Chapter 300: Chapter 300: Why Is Your Face So Red
"One must be faultless and give no one any grip to be truly convincing."
By being so dismissive of Prince Gong Mansion’s face, how could he blame Ji Huo for outing him.
Emperor He’s eyes were icily cold: "He has always resented me for favoring Seventh more."
"I would have liked to think more highly of him, but has he ever given me the chance!"
"The officials from the Imperial Censorate are probably going to jointly petition against him again!"
Eunuch Ying bowed his head to the lowest, bending his body in the process.
"Emperor, please calm your anger."
"It was His Highness who came out on top in this hunt."
Upon hearing this, Emperor He let out a cold laugh.
"If Xie Xun had been earnest, what business of this would be his? Is this matter even worth mentioning?"
Speaking thus, he tried to calm his emotions. With a composed face, he flipped open the roster, his gaze moving downward, then paused on the last page.
Ji Ge, number zero
Ji Teng, number zero.
All just a bunch of disgraceful rubbish.
The bonfire banquet, with the Emperor’s departure, quickly fell into a deadlock.
The banquet came to an end as well.
The seats that were once filled soon emptied, leaving only a few people.
"Ji Huo."
Ji Ge finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud from the corner.
"Do you really intend to go to the Imperial College?"
Ji Huo got up from the ground, not hiding anything.
"Originally, I was utterly reluctant."
"With my abilities, it wouldn’t take many days to cause chaos in the Imperial College, naturally making Uncle revoke his decree."
But ironically, Ji Zhui stubbornly bum-rushed into finding trouble with him.
Ji Huo spewed out a threat: "As for me, I’ll definitely face off with the grandson to the very end. If I can’t deal with Ji Zhui, I’ll deal with his eight-year-old son!"
Eight years old...
Xie Xun stood up, decisively moved to the opposite side, fetched an empty desk from next door, and pieced it together on top of Marquis Yangling Mansion’s seat.
Soon, he also grabbed a chair, inviting Xie Yinong to sit down.
Ji Huo was ready to settle accounts, and he charged over furiously.
Upon seeing this, Cui Yun remained unperturbed.
"Shouldn’t the Princely Heir thank me?"
"Thank you, my *#%!*...#"
He spat out filthy curses.
Xie Xun listened with a headache: "Ji Huo, this is a good thing for you."
"What the Fourth Prince just said is not without sense. Your father will get old; how long do you expect him to protect you?"
Ji Huo’s anger quickly deflated.
Protect?
He didn’t truly understand Prince Gong.
He couldn’t even tell outsiders that it was his father who intentionally raised him to be useless.
In his vague memories.
——Who allowed you to read books in secret?
——You naughty boy, whose writing samples are you copying? Huo Ge’er is just six, at the age when he loves to play, come, Daddy will take you to fly kites.
Yet it was this very person.
Before he was utterly spoiled and crooked, he dragged him out from the gambling house. A rattan stick as thick as a wrist unceremoniously whipped against his body.
——Is that something you should touch?
——That kind of place will swallow a man whole! Countless gamblers are buried in debt, eventually losing their wives, children, and everything else.
——Will you go again or not! Will you or won’t you!
Seeing him quiet down, Xie Xun pulled him to sit down and said casually to Cui Yun: "He has many faults, but he is not a bad person at heart."
Cui Yun looked down and poured wine for Xie Xun, speaking indifferently.
"He cursed at my wife."
Shen Hua almost choked, hastily taking a sip of wine to calm her shock.
Xie Xun was perplexed, looking at Ji Huo: "Is that true?"
Ji Huo nodded reluctantly.
Xie Xun continued to wonder: "...When did you get a wife?"
"Soon enough."
Ji Huo: ...Shameless!
Xie Xun did not press on, seeing it as Cui Yun’s personal affair. His mind was only on Shen Hua.
"All right, remember to invite me for a drink at your wedding feast later on."
