The Eldest and Second Princes Set Their Sights on the Martial Arts School; the Playboy Prince Stirs Up Trouble!

After giving the instructions, Gu Moran raised his hand and pressed his temples.

Uncle Fu stood by the desk and wrote down the last sentence as well.

"This old servant will take care of it immediately."

Before turning around, he paused and glanced at Gu Moran again.

The next day.

When the Eastern Palace Xiao Shitou from the Prince Yi's Residence, he was carrying two boxes of pastries, walking quietly, and his sleeves were neatly pressed down.

Uncle Fu led the people into the front hall.

" Eunuch Shi, what's the wind blowing today?"

Xiao Shitou placed the snacks on the table, smiled at Uncle Fu, and then bowed to the person in the main seat.

"His Highness the Crown Prince was concerned about the Third Prince's health and specially sent this servant to bring some refreshments."

Gu Moran leaned back in his chair and used a silver pick to open the box lid.

Gorgon fruit cake.

Black sesame brittle.

There's also a box of goji berry and yam jelly.

It's all food that nourishes the kidneys and replenishes qi.

He stared at it for a while, then picked up a piece of black sesame pastry.

"Brother, you're so kind. You know I've been working hard lately and I really need some nourishment."

Xiao Shitou chuckled and replied, "Your Highness is too kind. His Highness the Crown Prince also asked me to tell you that he is preoccupied with official duties today, otherwise he would have come in person."

Gu Moran brought the black sesame brittle to his nose and smelled it.

The aroma of sesame is subtly blended with the flavor of medicinal herbs.

He took a bite, the sweetness lingering on his tongue, making his teeth feel heavy.

"Yes, please thank my elder brother for me."

The Xiao Shitou stood with its hands hanging down, without retreating.

Gu Moran slowly chewed on her snacks, without urging her.

If this little eunuch doesn't leave, the snacks aren't snacks at all.

Xiao Shitou waited a moment before speaking, " Madam Xie is now famous throughout the capital; Your Highness is truly blessed."

Gu Moran put the remaining half of the pastry back on the plate.

"I've always been blessed with good fortune, having married six wives. Who in the capital doesn't envy me?"

The smile on Xiao Shitou's face didn't fade, but his words took a turn for the worse.

"Speaking of the capital, I heard something interesting while passing through the south of the city today."

Gu Moran didn't answer.

He pushed the goji berry and yam jelly towards Uncle Fu.

"Take this to Shen Ling'er; she likes to try new things."

Uncle Fu caught it steadily.

"This old servant will remember this."

Xiao Shitou's eyelids twitched.

He waited for two breaths, and seeing that Gu Moran really didn't intend to ask, he had no choice but to continue himself.

" Dragon Abyss Martial Arts School opened in the south of the city. I heard they don't care about your background and even provide meat porridge. All the poor young men are going there."

Gu Moran then looked up.

"Guan meat porridge?"

"Yes."

Gu Moran looked at Uncle Fu.

"Could our Prince's Mansion also open a museum?"

Uncle Fu quickly responded, "Your Highness wishes to practice martial arts?"

Gu Moran rubbed his lower back.

"Strengthen your waist."

Xiao Shitou's lips twitched, but he quickly suppressed it.

Gu Moran turned to look at him.

" Xiao Shitou, does that martial arts school teach people to train their waist?"

Xiao Shitou's laugh was a little dry.

"This servant did not go in to look."

"Then you can ask him for me next time."

Xiao Shitou quickly lowered his head.

"This servant is from the Eastern Palace. It would be inappropriate for me to inquire about waists at the martial arts school in the south of the city."

Gu Moran picked up the second black sesame pastry.

"That's true. One shouldn't casually ask about the waist of someone close to the Crown Prince."

He paused after speaking, as if he were genuinely considering the Crown Prince's feelings.

"Otherwise, if the people misunderstand and spread rumors that the Eastern Palace's lineage is failing, it will cause trouble in the court."

Uncle Fu handed over the tea, his hand steady as he did so.

Xiao Shitou stood there for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out, "Your Highness is joking."

Gu Moran the pastry and immediately drank tea to counteract the greasiness.

"I have no other skills, all I can do is joke."

Xiao Shitou looked up at him.

"His Highness must have heard about the commotion in the south of the city."

Gu Moran put down his teacup.

"I am only intimately familiar with two places."

Xiao Shitou followed up by asking, "Which two places?"

"Restaurant."

"Anything else?"

"Another restaurant."

Uncle Fu kept his head down, tidying up the tea tray, without saying a word.

Xiao Shitou smiled.

"This servant has misspoke."

Gu Moran waved his hand.

"It's alright. Go back and tell your brother that the pastries were good, just a bit too sweet."

The Xiao Shitou bowed.

"This servant takes his leave."

Uncle Fu saw the person out of the front hall, and when he returned, he personally closed the door tightly.

Gu Moran pushed the remaining snacks away.

"The Crown Prince has his eye on the martial arts school."

Uncle Fu walked to the table. " Xiao Shitou asked the question carefully, without showing any impatience."

"The Crown Prince never tries to be the first to act."

Gu Moran picked up the teacup, then put it down again.

He observes first, takes notes first, and lets others fall into the trap first. Only after others have fallen into the trap does he speak a word of justice.

Uncle Fu looked at him.

"The Crown Prince still doubts His Highness."

"It's right to be suspicious."

Gu Moran placed the teacup on the table, the porcelain bottom making a soft clinking sound.

"He suspects me, and so does the Second Prince. Yet they both want to win me over."

