Ch. 47 - Xiao Nong: What do you mean, you've found the wrong place?

Zhong Yansheng sneaked into the study room. He was trying to sneak towards Xiao Nong's side, but was caught off guard and called out. He stood there dumbfounded.

Ah? He suppressed the bandits? How?

Prince De hadn't finished his plea when he heard the old emperor's words. For some reason, he reacted so strongly. His expression suddenly changed, and he glared at him fiercely: "Father! Are you really going to..."

Before he could finish his words, the old emperor glanced at him, and Prince De's face turned pale. He immediately lowered his head, closed his mouth with a grim expression, and dared not say anything more.

Even Prince An, who had always kept a low profile and tried to reduce his presence, looked at him in a rather strange way.

Pei Hong's mood was hard to describe. He objected without thinking, "Father! My eleventh brother is still young. Going south to suppress the bandits is dangerous and uncertain. I'm afraid it's not suitable for him..."

The old emperor was unmoved by his sons' strong reactions. Tian Xi pretended to be deaf and dumb, concentrating on stroking the old emperor's back and serving him another sip of tea.

After Zhong Yansheng arrived, the old emperor, who was furious a few minutes ago, seemed to have a subtle change of mood. He looked at the opposing King Jing with an especially kind expression: "Xiao Shiyi is not suitable, then tell me, who is suitable?"

Pei Hong paused for a few moments, and tightened his hands hidden in his sleeves, with veins slightly showing on the back of his hand holding the sandalwood fan.

The old emperor had eleven children, four princesses, and seven princes. Apart from two princes who died of illness and the unspeakable former crown prince, Prince De was favored because of his mother's family and because he resembled the old emperor when he was young.

Prince An was low-key and silent, but he and the old emperor had a close relationship as father and son.

Only Pei Hong, who was sent out of the palace to be raised since he was a child, had a clearer understanding than anyone else. The old emperor did not like him.

Therefore, even though Prince De committed the scandal of adultery with his brother's wife, which angered the old emperor and caused him to be punished, the old emperor was not prepared to compensate him with the opportunity to suppress bandits.

He would rather assign the task of suppressing bandits to his ignorant "youngest son" who had just been found.

Pei Hong swallowed his words and smiled casually: "This son spoke out of turn... Naturally, the person your majesty has pointed out is the most suitable."

The old emperor turned his eyes away calmly, and his gaze fell back on Zhong Yansheng. Perhaps because he was very angry with Prince De, his gaze was not as kind as it had been in the past few days, but rather had a hint of majesty: "Little Eleven, what about you? Are you willing to go?"

Several princes cast unspeakable glances at Zhong Yansheng.

Why are you asking this?

In the past two years, foreign enemies have been docile, and the court has been peaceful and prosperous. There has been no opportunity to show off. Which prince who wants to compete for the throne would not want to go?

Only a fool wouldn't want to go.

When Zhong Yansheng heard the question, he hesitated for a moment and asked expectantly: "Can I tell the truth?"

The old emperor nodded.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhong Yansheng swallowed his saliva and bravely mustered up his courage: "I don't want to..."

How could he mobilize troops? Even the local officers and soldiers in Baoqing Prefecture were unable to deal with that group of rebels. This group of rebels was definitely not simple.

It's hard to say whether he went there to suppress the bandits or the bandits suppressed him.

"Then it's settled." The old emperor seemed not to have heard him and interrupted him, "We'll let you prepare for the next two days, and then you can set off."

Zhong Yansheng: “…”

He really, really hated the old emperor.

The old emperor didn't care about the strange atmosphere in the room. He seemed to remember something and looked at Xiao Nong, who hadn't said a word, with a smile: "Come to think of it, I remember that when Xian Wei went on his first expedition, he was only sixteen years old. Xiao Shiyi is already eighteen years old, so it's time for him to be able to lead his own army."

Xiao Nong pulled the corners of his lips, his eyes looked cold and deep in the sunlight: "Your Majesty has a good memory."

Suppress bandits?

What a joke this old man is making. This kid is so delicate and will cry if he gets bumped or touched.

In recent days, it has been rumored inside and outside the court that after the Eleventh Prince came back, His Majesty's health has improved a lot, and he can even get up to handle government affairs. He lets the Eleventh Prince accompany him in the study every day and dotes on him extremely.

But Xiao Nong gradually felt something strange.

No one knew better than him what a piece of shit this old emperor was.

