Chapter 25
Hearing the commotion, Lu Hanzhi immediately ran outside to take a look, making his mother stomp her foot in frustration.
Her youngest son was excellent in every way, except for his wild and reckless nature—he simply didn’t act like a proper Xiao Langjun.
Outside, Lu Xuzhi rode in on a tall and majestic horse, wearing a grand hat adorned with twin wings, a finely embroidered robe, and a red sash marked with a cross. In his hand, he held a golden silk whip as he directed a respectful gaze toward the Eldest Prince, who was waiting for him at the entrance.
The Eldest Prince had already regained his title as Prince Chu. He was surrounded by a host of attendants, dressed in luxurious robes, exuding an imposing aura of authority.
Yet, all that regal presence seemed to dissolve into tender affection the moment he laid eyes on Lu Xuzhi.
To outsiders, the prince still maintained his usual composed and gentlemanly demeanor.
But to Lu Hanzhi, it was clear as day—damn it, these two shameless men were at it again, openly displaying their affections!
Lu Xuzhi dismounted, his gaze locked onto Yuwen Jue as if no one else existed. He walked toward him with steady steps.
After all, they were in public, so restraint was evident in both their eyes.
Lu Xuzhi took a step forward, and Lu Hanzhi thought he was about to embrace the Eldest Prince. However, to his surprise, Lu Xuzhi instead swept his robes aside and performed a deep, formal bow before Prince Chu.
Lu Hanzhi nearly covered his face in exasperation—right, how could he have forgotten? Prince Chu was a royal of the highest rank, while the newly crowned top scholar had yet to receive an official title.
Yuwen Jue also felt a bit helpless. His dear Xulang kneeling before him like this made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
As a prince, all he could do was place a hand lightly on Lu Xuzhi’s shoulder in a perfunctory gesture and say, “Rise, Second Young Master Lu. I came to personally congratulate you. There’s no need for such formalities.”
Lu Xuzhi stood up, but in a voice only the two of them could hear, Yuwen Jue asked, “Why are you giving me such a grand salute?”
Lowering his voice, Lu Xuzhi replied, “Because I wanted to. If we can be together forever, I’d be willing to bow to you every day.”
A faint flush crept onto Yuwen Jue’s face. He turned and walked side by side with Lu Xuzhi, only to bump into Lu Hanzhi head-on.
Lu Hanzhi stuck out his tongue—eavesdropping on others’ conversations wasn’t exactly a good habit. Just as he was about to sneak away, Lu Xuzhi called him back: “Hanzhi! What’s wrong with you? Seeing Prince Chu and not even offering a proper greeting? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?”
Lu Hanzhi had no choice but to obediently turn around, bow slightly, and say in a quiet voice, “Gretting Second Sister-in-law.”
Lu Xuzhi: …
Yuwen Jue: …
Lu Xuzhi turned red with anger, ready to smack his younger brother, but Yuwen Jue unexpectedly chuckled. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small golden longevity lock, handing it to Lu Hanzhi: “Hanzhi, this is for our Ah Chan. I’ve been meaning to give him something since we last stayed at the estate. This was mine when I was a child—it carries great fortune. May it bless our Ah Chan with a long and prosperous life.”
Lu Hanzhi accepted the longevity lock and chuckled softly. “Thank you, Second Sister-in-law.”
After hearing that title a second time, Yuwen Jue’s ears turned red, nearly down to his neck. Clearing his throat, he let out a soft “Mhm.”
He loved Lu Xuzhi deeply, and perhaps when love reached its peak, one would willingly do anything for the other.
Lu Xuzhi felt that way about Yuwen Jue, and Yuwen Jue felt the same for Lu Xuzhi.
That day, the Lu family hosted a grand banquet that lasted all day. Naturally, the Crown Prince’s residence also had to express its congratulations.
Yuwen Jun sent Lu Haozhi over to personally deliver well wishes to Lu Xuzhi. Since his miscarriage, Lu Haozhi had gained some weight.
It was said that during his recovery, the Crown Prince himself had taken him back to the palace to care for him. This had given Aunt Du immense satisfaction.
The reason Yuwen Jun hadn’t personally fetched Lu Haozhi before was that he had been injured in an assassination attempt. It was not an excuse but a fact.
After bringing him back, he had ensured that Lu Haozhi was well-fed and taken care of. Aunt Du had also sent numerous nourishing tonics, hoping he would conceive again soon.
