The next morning.
When Shen Qingzhuo woke up, his eyes were still dark, but fortunately he soon regained his normal vision.
He touched his healthy limbs and confirmed that he was indeed alive, then he got up and got off the bed.
Xiao Dezi pushed the door open and walked in. “Young Master, the servant will help you change your clothes.”
After putting on his brocade robe and washing himself, Shen Qingzhuo stepped out of the inner hall and caught a glimpse of a thin body kneeling upright in the courtyard.
He almost forgot that this was a rule he set in his previous life, ordering the little tyrant to kneel in front of the hall from the third quarter of Maoshi[mfn]5-7am[/mfn] every day until he got up, regardless of thunder or rain.
Later, whenever it was rainy, the tyrant’s leg pain was unbearable, so he would torture him twice as much, condescending to personally smash his kneecaps, causing him to faint from the pain.
Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but frown as he felt a conditioned reflex of stinging pain in his knees.
At this time, the kneeling little tyrant raised his eyes, and looked at him.
The humiliation and resentment in his eyes disappeared, leaving only a cold darkness.
Shen Qingzhuo walked to him slowly, lowered his eyes and said, “From now on, without my permission, you are not allowed to look directly at me, especially with that kind of gaze.”
The little tyrant turned a deaf ear and stared at him expressionlessly.
Shen Qingzhuo recalled that when the little tyrant had some hope for him at the beginning, he had deliberately pretended to be well-behaved and timid, trying to arouse his sympathy.
However, after being tortured again and again, the little tyrant finally gave up his unrealistic fantasy and began to resist silently.
“I said, Don’t stare at me like that.” Shen Qingzhuo’s face darkened. “Do you want to kneel here all day today or go to the small study to read and practice calligraphy?”
After the words fell, Xiao Shen frowned, as if he didn’t understand what he meant.
Shen Qingzhuo looked down at him condescendingly, “My patience is limited, Your Highness.”
After a moment, Xiao Shen slowly lowered his head.
Although he knew very well that this person would never let him have an easy time, even if he was allowed to enter the small study today, he would not teach him anything useful either.
But he wanted to enter the study more than kneeling here without dignity.
“Very good.” Shen Qingzhuo turned around and said, “Go in and wait.”
Xiao Shen straightened up and watched the azure figure disappear, then walked towards the study room in doubt.
Shen Qingzhuo had his breakfast leisurely and rested for a while before taking Xiao Dezi into the study room.
The little tyrant was probably thinking about how to kill him at all times, so he would not stay alone with him in a small space.
As soon as he entered the room, he found the little tyrant touching the rice paper spread out on the table. Hearing the noise, his dark eyes instantly looked over with alertness.
Like a wild little wolf, wild and hard to train.
In the previous life, no one, including him, expected that this little wolf would quietly grow sharp claws and fangs, kill everyone who had bullied him, and finally bite them to death.
“Stand further away.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand to signal him to move further away before walking to the desk. “Today I will teach you four words: Respect the teacher and value his teachings.”
Hearing this, Xiao Shen’s eyes showed a look of astonishment, and then he was covered with deep disgust.
But Young Master Shen did not allow him to look directly at him, so he missed this look. He picked up the brush and rolled up his sleeves, and the flowing ink words appeared on the fine rice paper.
It’s funny to say that he didn’t teach the little tyrant to read and write seriously in his previous life, which led to the tyrant being a layman who couldn’t recognize a few characters after he ascended the throne.
Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyelashes. “Standing so far away, what can you see?”
Xiao Shen was silent for a moment and took two steps forward.
Shen Qingzhuo was not ready to teach him and only briefly explained the origin and allusions of ‘Respect the teacher and value his teachings’ and finally instructed, “After returning, copy these four words a thousand times.”
He wanted the little tyrant to engrave the four words “Respect the teacher and value his teachings” into his mind first.
Hearing this, Xiao Shen suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him again.
Shen Qingzhuo narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a cold voice, “What did I say?”
Xiao Shen said nothing and lowered his head again.
“Two thousand times.” Shen Qingzhuo walked to the door. “If you fail the inspection tomorrow, just obediently wait for punishment.”