As luck would have it, the secret agent in the palace who was responsible for investigating Zhong Yansheng brought news that a fire broke out in the palace the day before Zhong Yansheng returned, and the pulse records of the Imperial Hospital before and after Concubine Zhuang's pregnancy happened to be burned.

After receiving the news yesterday, he had a strange dream at night. He had a splitting headache thinking about it, so he sent Zhan Rong into the palace out of concern.

The wrinkles at the corners of the old emperor's eyes deepened, and his hoarse voice said faintly: "Little Eleven, if there is anything you don't know, you can ask your uncle for help."

Zhong Yansheng didn't dare to look at Xiao Nong in front of the old emperor. When he heard these words, he remembered that according to his and Xiao Nong's current seniority... he seemed to have to call Xiao Nong "Uncle".

My brother has become my uncle...

Huai'an Hou said before that Xiao Nong was almost a generation older than him. Although he is not a generation older, he suddenly feels so much older than him.

Zhong Yansheng was confused. He opened his mouth and then bowed his head and called out, "Uncle."

Xiao Nong responded calmly: "...Yeah."

Why did this child look so strange when he looked at me just now?

Last night, while waiting for Zhan Rong to come back, Xiao Nong sat under the corridor wearing an outer robe, casually touching Taxue who was lying beside him, looking at the empty palace, unable to figure out what to feel for a moment.

Zhong Yansheng is obviously such a small guy, but the mansion becomes much more lively during the days when he comes.

As soon as the little bird flew away, the mansion seemed even more empty and lonely than before.

...Just like when we were in Changliu Villa.

He was recovering from his illness in a depressed mood when a beautiful little bird suddenly fell from the sky and landed in front of him. Every day it would bring his favorite things and stay by his side carefully. It was very timid and could be scared by a gust of wind, but it was braver than anyone else.

Zhong Yansheng looked at Xiao Nong eagerly. He had a lot to say but didn't dare to.

Xiao Nong also looked at Zhong Yansheng silently. His deep blue eyes were like an icy lake in winter, and no emotion could be seen.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere between the two, the old emperor seemed to deepen his smile**: "I am not very confident that Xiao Shiyi will go alone to suppress the bandits. Xianwei, are you willing to go south with Xiao Shiyi?"**

Xiao Nong looked at Zhong Yansheng openly, half-squinted his eyes when he heard the words, and moved his gaze away from the corner of his soft and bright red lips, and said nonchalantly: "I'll think about it."

Being suddenly entrusted with an important task, Zhong Yansheng still felt like he was dreaming when he left the study, just like the day when he was suddenly invited into the palace by Tian Xi.

Feng Ji was originally quite happy, because Zhong Yansheng was now his master. His master was valued by His Majesty, so his status in the palace would naturally rise. But seeing that Zhong Yansheng did not seem very happy, he dared not say a word.

Xiao Nong was left in the study to talk, and Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but wander outside the Yangxin Palace, waiting for Xiao Nong to come out.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Nong did not show up, but Prince De, Prince An and Pei Hong showed up instead.

When he saw Zhong Yansheng, Prince De snorted heavily.

His face was covered in ink and blood, making the expression look particularly funny.

Zhong Yansheng felt like laughing, but he also felt that what he was doing was unethical and a bit like his brother.

He quickly curled his lips in a kind manner.

But Prince De probably didn't think so. He snorted and sneered, "You ignorant fool, do you think your father really values you? If he thinks you're disobedient one day, he can crush you to death. Don't be complacent, just wait and see."

After saying that, he snorted again, flicked his sleeves and left.

Zhong Yansheng thought, it seems that not only does Prince De's mouth and eyes twitch, but he also likes to hum.

Prince An followed Prince De, glanced at Zhong Yansheng's face, and nodded slightly at him: "You..."

Before he could finish his words, the impatient voice of King De came from the front: "Old Fourth, is your leg broken or fractured? You still need me to rush you? Why are you talking nonsense to him? Come here!"

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, there were guards of the Jinyiwei and many palace servants coming and going, but Prince De's attitude was no different from that of a eunuch under his command, and he did not show any respect for his brother at all.

[T/L NOTE :- For the past 2 chapters, I have changed 'hall of mental cultivation' to 'Yangxin palace', but the author is literally using both of them equally, so I thought to leave these words as it is.]

Normally, his attitude towards King An was bad, but never to this extent. Perhaps he had a very bad day today, so he took King An as his punching bag.

