A few minutes earlier:
"I have long heard that His Highness Prince Shu is the most amiable. Steward Zhang following such a master truly makes the likes of us envious."
Others might not have known, but the person next door listening closely with an ear pressed against the wall instantly understood what these few people in this room were up to.
They were actually a few Shang merchants, along with a steward from Prince Shu's Residence who was being flattered and fawned over by them?
Among all the imperial princes and commandery princes, Prince Shu truly stood out as unique. Even the Imperial Grandson, before being invested as the heir apparent, had received mixed reputations due to the matter of cracking down on illicit shrines.
Only Prince Shu had consistently maintained a good reputation among literati, and it was said that he was quite capable of lowering his status to treat scholars with courtesy.
However, the person sitting there at this moment—the core figure being Master Yang, a man from Prince Qi's Residence—revealed a look of disdain upon hearing this. One of them nodded along, letting out a low sneer, "Are the matters of the Crown Prince something people of the lower rungs can discuss? Everyone says Prince Shu's household is governed strictly; now it seems they are nothing special after all!"
"Indeed, and this is even a steward of Prince Shu's Residence! To lack even this bit of awareness, he truly is just an embroidered pillow!" another chimed in.
The use of that word "also" was brilliant.
Without openly mocking Prince Shu, it nonetheless managed to lump Prince Shu into the mockery as well.
However, these men from Prince Qi's Residence did not take this little interlude to heart, simply assuming that the steward from Prince Shu's Residence next