Chapter 30
Madam Lu, very happy, immediately put on a joyful face, took Little Fatty Chan from Lu Hanzhi’s arms, and walked outside.
Yuwen Min, dressed in his royal prince’s robe, stood with a eunuch by his side. Behind them, there was a long row of large boxes.
Lu Hanzhi looked speechless. He knew the purpose was to deliver a betrothal gift, but if someone didn’t know better, they would think they were here to buy a wife.
He remembered that when Lu Haozhi entered the Crown Prince’s residence, it wasn’t anything like this.
A betrothal was just a betrothal. Some symbolic cloth and silver were sent, but it wasn’t like Yuwen Min who brought so much.
Today, Lu Siwei, who was resting at home, also came along to receive the imperial decree.
The imperial messenger stepped forward and said, “Lu Hanzhi, the legitimate third son of the Lu family, is here to receive the decree.”
Lu Hanzhi had seen many scenes of receiving imperial decrees on television, but this was his first time doing it in person, so he was a little excited.
He stepped forward, knelt down, and lowered his head, saying, “I, Lu Hanzhi, receive the decree.”
The messenger cleared his throat and began reading the decree.
One couldn’t deny, the palace’s writing was something no ordinary person could rival. The imperial edict praised him to the heavens, mentioning how handsome he was, how humble he was, how skilled with literature he was, how virtuous and modest he was… Lu Hanzhi almost believed it himself.
After reading the decree, Lu Hanzhi had only one thought: How did they manage to praise him like that?
Finally, the messenger paused and concluded, “It is hereby decreed that the fourth son of the emperor, Prince An, will marry you as his Wang Fei. So it is said.”
Everyone simultaneously looked up at the messenger, stunned by the announcement, then exchanged puzzled glances.
Lu Hanzhi was also frozen, a Wang Fei?
Wasn’t it supposed to be a side consort? Why was he being immediately named a Wang Fei?
Even Lu Siwei didn’t react right away. It was the messenger who reminded them, “Lord Lu, Young Master Lu, receive the decree!”
Lu Hanzhi quickly performed the proper salute and said, “This commoner Lu Hanzhi, receive the decree.”
The messenger laughed lightly, saying, “Oh, now that you’re Prince An’a Wang Fei, you can’t go on saying such things. You are a noble Wang Fei, not some commoner.”
Lu Hanzhi still felt a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and said again, “I… receive the decree.”
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw Yuwen Min laughing softly to the side.
However, the smile vanished almost immediately, and Lu Hanzhi even doubted if he had seen it correctly.
After the decree was received, Yuwen Min personally stepped forward to help Lu Hanzhi up and said, “Sorry for keeping you waiting. It’s my fault. I’ve been busy these past few days, so I’ve had to trouble you. Don’t be upset, Hanzhi. I’ll speak with my mother and make sure we marry as soon as possible.”
Lu Hanzhi felt a chill run down his spine. He thought to himself, if only you weren’t holding that heavy sword while saying these words.
When others said such things, it sounded affectionate, but when the future tyrant said them, the next moment, it felt like his life might be in danger.
Lu Hanzhi shuddered and waved his hand, saying, “You’re too kind… actually, I’m not in any hurry.”
Madam Lu, furious, stepped forward and pinched his waist, holding Ah Chan in her arms, and said, “What are you talking about? Being able to marry into Prince An’s residence is your fortune. Hurry up and thank Prince An for his favor!”
Lu Hanzhi, feeling miserable, thought to himself, *Why did I run away before?*
Although he didn’t know exactly why he ran away before, now he knew he couldn’t escape.
Yuwen Min, holding his heavy sword like a guardian deity, seemed unbeatable. He couldn’t fight back, so he had no choice but to yield to Yuwen Min’s imposing presence.
Yet, Lu Hanzhi’s eyes flickered with a thought. Well, since life had to go on, he couldn’t be the only one suffering.
He took a step forward, grabbed Yuwen Min’s sleeve, and, with a shy, hesitant voice, whispered into his ear, “Husband, you have to treat me well and not bully me, okay?”
Yuwen Min’s eyes, usually as calm as a still lake, suddenly showed a flash of unease. He instinctively took a step back, looking at Lu Hanzhi with a confused expression.