After all, the Crown Prince’s legitimate heir would hold an incomparably noble status. Aunt Du was well aware of this.
Lu Hanzhi, however, couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Lu Haozhi. If he hadn’t refused to marry into the Crown Prince’s residence, Lu Haozhi wouldn’t have had to take his place.
In a way, he had pushed Lu Haozhi into becoming Su Wan’ning’s adversary.
The last time Lu Haozhi had miscarried—it couldn’t have been just a coincidence.
With a faint sigh, Lu Hanzhi decided that he would help Lu Haozhi.
In the original storyline, he was the one who lost his life. He didn’t want Lu Haozhi to suffer the same fate because of his own refusal to marry into the Crown Prince’s residence.
While the front courtyard was bustling with excitement, Lu Hanzhi sat in his own courtyard in the back, holding Ah Chan while amusing himself with cricket fights.
Ah Chan watched intently, like a little kitten, his round eyes fixed on the battling crickets.
From time to time, he sucked on the wooden-patterned pacifier in his mouth, looking exactly like a kitten watching a feather toy.
Lu Hanzhi gazed at Ah Chan’s expression in amazement, then grinned and said, “Hey, do you take after that big pig-headed jerk? The moment you see a battlefield, you get excited?”
Ah Chan tilted his little head and sucked on his pacifier, clearly not understanding a word.
It was almost noon when footsteps echoed from the outer room. There was no need to guess—it was surely either his mother or his older brother sending someone to bring him food.
Ah Chan happened to be hungry as well. Lu Hanzhi placed him onto the small bed and prepared some warm water to mix his powdered milk.
Fatty Ah Chan could no longer be satisfied with just one bottle of milk—he needed a full two bottles to feel full.
As he grew older, his appetite continued to increase.
The greatest progress he had made was that he could now hold the milk bottle by himself.
Although he still couldn’t hold it steadily and needed Lu Hanzhi’s help to keep it in place.
Food was as tempting to Ah Chan as watching a fight. The moment Lu Hanzhi brought the milk over, Ah Chan started kicking his arms and legs excitedly.
While kicking, he grinned up at Lu Hanzhi, his little mouth opening and closing, making soft, babbling noises.
“Mm… Ah ah ah… Hmm… Waaah!”
Lu Hanzhi had gone from completely unable to understand baby talk to now having what could be called a “Level Four in Baby Language.” It had been a journey of painful learning.
As he stuffed the milk bottle into the chubby baby’s mouth, he coaxed, “Oh… hungry, are we? Hmm? Thank you, Daddy, is that what you’re trying to say? You’re saying Daddy is the best? Hahaha, well, of course!”
Ah, what a little creature—whoever had milk was his favorite person.
But, since he was his own child, it wasn’t surprising that he was this clingy.
Ah Chan sucked on the bottle so eagerly that he wriggled his tiny bottom and ended up sweating all over his forehead.
Now, Lu Hanzhi finally understood why people said “giving it your all” was like “sucking with all your strength.” Apparently, even drinking milk was quite the effort.
After feeding him two whole bottles, Lu Hanzhi wiped his mouth clean, stuck the pacifier back into his mouth, and headed out to eat his own meal.
The moment he stepped out, the maids and older servant women immediately turned their attention to Ah Chan’s wooden-patterned pacifier with great curiosity.
On the estate, the servants had long grown accustomed to the young master always having something in his mouth. Lu Hanzhi had casually told them that he had asked a carpenter to make it as a toy for Ah Chan.
At first, everyone found it rather odd. But after a while, they realized it was actually quite a useful little thing.
Lu Hanzhi couldn’t be bothered to explain. So when the servant women asked if they should feed the young master, he simply replied, “A friend from the Western Regions brought back some milk cakes. The young master has already eaten.”
The “Western Regions” had become his catch-all excuse—it could be used for anything.
Now, everyone in the Lu family believed that the third young master had a close friend from the Western Regions.
Thanks to this supposed friend, he had not only opened Han Ji Fragrance House but also acquired numerous rare treasures and strange little toys unknown to others.
So, it was natural to assume that this milk cake and pacifier were also gifts from his mysterious Western friend.
Little did they know that, at this time, the Western Regions were still largely a wild land—where exactly would such an advanced civilization even come from?
