Chapter 16
Yuwen Min bowed and followed Lu Hanzhi, trying his best not to raise his head.
Even though he had changed his appearance, he still remained cautious when encountering Su Wan’ning.
Su Wan’ning, also confused, looked at Yuwen Min and spoke, “Cousin Hanzhi, this young man behind you looks unfamiliar. Is he a newcomer in the household?”
Lu Hanzhi casually replied, “A servant from the estate. Not much use. What are you still standing there for? Go bring the lady’s carriage! And tell He Ming that Madam is returning to the estate today, so he should be ready to give her a proper welcome.”
With a single sentence, Lu Hanzhi had sent Yuwen Min away, giving him the chance to leave without raising suspicion.
Yuwen Min nodded and respectfully retreated.
As he turned, he saw that Su Wan’ning was still looking his way. Lu Hanzhi, whether intentional or not, had positioned himself in such a way that he blocked their line of sight.
Yuwen Min turned and disappeared into the flower bushes, taking a shortcut to Hanshou Temple.
When Madam Lu saw Lu Hanzhi, she immediately pulled him close and asked with concern, frowning as she repeated three times, “Why are you so thin? Has Qin Se not been taking care of you?”
Lu Hanzhi pinched the soft flesh around his stomach and thought to himself that all mothers probably never thought their sons were too fat.
Once they arrived at the estate, Madam Lu brought out the small clothes and blankets she had prepared earlier and started crying, “It’s all my fault. I didn’t take care of you. That day, I don’t know who gave you glutinous rice wine, and now you’ve been ruined for life by that person! It must have been that Aunt Du! She did it so her son could get ahead!”
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Lu Hanzhi said, “Mother! My dear mother, please don’t make a fuss. Look at Lu Haozhi—he’s in the Crown Prince’s palace now. Is that really a good thing?”
Madam Lu replied, “That’s different! Can my son be compared to the useless child she raised?”
Lu Hanzhi picked up the fruit that Luan Feng had just brought and said, “Mother, try this. It was grown in the estate. It’s sweet.”
With the fruit in her mouth, Madam Lu finally stopped her complaints.
Instead, she started talking about matters in the household: “Your grandmother has been ill for days and still hasn’t recovered. There’s been a major incident at the palace. Sigh, your father is worried sick, and he hasn’t been home these past few days.”
Lu Hanzhi blinked and asked, “Oh… Mother, how’s my second brother…. doing?” The incident with the Eldest Prince would surely affect him as well.
Madam Lu immediately responded, “What do you mean? Your second brother has been locking himself in his room, working hard. He says he doesn’t want to be disturbed and is preparing for exams. I know without guessing—he’s worried about Prince Chu. But what’s the use of worrying? Family matters are beyond our reach.”
Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment and said, “How about… we invite second brother to the estate tomorrow to relax? You can say I miss him. If he doesn’t come, I’ll die.”
With a sharp slap, Madam Lu hit Lu Hanzhi on the face and scolded, “You little rascal, if you keep talking nonsense, I won’t forgive you!”
Lu Hanzhi smiled foolishly, then pouted, “Please, mother! Let second brother come see me!”
Knowing that Lu Hanzhi was the most spoiled by his older brother, Madam Lu tapped his forehead and sighed, “Alright, alright! I really can’t do anything with you!”
She then hugged the grandchild she didn’t care much for, but upon seeing him today, was greatly surprised.
The tiny, weak baby had grown into a healthy, plump little boy.
At just one or two months old, he looked round and adorable, making Madam Lu smile broadly.
Blood is thicker than water, and how could she not be moved by her own grandson?
At this point, she had no choice but to accept this little grandson.
By the time evening came, Madam Lu left. Before she left, she kept reminding Lu Hanzhi to take care of himself, and not to reveal that he had a child.
Even though he had already had a child, he still had to marry.
In Madam Lu’s eyes, if Xiao Langjun didn’t marry, his future would be without support.
Lu Hanzhi could only listen. He certainly couldn’t say, “Mother, I don’t want to get married; I just want to make money!” Otherwise, she would probably beat him to death.
Meanwhile, by the riverside in the outskirts, Su Wan’ning frowned as she observed the healthy and lively people passing by at the village entrance. Even the children were energetic and full of life, showing no signs of being affected by an epidemic.
The Crown Prince, Yuwen Jun, who was accompanying her, couldn’t understand. “Wan’ning, didn’t you say there was an epidemic in the outskirts? But all these people seem fine.”
Su Wan’ning’s face showed a mix of embarrassment and surprise, with a hint of slight anger, but she skillfully hid it. She smiled gently at Yuwen Jun and said, “It’s even better if there’s no epidemic. I came here to gather information. If there is sickness, I would treat it; if there isn’t, I would give people cooling tea to strengthen their health.”
Yuwen Jun, impressed, looked at Su Wan’ning and said, “You’re still like this, never thinking of your own gain, always thinking about others.”
Su Wan’ning blushed slightly and smiled, saying, “Your Highness, you flatter me. I only do this to pray for the well-being of my family.”
Saying this, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness.
And so, another moment of mutual sympathy occurred.
Su Wan’ning set up the medicinal stove and began to prepare cooling tea and distribute medicine.
Unfortunately, no one came over to accept her help all morning.