Zhong Yansheng secretly glanced at Prince An and noticed that Prince An's expression seemed to change for a moment.

But Prince An had an extraordinary ability to endure. Even though he was slapped in public by Prince De, his expression quickly returned to normal, and he walked around him.

Prince De obviously forbade Prince An to say anything more to Zhong Yansheng. He glanced at Zhong Yansheng coldly and walked out of the palace with Prince An.

Zhong Yansheng sensitively realized that Prince An and Prince De seemed to know something about his identity.

Judging from the temperament of Prince De that he had observed in the past few days, if Prince De knew that he was not the eleventh prince, he would definitely go straight to him and scold him, and then make a big fuss with the old emperor.

But he didn't do it, and there was only one reason... he didn't dare.

Apart from his brother, the only person who could make Prince De so fearful was His Majesty the Emperor.

Zhong Yansheng finished his analysis, which he thought was very clever, and choked up.

After going around in circles, we ended up back at the old emperor.

He was trying hard to figure out if there were any other breakthroughs. Pei Hong, who was a few steps behind, strode over and looked at him, wanting to say something but stopping himself, with a complicated look on his face.

The two of them have met several times recently, but the old emperor watched Zhong Yansheng particularly closely. Unless the old emperor spoke, no one else had the opportunity to communicate with Zhong Yansheng.

This feeling of being monitored and controlled even when you speak is suffocating.

Now he finally had a chance to speak, but he didn't know what to say. Zhong Yansheng thought about the green light covering Pei Hong's head and wanted to comfort him: "Your Highness Prince Jing, don't be sad. You didn't want to get married before, but now your wish has come true..."

After this incident, Prince Jing's marriage must have been put on hold, and the old emperor probably won't mention it again for a while.

Pei Hong listened to him stutter to comfort himself, and suddenly smiled, fanning himself, and said teasingly, "Xiao Sheng, you refused to call me brother before, but now I am your brother in name only. Why do you still call His Highness Prince Jing so distant? Call me Brother Prince Jing, and let me hear it."

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but he emphasized the word “legitimately” with extra emphasis.

Zhong Yansheng felt that there was something else behind his words, but there was some truth in what he said.

Although judging from the result of his visit to the cold palace last night, it was highly likely that he was not the eleventh prince, but at the moment Prince Jing was indeed his eldest brother.

He hesitated: "Brother Prince Jing..."

Before he could even say it out loud, Xiao Nong interrupted him in a neutral voice: "Who are you waiting for?"

Zhong Yansheng's attention immediately fell on Xiao Nong, and he suppressed his excitement and said, "Uncle."

The smile on Pei Hong's face disappeared instantly. He glanced at Xiao Nong and wanted to curse.

But he still controlled himself and patted Zhong Yansheng on the shoulder gently: "Take your time to suppress the bandits, be careful, and when you return safely, Brother King Jing will take you out for a drink."

Zhong Yansheng doesn't drink, but he's still frightened by the last time he lost control of his body language and language after getting drunk.

But he was still very grateful for Pei Hong's kindness. Thinking that King Jing was cuckolded, it was already miserable, so he followed his lead and said, "Yeah, thank you, Brother King Jing."

Pei Hong raised the corner of his mouth, glanced at Xiao Nong proudly, and walked away happily, fanning himself.

Xiao Nong had no expression on his face.

Brother King Jing? Calling him that is so corny, does this kid have a toothache?

He has never called him Brother Prince Ding.

...No, what a mess.

Xiao Nong thought grimly that Zhong Yansheng was wandering around outside, the only reason he could be waiting for him.

Although he was forced to stay in the palace, his heart was still with him.

Thinking of this, Xiao Nong's expression relaxed and he reluctantly forgave him.

Zhong Yansheng saw Xiao Nong's expression changing from time to time, sometimes gloomy and sometimes bright, and he didn't know what was wrong with the old man. Fortunately, he was used to Xiao Nong's temper. Seeing that his expression gradually stabilized, he asked: "Uncle, will you go south with me?"

Zhong Yansheng became nervous when he thought about the important task of suppressing bandits.

He had never even killed a chicken, but the old emperor asked him to kill someone and did not allow any objection.

Xiao Nong saw that his eyelashes were trembling slightly, and he looked extremely uneasy, and his heart softened unconsciously. He thought, if I don't go, how can I just watch you go alone?

But he said calmly: "Let's wait and see."

