Winning hearts

A moment later, the steward came over again. "Master-"

"What? Is he still refusing to leave?" Shen Wuji asked, a little angry.

"If he insists on staying, have him escorted straight back to the Court of Judicial Review!"

The steward had no idea why his usually hospitable master had suddenly changed so drastically.

He answered timidly, "Master, this time it is Lord Su who wishes to see you..."

Shen Wuji: "..."

Su Yan wanted to see him?

...He did not even need to think about it.

He must have come to laugh at him.

But he could not simply turn him away.

After all, they served at the same court and were bound to cross paths.

Reluctantly, he replied, "Show him in..."

The steward said, "Yes, I'll go at once."

With a man from outside the family coming to visit, Madam Shen excused herself. "Husband, I'll return to my room, then."

Originally, she had only come to have a look at Sister Su's son.

She had never expected to hear such a secret with her own ears.

"Yes, go ahead, my dear," Shen Wuji said, waving a hand.

He would handle everything. His wife only needed to do whatever she wished.

He, Shen Wuji, would never let his wife suffer any mistreatment.

Turning back, he saw Xiao Yu standing and repeatedly peering outside, and paused.

There was a trace of plaintiveness in his voice. "Your Highness, you're still here..."

Xiao Yu had sprung to his feet upon hearing that his uncle was coming.

But he would not admit it.

He answered Shen Wuji, "Why? Is there something you and Lord Su wish to discuss that I am not allowed to hear?"

Shen Wuji hurriedly replied, "...That is not what I meant."

He suddenly felt that, young though Prince Yu was, he was not someone easy to deal with.

He possessed an innate air of authority and dominance.

It made people instinctively shrink back in awe.

While the two of them were talking, the steward led Su Yan inside.

"Master, I've brought Lord Su-"

With that, he withdrew of his own accord.

Su Yan looked up at Shen Wuji.

Suddenly, he raised a hand and asked, "How many fingers?"

Shen Wuji's expression immediately darkened.

Did he look that stupid?

One after another, they all treated him like an idiot!

He shot Su Yan a glare and said unhappily, "If you've only come to mock me, you can leave."

Su Yan smiled faintly without answering.

When his gaze fell on Xiao Yu behind Shen Wuji, his smile deepened.

He beckoned to him. "Aren't you coming over to say hello to your uncle?"

Xiao Yu huffed and turned his head away, ignoring him.

That's what you get for leaving the Eastern Palace without paying attention to me last time... I'm not talking to you!

Su Yan paused.

The little fellow was holding a grudge.

But that was no great problem.

The bond of kinship between them would keep any resentment from lingering.

He spread his arms and said, "Come here and let your uncle hold you!"

Last time at the Eastern Palace, he had not deliberately neglected the little fellow.

It was only that, as one of the emperor's close ministers, showing affection for the boy would make the emperor even warier of the Prince of Zhennan's Residence.

Looking at the stubborn little fellow hiding behind Shen Wuji, he raised an eyebrow. "You're really not coming?"

Xiao Yu pursed his lips.

If I come just because you tell me to... won't I lose all my dignity?

Despite thinking that, his feet unconsciously edged forward.

Seeing this, Su Yan's lips curved upward.

He stepped forward and lifted him into his arms-

"You're tiny, but you've certainly got a temper."

With that, he bounced him in his arms. "You've gotten heavier... It seems His Majesty has been taking very good care of you."

Xiao Yu: "..."

It's all Imperial Sister-in-Law's fault... She said she wanted to raise the Crown Prince and me into plump little boys.

Every day, she makes us chicken soup, old duck stew, or snow pigeon stew... How could we not get fat?

Shen Wuji watched the warm interaction between uncle and nephew with a pang of jealousy.

Meanwhile, he stood off to the side like an outsider, rather superfluous...

He understood now.

Su Yan had not come to see him at all. He was clearly using his residence to meet his nephew.

