HBBMAWH Chapter 52

“Brother Zhu, I heard that my nephew is recuperating at home. I wonder how he is doing lately?” Wang Xie put down the gift in his hand and said, “This is for Yuchuan. He should double his efforts for the upcoming examinations.”

“Eh, brother, since you’re here, why bring him anything? He should be the one coming to pay respects to you,” Zhu Zheng said, instructing a servant to call Zhu Yuchuan out.

“Greetings, Uncle Wang.”

“It’s been a while. You’ve grown taller. How’s your studying going? Are you confident about the exams?”

“Of course, I am confident,” Zhu Yuchuan boasted, “Uncle Wang, just wait and see. I will definitely live up to my family’s reputation.”

“Nonsense. Pride leads to defeat, don’t you know that? You’re already of age, yet so clumsy and lacking progress, lacking humility…” Zhu Zheng scolded his son, his face turning as dark as a storm cloud.

“Yes, yes, Father, I know I was wrong.” Zhu Yuchuan, who usually liked to show off in front of others, subtly taking the lead among peers, was now being scolded like a dog in front of his father, obediently not daring to say much.

“If you had known, you wouldn’t have been beaten up like that, that night,” Zhu Zheng’s expression turned grim. “In the dark, without even a servant by your side. Usually, you enjoy being surrounded by people, don’t you? Why were you so foolish this time?”

Zhu Yuchuan’s face fell. That was indeed a mistake. Wasn’t it because he wanted to be alone with someone that he didn’t bring anyone else? He didn’t expect the other party to only send tea over. He couldn’t understand why that person didn’t want to meet such an outstanding person as him.

Zhu Yuchuan felt very good about himself.

“My nephew knows that he was wrong. Brother Zhu, don’t criticize him harshly anymore. Zhu Yuchuan have to be careful in the future.” Wang Xie tried to smooth things over, but his brow furrowed with unresolved worries

He had actually left the capital for over a year now. He was supposed to return months ago, but he received a letter from the emperor, asking him to search for someone. That was when Wang Xie learned that the third prince had disappeared from the capital.

“Oh, by the way. Uncle Wang, someone wishes to see you and asked me to deliver a message.”

Zhu Zheng and Wang Xie looked at each other, each reading doubts in the other’s eyes. There weren’t many people who knew they were friends… Wang Xie’s visit to the Zhu residence was incognito, not flaunting his identity.

Even the Zhu family servants only thought of him as a regular friend of their master.

It was two men with extremely striking appearances. The slightly smaller one had delicate features, while the taller one had handsome, well-defined eyes and brows.

Wang Xie felt he was familiar, and it took him a while to remember who he looked like.

“Minister Jiang… you’re Jiang Manyue, Minister Jiang’s eldest son,” Wang Xie blurted out. Jiang Manyue bore more resemblance to his mother, but there were hints of his father in certain features.

“Respectful greetings, Lord Wang and Lord Zhu. Indeed, I am Jiang Manyue. This is my wife, Yan Cai,” Jiang Manyue introduced, and Yan Cai nodded in acknowledgment.

Then he felt the other party’s gaze fixed on him, unwavering. Yan Cai disliked this scrutinizing look, as if he were some object on display, a porcelain figurine or a jade bowl, subject to criticism and appraisal.

Yan Cai was unhappy and emitted a subtle warning. Like the danger signals emitted by animals or plants in nature, Yan Cai was sending his own warning message.

It meant — I am dangerous. Don’t mess with me. Go away quickly.

Yan Cai’s was now adept at controlling his mental ability. Wang Xie felt a chill and averted his scrutinizing gaze.

Jiang Manyue was also displeased. “Lord, you’ve been staring at my wife for quite a while. I hope you’ll show some restraint.”

Wang Xie felt a surge of exasperation. What was this? What did “restraint” mean? As if he had taken a liking to him. Get things straight, he wasn’t interested. Besides, he just felt it was a little strange.

It was just that at first glance, this person seemed a bit odd, very mysterious. Though his appearance seemed harmless, but…

“Lord, I found you this day for other important matters. I know someone who wishes to meet you,” Jiang Manyue clapped his hands, and Xia Jue emerged from behind the artificial rockery.