Lu Hanzhi almost couldn’t hold back his laughter. He was sure he saw Yuwen Min’s face read, *Are you looking for a fight?*
He could roughly understand why Yuwen Min kept him by his side. A person who knew all his opponent’s strategies couldn’t become an ally and could potentially turn into a danger.
Who knew whether he would secretly side with the enemy?
The safest option was to keep him close.
But, well, whatever! The future days would surely be chaotic, but he couldn’t let Yuwen Min be the only one facing chaos.
He plastered a wounded look on his face and leaned in closer again, saying, “Husband, do you dislike me?”
Yuwen Min went from his “Are you looking for a fight?” expression to a “Get any closer and I’ll hit you” look, which almost drove Lu Hanzhi to burst into laughter.
He held his stomach, laughing uncontrollably, leaving Madam Lu and Lord Lu completely bewildered.
Despite everything, Lu Hanzhi was still their biological child, and Madam Lu had to step forward to salvage the situation, saying, “Ah, this child is just so happy! You two have had a tough time, but the good days are ahead!”
As for whether the good days were ahead, Yuwen Min had no idea, but dealing with this drama king was giving him a serious headache.
He knew full well the intentions of his enemy, the Emperor. By naming Lu Hanzhi, a Xiao Langjun who seemed incapable of providing any support, as his wife, the Emperor was ensuring that Lu Hanzhi wouldn’t become a direct threat to him in the future.
If he ever intended to rebel, he had no direct marital alliances to rely on.
The reasoning was, of course, quite simple. As the biological father of the imperial eldest grandson, not bestowing the title of wife upon him would have been entirely unjustifiable.
His enemy, the emperor appeared delighted, even declaring that he wanted to meet his little imperial grandson in person and personally grant him a name.
Upon learning that the little imperial grandson had already been given a name, he let the matter rest, merely stating that court affairs had been busy lately and that he would host a banquet to welcome the new Wang Fei another day.
However, Imperial Concubine Rong was eager to proceed, but Yuwen Min stopped her. He was worried that Lu Hanzhi would feel awkward and thought it best to let him adjust to his new identity first.
Ever since the imperial decree was issued, Lu Hanzhi had been trailing behind Yuwen Min like a little tail, following him wherever he went.
Yuwen Min didn’t say anything. After all, it was customary for the bearer of good news to stay for a celebratory meal after delivering an imperial decree.
So, Yuwen Min had yet to return to the palace. He simply handed a silver banknote to the eunuch who delivered the decree and sent him back.
At the moment, he was feeling a headache coming on. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he turned to look at Lu Hanzhi. Though he said nothing, his expression clearly asked, *What do you want?*
Lu Hanzhi held back his laughter, pouted slightly, and whispered, “My mother told me that from now on, I need to depend on Your Highness for a living, so she told me to do my best to please you.”
It took Yuwen Min a while before he managed to squeeze out a response: “That’s unnecessary!”
Lu Hanzhi took the hint and stopped pushing. Cheerfully, he turned and headed back to the rear courtyard.
Right now, his residence had been burned down, so he had nowhere to stay. For the time being, he was living in Madam Lu’s side courtyard.
After all, he had only moved into his own separate courtyard two years ago. Coming back now felt just right.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Ah Man holding Ah Chan at the gate, watching ants. Taking Ah Chan into his arms, Lu Hanzhi said, “Little one, we’re about to enter the tiger’s den soon!”
Ah Chan looked utterly confused, clearly more interested in the big ants. Pointing at the ants climbing up the tree in a line, he started babbling excitedly, “Ah ah ah wa oo, mm mm oh…”
Lu Hanzhi frowned as he looked at the ants. “Does this mean it’s going to rain?” He glanced up at the scorching sun in the cloudless sky—it was unbearably hot. How could it possibly rain?
He muttered to himself and couldn’t be bothered with the banquet in the front courtyard.
It was easy to imagine how awkward Lu Siwei must be feeling. The Fourth Prince was different from the Eldest Prince—he could strike up a conversation with just about anyone.
Talking with Prince An, however, was more like a one-man monologue.
Lu Siwei suffered through the meal. He had always known that Prince An was indifferent and unfamiliar with social norms, and now that he had met him in person, he found it to be entirely true.
