Chapter 49
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“Your Highness, I appreciate your concern.” Han Jiao squared his shoulders, tensing his muscles, and gazed at Xie Xiu. “But there’s no need for supplements. My body is quite sturdy.”
“You do need them,” Xie Xiu retorted calmly while fiddling with flowers and plants.
“I really don’t need them!” Han Jiao emphasized, attempting to show off his robust physique.
Xie Xiu remained expressionless and continued, “Five grams of astragalus, two grams of red ginseng, three grams of Epimedium…”
“Your Highness,” Han Jiao interrupted the unlucky kid who was prescribing medication without permission and insisted, “My health has always been fine, I’m just a bit skinny. As I grow older, I’ll become even more robust!”
“It’s a deficiency,” Xie Xiu explained patiently, unfazed by Han Jiao’s objections. “The paleness of your complexion, your cheeks, philtrum, and lips can all indicate a lack of vitality and energy. Since you serve in the Hanlin Academy and don’t engage in strenuous activities, it suggests an inherent constitutional weakness.”
Han Jiao: “……”
Isn’t it all because I was fooled by your ninth brother yesterday? Can you run dozens of laps around the soccer field without getting tired?
Going to play soccer with the Prince during working hours wasn’t something honorable. After much contemplation, Han Jiao didn’t want to admit it, so he closed his eyes and said shakily, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your guidance. I will go back immediately to get medicine and take care of my body.”
“You don’t really want to go get medicine.” Xie Xiu placed a prepared plant in an empty bamboo basket, then picked up another one and asked lightly, “Why suddenly evade and lie?”
Han Jiao was stunned, not expecting Xie Xiu to see through his evasive response.
But Xie Xiu showed no signs of anger. From start to finish, he was completely focused on tending to the plants.
“You denied it honestly three times, and on the fourth, you began lying and evading,” Xie Xiu calmly analyzed, “Most bad grasses start evading me from the first instance, but you’re quite special. You were honest three times before deceiving me. You’re a bad grass with a bit of a conscience.”
Han Jiao: “……”
Did anyone have the contact number of a psychologist for Asperger’s syndrome? He needed urgent counseling.
These “genius patients,” did they also have special abilities like mind-reading?
Stay calm, analyze it specifically.
Bad grass. Han Jiao had heard Xie Xiu use this term before.
Han Jiao still remembered the first time he met Xie Xiu at the Eldest Prince’s birthday party.
At that time, Xie Xiu had become furious because of his ninth brother’s “secret growth spurt” and warned Xie Duo that if he continued like that, he would grow into a bad grass.
So, in Xie Xiu’s view, those who were not obedient, not honest, and didn’t listen were all considered bad grasses.
And Han Jiao, well, he was a “bad grass with a bit of a conscience.” This assessment didn’t make him any better than a complete bad grass.
Why could this unfortunate kid instantly tell whether he was sincere or just evading?
Before Senior Minister Li left, he once said, “He can discern your goodwill or malice.”
Did Xie Xiu have an extraordinary ability to perceive others’ emotions?
“Alright, I’ll go get the medicine,” Han Jiao spoke sincerely, with a proper attitude. “Your Highness, please kindly repeat the names and quantities of the medicinal herbs, I’ll make sure to remember them.”
“I won’t prescribe medicine for bad grasses,” Xie Xiu politely refused.
Han Jiao: “……”
Was he banished to the bad grasses’ cold palace just because of one instance of evasion?
Xie Xiu suddenly opened his right hand and found that a thorn from the flower had pricked his finger. He used his thumb to squeeze out a drop of blood from the wound.
This unfortunate kid didn’t make a sound. Han Jiao noticed the blood and quickly took out his handkerchief, offering it to Xie Xiu.
“I can’t use your handkerchief to wipe my blood.”
“Your Highness, no need to be polite.”
“It smells like leeks.”
Han Jiao coldly put away his handkerchief, tucking it back into his pocket, wanting nothing more to do with this unfortunate kid.
