Chapter 802: Then It’s Settled

“Oh. He’s sick.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

It was only a eunuch.

He did not particularly care.

Tian Tian opened Zheng Fan’s salted duck egg for him.

Once it was ready, he handed it over.

Then Tian Tian opened one for his little Crown Prince brother and passed that over too.

The three of them... father and two sons, in all but name... ate shredded-chicken and greens congee with salted vegetables and duck eggs.

It tasted wonderful.

Even the Crown Prince, who normally had a poor appetite, finished a large bowl of congee.

Only after eating did he belatedly look down at his own stomach and become a little embarrassed.

“Sleep well last night?” Zheng Fan asked.

“Reporting to Uncle Zheng, Chuanye slept very well.”

“Mm. Good. From now on, keep the same daily routine as your Elder Brother Tian Tian. Whatever he does, you do. Don’t worry about lessons. You’ll study together with him.”

“Yes, Uncle Zheng. Chuanye understands.”

After breakfast, Zheng Fan left.

New information had arrived from Chu.

It was not military news.

But it was more important than military news.

Tian Tian gathered up the stools they had used for breakfast and carried them back into the room one by one.

Then he found a cloth and wiped the seats clean.

The Crown Prince stood beside him.

He wanted to help, but had no idea what he should do.

So he asked:

“Do you normally do all of this?”

“Mm.”

Tian Tian answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Ji Chuanye had been born into good times.

His mother nearly died giving birth to him.

That day had alarmed the late Emperor enough that several Princes in the capital all gathered there.

As the eldest imperial grandson, Ji Chuanye’s birth had basically allowed Ji Chengjue to secure his footing at court.

No matter how violent the struggle for succession later became, it never caused Sixth Prince Residence to suffer actual deprivation in daily life.

Nothing like those earliest years, when Ji Chengjue had been at his lowest and had needed the carts of cornmeal Zheng Fan sent simply to keep the household going.

To say Ji Chuanye had been born with a golden spoon in his mouth was not exaggeration.

“As long as Dad is home, every morning after I wake up, I set out the stools for breakfast. Then Dad comes to eat with me.”

At that point, Tian Tian smiled at the Crown Prince.

“I’m afraid that if one day I get lazy and don’t set them out, Dad won’t come eat breakfast with me anymore.”

He said it smiling.

Yet for some reason... the Crown Prince suddenly felt something ache inside his chest.

Among children, Ji Chuanye had always believed himself to be the unusual one.

But looking at this “Elder Brother” before him... he suddenly realized that he himself was the lucky one.

Especially when he saw Tian Tian’s smile.

“Mm. Didn’t you say last night that you wanted to pay respects to my First Mother, Second Mother, and Third Mother?”

“Yes. It is only proper.”

In an ordinary household, when an honored guest arrived, naturally the whole family would come out to receive him.

And this guest happened to be the current Crown Prince.

In the household of some distinguished family in Yanjing, if the Crown Prince visited, everyone from top to bottom would prepare an incense table, kneel together, and perform the full rites.

No aspect of imperial etiquette could be mishandled.

Otherwise, it became contempt for the dignity of the imperial house.

The grave crime of disrespect.

But the Zheng household was an exception.

Prince Pingxi had genuinely treated the Crown Prince like the child of a neighbor or drinking companion.

He picked the boy up.

Brought him home.

Then tossed him into the household.

That was the interesting thing about the crime of “disrespect.”

When you truly possessed the status to show someone no respect... that person generally did not dare blame you for failing to show him respect.

Little Eunuch Zhang, now sick in bed, had suffered this exact “cold reception” yesterday and had not dared voice a single complaint.

As for the three ladies of the household...

Siniang had already treated the Crown Prince on the road.

Xiong Liqing was pregnant.

And she was a Princess in her own right.

Naturally, there was no need for her to rush out and fawn over the Crown Prince of Yan.

The Xiong surname and Ji surname had once stood as equals.

