Chapter 148: Acquaintance

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For a moment, Ye Shuo really wanted to persuade him to stop fighting. Wouldn’t it be good to live happily?

But at the same time, Ye Shuo also knows that everyone has their own aspirations.

Although he didn’t want to see such a scene, he had no right to stop it.

Everyone in this world has the right to accuse the Sixth Prince of his evil ambitions. A mere bastard even dares to attempt to replace the legitimate son and get involved in the Great Zhou dynasty. But Ye Shuo is the only one who cannot do that.

Unlike modern monogamy, the Sixth Prince’s biological mother, no matter how low her status was, was recorded as the woman of Emperor Jingwen, and the prince she gave birth to was also listed in the royal jade book.

All men are born equal, and when one feels injustice, one should fight for it. As the saying goes, “Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers different in kind?” This slogan was shouted by the ancients more than 2,000 years ago, and it is impossible for Ye Shuo, a modern person, to forget it.

If farmers give birth to farmers, they will be farmers all their lives, and if merchants give birth to small merchants, they will be merchants all their lives, then where is the equality?

People cannot choose their birth, but it is too sad to let people be trapped by their birth all their lives.

Is it wrong for the Sixth Prince to want to go one step further?

Ye Shuo couldn’t say anything to persuade him.

Ye Shuo could only watch him leave.

Compared to her son’s inexplicable depression, Concubine Rong was quite happy. Although the Sixth Prince was far less important than her own children, she had raised him for more than ten years after all. Now that the child had grown up and had a girl he liked, Concubine Rong was naturally happy to help arrange things.

“Look at how early your sixth brother has become wise. When you turn sixteen, your mother will definitely choose a prince consort for you.”

While discussing what to do with the two maids, the imperial concubine said this casually.

However, just this one sentence frightened Ye Shuo so much that he almost dropped the bowl in his hand.

“Don’t!” Damn it, arranged marriages are feudal dregs, don’t do that!

Sixteen is the age to go to middle school, Ye Shuo is not such a beast, he won’t do anything to a minor.

Fearing that his mother would arrange a marriage for him early, Ye Shuo had to give a warning: “My future wife must be someone I like.”

“You are young, what do you know? Your mother is an experienced person and can definitely help you pick a good one.” Concubine Rong was full of confidence about this matter.

Ye Shuo: “…”

To be honest, his mother in this life is not as good as his mother in the previous life. Can Ye Shuo trust her?

Besides, although he is a prince now, he will not achieve much in the future. Ambitious girls and their families may not be interested in him. How can he choose girls on the street?

His mother’s idea was a bit too naive.

Ye Shuo finally used his trump card and started rolling on the ground: “No, no, I don’t want it. I want what I like! I won’t get up unless you agree to it, Mom!”

Looking at her brother who was struggling there, the little princess holding a brush couldn’t help but shake her head.

Alas, I’m used to it, but I don’t know when my brother will be able to be as steady as her.

I hope my brother can get rid of this bad habit before he gets married.

Concubine Rong didn’t expect his reaction to be so intense, and couldn’t help but feel unhappy: “Marriage is always decided by parents and matchmakers—”

“But my son just wants to find someone he likes, what’s wrong with that?” Ye Shuo knew that his mother would only respond to soft tactics and not hard ones, so he put his head on his mother’s knees and looked at her eagerly.

“Don’t you want your son to be happy in the future?”

Concubine Rong couldn’t stand it, but she didn’t want to surrender, so she stretched out her finger and tapped her son’s forehead: “How do you know that if you choose the wife you will definitely live a happy life?”

“Maybe my son won’t be able to stay with his wife smoothly until old age, or they may get tired of each other along the way, but at least he won’t regret it.” It is very rare for two people to love each other, and they won’t feel regretful even if they can’t be together until the end.

Ye Shuo is a very free and easy person. If they get along, they will get together. If they don’t, they will separate. There are no twists and turns.

The imperial concubine had never heard such words before and was really shocked for a moment.

After she realised what was going on, she said unhappily, “What if the girl you like is a merchant’s daughter, an ordinary citizen, or a maid in the palace? Wouldn’t this palace have to obey you? What kind of talk is that?”

[1]This palace = she is referring to her title as imperial concubine rong, as the owner of the palace allotted to her

The imperial concubine finally got the point.

Ye Shuo thought about it and finally decided to tell his mother the truth in advance. If he didn’t make it clear in advance, it would be troublesome in the future: “If this is really the case, my son is willing to marry the other party.”

Shocking!

Almost at the moment the words fell, the entire Qiuwu Palace fell silent.

The imperial concubine opened her mouth for a long while, and then her mind suddenly exploded.

“You are trying to piss me off to death!” Perhaps she was really annoyed, she even forgot to call herself Imperial Concubine.

