The Ultimate Sucker

He called to the person kneading dough behind the stall, "Yuzhu, two bowls of noodles with gravy!"

"Zhijie, what brings you here?" Shen Yuzhu asked as she came out.

Shen Zhijie said, "I brought a friend over for noodles."

As she approached, he stood and massaged her shoulders. "Sis, are you tired?"

Yuzhu was his second uncle's daughter.

His second aunt had died of illness long ago.

His second uncle spent most of the year away on business, so he had left his only daughter in their family's care.

The two had grown up together and were closer than most siblings.

Neither of them could sit still.

Shen Zhijie loved patrolling the streets and standing up against injustice.

Shen Yuzhu, meanwhile, especially loved kneading dough and making noodles. With the support of her younger cousin and Eldest Father, she had set up a little noodle stall by the street.

Business was actually thriving.

Shen Yuzhu stared blankly at the young friend her cousin had brought.

He sat perfectly straight, looking sweet and adorable, with fair, clean features. One glance was enough to tell he came from a noble family.

She hurriedly pulled Shen Zhijie aside.

"Where did you kidnap this little young master from?" she asked quietly. "Take him back right now!

"What if his parents can't find him and report it to the authorities? Eldest Father works at the Court of Judicial Review. Don't drag him into trouble..."

She was not actually speaking all that quietly.

Xiao Yu heard every word.

Seeing that she took him for a little child, he curled his lip, somewhat displeased.

"Yu is already twelve, not a little child," he replied.

"I also informed my elders at home before coming out."

Shen Yuzhu and Shen Zhijie froze at his words.

Both covered their mouths.

Their shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Xiao Yu: "..."

Enough.

Did they think he couldn't see them?

Was what he had just said really that funny?

People outside the palace really were... outrageous!

Resigning himself to it, he said, "If you want to laugh, then laugh. Why hold it in?"

He had lived two lifetimes. There was no need to take offense at a couple of brats.

Seeing a child putting on such grown-up airs, Shen Zhijie could not resist pinching his cheek. "How are you so adorable?"

"Insolent!"

Xiao Yu swatted his hand away, mildly angry. "A prince as handsome and distinguished as I am can hardly be called adorable!"

Shen Zhijie froze when he heard him call himself a prince.

Then he exclaimed in surprise, "Could you be Xiao Yu, the Prince Yu His Majesty recently ennobled?"

Though he phrased it as a question, he was already certain.

After all, only one person that age had been made a prince.

Before Xiao Yu could answer, Shen Zhijie and Shen Yuzhu bowed. "This humble commoner pays his respects to Prince Yu!" "This humble woman pays her respects to Prince Yu!"

"There's no need for such ceremony. Please rise."

Xiao Yu had never intended to hide his identity from them.

Shen Yuzhu and Shen Zhijie exchanged a look.

She spoke first. "Your Highness, please carry on chatting. I'll go check whether the noodles are ready."

Xiao Yu nodded.

Shen Zhijie stared at him, still struggling to believe it.

He had never imagined that he, Shen Zhijie, would one day get to know Prince Yu.

He suddenly asked, "Your Highness, have you left the palace incognito to attend to some important business?"

Xiao Yu's fingers shifted slightly, and he lowered his eyes.

"To tell you the truth, Brother Zhijie, I came out of the palace to meet someone," he replied.

A complete sucker.

Shen Zhijie stiffened slightly.

"Who would Your Highness like to meet?" he asked tentatively. "I was born and raised in the capital, and I know most of the people here..."

"If Your Highness doesn't mind telling me, I can show you the way!"

"That would be excellent."

Xiao Yu raised his eyes to meet his gaze. "Actually, the person I want to meet is Lord Shen Wuji, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."

"Do you know which street his residence is on?"

Shen Zhijie abruptly froze.

Prince Yu wanted to see his father?

Had his father offended His Majesty recently?

"Has Lord Shen... done something wrong?" he asked cautiously.

"No."