Liu Ruqing did understand proper etiquette.

But though called Third Madam, she had always regarded herself as a concubine.

With no one above her taking the lead, she would hardly come out alone to meet the Crown Prince.

“First Mother is probably busy. I’ll take you to meet Second Mother first.”

“Okay.”

They had technically visited the Princess’s courtyard yesterday when looking for the green python.

But the Princess had not been there.

Today, when the two children entered the courtyard, they saw the Princess, who had just finished breakfast, taking a slow walk with the support of a maidservant.

Her belly was larger now.

That made taking care of her health even more important.

Not exercise exactly.

But she needed to move regularly.

“Aiyo, my son.”

The Princess smiled the moment she saw Tian Tian.

She beckoned him over.

“Your son greets Mother.”

Ji Chuanye bowed respectfully as well.

“Chuanye greets Aunt.”

The Princess acted as though she had only just noticed the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Yes.”

“Someone bring tea and pastries. And call Ruqing over too.”

“Yes, Madam.”

At the stone table... the Princess sat on one side.

Liu Ruqing, who had hurried over, sat beside her.

Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye sat opposite them.

Delicate pastries were set out.

Tea as well.

The Princess pointed toward them.

“Go ahead.”

“Mm.”

“Thank you, Aunt.”

Tian Tian picked up one pastry and took a huge bite.

The Crown Prince only nibbled lightly.

Then took a small sip of tea.

The pastry barely diminished.

Watching the Crown Prince eat, the Princess’s expression became faintly nostalgic.

In a truly refined household, no one devoured pastries whole simply to fill his stomach.

One pastry.

One cup of tea.

Taking half the day to finish them was perfectly normal.

But her own man had never cared for such things.

No one else in this Residence paid much attention to such rules either.

Seeing someone from the imperial household behave this way again... made her miss it a little.

After the refreshments, Tian Tian took the Crown Prince and said their farewells.

The Princess did not keep them.

Once the children left, Liu Ruqing said:

“The Crown Prince’s body seems rather frail.”

“Mm.” The Princess nodded. “I used to think about so many things. Now I think much more simply. I only hope the child inside my belly can be like Tian Tian, growing from childhood to adulthood without illness or disaster.”

“The Crown Prince will simply live here in the Residence like this? No other arrangements are needed?” Liu Ruqing asked.

“No. No need to gild the lily. We’ll follow Husband’s arrangement. It’s good this way. Tian Tian has someone to keep him company.”

“That’s true. Once Elder Sister’s child is born, and then First Sister’s child too, the Residence will truly become lively.”

“And you? You need to try harder too. Right now Elder Sister and I both have inconvenient bodies. Doesn’t that mean Husband can only sleep in your room?”

“Elder Sister...”

Liu Ruqing’s face flushed crimson.

Xiong Liqing deliberately drew the next words out in a teasing singsong.

“Uncle dear~~~”

“Ah! Elder Sister, you’ll shame me to death!”

...

When the two children returned from the Princess’s courtyard, they saw Liu Dahu waiting there.

Liu Dahu looked at the Crown Prince beside Tian Tian.

The Crown Prince looked back at Liu Dahu.

Apparently...

Prince Pingxi was not the only person who did not take the Crown Prince of Yan too seriously.

The Sword Saint living next door did not either.

He knew perfectly well that his eldest son came over every day to run drills with Tian Tian.

Yet he had never bothered telling Liu Dahu that another person now lived in the Residence.

“Whose kid is that?” Liu Dahu asked.

“Brother Huzi, he’s from the Emperor’s family.”

“The Emperor’s family?”

For a moment, Liu Dahu’s mind failed to turn the corner.

“He’s the Crown Prince.”

Sword Maid appeared atop the courtyard wall, legs swinging.

The little girl who had once clung to her master’s corpse and cried beside the Bian River had grown much older.

Girls developed earlier than boys.