The dining table was filled with fine wine and exquisite dishes, and Lu Hanzhi was thoroughly delighted.
The food was all fair game, but the wine was off-limits.
A Xiao Langjun would go through a six-month period of dormancy after giving birth, during which they wouldn’t go into heat.
But even so, he couldn’t afford to indulge in drinking.
After the meal, Lu Hanzhi joined the gathering in the front courtyard, experiencing firsthand the grandeur of being at the center of power.
The Lu family was currently enjoying imperial favor, and numerous nobles were eager to curry favor with them.
Whether they supported the Crown Prince or the Eldest Prince, they all flocked to the Lu residence.
Because of his ties to the Crown Prince, Lu Haozhi was also seated at the main banquet.
Aunt Du didn’t come, likely because she was still confined in reflection after offending Madam Lu last time.
Feeling a bit guilty toward Lu Haozhi, Lu Hanzhi took a seat beside him and politely asked, “Fourth Brother, how have you been feeling?”
He intended to temporarily mend their relationship and later give Lu Haozhi a talisman to shield him from Su Wan’ning’s mental attacks—at the very least, he needed to keep him alive.
But clearly, Lu Haozhi had no intention of accepting his goodwill.
He gave Lu Hanzhi a cold glance and said in a low voice, “Do you really not know how I’ve been? I doubt you even want me to be well.”
Lu Hanzhi frowned. The moment those words left Lu Haozhi’s mouth, he knew that not only did his brother not want to reconcile, but there was also some sort of misunderstanding between them.
Seeing Lu Hanzhi’s frown and silence, Lu Haozhi couldn’t hold back and raised his voice. “Stop pretending to be kind! Do you really think you have nothing to do with me falling into the pond and losing my child?”
Lu Hanzhi: ??? Meow meow meow???
Wait, you were attacked mentally by Su Wan’ning—what does that have to do with me?
With so many guests present, Lu Hanzhi couldn’t exactly curse out loud.
And by now, several people had already started looking over.
He didn’t want to ruin his second brother’s banquet, so he chose to turn and walk away instead of engaging in an argument.
But who knew that Lu Haozhi was determined to provoke him? His voice grew even louder: “You think leaving means you can deny what you’ve done? Lu Hanzhi, I know what you’re capable of! Even after everything, you still managed to get acquainted with merchants from the Western Regions. Do you think I don’t know what your relationship is with that Western merchant? Did you take some kind of cursed item from him? Otherwise, why would I have suddenly jumped into the lotus pond without realizing it? My poor child! He wasn’t even born yet, and now he’s gone—drowned in cold water!”
At last, all the guests gathered around. Lu Hanzhi looked utterly exasperated. He now truly understood what it meant to be “unable to defend oneself.”
Meanwhile, Lu Haozhi was completely oblivious to the severity of the situation and continued speaking recklessly: “You were jealous that I married into the Crown Prince’s household, jealous that I had his favor! So, you used such despicable means to take revenge on me? If you wanted to harm me, fine! But why harm the Crown Prince’s child?”
A wave of shocked murmurs spread through the guests. The rumors about Lu Hanzhi started resurfacing in whispered discussions.
“I heard the Third Young Master had a child out of wedlock. Is that true?”
“Be careful what you say! This is the Lu family—you don’t want to offend their powerful connections.”
“Could Lu Hanzhi really be that cruel? I always wondered why he didn’t marry into the Crown Prince’s household…”
…
Listening to the hushed conversations around him and seeing Lu Siwei approaching, Lu Haozhi seized the opportunity to escalate matters: “You had a child out of wedlock, so you couldn’t marry into the Crown Prince’s household—what does that have to do with me? What does that have to do with my child? Why was my child the one who had to die while your illegitimate one gets to live?”
The crowd erupted. Lu Hanzhi suddenly felt as though he had been stripped bare and placed on a burning pyre, subjected to countless venomous stares.
Madam Lu arrived upon hearing the commotion and nearly fainted from anger.
Lu Siwei’s face turned red with fury, looking ready to kill someone.
The room fell silent. The occasional gasps and murmurs made Lu Hanzhi feel as if he were sitting on needles, unsure of how to respond.
Damn, this was getting out of hand!
Just then, a cool and clear voice rang out from the crowd.
“Who said the child I had with Hanzhi is illegitimate? Who dares to make such a claim?”
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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