Chapter 78

Chapter 78

"Grandpa, someone took Maomao away!" Yu Xiaoyu angrily went to find his grandfather. Raised by his grandfather, he instinctively trusted him most when things happened.

The gathering around Old Master Yu hadn't fully broken up yet. His eldest aunt and Xiaoyu's mother were both there, discussing the day's events and guessing how they would affect the Yu residence.

Old Master Yu and Yu Huaien were satisfied that Prince Chu had no sons and thus hadn't been involved in the struggle for succession. Yu Huaien had participated in the past to help his friend, believing a man would die for his bosom friend. Getting involved again now would be opportunistic and disloyal to the throne. The eldest aunt was relieved she had managed to restrain Yu Heng early on, preventing him from going back to his in-laws' place to cause trouble for Xiaoyu and Feifan. Otherwise, judging by the indulgence the prince and princess showed Feifan today, if Feifan told on him, Yu Heng would surely suffer some hardship.

Yu Huaiqing and his wife felt both joy and worry. They were happy about the change in Lu Feifan's status, but concerned about his marriage with Xiaoyu, fearing complications. They were even more worried about whether Xiaoyu could handle the position of the heir's consort.

Among the men, those older than Yu Changan were still keeping their composure. Yu Changhao and Yu Changhe were young and often had no say, let alone the fourth generation like Yuanyuan and Tuantuan who were too young to understand.

"Xiaoyu, you're here. Come and sit down." Xiaoyu's mother beckoned to him.

"Cousin Xiaoyu, sit here." Yu Changhao gave his seat to Yu Xiaoyu.

"Grandpa, Mother, let's take people to get Maomao back!"

As soon as Yu Xiaoyu sat down, he urgently expressed his purpose. His naive words amused everyone in the room, which made Yu Xiaoyu even angrier. How could they laugh when Maomao had been taken?

"Xiaoyu, Feifan wasn't taken away. He found his birth parents and went home with them," Xiaoyu's mother explained to him.

Yu Xiaoyu was puzzled, "Maomao has parents?"

"Don't be silly, everyone has their own parents."

"Maomao never mentioned it."

"He didn't know himself."

"Xiaoyu, Feifan's origins are somewhat complicated. Grandpa will explain it to you slowly, or you can wait for Feifan to come back and let him tell you himself." Old Master Yu looked gently at Yu Xiaoyu.

"Will Maomao come back?" Xiaoyu looked at his grandfather.

Everyone in the Yu family was certain he would return.

"When will he come back then?"

Old Master Yu: "Anywhere from three to five days, up to ten or fifteen."

Yu Xiaoyu was very disappointed, "That's a long time without seeing Maomao."

"I want to go find Maomao."

"Let's wait until Feifan has settled his own matters. He will come to find you. Let's not disturb him for now, alright?" Xiaoyu's mother softly persuaded. Although Xiaoyu and Feifan were engaged, for an unmarried young man to go to a man's house to find him would be lowering his own status. They couldn't let Xiaoyu go to the prince's residence.

Furthermore, Feifan's status wasn't settled just by the prince and princess recognizing him. It still needed to be reported to the emperor, recorded in the imperial genealogy and jade register, and then introduced to outsiders. The prince and princess also needed to build a relationship with Feifan. The Chu Prince's residence would have a huge amount to handle next, with no time to receive outside guests.

Prince Chu was dissatisfied with Xiaoyu. The princess's stance was unclear, but she would ultimately follow the master of the house. Feifan had just returned with no foundation. If Xiaoyu went to find Feifan now, it would make trouble for him.

"Just consider him gone on a journey."

But Maomao had never gone on a journey before, nor had he ever spent the night away from home.

He left so suddenly. Yu Xiaoyu found it very hard to get used to.

"Xiaoyu, do you like Feifan very much?" Yu Huaien asked Yu Xiaoyu. If Yu Xiaoyu had a mind his age, Yu Huaien wouldn't ask such a question. Given that Yu Xiaoyu's understanding was less than ten years old, when he sounded Xiaoyu out, the others did not stop him.

"I like him. Maomao is the best."

"Then do you want to marry Maomao?"

Yu Xiaoyu understood some concepts of marriage now. He was very certain, "I want to be with Maomao and Grandpa forever."

Yu Huaien sighed inwardly. If only Lu Feifan liked Xiaoyu, and Xiaoyu didn't like him that much, their family wouldn't necessarily have to insist on this marriage. The Chu Prince's residence was too illustrious; Xiaoyu didn't have what it takes to be their heir's consort. Prince Chu had previously hinted that Lu Maomao had hopes of making Xiaoyu a secondary consort. Even if Feifan insisted and made Xiaoyu the primary consort, he might still marry capable secondary consorts to manage the household. How could Xiaoyu, raised like a blank sheet of paper, compete with noble ladies and young masters meticulously trained since childhood?

