Chapter 54
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“I am not tired,” Han Jiao explained wearily. “It’s just…”
Just that I was scared by the salted fish boss!
Han Jiao couldn’t understand at all. Xie Duo had no contact with these court factions, so how did he know so much about their actions and purposes?
“Just what?”
“Just surprised that Your Highness is so familiar with court matters, given that most of the time you’re… on the cuju field.”
“You’re thinking too optimistically on my behalf,” Xie Duo grumbled. “Last month, I had some free time for playing cuju, but it was because I got punished and needed to rest. As soon as I recovered, I had to study every day, and in the afternoon, I was often summoned by Father Emperor to review memorials. I had no time to seek leisure.”
Han Jiao was suddenly enlightened.
No wonder!
The reason was the old Emperor.
Xie Duo had been raised by the Emperor since childhood, and given the Emperor’s favoritism towards the Ninth Prince, Xie Duo must have learned a lot about politics from the Emperor.
The old Emperor was an absolute politician, no less skilled than Senior Minister Li. But at the time when the original plot unfolded, the old Emperor had fallen ill with a strange disease and rarely made appearances.
It was better to say it was a mishap with the elixir the Daoist monk brewed for the Emperor.
Throughout history, Emperors who sought immortality often treaded the irreversible path of chronic poisoning. Great Chu’s Emperors were no exception.
However, His Majesty probably wouldn’t explicitly inform Xie Duo about Senior Minister Li’s methods of nurturing and combating corruption. These matters were likely insights derived from the big boss’ own experience, based on his father’s teachings.
Han Jiao’s emotions were mixed. He had initially held hope, wanting to guide the salted fish boss to grow carefree into a qualified and innocent cuju player, far from the dreadful struggle for the throne.
Only now did he suddenly realize that, in the eyes of the big boss, he might be seen as rather foolish, which wasn’t entirely unjust.
Because Han Jiao had no practical political experience, only theoretical knowledge.
He had the ability to assist Prince Yan in developing the country’s wealth and strength, but his political skills were lagging behind Senior Minister Li, let alone the big boss in the later stages.
He needed to find a way to make up for this lack of political experience.
Time was of the essence. With the big boss right in front of him, Han Jiao immediately humbly asked, “If Senior Minister Li nurtures corruption to fill the national treasury, then why did he station so many unproductive generals in the northwest border while the southeast, where the Wokou pirates pose a threat, has competent commanders?”
Xie Duo chuckled lightly and calmly said, “You must first understand the differences between Wokou pirates and the Tatars. In the northwest…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Duo’s gaze turned cold, and he suddenly fixed his eyes on Han Jiao. “You haven’t answered my question. Why divert into unrelated matters?”
Han Jiao: “……”
Darn it! He almost got the right answer.
“Have you really been kicked out by Sixth Brother?”
The big boss wore an expression of patience to the brim.
At this point, Han Jiao no longer dared to underestimate the importance of this question.
The big boss, this fake salted fish, had probably already guessed the truth!
The reason he gave Han Jiao such a direct chance for confession was likely because of his contribution to designing new cuju ball and rules.
So, without hesitation, Han Jiao raised his head and replied, “No, this is actually a play that His Highness Prince Yan, and I are putting on. We want to see what the hidden manipulator’s true intentions are.”
“Is that so?” Xie Duo responded casually, then turned around, continuing to stroll through the temple fair, only revealing a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth as he turned away from the little child prodigy.
Safe passage through tribulation!
Han Jiao joyfully quickened his pace to catch up with the big boss, displaying the marriage divination stick he had just drawn. “Your Highness, I’ve just drawn this top-notch marriage divination stick. I need to hang it on the marriage tree in the temple for good luck.”
Xie Duo gave a disdainful sidelong glance. “What do Great Masters hang marriage divination sticks for?”
“There’s no rule saying only young ladies can seek divination,” Han Jiao replied with great anticipation. He had spent his life studying and hadn’t yet tasted the sweetness of love.
The little child prodigy looked exceptionally eager. Out of appreciation for Han Jiao’s honesty, Xie Duo granted his request.
The two of them arrived at the temple and, from a distance, observed groups of young ladies…
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single guy seeking divination. It was all young ladies.
“Go ahead,” Xie Duo said with a blank expression as he made a hasty retreat. “This Prince will wait for you here.”
Han Jiao silently reached out and tightly held onto the big boss’ sleeve to prevent him from slipping away. He extended a sincere invitation, “Your Highness, would you join me and enjoy the fun?”
“Impossible,” Xie Duo firmly declined participation in the “most popular annual entertainment for women.”
“……” Feeling awkward about venturing into the crowd of young ladies on his own, Han Jiao considered giving up. But when he looked down at the top-notch divination stick in his hand…
What if he gave up and missed the opportunity for a future with an extraordinary beauty?
No, it must be hung!
Han Jiao turned his head to look at the big boss and said, “It’s all young ladies there. If I, a grown man, walk over, they’ll find it strange.”
Xie Duo didn’t turn around, his expression as cold as an assassin’s, his eyes fixed on the groups of young ladies under the tree. “Don’t you think it would be even stranger if two grown men walked over?”
“Two people wouldn’t be as strange.” Han Jiao gathered his courage and tugged at the big boss’ sleeve. “Your Highness, please help me just this once. It’s a top-notch divination stick!”
Xie Duo kept his eyes forward, unmoved. “I could, at most, buy you some young lady’s clothing and have you dress up to blend in.”
“It’s not that complicated,” Han Jiao tried to persuade with sincerity, “Usually, there are men seeking divination here too, but today…”
Xie Duo turned his head slightly, squinting at Master Cotton. “When a man sets his eyes on a young lady, he simply goes to her family to propose. You shouldn’t even trouble the Buddha for marriage matters.”