Those legs had already begun showing their future length.

“The... the Crown Prince?”

Liu Dahu was startled.

But not panicked.

After playing with Tian Tian for so long, he had become used to strange identities.

Ji Chuanye bowed to Liu Dahu.

“Chuanye greets Elder Brother Huzi, and greets...”

Ji Chuanye looked toward Sword Maid sitting on the wall.

Tian Tian supplied:

“Elder Sister Sword.”

“Chuanye greets Elder Sister Sword.”

Liu Dahu formally returned the greeting.

But he did not kneel.

In Fengxin City, everyone recognized Prince Pingxi.

Imperial authority itself carried little intimidation here.

Sword Maid did not respond at all.

She simply remained seated on the wall, swinging her legs.

Liu Dahu began leading Tian Tian and the Crown Prince through their morning run.

They had not gone far before the Crown Prince could no longer continue.

He stopped and stood there watching Liu Dahu and Tian Tian keep running.

At that moment, Sword Maid jumped down from the wall.

She looked at Ji Chuanye and smiled.

“Tsk. You’re already done?”

Ji Chuanye lowered his head.

Being spoken to like that by a pretty older girl made a young boy genuinely embarrassed.

Then the Crown Prince gritted his teeth, gathered his strength, and ran another stretch with them.

At last... he truly could not continue.

He sat down on the ground.

When Tian Tian and Liu Dahu finished running, they began practicing saber.

Liu Dahu used a real saber.

Tian Tian used a wooden one.

And very thoughtfully, Tian Tian found a wooden saber for the Crown Prince too.

Liu Dahu stood in front and practiced.

Tian Tian and the Crown Prince followed behind him.

The saber forms were not difficult.

They practiced fundamentals.

Simplified military forms.

No fancy flourishes.

Very practical.

But after only a little while... the Crown Prince’s arms were already numb and aching.

He had no choice but to lower the wooden saber and stand there watching his two elder brothers continue.

Then... the Crown Prince began to cry.

Yes.

The mature, thoughtful Crown Prince of Great Yan... the child once praised by the late Emperor as a “fine imperial grandson”... burst into loud sobs.

Children his age normally cried often.

But Ji Chuanye had already forgotten when he had last cried.

Even that time his own father forced him to drink medicine... he had not cried.

Liu Dahu and Tian Tian stopped.

The difference in status was there.

Huzi hesitated and did not approach.

Tian Tian walked over.

Then...

Tian Tian genuinely had no idea how to comfort someone.

Because aside from crying as an infant when the Sword Saint carried him out of Litian City... once the Demon Child began accompanying him, Tian Tian had never cried again.

The Crown Prince cried for a long time.

Eventually... he simply ran out of strength.

Only then did he wipe his tears with his sleeve.

He looked at Tian Tian.

Looked at Liu Dahu.

Looked at Sword Maid.

Then said, embarrassed:

“I don’t know why. I just cried. Father Emperor said a man does not lightly shed tears, but I cried for so long.”

“Your father isn’t here,” Tian Tian said. “Don’t be afraid. He won’t know. We won’t tell him.”

The Crown Prince heard that... and suddenly felt it made perfect sense.

Afterward... the three children went to soak in the bath.

Prince Pingxi loved hot baths.

That habit had followed him from Tiger Head City to Shengle City, then Snow Sea Pass, and finally Fengxin.

He liked soaking.

And he liked soaking with his godson.

So every day after Tian Tian finished running drills and saber practice, he would take a soak before noon.

He used his father’s bathing pool.

Liu Dahu loved bathing there too.

His own family used a wooden tub.

Whenever Grandmother or Mother bathed, everyone else had to wait outside in the courtyard.

How could that compare with soaking comfortably in the Marquis’s bathing pool?

In the end... all three children stripped naked and climbed into the water.

“Whew...”

Liu Dahu swam one circuit.

Tian Tian picked up a towel and said to the Crown Prince:

“Little brother, sit over here. Elder Brother will scrub your back.”

