The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Li Ji reached out, pulled Hua Manman into his arms, and had her sit on his lap.

He said with a smile.

"Your thoughtfulness has touched me deeply.

I’ve decided to bring you along when I go to lecture at Chongwen Hall.

This way, we won’t have to be apart, and I can also make sure you don’t fall behind on your studies.

It’s the best of both worlds. Truly wonderful."

Hua Manman cursed him silently. ’The best of both worlds? This is clearly a double blow!’

She pretended to be shy, blushing as she spoke.

"Isn’t that... inappropriate? Chongwen Hall is where the princes study. I am just a woman. How could I go to such a place?"

Li Ji’s fingers gently hooked her chin. "That’s why you’ll disguise yourself as a boy and be my Attendant Student."

Hua Manman refused to give up, making a last-ditch effort.

"What if someone sees through my disguise?"

Li Ji said nonchalantly.

"So what if they do? It’s not like they can kill me, can they?"

Hua Manman thought of the Red Book Iron Certificate the Emperor had just bestowed upon him. Even if those people wanted to kill him, they couldn’t touch him.

She couldn’t help but shed sorrowful tears.

’Oh, Emperor, dear Emperor, you could have given him anything! Why did it have to be an Iron Certificate for Prince Zhao?’

’Now look. With the Iron Certificate to protect him, Prince Zhao will be even more brazen in his troublemaking!’

「The next day, Prince Zhao went to Chongwen Hall to take up his new post.」

Brought along with him was a delicate-featured little book boy.

This little book boy was, of course, Hua Manman.

She wore a slate-blue, round-collared robe, her long hair tied up completely under a gray headwrap. She had deliberately applied darker powder to her face and thickened her eyebrows. At first glance, she really did look like a skinny young boy.

She carried a bundle on her back and a food box in her hand, deliberately keeping her head bowed low as she followed closely behind Prince Zhao.

When the guards at the palace gate saw it was Prince Zhao, they let them pass immediately without a second word.

Others needed to go through many procedures to enter the palace, but Prince Zhao was different. All he had to do was show his face.

Not only that, but the Emperor had also granted Prince Zhao a special privilege—

he could ride a horse and carry a sword within the palace.

Today, Prince Zhao had arrived by carriage, so naturally, he wasn’t on horseback.

The little eunuch in charge of guiding them was very sharp and immediately had someone bring a palanquin carriage.

Li Ji didn’t stand on ceremony and sat inside the palanquin carriage with Hua Manman.

The wheels of the carriage rolled over the stone-paved ground, making a soft rumbling sound.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the entrance to Chongwen Hall.

Li Ji once again successfully entered Chongwen Hall just by showing his face.

The officials inside Chongwen Hall had long known that Prince Zhao would be arriving today. They were all trembling with trepidation, so nervous they could hardly stand it, terrified that Prince Zhao would suddenly cause trouble.

Fortunately, Prince Zhao seemed to be in a good mood today and didn’t do anything out of line.

This made all the officials breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing that no one had recognized her as a woman, Hua Manman also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Most of the teachers who lectured here were part-timers. They held other official posts, so they wouldn’t stay at Chongwen Hall all day. They usually only came when they had a class to teach and went about their own business otherwise.

As it happened, there was an archery and horsemanship class this morning.

Prince Zhao, the new physical education teacher, went straight to his post.

He took his little book boy to the Training Ground, where he saw four princes and three princesses.

The current Emperor was relatively open-minded. Regardless of whether they were sons or daughters, all his children had to be sent to Chongwen Hall for schooling once they came of age.

Among the four princes, the eldest was the Second Prince, Li Hao.

He was the tallest among the princes, with a sturdy, boyish face, and two small canine teeth showed when he smiled.

The Fourth Prince, Li Ying, was also quite tall, but he was too thin. Coupled with the fact that he always kept his head bowed, it was hard to see his face, making it easy to overlook him.

The Fifth Prince, Li Yan, took after his mother, his features leaning toward the delicate and handsome.

He’d had a previous run-in with Prince Zhao, so his gaze was now filled with ill will. One look and you could tell he was a troublemaker.

The youngest, the Sixth Prince, Li Yi, was daydreaming, seeming not to have noticed Prince Zhao’s arrival.

It wasn’t until a nearby eunuch prompted him that Li Yi snapped out of it.

He and his brothers performed a student’s bow to Prince Zhao.

When Li Yi straightened up, his eyes accidentally fell upon the little book boy standing beside Prince Zhao, and his gaze faltered for a moment.

Although the person’s skin was much darker and their eyebrows were thicker, their face hadn’t changed much. It was clearly Lady Hua!

Hua Manman noticed the Sixth Prince’s gaze and her heart began to pound.

’I’ve been found out already?’

She quietly shuffled her feet, hiding behind Prince Zhao, trying to use his tall frame to block the Sixth Prince’s probing gaze.

The other three princesses had clearly been warned beforehand. Knowing Prince Zhao was not someone to be trifled with, each of them behaved with exceptional obedience.

Li Ji couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries with these princes and princesses and cut straight to the chase.

"What have you learned in your previous archery and horsemanship classes?"

The eldest, Li Hao, stepped forward and answered in a booming voice.

"We’ve learned archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship!"

Li Ji smiled. "Then let me test your skills first."

Li Hao rubbed his hands together, eager for the challenge.

He had long heard of Prince Zhao’s illustrious reputation and had always wanted to test his own skills against him. Now, he finally had the chance!

Hua Manman silently lit a row of candles for the Second Prince in her heart.

’Such a spirited young man, and he’s about to be utterly crushed.’

Things went just as she expected.

In less than three moves, Li Hao was knocked to the ground by Prince Zhao, with no strength left to fight back.

And that was with Prince Zhao not even using his full strength.

If Prince Zhao had fought with all his might, Li Hao wouldn’t have lasted a single move.

Li Hao quickly scrambled up from the ground. Instead of the dejection of defeat, his face was filled with even more fighting spirit.

His eyes shone as he looked at Prince Zhao.

’Prince Zhao’s reputation is truly well-deserved!’

Li Hao clenched his fists and shouted, "Again!"

But Li Ji ignored him and looked toward the other three princes.

"Who’s next?"

The Fourth Prince, Li Ying, still had his head bowed. The Sixth Prince, Li Yi, knew he was no match and hastily avoided Prince Zhao’s gaze.

Finally, Prince Zhao’s gaze landed on the Fifth Prince, Li Yan.

Li Yan’s scalp tingled, and he felt an inexplicable urge to turn and flee.

Li Ji asked with a smile, "Do you dare?"

How could Li Yan let himself show fear in front of so many people?

He was a man competing for the throne!

Li Yan snorted heavily. "What’s there to be afraid of?!"

He paused, then added, "But I won’t compete with you in swordsmanship. I’ll challenge you to archery."

In his previous archery and horsemanship classes, he had achieved the best scores in archery. Even the teacher had praised his talent.

Even if he couldn’t beat Prince Zhao, at least he wouldn’t be as utterly defeated as his second brother.

Li Ji nodded, agreeing.

There was an archery range on the Training Ground, fully equipped with bows, arrows, and targets.

There was no need for any preparation; they could start right away.

Li Yan chose a distance that was most suitable for him, began to draw his bow with all his strength, aimed at the target, and fiercely loosed an arrow.

He was very lucky today—he hit the bullseye with a single arrow.

Li Yan was ecstatic. When he turned to look at Prince Zhao, his eyes were full of defiance.