Chapter 76
Lu Hanzhi protested that he was innocent and said quickly, “It’s a plane! A small plane! He’s the one not speaking properly! He keeps saying ‘Ji Ji!’ What can I do about that?”
Note: plane is fei ji.
After all, a seven-month-old baby being able to say “Ji” was already the mark of a genius!
Yuwen Min’s face was still filled with confusion as he asked, “What is an airplane?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “…Uh… It’s a kind of sci-fi toy, something from scientific fantasy.”
Yuwen Min nodded as if he half-understood, though he often couldn’t grasp his convenient wife’s odd and imaginative ideas.
However, he became quite interested in this small airplane. Once the mechanism was wound up, it clicked and clattered as it moved forward.
Lu Hanzhi said, “Look, Your Highness, things like this fully automated device, if applied to transportation or agricultural production, could save a lot of labor and resources.”
But based on the current level of productivity, it was utterly impossible.
Yuwen Min nodded in agreement, “And the labor saved could be used for other creative ideas, like yours, that continue to save labor?”
Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment and replied, “That’s true… but right now, even using people to their fullest potential isn’t possible, let alone using all available resources.” Some things are best left as a mere daydream.
Thinking about it, it would indeed be a peaceful and beautiful life for a family of three to live without trouble. But unfortunately, even that simple goal seemed unattainable at present.
As Lu Hanzhi was about to explain the principles of flight to Yuwen Min, Lu Xuzhi and Prince Chu hurriedly entered.
Prince Chu entered and immediately said, “The Emperor has called in sick and postponed court; the Crown Prince will start officially governing tomorrow.”
Yuwen Min wasn’t surprised and said, “The Emperor mentioned it during the morning audience.”
Prince Chu continued, “Is it because of the Crown Prince’s concubine saving the Emperor?”
Yuwen Min replied, “Yes, there is some connection.”
Lu Hanzhi immediately realized that Su Wan’ning had likely used mental manipulation on the Emperor.
He hadn’t started his third-stage mission yet, and although he hadn’t wasted his exchange points recently, he couldn’t use them to exchange for defensive artifacts for the Emperor. There was, however, a temporary item exchange available through the system, but it had a time limit and wasn’t very reliable.
Lu Hanzhi shook his head, feeling that progress was still too slow.
But he couldn’t entirely blame himself; after all, the plot-driven stories in popular fiction always had this flaw—career lines were often mixed with plot lines, and plot lines occasionally got tangled up with emotional storylines.
Though there were no emotional entanglements on his end, the plot was still complex and full of twists.
Prince Chu asked, “What’s the Emperor’s plan? He’s always been vehemently opposed to this. Why is he so calm now? And why has he given the Crown Prince real power?”
Yuwen Min replied, “We’ll wait and see. Anyway, there’s no loss for us now. The Crown Prince won’t fall so easily, and the Yin family won’t lose favor all at once.”
Prince Chu and Lu Xuzhi both nodded in agreement.
Lu Hanzhi also knew that even if one struck a snake’s head, the hundred-legged creature still wouldn’t die right away.
At this point, he was a little anxious to get on with his mission, so he changed the subject and took out the “Six Blessings and Smooth Wishes” box he had brought back yesterday.
He placed the brocade box on the table and said, “Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, I have some rare items I’d like you to see.”
Prince Chu, dressed in loose clothing, concealed his slightly rounded belly beneath his robes.
Upon seeing the brocade box, he immediately became interested and asked, “Oh? What good items are these?”
Ah Chan had been placed on the floor by Yuwen Min, and the little one was sitting there, clutching the small airplane, making it click and clatter.
Yuwen Min also gathered around, and Lu Hanzhi opened the brocade box to reveal six porcelain items, as white and flawless as jade.
Prince Chu picked one up and said, “Oh? Is this a jade pot? Such a pure and flawless jade pot would be truly precious.”