But thinking about the challenge of outsmarting Senior Minister Li…
Han Jiao, in despair, turned his head again to look at the unfortunate kid and asked sincerely, “Your Highness, are you hurt? Can I take care of these plants for you?”
Xie Xiu didn’t reply.
This guy was silent again. Could it be that because Han Jiao was a bad grass who smelled of leeks, he had lost the qualification to communicate with him?
“Actually, I don’t really like eating leeks,” Han Jiao confessed from the bottom of his heart. “It’s mainly because leek-stuffed fritters are two coins cheaper than pork-stuffed ones.”
Xie Xiu still didn’t respond.
“Why do you like these plants, Your Highness?” Han Jiao decided to shift the conversation to this unfortunate kid.
Still no response.
Han Jiao vaguely remembered from the novel that in Xie Xiu’s childhood, he loved the wooden tools the eunuchs brought from outside the palace.
Xie Xiu was a genius craftsman himself. At the age of seven, he had independently recreated a miniature Lu Ban’s wooden kite that could allegedly fly a quarter of kilometer along the palace lanes and land smoothly.
Xie Xiu’s wetnurse, like any mother who discovered her child was a genius, spread this wonder throughout three palaces in less than half a day. She even sought an audience with the Empress, hoping to have palace craftsmen gather materials for the little prince, so that Xie Xiu could make a real wooden kite.
The Empress, looking at the small wooden kite in her hand, nodded without expression, praised it briefly, and sent her away.
The wetnurse was extremely excited and described the kind of wooden kite that Xie Xiu had envisioned, one that could carry a person, to the Empress.
The Empress tried to interrupt a few times, but the wetnurse was oblivious and single-mindedly wanted the Empress to know what an amazing child Xie Xiu was.
So, the wetnurse provoked the Empress, who scolded her harshly.
The Empress was consistently frustrated by Xie Xiu’s habit of avoiding social interactions and dedicating himself to his handicrafts.
Great Chu’s legitimate second son, obsessed with what eunuchs did, what was there to boast about?
And so, the wetnurse left Kunning Palace disheartened, and the hope of witnessing the child’s reconstructed Lu Ban’s wooden kite faded.
Now, Xie Xiu had grown up, could command the palace craftsmen for assistance, and lacked neither materials nor tools, so why wasn’t he immersed in manual work anymore?
Han Jiao, watching Xie Xiu’s focused profile, cautiously asked, “I’ve always been curious, did the legendary Lu Ban’s wooden kite really exist?”
Xie Xiu, his hands busy with the plants, suddenly paused but still didn’t respond.
Han Jiao was afraid of stepping on a sensitive topic but knew that to enter this unfortunate kid’s inner world, he had to bring up what truly interested him.
“Also, the piston bellows of Mozi, the crossbow mechanism, all seem to have been lost,” Han Jiao continued to probe gently, “Just based on historical records, these extraordinary devices don’t seem like real working tools. Perhaps they’re just legends.”
Xie Xiu remained motionless like a sculpture for a long time.
Han Jiao, concerned about touching upon his painful memories, also fell silent.
For a while.
Xie Xiu continued tending to the plants slowly with his hands, still showing no emotion.
Han Jiao felt somewhat disappointed and remained silent alongside the unfortunate kid.
“They’re not legends,” Xie Xiu unexpectedly spoke.
Han Jiao looked up at him.
Xie Xiu picked up another plant, continued tending it, and said indifferently, “They are just useless gadgets, not worth being curious about.”
Han Jiao hesitantly asked, “Not legends? Your Highness, have you seen these intricate devices?”
“I made those,” Xie Xiu calmly replied.
Delighted, Han Jiao asked, “Your Highness, can you personally craft these devices? May I have the honor of witnessing your exquisite craftsmanship?”
If Han Jiao could rekindle this unfortunate kid’s interest in mechanical devices, he could cater to his preferences, especially since the modern world had many intricate structures that didn’t exist in ancient times.