Uncle Fu asked in a low voice, "Does His Highness want them to keep an eye on each other and check each other?"

Gu Moran picked up the silver skewer and tapped it on the edge of the pastry box.

"The Crown Prince is following the orthodox path. He cannot afford to lose his position as a court official, his title, or his dignity as heir apparent."

Uncle Fu did not interrupt.

Gu Moran continued, "The Second Prince is playing dirty tricks. He recruits marginal figures, talented scholars from humble backgrounds, and impoverished retainers who can be of use."

Uncle Fu paused.

"And what about His Highness?"

Gu Moran smiled and tossed the silver token back into the box.

"I'm here to cause trouble."

Uncle Fu slightly raised his eyelids.

Gu Moran leaned back in his chair.

"I have a reputation for being a spoiled brat, and when others criticize me for being absurd, I can use my absurdity to cover my tracks."

"I have six in-laws. Others say I'm lustful, but I can use them to weave a web of connections."

"I still have Zhao Si's contact information; his information comes quickly, and his delivery is precise."

"But those in-law families are all seasoned veterans; I need to find a way to force them to choose sides."

Uncle Fu remained silent for a moment.

"Your Highness has been making progress lately, and this old servant will do my best to share your burdens."

Gu Moran picked up the unfinished black sesame pastry, then put it down.

"This stuff is too nourishing, let's send it to Zhao Si. He's been running all the way to the south of the city, it's hard on his legs."

Uncle Fu's lips twitched.

"This old servant will remember this."

When Boss Zhao delivered the message in the evening, it had just started to drizzle outside.

His shoes were covered in wet mud. He glanced at the ground as he entered and then walked even more quietly.

"Your Highness, the people from the Second Prince's Residence have gone to the tea stall."

Gu Moran looked up.

What are you doing?

Ask the owner of the martial arts school, ask the instructor's background, ask who supplies the porridge and rice.

Uncle Fu then asked, "How would the tea stall respond?"

Boss Zhao lowered his voice. "The tea stall owner said the owner's Liu Laosan, he's lame and has a foul mouth."

"To put it nicely, he opened the martial arts school to fulfill a vow; to put it bluntly, his military service damaged his health, rendering him unable to have a son, and he wants to take in a group of disciples to care for him in his old age."

Gu Moran nodded.

"Not bad, rough enough."

Boss Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, then added, "The account books have been redone as His Highness instructed. On the surface, it's all small transactions: rice, firewood, coarse cloth, medicinal oil—no large sums of money."

Gu Moran nodded, seeing that he didn't intend to leave.

Is there anything else?

Boss Zhao lowered his voice even further as he spoke.

Ye Qingyun sold the only table in the Shun'an Courtyard.

Uncle Fu frowned.

"Selling tables?"

"I changed the dough and added a small packet of salt."

Gu Moran's finger stopped beside the teacup.

The image of Shun'an Courtyard flashed into my mind.

A table.

Two empty bowls.

Shuhe munched on a dry sesame seed cake, while Ye Qingyun still clung to his pride.

This guy is a tough nut to crack.

I didn't go to the Jizhou Chamber of Commerce to ask for the money back.

They didn't go to the Second Prince's Residence to ask for help.

I'd rather sell the table.

Uncle Fu looked at Gu Moran.

"Your Highness, he's short of money."

"Being short of money doesn't mean you'll bow your head."

Boss Zhao asked, "Should we still air it out?"

Gu Moran pressed the note under the inkstone.

"Air."

Boss Zhao looked at him.

Gu Moran added another sentence.

"But we need to increase the stakes."

Uncle Fu glanced at the note on the table.

"This old servant has an idea."

Gu Moran raised his chin.

"Explain."

Uncle Fu said, "Let's add another clause to the competition notice: the first place winner will not only receive two sets of training clothes, three meals of meat daily, but also a bonus of five taels of silver."

Boss Zhao's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this.

Gu Moran nodded.

"That's a good idea. Five taels may seem like a small amount, but it's enough for a poor person to live on for two years."

He tapped the table twice with his fingertip.

"Let Ye Qingyun see that the uncouth people he despises earn money through their fists and make a living by practicing stances."

Boss Zhao pressed further, "What if he still doesn't take the bait?"

Gu Moran looked out the window.

The smell of damp earth after the rain wafted in, and the moisture pressed into my nasal cavity.

"Then let's start building the small arena."

Boss Zhao: "Where should we put it?"

"The closest open space to the entrance of Shun'an Courtyard."

Uncle Fu looked up.

Gu Moran continued, "Have the workers gather in front of his door every day to drink and eat meat."

Boss Zhao's eyes lit up.

"Understood."

When Ye Qingyun was starving, a group of rough men at the door were chatting and laughing, their mouths greasy.

"I'll take care of it right away."

The study light was still on after nightfall.

Gu Moran sat behind the desk and reviewed the events that had unfolded between the three parties that day.

The prince sent some refreshments and inquired about the south of the city.

The second prince inspected the tea stalls and examined the account books.

Ye Qingyun sells tables, but he doesn't bow his head.

The three lines on the paper intersect and ultimately point to Dragon Abyss Martial Arts School.

Gu Moran drew a circle next to the two characters " Dragon Abyss " with a pen.

Next is Ye Qingyun.

To the side was Chu Tianxing.

Just as he was about to make his third stroke, there were two soft knocks on the door.

Then came Shen Ling'er's voice.

" Uncle Fu, I've come to deliver medicine. Do I need to announce my arrival?"