Chapter 148
Xiao Liuzi felt he should, just like last time when Ah Chan had kissed his younger brother and he had scolded him, teach Ah Chan a lesson.
But for some reason, the Xiao Liuzi who had been kissed only quietly felt his ears flush red. He lifted his head timidly, like a little mosquito, and said to Lu Hanzhi, “Shi Die, I think Junior Brother is just shy with so many people. How about I take him to the backyard to catch butterflies first?”
Lu Hanzhi laughed. “Go ahead, go ahead! Looks like our Ah Chan is destined to accomplish nothing in life.”
Imperial Concubine Rong chuckled. “As long as he lives a safe and peaceful life, what does it matter if he accomplishes nothing?”
Yuwen Min defended him fiercely. “Who says our Ah Chan accomplishes nothing? When he refuses one thing, it means he wants it all. Ordinary people don’t have that kind of breadth of mind—our Ah Chan does.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
Yuwen Min, are you not afraid the wind will make your tongue slip?
Clearly, Yuwen Min didn’t see anything wrong with what he had just said.
He put away the items from the table and said, “Leave them for him. He likes these little toys the most.”
The day’s lively events came to an end, and the guests all returned to their own residences.
The stewards of the two households began tidying up the mess, returning tables, chairs, and benches to their places.
The servants and maids started to mingle and gather as well, but Lu Hanzhi didn’t consolidate the finances.
Even if everyone else didn’t care, true brothers kept a clear account.
That night, Lu Hanzhi and Yuwen Jue, having nothing else to do, went through the gifts and money they had received.
By the light of the oil lamp, Lu Hanzhi wrote a long vertical tally while Yuwen Jue used an abacus across from him.
Before Yuwen Jue had finished, Lu Hanzhi had already totaled it, sighing. “Hmm, one hundred seventeen thousand six hundred taels, and that’s not even counting the various treasures, paintings, and antiques. Who would have thought hosting a banquet could earn so much?”
Yuwen Jue said, “Sixty-six thousand six hundred taels came from our parents. The rest were from others, mostly in gifts rather than money.”
Lu Hanzhi rested his chin on his hands. “Wow, Father and Mother are so rich! If I had known, we should’ve had more children. Every banquet could net over a hundred thousand taels. In the future, we’d never worry about food or clothing. Why bother doing business?”
Yuwen Jue: …
Yuwen Jue put down his brush. “You don’t understand, Hanzhi. Our bounty this time is entirely because your second brother and Ah Min are enjoying the emperor’s favor. If things were as usual, with the emperor indifferent and Mother Concubine living quietly, even holding such a grand banquet wouldn’t draw this many people, nor would so many gifts be offered. Even Lord Feng’en, who usually avoids entanglements with me, attended—showing where the officials of the capital place their hearts.”
Lu Hanzhi rolled up the draft paper. “I just don’t get it. The Crown Prince has been such a disaster, yet the emperor hasn’t deposed him. Is he planning to ruin the kingdom?”
Yuwen Jue frowned. “Watch your words. Although I manage the household reasonably well, and there are no suspicious spies here, what if there were? We can speak quietly to each other, but never so loudly.”
Lu Hanzhi laughed. “Second Sister-in-law, you’re so cute. I liked you the first time I met you.”
Yuwen Jue said, “Second Sister-in-law liked you too! From childhood. Who could resist your looks?”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Better looking than my second brother?”
Yuwen Jue said, “Not exactly. You and your second brother are different kinds of handsome.”
The two tops who had come to fetch their wives: …
Were they really completely shameless with each other?
Yuwen Min, holding his heavy sword, said helplessly, “If our elder brother said or did anything inappropriate, I apologize to Second Brother on Hanzhi’s behalf.”
Lu Xuzhi tapped his forehead with a fan. “I failed to properly teach my brother. Alas, how did Hanzhi turn out like this?”
The two tops who overheard their conversation twitched at the corners of their mouths, unsure what to say.
Lu Hanzhi, on the other hand, didn’t care at all. He was thick-skinned and shameless.
He sat cross-legged, popped a plum into his mouth, and asked, “You guys aren’t attending any more engagements tonight?”
Lu Xuzhi said, “After a full day of socializing, more socializing would leave nothing else but socializing.”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Oh, I see. Do you have anything to do tomorrow?”
Yuwen Min replied, “Tomorrow is the court assembly, receiving the Eastern Sea emissary.”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “And they’re bringing that little boy to present to the emperor?”
Lu Xuzhi said, “That little boy is also the adopted son of the Eastern Sea emperor. We can’t say he’s being ‘presented’—it’s a marriage alliance. And he’s not being given directly to the emperor, but for selecting a suitable young man among the imperial family in the capital.”
Lu Hanzhi had little interest in such assemblies—it was merely a ceremonial exchange between countries.
As for what was under the ceremony, whether the exchange was firm or not depended on whether the leaders of the two nations wanted to take something from the other’s territory.
It was just unfortunate for the person sent for the marriage alliance—they were essentially a sacrifice.
Lu Hanzhi tidied up and asked, “Has Ah Chan gone to sleep?”
Yuwen Min said, “He’s sleeping with Xiao Liuzi.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded. “Shall we go sleep too?” Then he raised an eyebrow at Yuwen Min.
Yuwen Min sighed and said to Yuwen Jue, “Elder Brother, you and Second Brother Lu should rest early too.”
Yuwen Jue nodded. “Alright, you two go back to your rooms.”
After Yuwen Min and Lu Hanzhi left, Lu Xuzhi stepped forward, wrapped Yuwen Jue in his arms, and pouted, “No, no! I want Second Sister-in-law to praise I’m good looking too.”
Yuwen Jue laughed. “Why are you acting like a child?”
