The Steps of Kunning: The Imperial Tutor Without Tears

[Reborn, Court Intrigue, Daughter of a Military Clan, Love of Country and Home]

Nine years ago, on a snowy night, he was a fifteen-year-old castoff, left to wander the streets.

She was six. Holding a roasted sweet potato, she crouched in front of him and reached out to touch the tiny mole on the bridge of his nose.

“Sir, you’re so handsome.”

“Sir, how did your fingers get so frozen? Does it hurt?”

“Sir, your handwriting is beautiful, too. Can I trade you this sweet potato for a copybook?”

She knew nothing of his noble status, nor did she pity his wretched circumstances.

She only tried to preserve the boy’s dignity.

“My name is A Xing. If you’re hungry, come find me at the Duke’s mansion. I’ll say you’re the tutor I hired.”

Later, she ran off, then turned back.

“Sir, wait here. I’ll go get you a hand warmer.”

That small moment of warmth became the only light in his bitter, cold life.

Nine years later, he became the Emperor’s tutor.

On the day the Shen family was wiped out, she knelt and begged him to save them. He sat with his back to her through the night, never once looking her way.

After she left, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

In the end, he stormed the palace and died for her, never speaking the words, “I have loved you for many years.”

Later, she was reborn, carrying a blood feud.

She was still the Duke’s beloved daughter, and he was still the aloof Imperial Tutor.

In this life, he still tried to push her away.

But she drew closer, step by step, until at last she heard the feelings he had hidden for nine years:

“The Imperial Tutor is impartial, but when it comes to you, I’ve been partial for nine whole years.”

In this life, she said, “Wen Qi, I only want you. Don’t push me away again.”

He said, “I’ll catch you. In this life, I’ll be here by your side. I won’t let you down through wind and snow, or fail you on the road home.”