After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 25

Lu Shiyan’s treasures were naturally of the highest quality. Once displayed in the shop, they attracted the attention of various major collectors and sold very quickly.

In less than a month, they had been converted into chests full of banknotes.

An Yu, acting as the unofficial manager, spent many days in the shop and finally witnessed the sheer financial power of his father’s family. One could only say he was truly the richest man; he even seemed to want to inlay the edges of the tables and chairs with gold.

“After King Xiao returned to Beiming, he sent a large amount of rare treasures and celestial items to the Kingdom of Xiliang. Although the Xiliang Emperor is still harboring anger, he won’t tear faces openly; it can be considered a settlement.”

An Yu was currently selecting clothes. Lu Shiyan had ordered many more autumn outfits to be made in various styles, all using top-tier fabrics.

The Autumn Hunt would begin in two days. Although the weather in the city wasn’t that cold yet, one still needed to dress warmly for the nights on the mountain.

“King Xiao has made many moves recently. This matter did not alert the Beiming Emperor. I imagine it won’t be long before that throne changes hands.”

An Yu touched the fluffy fox fur on a cloak and said, “Now that Your Highness is going to the Autumn Hunt, you will only be spectating. It is better to dress thickly.”

Lu Shiyan nodded and waved his hand for Mo Ying and Mo Han to withdraw. He turned to the youth picking out clothes and said:

“Right now, in Father Emperor’s eyes, Xiao Yu is equivalent to a National Preceptor. I imagine there will be no shortage of people looking to cause trouble for you during the Autumn Hunt.”

An Yu thought about it, and it was indeed the case. This month, An Yu had played the part of a mystic and identified several corrupt officials. Emperor Hongchang was furious after sending people to investigate. Since almost all of those officials belonged to the Second Prince’s faction, both of them knew exactly who would be looking for trouble.

“Your Highness, rest assured. Besides, Your Highness will protect me.”

An Yu finished speaking and draped the cloak over his shoulders. The fox fur framed the youth’s face, making him look even more exquisite and handsome.

“Mhm.”

Autumn in the North loses its warmth once the season turns. The further the carriages traveled up the mountain, the more one could feel the desolate chill.

Inside the carriage, An Yu wrapped himself in a blanket, unable to help but sigh at how quickly autumn had turned cold. He shrunk into a corner, trying to get warmer, but a shiver ran through him the moment his skin touched the cold air of the carriage wall.

An Yu sat up straight and held a hand warmer tightly, feeling the limited heat.

He looked at Lu Shiyan, who was sitting in a relaxed posture wearing thin robes. Sensing his gaze, the man turned his head and said warmly:

“Are you cold?”

An Yu nodded and asked in return: “Your Highness is wearing so little; are you not cold?”

Lu Shiyan smiled and didn’t speak, but instead used his large hand to grasp An Yu’s icy fingers. In an instant, An Yu felt the warmth coming from the fingertips, and his eyes widened: “Your Highness’s hands are so warm.”

“Mhm.”

As soon as he spoke, An Yu was lifted by a pair of powerful arms. Instantly, warmth enveloped his entire body, dispelling the waves of chill.

An Yu only had to look up slightly to see Lu Shiyan’s sharply defined face. He looked like a frail gentleman, yet he possessed such great strength.

“Your Highness?”

“Xiao Yu has helped me so much; must you be so formal with me over such a small matter?”

An Yu nodded: Fair enough.

He immediately relaxed his body and leaned into the man’s embrace, looking up to say: “Thank you, Your Highness.”

The carriage gradually slowed down. They were at the rear of the procession, and they came to a halt only after the carriages ahead had stopped one by one.

As the Crown Prince, Lu Shiyan should have followed alongside the Emperor’s carriage. However, due to the instigations of the Empress and the Second Prince—using “difficulty in movement” as an excuse—he was placed at the back of the convoy.

At the time, An Yu’s eyes had nearly rolled to the heavens: The person has difficulty moving, not the horse. But everyone present knew the truth, and the Emperor simply turned a blind eye.

