Chapter 151
The trail ended here, broken once again.
Lu Hanzhi wanted to ask Zhong Yao several questions, but he knew—even if he asked, Zhong Yao wouldn’t answer.
Zhong Yao was the kind of person who had rebuffed all attempts at closeness multiple times.
Moreover, he had no friends here. He treated everyone coldly and equally.
Lu Hanzhi had no choice but to give up and not ask further.
Just as they were about to leave, Zhong Yao spoke, “I see this child… his hands are skillful. He seems… to have a talent for pottery. If… he’s interested, he may come and study with me.”
Lu Hanzhi immediately stopped, smiled, and said, “Sir, you mean Xiao Liuzi?”
For the first time, Zhong Yao’s expression changed slightly. The look in his eyes toward Xiao Liuzi carried a rare warmth.
Lu Hanzhi didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just appreciation for talent. He said, “I never force children to learn. Sir, you can ask him whether he’s willing to study.”
He then looked at Xiao Liuzi, gesturing toward Zhong Yao to indicate he should answer.
Xiao Liuzi looked at Zhong Yao, thought for a moment, and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Sir. I have already sworn Wang Ye as my master; I will not have another in this life.”
Lu Hanzhi said casually, “Hey, Xiao Liuzi, having a master doesn’t mean you can’t have others. There’s a saying: the more skills, the better. Pottery is a very refined art. If you’re interested, you could take some time to learn.”
Xiao Liuzi shook his head again. “I only want to train my martial skills. I don’t want to learn pottery.”
It was obvious that Zhong Yao was disappointed, but he said nothing more.
He just nodded and said, “If you change your mind in the future, you can come to me.”
Xiao Liuzi bowed. “Thank you, Sir. I know my talent is limited. I spend most of my time training in martial arts, the rest in studying and helping my junior brother. There’s simply no time left to learn pottery.”
Xiao Liuzi spoke logically, and Zhong Yao had no argument. He could only nod and let them leave.
After leaving the kiln, Yuwen Min asked, “Hanzhi, why didn’t you ask Mr. Zhong anything just now? He must know about his master’s affairs, right?”
Lu Hanzhi shook his head. “He wouldn’t tell us. If he would, he wouldn’t have resisted so openly. Moreover, his master is traveling urgently, probably deliberately avoiding people in the capital. Since we now know this, we’ll have to investigate ourselves—starting from… Zhong Yao’s hometown. I remember he said he was from Tongxiang in Jiangnan.”
But this Jiangnan Tongxiang might not even be accurate.
Yuwen Min said, “He seems to really like Xiao Liuzi.”
Lu Hanzhi made a surprised sound and frowned. “Are you serious? You liked Xiao Liuzi too back then! As a master of a craft, finding a good apprentice naturally draws attention—it’s normal.”
Yuwen Min shook his head. “If Xiao Liuzi were truly a good apprentice for him, he wouldn’t have shown such a longing look. Pottery isn’t like martial arts—people usually consider it carefully. Martial arts prodigies are rare once in a hundred years; Xiao Liuzi is exactly such a prodigy. But a pottery master has a very low threshold; if he tries, he could take many apprentices. Honestly, Xiao Liuzi’s craftsmanship… I think it’s not that impressive.”
Xiao Liuzi: ……
He scratched his head. Isn’t it just that he couldn’t even make a proper scarecrow? Master, you can’t do this.
Lu Hanzhi: “Hahahahahahahahaha!”
Xiao Liuzi: ……
It seemed that when Shi Die teased others, he didn’t discriminate—now he included himself in the range as well.
Yuwen Min sighed helplessly. “As a craftsman, don’t you see that Xiao Liuzi is clumsy and only fit for fighting?”
Xiao Liuzi: Huh?
No, Master, is it really okay for you to belittle your disciple like this?
Lu Hanzhi didn’t mind at all. “I think our Xiao Liuzi is very careful. How is it that he’s only fit for fighting?”
Yuwen Min looked down at his little disciple. “Appearances can be deceiving.”
Anyway, you’ll all see for yourselves later.
For Lu Hanzhi, whether Xiao Liuzi was only fit for fighting didn’t matter. His little cub was his cub, and he had to care for him properly.
Lu Hanzhi spoke earnestly, “Liuzi, you don’t need to work this hard every day. Look at your junior brother—eating, playing, having fun. Children should…”
Before he could finish, Yuwen Min covered his mouth and said, “Hanzhi, leave the children to me. You just handle teasing them.”
Lu Hanzhi: ……
He bit down on Yuwen Min’s palm. Yuwen Min winced in pain but didn’t let go. Instead, he wrapped his other arm around him from the side, pulling him close, and whispered in his ear, “Hanzhi, don’t mess around.”
There was a trace of hoarseness and something unusual in his voice. Lu Hanzhi immediately understood what was happening.
He smiled lowly. “Wang Ye, is your palm really sensitive?”
Yuwen Min’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Don’t mess around. The children are watching.”
Xiao Liuzi held Ah Chan—two little cubs, one big, one small—and they were curiously staring at the two adults.
Ah Chan even seemed inspired to imitate them. He ran behind Xiao Liuzi and wrapped his arms around his waist.
Xiao Liuzi: ……
Feeling it wasn’t right, Xiao Liuzi gently pulled Ah Chan’s hands away, walking forward while reminding him, “Junior brother, don’t do this.”
