Translator: Guy Gone Bad
Yan Shengrui twitched his mouth. He didn’t want his wife to worry too much for that. No one was clearer about his personality than them. Except that he had no intention for the throne, the reason he took no move was that he’d like to show them some face and act as a court official, totally because though his imperial elder brother was not a wise emperor, at least he was a good one. But once something happened to his wife or sons, whether it was them or what, he’d put it on their heads. By then, he wouldn’t care about so much. If a man couldn’t even protect his own wife and kids, what kind of man was that? And how to protect his kingdom and its civilians?
“Hehe, it’s not bad to play some tricks with them when I feel bored. All right, I know what I am doing. You only need to take care of yourself. Just let me know if you need help.”
Knowing he would say so, Ling Jingxuan laughed in spite of himself. He was happy to see him defend him. But there were some things he had to settle himself, otherwise, in others’ eyes, he would always be that weak little bunny under Highness Sheng’s wings. Well, those people would leave no stone unturned to get things hard for him, right? Besides, humans are easy to laze. Under his protection for too long, he was really afraid that he’d be raised into a toothless house dog. And when meeting trouble, he’d be so dead.
“As long as you are happy. Oh right, according to the rules, you and the kids need to go the palace to express your gratitude to His Majesty. But I have asked someone to submit the memorials. I will only take you for the palace banquet three days later.”
Only Yan Shengrui would do this kind of things. But this time, Ling Jingxuan didn’t oppose. Having stayed in the boat for over ten days, they were really exhausted. And after such a busy day today, let alone the kids, even he needed to take some rest and make plans for the following things.
“Lord Zeng, how is it going about the shop thing?”
After thinking a bit, Ling Jingxuan looked up and Zeng Shaoqing. The current situation in the mansion was a bit complicated. If possible, he wished that Jinghan, Brother Zhao and others could move out tomorrow the latest. Now they hadn’t shown themselves outside, no one knew them, so it was the best time for them to struggle out there. And Jinghan and Chenggui could settle down for their study and make full preparations for the examinations in next spring.
“I found you two houses. One is at the end of east street, a three-courtyard small one, but its internals are exquisite. And the other one is in the south street, also a three-courtyard one, but one time larger. There is a shop facing the street, very suitable for doing business. I have asked them to clean them up, and the servants and maids already arranged. So Jinghan and others only need to live in. As for the shops you asked for. I’ve tried, Only that row of shops outside the Duke Hua’s mansion is up to your mustard. Good lighting, big customer flow, wide enough, but His Majesty has rewarded it to Crown Princess Hua, who is a hard one. So, you can only try to buy it from his hands.”
When it came to business, Zeng Shaoqing got a little serious finally. In the capital, one chi of land values a tael of gold. Ready-made house and shops were really hard to come by. Houses may be a bit easier, they could get it by methods like threatening. But shops were a big problem. All he could do was to choose the best section and ask about their owner and then go and see if they’d sell it or not.
“Crown Princess Hua?”
Another big figure? Judging from his tone, even the almighty Lord Zeng couldn’t afford to offend him?
“Yan Xiaohua, eldest son of my second imperial elder brother. Four years ago, when the most spoiled third prince of West Kingdom travelled around disguised as a commoner, he accidentally saw Xiaohua and fell in love with him on the first sight. After going back, ignoring his parents’ opposition, he insisted marrying Xiaohua. Having no choice, his parents could only send the envoy to negotiate with my imperial elder brother. The final result is, my imperial elder brother conferred Xiaohua the title of Highness HUa and their third prince married into the Qing Kingdom. To express our sincerity, my imperial elder brother has rewarded them heavily, including the whole row of shops outside their mansion on the opposite side of us.
Usually, Yan Shengrui wouldn’t care about such things, even if the broom was his nephew. The bond of the imperial family was so thin, thin enough to make one unable to feel it. But this thing had caused a sensation at the time. His imperial elder brother had issued quite a few imperial decrees to ask him back from the boarders. So he had a deep impression of it.
“Oh? Why does it sound like Yan Xiaohua was forced? What about that third prince? What kind of person is he? How many chances do we have?”
Never expecting that their neighbors also had such solid background, Ling Jingxuan was surprised, and turned his suspicious eyes to Zeng Shaoqing again. He was the best one for this kind of thing.
“At first, their relationship was not bad. After all, it’s Xiaohua’s second marriage. His former first wife died of metrorrhagia when giving birth. The third prince is born noble and loves him deeply, and even won a title for him. But soon, something happened between them. I heard it is because of Yan Xiaohua’s son at first, but after they got married, Yan Shangqing, the third prince’s son, caught some kind of strange disease. In a few months, the skin of his whole body looks like tree barks. A lot of people say he is a monster. And Because of that, Yan Xiaohua became the laughing stock of all big families. He put all the blame on the third prince. And since then, he goes to places like brothels to waste time, and in two years’ time, he has married five concubines. How could the third prince who has been spoiled at home take this? Whenever the two of them show up together, you could smell anger in the air. Not only one time the third prince broke into the palace holding a whip asking His Majesty to hold the justice for him. Even the palace couldn’t stay in peace. For this thing, His Majesty nearly removed Xiaohua’s title. Now, they only feel a big headache when hearing things about Crown Princess Hua. Solid news, I heard that there was one time that His Majesty hid in some concubine’s place and dare not go out. To be honest, I personally appreciate him.”
No, not just appreciation, he only wished that he could go to the palace three times a day, leaving that old witch and His Majesty no peace, in case they’d make trouble for him. Last time, after coming back from Cangzhou, he went to Fuqing Palace to take a seat. As a result, the next day, his mother was summoned into the palace. And after she came back, she forced her to get married as soon as possible. If one told him that old witch didn’t say something, he’d never believe it!