For the first time in her life, the imperial concubine had the urge to teach him a lesson herself.

When Emperor Jingwen arrived, what he saw was the imperial concubine chasing her son around the yard with a rattan stick.

Emperor Jingwen was confused for a moment. In the past, he was the one who took action, and the imperial concubine was always the one who protected him. Why did the situation suddenly turn around today?

The moment he saw his cheap father, Ye Shuo quickly hid behind him.

How could the imperial concubine dare to show her weapon against the emperor? She gritted her teeth and threw away the cane helplessly.

Ye Shuo couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw this.

Emperor Jingwen raised his eyebrows, looked at the mother and son in a panic, and asked curiously, “What happened? Tell me so that I can hear it too.”

Then Emperor Jingwen soon learned about Ye Shuo’s recent bold words.

Now, even Emperor Jingwen couldn’t laugh anymore.

But Emperor Jingwen quickly realised that this was a good thing.

In the past, Emperor Jingwen was worried that his son would become addicted to women in the future. If he really thought so, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about this for a long time.

As for his words that he would only marry someone he loved and would never marry someone he didn’t like, Emperor Jingwen just listened to them.

Emperor Jingwen himself was a man, so he naturally understood the bad qualities of men. When he reached a certain age, he would choose a good-looking, well-educated, and considerate woman as his wife. After spending time with her day by day, it was hard to believe that he could still endure it.

However, what Emperor Jingwen didn’t know was that Ye Shuo did have physical impulses, and in fact he was a person with very strong desires in his previous life. This was normal, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about admitting.

But the biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans can control their lower body. Ye Shuo doesn’t care what others do. Ye Shuo has his own principles.

He lived like a widower until he was almost thirty in his last life, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to be widowed again in this life, although it would be a bit tragic…

Emperor Jingwen didn’t take his childish son’s words to heart at all.

Seeing that the emperor did not scold him angrily, the imperial concubine was so shocked that it was beyond words.

Ye Shuo couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw this.

Soon, Emperor Jingwen shifted his attention to the little princess. Seeing that the little princess could concentrate on practising calligraphy in such a noisy environment, Emperor Jingwen suddenly felt relieved.

At least there is someone reliable in Qiuwu Palace.

The father and daughter looked at each other, and the emotions in their eyes were exactly the same.

The imperial concubine only knew a few words, so she naturally couldn’t teach Jianjian. As for her own son, let alone his poor handwriting.

Jianjian didn’t even have anyone who could teach her calligraphy, so she could only practise blindly by herself.

Emperor Jingwen couldn’t bear to watch this, so he rolled up his sleeves and taught Jianjian to write a few words just like he had taught Ye Shuo.

And Jianjian gave him much more feedback than Ye Shuo did back then.

Only then did Emperor Jingwen finally find some sense of accomplishment.

Half an hour later, Jianjian put down the brush on time, played with his brother for a while as usual, and then started practising boxing in the yard very consciously.

She is so self-disciplined that she doesn’t look like a child at all.

As Emperor Jingwen watched, he realised that this set of boxing was the one that the eldest prince practised. He thought it was just a play between children, but he didn’t expect the effect to be quite good.

It’s a pity for the emperor’s grandchildren.

After Ye Yan and his brothers got out of school in the afternoon, they were as tired as dead dogs but still had to come to Qiuwu Palace to practise with their aunt.

And the Ninth Prince, clearly, seldom went to school, but he was unwilling to even go to the upper study room to look for them!

Ye Xun was a little embarrassed at first, but as time went by, he gradually integrated into the group. After all, he was the first to arrive, so why should he give in to Ye Yan and the others!

Thinking of this, Ye Xun suddenly felt more justified.

A group of children started competing with each other, and each one of them practised harder than the other. Jianjian felt that as their aunt, it would be embarrassing for her to fall behind, right?

Surrounded by his daughter and grandson, how could Emperor Jingwen, who was a very face-conscious and repressed emperor, resist showing off his talents in front of his children?

When the eldest prince first started practising Kung Fu, he was the one who taught him step by step.

Emperor Jingwen’s boxing skills were very impressive and he immediately earned the admiration of a group of little kids.

“Father, father, you are so awesome!” The little princess Jianjian learned this from her brother and said whatever she wanted to say. Although Ye Yan and Ye Xun were not so explicit, their eyes were also full of stars.

The corners of Emperor Jingwen’s mouth suddenly raised a slight arc.

Emperor Jingwen cleared his throat and began his customary lecture: “Practise hard, and you will be able to do it in the future.”

He saw his son still doing the horse stance slowly, and Emperor Jingwen said, “Don’t be like your brother, and your uncle. Remember that?”

“Remember!”

Ye Shuo: “…”

How come this matter can be linked to him?

Ye Shuo was forced to slowly open his eyes.

Soon Ye Shuo was stunned.