When Zheng Fan bathed with Tian Tian, he liked scrubbing Tian Tian’s back.

Tian Tian had always wanted to experience being the one who did the scrubbing.

Unfortunately, Liu Dahu dared soak with him... but absolutely did not dare let Tian Tian scrub his back.

The Crown Prince was muddled enough to obey.

“Dad said you have to scrub hard. Otherwise you can’t get the dirt off.”

Tian Tian laid the towel across the Crown Prince’s skinny back.

Then... scrubbed hard.

The Crown Prince was shoved forward by the force.

He pitched straight into the bathing pool.

“Ah!”

Fortunately, Liu Dahu was swimming back at that exact moment.

He immediately grabbed the Crown Prince and hauled him out.

The poor boy had swallowed two mouthfuls of bathwater and kept coughing.

After that burst of chaos... the three children finally quieted down.

They soaked peacefully.

Liu Dahu spoke first.

“A really strong one joined our personal guard camp.”

The last time they went onto the snowfields, both Liu Dahu and Tian Tian had served as Zheng Fan’s personal guards.

So the two children still referred to it as “our personal guard camp.”

They considered themselves part of it.

“How strong?” Tian Tian asked curiously.

“I can’t beat him. And he isn’t much older than me. Even Zheng Man can’t beat him.”

Zheng Man was the wolf cub Liang Cheng had brought out of the desert.

“Then he really is strong,” Tian Tian said.

The Crown Prince had recovered by now.

He wanted to join the “conversation” too.

“My father’s personal guards are strong too.”

Children were like that.

They could imitate adults and act solemn beyond their years.

Then, a moment later, become children again.

Comparing the Emperor’s guards in a childish boasting contest... only a child could say something like that.

Liu Dahu replied:

“The one I’m talking about just cut off the head of one of Great Chu’s Pillars of State on the battlefield.”

After Chen Xianba entered Zheng Fan’s personal guard camp, he quickly established himself.

The camp was a very united circle.

It also contained savage internal competition.

Every member was proud.

Either he himself possessed ability... or his parents did.

Chen Xianba relied on nothing but his fists to beat the others into submission.

A Pillar of State of Chu.

A huge official.

Liu Dahu understood that a little.

Tian Tian and the Crown Prince did not have much concrete sense of what it meant.

After crying earlier, the Crown Prince had become unusually childish and competitive.

He said:

“The head of my father’s personal guards is one of the Four Great Swordsmen.”

Liu Dahu answered:

“My father is the foremost of the Four Great Swordsmen.”

“...” The Crown Prince.

“Hee-hee.”

Tian Tian covered his mouth and laughed.

“Elder Brother Tian Tian, what are you laughing at?” the Crown Prince asked.

Tian Tian answered:

“Dad said my real father once defeated the foremost of the Four Great Swordsmen.”

“...” The Crown Prince.

Once the three children had soaked enough, Liu Dahu climbed out first and dressed.

Tian Tian followed.

After drying himself, he tried helping the Crown Prince dry off.

The Crown Prince looked nervous.

“Elder Brother Tian Tian, I’m scared.”

“Mm...”

“I’ll do it,” Liu Dahu said.

He took a dry towel and helped the Crown Prince.

Tian Tian dressed himself and brought over the Crown Prince’s clothes.

At last... the three came out.

“I’m going home first. Mother should have lunch ready,” Liu Dahu said.

“Okay, Brother Huzi. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Elder Brother Huzi.”

After Liu Dahu left, Tian Tian led the Crown Prince back to the entrance of his own courtyard.

A servant was already waiting there.

The moment the servant saw the two young masters return, he went to tell the kitchen to prepare food.

Lunch arrived quickly.

The Crown Prince had exercised all morning and had an excellent appetite.

Tian Tian was happy simply to have someone eating with him.

He ate happily too.

