noveldrama
Chapter 257: 148 Family of Three (First Update)_2
Chapter 257: 148 Family of Three (First Update)_2
Chapter 257: 148 Family of Three (First Update)_2
He knew Qin Chuyu very well. To avoid being treated with trepidation and deference by the people of the Guozijian, as he was, in the Imperial Palace because of his princely status, he had ordered everyone to tight-lipped, including Qin Chuyu, preventing any disclosure of his royal identity outside.
If discovered, one would be confined in the dark, small room as punishment.
No wonder Qin Chuyu was scared stiff when Xiao Liulang forced him to reveal his identity.
However, Qin Chuyu was accustomed to the tyranny of the imperial palace, he’d never truly valued a three-year-old child. When the day came that the Emperor would no longer restrain him, it’s never too late to settle the score with the child!
As Qin Chuyu ate, he became gradually entranced by the delicacies, and soon his mind was filled only with sheep milk cakes.
“Return to the palace,” the crown princess commanded.
Princes of a certain age would establish their own Prince Residence outside the palace, except for the crown prince who would reside in the East Palace.
The seventh prince was still young, so he lived in the Imperial Palace.
The carriage slowly moved forward, and the crown princess glanced inadvertently as they drove away from the Guozijian.
Just then, Xiao Liulang was leading a little child out of the Guozijian.
The crown princess saw that familiar handsome face and her pupils contracted!
She quickly pulled open the curtain of the car window, her gaze fixed intently at the young man in white among the crowd.
She muttered to herself in disbelief, “How could…”
“Jiaojiao!”
Accompanied by a clear call from the little kid, a young woman with a backpack walked up.
The young girl was not wearing a veil, she was dressed simply, not shabby, but not luxurious either.
Her long hair, as lustrous as satin, fell to her waist and was held up on the top of her head with a bai yulan hairpin.
She was a fair yet cold-looking young girl.
On the young girl’s left cheek was a red birthmark. She didn’t seem to mind, gracefully navigating through the curious stares.
The girl walked up to the little kid and the Guozijian youth, pinching the little guy’s face.
The crown princess only then noticed that the little one was also adorable.
However, she hadn’t linked him to the little rascal who had offended Qin Chuyu.
“Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao!” the younger child was thrilled upon seeing Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao rubbed his little head.
It had snowed on the way, and although it had now stopped, her hair was sprinkled with snowflakes.
Xiao Liulang hesitated for a moment but then reaches out his slender jade-like fingers and gently removed the snowflakes from her hair.
Gu Jiao did not move, obediently letting him do so.
She gave off a somewhat well-behaved aura.
The family-of-three’s warm scene was somewhat dazzling.
The crown princess pinched her fingertips. Then she saw the girl fetch a bag of warm candied chestnuts from her bag and handed one to him.
The young man ate it without hesitation.
“Is it good?” Gu Jiao asked.
“Mmm, sweet,” replied Xiao Liulang.
Nobody knew who he was referring as being sweet.
Gu Jiao gave all the candied chestnuts to the little kid to hold.
The little kid was like a squirrel that found food, enthusiastically chewing away.
The harmonious family of three walked away.
The crown princess let go of the curtain.
He’s already dead.
He doesn’t eat chestnuts.
Even if it looks like him, it won’t be him.
“Crown princess, are you alright?” The lady of the court asked, looking at her pale face.
She calmly said, “It’s so cold. Let’s head back to the palace.”
—
After Xiao Liulang had contradicted Mr. Zheng in the Confucius school, he completely offended him.
That Mr. Zheng rose to such a high position was indeed due to his real talents. His articles were excellent, and even the emperor who didn’t like the eight parts essays occasionally praised a few words about them. However, scholarship is one thing, and moral conduct is sometimes another.
Mr. Zheng held a grudge against Xiao Liulang for making him lose face in front of the seventh prince and those people, so he began to subtly sabotage Xiao Liulang.
First, Xiao Liulang ranked last in Shuaixin Hall’s monthly test. There was a standard regulation in Guozijian that anyone who fails the test twice will be demoted.
