After Disguising As A Woman To Marry The Foolish Prince, I Became Pregnant - Chapter 20

When Zhu Man woke up the next day, he discovered his lip was cut. Frowning, he sat before the mirror for a long time, unable to figure out how it happened; there didn’t seem to be any place on the bed where he could have bumped it.

However, it was a minor injury, so he didn’t take it to heart. After applying a bit of ointment, he got up and went out.

Naturally, the person who stole the item would want to exchange it for money. Since he didn’t have many capable people at his disposal, he could only seek He Xiuxin’s help to keep an eye on the shops in the city. As for the private dealings, he sent Jingxin. Meanwhile, he went to the storehouse to find something else to coax He Tianyun with first.

After picking and choosing, he finally selected a beautiful and valuable jade pendant for He Tianyun.

He Tianyun was reluctant at first, but Zhu Man told him that as long as he wore this pendant on his body, its “good friend” would see it and come looking for it. Only then did He Tianyun hang the jade from his waist and happily wander out.

Jingxin happened to hear these words just as he returned from outside. His throat was so parched it felt like it was smoking, and he only regained his strength after gulping down several cups of water. He said, “Princess Consort, aren’t you also deceiving the Prince?”

“If it’s found, it doesn’t count as a lie.” Zhu Man glanced at him. “How did it go?”

“I’ve passed the word. If they see it, they’ll definitely speak up,” Jingxin said, whispering a few words into Zhu Man’s ear before stepping back with a shrug. “Money makes the world go ’round.”

“Regardless, it’s the Prince’s money being spent, and finding the item is what matters most,” Zhu Man said. “Follow the Prince for the next few days and watch out for anyone approaching him.”

Jingxin agreed and left.

Chun Cao came over to refill the tea and asked softly, “Is the Princess Consort trying to lure the snake out of its hole?”

Zhu Man nodded. “If someone steals something but can’t exchange it for money, and if they are in urgent need of it, they will naturally reveal their tracks.”

Chun Cao frowned slightly. “What if they aren’t in a hurry?”

“Then we’ll think of another way,” Zhu Man said. “But I just recently dealt with people. Right now, which of the vermin in this manor isn’t behaving with their tail between their legs? Yet they still took such a risk; there are only two possibilities: either they are truly brainless, or they are desperately short on cash.”

Chun Cao fell silent, appearing as though she wanted to say more, but after a moment of hesitation, she didn’t speak.

Seeing this, Zhu Man smiled. “Do you think waiting for the rabbit to hit the tree isn’t a good method?”

Chun Cao nodded.

Zhu Man asked her, “In what situation do you think a person would be so short on money that they need to steal?” He took a sip of tea and, without waiting for Chun Cao to finish thinking, continued, “The Prince’s Manor provides food, clothing, and shelter, as well as a monthly allowance. Even if something happened, they should have come to me first to try and work it out; there’s no need to steal directly. So, excluding those reasons, what’s left?”

Chun Cao said, “Debt?”

Zhu Man nodded. “And it’s debt incurred for a reason they can’t tell me… for example, gambling.”

Chun Cao realized. “The Princess Consort thinks they are being chased for debts and had no choice but to steal.”

“This kind of thing is all too common with gamblers,” Zhu Man laughed. “Actually, Jingxin has already found out who it is.”

Chun Cao was startled. “So fast?”

“Owing money while being a person from the Prince Zhao Manor—you only need to ask around the gambling dens to find out,” Zhu Man explained. “Jingxin used to hang around those places; he knows those people more or less.”

“Him? How old was he when he started hanging around such places?”

“To be more accurate, he grew up there,” Zhu Man explained. “He’s an orphan. He did plenty of stealing and swindling when he was little. Later, someone saw how clever he was and took him in as a subordinate.”

Chun Cao remained silent, hesitating for a moment, but ultimately did not voice the question in her heart.

Zhu Man smiled and had no intention of explaining further, only saying, “We need to catch them red-handed with the loot.”

Chun Cao stopped asking.

She thought it would take a while, but she didn’t expect the matter to be resolved that very evening.

After dinner, He Tianyun didn’t want to stay in the room and ran outside to play. The person who had previously tricked him into burying the jade saw his chance and came over, his face full of flattery as he praised the new jade pendant for being beautiful.

He Tianyun ignored him and turned to leave.

Seeing this, the man quickly said, “I found the jade pendant the Princess gave to the Prince.”

Hearing this, He Tianyun stopped in his tracks and turned to reach out his hand.

The man said, “Naturally, I must return it to the Prince. It’s just that I worked hard to find it; I can’t just give it to the Prince for nothing.”

He Tianyun kept his hand extended. “Give it to me.”

The man said, “Then the Prince must trade that one with me.”

He pointed to the new jade pendant hanging at He Tianyun’s waist and took out the stolen one to show him.

He Tianyun immediately gave him the one from his waist and took the original one back, revealing a smile. “You are so good, take this too.” As he spoke, he felt around his person and finally pulled out a half-eaten pastry from his bosom, handing it to the man before happily running back to the East Court to find Zhu Man. “Princess Consort, look, Xiuxin’s.”

Seeing his silly appearance, Zhu Man couldn’t help but smile. “It’s good that it’s found.”

He Tianyun happily tucked it into his bosom.

Following closely behind him was the thief, escorted by guards.

