So sweet, and so smooth.

"You said who went to prison twice?" Diana flew into a rage. That episode with John Brooks was a dark history she could never bring up.

"Isn't this something even the old ladies in the cave dwellings of Ninghe County, Shaanxi, all know?" James Johnson widened his eyes and said, "You still think it's a secret? No way, no way, right?"

"You, you..." Diana's chest heaved violently. She slammed the table in anger and said, "Do you believe I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"Go ahead, hit me. If you dare touch me, I'll faint right here. I can even cough up blood, believe it or not?" James Johnson deliberately leaned his face forward to provoke her and said:

"You called a ten-year-old child into the palace alone—how stupid can you be! If I play the victim, you won't be able to defend yourself!"

"You damned sixth..." Diana's raised hand hovered in the air for a long while, but in the end, she let it fall in defeat.

This sixth prince wasn't wrong—he really could blackmail her.

This was the consequence of letting him in alone.

But who could have guessed that a ten-year-old fool could be so cunning?

She couldn't hit him, couldn't out-argue him—Lady Diana was about to explode from frustration.

Fortunately, at that moment, Mr. Howard came back, panting.

"Did you see him?" Diana perked up.

"I did." Mr. Howard nodded, glanced at Prince of Chu, and saw he had no intention of avoiding the conversation.

Richard Howard had no choice but to walk to Your Majesty's side and quietly report the conversation with Benjamin Lee.

……

Earlier.

In the duty room at the east end of the Grand Hall's library, Richard Howard found Benjamin Lee reading.

Mr. Howard first apologized to Benjamin Lee for Prince of Qi's early departure and asked for leave.

"Understood." Benjamin Lee turned a page and nodded. "Given Your Highness's condition at the time, it really wasn't suitable for him to return to class. So I won't deduct any points this time."

"Thank you for your understanding, sir." After expressing his gratitude, Richard Howard lingered, reluctant to leave.

"Is there something else?" Benjamin Lee asked without looking up.

"Yes, my Your Majesty would like to ask if you know who caused my Your Highness so much trouble?"

"It was Prince of Chu. I have already punished him." Benjamin Lee answered without reservation.

"Then why did he bully my Your Highness?" the old eunuch probed.

"Prince of Chu believes that on the sixth, it was Prince of Qi who pushed him into the water." Benjamin Lee replied bluntly.

"Haha, how could that be?" Richard Howard gave a dry laugh. "Kids say all sorts of things. Sir, you didn't see my Your Highness there that day, did you?"

"Sitting here," Benjamin Lee finally looked up and pointed out the window, "it's hard not to see."

"Ah..." Richard Howard followed Benjamin Lee's finger and, sure enough, from the window, he could see the lotus pond behind the rockery clearly.

"Sir, you really saw that my Your Highness... was involved in Prince of Chu's fall into the water?" the old eunuch asked with difficulty.

Benjamin Lee nodded.

"Oh, please, Mr. Lee, you must keep this a secret." Richard Howard dropped to his knees in front of Benjamin Lee, kowtowing repeatedly. "Please, for the sake of your teacher-student relationship, protect our Your Highness!"

"Isn't Prince of Chu, Your Highness also my student?" Benjamin Lee replied calmly.

"This..." Richard Howard was momentarily speechless. He wanted to promise a generous bribe, but the other party was the upright and incorruptible Benjamin Lee—it would only backfire.

He could only keep kowtowing and begging, until his forehead was bruised, before he finally heard Mr. Lee sigh and say:

"You're begging the wrong person."

"You mean...?" Richard Howard was a smart man and understood immediately.

……

Changyang Hall, main chamber.

Richard Howard whispered to Diana, "Mr. Lee means that this matter can be big or small. As a teacher, he values the teacher-student bond, so he won't take the initiative to report his student."

"But both sides are dear to him. If Prince of Chu decides to ask him to testify, as a man of principle, he can't refuse." Richard Howard continued, "So it all depends on whether Prince of Chu, Your Highness wants to cover for his kin, or insists on reporting this to His Majesty."

Diana's expression changed several times, struggling for a long while. Finally, she forced out a dry smile and fawned over Prince of Chu, Your Highness, who was peeling tangerines all over the floor:

"I still have two baskets of tribute tangerines here. What else does Your Highness like to eat? Auntie will send them all to you..."

Chapter 11: The Child Was Absolutely Delighted.

"Great, great!" James Johnson replied happily, bending his chubby fingers to count one by one.

"The autumn clothes for over a hundred people in Wan'an Palace haven't been distributed yet, the monthly allowance is two months overdue, and there's the Double Ninth Festival flower cakes and chrysanthemum wine that should be given, this month's pickled melon and eggplant, spicy rabbit with frost peppers... Oh, and next month's silver-thread tribute charcoal and winter clothes for the cold—shouldn't those be sent in advance too, so I don't have to make another trip..."

Richard Howard was dumbfounded, thinking, can a ten-year-old really say things like this? Who would have thought that after Prince of Chu, Your Highness fell into the water, it would be like breaking a seal—so terrifying.

Lady Diana was already used to it, maintaining her professional fake smile as she said, "Your Highness has spoken, of course this palace will see to it. Richard Howard, did you write it all down?"

"Uh, y-yes, I wrote it down." Richard Howard quickly wiped his sweat, thinking that all those things withheld from Wan'an Palace had long been divided up by everyone.