If I agree to it right away, the old emperor will definitely become suspicious.

Zhong Yansheng was a little disappointed: "Oh... then could you please help me pass a message to the Marquis' Mansion for me?"

When he was in the prince's mansion, he could still hear news from the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion. After entering the palace, he could feel that the old emperor had cut off his contact with the outside world.

He didn't know what had happened to the Marquis of Huai'an and his wife. He had to leave the capital for a while and couldn't even say a word to them...

Xiao Nong said calmly, "You don't have to worry about this. With the speed at which people in the palace spread the news, the news has already spread throughout the capital."

“…”

Zhong Yansheng hesitated for a moment and moved closer to Xiao Nong: "Could you please, Uncle, help me pass a message to Yun Cheng?"

Xiao Nong raised his eyebrows.

It's Yuncheng again.

Previously, Zhong Yansheng wanted to move out of the Marquis' Mansion and bring Yun Cheng to live with him.

I almost forgot about it because so much has been going on recently.

Xiao Nong decided to find out what was so special about this person that made Zhong Yansheng care about him so much.

As Xiao Nong said, secrets could not be kept in the palace, and the conversation in the study soon spread like the wind throughout the court and the country, and then spread to all parts of the capital.

As soon as the story of the daughter of the Minister of Taichang Temple and Prince De spread, His Royal Highness Prince Jing was furious and immediately replaced Zhong Yansheng as the new target of ridicule among the wealthy families in the capital.

Zhong Yansheng, who was ridiculed before, has transformed himself into a favored little prince. His Majesty has high expectations for him and entrusted him with important tasks. Now no one dares to laugh at him.

When passing by the Marquis of Huai'an's Mansion and the deserted Duke of Pei's Mansion, everyone sighed again.

Who would have thought this?

The news that Zhong Yansheng was assigned to go south naturally reached the ears of Huai'an Marquis.

Today, the Marquis of Huai'an was out of character and did not go to the Dali Temple early. He looked at the Tian Huang stone seal on the table with an unclear expression. The Marquis's wife was sitting in the study, her face full of worry: "Why would His Majesty send Yuan'er to suppress the bandits?"

Marquis Huai'an glanced at the guards standing outside the house.

After Zhong Yansheng entered the palace a few days ago, the old emperor was particularly pleased and rewarded the Huai'an Marquis Mansion generously. In addition to the usual gifts, he also gave people.

Now, everything you say and do in the mansion is under the eyes and ears of Your Majesty.

Marquis Huai'an patted his wife's shoulder and whispered, "I heard that Prince Ding will also be accompanying them, so you don't have to worry too much."

"Prince Ding..."

When she heard Xiao Nong's name, the Marquis's face was strange for a moment, and then she nodded: "That's good. Although Prince Ding has a strange personality, he is brave and good at fighting. I think he should be able to protect Yuan Yuan."

The two were talking, and the guard outside the door didn't hear anything wrong and glanced at the window not far away.

The real young master of Huai'an Marquis' Mansion was standing by the window. He had obviously heard his parents' conversation. It was unknown what he was thinking about. When he noticed his gaze, he gave him a cold look and turned away.

Zhong Sidu had a perceptive personality, so he could clearly see the changes in the mansion in the past few days.

The slightly weird and nervous attitude of the parents, the gazes everywhere in the house...

Zhong Yansheng, is he really the eleventh prince?

The several masters in the mansion were all under close surveillance, with their every word and action recorded in a book. However, the slightly desolate Chunwu Courtyard was particularly quiet and no one came over.

Yuncheng would diligently take care of the yard every day, sighing as he did so.

He didn't care whether the young master was the son of a marquis or a prince in the palace, but if he wanted to serve Zhong Yansheng now, he could only become a eunuch...

Yun Cheng felt a little sad. He squatted on the ground and pulled out some weeds. When he stood up again, he saw a person in his peripheral vision. He was so scared that he almost jumped up: "Who is it... who is it!"

Zhan Rong looked at Yun Cheng with a stern expression.

Yun Cheng also recognized him. This was the personal guard following His Royal Highness Prince Ding.

And his face... was somewhat similar to the man who opened the door for Zhong Yansheng when he saw him from afar when he sent Zhong Yansheng to Changliu Villa.

Yun Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

Yun Cheng only realized in the past two days how the young master could have offended His Royal Highness Prince Ding for no reason.

Not many people know about His Royal Highness Prince Ding's Changliu Villa, but if you ask around, you can still find out something or other.