Lu Hanzhi smiled and said, “No, Second Sister-in-law, this is just a porcelain teapot.”
Prince Chu looked at it in surprise and said, “Porcelain? How could that be? It has no imperfections whatsoever. It can’t possibly be a porcelain teapot! Even jade isn’t this pure.”
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi both looked surprised too; the porcelain item looked so beautiful, one couldn’t help but adore it.
If it were jade, it would indeed be a priceless treasure!
But Lu Hanzhi insisted it was porcelain, and they couldn’t quite believe it.
Lu Hanzhi smiled and said, “It is porcelain, made from high-quality kaolin clay. This is top-tier porcelain! I also made two lock-shaped ornaments for you both, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law.”
With that, Lu Hanzhi pulled two porcelain ornaments from his sleeve and handed them to Prince Chu.
Prince Chu took the porcelain ornaments and was delighted by them.
The heart-shaped ornaments were smooth and white, with no blemishes or cracks, perfect for fiddling with.
Prince Chu looked at the six jade-like white porcelain items and then at the heart-shaped ornaments in his hand. He asked, “Is Hanzhi planning to open a new store?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “I’m planning it, but the quality of these porcelain items is so high, they’ll likely only be used by the nobility.”
Prince Chu said, “That’s not necessarily true. Compared to jade, porcelain is much more affordable.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded, “That’s true.”
Prince Chu asked, “Is Hanzhi planning to offer these porcelain items to the Empress Dowager?”
Lu Hanzhi nodded again, “Second Sister-in-law knows me well. The Empress Dowager’s sixty-sixth birthday is coming up, and the Emperor has said they’ll hold a grand celebration. I think these would make the perfect gift for her.”
Prince Chu thought for a moment and said, “Indeed, it’s a good gift. Not only will the Empress Dowager like it, but it will also be the talk of the court. It’s also great for promoting our Han Ji porcelain.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
After chatting for a while longer, Lu Xuzhi and Yuwen Min went to the study to discuss matters, leaving Prince Chu and Lu Hanzhi to continue talking.
Lu Hanzhi, deep in thought, said, “I’m wondering what kind of angle to use. Second Sister-in-law, what do you think of… the idea of ‘heavenly blessings arriving’?”
Prince Chu said, “That would indeed suit these items, but if you’re going to use ‘heavenly blessings’ as a gimmick, I think these porcelain items alone might not be enough.”
Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment and felt that it still wasn’t enough.
A heavenly omen of good fortune!
Why not make a porcelain statue of Guanyin?
After discussing the serious matters, Lu Hanzhi began chatting casually with Prince Chu again.
In truth, he preferred casual conversations. After all, he had been forced into this mission like a duck pushed onto a perch, and he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it.
He stared at Prince Chu’s belly, then leaned in and said, “Second Sister-in-law, I want to touch it.”
Prince Chu smiled helplessly and said, “Haven’t you had enough of touching your own?”
Lu Hanzhi was momentarily stunned. Come to think of it, he actually hadn’t.
Prince Chu lifted his sleeve and revealed his slightly protruding belly, saying, “Luckily, I’ve been keeping it well hidden. It’s been over three months, but to the outside world, we’ve only announced it as just over one month.”
Lu Hanzhi gently touched Prince Chu’s belly and exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, Second Sister-in-law, you have such a nice waist! So slim!”
Prince Chu’s face darkened as he said, “What’s wrong with you? Instead of learning the good things, you insist on picking up your Second Brother’s bad habits.”
Lu Hanzhi looked up and noticed a faint blush on Prince Chu’s face.
Unable to resist teasing, he said, “So my Second Brother is actually quite improper in private, huh? And here I thought he was all about virtue, morality, and the teachings of sages. But when it comes to you, Second Sister-in-law, he turns into a completely different person.”
Prince Chu chuckled softly and said, “No, your Second Brother is still a gentleman. It’s me who led him astray.”
Lu Hanzhi was curious and asked, “Then… back when you and my Second Brother got together, who pursued whom first?”