Jianjian and the others were still young and didn’t notice it, but Ye Shuo noticed that his cheap father was slightly out of breath after the set of punches.

Ye Shuo still remembered that three or four years ago, when he bit his cheap father’s ear, he didn’t behave like this.

Once people are over 40, their body functions will begin to decline drastically. My cheap dad, who is already 47 years old this year and will soon be 50, is really not young anymore.

However, all the princes have gradually grown up.

Quickly putting this thought behind his mind, Ye Shuo took out a sandbag and weighed it in his hand.

“Come on, let’s play with sandbags together. It’s just right with so many people, and it will be more fun to play.”

Ha, who wants to play with him?!

Ye Xun and Ye Yan looked at each other almost subconsciously, and the disgust in their hearts was almost overflowing.

However, once you start playing with sandbags, you can’t stop.

Ye Shuo would not give in to them just because they were children.

Looking at the white lime marks on his clothes, Ye Xun’s hands were shaking. For a moment, he even forgot that Emperor Jingwen was there: “Ninth Uncle! You wait!”

Ye Xun almost gritted his teeth as he said this.

However, Ye Shuo’s hands and feet were so nimble that he couldn’t be hit easily by him.

Soon, Ye Yan and his brothers on the side were in trouble.

After a short while, several people started fighting in a group, with sandbags clanging and it felt like stones were being thrown.

Jianjian, who was only four years old, thought about it and decisively withdrew from the battlefield.

Emperor Jingwen and Concubine Rong watched while drinking tea and couldn’t help laughing.

When it got dark at night, the group of people dispersed reluctantly, each of them was covered in a mess that was simply unbearable to look at.

When the four brothers returned, the eldest prince almost spit out the tea in his mouth when he saw their horrible appearance: “Where have you been???”

Ye Yan then felt scared. He curled his lips and gritted his teeth to confess the matter of playing with the sandbags.

The eldest prince smacked his lips and asked only one question: “Did you win or lose?”

“Of course I won!” Is there any need to ask? Ye Xun is only one person, but they have four!

Ye Yan couldn’t help but straighten his chest.

The eldest prince was immediately satisfied.

Compared to them, Ye Xun was not doing so well, after all, he was alone. Frightened, he returned to the East Palace. He wanted to sneak back to his room to change clothes without being noticed, but he ran into his father by chance.

Ye Xun was startled by the figure standing in the dark. When the other person slowly walked into the light and shadow, and he found out that it was none other than his own father, Ye Xun’s heart suddenly rose to his throat.

It’s over, it’s over, it’s all Uncle Ninth’s fault!

Just play with sandbags, why do you have to dip them in white lime!

Looking at his son in tattered clothes, the prince couldn’t help but frown slightly: “What happened? Did you have a fight with someone?”

Ye Xun hurriedly shook his head and tremblingly told the story of how he and Ye Yan and the others smashed sandbags.

Ye Xun thought his father would be angry, but he didn’t expect that after the prince heard it, he said nothing, waved at him, and let him go to take a shower and change clothes.

“Hurry up, dinner will be served soon, and your mother is still waiting.”

Huh? I didn’t get scolded…

As the legitimate son of the Crown Prince, Ye Xun naturally knew the recent situation in the Eastern Palace, so Ye Xun subconsciously felt that his father would not be happy about him playing with his uncle’s son.

But he didn’t seem to care much.

Ye Xun couldn’t help but look back again. For some reason, he always felt that his father’s figure standing in the courtyard seemed a little thin.

But my father is the prince, how could he be weak?

Ye Xun shook his head and quickly put this thought behind him.

In the blink of an eye, another five or six days passed.

Fearing that someone might gossip, the imperial concubine waited for a few more days before summoning the young lady of the prime minister’s residence to the palace for a chat.

The Sixth Miss is the daughter of the Young Madam, and the granddaughter of Prime Minister He. The Imperial Concubine has instructed the Young Madam to bring the Sixth Miss along as well. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell what is going on.

The imperial concubine’s actions this time were not very volatile, and only a few people knew about it.

Ye Shuo is only eleven years old now. Although boys and girls are not allowed to sit at the same table as each other at the age of seven, it is not necessary to be shy about it. So, when the young lady of the prime minister’s mansion came in, Ye Shuo saw the girl following behind at a glance.

After seeing the other person’s face clearly, Ye Shuo was stunned for a moment.

The Sixth Miss suddenly came to the palace. She didn’t want to talk much today. Besides, she herself was not a talkative person. As a result…

Miss Six has a good memory. Even though she hasn’t seen him for many years, she can still vaguely recognize Ye Shuo.

Perhaps because she was too surprised, Miss Six almost blurted out: “Little beggar?”

References

↑1This palace = she is referring to her title as imperial concubine rong, as the owner of the palace allotted to her