"Didn't Lord Shen donate a hundred thousand taels recently?" Xiao Yu replied. "My imperial brother sent me to visit him and thank him for his righteousness and selfless sacrifice!"

Shen Zhijie instantly wept inwardly.

Selfless sacrifice was right.

They could barely afford to put food on the table at home.

Yuzhu had even had to set up a stall and make noodles to help cover household expenses...

"Actually," he replied, "the Lord Shen Your Highness mentioned... is my father."

This time, it was Xiao Yu's turn to freeze.

He looked at Shen Zhijie, then at Shen Yuzhu kneading dough.

Seriously? Seriously? I've only just left the palace, and I've already run into two complete suckers!

My luck really is something else.

Shen Zhijie suddenly felt a little bewildered.

A... sucker?

What did that mean?

In my previous life, after Lord Shen was replaced by an impostor, these two cousins never even noticed that their father had been switched.

They were incredibly devoted to their fake father! They kept him well fed, tended him at his bedside when he was ill, and wouldn't let anyone say a single bad word about him.

Even when people later began questioning the fake father's identity, they defended him every way they could, never doubting him...

They didn't even recognize their real father when he appeared right in front of them...

Shen Zhijie stood rooted to the spot in shock.

He and Yuzhu were actually that hopelessly, utterly stupid!

It was one thing for Yuzhu not to recognize him, but how could he fail to recognize his own father?

That was absolutely impossible!

He would recognize his father even if he had been reduced to ashes!

How could he possibly be fooled so easily by an impostor?

In the end, Shen Zhijie was tricked by his fake father into going to Yunnan to work as a miner. A mistake on the job caused the mine to collapse, burying him underground and ending his short life!

Hearing this, Shen Zhijie felt as though he had been struck by thunder!

Ever since childhood, he had dreamed of becoming Minister of the Court of Judicial Review like his father, bringing truths buried beneath evil to light and clearing the names of the innocent.

He had accomplished nothing and died such a useless death?

As for Shen Yuzhu, her fake father married her off to a wastrel. The wastrel was fickle and tired of her within days.

He disliked her even more because she loved going out in public to do business. He would hit her at the slightest disagreement and refused to let her divorce him...

Later, when the wastrel's family fell on hard times and couldn't afford food, he actually sold his wife for money and provisions!

Unable to bear the humiliation, Shen Yuzhu fled in the night, only to lose her footing and fall from a cliff to her death!

Bang!

In his fury, Shen Zhijie split the square table clean in half!

He could put up with being sent off to work as a miner.

But daring to abuse his sister too? Real father or fake, he would beat him up all the same!

Xiao Yu looked at the table lying in two halves on the ground.

Then he looked up and asked, "Brother Zhijie, what are you...?"

At his words, Shen Zhijie finally calmed down a little.

"...Nothing," he replied. "I just saw a huge fly and was afraid it might scare you!"

Xiao Yu looked at him, hesitating to speak.

It was only a fly.

Was there really any need to get so worked up...?

Shen Zhijie felt a little guilty under his gaze.

He changed the subject. "Your Highness, didn't you say you wanted to see my father? It's getting late. Shall we go now?"

Xiao Yu looked toward Shen Yuzhu, who was busy at the stall.

"What about the noodles?" he asked.

Shen Zhijie said, "We'll come back next time." They could eat noodles whenever they liked. If his father was replaced, everything would be lost!

Xiao Yu said, "...All right." He was not particularly hungry anyway.

Shen Zhijie stood. "Then let's hurry!"

Before leaving, he remembered to turn and call to Shen Yuzhu inside, "Sis, we're heading off! We'll come back for noodles next time!"

Shen Yuzhu said, "...All right."

The Shen Residence

The moment Shen Zhijie stepped through the gates, he raised his voice and shouted into the residence, "Father! I'm back!"

The sudden, deafening shout made Shen Wuji's shoulders jerk, and the case files in his hands went flying.

Furious, he roared toward the door, "You little brat! Are you asking for a beating?"

As soon as he spoke, Shen Zhijie knew where he was.

He turned to the person behind him and said, "Come on, my father's in the study!"