Xie Duo felt that the Buddha was surely busier than Father Emperor.
Each day, the memorials sent to the Emperor’s court were full of strange requests, and there were rarely reports on military and political matters. Most of it was flattery and praise for the prosperous era.
Officials from various regions boasted about their achievements and even reported on instances of common people returning lost treasures, seeking recognition.
The most troublesome aspect was the rivalry among officials, where they tried to trip each other up by hiding traps in their memorials. If the Emperor wasn’t careful, he could fall into their schemes, leading to wrongful judgments.
It was no wonder the late Emperor entrusted the task of reviewing memorials to the court and the Board of Rites. Xie Duo’s greatest relief was having two legitimate older brothers, which meant he would never have to meddle in these intricate political affairs.
Seeing the boss acting uncooperative, Han Jiao finally gave in. “Alright, let’s go. I won’t hang it up.”
He glanced down at the top-notch divination stick in his hand, feeling like he was about to bury a connection with an extraordinary beauty.
Xie Duo wasn’t pleased. The disappointed look on the little child prodigy’s face left him with an inexplicable sense of defeat.
A Great Master should fulfill the small wishes of loyal subjects.
Turning to look at the group of lingering young ladies under the tree, Xie Duo suddenly had an idea. He turned to Han Jiao and instructed, “Stay here and wait for those young ladies to move to the south side of the tree. Once they do, slip to the north side and hang your divination stick.”
“Huh?” Han Jiao hadn’t quite grasped it when Xie Duo had already turned and walked briskly toward the marriage tree.
“Do you need any help?”
The young ladies under the tree turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a young man in blue standing a few steps away. He was tall and incredibly handsome.
A suppressed gasp of amazement swept through the young ladies. They gazed at the young man in astonishment, each hoping he was addressing her.
Seeing that they had all stopped, Xie Duo said, “Pardon me,” and passed through a few of them. He reached the tree, raised his hand to grasp a taller branch, and pulled it down, making it easier for the petite young ladies to hang their divination sticks.
Everyone immediately understood the situation: it was because the lower branches were already crowded with marriage divination sticks, and the young man saw that the girls couldn’t reach the higher branches, so he came to help.
The young ladies, swift as arrows, sprinted toward the south side of the big tree, instantly surrounding the considerate and righteous young man.
“Thank you, Young Master!”
“This humble girl thanks Young Master for your kind assistance.”
“I don’t know how to express our gratitude for Young Master’s great favor…”
The first girls to complete their divination sticks focused on graceful expressions of gratitide, but the young man didn’t even glance at them. He simply held onto the branch, making it easier for other girls to hang their sticks.
Han Jiao, standing in the nearby corridor, had already understood the cunning scheme of the big boss.
Seeing the young ladies indeed gathering on the south side of the tree, Han Jiao seized the opportunity. He silently darted to the north side of the tree, hid behind the trunk, swiftly hung his own divination stick, and left the scene without anyone noticing.
Only Xie Duo noticed the actions of the little child prodigy.
With his goal achieved, Xie Duo lowered his eyes and spoke softly to one of the girls who was currently hanging her stick, “Could you help me grab this branch?”
The girl, pleasantly surprised by the attention, quickly raised on her tiptoes to receive the branch the young man handed her, her heart pounding wildly as she wondered why he had chosen her.
However, she didn’t get to hear any further explanation.
After arranging the “successor,” Xie Duo brushed the dust off his hands, turned around, and walked away.
“Huh, Young Master, where are you going?” The young ladies all called out together, trying to keep him there.
Xie Duo paused, turned his head, and explained, “That branch is long enough for you all to hang your divination sticks.”
“Wait!” the girl holding the branch urgently cried out.
Xie Duo, puzzled, turned back and urged her to speak with his eyes.
The girl struggled to stand on her tiptoes and appealed, “Young Master, I’m too short, and I can barely hold on!”
Xie Duo glanced around and then pointed to a nearby rock, instructing the girls around, “Get that rock and use it to boost her up.”
After giving his orders, he turned away confidently.
The young ladies: “……”
Who can possibly move such a large rock!
You certainly didn’t have that impatient look just now!
The dream of encountering a young gentle man beneath the marriage tree was shattered!
Who would have thought that the young man was actually a big prankster disguised as a perfect gentleman?
And Master Xiaobai, who successfully hung his divination stick, hadn’t even considered staying to help the lovely young ladies present. He followed Prince Ling and left the temple.
These two pranksters celebrated at the temple’s entrance, having successfully diverted the girls’ attention. Both had triumphant smiles on their faces.
“I finally found you!” Mrs. Han’s voice came from the south.
Han Jiao turned to see his mother holding a candied hawthorn stick in one hand and his little brother in the other, quickly approaching.
Han Jiao, who had been preoccupied with the big boss, had forgotten about his mother and little brother. He hurried forward and took his brother from his mother’s arms.
Mrs. Han reached the prince and bowed, offering the candied hawthorn stick with warmth. “Please, Your Highness, try this local delicacy. This candied hawthorn shop is an old and well-known establishment, and the fruits are all sweet.”
Xie Duo took the candied hawthorn stick and curiously examined it. He noticed that the second piece of candied hawthorn was missing a small chunk, as if someone had taken a bite.
Mrs. Han followed his gaze and nervously asked, “Huh? Why is a piece missing?”
Xie Duo turned his head and looked suspiciously at a certain chubby little brother.
Han Jiao also realized the danger and alertly lowered his gaze. He saw his little brother’s guilty chubby face. Han Jiao’s heart skipped a beat, and he swiftly wiped away the piece of candied residue from his brother’s mouth, destroying the evidence of the theft.
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