Chapter 113: The Little Imperial Grandson

Chapter 113 The Young Royal Grandson

"Imperial Father?"

The princess glanced back. Though spoiled, she knew you couldn’t just bully people in the palace.

"Come with me!"

While the princess was distracted, he took his chance. Zhou Chen shoved the two matrons aside and grabbed A Man’s hand.

Trained in martial arts since childhood, his strength was formidable. The matrons lost their balance and fell into the pond below the rockery with a splash.

"You lied to me!"

She stomped her foot, furious, only to realize she had been tricked when she turned around and found no one behind her.

Zhou Chen was already pulling A Man away.

"Bro... brother... A Man can't run anymore..."

A Man panted, struggling to keep up. Zhou Chen had dragged her through the imperial garden to an unfamiliar place, where a group of palace maids and matrons rushed over to them.

"Young Prince, where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!"

With the palace packed due to the banquet, the servants feared someone might accidentally bump into him.

Moreover, the Young Prince had hardly eaten today—he must be exhausted!

"Brother..."

Usually bubbly, A Man was now scared of strangers after what happened. Holding onto Zhou Chen’s sleeve, she hid behind him.

The only one she trusted now was this kind brother who had saved her.

"Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you."

Zhou Chen gently squeezed her chubby little hand, his tone soothing.

Only then did the servants notice the girl behind him.

"Young Prince, who is this?"

How had he returned with a girl after just stepping out?

The servants were puzzled. With noblewomen from every family attending the banquet, they wondered which girl had wandered off—and whether her family knew.

"So, uh, which family are you with?"

Zhou Chen froze. In his rush to save her, he hadn’t even asked A Man’s identity.

"My uncle is Xie Zheng. My name is Xie Man."

A Man looked up at him, saying each word carefully.

"So you’re General Xie’s niece."

Zhou Chen nodded. Being a martial arts fan, he looked up to the brave Young General Xie the most. Hearing A Man’s background, his face softened.

At first, he just couldn’t stand Zhou Jinsheng’s bullying, never thought the girl he’d saved would turn out to be General Xie’s niece.

"You stay here for a while, I'll get your uncle."

Zhou Chen patted the little girl's head, wondering how such a well-behaved child had managed to provoke Zhou Jinsheng.

His grandpa had spoiled her rotten, and she likely wouldn’t let A Man off easily—she was probably already on her way here.

Being lower in the family pecking order, he couldn’t stop her, so he needed General Xie to intervene.

He refused to believe his grandpa would be so foolish as to favor his daughter blindly and turn his back on a loyal general.

"Yeah."

A Man nodded obediently and tugged at his sleeve again. "Brother, could you also let my mom know?"

Her mom would surely worry if she found out something had happened to her.

"Sure."

The palace attendants stared in shock at the Young Prince’s unusual patience.

Everyone in the palace knew the Young Prince was aloof—even the Emperor hardly got a smile out of him, aside from his parents, but now he was treating a little girl with such gentleness.

"Thank you, brother."

A Man looked up at him. Zhou Chen was three years older, but due to his poor appetite, he was barely half a head taller than her.

She looked at him with admiration—this handsome brother was so impressive. Zhou Chen fidgeted under her gaze.

"It’s cold outside. Let’s wait inside."

He kept his expression stern, but the warmth in his ears betrayed him.

The attendants exchanged amused glances—the Young Prince was blushing.

Inside the Eastern Palace’s inner chambers, braziers kept the room warm, and dishes were laid out on the table.

Zhou Chen had slipped out when no one was looking during dinner. His frail dad rarely attended banquets and was being tended to by his mom, leaving Zhou Chen as the forgotten kid.

Annoyed by the servants nagging him to eat, he had sneaked away unnoticed. By the time A Man was led to the rockery by Zhou Jinsheng, he had already been there for half an hour.

"Growl."

A Man, who had only eaten half her fill at the banquet, was now hungry after running around so much.

Zhou Chen glanced down at her, and A Man shyly clutched her tummy.

Would the handsome brother think she was troublesome…?

"Warm up all the food and bring a few new dishes from the kitchen—stuff girls her age like."

Zhou Chen averted his gaze as he instructed the attendants. A Man's mouth fell open a little—was the handsome brother ordering food for her?

"Right on it, Your Highness!"

The servants were thrilled. This was the first time the Young Prince had ever asked for food—even if it was for Miss Xie, maybe he'd want some too?

They worked swiftly, replacing all the dishes on the table in just fifteen minutes.

A Man stared at the feast, fancier than the banquet food, her eyes lighting up.

"Big brother, can I eat all this?"

The little girl wrung her hands together, her face full of anticipation.

Zhou Chen loathed eating—food was merely sustenance to him. Unless he was literally starving, he wouldn’t touch a single grain of rice.

But seeing A Man like this, he suddenly wondered—was food really that good?

"Go ahead."

Zhou Chen nodded, and A Man plopped down at the table eagerly.

She asked the palace maids to bring her a damp cloth to clean her hands. After touching that mean princess’s dress earlier, her hands no longer felt clean.

"Yummy! So good!"

The dishes the maids brought were all favorites among children. A Man happily munched on a braised chicken leg, soft and juicy.

"Is it really that good?"

Zhou Chen found himself sitting across from her, resting his chin on his hand as he watched.

With her cheeks full, A Man nodded vigorously. "So good! Big brother, you should try it too!"

She used her chopsticks to place a large chicken leg in Zhou Chen’s bowl. This nice brother had been so kind to her—she wanted to be kind to him too.

Zhou Chen pursed his lips. The greasy aroma rising from the bowl made him hesitate slightly.

A Man went still, hurt flashing in her eyes, and then asked timidly, "Brother… don’t you like it?"

Or… did he not like her?

Her little voice trembling, the girl’s eyes reddened, and Zhou Chen felt a sudden worry. He couldn’t bear to see her cry.

"No, I’ll eat it!"

Gritting his teeth, he lifted his hand and gripped the chopsticks.

The little girl watched him eagerly. Zhou Chen picked up the chicken leg, closed his eyes, and took a bite.

"How is it? Isn’t it delicious? A Man loves chicken legs the most!"

The girl chattered beside him. Zhou Chen, who normally would’ve spat it out immediately, found himself forced to swallow under her expectant gaze.

"Big brother, try this too! A Man also likes it!"

She then served him a helping of sautéed bamboo shoots. Zhou Chen pursed his lips but ate it all.

The little girl seemed to have discovered a new joy—sharing all her favorites with Zhou Chen. And Zhou Chen didn’t have the heart to say no.

The servants gaped as the Young Prince, who usually struggled to eat even a grain of rice, finished a chicken leg, a half-portion of ribs, two pieces of beef brisket, and half a plate of bamboo shoots…

And he didn’t spit any of it out!

Had the world gone mad?

"A Man!"

The inner hall doors burst open as A Yuan rushed in breathlessly.

When she heard that the little princess had wanted to cut her daughter’s face, her heart had nearly stopped. Now, seeing her safe, her knees went weak.

Wei Xun, Xie Zheng, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess came rushing in after her. If her eyes weren't deceiving her… Chen'er was eating—actually eating!