In the following days, Xiao Shen found that he did not have to kneel in front of the palace every day, nor did he suffer other physical pain. The punishment method changed to copying, endless copying, copying all day until his wrists were sore and numb.
He did not understand what that person was up to and just thought it was a torture method that he thought of on a whim.
But compared to all the humiliations in the past, this kind of punishment was already very simple for him.
One day, Shen Qingzhuo was lying on the couch reading a book when a notification came from outside the palace, saying that His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to invite the young master to the East Palace for a chat.
He put down the book, propped up his arms lazily, and looked out the window with a cold look.
In his previous life, it was the Crown Prince who threw this hot potato to him and ordered him to torture the little tyrant in every way.
In the end, the Crown Prince died quite lightly, and only he fell into the hands of the little tyrant, unable to live or die.
Although he was annoyed, but he still went to the Eastern Palace.
But he didn’t expect to run into Junior Preceptor Pei in front of the Crown Prince’s residence.
“Third Young Master.” Pei Yanqi bowed and greeted him, “How is your health recently?”
“Cough, cough.” Shen Qingzhuo coughed twice against his lips and smiled, “Still the same as always, thank Junior Preceptor for his concern.”
Pei Yanqi was slightly stunned by this smile.
Shen Qingzhuo walked closer to him and asked softly, “Does Junior Preceptor know why His Highness the Crown Prince summoned me here?”
The sweet fragrance of plum blossoms filled his nose, Junior Preceptor Pei blushed, and he stuttered, “I don’t, don’t know.”
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly and sighed unconsciously.
Pei Yanqi immediately asked, “Does Third Young Master have anything bothering him?”
“It’s still about the Seventh Prince.” His eyes were as black as ink and were shrouded in a hint of sadness. “His Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t want the Seventh Prince to have a good life. He clearly wants me to…”
Halfway through his speech, Shen Qingzhuo realized that he had said something wrong and nodded slightly, “I’ll go in first, Junior Preceptor, please do as you please.”
Pei Yanqi bowed again, looking at the thin and tall figure, his eyes thoughtful.
As expected, the noble Crown Prince summoned Young Master Shen just to ask him why he didn’t torture the Seventh Prince recently.
Those dog slaves in Jiyue Pavilion are loyal to the Eastern Palace.
Shen Qingzhuo sneered in his heart but made the excuse that the Seventh Prince was thick-skinned and that ordinary physical pain was meaningless. But if he was too cruel, he was afraid that he would die and implicate the Eastern Palace, so he came up with another idea.
After such a perfunctory response, he returned to Jiyue Pavilion.
He had seen through that hypocritical Crown Prince, he would only do those small actions that were not worthy of being on the stage, and he was not to be feared. The truly powerful people were the Eastern Palace advisors represented by Junior Preceptor Pei behind him.
After a few days, Shen Qingzhuo had almost done with punishing the little tyrant and began to think about teaching him something useful so that he would have a chance to escape.
The training was beginning to show results. The little tyrant rarely stared at him with that look that made his scalp tingle anymore and no longer questioned his requests. He would just accept his punishment calmly.
After all, for the little tyrant, this kind of punishment could even be considered a gift.
Shen Qingzhuo was in a good mood and gave him a hot meal for the first time.
But Xiao Shen was still very alert and didn’t dare to sit down.
“What?” Shen Qingzhuo picked up the bowl with a smile and pretended to throw it on the ground. “Think about it, once this bowl falls to the ground, you will lie on the ground and eat it all.”
In just a moment, the little tyrant made his choice, sat in the seat farthest from him, and ate his meal silently with his head down.
Shen Qingzhuo looked at him wolfing down his food and sighed silently.
After lunch, the two returned to the small study.
The little tyrant stood in front of the desk and copied new poems, while Shen Qingzhuo lay on the couch beside him and read.
Perhaps it was the afternoon sun, or perhaps it was the peaceful time that made him let down his guard for the time being. He yawned lazily and gradually closed his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He suddenly woke up and found that the little tyrant was pressing on him, strangling his neck with his thin arms, and holding a knife for cutting paper in his other hand, trying to stab him in the chest.
