In the heart of the Second Prince, Rong Qijun, Gu Lan had always been a fool who was arrogant and domineering in front of outsiders, and timid and wimpy in front of himself.
But these words weren't hard; he should understand their meaning.
Rong Qijun hadn't seen Gu Lan for days, and now seeing her, he was slightly taken aback.
The youth was still the same, but his eyebrows seemed to have relaxed, his eyes indifferent yet calm, completely ignoring him!
Is this still the Gu Lan from before!
Gu Lan ignored the Second Prince, calmly waiting for Rong Yunhao's reaction.
Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating myriad things as straw dogs; the Saint is ruthless, treating the people as straw dogs.
This sentence was difficult for the eight-year-old Rong Yunhao to understand.
The young prince racked his brains to answer, "Hea...Heaven and earth have no heart of mercy, treating myriad things as small dogs; the Saint has no heart of mercy, also treating the people as small dogs... It seems the Saint is not a good person!"
Halfway through, the Second Prince started to mock, and when he finished, several girls in the hall couldn't help but cover their red lips.
Rong Yunhao noticed the teacher's expression was off, thought carefully, and realized what he said didn't seem quite right, though he didn't know why.
The young prince looked eagerly at his newly appointed companion, Gu Lan shrugged his shoulders, expressing helplessness.
After a moment of silence, the teacher looked at Gu Lan and asked, "What does Young Master Gu think of the young prince's words?"
Gu Lan raised his eyebrows, his eyes falling on the soon-to-cry little chubby boy, revealing a brilliant white smile, and said word by word, "I think the same as the Princely Heir."
As the words fell, silence filled the Maoqin Hall inside and out.
Rong Yunhao was just an eight-year-old child, so it was understandable he didn't know what this sentence meant, but Gu Lan was already fifteen and didn't know.
The teacher's beard flew up all of a sudden, but in front of the surprised and mocking eyes, the young man stood with his back straight and his face not blushing even a bit.
She had a tall, well-proportioned physique, her shoulder line supple and straight, bright eyes, red lips holding a lazy, alluring smile, like a small white poplar standing firmly in the shadow of flowers.
Not knowing means not knowing, but how could he be so righteous? Yuan Lang, quietly observing, thought to himself.
Gu Lan said, "I think so too," with such nonchalance that the others felt embarrassed to laugh.
Rong Yunhao looked at Gu Lan, his dark eyes filled with gratitude and a hint of pity.
Lowering his voice, he tried to reach Gu Lan's shoulder and seriously comforted, "Brother Lan, it's okay not to understand. I don't understand either. We'll study together, and you'll understand someday."
Gu Lan: ...
She suddenly didn't feel like shielding this little chubby boy anymore.
The teacher was quite upset with Gu Lan's nonchalant demeanor, but Gu Lan leisurely asked, "What does this sentence mean exactly? The Crown Prince of Wei Country must know, right?"
The weak young man, who had been standing with his head lowered, was named. He raised his head, seeing the teacher's gaze fall on him, he couldn't help but move his throat and spoke eloquently:
"This sentence means: Heaven and earth are indifferent, treating all things as straw dogs, leaving them to their own fate. The Saint is also unloving, treating the people like straw dogs, letting nature take its course."
The teacher nodded in satisfaction, but the Second Prince, just when his expression started to soften after hearing his words, suddenly looked displeased again.
Yuan Lang saw the Second Prince's disdainful look, and a chill ran down his spine. Immediately, he lowered his eyes, appearing even more timid.
The young prince muttered while looking up, "That's similar to my explanation, isn't it?"
Gu Lan, taking advantage of his height, patted the little chubby boy's round hair, an amused look in his eyes: "Straw dogs aren't real dogs; they're made of straw used in sacrifices."
The young prince was thoughtful: "Made of straw? So the Saint doesn't treat the people as small dogs but as equals to all others."
Seeing that he understood the meaning of the sentence, Gu Lan said no more.
Yuan Lang, however, suddenly looked up when Gu Lan explained "straw dogs," a flash of surprise in his eyes.
If he knew the real meaning of straw dogs, how could he not understand this sentence's meaning?
He regarded others as fools, little knowing he appeared to be a jumping clown in their eyes.
Yuan Lang pressed his lips together, the blush at the corner of his eyes becoming more noticeable, and his hand in his sleeve slowly clenched into a fist.
From the moment he met Rong Yunhao, he had been trying to sow discord between the young prince and the Second Prince. However, not only did he fail, but he also embarrassed himself in front of everyone by explaining the verse's meaning and thereby incurred the Second Prince's displeasure.
As for Rong Yunhao, who should have been laughed at, Gu Lan's even more "clueless" response of 'I think so too' resolved the situation.
Before leaving, Rong Yunhao, a small bundle, entered the hall, his face red as he said, "I'm sorry for delaying the brothers and sisters' study time."
Gu Lan followed him in bowing to apologize, and Rong Baoyi's gaze met hers in the air, revealing gratitude.
The young prince's innocence and the few students who didn't want to study earnestly hoped he would continue to "delay" things, so naturally, no one was really angry, especially the three girls in the hall, who couldn't wait to pinch this chubby little dumpling.
"Who said the young prince is naturally mischievous and irritable? He's adorable!"
"Isn't he the youngest child in our Imperial Family school?"
"Baoyi, let me play with your brother."
"..."
At this moment, a girl in a scarlet skirt looked at Gu Lan's back and asked, "Baoyi, is the person beside your brother Gu Lan?"
"Indeed," Rong Baoyi slightly bowed her head, softly answering.
"Not at all as the rumors say, more like... shrewd and clever." The girl said with a smile. She saw through Yuan Lang's tricks and also knew Gu Lan pretended not to understand to take the brunt of the ridicule for the Princely Heir.
With a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, the girl's smile was charming and coquettish. She sighed behind her sleeve and said:
"Sigh, it's only Rong Qijun being a fool. Now that the Crown Prince and Brother Jingqi are gone, the Imperial Family school has become more interesting."
...
Gu Lan and the young prince followed Aunt Fang to the Wenhua Gate under the palace wall. Aunt Fang said she would see them off here; beyond this gate and heading south, they would leave the Imperial Palace completely.
Watching Aunt Fang leave, Rong Yunhao tugged at Gu Lan's sleeve, whispering, "Brother Lan, having me apologize to everyone in the school earlier really undermined my dignity as the Princely Heir."
Gu Lan comforted him, saying, "I would feel shy apologizing alone."
Rong Yunhao nodded like a little adult, "Sigh, such a hassle, I have to look after you."
Gu Lan: ... It was unnecessary to coax him.
After parting with Rong Yunhao at the palace gate, Gu Lan stopped.
She turned back, gazing at the towering vermilion palace walls, and suddenly, the cold, silent face of Rong Heng appeared before her eyes.