Chapter 75: The Old Prince Next Door 28

Zhou Zeyu was his formal name, and Gousheng was his childhood nickname. What was he feeling now that he had received the prepared medicines sent by his biological father?

It was complicated.

The Northwest battlefield truly needed these life-saving medicines. When the soldiers learned that the medicine had been sent by Prince Chen, they all cheered on the spot.

However, the quantity was completely different from the amount his father had bragged about in the letter. More than ninety percent was missing. Where had all this medicine gone?

The letter had arrived three months in advance, and the boasting was so excessive that Zhou Zeyu couldn’t even bear to look at it.

Yet, while his father loved to show off, he would never lie.

“So, Father, wouldn’t it be better if you just acted as a mascot? You’re always stirring up these things, and your son has to clean up after you.” Zhou Zeyu felt quite helpless regarding both his parents.

His Princess Consort mother was fine; she only focused on her own small domain. She was very reasonable and rarely interfered in his affairs. No matter how he exerted himself, his mother never bothered him.

Facing such a mother, Zhou Zeyu had wondered as a child if his mother didn’t like him.

His mother had raised him with a hands-off approach.

He had felt somewhat insecure as a child, but now he felt that his mother’s attitude was excellent, allowing him to spread his wings and fly high.

Facing his clingy father, however, was truly a matter of helplessness.

His father’s life was one of being favored.

Even though he had suffered a great disaster while in the womb, it was said that surviving a great disaster brings great fortune, and that described his father perfectly.

The only Prince of the first rank in the Great Jing Dynasty, he enjoyed endless wealth and honor.

Because he had never had to take responsibility for anything, his way of handling matters was always a bit short-sighted, lacking consideration for the consequences.

These weren’t his words, but the words of his cousin, the Emperor.

Ahem, the current Emperor was his cousin, and the Crown Prince, whom the Emperor had held in his arms while growing up, was his nephew.

Truly short-sighted indeed. When the medicine was sent out, did he not consider that someone might tamper with it?

On the long road from the capital to the Northwest, it was far too easy for something to go wrong.

It was better not to let his father know about this. He would handle it himself.

When he first came to the Northwest, his cousin the Emperor had given him a group of one hundred secret guards¹. Now, he had expanded that team to a force of one thousand.

These people weren’t usually needed for battle, but now they could be put to use.

“Go, get all the medicine back. Investigate everyone who laid a hand on this batch of medicine. See if they’ve committed any illegal acts. If they have, gather the evidence and send it to the Emperor.” Zhou Zeyu issued the order. The Emperor shouldn’t expect to sleep peacefully either.

Upon learning of this matter, the Emperor was so angry his gums swelled up².

Holding his cheek with one hand, he groaned, “This Imperial Uncle Chen… If he hadn’t been so meddlesome, I wouldn’t have to be so stressed and frustrated. This hurts so much.”

He couldn’t get anything done right, and after failing to handle the matter, he needed his son to clean up the mess. Only Prince Chen, even in his old age, had a son to wipe his tail for him. What a lucky life.

The Crown Prince handed his father a cup of cooling tea. “Father, please don’t be so upset. Looking at it from another perspective, this is also a good thing. All supplies are transported via this route. Since there were problems with Great-Uncle’s medicines, what about other military supplies?”

The Emperor closed his eyes tightly. It was precisely because he had thought of this that he was so incredibly stressed.

“Does the Crown Prince think this should be investigated now, or later?” The Emperor tested his Crown Prince at every moment.

Once the timing was right, he would abdicate and become the Retired Emperor. He had been so envious when he watched his grandfather live the life of a Retired Emperor as a child.

Not only would he be the highest-ranking person in the palace, but he wouldn’t have to manage anything. That life was truly carefree and leisurely.

The Emperor was not a man with a heavy thirst for power. As long as that power was in the hands of the successor he valued, it didn’t really matter to the Emperor whether he was the one in control.

As long as the transition of imperial power was stable and without incident, it was a good thing for the country and the people.