Wang Xie was shocked and said: “Third…Third Prince! So you are here!”

“Master Wang, I want to go back to Beijing.” Xia Jue said without preamble.

“Okay. Now that the Third Prince has been found, all the tasks assigned to me by the Emperor have been completed. We will return to Beijing today.”

When Xia Jue heard this, his eyes actually showed a bit of joy. It turns out that his father has not forgotten him and has been looking for him to return to the palace.

Zhu Zheng was also surprised. He had seen this young man before. He was the one who had been injured and fainted along with his son. At that time, he only felt that the face was familiar, but he did not remember who it was. Thinking about it now, he had indeed met the Third Prince a few times before. It’s just that back then, the Third Prince was still young. As he grew older, his face changed, looking different from his childhood.

“Thank you both for saving me. I shall never forget your kindness in the future,” Xia Jue slightly bowed, surprising everyone with such a grand gesture towards two commoners.

Sensing Zhu Zheng and Wang Xie’s gazes, Xia Jue continued, “Gratitude for a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring. I owe you both a debt of gratitude, which I shall never forget. This is a matter of righteousness, common knowledge among ordinary folks, how could I not know?”

Wang Xie was pleased and relieved, stroking his beard contentedly. The young man was teachable, and the Third Prince’s words pleased him greatly. Jiang Manyue smirked; he was quite the skilled actor. This was the beginning of a performance. Wang Xie was a traditional Confucian scholar, so Xia Jue’s words naturally resonated with him.

Sure enough, those who managed to survive in the palace without power or authority for so long is not a little white rabbit.

The true Little White Rabbit is only their family’s CaiCai. However, their family’s White Rabbit is not the kind that eats carrots and cabbage; it eats meat, it’s carnivorous, with sharp teeth and claws. It’s a fierce rabbit that can scratch you to death with one claw, taking away half of your life.

Seemingly harmless, yet incredibly lethal.

Ferocious yet adorable.

Oh, and by the way, it also loves money.

“Don’t forget…” Yan Cai didn’t bother with the respectful titles others used for princes; he was still thinking about that ten thousand taels.

“I’ll definitely remember. See you in the capital next spring.” We’ll settle the money then, brother! Don’t say it in public; after all, he’s still a prince and cares about his face.

“Alright,” Yan Cai agreed. At least he hadn’t actually mentioned the ten thousand taels.

“Next spring…” Zhu Yuchuan sensed the subtlety of the timing. “Next spring in the capital… Jiang Manyue, you’re taking the provincial exams this year!?”

“Yeah, I’ve already registered,” Jiang Manyue replied.

Zhu Yuchuan felt a bit uneasy. Why did this guy have to take exams again? Considering that his feet had healed, it made sense for him to apply for the exams.

But Jiang Manyue hadn’t been studying for so many years. How much did he remember… His proficiency might not be as good as before. Zhu Yuchuan started to sweat nervously in his heart.

So, while Wang Xie took Xia Jue back to the capital and until the provincial exams began, Zhu Yuchuan stayed home, immersed in intensive studies, avoiding any poetry gatherings with other students, deaf to external distractions, focusing solely on reading the classics of the sages.

He wants to take the top spot in the provincial exams!

On the other hand, although Jiang Manyue was diligent in his studies, he was still quite leisurely. He would feed the baby while reading a book.

Then one day, the baby blurted out.

“…tantan… changjijijiji…”

Finally, when the baby was seven months old, he suddenly pronounced four words amidst his babbling. It could be considered a result of gradual accumulation, and Yan Cai felt gratified — or so he thought.

Yan Cai went berserk, grabbed the book on the table, and slammed it onto Jiang Man Yue’s head. “You preach about being a gentleman all the time, but look at what the child has learned from you!”

“The kid didn’t even call ‘dad’ as his first word. I’ve been teaching him to say ‘dad’ every day, but you’ve ruined it all. My first ‘dad’, I haven’t even heard it yet. You owe me a ‘dad’!”

“Sorry, I’ll make it up to you with a ‘Daddy’ tonight.”

“Shut up, you rascal…”

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