That afternoon, Tian Tian asked:

“Want a nap?”

The Crown Prince answered:

“I need to study.”

“Mr. Bei only comes every other day. But we can read on our own first. Little brother, can you read?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

That afternoon...

Tian Tian practiced calligraphy while the Crown Prince recited books.

Then the Crown Prince practiced calligraphy while Tian Tian practiced drawing.

Little Eunuch Zhang, who had fallen ill and skipped most of the day, finally forced himself out of bed.

He had not failed to acclimate to the local climate.

He had simply been frightened half senseless yesterday.

His mind had been wandering ever since.

Goddamn it.

Prince Pingxi Residence was terrifying.

When he reached the courtyard and saw the two children sitting there studying on their own...

Little Eunuch Zhang released a long breath.

This was nice.

The black cat and fox were still lying there basking in the sun.

When they saw him arrive, the two demon beasts even shifted aside and deliberately left an empty patch for him.

Somehow...

Little Eunuch Zhang actually understood.

He sat down.

Sat for a while.

Then leaned sideways onto the ground.

And fell asleep.

The entire previous night his mind had been full of ghosts and strange things.

He had barely rested at all.

Tian Tian finished his drawing and lifted the paper.

He wanted to take it to Princess Mother for inspection, so he pulled the Crown Prince along.

The two children saw Little Eunuch Zhang sleeping so soundly and did not wake him.

So when Little Eunuch Zhang finally woke from his nap...

His Highness was gone.

“Where did Master go?”

The black cat raised its tail and swished it.

Then it ran several steps away.

Stopped.

Looked back at Little Eunuch Zhang.

“Oh. Thank you.”

Little Eunuch Zhang rose and followed the cat.

The black cat led him behind an artificial hill.

There was a staircase descending underground.

At this point, whether this place had a door hardly mattered.

After later renovations, they had simply stopped installing one.

The black cat went down first.

Its tail pointed inward.

Then, harmless as could be, it meowed:

“Meow.”

“He’s inside?”

Little Eunuch Zhang descended the stairs.

It was not truly dark below.

The light was dim, but once his eyes adjusted he could still see the way ahead.

“Master? Master? This slave is here. Master, why did you come down here to play? Be careful not to fall again, Master.”

Calling as he walked...

Little Eunuch Zhang reached the bottom.

Then... he saw a coffin.

“Hiss...”

Startled all over again, Little Eunuch Zhang instinctively patted his chest.

Then he muttered an old Yan curse.

Yan had fought the Barbarians for centuries.

As a result, many turns of phrase, especially insults, naturally used “Barbarian” as a descriptive term.

“You scared me half to death. Why is there a coffin sitting down here? What filthy-Barbarian bad luck.”

“Filthy Barbarian” in this usage simply meant inauspicious.

The next instant... the coffin lid... opened.

From inside... someone sat up.

And that person slowly turned his head... toward Little Eunuch Zhang.

“...” Little Eunuch Zhang.

...

The next day.

Breakfast.

“Eunuch Zhang still isn’t better?” Zheng Fan asked.

The Crown Prince rose and answered:

“Reporting to Uncle Zheng, he improved for a while yesterday, then his old ailment returned.”

Tian Tian added:

“He was even foaming at the mouth.”

Zheng Fan looked genuinely surprised.

“Whoa. That sick? Your father really is something. He knows your own health is poor, yet he still sent a eunuch whose body keeps breaking down to serve as your companion.”

The Crown Prince lowered his head.

He had no idea what to say.

Zheng Fan kept eating his flatbread.

Then he turned toward Zhao Cheng, who had just delivered the day’s fresh milk and was now squatting nearby feeding the cat and fox.

“Zhao Cheng.”

“This slave is here!”

Zhao Cheng immediately came over and knelt.

“From now on, you take Eunuch Zhang’s place. Once Eunuch Zhang fully recovers, you can switch back.”

“This slave obeys.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

[End of Chapter 802]