Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Disciple, Take Me In
The little third brother thrashed in panic, his head bobbing up and down. Water flooded his mouth as he choked, small arms flailing wildly. He was about to sink.
Servants on shore screamed and cried, clustering into chaos—yet no one dared jump in first.
“Move!”
Chu Tian Tian’s baby voice cracked like a whip.
She wrenched free of the maid’s grasp and charged to the edge like a little cannonball—then plunged into the lake.
Splash!
Water exploded outward.
Her tiny body cut through the water with shocking agility. In a few strokes, she reached the floundering child, hooked an arm around his waist, and hauled him up with a fierce little grunt.
They broke the surface together.
The maids on shore nearly fainted. They scrambled to drag both children out, then rushed them away to change clothes.
In the warm room, Sweetie had barely wriggled into dry clothes when Madam Li burst in, eyes red.
She seized Sweetie and hugged her tightly. “My good princess! Thank heavens, thank heavens! If not for you—if not for you—”
She couldn’t finish, choking on her fear.
The little third brother clung to his nanny, still dazed, blinking like he’d just woken from a nightmare.
Li Zi Yu came in behind them, face pale as paper, shaking from head to toe.
He had watched with his own eyes as this little princess threw herself into icy water without hesitation to save his brother.
Shame hit him first—shame for every vicious thought he’d carried—followed by gratitude so fierce it burned.
Thud.
He dropped to one knee. “Your Highness saved my youngest brother today. This grace is like giving him life again. From this day on, Li Zi Yu’s life belongs to Your Highness. I will go through fire and boiling oil without hesitation. If I break this oath, may heaven strike me down.”
[Ding!
Redemption mission: 50% complete!
Reward: Spirit Fruit Fragment x1.]
Not long after, Li Hong Yuan returned from court. He heard the whole story. When he looked at Sweetie again, his expression was gentler than ever, and far more solemn.
“Ninth Princess, for this great grace, the Li family will remember it forever.”
Then his tone turned serious. “Therefore, this old minister will teach the princess with even greater strictness. In half a month, you must enter the academy with honor, by your own ability, and not disappoint His Majesty’s trust—or the princess’s grace.”
Sweetie’s heart, which had just settled, shot right back up.
Her little hand covered her palm on instinct, as if she could already feel a ruler landing.
Her neck shrank.
Oh no. Was this even scarier now?
Lessons began.
Li Hong Yuan kept a straight face and opened with the most basic text: the Three-Character Classic.
He recited, “People at birth.”
Sweetie echoed brightly, “People at birth.”
Li Hong Yuan frowned. Anyone could repeat a line.
He sped up on purpose, rattling off a long string of more difficult lines, barely pausing for breath.
Sweetie recited them back without missing a single word—smooth, clear, and fast.
Li Hong Yuan’s brows jumped.
He tried an even harder section.
Sweetie still recited it flawlessly—so perfectly it was almost ridiculous.
Li Hong Yuan went still.
The book in his hands slipped and slapped onto the table. His old eyes went round as he stared at the tiny girl as if she were an apparition.
He snapped out of it and called his sons in at once. “Quick. All of you—recite the ‘Encouragement to Learn’ passage. Right now.”
The result was immediate and brutal.
Sweetie recited faster and more accurately than all of them. In the later lines, even Li Zi Yu and his brothers stumbled—while Sweetie, having only heard it once, flowed through it like water.
Li Hong Yuan stood up so abruptly his chair scraped.
“A heaven-sent genius! A heaven-sent genius!”
His face flushed red. He slapped the table, shaking with excitement.
In his entire life of teaching students—including the crown prince—he had never praised anyone like this.
“Ninth Princess, Your Highness—you are the finest talent and most precious jade this old man has ever seen!”
Li Zi Yu and Li Zi Feng stared, jaws nearly hitting the floor.
Their father—stiff, harsh, stingy with praise—was calling someone precious jade?
And this passionately?
[Ding!
Redemption mission complete. Congratulations, Host!
Reward: Divine skill—Perfect Pitch.]
Sweetie grinned so wide her cheeks puffed up.
After a full day of intense study, she returned to the palace—only to be immediately escorted to Yang Qing Hall.
The Retired Emperor smiled and pointed toward an old man with a white beard playing chess across from him.
“Sweetie, this is Qin Sage Qu Tian—Grandfather Qu Tian. Imperial Grandfather specially invited him to guide you in playing the qin!”
Qin Sage Qu Tian didn’t even lift his eyelids. In his heart, he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly rattled.
The Retired Emperor had urgently summoned him… for a milk-drinking baby?
Ridiculous.
The Retired Emperor added, “Qu Old Monster has a foul temper and never takes disciples. For him to give Sweetie even beginner guidance is already a rare exception.”
Qu Tian finally lifted his gaze and glanced at Sweetie, who wasn’t even as tall as the qin. He snorted.
“Guidance? That depends on whether you have the right string in you. Little brat, I’ll test you. If you don’t have even a shred of talent, quit early.”
He casually plucked the strings and played a piece. The melody flowed like clouds and water, distant and vast.
He had just stopped, about to speak—
“Wow!” Sweetie’s eyes sparkled. She rose on tiptoe. “That sounded so good!”
Then she reached out and plucked the strings curiously—ding, ding, dong—hitting the most brilliant climax from the piece with eerie accuracy.
Qu Tian’s hand jerked. “?! Y-you… play that part again!”
Sweetie tilted her head and tried again.
Zheng, zheng… cong, cong…
It was identical. Not a note off. If anything, it sounded even purer—cleaner, brighter, almost like the music itself had learned to smile.
Qu Tian exploded to his feet so fast he nearly knocked the chessboard over.
“My heavens! Divine technique! A born qin heart!” His beard shook wildly. “Monster—no, genius! Unparalleled genius!”
He circled Sweetie like a starved man circling a feast, words spilling out in a frantic tumble. “A talent like this is once in a thousand years—no, ten thousand! Spiritual aura overflowing, blessed by heaven and earth…”
The Retired Emperor stroked his beard, laughing loudly. “Well? Does my granddaughter meet your standards, Qu Old Monster?”
“Meets them? She shatters them!” Qu Tian grabbed Sweetie’s little hand, eyes gleaming an alarming shade of green. “Little ancestor—no, Master—pfft. Disciple, take me in! I will pour out everything I’ve learned in my lifetime! Closed-door disciple—you will be my closed-door disciple!”
And so it went: on odd days, Sweetie studied at Li Manor; on even days, she learned the qin with Qin Sage.
Time flew.
Finally, the entrance exam arrived.
Outside the gates of the Royal Academy, the crowd was packed tight. Word had spread that the newly recovered Ninth Princess was taking the exam, and students gathered to watch, buzzing with gossip.
Chu Jiao Jiao arrived in a graceful sway, her voice soft and bright—loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Ninth Sister, don’t be nervous. It’s fine if you can’t pass. You’re still little. Sister won’t laugh at you.”
Then she leaned in, close enough that only Sweetie could hear, and every syllable turned icy.
“Wash your knees clean and wait to kowtow and beg me for forgiveness.”