Fortunately, An Yu didn’t want to be that close to them anyway, and Lu Shiyan cared even less.

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”

The site for the Autumn Hunt was used annually for the Imperial family’s amusement, yet it was built with great luxury. The palace on the mountaintop was more like a small-scale traveling palace.

An Yu clicked his tongue: No wonder this Emperor is incompetent at governing; how can things be good with this level of indulgence and luxury?

The sun had already set. The chill on the high mountain came in gusts. It took the time of an incense stick to settle everyone into their respective bedchambers. During that time, An Yu had been holding Lu Shiyan’s hand, so he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as before.

the bedchambers were not as large as the General’s Manor; they were separated from the other princes by only a wall. However, the scenery was truly superb. The mountain in autumn presented a vista of glittering gold, and looking out the window, one saw distant peaks and a snowy horizon.

“Xiao Yu, come drink some tea.”

An Yu sat down, and Lu Shiyan pressed a fresh hand warmer into his grip.

“How is it that you are still so afraid of the cold despite wearing such thick layers?”

An Yu was indeed wearing a lot today. Over his cloak, he had donned another layer of fox fur; he looked like a large white fox, with his entire face buried in the fur. Only after entering the room did he manage to take off the hood.

“I’ve been afraid of the cold since I was a child. Perhaps it’s because my mother grew up in Jiangnan, and I take after her.”

Having said that, An Yu blew on the scalding tea and took a sip, feeling warm from his lips down to his stomach. In the summer, he felt hot tea shouldn’t exist, but now it was practically a blessing from heaven.

“Could it be that you have stayed in Jiangnan before?”

An Yu thought about it and shook his head: “Not yet. But I’ve always wanted to go see it. I hear it’s like spring all year round there; it must be more comfortable than this place.”

“Has Your Highness been there?”

“Mhm, I have.”

An Yu’s interest was piqued, and he looked over at Lu Shiyan.

“When I was young, my Grandfather pacified the Southern Barbarians. Mother secretly took me to welcome Grandfather back to the court. She took seven-year-old me and rode alone for days and nights, finally waiting for Grandfather in a small town in Jiangnan.”

To tell the tale of a woman’s free-spirited and fearless deeds so calmly—perhaps only Lu Shiyan could do so.

“Your Highness, you are so calm.”

“How so?”

An Yu curled his lip. “The Empress (late) was such a heroic figure with the spirit of a chivalrous lady. If she were my mother, I would be so proud when telling others; I’d want everyone to be incredibly envious.”

Lu Shiyan chuckled: “Weren’t we going to hear about Jiangnan?”

“I want to hear it. So, what was Jiangnan like?”

“It was near the end of the year. Along the road from the capital to that Jiangnan town, the ice and snow gradually melted. Upon arriving in Jiangnan, there were no traces of snow at all. The trees were green, ducks and swans were on the lake, and the children playing by the water were only wearing single-layer shirts.”

Looking out the window with a bit of longing, An Yu said: “A land of fish and rice—it must be a wonderful place to live.”

“Mhm. If you like it, we shall go.”

An Yu turned his head: “I don’t have the boldness of the Empress.”

Both of them understood which “Empress” he was referring to.

“Then once my legs are healed, I will take Xiao Yu to see it.”

An Yu replied with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Lu Shiyan’s legs: “Your Highness’s legs have been improving lately. It won’t be long before you can stand.”

Xiao Zhi and Mo Ying had already finished organizing their belongings. Though the bedchamber was small, it felt somewhat cozy at this moment.

An Yu looked at the tidied bed and was about to say he would rest for a while when the voice of the head eunuch, Meng Hai, came from outside. Shortly after, Mo Han led him in:

“This servant greets the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”

“What matter brings you here, Eunuch Meng?”

The head eunuch’s face was full of wrinkles as he smiled: “His Majesty has just settled in. He was thinking of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess; both of you have had a long and tiring journey, so His Majesty asks you both to join him for dinner.”

“Very well. You may return first, Eunuch.”

Meng Hai left with a face full of smiles. An Yu collapsed onto the table in exhaustion: “They said it was a ‘long and tiring journey,’ so can’t we just rest for a bit?”