The fates of the two children were intertwined, and they had feelings for each other. Forcibly separating them would lead to unpredictable results. Letting them be together meant a very bumpy road ahead.

The eldest aunt teased Xiaoyu, "Father, Xiaoyu is truly raised by you personally. Even getting married, he wants to bring you along."

"I, his mother, don't know which forgotten corner he's left me in."

Yu Xiaoyu gazed innocently at his mother. The old master's face was full of smiles.

The eldest aunt added, "After you and Feifan marry, you can only go live with Feifan at the prince's residence. You can't stay with Grandpa anymore."

Yu Xiaoyu looked at his grandfather in shock.

How could that be?

They had always been together before. He thought it would be like this forever.

And also, why would he go live with Maomao? "Maomao said before that he would live with Grandpa and me."

"Xiaoyu, that was possible before, but not now." Seeing he was truly perplexed, Xiaoyu's mother planned to take him back and explain slowly. She then bid farewell to the old master, who dismissed the younger generation.

"Father, the next few years will be very difficult for Xiaoyu," Yu Huaiqing said, watching the figures of his wife and children leave.

"Trust Feifan."

"Feifan is too rigid. He might anger the prince." Thinking of the scene he witnessed upon entering the gate—Lu Feifan being carried out by his limbs—Yu Huaiqing doubted this prospective son-in-law.

They fought right after being recognized as family? Wouldn't father and son be constantly at odds in the future?

"You still don't understand Feifan well enough," Old Master Yu said.

"Does Feifan have other special abilities we don't know about?" Yu Huaien asked curiously. Wasn't the divine blessing referring to the protection of imperial fortune?

"He has courage."

Lu Feifan had the courage and ability to burn his bridges and abandon everything. For someone like him with few attachments and low desires, the status and wealth of the prince's residence couldn't tempt him. If Prince Chu wanted to recognize him and keep him, he could only follow Feifan's wishes and cede some authority to him.

Prince Chu agreeing to Feifan's three conditions today was just the beginning.

"Military men like different kinds of children than scholarly families." The old master looked at Yu Huaiqing.

Yu Huaien chuckled lightly, "Perhaps Feifan's temperament is exactly to the prince's taste."

Meanwhile, Lu Maomao, full of daring, was sitting in the prince's residence carriage with Prince Chu and the Consort of Chu, facing each other in silence.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was silent and awkward. Even the slight sound of breathing was noticeable. Outside the carriage, Qi San, riding on horseback following the procession, wanted countless times to escape from the group and return to his own home. But under the watchful eyes of Zhao Lin and the others, he didn't dare act.

Qi San was still feeling apprehensive. Lu Feifan had really gotten him into trouble. Even with nine lives, he couldn't withstand such torment. After this matter was over, he must advise his second sister to discipline him properly and stop him from clinging to him and calling him 'Dad'.

"Why aren't you running anymore?" Prince Chu's voice broke the silence in the carriage.

"Where could I run to?"

"You still have some self-awareness."

"Humph."

"What's with the 'humph'? Not convinced?"

"Of course not."

"If you're not convinced, tough."

Lu Maomao humphed again, but his harmless protest was ignored by both Prince Chu and the Consort.

"You used to be a hunter. Why didn't you continue learning martial arts, instead choosing to study with those bookworms from the Yu family?"

"Your Highness, what future is there in being a brute?"

"You only started studying at fifteen, what prospects could studying possibly give you?"

In times of peace, studying literature or learning a craft is the way forward. If he was lucky enough to pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar or a provincial graduate, the land under his name would be tax-exempt. With the protection of his father, his father-in-law, and his brothers-in-law, he and Xiaoyu could live quite comfortably.

Although this was his original plan, saying it out loud would mean losing the argument. The wily Maomao thought of another reason. "When I was little, I envied the children from wealthy families in the village who could afford to study."

Prince Chu was speechless. His own flesh and blood, a young master of the Prince's mansion, had been pitiful enough to envy village children who could attend school. He felt a twinge in his heart.

The Consort hugged Lu Maomao. "If you want to study, then study. When we return to the mansion, I'll have a tutor hired for you. You can study whatever you like, for as long as you like."

"Your Highness, you're too good to me."

"You're my child. This is what a mother should do." The affection on Consort Chu's face was overflowing. Before, without a child, she had no outlet for her maternal love. Occasionally playing with other people's children only felt lighthearted and fun. The feeling was different when it was your own flesh and blood.

