Chapter 46
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“The fundamental purpose of cuju is to promote physical fitness,” Han Jiao said, earnestly gazing at the big boss.
Xie Duo nodded slowly.
“Throughout history, sages have taught us to value harmony.”
Xie Duo nodded slowly.
“So, today’s practice ends here. I’ll return to Hanlin Academy.” Han Jiao bowed and attempted to leave.
Xie Duo followed the little child prodigy. “Is that all you have to say? Then it’s time to fulfill the agreement.”
Han Jiao straightened up in anger. “Can’t this practice match be considered a draw?”
Xie Duo’s eyes darkened. “During the kick off, you were concerned about this Prince being at a disadvantage. Now, after engaging in a 3-on-1 battle and surrendering voluntarily, you want to call it a draw. Weren’t you afraid of me being at a disadvantage?”
“Your Highness, just now, you didn’t play by the new rules!” Han Jiao struggled desperately.
“How so?”
“You didn’t even pass the ball.”
“I was the only one here, who could I pass it to?”
“So, this can’t even be considered a cuju match!” Han Jiao smiled. “I’ve explained the detailed rules to you before. Each team should have eleven cuju players, at the very least, not fewer than eight. Otherwise, it can’t be called a cuju match.”
“Why didn’t you emphasize this before the match?” Xie Duo argued logically. “When I agreed to face three opponents, I saw you smiling happily.”
“My smile was merely a matter of courtesy, not happiness.”
“Then, please honor your courtesy and admit defeat with a smile.”
Han Jiao, failing to win the argument based on logic, had to appeal to emotions. He gazed at Xie Duo with affectionate eyes and said in a soft voice, “Your Highness, do you still remember what I said before the match? Even if you lose, I won’t punish you.”
“You have a good memory. I suppose you remember the second agreement.”
“What agreement?” Han Jiao suddenly forgot. “I only remember this one agreement.”
“If, by some chance, I win, you have to agree to any request I make.”
“Is that part of the agreement?”
“Indeed!” After finishing the water, Xie An quickly ran back to dismantle Master Xiaobai’s stage.
Han Jiao hadn’t expected to be stabbed in the back by his own people. He turned his head in disbelief and saw the two brothers, Xie Jing and Xie An, approaching together.
“I heard that Master Xiaobai agreed to Ninth Brother like this,” Xie An honestly testified.
Han Jiao shot a despairing look at his teammate, Little Swine, and with a “grave” expression, he turned to the boss. “Your Highness, do you have any requests? A gentleman would rather be killed than humiliated. I must say in advance, I won’t accept any punishment like drawing a turtle on my face.”
“Can’t draw a turtle?” Xie Jing expressed disappointment from the side.
Han Jiao: “……”
This guy seemed to be really looking forward to seeing him embarrassed!
People might know a person’s face but not their heart. He thought the Eighth Prince was a good kid!
“How about drawing a little pig’s head?” Xie An suggested.
“No!” Han Jiao looked at the rebellious middle schooler with a heart full of bitterness and indignation!
Xie An: “What about a little dog?”
Xie Jing: “I can also draw a rabbit.”
Han Jiao: “No, no, no!”
Han Jiao’s “team” started to argue among themselves.
Amidst the dispute, Xie Duo suddenly spoke, “I demand that Master Han immediately move out of Sixth Brother’s residence.”
The noise came to an abrupt halt.
The three turned their heads in surprise to look at Xie Duo.
The Ninth Prince’s expression was quite serious, not like he was joking.
“Is that the only request?” Han Jiao was astonished. “You don’t want to draw something on my face?”
“What kind of punishment is this?” Xie An, confused, turned to Han Jiao, “By the way, why is Master Xiaobai staying at Sixth Brother’s place?”
Xie Jing answered for Han Jiao, “Sixth Brother said Master Xiaobai is helping him with his accounts.”
“So, Master Xiaobai is helping with serious matters for Sixth Brother?” Xie An turned to Xie Duo. “Ninth Brother, why do you want Master Xiaobai to move out?”
“Yeah, why?” Xie Jing was also puzzled.
Xie Duo paid no heed to the questions of others, stepped closer, and fixed his narrowed on the little child prodigy, “Master Han, will you fulfill the agreement?”
“If it’s just that request, it’s definitely not a problem,” Han Jiao looked at the big boss in confusion and confessed, “Because I moved out of Prince Yan’s residence yesterday.”
