“That’s right, you are the Crown Prince. The most noble of noblemen.” Chen Ji rubbed his nose as he roasted the fish. Soon, the smell of grilled fish wafted through the air. Chen Ji held the roasting stick and brought the fish close to his nose, sniffing the delicious smell. Soon, he heard two dry coughs and he sighed. What was this called? He was making wedding clothes for others to wear!
Chen Ji offered the grilled fish respectfully. “Please have it.”
The Crown Prince did not stand on ceremony as he bit into it happily. All of a sudden, he froze. He handed the grilled fish back to Chen Ji.
Is it uncooked? Chen Ji wondered.
“As the Crown Prince of Great Tang, would I eat it by myself? Instead of enjoying by myself, we should enjoy it together. Let’s eat.”
Chen Ji was surprised. As he looked at the Crown Prince’s serious expression, he took a bite out of the grilled fish. He then stopped and looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince moved closed and took a bite while the fish was still in Chen Ji’s hand. “Delicious!”
The two of them took turns taking bites, feeling extremely satisfied. After they were done, Chen Ji asked, “Your Highness, what troubles do you have?”
“Since when did I say I was troubled?” The Crown Prince refused to admit.
“You must be troubled, that's why you came out to distract yourself. As a performer, we survive from our audience enjoying our shows. We somewhat know how to sense people’s feelings.”
The Crown Prince spouted out, “I have too many younger brothers.”
Chen Ji suddenly dug a hole. The Crown Prince walked beside Chen Ji and saw him throw the fish bones in. He could not help but ask curiously, “What are you doing?”
“This fish made a contribution to our stomachs. I can't leave its bones in the wild for other animals to scavenge. I dug a hole to bury it.”
The Crown Prince shook his head. “To grief over an injury, to take pity for no reason and to feel melancholy is what women do.”
“You are the woman.”
“Say it again!” The Crown Prince got angry.
“You are the Crown Prince and from birth, you wore comfortable clothes and ate good food, receiving love from your parents. You can even feel troubled over your younger brothers. I am an orphan and have neither parents nor siblings. When I die, I believe that there won’t be anyone to help me build a grave either. I am not even comparable to this fish.” Chen Ji intentionally made a small mound on top of the buried fish bones.
“Chen Ji, I will help you arrange a grave.” The Crown Prince had never made such a sincere promise before. Chen Ji was shocked. “Are you for real? You want to kill me just because I said one wrong sentence?”
“No.” The Crown Prince laughed, “You said that you don’t have parents or siblings and worry that you won’t have a grave after you die, right? I am saying that, on account of you sharing half a grilled fish with me today, if you die in the future, I will help you arrange a grave.”
Chen Ji made an oh sound as he remarked blandly, “I am still so young. It will be a long time before I die. If you want to repay me for the fish, you should just reward me with something.”
The Crown Prince plucked a jade pendant off his waist. “Take it.”
“I am not a robber. I don’t think half a grilled fish is worthy of such a precious jade pendant.” The truth was he already had a jade pendant.
“Then what do you want?” The Crown Prince did not know what to give him.
“Special privilege.” Chen Ji said after thinking. “I am stuck in the Han Mansion every day and it is not easy to get out. Your Highness is Prince Han’s elder brother. Could you help me get permission to leave the Han Mansion to relax once in a while?”
“Sure. I will get Prince Han to allow it.” It was such a small thing but the Crown Prince did not know why he felt a tinge of pity for Chen Ji. Everyone in the world had problems, he was simply like everyone else.
Thinking of this, the Crown Prince finally relaxed.
Chapter 14.1: Prince Zhou
Fu Rou had a nightmare. She dreamt that Lu Yunji schemed against Sheng Chumu and killed him. When she woke, although she knew it was just a dream, she could not fall back asleep. Fu Rou’s heart clenched as she left her room to stroll under the moonlight.
“Yan Zifang, don’t blame me for calling you again. I am feeling extremely confused now and cannot sleep. Yan Zifang, if you really are the one that sent Chumu to me, please protect him. He has gone to war and will be facing enemies in front and yet he still has to worry about Lu Yunji setting him up from behind. I am very worried for him….”
“Who’s there?” A patrolling guard passed by. It was only then did Fu Rou realised that she had subconsciously walked to the Imperial Garden. She quickly replied, “Head Seamstress Fu Rou from the Ministry of Works.”
The guard checked her Identification Plate but remained suspicious. He wanted to bring her back to the Imperial Guard Quarters to interrogate, Fu Rou felt helpless as she realised that things were getting serious. Prince Zhou suddenly appeared.
“Oh, I am the one that asked her out. It is almost time for Concubine Yan’s birthday and I wanted to ask her to embroider something special for me. Because I wanted to keep it a secret, I chose to meet her in the night. If you all cause a commotion like this, you will leak out my secret and ruin the surprise I prepared for my mother. Will you all be able to take on this responsibility?”
The Imperial guards immediately apologised and let go of Fu Rou.
“Thank you for helping me out, Your Highness.” Fu Rou bowed and felt a sharp pain in her elbow.
Prince Zhou examined her carefully. “Are you hurt?”
“Nope.” Fu Rou did not want to create any more trouble.
“Those Imperial guards were all specially selected to be the fittest and strongest. You are a lady. It must have been uncomfortable when they held onto you.” Prince Zhou suddenly extended his hand and grabbed onto Fu Rou’s elbow, where the guards had grabbed her. Fu Rou inhaled sharply.
“And you still say it is nothing?” Prince Zhou stared at Fu Rou’s expression as he smiled. “Come to Lingxiao Palace first thing tomorrow morning to get medicine.”
Fu Rou turned down his offer. “I do not dare to trouble you, Your Highness. I will just go to the Imperial Physician to get medicine.” Although Prince Zhou had helped her, she felt that it was better to stay away from him.
Prince Zhou asked, “What follows after, when bestowed a gift?”
Fu Rou paused. “Do not decline.”
“It is good that you are aware. Tomorrow, I will be waiting for you at Lingxiao Palace. If you dare to ignore my order and not turn up, you can wait and see what I will do.” Prince Zhou turned and left without waiting for her reply.
Fu Rou was unhappy. It’s such a small issue. Why is Prince Zhou being difficult? She could not even feel grateful for his help.
The next day, Fu Rou arrived at Lingxiao Palace.
Lingxiao Palace was the residence Prince Zhou stayed at. It was on the opposite side of the Eastern Palace but was close to the Emperor and Concubine Yan’s residence. When Lingxiao Palace was first built, the Emperor personally oversaw the construction and put in a lot of effort into the design and furnishing. It was one of the rare few that had a three layer structure. It had the best scenery in the palace and its name meant the skies. It was clear how much the Emperor doted on this son of his.
Fu Rou gazed at the scenery absentmindedly, hesitating at the door.
“You are already here, did you think you could turn and leave so easily?” Prince Zhou hid his smile as delight filled him.
“I thought about it. If Your Highness’ medicine comes at a price, I will not be able to accept it. Moreover, I have not stepped in and cannot be considered to have reached.” Sure enough, this was a trap.
“Even if you do not accept my medicine, you still owe me for the incident at the Imperial Garden.” Prince Zhou walked behind the study desk.
Fu Rou stood by the door. “What do you want?”