In short, a few months ago, the young master asked him to find out where Young Master Zhong Sidu lived, but he misheard and took the young master to the private residence of His Royal Highness Prince Wang Ding every day.

The night he learned the truth, Yun Cheng couldn't sleep the whole night. All he could think about was: He is still alive.

He is sorry to the young master!

So the moment he saw Zhan Rong, Yun Cheng asked tremblingly: "Big brother, are you here to chop off my hand?"

Zhan Rong looked at Yun Cheng strangely, a little puzzled, but his face remained calm, imitating Xiao Nong's posture to some extent: "No, I am here to tell you something on behalf of Young Master Zhong. Young Master Zhong said that he will leave Beijing in two days and may not be back for some time. He cannot do what he promised you for the time being. Your indenture is in the sandalwood box in his study, along with a few small gifts and money. It was originally intended to be your birthday present in half a month. You can take it now."

Yun Cheng listened to it stupidly, his eyes suddenly turned red: "Master..."

Zhan Rong sighed inwardly.

Although the young master is a member of the royal family, he is as handsome as a god, has a soft and kind heart, and is meticulous and considerate. He is completely different from those disgusting people in the Pei family.

He still liked the prince so much that he followed him under a pseudonym and dodged him for so long. He finally got his wish and was taken back to the palace by the prince, but was separated from him again by that dog emperor.

Zhan Rong thought to himself, no wonder the prince is always soft-hearted towards the young master.

If it's him, he would also be soft-hearted.

Zhan Rong turned around and tried to leave after hearing what Zhong Yansheng said. But before he could jump over the wall, Yun Cheng called him, "Big Brother!"

Zhan Rong looked back in confusion.

Yun Cheng thought sadly in his heart that if he did something wrong, he would have to bear the consequences alone. The young master had borne so much pressure from His Royal Highness Prince Ding alone, and now it was his turn to bear it.

It was originally his fault that he took the young master to the wrong place and offended His Royal Highness Prince Ding...

Yun Cheng wiped his red eyes and said, "Can you take me to see His Royal Highness Prince Ding? I want to personally apologize to His Royal Highness Prince Ding."

Zhan Rong: “?”

What? What crime?

Thinking that the master seemed to be somewhat interested in this man named Yun Cheng, and only for the sake of the young master, he did not take action. Zhan Rong thought for a while and said, "Okay."

After saying that, he picked up Yuncheng with one hand and climbed up the wall in no time.

There were not many surveillance people near Chunwuyuan, so it was not difficult to move around with people. After a while, Zhan Rong bypassed the surveillance people in the Marquis' Mansion and jumped out of the back door with Yun Cheng.

Xiao Nong's carriage was parked outside the back door.

Realizing that it was His Royal Highness Prince Ding inside, Yun Cheng swallowed nervously, but still mustered up the courage: "Meet, meet His Royal Highness Prince Ding."

Xiao Nong was leaning against the carriage with his eyes closed. When he heard the voice, he raised his eyebrows, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked down at Yun Cheng coldly.

He has an ordinary face, is short and thin.

Xiao became more confident.

"I really, really offended Your Highness," the gaze above his head was cold and indifferent. Yun Cheng's scalp tightened, and he simply closed his eyes and apologized quickly, "This, this is all my fault. The young master didn't know about it at the beginning. Please, please don't blame him. If you want to kill me or cut me up, I will do whatever you want..."

What?

Seeing Xiao Nong frowning impatiently, Zhan Rong immediately said, "Stop. Do you know what you are saying?"

When Yun Cheng heard this, it meant "Can you bear the prince's anger when he is offended?" Yun Cheng shivered with fear, but still spoke dryly: "I know, but when the young master went to Changliu Villa, he did not know the prince's identity, and he really did not mean to offend him! It's all my fault for going to the wrong place..."

The air became stagnant.

Zhan Rong slowly understood Yun Cheng's meaning. Suddenly, his scalp felt tingling and his eyelids twitched. He didn't dare turn his head to look at Xiao Nong's expression.

After hearing Zhan Rong's rumor that "the young master is crazy about his master", the secret guards also shrank into the shadows and dared not show their heads.

Yun Cheng: “…”

Did he say something wrong? Why did everything suddenly become so quiet?

A moment later, the cold voice of His Royal Highness Prince Ding came from above: "What do you mean, you've found the wrong place, say clearly."

Comments