She found everything about her own son endearing. No matter what he said or did, it stirred her emotions and captured her attention, bringing her joy. Watching him argue, bicker, and even fight with the Prince was a great source of amusement. The Prince of Chu's mansion hadn't been this lively in a long time.

"Your Highness, you don't mind me causing trouble?"

"What young man isn't a bit rambunctious? When the Prince was your age, he often sneaked out of the palace."

"To do what?" Lu Maomao glanced at Prince Chu.

"To uphold justice."

"Huh?"

"To help those who were being beaten up by fighting off their bullies." The Consort explained more clearly.

That sounds like finding street thugs to start a gang fight. The Consort seemed to think Prince Chu's fighting was perfectly reasonable, a way of upholding justice. Such a win-win situation led Lu Maomao to guess, "Does the Prince have a fiery temper?"

"What ailment are you referring to?"

"Humph!"

This time it was Prince Chu's turn to humph. The Consort had changed so much over the years, showing not a trace of her youthful spirit. To coax this newfound son of theirs, she had no principles, using his past embarrassments as jokes. Did he have no dignity?

"Your Highness, is your throat uncomfortable?" The Consort looked at Prince Chu with concern. Having found her son, she was in such high spirits that she didn't realize her husband was hinting for her to stop.

"We'll be at the mansion soon."

"Right, right, we still need to arrange Feifan's quarters. I've been so negligent these past few days, forgetting to prepare a courtyard for Feifan. Feifan, what do you like?"

Consort Chu asked Lu Feifan all sorts of questions. She asked what style of curio shelf he liked, what material he wanted for his desk, and mentioned that Prince Chu had many paperweights, one carved into a fierce tiger descending a mountain, very majestic, which she personally liked very much. If Lu Feifan liked it, she would give it to him.

Upon returning to the mansion, she even took Lu Feifan to the treasury to choose personally. Maomao, suddenly faced with so many precious items, was dazed for several minutes before coming to his senses. The Prince of Chu's mansion was enormous, three or four times larger than the Yu residence. The scenery was exquisite everywhere, with rockeries of various shapes, pavilions that were grand and dignified, and even the pebbles paving the paths were polished smooth and round. The carved beams and painted rafters inside the buildings went without saying.

His past lack of wealth had limited Maomao's imagination.

He saw several items that he thought would be perfect to give to Xiaoyu. Maomao decided to remember them for now, waiting for a future opportunity to take them and give them to Xiaoyu. Unaware of Lu Maomao's thoughts of favoring an outsider, Consort Chu enthusiastically held up fabrics against him, wanting to have many new clothes tailored for him.

Prince Chu had no interest in accompanying the mother and son in decorating the room. After watching for a while, he hauled Qi San away, intending to deal with him first.

"Brother-in-law, look how well Feifan and my sister are getting along." Qi San smiled ingratiatingly at Prince Chu.

"He carries half the blood of the Qi family, and his appearance strongly resembles a Qi. Members of your Qi family are more pleasing to him than this prince."

Qi San inwardly wailed. "Brother-in-law, once my sister married into the royal family, she became a member of the royal family."

"In what way are you better than this prince?" Prince Chu stared at Qi San, scrutinizing his brother-in-law seriously. He wasn't as heroic, not as upright, his hairline was receding before he was forty, and he even wore a hat at home to hide it.

That Lu Feifan, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl. If only he had taken off Qi San's hat, he wouldn't have called this ugly fellow 'Dad'.

"Brother-in-law, my nephew only used me as a tool to anger you. I'm wronged!"

"If he wasn't using others as tools, why did he use you?" Prince Chu wore an expression that suggested Qi San, though a victim, was also guilty.

No, the moment Lu Feifan called Qi San 'Dad', he had already committed a heinous crime.

"Probably because I happened to be there."

"Your sister and I were having a family reunion. Why did you tag along?"

No one said he couldn't go. It was all his fault for being too enthusiastic, thinking he could help your family? In the end, he got no thanks. His nephew tricked him, his brother-in-law blamed him. What exactly was he busy running around for?

"Let's go to the training ground for some practice."

"Maybe not."

"Brother-in-law, you haven't entered the palace to report this matter to His Majesty yet."

"You should know many families are eager to have their sons adopted by you. Brother-in-law, if you're even a moment late in entering the palace, there's a chance His Majesty might hear about it from others. If someone with ulterior motives adds fuel to the fire, it will create many more complications for my big nephew's return to the ancestral fold."

Prince Chu had originally planned to first submit a memorial to the palace and wait for the Emperor's summons. But after Qi San's words, he couldn't sit still. He hurriedly changed clothes and entered the palace.

Qi San, having narrowly escaped disaster, slunk back home.