He did not want to punish him, but he could not let the matter go unpunished either. Just as Prince Changping was agonizing over what punishment to impose, the steward rushed in in a panic.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"
Those words alone were enough to give Prince Changping a headache now. He rubbed his temples and asked impatiently, "What is it this time?"
The steward wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, "The heir left the estate yesterday. Prince Jing, Lord Qian'an, and the Prince of Anle have just brought him back. They are in the main hall now!"
Hearing that so many people had come, Prince Changping hurriedly asked the steward, "Everything in the estate has been taken care of, hasn't it? They haven't noticed anything, have they?"
The steward was confident on that score. "Everything has been handled. After the incident yesterday, I led the servants in cleaning up the scene within two hours. Not a word has reached anyone outside our own people."
Prince Changping trusted him. "Good! I remember you have a son. Starting today, let him serve at my side and learn properly from you."
Delighted, the steward hastily knelt to thank him. "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"
Prince Changping smoothed the creases in his clothes and headed to the main hall. Strictly speaking, Shen Shixu and the other two did not need to bow to him.
They either outranked Prince Changping or held the same rank, but since he was their elder, they still rose and paid their respects.
Naturally, Prince Changping could not simply accept their bows. The moment they bowed, he hurriedly told them to rise.
"Get up, get up. We're all family. There's no need to be so formal."
Prince Changping looked only