Xie Duo’s eyes lit up.
The little child prodigy not only put in a lot of effort to design a new ball and a whole set of sports rules for the prince but also voluntarily left Sixth Brother’s place.
The Ninth Prince’s lips curved up in pleasure.
“Why did you move back home? Did you finish checking Sixth Brother’s accounts?” Xie An inquired.
Han Jiao smiled. “Yes, I finished my job, and I can’t overstay my welcome. Prince Yan issued an eviction order, so I had to pack my bags and return home.”
Xie Duo’s smile vanished. “Sixth Brother issued an eviction order to you?”
Han Jiao paused and nodded. “Yes, hahaha, my accounting skills aren’t that great. His Highness found a better accountant.”
The Eldest Prince had interactions with these three young princes, especially Xie Duo, who received the most favor. He was also one of the Eldest Prince’s targets for flattery, so Han Jiao had to make the three young princes believe that Prince Yan had fallen out with him to avoid exposing his situation in front of the Eldest Prince.
“Master Xiaobai was never an accountant in the first place. Sixth Brother was using him unfairly,” Xie An complained.
Xie Jing also offered some words of comfort.
The princes in the deep palace were kept away from the intense battles outside, and Prince Yan never brought his own matters to make his younger brothers worry. So, these young princes didn’t have a clear picture of what had happened before.
Strangely, upon learning that Han Jiao had already left Prince Yan’s residence, Xie Duo didn’t show a satisfied expression. Instead, there was a hint of a chilling aura in his gaze.
Han Jiao felt a shiver down his spine and unconsciously reverted to a respectful attitude.
Xie Duo was indeed a weirdo. Han Jiao thought this young man was usually quite easygoing, even somewhat magnanimous.
Xie Duo had an authenticity that made people lower their guard, to the extent that Han Jiao couldn’t help but relax his vigilance. However, Xie Duo could use this lack of defense to see through his true self.
Whenever Han Jiao thought he had Xie Duo figured out and wanted to get closer, he would discover that beneath this young man’s seemingly carefree and unrestrained nature, there seemed to be a deeper layer.
That layer was enveloped in beautiful and splendid scenery, as if an unknown beast guarded it. Anyone attempting to approach would be frightened away by the vague appearance of fangs in the misty beast, so they would stay in the beautiful and safe garden, greedily enjoying the harmless and amiable side of Xie Duo.
It was no wonder that, later on, he rose to power and manipulated people’s hearts so effortlessly. In the novel, the big boss had a unique charm that seemed to subconsciously pull people in, causing them to get entangled without realizing the danger. They willingly chose to continue relying on him, allowing him to manipulate them. While reading, Han Jiao initially found this unreasonable, but as he became more deeply involved, he started to sense that something was amiss.
After completing the big boss’ strange request in advance, Han Jiao easily fulfilled the bet, then taught the princes some new ball game techniques before heading back to Hanlin Academy.
On the way back, he kept pondering.
Why did the big boss specifically use a bet to request that he leave Prince Yan?
Could this young man be hiding a deep ambition to vie for the throne from a young age?
Honestly, it seemed like the big boss didn’t particularly appreciate Han Jiao’s cleverness. Was it worth devoting attention to competing with Prince Yan for this seemingly ordinary strategist?
Moreover, when Xie Duo found out that Prince Yan had kicked Han Jiao out, he appeared displeased. This didn’t seem like the behavior of someone trying to attract talent.
The big boss’ thoughts were too hard to decipher. Further research was needed.
•••
The next afternoon, in the main hall of Prince Yan’s mansion.
The two brothers sat side by side at the Eight Immortals table.
“Why do you have to be so concerned about these matters? They are already in the past,” Prince Yan said as he used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef for his brother.
Xie Duo lowered his eyes, fiddling with his empty teacup as he calmly spoke, “I don’t know what case Han Jiao was investigating for Sixth Brother. You wouldn’t tell me, so I didn’t ask. But he nearly got killed for it. And now, less than a month later, you kicked him out. It looks like he’s no longer of any use.”
Prince Yan paused, his anger flaring. “You’ve been bothering me all morning, just to seek justice for Master Han?!”
“Is that not allowed?”
“You don’t care about your Sixth Brother’s efforts, but you’re concerned about how I treat my subordinates?”
Xie Duo slightly narrowed his eyes, giving one last serious reminder, “Han Jiao is my subordinate. I only lent him to you for accounting.”