The man knew he had been exposed the moment he was caught. Upon seeing Zhu Man, his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt to kowtow and beg for mercy.

This person was none other than the steward who had previously helped Pan Fu manage the storehouse. He often stole items from the manor to sell for money; this wasn’t considered anything unusual in the manor’s past.

The group had plenty of money, didn’t do much work, and were very idle, so they began gambling in private.

At first, he only gambled with a few guards in the manor. Later, he felt it wasn’t enough and entered the gambling dens, only to lose everything there. To make back his losses, he could only continue to steal and gamble, like a rolling snowball.

Ever since Zhu Man took over the manor’s affairs, he couldn’t steal anymore. But he hadn’t yet repaid the debts he owed to the gambling den, and when those people came to his door, he could only take the risk and target the Prince. After all, it wasn’t as if the Prince hadn’t been tricked before.

But he didn’t expect that neither the pawnshops nor the gambling dens would accept that piece of jade, saying the Princess had her eye on it and they couldn’t sell it if they took it.

He had no choice but to come back, hoping to swap it for another piece.

After listening to him finish, Zhu Man nodded. “Understood.”

Seeing that Zhu Man wasn’t angry, the man was overjoyed. “Does the Princess Consort mean you won’t pursue this?”

Zhu Man looked at him strangely. “When did I say I wouldn’t pursue it?”

The man’s expression turned ugly. “The Princess Consort said before that as long as one takes the initiative to confess…”

“But you didn’t confess then. Besides, you aren’t ‘confessing’ now; you were caught and have no choice but to speak.” Zhu Man said this and suddenly laughed. “Furthermore, even if I spare you, will your creditors spare you?”

The man’s expression froze.

Zhu Man continued, “I can, however, give you a way to live.”

The man quickly kowtowed to Zhu Man. “Princess Consort, spare my life!”

Zhu Man said, “I want to know which people in the manor have done the same things as you. You are a steward; you should have some idea of what went missing and how it went missing, right?”

The man fell silent.

Zhu Man continued, “If you speak, I will not only stop pursuing this matter, but I will also help you pay off your gambling debts.”

The man remained silent.

An hour later, Zhu Man obtained the list he wanted and handed it to Qin Shanhe to handle.

Qin Shanhe was quite surprised that he was able to fish the person out.

“I was surprised too. I was worried about it before, but I didn’t expect someone to hand me a pillow just as I was getting sleepy,” Zhu Man said happily. “People like this are the easiest to bluff. Threats and bribes—every single one works. Have the gambling den scare him a bit, then give him a bit of sweetness, and he’ll confess immediately.”

Qin Shanhe asked, “But the gambling den’s side…”

“Which gambling den isn’t desperate for money?” Zhu Man said. “Since I could find him there, it shows I knew he might receive that jade. That jade is just pretty, it’s not some particularly rare material. I also said it was a treasure given to the Prince by the Princess; even if they aren’t afraid of the Prince Zhao Manor, they wouldn’t want to offend the Princess for that little bit of money. It’s better to help me this time—they can get silver, recover the debt they put out, and even do me a favor. It’s a win-win deal, why wouldn’t they do it?”

Qin Shanhe understood and smiled. “Evil people are ground down by those even more wicked.”

Just as he finished speaking, He Tianyun, who was nearby, suddenly poked Zhu Man and said, “Evil person!”

Zhu Man: ?

“I’m helping you and you’re still scolding me.” Zhu Man reached out to pinch his cheek. “Try saying that again.”

“Evil person!” He Tianyun repeated. Seeing Zhu Man raise an eyebrow, he immediately pointed at himself. “Evil person.”

Zhu Man was amused, released his hand, and instead flicked his forehead, saying, “I’ll spare you this once.”

He Tianyun cheerfully held out the jade pendant he had just recovered to Zhu Man and said, “Dirty.”

Zhu Man had no choice but to have someone bring water to help him wash the jade clean and replace it with a new tassel. Only then did he return it, warning, “You can’t lose it again this time.”

He Tianyun nodded happily, reached out to hug Zhu Man, and burrowed his head into his chest, saying, “Princess Consort is good.”

“Just a moment ago you called me an evil person.” Zhu Man pushed him away with a laugh. “Go play by yourself.”

He Tianyun didn’t leave but looked up and kissed the corner of his lip.

Zhu Man was stunned and looked down at him.

He Tianyun immediately gave him a silly smile and leaned in again to kiss his cheek.

Zhu Man was helpless and didn’t stop him.

However, He Tianyun pulled at his clothes and said, “I want one too.”

Zhu Man had no choice but to lower his head and kiss his forehead, saying, “Is that enough?”

He Tianyun thought about it and said, “More!”

So Zhu Man lowered his head again, only to encounter He Tianyun’s lips as he happened to lean in—an accidental kiss devoid of any eroticism.

Zhu Man was stunned again, then burst into a smile, kissed his forehead once more, and said, “Alright, go play by yourself now.”

With that, he turned back to continue looking at the account books.

He Tianyun hugged him from behind, calling him “Princess Consort” in a coaxing manner. Zhu Man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; he couldn’t drive him away, so he could only continue working while carrying this big burden on his back.

He Tianyun leaned on his back and touched his earlobe with his lips, speaking with a gluttonous desire that Zhu Man was unaware of: “Princess Consort is so good.”