The Truth Behind the Abduction

"Find him a teacher? You don't mean me, do you?" Shen Shixu pointed at his own nose in disbelief, his eyes widening in shock. To Xiao Jinyi, he looked like a startled rabbit.

No, Shen Shixu was so clever that he was more like a startled fox.

Duke An nodded as though it were obvious. "Of course I mean you. Is there anyone else here as learned as you?"

Shen Shixu waved his hands so fast they blurred. Thoroughly flustered, he flushed red. "No, no! How could I possibly be anyone's teacher? I've only studied for a few years. How am I qualified to teach anyone? Your Grace should find someone else!"

Duke An could see that he was not unwilling to take on a student; he was simply worried he would not teach well. To the duke, that was no problem at all.

"Junior Official Shen, you needn't belittle yourself. You became the Top Scholar at such a young age. Your learning is more than sufficient.

"Your abilities are outstanding as well. I've already heard how you solved a case in three days.

"As for your character, His Highness Prince Jing is willing to be your friend, so that speaks for itself. I would feel quite at ease entrusting my little grandson to you."

Faced with Duke An's trusting gaze, Shen Shixu felt rather at a loss. He did not even know where to put his hands.

Seeing his discomfort, Duke An pressed his advantage and appealed to his emotions. "My grandson is the only child left in the Duke's Residence. I don't ask that he achieve great things or bring glory to the Duke's Residence. All I want is for him to live a safe, peaceful, and happy life.

"I hired tutors for him before, but they were far too rigid. He wasn't happy studying with them, so I stopped his lessons.

"That's part of why I came to ask you, Junior Official Shen. You're young, so he won't feel resistant toward you. Besides, he admires you greatly.

"Ever since he learned that you were the one who saved him, he's wanted to come see you every day. But his mother and his eldest aunt wouldn't let him leave the house. Otherwise, he would have come with me today.

"Please don't worry that I'll blame you if you don't teach him well, Junior Official Shen. I only want him to be safe and happy. He doesn't need to accomplish anything grand."

Shen Shixu knew about the Duke's Residence. The entire family had served with loyalty and valor, and three years ago, Duke An's last surviving son had also died on the battlefield.

Since then, all that remained in Duke An's Residence were the elderly duke, his two widowed daughters-in-law, and a grandson who was not yet eight.

At the thought, Shen Shixu began to waver. Just as he was about to agree, 011 spoke before he could.

[Bro! I've got the truth behind your future disciple's abduction here. That little disciple of yours didn't sneak out to play and accidentally get snatched by traffickers. Someone deliberately sold him.]

Only three people in the courtyard could hear Shen Shixu's inner voice: Xiao Jinyi, Duke An, and Shen Zexi.

Xiao Jinyi had heard it before, so he was not surprised. Duke An had also heard about this from a friend. He froze briefly when he first heard the voice, then quickly regained his composure.

Only Shen Zexi was hearing it for the first time. Shocked, he opened his mouth to say something, only to find that he could not get a single word out.

Just as he was wondering who this unfamiliar voice was calling "bro," he heard a familiar voice. [Huh? What happened? Judging by today, Duke An cares deeply about his grandson. How could anyone sell the child right under his nose?]

011 sighed. *[Duke An does cherish his grandson. But it's easy to guard against thieves outside the family, and hard to guard against one within! The person who sold your future disciple was none other than the nephew Duke An trusts most.

*[That nephew is the son of Duke An's elder sister. She died young, leaving behind this one child. Duke An was very close to his sister, and he felt sorry for the boy, so he took him in and raised him himself.

*[He looked after him for over twenty years. At first, they all got along quite well. The nephew was close to Duke An's two sons. Although he had no aptitude for martial arts or scholarship, he followed his father's side of the family into business and did quite well for himself.

*[The trouble began after Duke An's two sons died in battle. All that remained in that grand Duke's Residence were an elderly duke, two widows, and a child.

*[Gradually, the nephew grew greedy. He thought that since he too shared the blood of the Duke's Residence, he ought to be entitled to inherit the duke's title.

*[Rather than let a child who might not even survive to adulthood inherit it, why not give it to him? At first, it was just a passing thought. But as time went on, that thought grew stronger and stronger, until he finally acted on it.

*[He originally contacted traffickers to sell your future disciple as far away as possible, but something went wrong along the way.

*[The person he arranged to handle it mistook someone else for the contact, and that was how you ended up saving the boy. Otherwise, according to the little heir's original fate, he would already have been drowned by now.

[When you put it that way, bro, you two really were destined to meet!]

Duke An committed every word 011 said to memory. With his hands behind his back, he clenched his fists so tightly that the veins bulged, his heart filling with murderous intent.

He was a veteran of the battlefield, and as the urge to kill surged within him, some of his imposing presence inevitably escaped. Before Shen Shixu could notice, Xiao Jinyi raised a fist to his mouth and coughed softly, reminding Duke An to rein it in.

Only then did Duke An come to his senses and suppress his aura. His murderous intent, however, had not diminished in the slightest. All he wanted was to go home and cut down that ungrateful traitor with a single stroke.

After hearing 011's account, Shen Shixu felt deep pity for the child he had personally rescued. He had already been inclined to take the boy as his disciple, and now he wanted to do so even more.

"Since you've put it that way, Your Grace, I'll take him on. Rest assured, I'll teach him well."

Duke An finally felt relieved. Finding such a good teacher for his grandson was truly a blessing earned over three lifetimes for their family, the Duke's Residence.

"Then you have my deepest thanks, Junior Official Shen. Please accept these modest gifts, both as thanks for saving his life and as gifts for becoming his teacher. On your next day off, I'll bring my little grandson over for the formal ceremony.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Eager to return home and deal with Luo Kun, Duke An agreed with Shen Shixu that he would bring An Chengyu over in two days to formally become his disciple, then said his farewells and left.

"I should be going too. My brother needs me for something. Let's get together another time." Xiao Jinyi remembered that Xiao Yuanqi had sent someone that morning with a message asking him to come to the palace that afternoon. Seeing that it was about time, he decided to go and find out what was happening—and have an imperial physician check his pulse while he was there.

Shen Shixu nodded. "All right, let's get together another time. We'll drink until we're thoroughly drunk."