Seeing her laboring alone with the tea, Yuwen Jun decided to intervene and stopped an old man, saying, “Old man, aren’t you going to take a bowl of this cooling tea to prevent illness and strengthen your health? It’s free.”
The old man looked at Su Wan’ning, smiled kindly, and said, “No, no, we had a divine doctor visit a few days ago. I’d advise the young lady not to treat here anymore. All the villages here trust only the White-Clad Xiao Langjun.”
Yuwen Jun frowned. Was there someone else offering medicine?
Hearing the old man’s words, Su Wan’ning also frowned. No wonder she had been waiting so long without any success; someone else had gotten there first. Who could it be?
She had no choice but to leave with the Crown Prince, not even waiting for Madam Lu.
On the way back, her mood darkened, and she even started ignoring the Crown Prince’s comforting words.
Sensing the atmosphere, Yuwen Jun left early and returned to the palace.
After returning to the residence, the Xiao Langjun at home attentively took care of the matters, asking about his well-being and pouring tea.
He thought for a moment, realizing that this Xiao Langjun hadn’t consummated their marriage yet.
He then raised his head and looked at the Xiao Langjun who was lowering his head with an obedient expression, saying to Lu Haozhi, “You should attend to me tonight.”
Lu Haozhi was so happy that he immediately bowed to the crown prince, joyfully saying, “Yes! Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!”
This action made Yuwen Jun furrow his brows, feeling that this Xiao Langjun was not quite to his liking.
But since he wasn’t someone he cared for, it didn’t matter to him.
In the evening, Prince Ling’an, Yuwen Min, also returned from Hanshou Temple.
At this time, Lu Hanzhi was in his room playing with Little Fatty Chan. Ah Chan’s little legs were placed on Lu Hanzhi’s mouth, and he kissed them in response.
After kissing, he raised his head and saw Yuwen Min. He was so startled that he nearly sat down on the ground.
He quickly calmed his breath, thinking to himself, How could this brother scare me like this? But he still said aloud, “Oh, Your Highness, you’re back? It must have been a tiring journey, please take a seat.”
Yuwen Min casually glanced at him, picked up the design draft on his desk, and studied it carefully, then asked, “Did you draw this?”
Lu Hanzhi answered, “Ah, yes, it’s just a crude attempt, not worthy of admiration.”
Yuwen Min put the design down and said, “There’s a character written wrong.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
It wasn’t a mistake; I just don’t know how to write in traditional characters, so I used simplified ones instead.
Of course, he couldn’t say this, so he put on a surprised expression and showered Yuwen Min with compliments, “Wow! Your Highness is so wise and knowledgeable! You noticed the mistake in my writing right away, truly remarkable! No wonder you are the talented and handsome Prince Ling’an!”
Prince Ling’an looked at him with a complex expression and, after a long pause, said, “Did you praise the crown prince like this too?”
The crown prince? Why did he suddenly bring him up?
Oh, that’s right, Lu Hanzhi had been infatuated with the crown prince since he was young.
In fact, many people in the capital knew that Lu Hanzhi, the most beautiful person in the capital, would eventually marry into the crown prince’s household.
So, it wasn’t surprising that Prince Ling’an, who often interacted with the Lu family, had heard of it.
He didn’t know how Lu Hanzhi had interacted with the crown prince before, but of course, he had never said such things!
So, he immediately denied it, saying, “Impossible! I’ve only praised you, Your Highness! Besides, it was my younger brother who married into the crown prince’s household. For the sake of my reputation, please don’t bring up those past matters.”
”Reputation?” Yuwen Min, dressed in black, with a cold aura, suddenly appeared more relaxed. He approached and glanced at the little chubby bird lying on the small bed, saying, “Hmm, reputation is indeed quite important.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
Does he look like a future tyrant or what?
Unbelievable!
But he also felt extremely fortunate to have met him before he became more ruthless; otherwise, he would probably be dead by now.
After all, tyrants don’t need a reason to kill.
Lu Lingxi kicked off the small blanket, revealing a lively and cute little bird.
Lu Hanzhi awkwardly covered Lu Lingxi’s little bird, thinking, Don’t think you can be so shameless just because you’re facing your father!
Fortunately, the future tyrant wasn’t interested in this chubby bird; he just stood there watching Lu Hanzhi, neither leaving nor speaking.
Lu Hanzhi touched his face and looked up, asking, “Your Highness, you are making things difficult for me. Although I have a child, I am not just any random Langjun at home. If you like me, you should send someone with three letters and six rituals to marry me. Staring at me like this is truly inappropriate.”
Yuwen Min seemed surprised by how thick-skinned Lu Hanzhi was, and his face turned red from the teasing.
Thinking about it, Lu Hanzhi was actually a year older than Yuwen Min.
The poor child had been confused when he first arrived and had accidentally slept with him.
And, as fate would have it, they ended up having a child.
Lu Hanzhi began to feel guilty, Teasing a half-grown child… what have I done?!
So, he cleared his throat and said, “Your Highness, I was just joking with you, please don’t take it to heart.”
But Yuwen Min didn’t respond to him. Instead, he pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and threw it in front of him, asking, “Did you write this letter?”
Lu Hanzhi looked down and saw that the paper was the anonymous letter he had written to the Fourth Prince, Yuwen Min, long ago.
It seemed that Yuwen Min had thoughtfully placed the draft he had been working on at his desk in front of him.
It was quite a coincidence that both papers had the same simplified character for “medicine” on them.
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