Translator: Guy Gone Bad
Yan Shengrui twitched his mouth. He didn’t want his wife to worry too much for that. No one was clearer about his personality than them. Except that he had no intention for the throne, the reason he took no move was that he’d like to show them some face and act as a court official, totally because though his imperial elder brother was not a wise emperor, at least he was a good one. But once something happened to his wife or sons, whether it was them or what, he’d put it on their heads. By then, he wouldn’t care about so much. If a man couldn’t even protect his own wife and kids, what kind of man was that? And how to protect his kingdom and its civilians?
“Hehe, it’s not bad to play some tricks with them when I feel bored. All right, I know what I am doing. You only need to take care of yourself. Just let me know if you need help.”
Knowing he would say so, Ling Jingxuan laughed in spite of himself. He was happy to see him defend him. But there were some things he had to settle himself, otherwise, in others’ eyes, he would always be that weak little bunny under Highness Sheng’s wings. Well, those people would leave no stone unturned to get things hard for him, right? Besides, humans are easy to laze. Under his protection for too long, he was really afraid that he’d be raised into a toothless house dog. And when meeting trouble, he’d be so dead.
“As long as you are happy. Oh right, according to the rules, you and the kids need to go the palace to express your gratitude to His Majesty. But I have asked someone to submit the memorials. I will only take you for the palace banquet three days later.”
Only Yan Shengrui would do this kind of things. But this time, Ling Jingxuan didn’t oppose. Having stayed in the boat for over ten days, they were really exhausted. And after such a busy day today, let alone the kids, even he needed to take some rest and make plans for the following things.
“Lord Zeng, how is it going about the shop thing?”
After thinking a bit, Ling Jingxuan looked up and Zeng Shaoqing. The current situation in the mansion was a bit complicated. If possible, he wished that Jinghan, Brother Zhao and others could move out tomorrow the latest. Now they hadn’t shown themselves outside, no one knew them, so it was the best time for them to struggle out there. And Jinghan and Chenggui could settle down for their study and make full preparations for the examinations in next spring.
“I found you two houses. One is at the end of east street, a three-courtyard small one, but its internals are exquisite. And the other one is in the south street, also a three-courtyard one, but one time larger. There is a shop facing the street, very suitable for doing business. I have asked them to clean them up, and the servants and maids already arranged. So Jinghan and others only need to live in. As for the shops you asked for. I’ve tried, Only that row of shops outside the Duke Hua’s mansion is up to your mustard. Good lighting, big customer flow, wide enough, but His Majesty has rewarded it to Crown Princess Hua, who is a hard one. So, you can only try to buy it from his hands.”
When it came to business, Zeng Shaoqing got a little serious finally. In the capital, one chi of land values a tael of gold. Ready-made house and shops were really hard to come by. Houses may be a bit easier, they could get it by methods like threatening. But shops were a big problem. All he could do was to choose the best section and ask about their owner and then go and see if they’d sell it or not.
“Crown Princess Hua?”
Another big figure? Judging from his tone, even the almighty Lord Zeng couldn’t afford to offend him?
“Yan Xiaohua, eldest son of my second imperial elder brother. Four years ago, when the most spoiled third prince of West Kingdom travelled around disguised as a commoner, he accidentally saw Xiaohua and fell in love with him on the first sight. After going back, ignoring his parents’ opposition, he insisted marrying Xiaohua. Having no choice, his parents could only send the envoy to negotiate with my imperial elder brother. The final result is, my imperial elder brother conferred Xiaohua the title of Highness HUa and their third prince married into the Qing Kingdom. To express our sincerity, my imperial elder brother has rewarded them heavily, including the whole row of shops outside their mansion on the opposite side of us.
Usually, Yan Shengrui wouldn’t care about such things, even if the broom was his nephew. The bond of the imperial family was so thin, thin enough to make one unable to feel it. But this thing had caused a sensation at the time. His imperial elder brother had issued quite a few imperial decrees to ask him back from the boarders. So he had a deep impression of it.
“Oh? Why does it sound like Yan Xiaohua was forced? What about that third prince? What kind of person is he? How many chances do we have?”
Never expecting that their neighbors also had such solid background, Ling Jingxuan was surprised, and turned his suspicious eyes to Zeng Shaoqing again. He was the best one for this kind of thing.
“At first, their relationship was not bad. After all, it’s Xiaohua’s second marriage. His former first wife died of metrorrhagia when giving birth. The third prince is born noble and loves him deeply, and even won a title for him. But soon, something happened between them. I heard it is because of Yan Xiaohua’s son at first, but after they got married, Yan Shangqing, the third prince’s son, caught some kind of strange disease. In a few months, the skin of his whole body looks like tree barks. A lot of people say he is a monster. And Because of that, Yan Xiaohua became the laughing stock of all big families. He put all the blame on the third prince. And since then, he goes to places like brothels to waste time, and in two years’ time, he has married five concubines. How could the third prince who has been spoiled at home take this? Whenever the two of them show up together, you could smell anger in the air. Not only one time the third prince broke into the palace holding a whip asking His Majesty to hold the justice for him. Even the palace couldn’t stay in peace. For this thing, His Majesty nearly removed Xiaohua’s title. Now, they only feel a big headache when hearing things about Crown Princess Hua. Solid news, I heard that there was one time that His Majesty hid in some concubine’s place and dare not go out. To be honest, I personally appreciate him.”
No, not just appreciation, he only wished that he could go to the palace three times a day, leaving that old witch and His Majesty no peace, in case they’d make trouble for him. Last time, after coming back from Cangzhou, he went to Fuqing Palace to take a seat. As a result, the next day, his mother was summoned into the palace. And after she came back, she forced her to get married as soon as possible. If one told him that old witch didn’t say something, he’d never believe it!
