Chapter 48
As expected, the future tyrant remained calm and stoic, the true soul of this book.
After being hit with thirty lashes, he remained silent, his face unchanged.
Yuwen Jue stepped forward to plead, kneeling and stopping Imperial Concubine Rong, saying, “Mother… the fifteen lashes were already enough. If you continue, it will be too much!”
Imperial Concubine Rong brushed off her eldest son and said, “It’s not too much. The fifteen lashes you got, he took for you.”
Lu Hanzhi, standing by, couldn’t help but chuckle. The imperial concubine was still wise, indeed, that was how it should be.
After the thirty lashes, Yuwen Min, holding his waist, stood up.
Though his face remained unchanged, his expression clearly showed that he couldn’t endure much more.
Imperial Concubine Rong glanced at her two sons and said, “Han’er, you help Min’er with his treatment, Jue’er, come with me!”
Lu Hanzhi, still amused, pointed at himself, “M-Me? I’ll treat him?”
His smile immediately vanished, and Ah Chan, watching from the side, furrowed his little brow as well.
Lu Hanzhi looked at Imperial Concubine Rong, clearly confused.
Imperial Concubine Rong, also puzzled, glanced at him, “Didn’t … you two already have children? Oh right, Min’er told me that the sixteenth of next month is a good date, and he’ll arrange for your marriage soon.”
Wait a minute, Your Highness, you might be mistaken. We really haven’t had children.
Ugh! We have children, but we didn’t even know about it!
Ah… How do I explain this?
Before Lu Hanzhi could explain, Imperial Concubine Rong led Yuwen Jue into the inner hall.
Yuwen Min, still sulking, got up, but suddenly frowned, letting out a soft hissing sound.
Though Mother Concubine had been living deep within the palace all these years, her skills had never fallen behind.
Yuwen Min frowned and stepped forward, saying, “Wang Fei, please, my childhood room is this way.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
He felt that he and Yuwen Min must be fated to clash with each other, otherwise, why was it that every time they met, he found himself walking right into trouble?
Tsk tsk, he wonder if Prince An’s backside is as round as his attitude.
Soon, Lu Hanzhi followed Yuwen Min to a room in the side hall.
The Great Zhao did not have a strict requirement for where the princes were raised before they came of age.
So, until Yuwen Min was eighteen and left the palace, he had been living in the Chenxi Pavilion.
After he established his residence outside the palace, his room in the palace had been kept, just in case he needed a place to rest when returning.
Er Ya handed over a small porcelain bottle, and Lu Hanzhi’s expression grew somewhat subtle.
There was something about the contents of that porcelain bottle that made him feel uneasy.
Probably because he’d seen it so many times, he kept imagining it contained rose-scented balm.
Holding the porcelain bottle, Lu Hanzhi felt a bit at a loss.
Ah Chan, who had been placed on the couch, sat there blankly, watching as the two fathers seemed unsure of what to do next.
Yuwen Min glanced at him, then began to unbutton his clothes.
Lu Hanzhi immediately reached out, saying, “Hold on! Your Highness, isn’t it a bit too direct if we’re just completely honest with each other?”
Yuwen Min’s eyes flashed with a cold glint as he said, “Oh? Then who do you think should treat me?”
Lu Hanzhi smiled in a very pleasing way and said, “For example… those two little eunuchs who just opened the door for us? I think they’d be a good match.”
Yuwen Min replied, “Why not ask them if they dare?”
“Probably… they wouldn’t dare?” Lu Hanzhi swallowed nervously.
At that moment, Yuwen Min had already removed his outer robe and was starting to untie his inner garment.
Lu Hanzhi closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.
But then, he heard Yuwen Min say from where he was lying, “Mother doesn’t have that many tricks up her sleeve.”
“What?” Lu Hanzhi raised his head, confused.
Yuwen Min continued, “When we were young, Mother would punish us. If one of us was injured or sick, we wouldn’t be punished. She never did something like today, where one suffers for the other. I boldly guess that the one who came up with this plan is Wang Fei, isn’t it?”
Lu Hanzhi: …
The Prince really is wise, he guessed it right away.
Lu Hanzhi widened his eyes and immediately denied, “How could that be? Am I the kind of person who harms my husband?”
“You are,” Yuwen Min responded firmly.
Lu Hanzhi: …
Well, we actually make a great pair.
Yuwen Min saw that Lu Hanzhi had not moved, so he turned to him and said, “What are you waiting for? Come, apply the medicine to your husband.”
Lu Hanzhi walked over slowly, eyes on the ground, silently chanting that all men are good brothers! He then slowly removed Yuwen Min’s trousers.
Looking at Yuwen Min’s slim and strong waist, Lu Hanzhi couldn’t help but praise, “Your Highness, what a great waist you have! No wonder you don’t need to drink pig whip and oyster soup!”
Yuwen Min: …
He took a deep breath, then another, reached out, grabbed the ointment from Lu Hanzhi’s hand, and said, “Get out!”
Lu Hanzhi turned around, picked up Ah Chan, and ran, only leaving behind a string of muffled laughs outside the room.
After Lu Hanzhi left, Yuwen Min, however, got up as usual. There was no trace of being injured from the beating at all.
A mere thirty lashes couldn’t hurt him.
He was just enjoying the sight of Lu Hanzhi’s arrogant smile and wanted to tease him a little.
This person is really interesting. I don’t understand what good it does him to beat me up.
Lu Hanzhi didn’t know why he felt so happy after the prince was beaten, but carrying Ah Chan out, he was in a cheerful mood.
However, when he thought about how he would marry Yuwen Min in half a month and spend every day with him, he couldn’t smile anymore.