“Yes, yes, yes, it was me who borrowed him from you, alright?” Prince Yan didn’t want to clash with his usually domineering brother, so he softened his tone and said, “I remember that you kept urging me not long ago, telling me to finish the accounts quickly and send Han Jiao home. Why are you picking a fight now that Han Jiao has peacefully returned home?”
Xie Duo coldly responded, “Leaving after completing the job voluntarily is different from being kicked out. Can you equate the two?”
Prince Yan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reluctantly explained, “I was wrong. I’ll make sure my subordinates leave voluntarily in the future, alright?”
“No.” Xie Duo lowered his gaze, his eyes determined, focused on the cup in his hand. “I don’t care about others, but you must explain clearly why you sent him away.”
Prince Yan felt remorseful.
He couldn’t afford to provoke his ninth brother.
He had to come up with an excuse on the spot.
However, the harsh reality was that this ninth brother of his wasn’t someone he could easily deceive.
Prince Yan tried to come up with seven different reasons in succession, but Xie Duo instantly found flaws in all of them.
If he continued making up excuses, Xie Duo would truly get angry.
Prince Yan had no choice but to briefly recount the situation, mixing truth and lies to prevent Xie Duo from finding any flaws.
“Do you actually believe such a ridiculous account?” Xie Duo looked at him with disdain.
Prince Yan couldn’t tell his brother that he was acting with Master Han, so he pretended to be concerned. “It’s better to believe that it exists than to believe that it doesn’t. Even if I don’t believe the testimony from the Ministry of Justice, I can’t ignore the information that Eldest Brother obtained.”
“With Eldest Brother’s mindset, can he really obtain reliable information? I could gather more trustworthy information by asking the beggars near Second Brother’s residence.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Prince Yan sighed. “You shouldn’t get involved in this matter, and you mustn’t tell anyone. Now that Han Jiao has helped me clarify the Ministry of Justice’s accounts, keeping him around serves no purpose, so I let him go. What’s wrong with that?”
Xie Duo analyzed the seriousness of the matter, “Unloading the grindstone and killing the donkey – is this reputation you’re building, Big Brother, for fear of losing advisors and the support of the people?”
“You’re overthinking it,” Prince Yan retorted, “I have my own plans. Just eat your meal!”
Xie Duo coldly snorted, “I will make you regret misunderstanding Han Xiaobai.”
Prince Yan: “……”
This ninth brother was truly lawless. He had insisted on sending Han Jiao home not long ago, and now that he was gone, he was talking about making him regret it!
It seemed like this boy was itching for trouble. He was probably spoiled. It was time to give his younger brother a good scolding.
On the way back to the palace, Respected Elder Xu, seeing the Ninth Prince remaining silent with his head down, worried that he might have something on his mind, so he tried to change the subject, “Your Highness, three more cuju players arrived for practice today. Would you like to watch them in action this afternoon?”
Xie Duo didn’t respond.
Respected Elder Xu decided not to disturb him further.
As they neared the imperial palace, Xie Duo suddenly looked at Respected Elder Xu and asked, “Do you know anyone from the Northern Garrison Command who holds a rank of Deputy Battalion Commander of fifth grade or higher?”
Respected Elder Xu thought for a moment and nodded, saying, “I am acquainted with a Battalion Commander. Your Highness, what are your instructions?”
Xie Duo gave his orders, “Have him secretly investigate which pawnshop in the capital is being used by the authorities of the Northern Garrison for financial transactions. Second Brother should have an account in that pawnshop, so check if Eldest Brother also has an account in the same one. Find out how much money is in both their accounts, and determine the timing of each deposit over the past two years. Have this information ready within two days and give it to me.”
Respected Elder Xu was taken aback, his face filled with confusion.
What could the young lord be planning so suddenly today?
Respected Elder Xu thought for a moment, then expressed his concerns, “Your Highness, this subordinate and that Commander have only a casual acquaintance from being fellow villagers. Our relationship is not very deep, and I’m afraid…”
Xie Duo turned to him. “Just tell him that I assigned this task to him. If he completes it satisfactorily, the role of Commander has been an injustice to him. If the task leaks, you can tell him to wait and see if Second Brother is willing to step forward to protect the life of a fifth-grade military official.”
Respected Elder Xu was surprised by this order but quickly nodded to indicate his compliance.
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