“You’re too late. I’ve burned them all.”
Feeling like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, Han Jiao inquired, “Your Highness, why did you burn them?”
“Mother Zhen liked them, so I burned them for her.”
Xie Xiu suddenly mentioned his late wetnurse, startling Han Jiao, who didn’t dare to ask further.
The two fell into silence once again.
Xie Xiu, just as he was at the beginning, displayed no emotion on his face, engrossed in tending to the plants. After a while, he mumbled nonchalantly, “They were all useless gadgets.”
Han Jiao furrowed his brow slightly.
In the novel, this unfortunate kid had a deep passion for intricate devices, and now his hobby had suddenly changed, which was already strange. But to add to the peculiarity, he had seemingly stomped on it as well.
Suddenly, Xie Xiu turned his head, offering the plants in his hand to Han Jiao. With a serious expression, he said, “Only these plants serve a purpose. I wasted nearly a decade creating that heap of utterly useless items. They could only keep me watching helplessly as Mother Zhen dies.”
Han Jiao finally understood this unfortunate kid’s thoughts.
No matter how intricate the craftsmanship, it couldn’t bring back his wetnurse’s life.
From the year his wetnurse passed away, Xie Xiu’s interests completely changed.
Han Jiao felt a bit sad and looked at him, but his expression remained vacant and numb.
Xie Xiu gazed at the plants in his hands and mumbled, “Only they can keep Master, keep Old Ninth.”
Han Jiao suddenly understood.
Did Xie Xiu give up developing devices and focus on herbs only because he was afraid of losing someone he cared about again?
This unfortunate kid’s world was too small, and every time he lost someone he cared about, his world would shatter, causing a pain beyond imagination.
“Life is unpredictable, with birth, aging, sickness, and death, and the cycle of reincarnation. Mother Zhen might have already been reborn, maybe as the newborn princess in the palace, becoming Your Highness’ sister or someone else,” Han Jiao tried to comfort, feeling helpless.
Xie Xiu stopped what he was doing at Han Jiao’s words and turned to him with a serious look. “After people die, they turn into soil and air. Only hair and bones can persist in the world.”
Han Jiao: “……”
You sure are a chatterbox.
Han Jiao had to change the subject, “Those intricate devices aren’t entirely useless. Mozi once used his own creations to resist enemy attacks on a city, protecting countless innocent lives.”
“Devices can’t prevent all the burning, killing, and looting by bad grasses,” Xie Xiu replied calmly. “They become bad grasses because the soil is the problem. To make innocent people better, they should have enough to eat and wear, and the same nourishment through effort. That’s how you reduce the growth of bad grasses from the root. The military equipment you mentioned can only cause more destruction and breed more bad grasses.”
Han Jiao: “……”
Why did that statement sound like aspiring to be a wise ruler?
Honestly, this unfortunate kid was quite kind and likable. It was no wonder big boss was willing to “shrink” for him.
In the novel, when Senior Minister Li was demoted and sent back to his hometown, Xie Xiu was confined.
His death was a mystery. The investigating officials claimed that Prince Duan, proficient in botany and pharmacology, extracted ricin from plants, which led to his suicide.
However, even when his wet nurse died during his childhood, it didn’t drive Xie Xiu to suicide. Would Senior Minister Li’s complete failure really push him to seek death?
Han Jiao had doubts in his mind.
Getting close to key figures in the novel was actually a dangerous endeavor, especially because these individuals were still just children at this point.
Thinking about how the big boss would eventually commit suicide and this unfortunate kid would eventually die from poisoning, Han Jiao felt a heavy heart and even contemplated changing their fates.
With a soft sigh, Han Jiao bent down to pick up a plant from the basket, meticulously tending to it, and handed it to Xie Xiu with a smile. “Is this how you take care of them?”
Xie Xiu glanced at the plant offered by Han Jiao and calmly declined, “It smells like leeks now.”
Han Jiao: “……”
This chatterbox, do you still want to stay alive?
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