Grace Baker liked receiving gifts, so she was naturally happy, but Violet Morgan looked worried: “What if Lady Edith niangniang finds out?”

Grace Baker was long used to her cautious and overly careful ways, so she didn’t say much and happily ran off to open her gifts. They had caught quite a few fish today, and after dinner there were still some left. Lillian Reed kept the remaining fish in a small pond in the courtyard, and Charles Baker was having a great time playing with them.

Compared to Mingyue Palace, the atmosphere in Changming Hall was a bit tense at this moment.

When William Baker ran back, Emperor Baker was already there. He was drinking tea with Lady Edith, and when he saw him rush in, sweating and out of breath, his face darkened in displeasure. Lady Edith was truly exasperated with him, and when she recalled the palace maid’s report this afternoon—that he had inexplicably sent a pile of things to Mingyue Palace—she became even more upset.

William Baker knelt down and kowtowed properly.

Emperor Baker said coldly, “Out playing again, weren’t you?”

William Baker answered honestly, “I went fishing.”

Emperor Baker snorted, “You certainly know how to enjoy yourself. You never pay attention to your studies, but you’re an expert at having fun!”

Lady Edith tried to persuade him, “Your Majesty, please calm down. William is still young and a bit playful. When he…”

Emperor Baker interrupted her impatiently, “It’s all because you spoil him! Eight years old is not that young. When I was his age, I had already written three essays on state affairs!”

Lady Edith said, “Your Majesty is both learned and skilled in martial arts. How could William compare to you?”

Emperor Baker took a sip of tea to cool his temper, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed William Baker’s chest bulging. He frowned and asked, “What are you hiding in your arms this time?”

This boy had once brought a dead bird into the Imperial Academy, scaring the Grand Tutor half to death. Remembering this, Emperor Baker couldn’t help but suspect he was carrying a dead fish this time.

Lady Edith was both anxious and angry, but couldn’t say anything more. She could only watch as her son reached into his chest and pulled out a copy of “The Analects.”

Wait, what???

“The Analects”???!!!

Was this really her son, the one who always complained of dizziness and headaches at the mere sight of a book?

Chapter 8 【08】

At first, Emperor Baker thought it was a fake copy of “The Analects,” probably hiding something unsightly between the pages. He knew all too well what his fourth son was like—asking him to study was like asking for his life, and he’d even pretended to faint to avoid going to school.

He reached out and took the book, opened it, and to his surprise, it was real!

He found himself at a loss for words to scold him.

The book was a bit old, with curled corners—a sign it had been read often. The only odd thing was a withered crabapple flower pressed inside. Emperor Baker asked, “What is this?”

William Baker answered honestly, “It’s called a bookmark.”

Emperor Baker asked again, “What is it for?”

William Baker lowered his head, his eyes darting as he came up with an idea. “I use it to keep track of my reading progress, so I don’t have to fold the corners of the pages.”

It was the first time Emperor Baker had heard such a thing. He raised his eyebrows, unsure whether to praise or criticize. “Who would have thought you were a lover of books? Since the flower is on this page, does that mean you’ve read up to here?”

William Baker braced himself. “Yes.”

Emperor Baker smiled, “Then recite a passage for me.”

William Baker: “…………” He kowtowed again. “I haven’t memorized it yet. I plan to finish reading the whole book before I start memorizing from the beginning.”

Lady Edith immediately chimed in, “This child never liked reading before, but now he’s started to read and even carries the book with him. Clearly, he’s making an effort. Your Majesty, perhaps you could give him a bit more time.”

All traces of displeasure vanished from Emperor Baker’s face. He had always been fond of his fourth son, and seeing him now with a desire to learn, he was quite pleased. He returned “The Analects” to him and even praised, “If a man is away for three days, he should be looked at with new eyes. Not bad.”

The emperor was so pleased that he even had dinner in Changming Hall. Emperor Baker favored young and beautiful concubines, and since Lady Edith had entered the palace early and was now older, she had rarely been favored in recent years. If not for having a son beloved by Emperor Baker, she would likely have long since fallen out of favor.

Unfortunately, her son was not very promising, always thinking about playing. While he was still young and Emperor Baker’s favoritism was not a problem, if he grew up to be just as unstudious, he might lose imperial favor.

Today, just a single copy of “The Analects” had made Emperor Baker so pleased that he even praised her for raising her son well and rewarded her with many gifts. Lady Edith was overjoyed, but she knew her son’s nature well. As soon as Emperor Baker left, she immediately called William Baker over and asked, “Where did this book come from?”

William Baker was much more honest with his mother. “It was given to me by my fifth royal sister.” He thought of something, his eyes shining: “Fifth royal sister sealed her luck in this book and gave it to me. Mother, isn’t it really lucky? Father didn’t even scold me!”

Lady Edith suddenly remembered her son sending things to Mingyue Palace that afternoon.

At first, she had been a bit angry and planned to summon Lady Violet for a lecture the next morning, but now she wasn’t angry at all. She just admonished William Baker a few times to study hard in the future, and after he left, she told the head palace maid Pearl, “No need to summon Lady Violet tomorrow morning. Call the Fifth Princess instead.”

So, early the next morning, the chief eunuch of Changming Hall came to Mingyue Palace with a message.