Lu Shiyan couldn’t help but chuckle: “Let’s go, Crown Princess.”

Lu Shiyan’s bedchamber was not far from the Emperor’s quarters; it was possible this traveling palace was simply not that large. They arrived in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

As they walked in, they saw the Emperor and Empress in the high seats, along with the various princes and civil and military officials. They were the last to arrive.

I bet only we were informed about the banquet at the last minute.

“Your children greet Father Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Rise.”

Just as the suspicion in An Yu’s mind surfaced, a middle-aged man among the guests spoke up:

“The Crown Prince and Princess put on such grand airs. It is one thing for the various princes and the rest of us, but you actually made His Majesty and Her Majesty wait for the two of you.”

An Yu turned to look. It was a civil official, and judging by his face, he was a treacherous, lazy, and slandering corrupt official.

A voice whispered in his ear: “The Prime Minister, Yuwen Lin.”

An Yu: He really is a corrupt official.

As the first voice fell, another sounded from the other side: “That is only natural; he is the Crown Prince, after all. He was originally the heir, and now it seems he doesn’t even hold His Majesty in his eyes.”

An Yu was very familiar with this voice wasn’t this the official who had wanted to compete with him in poetry in the Great Hall last time? Why had he followed along this time as well? These words practically laid Lu Shiyan’s “greed for the throne” out in front of everyone.

Visibly, Emperor Hongchang’s face darkened instantly.

The Empress at his side hurriedly spoke: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Shiyan surely had something delay him. After all, with his difficulty in movement, how could he be as agile as Qi’er or Feng’er?”

Lu Mufeng called out “Mother” with considerable irritation from his seat, but he was silenced by a look from the Empress.

An Yu almost laughed aloud. They hadn’t been in the hall for two minutes, yet his Crown Prince had already been labeled with “intent to usurp” and “having a broken body that cannot inherit the throne.”

Emperor Hongchang’s expression grew even colder, and he didn’t say a word.

The two had already taken their seats, and high-quality tea had been poured into their cups. Picking up his cup, An Yu’s face was full of a pitiful look:

“What are you saying, Lord? My Prince and I were a distance behind everyone else on the road. It was thanks to the Empress’s thoughtfulness in having my Prince’s carriage follow at the very end of the convoy so as not to hinder the progress of the other officials. Now, it is somehow my Prince’s fault.”

An Yu suddenly covered his slightly widened mouth with one hand, his eyes full of disbelief: “Surely the Lord is not blaming Her Majesty?”

Yuwen Lin: “Naturally not!”

An Yu stopped responding to him and said as if to himself: “What this other Lord says is even more of a fantasy. Although he is the Crown Prince, it was decided by Father Emperor; whether he remains so in the future is naturally entirely up to Father Emperor’s decision. Could it be that the Lord…”

“You are speaking pure nonsense!”

“Whether I am speaking nonsense is not for the Lord to decide; we must listen to Father Emperor.”

The meaning behind the remaining words was clear to everyone present. The youth gave no one a chance to react and turned around with a face full of gratitude:

“It was the Empress who thought of everything. My Prince has difficulty moving, so his carriage would naturally be slower than everyone else’s. I forgot to thank Her Majesty for her consideration.”

Difficulty moving? Slower carriage?

The silence lasted for a long time.

The Empress’s smile remained, but she was grinding her teeth so hard they nearly shattered. Still, she said gently: “It is only what I should do.”

She then looked at the crowd: “Today is a family banquet; everyone, please do not be formal. The Autumn Hunt is meant for amusement. Your Majesty, why are you being so serious?”

The Empress looked at Emperor Hongchang with feigned shyness. Her coquettish words made Emperor Hongchang’s expression soften instantly. He said repeatedly:

“The Empress is right. A family banquet should be casual. Today, everyone should conserve their energy; tomorrow will be the time to truly show off your skills. At that time, whoever hunts the most shall be heavily rewarded by me!”

The room was instantly filled with a chorus of: “We thank Your Majesty!”