Prince Chu picked up a small cloth doll to amuse Ah Chan and, looking a little embarrassed, said, “Your Second Brother must have told you that he fell for me first, right? But that’s not true. I was the one who made the first move.”
Lu Hanzhi was confused. “What do you mean by ‘made the first move’?”
Prince Chu recalled the incident and found it rather absurd in hindsight. He explained, “He was incredibly good-looking. Not just among my study companions, but even among all the noble sons of our generation, he stood out like a crane among chickens. That day, I wanted to mess with him a little, so I used studying as an excuse to trap him in my sleeping quarters… and then I kissed him.”
Lu Hanzhi, who had just taken a sip of water: “Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough—”
Prince Chu quickly handed him a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, saying, “Look at you, all startled. That’s what you get for being nosy. Your brother told me that in your eyes, all the princes of the Yuwen family are little psychopaths. You’re not entirely wrong. We brothers are indeed quite different from ordinary people.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
This Second Brother of his… Why did he tell Second Sister-in-law everything?
If Yuwen Min ever found out about this, he would surely mock him endlessly.
Prince Chu thought for a moment and then added, “Actually, the Crown Prince behaves rather normally. He’s never done anything outrageous. Of course, that’s largely because of his mother. The Empress treats him like her lifeline and has paved every road for him.”
Yin Liwu was different from Rong Sa. She had entered the palace with a clear mission from the start.
Thinking back to the original story, the Crown Prince was indeed written as a positive figure.
He was righteous, tolerant, and decisive. The female lead was drawn to him precisely because of these qualities.
But Lu Hanzhi didn’t see it that way. Sleeping with Zhaoyun, marrying Lu Haozhi, and still being deeply entangled with Su Wan’ning?
In his view, among the “Little Psychopath Male Troupe” of the Yuwen family, the Crown Prince was the ultimate scumbag.
Lu Hanzhi glanced at Prince Chu’s belly, then thought about all the effort he had put in during this time. In the end, it all felt worth it.
In the original story, Prince Chu’s death hadn’t happened, his Second Brother’s madness hadn’t happened, and now, he even had a little nephew on the way.
Leaning against the couch, Lu Hanzhi said, “I hope Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law live a long and happy life together.”
Prince Chu lifted his bright, expressive eyes, filled with warmth, and said, “Why is Han’er feeling so sentimental today? With your blessing, your Second Brother and I will surely be happy. Doctor Lin also said that in three months, the baby in my belly will be stable, and I won’t have to worry about sudden bleeding anymore. After all this time, I can finally relax a little.”
Saying this, Prince Chu chuckled softly and added, “You have no idea how much your Second Brother has been suffering. Doctor Lin told him he couldn’t indulge at all before the baby reaches full term. He’s been so pent up lately that he’s practically burning up. It’s quite pitiful to watch.”
Lu Hanzhi couldn’t hold back a laugh and said, “Well, that is quite pitiful. He could use his hand, though!”
Prince Chu replied, “He did try… but, well… a young man, full of vigor, at the peak of his prime… using his hand… probably isn’t enough to satisfy his needs.”
Lu Hanzhi completely understood. After all, they were all young men. If he had a particularly loving partner, he would struggle to hold back too.
Thinking back on his extensive “research” from the past, Lu Hanzhi clapped his hands together and said, “I’ve got it! Second Sister-in-law, you could use your mouth!”
Prince Chu: ???
Yuwen Min, who had just pushed open the door: ???
Lu Xuzhi, who had just walked in: ???
Lu Xuzhi’s expression suddenly turned awkward. He cleared his throat and said to Yuwen Min, “Your Highness, you all certainly… know how to have fun.”
Author’s note:
Yuwen-Autumn: …You and your big pig trotter really know how to have fun! (My crown is turning into a green pasture…)
Lu Hanzhi: Does Your Highness want to play too? (Hinting like crazy)
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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