He could not help suspecting that Prince Yu had come to the Shen Residence in the first place just to see his uncle...

All to avoid the emperor and keep him from reading too much into it.

The Imperial Study

Dequan stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty, the young prince met Lord Shen's son in the street, and they went to visit the Shen Residence together..."

Emperor Jinyuan's hand paused over the memorial he was reviewing.

Seeing that he had not stopped him, Dequan continued, "The shadow guards reported that the young prince gave Lord Shen a banknote worth one thousand taels, saying Your Majesty had entrusted him with delivering it to help Lord Shen make ends meet..."

At this, Emperor Jinyuan's lips curved upward, greatly pleased.

Hmph.

The little brat certainly knew how to win people over.

He replied, "Go on."

Dequan reported truthfully, "After that, Lord Su went to the Shen Residence..."

Emperor Jinyuan abruptly stilled.

An inscrutable look flashed through his eyes.

He asked, "Did they... say anything?"

"Lord Su said the young prince had... gotten fat, and that Your Majesty had taken very good care of him."

Dequan smiled as he continued, "The young prince did not seem very pleased to hear that. He insisted he would skip dinner because he wanted to lose weight..."

After hearing this, Emperor Jinyuan laughed. "What does a child need to lose weight for? Plump is good. Round as the sixth-that's endearing."

Come to think of it, because of Consort Cui's poisoning scheme, he had not summoned his sixth son in quite some time.

He wondered how the boy had been doing lately.

He suddenly asked, "Did the sixth go obediently to the Hall of Diligent Study today?"

Dequan stepped forward and replied, "Have you forgotten, Your Majesty? Ever since the young prince taught the Sixth Prince a lesson at the Hall of Diligent Study, he has moved to the chancellor's residence under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries..."

Emperor Jinyuan: "..."

Did he not treat them well?

Why did they all love running out of the palace?

He looked out of the window and saw that dusk had already settled all around.

His eyes lowered slightly.

He murmured, "It's this late, and Xiao Boy still hasn't come back... Has he been having so much fun that he's forgotten all about home?"

He thought for a moment.

Then he said, "Dequan, pass on my decree. Close the palace gates an hour later today."

Dequan replied, "Yes, I'll give the instructions at once..."

The chancellor's residence

After dinner, the Sixth Prince ran to the study to find Chancellor Cui.

"Maternal Grandfather, when are you going to avenge me?"

Whenever he thought of the bouts of pain in his backside over the past few days, his hatred for Xiao Yu made him grit his teeth.

Until he had his revenge, he could neither eat nor sleep in peace!

Chancellor Cui put down his brush.

As he looked at the boy, his gaze darkened.

He replied, "Xuan'er, didn't I tell you not to rush things?"

"Maternal Grandfather, you have no idea how awful Xiao Yu is!" The Sixth Prince's face was full of indignation.

"He relies on Father's favor and shows no respect for us princes at all. He hits us whenever he likes and scolds us whenever he wants!"

"He's utterly brazen!"

"If I don't teach him a lesson, he'll think I'm afraid of him!"

Chancellor Cui: "..."

Such paltry ambition.

"Maternal Grandfather, you have to help me!" the Sixth Prince said, his eyes full of hope.

In his mind, his Maternal Grandfather was the most powerful person after his Emperor Father.

Now that his Emperor Father no longer loved him, he could not turn to him.

He could only turn to his Maternal Grandfather. Only his Maternal Grandfather could help him.

"Xuan'er."

Chancellor Cui suddenly spoke with earnest gravity.

"A barking dog is nothing to fear. What you should fear are the rats lurking in the shadows."

"Because you never know when one might suddenly dart out and stab you."

"Maternal Grandfather, I don't really understand..." the Sixth Prince answered honestly.

"There's no hurry."

Chancellor Cui looked at him and said, "When you grow up, you'll understand naturally."

He patted the boy's shoulder.

His tone brooked no argument. "So, until you grow up, you must first learn to endure."

"Do you understand?"