“You—” Shen Qingzhuo’s face flushed, and he instinctively raised his hand to grab the wrist holding the knife and tried to twist it upward.
Damn it, he only remembered to check if the little tyrant had any weapons or not but forgot that there was a ready-made knife in the study. He was too careless!
The little tyrant’s eyes were red from holding back, and the veins on his neck were bulging with force. The strong murderous intent in his eyes almost turned into a sharp blade and split him directly.
It was getting more and more difficult to breathe, and Shen Qingzhuo could feel that his strength was rapidly draining away.
Was he going to die at the hands of a little tyrant again not long after his rebirth?
No, he was unwilling to accept that!
His strong desire to survive made him burst out with amazing strength. The two of them fell heavily to the ground, and the blade cut his arm. “Someone come!”
The noise finally alarmed Xiao Dezi, who was guarding the door. He pushed the door open and rushed in. He didn’t have time to panic. He rushed over and hugged the mad prince tightly and dragged him away.
Other palace servants also rushed over after hearing the noise. They hurriedly pinned the bloodthirsty Seventh Prince to the ground.
Shen Qingzhuo sat up, panting with his clothes in disarray. Blood oozed from the cuts on his arms, staining his wide sleeves and dripping onto the ground.
Xiao Dezi was so frightened that he lost his soul and knelt on the ground, shouting, “Young Master! Young Master, you are bleeding! The servant will call the imperial physician!”
“No need.” Shen Qingzhuo calmed his breath and stared coldly at the struggling little tyrant on the ground. “Xiao Shen, you pissed me off.”
He ordered his people to lock the Seventh Prince in an empty room, tied his hands and feet tightly to a chair, and did not allow him to drink a drop of water.
At night, Shen Qingzhuo woke up, put on his clothes, and walked into the room.
The little tyrant tied to the chair had his head down and did not even respond when he came in, so he raised his face and poured a glass of water in front of it.
Xiao Shen woke up instantly, with wet water dripping down his face, and the murderous look in his eyes had not faded.
Shen Qingzhuo sneered and sat on the chair opposite him. “Your Highness, did I allow you to sleep?”
Xiao Shen struggled subconsciously, making a harsh sound with the chair.
Shen Qingzhuo stopped talking and didn’t look at him. He sat on the chair and started reading the storybook.
Xiao Shen stared at him warily, but as time passed, he became sleepy and tired, and his eyelids closed uncontrollably.
The next moment, a cup of cold tea was splashed on his face again.
This repeated until daybreak, and he was unable to close his eyelids for a moment.
But his nightmare did not end there. For the next day and night, whenever he closed his eyes, he would be woken up by the water.
On the third day, Shen Qingzhuo began to eat slowly in front of him.
For a hungry man, even smelling the aroma of food became a terrible torture. He finally said hoarsely, “Want to kill, want to cut…”
“You are His Highness the Seventh Prince, how dare I kill you?” Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyes. “Admit your mistakes and promise not to do it again, and I will let Your Highness eat.”
Xiao Shen felt a spasmodic pain in his stomach. He retched in pain but refused to speak.
Shen Qingzhuo sat on the chair and stayed with him.
Until night, he estimated that he had almost reached his limit, walked up to the little tyrant, leaned over, and pinched his thin chin, asking him to look directly at him, “If you really die in my hands, will anyone be sad for you, Your Highness?”
Xiao Shen made a vague grunting sound from his throat, and his eyes were so scatterbrained that he couldn’t focus.
“I taught you to read and gave you food, but you stabbed me with a knife.” Shen Qingzhuo’s eyes were gloomy, and he spoke word by word, “I’ll give you one last chance, do you want to live or die?”
After a long time, a faint voice sounded in the room: “Want to… live…”
Shen Qingzhuo withdrew his hand with satisfaction, untied the prince himself, and then carried him horizontally and walked out. “Xiao Dezi, tell someone to prepare some rice porridge and clear soup.”
Training a wolf is just like training an eagle. Although the process is cruel, but as long as the wildness of the wolf cub can be eliminated once and for all, and it is then carefully fed and tamed repeatedly until the wolf cub retracts its fangs towards its owner, it will pounce on its enemy ferociously and tear open its chest.
