Chapter Sixteen: His Highness Prince Han Continues to Play Hard to Get!

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Once his consciousness returned to his body, Zhu Zhanhe turned his head toward the window. Outside, the scene remained unchanged: a bright moon hung amid sparse stars.

“Mm! Just as before. It’s still very early, so I’ll sleep a little longer!”

Whenever Zhu Zhanhe went out to sea with the great crocodile, he worried that he might become so engrossed in their adventures that he would lose track of time and be discovered for sleeping all day. At first, he had been quite anxious about it, and had even instructed his little maids, Yuner and Jian’er, to place an hourglass in his room to keep track of the time.

Later, he discovered that as long as he did not get too carried away, not much time would pass at all. Thus, he had gradually relaxed and continued enjoying himself. So far, nothing had gone wrong.

Lying comfortably on his bed, he held a tender little maid in each arm and shifted about until he found a pleasant position. Before long, Zhu Zhanhe drifted into dreamland.

At dawn, the rooster had already crowed twice before Zhu Zhanhe slowly awakened. Once awake, he felt that something seemed to be missing. Turning his head, he found that the two little maids who had been lying beside him were gone. He merely knitted his brows for a moment before guessing that the two girls had slipped away while he slept.

“Someone come.”

Zhu Zhanhe had grown accustomed to the corrupt luxury of having people wait on him as soon as he rose. He had barely called out when he received an immediate reply.

“Your Highness, Little Xizi pays his respects. Your washing things have been prepared. I’ll attend to you as you rise.”

The voice of the young eunuch came from outside. He sounded quite young, and his tone was filled with delight.

“Little Xizi? Come in.”

Zhu Zhanhe knew that Little Xizi was the godson of the palace’s chief steward. He was not yet twenty and had been assigned specifically to serve him.

The chief steward spent his days attending either Zhu Zhanhe’s mother or father, so the young prince could only be served by the chief steward’s godsons. Little Xizi was practically the young eunuch assigned exclusively to wait upon him in the princely residence. He was conscientious in his duties; it was only that Zhu Zhanhe usually had little to do and seldom took him along.

With a creak, the door to Zhu Zhanhe’s room opened. A group of young eunuchs and maids entered carrying washbasins, towels, spittoons, clothes, and all manner of other things. Once inside, they lined up meekly under Little Xizi’s vigilant gaze, waiting for Zhu Zhanhe to wash and choose his clothes.

“Your Highness, Little Xizi pays his respects.”

As soon as he entered, Little Xizi happily knelt on the floor and bowed to Zhu Zhanhe. His heart was overflowing with joy. Ordinarily, it should have been his duty to attend to the heir’s daily needs, but ever since Zhu Zhanhe had taken Jian’er and Yuner into his service, he had doted exclusively on the two girls and completely ignored Little Xizi, leaving the young eunuch heartbroken for quite some time.

The previous night, Aunt Xiuer had summoned him and offered him a chance to serve the heir. Little Xizi had been overjoyed. Aunt Xiuer truly was a wonderful person!

He had risen early that morning and carefully prepared everything, checking it several times, all so that he could make a good impression before the heir and hopefully continue serving at his side in the future.

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“Mm. Rise. I’ll wear this blue outfit today. Also, Little Xizi, have someone prepare the training grounds. I’ll pay my respects to my parents in a while, then go there to stretch my limbs.”

Zhu Zhanhe glanced over the clothes the maids had brought in and selected a blue martial outfit. Perhaps because he had just returned from his carefree excursion in the sea the night before, he suddenly found the color blue especially pleasing. He also instructed Little Xizi to prepare the training grounds. His habit of morning exercise had stayed with him for years, and he felt uncomfortable if he did not move around a little.

With Little Xizi attending to him, he finished washing and dressed in a close-fitting blue martial robe. The outfit accentuated his imposing bearing and extraordinary martial spirit.

“Come, Little Xizi. Follow me to pay my respects to my mother.”

Zhu Zhanhe was in an excellent mood. With a grand wave of his hand, he led Little Xizi off to find his mother.

“Yes!”

Hearing that the heir intended to take him along to pay respects to the princess consort, Little Xizi was beside himself with joy. The very air seemed filled with happiness. He answered his master loudly, his voice trembling slightly, then followed behind the heir with great enthusiasm as they left.

“Mother, your son has come to pay his respects.”

Zhu Zhanhe arrived at the residence of Princess Consort Wei. His mother was seated in a small pavilion, enjoying a somewhat light breakfast.

“Zhan’er, you’re here! Come, sit down and eat breakfast with me.”

