Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Jiang Cihe swiftly wrapped an arm around Meng Shuping’s waist, attempting to steady them both. However, the momentum was too great; he lost his balance, and they tumbled down together, with Meng Shuping landing on top of him.

A moment later, as they regained their composure, Jiang Cihe was about to ask if Meng Shuping was alright when he heard Meng Shuping’s voice say, *"You know, he’s actually quite warm!"*

Jiang Cihe: "..."

Still in the mood to comment on that—seems he was perfectly fine.

After his remark, Meng Shuping tried to get up, but as soon as he lifted his head, he met Jiang Cihe’s calm gaze. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt an odd pang of guilt—why?

He stammered, "W-what’s wrong?"

Jiang Cihe released his hand from Meng Shuping’s waist. "Nothing. Let’s get up."

Meng Shuping nodded. "Okay."

But as he was halfway up, the carriage jolted again. Instinctively, Meng Shuping braced his hands on either side of Jiang Cihe’s body, stopping just above Jiang Cihe’s face. Even so, their noses were barely a hair's breadth apart.

Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe stared, wide-eyed, at each other. Suddenly, Meng Shuping jerked upright. "Ow..."

*"What’s poking my waist? It’s so hard! He wouldn’t be so perverted as to..."*

Jiang Cihe’s temple twitched. *What nonsense was he thinking?* But just as he was about to explain, Meng Shuping continued, "...bring a fan out in the middle of winter, right?"

Jiang Cihe: "..."

Alright, it was him overthinking.

He pushed himself up with force and began straightening his clothes. Meng Shuping stared intently at Jiang Cihe’s waist, trying to see what had poked him.

The stare was so intense that Jiang Cihe couldn’t ignore it. After a moment’s hesitation, he reluctantly took out a small seal stamp hanging from his waist. "Is this what you were staring at?"

Meng Shuping suddenly understood. *"Hahaha, so it’s just a small seal! I thought it was something else!"*

He laughed awkwardly. "No, no, I was just looking around."

As Jiang Cihe put the seal back into his pouch, he asked Meng Shuping, "Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

Meng Shuping shook his head. "No."

Jiang Cihe murmured. "Just a bit longer. We should be arriving soon."

Meng Shuping obediently nodded. "Okay."

After traveling a while longer, they arrived at the estate Jiang Cihe had mentioned. The steward, who had been informed of Jiang Cihe’s visit earlier, had been waiting eagerly at the entrance since the afternoon.

As soon as Jiang Cihe’s carriage stopped at the gate, he eagerly stepped forward. "Greetings, Your Highness!"

But a moment later, he saw an unfamiliar young man jump down from the carriage. The steward was taken aback but quickly realized this must be the esteemed guest the prince had mentioned.

He hurriedly greeted him warmly, "Greetings, young master!"

As soon as Meng Shuping jumped off the carriage, he met the steward’s curious gaze. He stiffened but forced himself to appear calm, nodding before quickly stepping aside.

After Jiang Cihe also descended from the carriage, they all entered the estate together.

After dinner, they rested for a while to let their food settle before heading to the room with the hot spring pool. Meng Shuping removed his clothes and stepped into the pool, relaxing against the edge. *"Ah, this is comfortable!"*

Jiang Cihe, propped on one hand, watched him and suddenly said, "Didn’t I tell you to eat more? Why are you still so thin?"

Startled by Jiang Cihe’s sudden comment, Meng Shuping glared at him angrily. "Oh."

*"So he’s the one with the good figure, huh? How annoying! Did he invite me here just to show off how buff he is?"*

Jiang Cihe smirked. Weren’t you the one who said you look slim in clothes but buff underneath? Now it’s me showing off?

Meng Shuping silently shifted away from Jiang Cihe. *"Ah, well, it would be even better if we had some fruit right now."*

Hearing this, Jiang Cihe instructed the steward waiting outside, "Get us some fruit."

The steward was hesitant. In the middle of winter, there weren’t many types of fruit available, and since the prince’s request was sudden, he hadn’t had time to prepare much. He tentatively asked, "What kind of fruit would Your Highness like?"

Jiang Cihe replied, "Anything is fine. Just bring a few varieties."

A short while later, the steward brought over a plate of assorted fruits. Meng Shuping glanced at it expectantly, then widened his eyes in shock. He looked at Jiang Cihe incredulously. *"We’re eating this? Is this appropriate?"*

*"Who eats pomegranates, jujubes, persimmons, and hawthorns while soaking in a hot spring? It kills the mood! Not to criticize, but for a prince, he’s living kinda frugally, isn’t he?"*

Jiang Cihe: "...Then maybe we should take it away."

The steward hesitated. "...Right away."

*"Wait—"*

Seeing Jiang Cihe have the fruits taken away, Meng Shuping couldn’t help but feel regretful. *"They’re already here. Why send them away?"*

Jiang Cihe sighed. "Never mind, leave them here."

