A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Yunjing and He Huailing sat together in a private room on the second floor of the teahouse across the street. On the table were cups of freshly brewed hot tea just delivered by the establishment.
Zhu Yunjing only took a sip before putting down the cup in disgust. It was bland, and the leaves were old and tough. How could a teahouse like this still have customers?
He Huailing helped him pour out the tea from his cup and gave him another cup of tea, saying: “Your Highness, try this. This teahouse is most famous for its white tea, and many people come here because of it.”
Zhu Yunjing did not believe it, but tasted it anyway. It was better than the previous cup, but it was just barely tolerable: “It’s just so-so.”
He Huailing nodded: “It’s really not as good as the tribute tea in the palace. It’s natural that Your Highness is not accustomed to it.”
Zhu Yunjing felt displeased. He Huailing’s tone seemed to be mocking him for not knowing the sufferings of common people. If he hadn’t been alarmed by the wild horse just now and had a severe stomachache, he would never have accepted He Huailing’s invitation to sit in this teahouse. He and He Huailing didn’t talk too much at all, and they couldn’t stab each other to death with a single knife to vent their frustration.
Speaking of stomach pain, he didn’t know if the bowl of anti-fetal medicine had taken effect, but sitting down had alleviated it somewhat. He had become accustomed to that kind of subtle and dense hidden pain, as long as it wasn’t so painful that he couldn’t even stand. He had no choice but to endure it.
Zhu Yunjing glanced at the culprit sitting across from him without knowing it. He couldn’t help but feel that he, as the crown prince, was really a wimp.
Wang Jiu noticed that Zhu Yunjing’s expression was not good and thought he was not feeling well again. So he took out the snacks he had bought earlier and handed them to him: “Your Highness, please fill your stomach with some snacks.”
Zhu Yunjing hardly had a meal after getting up early. He couldn’t eat anything. On the contrary, dim sum outside the palace caught his eyes. Although the taste was average, at least it went down well with the bland tea.
“These snacks are not bad. When we return later, you should buy more to take back to the palace for Father and Grandmother to taste,” Zhu Yun ordered Wang Jiu casually.
Wang Jiu responded, and He Huailing also tasted a piece. He silently put down the chopsticks. Did the Crown Prince actually like to eat salty and sour snacks?
He looked at Zhu Yunjing. There was not much blood on the young man’s pale face. The way he ate quietly with his head down seemed unusually docile. However, He Huailing knew that this was just a superficial appearance. Behind it, the real Zhu Yunjing was sharp-tongued, arrogant, and unruly.
“I’ll gouge out your eyes if you look at Gu again,” Zhu Yunjing raised his gaze, and the words that came out of his crimson lips were all filled with bitterness.
He Huailing’s gaze darkened slightly. He was about to say something when suddenly, there was a burst of joyful suona music from the street below. Wang Jiu went to the window to have a look, listened to the discussions in the crowd below, and came back to tell Zhu Yunjing and He Huailing: “It seems that Assistant Minister Liu from the Ministry of Justice is marrying off his daughter. It looks quite grand, and they have dozens of carriages for the dowry.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Ole? Qtlmt Zjrafg Ole?” Ite Tecplcu ogbkcfv lwqjalfcais, atf cblrf ogbw bearlvf rffwlcuis fzjmfgyjalcu tlr rabwjmtjmtf.
“Crrlrajca Zlclrafg Ole Oldljc ogbw atf Zlclrags bo Aeralmf, atf lwqfglji fcnbs tjcvilcu atf jcal-qbfags mjrf bo atf qgfofma bo Alcuhtbe,” Lf Lejlilcu gfwlcvfv tlw lc j rfglber abcf. “Tbeg Llutcfrr vbfrc’a xcbk tlw?”
“Oh, he, I’ve heard his name. Why should Gu know him? It’s just a fourth-rank official.”
He Huailing’s eyes flickered, but Zhu Yunjing’s attention was mostly distracted by the abdominal pain, and he didn’t notice the inquisitive look in his eyes.
He Huailing poured another cup of tea for Zhu Yunjing, and slowed down his voice: “Drink more hot tea if you feel uncomfortable.”
In return, Zhu Yunjing offered a weak glare.