Lu Hanzhi’s lips twitched. “See? See? I said you shouldn’t do this in front of the kids!”
Yuwen Min, however, quietly kissed him on the cheek from behind before letting go. “I don’t think it matters. They see that their parents love each other. They’ll learn how to love in the future.”
Lu Hanzhi was astonished. He looked at Yuwen Min in surprise, marveling at his occasionally modern way of speaking.
He had heard this many times in his own world: children’s views on love were influenced by their parents’ romantic life.
He hadn’t expected Yuwen Min to have the same perspective—not only did he not think that displays of intimacy between two men would corrupt children, he saw it as a positive influence.
Perhaps it was because Yuwen Min had never seen parental love as a child, making him crave it even more.
Lu Hanzhi boldly linked his arm with his and said, “What you said makes a lot of sense, Wang Ye. Let’s return to the residence!”
After a whole day of work, the group rode back to the prince residence in a carriage together.
On the way, they discussed their plans. Zhong Yao’s hometown needed to be investigated, and Zhong Yao would also send someone to keep watch.
As for Xiao Liuzi, Lu Hanzhi planned to send him to pottery lessons once every ten days, and Ah Chan would accompany him.
Even if they didn’t master much, working with their hands was still a fun activity.
It was, after all, their pottery class.
Back at the prince residence, the four of them went to the study for a small meeting.
They discussed the matter of the emperor intending to appoint Zong Yuan as a consort.
Lu Hanzhi raised only one question: “Can this be stopped?”
All three across from him shook their heads simultaneously. Yuwen Jue said, “It’s difficult. If you understand Father’s obsession with Young Master Ping, you’d know why he pretends to sleep. He’s the only emperor in Great Zhao who hasn’t appointed a concubine in twenty years. Every time the subject comes up, he loses his appetite, secretly sheds tears, and reflects at the Three Lives Tomb. He probably loved Young Master Ping so deeply that seeing this substitute made him eager to claim him for himself.”
Lu Hanzhi understood this behavior. In his era, many people had lost those they deeply loved; after that, everyone they loved seemed to follow ridiculous clichés like this.
Indeed, there had even been an emperor who sought countless substitutes after losing the woman he loved most.
Lu Hanzhi was at a loss. He couldn’t, as last time, try to pair him with some prince.
Pairing them might be small, but implicating a prince could be serious.
The most suitable candidate for marriage was Fifth Prince Yuwen Qin, but if he forced a pairing, the un-favored Yuwen Qin would be criticized and might not even be granted a title of commandery prince.
Holy favor, holy favor—among the emperor’s underage princes, almost none received favor, so they remained untitled.
Yet two newborn grandsons had been made commandery princes—wasn’t that a slap in the face?
The princes probably just wanted to behave well in front of the emperor and not trouble him further.
Lu Hanzhi smiled and suddenly a sly look appeared on his face. “Then let’s just help the emperor—it could be a nice story. At most, there’s one more concubine in the palace. The emperor already has women sent to him every year. Men or women, if he wants someone, it’s just a word from him.”
All the lands under heaven belong to the emperor.
And the people on these lands naturally must follow the emperor, regardless of gender.
The group looked at Lu Hanzhi. Yuwen Jue said, “This… isn’t right, is it? If it’s like that, wouldn’t the Eastern Sea succeed in their plan?”
Lu Hanzhi smiled. “Exactly, let them succeed!”
Everyone looked at Lu Hanzhi in confusion, not understanding his scheme.
Although Yuwen Min knew this little fox certainly had his own plans, he still asked, “Wang Fei, just say what you mean—why are you keeping it a secret?”
Lu Hanzhi let out a mischievous laugh. “What’s the purpose of sending an unparalleled young imperial concubine from Eastern Sea? Naturally, it’s to confuse the emperor—by confusing him, they aim to control the court.”
“And if this unmatched young imperial concubine happens to resemble the emperor’s white moonlight, it becomes even easier. Whisper sweet words at his bedside, act coquettish in his arms, and once the emperor’s heart is stirred, day after day, the goal is achieved. If he bears him a son, ho, the crown prince’s position might even be in jeopardy.”
Everyone: ……
Lu Hanzhi’s words were crude but made sense.
After all, the emperor was only in his forties now, and unlike the half-dead appearance from previous years, he had regained his vigor and vitality.
Perhaps after Yuwen Mingji’s rebellion had been thwarted, the emperor’s fortunes had truly turned.
Lu Xuzhi frowned. “Han’er, be serious!”
Lu Hanzhi stuck out his tongue. “Hey, that’s basically the idea.”
Yuwen Jue, caught up in the discussion, asked, “Then what happens next?”
“Then what?” Lu Hanzhi replied. “Nothing happens next.”
Everyone: ……
They all stared at him like, “I’ve stripped down and you’re telling me just this?” Lu Hanzhi snickered. “Exactly—there can be no ‘next.’ Think about it: what’s the prerequisite for Eastern Sea’s plan?”
Everyone looked puzzled.
Lu Hanzhi slapped his hand and held up one finger. “It’s that the emperor is vigorous, enjoying himself every night. But what if the emperor suddenly… can’t rise to the occasion?”
Everyone’s mouths simultaneously formed an “O.”
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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