“Of course, investigate now and deal with these people later. If we don’t investigate clearly now, it will be difficult to find evidence later. But for now, we can only gather evidence. For the missing supplies, we can only use Uncle’s method of taking them back unnoticed. We must prioritize the war in the Northwest first. Once the war is over, that will be the time to deal with these giant rats³.” The Crown Prince was benevolent, but he was only benevolent toward those who deserved it. For those who endangered the court, the Crown Prince’s methods would definitely make one tremble with fear.

The Emperor nodded. Regardless of anything else, Imperial Uncle Chen was quite good at raising children.

Look at how well the Crown Prince had been raised under Imperial Uncle Chen’s roof.

Su Huandan: …

You’ve misunderstood. Your Imperial Uncle only looked after his basic needs. Everything else was taught by the tutors you sent.

It could only be said that the Crown Prince had lived in the Prince Chen Manor for ten years without being corrupted by Prince Chen. That was truly due to the Crown Prince’s excellent nature; he hadn’t been led astray.

Otherwise?

Su Huandan looked at Prince Chen, who was currently leading their daughter in a cricket fight⁴, and felt a particular itch on the soles of her feet. Was this man sticking his backside up so high just waiting for her to kick him?

Seeing the Princess Consort’s displeased expression, Gui Xi hurriedly coughed. Prince Chen nimbly scooped up his daughter and bolted.

Su Huandan watched the father and daughter pair disappear in a flash, truly not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Gui Xi was the unlucky one. The Prince had run off with the young lady, and since the Princess Consort was angry, wasn’t she going to take it out on him?

But Gui Xi didn’t dare leave either. He couldn’t just let the Princess Consort stay angry, could he?

“The Prince was just bored and was playing with the young lady,” Gui Xi offered a dry explanation.

Su Huandan sneered. “Of all the things to play, he plays with crickets? The Heir didn’t care for this in his early years, and the Crown Prince liked playing around even less. Is your Prince doing this because he didn’t get to play with the younger generation back then and didn’t get his fill, so now he’s indulging himself with the young lady?”

Gui Xi gave a sheepish smile, thinking to himself that when it came to understanding the Prince, it was still the Princess Consort who knew him best.

Wasn’t it exactly because the Prince felt it was a great regret that no younger generation had played this with him?

Moreover, the one who started it this time really wasn’t his Prince.

The Princess Consort should understand that the little lady’s personality was a ten-out-of-ten match for the Prince. She was exceptionally talented when it came to eating, drinking, and having fun.

She was also exceptionally talented at coaxing people. At dinner time, sitting at the table, the little girl directed the maidservants, and in a short while, she had filled Su Huandan’s bowl with all of Su Huandan’s favorite dishes.

“Mother, eat quickly. These are all your favorites. Father and I went to the kitchen specifically to order them. Eat up.” As she spoke, she even held up a chicken wing to stuff into Su Huandan’s mouth.

Prince Chen watched on with a sour expression. His daughter only fed him so pleasingly when she wanted him to do something for her.

How could he compare to the Princess Consort?

As long as she wore a long face, the two children in the house would take turns coming up with all sorts of ways to serve the Princess Consort during her meal.

The father was biological, and the mother was biological, but there was still a clear difference between a biological father and a biological mother.

Only Prince Chen would be jealous over something like this.

By the time the meal was over, Su Huandan was no longer angry.

That night, while the couple was talking, Su Huandan mentioned that it was time to start teaching their daughter proper etiquette.

Prince Chen couldn’t bear the thought. “She’s still small, let’s talk about it later.”

“Then how old is old enough? She’s almost six, it’s time to start learning.” Su Huandan’s mind was currently filled with images of the Grand Princess as well as the late Emperor’s Eldest Princess and Second Princess. If her own daughter turned out like them…

No, it was unthinkable. Just the thought of it made her feel like she was suffocating.

“My point is, let the child start learning. Learning etiquette is for her own benefit, not so she can serve others after she learns it. Surely you don’t want the child to grow up and behave with the same temperament as your elder sister and those two nieces of yours?” Her words left Prince Chen unable to sleep the entire night!

Translator’s Notes