Better take it easy in the future, or how would he survive after marrying him?
Soon, Prince Chu also came out, looking a bit unwell.
Lu Hanzhi went up and asked, “Did Her Highness punish you?”
Prince Chu lifted his hand with difficulty and said, “Although I didn’t have to be punished with the wooden blocks, the ruler’s rod still landed. My mother concubine was raised in the Rong family’s household, and her family rules were… under the cane… you know, rise above.”
Lu Hanzhi couldn’t help but laugh. He had never imagined that these two brothers had grown up in such a harsh environment.
But Prince Chu’s injury wasn’t serious; his palm was just red from the strike.
He gestured for Lu Hanzhi to sit with him at the small round table, and soon a palace maid brought the cooked food that Lu Hanzhi had brought to them.
Originally, Prince Chu wanted to talk to Lu Hanzhi, but the delightful aromas distracted him.
He sniffed, picked up a piece of marinated pig ear with a small silver fork, and tasted it. Immediately, he said, “This is delicious!”
Then he picked up a few other pieces of marinated food, tasting each one, before praising, “These are all so good… Hanzhi, you don’t know, I haven’t had a full meal in days. The food made by the household cooks makes me want to throw up. The other night, I craved the stew from Zhenwei House, so your second brother rode a fast horse and knocked on the chef’s door to get it packed. I only ate two bites before losing my appetite. But today, the meat and dishes from mother concubine’s palace are just to my liking. Hanzhi, you must try some, come, let’s eat together.”
Lu Hanzhi looked at Prince Chu with sympathy and asked, “How long has it been since you left the palace, Your Highness?”
Prince Chu replied, “Once I realized… I didn’t leave again, for fear others might suspect something.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded, saying, “I see. Your Highness, these are some local snacks I brought for Imperial Concubine to try. If you like them, I’ll have more sent over for you.”
Prince Chu was surprised, saying, “Oh? You made these yourself? They’re so good. Are you selling them?”
Lu Hanzhi responded, “Yes, a small business, not much profit, but just enough to get by.”
Prince Chu was pleased and said, “That’s great! From now on, my residence will order its cooked food from you.”
Lu Hanzhi then picked up a piece of jerky, feeding it to Ah Chan as he said, “What’s Second Sister-in-law saying? If you like it, I’ll have more sent over. But for the purchase—if my second brother finds out I’m making money off his wife, he might really beat me.”
This wasn’t entirely wrong. If Lu Xuzhi knew he was making money off his second sister-in-law, he might indeed hit him.
Prince Chu didn’t hold back, saying, “Well then, thank you, Hanzhi.”
Lu Hanzhi then asked, “By the way, second sister-in-law, what did Imperial Concubine say to you earlier?”
Prince Chu answered, “What else could she say? Mostly… Hey, Hanzhi, why do I feel like I’m not really my mother’s son? Why is she always nicer to other people’s children than to me and Ah Min? With us, it’s either punishment or… ugh, reprimands. But with the past little companions, it’s like spring rain, warm and gentle.”
Prince Chu rested his chin in his hand, looking puzzled.
Lu Hanzhi shook his finger and said, “You’ve misunderstood Imperial Concubine. Parents who love deeply must be strict. What does it matter if other people’s children are spoiled? She’s not responsible for that. She can’t spoil her own children either.”
Prince Chu looked thoughtful and said, “…That makes sense.”
He then frowned, looking up at Lu Hanzhi and saying, “Hanzhi, no more crude language.”
Lu Hanzhi zipped his mouth with his hand.
He couldn’t shake the bad habit. He cleared his throat and gave a nervous laugh.
In the evening, Lu Hanzhi and the two princes left the palace.
As soon as they left the gates, Lu Hanzhi spotted his second brother waiting outside the palace.
As soon as he saw them, he quickly approached and climbed into the carriage.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage, stepped inside, and immediately took Prince Chu’s hand. “Why did it take so long for you to come out? I was so worried! The Emperor didn’t give you a hard time, did he? Did Imperial Concubine Rong… find out?”
He asked a bunch of questions all at once, leaving Prince Chu unsure of which to answer first. He simply signaled with his eyes, “It’s fine, don’t worry. Everything’s going according to plan. I took the sacred medicine given by Doctor Lin in front of Father to show my loyalty. From now on, Father should have no doubts. A prince who wants to become a Xiao Langjun can never scheme for the throne.”
Lu Xuzhi sighed in relief, still holding Prince Chu’s hand, and continued speaking, “The next steps might be difficult for you. I don’t want to humiliate you like this. It’s my fault. Why should you bear all this suffering?”
Prince Chu shook his head and said, “Don’t talk about suffering. As long as you and I can marry successfully, any hardship will be worth it.”
Lu Hanzhi covered his face and subtly glanced at Yuwen Min.
He had eaten enough of this couple’s dog food.
But watching them so loving, Lu Hanzhi couldn’t help but feel both envious and glad.
It’s rare for a couple of the same sex to be so close and devoted to each other.
At that moment, a little servant outside the carriage was reporting to Prince An. Prince An reached out to take a note, read it, and then crumpled it.
He looked up at Lu Hanzhi and said, “First, hand Ah Chan over to Eldest Brother and Second Brother Lu. You come with me.”
Lu Hanzhi asked in confusion, “Where are we going?”
Prince An replied, “To the northern suburbs.”
Lu Hanzhi immediately crossed his arms in a protective stance and said, “This… the wilderness? That doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
Author’s note:
Lu Hanzhi: … Out in the wild… what could go wrong? (smiles suddenly become creepy)
Future Tyrant: … Do you want to fight?
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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