping at a straw, nodded frantically, stammering, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty understands! Your Majesty... Thank you for your grace! Thank you for your favor!"

"Love and respect?" Emperor Qi repeated these two words, his tone suddenly rising, his peaceful mask instantly shattering. "Then how dare you repay kindness with enmity!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his foot and kicked Zhang Zhengyuan hard in the chest with all his might!

"Ugh—!" Caught off guard, Zhang Zhengyuan felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if his ribs had been broken. He fell backward and rolled awkwardly on the ground, his face pale with pain, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner clothes.

But he didn't even care about the pain. Driven by his survival instinct, he immediately struggled to his feet, knelt down again, and kowtowed repeatedly, his voice shrill: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! I know I was wrong! I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

The Emperor of Qi looked at his groveling and begging appearance without a trace of pity in his eyes.

He bent down slightly again, leaning closer, his voice low but carrying a deadly threat, as he asked, word by word, "Zhang Zhengyuan, now that things have come to this, what do you have to say to me?"

Zhang Zhengyuan's body stiffened abruptly, and the words of pleading he was about to utter stuck in his throat.

He clenched his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms. Overwhelmed by fear and worry for his family's fate, he ultimately chose silence, only kowtowing more forcefully, repeating, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is terrified... Your Majesty deserves to die..."

Seeing that he was stubborn and unyielding, Emperor Qi straightened up and slowly stretched out a cold smile on his face.

"Good, very good." He stopped looking at the people on the ground and called out, "Guards!"

Li Quan, who had been standing guard outside the hall, listening intently to what was happening inside, had already heard the kicking and begging for mercy. He knew something was wrong, but without being summoned, he dared not rush in.

Hearing the summons, he scrambled in, and immediately saw the Grand Tutor kneeling on the ground, looking disheveled and with blood at the corner of his mouth. He then stole a glance at the Emperor's frighteningly dark face, and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly bowed his head deeply and said, "This old servant is here."

"Take Zhang Zhengyuan," the Emperor Qi's voice regained its imperial coldness and decisiveness, "and imprison him in the Heavenly Prison under strict guard."

"Yes!" Li Quan didn't dare to hesitate for a moment and immediately signaled to the outside world.

Two armored imperial guards rushed in, one on each side, and unceremoniously lifted the limp Zhang Zhengyuan from the ground.

Only when his arms were firmly restrained and the cold touch of the iron armor came through did Zhang Zhengyuan seem to wake up from a nightmare. He struggled and used his last strength to scream, his voice filled with despair: "Your Majesty! I...I am innocent! Your Majesty—!"

However, Emperor Qi did not even spare him a glance. He simply stood with his back to him, hands behind his back, gazing towards the inner palace, as if the shouts were nothing more than the annoying buzzing of mosquitoes.

Jiji: "I've changed the title. I think this one is very suitable."