He Huailing didn’t take it seriously and changed the subject: “Wasn’t Your Highness curious about the scenery of Jingzhou before? Two days ago, someone from my maternal family came and brought me some Jingzhou specialties, including a painting depicting the landscape of Jingzhou. Although it might not be a masterpiece, there is still some artistic charm. Tomorrow, I will let someone send it to the Eastern Palace for Your Highness.”
Zhu Yunjing sneered lightly: “Why are you so attentive to Gu? Marquis of Dingyuan, you’re not really harbouring any improper thoughts about Gu, are you? Do you want the entire Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion to be buried with you?”
He Huailing also frowned. Wang Jiu, who was waiting on the side, was utterly shocked by this. He subconsciously glanced at He Huailing, feeling horrified. Could it be that His Highness was carrying a child….? He has always believed that how could someone like Xu Hanlin, a refined scholar, possibly do such a beastly thing?!
Wang Jiu’s eyes staring at He Huailing were about to burst into flames, but He Huailing paid him no attention. He didn’t answer Zhu Yunjing’s words either, instead saying: “This servant hasn’t been back to Jingzhou for many years. People from my maternal family say that Jingzhou has become more prosperous in recent years than before. It is all thanks to the effective governance of the former prefect, Master Du…”
Zhu Yunjing interrupted him in a cold voice: “Du Tingzhong is a traitor who went to the guillotine. Marquis, why do you keep mentioning him? Aren’t you afraid letting slip your words to others?”
“This minister misspoke,” He Huailin readily admitted, as if he was naturally good at acknowledging his mistakes. “It’s all thanks to Governor Fang. Jingzhou is the capital of Jiangnan Province. Governor Fang has made significant contributions during his years of governing Jiangnan, and Jingzhou has also benefited the most.”
Zhu Yunjing was unimpressed: “It’s his responsibility to do well. If he can’t do well, he should have abdicated long ago. What does Marquis mean by bringing up this Jiangnan governor in front of Gu? Could it be that he also has ties with you? Does he need you to speak well for him in front of Gu?”
Looking at each other, He Huailing looked at the undisguised mockery in Zhu Yunjing’s eyes, shook his head and said: “This servant has no such intention. Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood.”
Zhu Yunjing didn’t let him go, continuing to dwell on the previous matter: “He Huailing, please listen to Gu. What happened that day is just like being bitten by a dog. If you still want to live, don’t think about trivial matters and stop irritating me.”
He Huailing lowered his voice: “Does Your Highness think I am that kind of person?”
“How does Gu know? People in fine clothes can still act like beasts, taking advantage of others’ misfortune, pretending to be a gentleman!”
“What happened that day was not what I desired. This servant, too, was caught off guard and lost my mind.”
Zhu Yunjing replied coldly: “Who can outmanoeuvre the Marquis of Dingyuan?”
He Huailing originally didn’t want to publicize this matter, but Zhu Yunjing, the aggrieved party, insisted on asking him. So he could only answer truthfully: “That day, this servant was drinking wine at the eldest princess’ Zhuangzi. Someone added something to the wine. Afterward, I sent someone to report this matter to the Princess Consort, and the Princess Consort took care of one steward and several servants at her manor.”
“What else? It can’t be the steward making his own decisions, right?”
“…This servant doesn’t know, but the Eldest Princess later announced that he would no longer welcome anyone from the Cheng’en Marquis’s residence is welcome to enter her Zhuangzi.”
During these days, Zhu Yunjing had been confined to the Eastern Palace for his recovery. So he had not heard the news. In fact, this matter had already been widely spread among honorable families in the capital. It was said that the Cheng’en Marquis’s Mansion had somehow offended the Eldest Princess. The Eldest Princess not only refused to give face to the Empress Dowager, but had also blacklisted the entire Marquis’s residence from visiting her Manor. However, Zhu Yunjing knew about this eldest aunt’s temper. If any scandal had really occurred at her Zhuangzi that day, cutting off contact would have been the least of their worries.”
“Miss Zhao.” Zhu Yunjing gritted his teeth fiercely. He might not be able to settle the score with He Huailin for now, but couldn’t he settle it with this instigator?
He Huailing guessed what Zhu Yunjing was thinking, and intended to offer some advice. But Zhu Yunjing had lost interest in spending time with him here. He stood up and signaled Wang Jiu, “let’s go o back to the palace.”