When Princess Consort Wei saw that her son, who had been busy throughout the previous night, had come first thing in the morning to pay his respects, her face immediately brightened with delight. She set down her bowl and chopsticks, dabbed her mouth with a small handkerchief, and hurriedly invited him to eat with her.

“Thank you, Mother. Why isn’t Father here eating breakfast with you?”

Zhu Zhanhe did not stand on ceremony with his mother. He sat down directly, accepted a bowl of thin porridge from a nearby maid, and gulped it down while asking where his father was.

“Don’t mention that unreliable man! He ran off to your uncle’s place first thing this morning, saying he wanted to watch the excitement. He truly never grows up!”

Whenever Princess Consort Wei spoke of her husband, her expression became displeased, and even her lovely brows drew together.

“Never mind, never mind. Don’t talk about him, Mother. Let’s eat breakfast.”

Hearing that his father had gone to stir up trouble at his elder uncle’s residence again, Zhu Zhanhe felt exhausted. Seeing his mother’s tightly furrowed brows and unhappy expression, he hurried to comfort her. For now, they could simply ignore that unreliable father of his.

“Where is Aunt Xiuer? I haven’t seen her either.”

Zhu Zhanhe placed a small pastry into his mother’s bowl, puzzled that Aunt Xiuer, who usually stayed by his mother’s side all day, was also absent.

“She’s doing it for your sake. Aunt Xiuer went to teach Jian’er and Yuner some rules.”

At the mention of something connected to her son, Princess Consort Wei’s face filled with delight. Setting down her chopsticks, she watched her son wolf down his food. As she looked at his sturdy frame, her face shone with the loving pride and joy of a mother thinking, My son has grown up.

Elsewhere, Yuner and Jian’er sat upright before Aunt Xiuer.

“Let me tell you one final thing. The heir is a sentimental man. As long as you serve him well, then once the heir’s principal wife enters the household, if either of you bears him a son or daughter, I won’t even speak of the best possible outcome—the least you can expect is the status of a secondary concubine. That alone will ensure you food, clothing, and security for the rest of your lives.”

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“The heir is still young, so matters of the bedchamber must not occur too frequently. Before his principal wife enters the household, you must take care of yourselves as well. Do not put the princess consort in a difficult position.”

Aunt Xiuer spoke with a grave expression to the two little maids before her. Her meaning was perfectly clear: neither of them was to become pregnant before the heir’s principal wife entered the household.

“Thank you for teaching us, Aunt Xiuer.”

The two girls were overjoyed by her words. They immediately knelt and kowtowed to their aunt. They knew very well that within the Han Prince’s residence, the princess consort held the greatest authority, and beneath her, Aunt Xiuer was unquestionably the most powerful person. Whatever Aunt Xiuer said had to be right!

“Mm. Rise. You two understand the rules. It was not a mistake for me to place you at the heir’s side back then. Continue to perform well in the future, and the princess consort will not treat you unfairly.”

Seated upright in the principal seat, Aunt Xiuer carefully instructed the two young girls.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhanhe took Little Xizi to the training grounds and worked up a sweat wielding his great saber. He then returned to his mother’s residence to keep her company and chat for a while. After all, he had nothing else to do—and he did not even have to attend school!

As noon approached, the Han Prince finally returned to his residence with his noble head held high. The moment he entered, he saw his son sitting with his wife, chatting and eating snacks, occasionally making his mother laugh aloud.

“Son, let me tell you—your father has just returned from your uncle’s residence. He was crying and making a fuss about returning to Shuntian!”

Zhu Gaoxu swaggered through the door, his face glowing with undisguised delight. He walked with such arrogance that even the wind seemed to follow him, and he immediately began loudly announcing his triumph.

“Wife, let me tell you. I just went to your eldest brother’s place. Do you know what happened?”

Seeing the bewildered expressions on his son’s and wife’s faces, Zhu Gaoxu’s smile grew even broader. The scars left by his old battlefield wounds twitched with every word, making his expression look both fierce and comical.

“What happened?”

Princess Consort Wei stared at the smug Han Prince without offering him the slightest pleasant expression. Honestly, what a hopelessly tactless man—couldn’t he see that she was in the middle of talking with their son? Exasperated by her unreliable husband, she rolled her eyes, clutched her handkerchief, and asked in an irritated tone.

“Our old father has ordered that all the memorials handled by the eldest brother during his recent regency be transferred for review! This means he no longer trusts the eldest brother! My opportunity has arrived!”

Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu was filled with excitement and elation, as though he had already become the Crown Prince. No matter how hard he tried, he could not conceal the triumphant smile on his face.