He turned his head: "Miss Shen."
Shen Hua’s hand shook: "Xie... Heir Xie."
"Why is your face so red?"
Shen Hua was puzzled: "Is it?"
Shen Hua took out a small mirror and looked closely. The girl in the mirror had rosy cheeks.
She was baffled: "But I’m not hot."
But why were her ear tips also starting to feel hot?
While they were talking, soon enough, another table was brought over and joined up with theirs.
Ji Ge complained: "It was a perfectly good bonfire banquet, yet Imperial Censor Shu had to bring up Mr. Mo. After such a long fuss, I haven’t even managed to eat a bite of something warm."
But it’s good that everyone has left.
The more he looked at Ji Zhui, the more annoyed he became.
Ji Ge turned to look behind him.
"Why are you following me? Haven’t you gone back to your tent?"
Soon, there came the sound of slow footsteps.
Le Jia approached Ji Ge; her eyes not daring to wander, she looked down at the ground and spoke with a faltering accent.
"I’m not leaving."
She said ingratiatingly: "Is that alright, Seventh?"
Seventh???
"Who let you call me that!"
"Father calls you... that’s how he calls you."
"You’re not my elder! You’re not allowed to call me that!"
Le Jia complained in a low voice: "There are so many rules here."
Ji Ge found Le Jia to be really annoying.
But then he thought about how these past few days, Le Jia was always hiding in the tent, afraid of bumping into Ji Zhui... actually, she was quite pitiful.
The words he intended to say to send her away unexpectedly became.
"If you want to sit, go and move a chair for yourself."
"Oh!"
Le Jia understood that Ji Ge didn’t like her, and promptly chose the seat furthest from Ji Ge to sit down.
Ji Ge’s face darkened even more.
Seeing this, Le Jia didn’t know what she did to offend him again and immediately looked troubled.
Call him by his name, and she’d be scolded by the nanny for being without manners.
Call him ’young man’, and Ji Ge would become so angry he’d stumble over his words, and he wouldn’t allow it either.
She really didn’t know what to call him.
Just then, she saw Shen Hua, having finished the fruit on the plate, holding her fair face with her hands, her eyes slightly upturned, looking haughty.
"Hey, I want more."
It wasn’t clear whom she was calling.
But Cui Yun stood up, Xie Xun stood up, and Ji Huo also stood up.
Ji Ge grabbed Ji Huo: "When immortals fight, why do you join the fray!"
Ji Huo: "...My damned competitive spirit is acting up; seeing them move, I always feel like I can’t lose."
Soon, the two of them came back.
Xie Xun offered the fruit to Shen Hua with a gentle reminder: "Eat less, these are cold; don’t upset your stomach."
That plate of fruit, which Shen Hua never touched, was very politely pushed back by Cui Yun.
"Heir Xie should take care of Lady Xie; Shen Hua really doesn’t need your trouble here."
Xie Xun always felt something was off: "...Alright."
Le Jia realized, next time she would just call Ji Ge ’hey’.
Shen Hua’s eyes shimmered as she looked at her.
"You’re so pretty."
Le Jia was very modest: "Not at all, not at all, you are prettier, the prettiest girl I have ever seen."
The commoner Shen Hua rubbed her forefinger and thumb together, telling her: "Actually, it’s just a little bit off."
"I don’t understand."
The girl amiably shared half of the roasted meat from Cui Rong’s plate with her.
Cui Rong: ? You’re so noble! How come you’re not using your own plate!
The girl ignored her grievance and didn’t forget to clink cups with Le Jia. Finally revealing her motive.
"Why is your hair curly?"
"It’s my first time seeing it."
Shen Hua touched her own soft hair.
Wuu wuu wuu, she wanted it too!
"I was born like this."
Shen Hua found her answer listlessly.
She took a breath, lifted her fingertips an inch, and asked with uncertainty.
"So do I... need to be reborn to get it?"