When they went downstairs, they ran into a group of well-dressed young men from aristocratic families on the stairs. Wang Jiu politely asked the other party to make way, but the leading dude deliberately blocked Zhu Yunjing’s path and spoke frivolously: “Oh, where did this little lord come from? What are you doing wearing a hat to cover your face? Could it be that you’re not a little girl? Let this young master have a look.”
As he spoke, he was going to lift Zhu Yunjing’s hat. Wang Jiu was shocked and reached out to stop him. But he was held down by a few other playful young men. Wang Jiu was both angry and anxious, and he said, “You have quite the audacity!”
“It’s just that you have thus much nerves. How do you intend to treat it?” the leader of the group smirked. He was the one who, noticing Zhu Yunjing’s good physique but hidden face, had the idea to tease him. This group of people were the sons of nobles who were accustomed to behaving recklessly in the capital. The master and servant in front of them might have a little money but they were nothing more than ordinary wealthy people in terms of appearance. He didn’t think there was anything they couldn’t afford to offend.
The lifeless dandy stretched out his hand again, but Zhu Yunjing didn’t move. Suddenly, another hand appeared from behind him, clutching the dandy’s wrist. The next moment, screams resembling a slaughtered pig echoed on the stairs: “Let… let go…!”
He Huailing shielded Zhu Yunjing behind him and cast a cold gaze over the group in front of him, who remained unaware of the imminent disaster. He released the one whose wrist was nearly crushed. His intense stare caused all of them to instinctively take a step back. One of the bolder ones swallowed hard and said: “You… do you know who we are?!”
He Huailing’s gaze shifted to the one who was clutching his wrist, cursing and yelling to kill them, and he said coldly, “The Heir Apparent of Huai’an Marquis.”
The other person exploded in rage, “You know who I am, yet you dare to act this way! Have you grown tired of living?!”
Wang Jiu struggled out, his eyebrows raised in anger: “I think it’s you who’s tired of living!”
Behind He Huailing, Zhu Yunjing suddenly said, his voice devoid of emotion: “Cut out his tongue.”
He Huailing frowned and reminded him: “He is the son of the Marquis family after all.”
Zhu Yunjing sneered. As the Crown Prince, he had been teased and humiliated several times, unable to do anything for those who had achieved merit. Could he not deal with a useless dandy who was nothing more than a winebag and rice sack?
“Cut it out.”
Although this group of people were used to being arrogant, they were not stupid. Except for the one heir who was mad and still shouting, the faces of the rest of the people changed. They all heard unusual meanings from their conversations. Two of them had even recognized He Huailing and began to beg for mercy in trepidation.
“Who are you all? What’s going on here?”
A sudden voice broke the stalemate between the two sides. The owner of the teahouse was afraid that they would make trouble, so he summoned the patrolling city guards from the street, led by a commander. As soon as the leader asked, the Heir Apparent of Huai’an Marquis yelled: “I’m the Heir Apparent of Huai’an Marquis. These three people offended me in public and almost broke my hand! You guys arrested them for me!
His companions were too late to try to cover his mouth. The leader’s gaze turned towards He Huailing, and he recognized him with astonishment. He Huailing shook his head. Behind him, Zhu Yunjing spoke again. “Gu said, cut out his tongue. Didn’t you hear?”
He Huailing sighed inwardly and had no choice but to say to the leader: “The Heir Apparent of Huai’an Marquis publicly insulted the Crown Prince on the street. His Highness wants to deal with him, so you should follow His Highness’ instructions.”
The city guards knelt on the ground in an instant, and the dandies were left dumbfounded. They all knelt on the ground, trembling like sieves, and the Heir Apparent of Huai’an Marquis, when held down by others, was still crying for his parents. In the end, he fainted from fright
Zhu Yunjing glanced at him coldly and walked away briskly.
Wang Jiu said to someone, “Cut it off quickly, or else His Highness will come back to settle accounts with you later,” before hurriedly chasing after him.
Thank you!!! For the update.
Miss Zhao… Goodbye girl lol
thank you for the chapter!! i’m so excited for the revelation of the baby!
Thank You for the new chapter （*’∀’人）♥
Thank you for the chapter! Zhu Yunjing is quite brutal, this is definitely gonna come back and bite him lol