Meng Shuping was speechless. *"Sigh, he’s so high-maintenance. First, he asks for them, then he sends them away. Good thing the steward is patient, or he’d have quit long ago."*

Jiang Cihe shot him a look. *Who’s the hard-to-please one here?*

A while later, after finishing a pomegranate, Meng Shuping lazily leaned against the edge of the pool. Jiang Cihe looked at him leisurely. "So, do you like it here? If you do, you can come often."

Meng Shuping hurriedly replied modestly, "How could I impose?"

Jiang Cihe pretended to be disappointed. "Then forget it."

Meng Shuping froze. *"Ah, this... I was just being polite. How could he take it seriously?"*

Jiang Cihe couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s fine. You can come anytime you want. I was just joking."

Meng Shuping expressionlessly thought, *"What a jerk, is messing with me fun? Whatever! For the sake of enjoying the hot springs, I’ll let it slide this time."*

Jiang Cihe was quite amused. This little moneygrubber is pretty easy to placate.

Just then, as Meng Shuping was soaking, he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"

Jiang Cihe quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"

It couldn’t be a sudden pain, could it? Maybe he hit something on the road this afternoon, and it’s starting to hurt now?

Meng Shuping slapped his forehead. "I forgot to ask the Emperor for money! Didn’t we say we’d go to him for reimbursement after investigating Dong Lide?"

Jiang Cihe breathed a sigh of relief. "Ask him after the morning court session the day after tomorrow."

Meng Shuping nodded. "Okay." After soaking a while longer, they both got dressed and returned to their respective rooms. The next day, when Meng Shuping woke up, he didn’t see Jiang Cihe. After asking a servant, he learned that Jiang Cihe was in the study, so he went there to find him.

When he saw him coming, Jiang Cihe smiled, "Perfect timing. Come and write something for me to see."

Meng Shuping eyed him suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly asking me to write?"

*"You're not trying to make fun of my handwriting, are you?"*

Jiang Cihe said seriously, "I just want to see how your calligraphy is. Although I’m no expert, I might still be able to offer some guidance."

Meng Shuping warned him, "Well, you’d better not laugh at me!"

Jiang Cihe said firmly, "Why would I laugh at you? Nobody becomes a calligraphy pro overnight. Besides, you haven’t been practicing for long, right? I think someone as clever as you will improve quickly with time."

Skeptical but willing, Meng Shuping picked up the brush and wrote a few characters, then handed the paper to Jiang Cihe. Jiang Cihe held it up to look, but the moment he saw it, he couldn’t help but snort. "Pfft."

Meng Shuping snatched the paper back, annoyed, "You said you wouldn’t laugh!"

*"Hmph, I knew it would turn out like this! What a jerk! How could he have the nerve to deceive me with such sincerity?"*

Jiang Cihe quickly schooled his expression, "...Sorry, I couldn’t help it."

Seeing that Meng Shuping remained silent, he added, "Actually, your handwriting isn’t ugly—it’s just round and kinda... cute. I wish I could write like that!"

Meng Shuping shot him a look, "Then you write a character and show me."

Jiang Cihe dipped the brush in ink and wrote a few characters. Meng Shuping glanced at it and said, "It’s nothing special!"

*"So annoying! So what if he’s practiced a few years longer than me? What’s there to be proud of?"*

*"Besides, he’s already a prince—why does he have to try so hard? Can’t he cut the rest of us some slack?"*

Jiang Cihe reassured him, "Actually, you have plenty of strengths too."

Meng Shuping looked surprised, "Really? Like what?"

Jiang Cihe went quiet for a beat before finally saying under Meng Shuping’s glare, "You’re quite good at spouting nonsense."

"Pfft!"

A few servants couldn’t hold back their laughter. They quickly pinched their thighs, but despite their efforts, their shoulders shook with held-in laughter.

Meng Shuping glared angrily at Jiang Cihe, turned around, and started to leave, *"Ugh! You jerk! You’re the one who’s good at spouting nonsense! Can’t you say something nicer?"*

Jiang Cihe quickly grabbed him, "Wait, wait, wait—I was just kidding. Actually, you’re really good at investigating cases and being quick on your feet. Even His Majesty praised you. Even Fan Yu and Cao Jie aren’t as capable as you. None of us can compare in that regard."

Meng Shuping glanced at him sideways, "Really? You really think so?"

Jiang Cihe said sincerely, "Really, really—I’m not lying this time!"

Meng Shuping finally calmed down a little, *"That’s more like it! If he keeps mocking me like that, I’ll really lose my temper!"*

Jiang Cihe quickly changed the subject, "How about this—let’s practice calligraphy for now. Later, I’ll find a copybook suitable for beginners. If you practice with it for a while, you’ll see a big improvement."

Meng Shuping, who also wanted to improve his calligraphy skills as soon as possible, didn’t refuse. However, having someone specifically guide him made a huge difference. After an hour of practice with Jiang Cihe, he felt he had improved significantly compared to before.