That is to say, if Xiao Liulang scores last again, he will be directly kicked out of Shuaixin Hall.
Despite the teachers wondering why Xiao Liulang performed so poorly, since the acting dean himself had been marking the papers, they supposed there could be no mistake.
The exam was just the beginning. Soon, Xiao Liulang found that he was mysteriously getting less food than others when he ate at Guozijian.
Fen Lin found it strange, “That’s not right, why do you have so little vegetables?”
He declared that not even enough vegetable leaves were prepared, it was basically just a leaf in a big bowl of soup!
Subsequently, people would inexplicably bump into Xiao Liulang.
While passing by the corridor, a student from Guozijian bumped into him, spilling ink all over Xiao Liulang.
“How do you walk?” Fen Lin scolded loudly.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” the person apologized over and over again.
This was already the third time today.
It was obvious that this man was being coerced, his body was trembling.
Xiao Liulang glanced at him indifferently, didn’t say anything, and emotionlessly went to change into clean clothes in the dormitory of Fen Lin and Lin Chengye.
When he came out, his crutch was nowhere to be found.
The road was slippery, and without his crutch, he fell several times from the dormitory to Shuaixin Hall in the short distance of just a hundred steps.
People around him laughed loudly.
A heavy snow seemed to be brewing, the sky was gray, and shrouded by the gloom, Guozijian also exposed its dark side.
Xiao Liulang got up from the snowfield, disheveled, but his spine was still straight.
He raised his head and looked at Minghui Hall on the third floor of Guozijian.
On the front path of the hall, Zheng Siye was leaning against the handrail, calmly watching Xiao Liulang.
Beg for mercy?
Kid.
The kind where you kneel and kowtow.
If you beg this lord, I’ll let you go.
Xiao Liulang silently stared at him. There was no anger, sorrow, or fear in his eyes-like a lake that had been still for ten thousand years.
For some reason, Zheng Siye suddenly felt a moment of unease.
But soon, he shook his head.
It’s just a country bumpkin. It’s no big deal to bully him.
Who asked him to not know better and publicly embarrass me?
In Guozijian, I am the law.
No one can offend my authority!
Manager Liu had always been keeping an eye on Xiao Liulang’s situation in Guozijian, and it didn’t take long for a servant to report the latest situation to him.
Upon hearing the report in the carriage, Manager Liu chuckled lightly, “I said earlier that the Capital City is not so easy to live in. Okay, let’s meet the young master.”
Xiao Liulang had no classes today.
He was going home alone after school.
When he left Guozijian, Manager Liu had been waiting in the carriage nearby.
“Manager Liu, the young master is here.” The servant reminded.
Manager Liu got off the carriage, came to Xiao Liulang, and greeted with a faint smile, “Young Master, we meet again.”
Xiao Liulang squinted at him, “What is it that you want to do again?”
Manager Liu smiled, “I heard about the situation in Guozijian. I am sorry for the hardships endured by the young master.”
Xiao Liulang: “You don’t need to watch my plight.”
Manager Liu: “A mere Siye, the Marquis can crush him just by moving his fingers. In fact, as long as the young master is willing to return to our residence, I promise you that there will be no more Siye in Guozijian from tomorrow.”
Xiao Liulang ignored him and continued on his way home.
Manager Liu smiled faintly, “Young Master, why put up with such hardships? Admittedly, in the past, the Marquis was at fault for not bringing you and your mother back to the house in time, but he cannot be solely blamed for this. As for the event four years ago, the Marquis wasn’t aware until after it had occurred. When he found out, he began searching for you everywhere. He was very upset over the death of your mother and he has also heard about your elder brother’s situation. Thankfully, you are safe.”
Xiao Liulang clenched his fists.
Manager Liu advised, “The Capital City is more complex than you may think. Without a strong backing, it will be nearly impossible for you to succeed. This is only the beginning, if things continue this way, you’ll be eaten to the bone. So, Young Master, why don’t you come back to our house with me? There’s nothing wrong with being the son of Marquis Xuanping, so why suffer outside?”