Fortunately, the meal ended quickly. Lu Siwei respectfully escorted his soon-to-be son-in-law to the gate, only for a sudden clap of thunder to rumble overhead. In an instant, raindrops the size of beans started pouring down.
Well, like it or not, this guest couldn’t leave now.
Meanwhile, Lu Hanzhi was lying on his bed, browsing through the system’s marketplace while playing with Ah Chan on a Persian carpet spread across the floor. Having just completed a mission and earned a full fifty exchange points, he was in an excellent mood.
With the ten points he had saved up before, he now had a total of sixty-three exchange points.
There were so many things he wanted from the marketplace, but above all, he wanted to exchange for a permanent defensive artifact to give to the Old Madam.
However, the Old Madam was always by Su Wan’ning’s side, so giving her something without being noticed would be tricky.
Even if he managed to give it to her, she might not use it.
And even if she did, Su Wan’ning would likely discover it.
Dealing with Su Wan’ning was a long and arduous task.
*Sigh, forget it.* This storyline was getting harder and harder.
If only it were a simple child-rearing route—how great would that be? Spending every day playing with Ah Chan, what a carefree life that would be!
As he continued browsing, he suddenly realized he had bought a large box of milk snacks, two packs of rice cereal, a vintage-style baby walker, a mechanical wooden rocking horse, a pack of diapers, and a giant bag of teething biscuits for Ah Chan.
By the time he noticed, he had already spent ten exchange points.
Looking at all the scattered items on the floor, Lu Hanzhi sighed slightly. Then, seeing little Ah Chan eagerly exploring every single toy, he let out a wistful sigh, “Raising a child really is a bottomless pit. Oh well, good thing Daddy has money!”
Lying back on his bed, he packed everything into the system’s storage space, leaving only the bag of teething biscuits. He pulled one out and placed it in Ah Chan’s tiny hand.
Ah Chan was starting to grow his first teeth. Lately, he had been putting his hands in his mouth more frequently, to the point where even his pacifier couldn’t stop him.
Hopefully, the teething biscuits would help curb the habit a little. If not, he’d have to remind Ah Man to wash Ah Chan’s hands more often.
At just three months old, Ah Chan still couldn’t crawl, but he could wriggle around slightly.
While Lu Hanzhi was busy shopping in the system, Ah Chan had slowly wriggled his way from the center of the carpet to the edge.
The room Madam Lu had arranged for them was spacious and comfortable, with all potential hazards carefully removed by the servants.
Lu Hanzhi never restricted Ah Chan’s movements—he could go anywhere he pleased.
So, Ah Chan wiggled and wiggled, making his way toward the door, only to be stopped by a pair of large boots that had just stepped inside.
Ah Chan blinked in confusion, looking up to see a cold yet strikingly handsome face. “Yiya?”
The newcomer frowned slightly, unsure what to do with the little chubby ball sprawled over his boots.
This scene reminded him of the first time they had met—it was this very little chubby ball who had peed all over his face.
In his entire life, no one had ever dared to do such a thing to him. This little one sure had guts.
But why was he alone? Where was his father?
Yuwen Min looked up and saw Lu Hanzhi sprawled out on the carpet, arms and legs spread wide. Scattered around him were a few small toys—most likely things he had just bought on a whim for the little one.
Miniature water wheels, pinwheels, a tiny rocking car—simple toys that didn’t cost many exchange points but were perfect for amusing a child.
Even after spending five more points, Lu Hanzhi was still reluctant to stop.
He had just set his sights on a mechanical rocking cradle. It was a bit pricey, costing three points, so he was debating whether to get it.
Lu Hanzhi had the kind of personality that couldn’t control himself when he had money. Now, holding so many exchange points, he just couldn’t resist spending them.
Maybe ancient-era shopping lacked the right vibe—browsing the system’s marketplace was just so much more satisfying.
Just as he was about to purchase the rocking cradle, his mental connection was suddenly yanked away.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and he instinctively dropped to the carpet, rubbing his temples as he cursed under his breath, “Damn it…”
When he looked up, he saw a pair of black boots embroidered with gold thread. Following the boots upward, his gaze landed on Yuwen Min, who was looking down at him with a scrutinizing expression—holding a soft, chubby Ah Chan in his arms, unsure of how to handle him.
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