Lu Xuzhi persisted. “I don’t care, I don’t care! Second Sister-in-law, praise me for being handsome!”
Yuwen Jue said, “Fine, fine. Our Ah Xu is the most handsome, unmatched in the world, a peerless gentleman. Happy now?”
Lu Xuzhi stopped fussing, got up, and took Yuwen Jue’s hand. “Has Ah Meng gone to sleep?”
Yuwen Jue said, “Yes, he’s asleep. Nanny carried him to the small room.”
Lu Xuzhi held onto Yuwen Jue’s hand stubbornly. “Ah Jue, today… Han’er gave me something.”
Yuwen Jue frowned. “Hmm? What is it?”
Lu Xuzhi reached into his sleeve and pulled out several small, square, deep rose-colored objects. He squeezed them, and they rattled softly.
Yuwen Jue took the objects and frowned. “This… what is it?”
Lu Xuzhi then took out a piece of paper. “Hanzhi said… um, it’s a surprise for you. He told me to make sure I use it before bed.”
Yuwen Jue didn’t know what trick Lu Hanzhi had up his sleeve, so he took the paper from Lu Xuzhi and unfolded it.
On the paper were several large characters: Instructions for Using a Condom.
Below that, there were no words—just simple illustrations demonstrating its use.
Looking at the few stick-figure style diagrams, Yuwen Jue couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
He handed the paper back to Lu Xuzhi. “Hanzhi really does worry about Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law’s… affairs.”
Lu Xuzhi peeked at it too, his face turning green, but he quickly became curious about the small umbrellas.
He looked at the tiny umbrellas and asked, “Do these really prevent… children?”
Yuwen Jue replied, “Why not… give it a try?”
It just so happened that today was also Ah Meng’s full month, and Yuwen Jue had passed his recovery period.
Although he wouldn’t go into heat for six months, there was still a chance of pregnancy during that time.
So the two of them followed the illustrations carefully and studied the method for quite a while before finally managing to fit the little umbrellas correctly.
Meanwhile, Lu Hanzhi felt frustrated. How had he not thought of this sooner?
If he had known these were available in the exchange store, why would he have gotten the second child pregnant so quickly?
Yuwen Min looked at the little objects he had brought out and said, “I think… Wang Fei, since we’re already expecting, we actually don’t need to use this. We could wait until after Zhu’er is born—using it later won’t be too late. What do you think?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “I just wanted you to feel what it’s like.”
Yuwen Min didn’t refuse, but in the end, it still didn’t work.
Lu Hanzhi noticed that even the largest size couldn’t fit—it was a bit tight.
Next time, they would try a different brand. Ah, this was maddening!
The next day, Lu Hanzhi planned to go to his mission base to lay the foundations. He had the imperial office find some construction workers and handed them the blueprints.
Finally, after these past couple of days, he had finished all his missions and could continue his upgrade path.
Thinking of the new system route, Lu Hanzhi felt as if he could already see a vibrant and thriving Great Zhao.
This was absolutely insane!
After washing up, Lu Hanzhi went to breakfast, and Yuwen Jue came to find him.
They had agreed to go together to inspect land in the southern suburbs.
But for some reason, Lu Hanzhi felt that Second Sister-in-law’s expression wasn’t quite right.
He asked, “Hmm? What’s wrong, Second Sister-in-law?”
Then, as if realizing something, he said, “Oh, could it be yesterday… that it didn’t fit?”
Yuwen Jue spoke quietly. “It worked very well, actually, but it’s slightly small. Is there a bigger one?”
Lu Hanzhi: …
You tops, truly born from a different world!
Each one so unscientific, so unstandardized—does that really count as fitting?
Though thinking about it, it made sense. If they didn’t have such advantages, how would they have been chosen as protagonists?
Lu Hanzhi smiled. “Alright, I’ll get a different one another day.”
The two of them whispered and giggled for a while, eating together, and after finishing, they went to the southern suburbs.
Meanwhile, Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi went to the court to attend the assembly for the Eastern Sea emissary.
The Eastern Sea emissary, Zong He, bowed to the emperor. By his side was a veiled fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, who also bowed along with him.
The emperor, having resumed court duties, was in much better spirits.
Recently, the western border had seen repeated victories, and the good news had been flowing in again and again, giving the emperor a sense of pride and relief.
The Eastern Sea had now sent a peace emissary, and the emperor felt a rare thrill at having representatives from all corners of the world coming to his court.
He gestured to the emissary. “Rise, esteemed guest. You may be seated.”
Zong He stood but didn’t immediately sit. He said, “Your Majesty, I have three matters for which I come. First, to seek peace for Eastern Sea; second, to challenge the bravest warrior of Great Zhao; and third, to arrange a marriage for my younger brother, Zong Yuan.”
Zong Yuan, presumably the boy following him, stepped forward as soon as his name was mentioned and bowed to the emperor.
“Zong Yuan pays respects to the Emperor of Great Zhao. Long live the Great Zhao Emperor!”
His voice was clear and youthful, full of vitality.
The emperor squinted, smiling. “Oh? How fortunate. Coincidentally, I have a son of marriageable age. I am also looking for a suitable companion for him. Zong Yuan, remove your veil, and I will see if he is a match for my son.”
The emperor’s fifth son, Yuwen Qin, was sixteen—indeed at the proper age.
Hearing the emperor’s words, Zong Yuan removed the veil.
As he did, the assembled senior ministers all let out a sharp intake of breath at once.
The emperor, unusually, actually got up from the dragon throne and strode over to Zong Yuan, taking his hand.
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
Support Ciacia’s translation temple on Kofi—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the Han’er Tier to purge them with advanced chapter access (up to 5!) before the masses even blink.
