Chapter 20: A Sudden Turn

Chapter 20: A Sudden Turn

It was a blazing hot day, the heat leaving Yuan Wu feeling agitated.

He rode on horseback, shielding his eyes from the scorching sun with one hand, and dabbed the beads of sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

This was a lonely, deserted shortcut.

They say a new broom sweeps clean—Yuan Wu had already mapped out his plans before even reaching Bozhou.

A flicker of pride swelled in his chest. He pressed his legs into the horse's flanks, urging it back into a brisk trot.

He just wanted to get there faster.

The shortcut wound through mountains, where vegetation grew unusually lush and thick. The wild grass along the path reached as high as the horses' knees. Days of relentless heat had left the earth brittle and dry, and each hoofbeat sent up clouds of dust.

Liu Fugui, at the rear of the procession, waved away the dust clouding the air and coughed several times, a dull rasp in his throat.

His throat was starting to ache. He'd have to see a doctor once they reached Bozhou. Liu Fugui cleared his throat, tightened his grip on the reins, and urged his horse forward to catch up.

Suddenly, he caught the faint rustle of some creature moving through the grass.

Liu Fugui scoffed, unconcerned. Probably just a few wild mountain rabbits.

After days of relentless travel, he was feeling more than a little resentful.

He muttered to himself, bringing up the rear: "What's the hurry? The post isn't going to grow legs and run away..."

His voice died in his throat.

Someone had climbed onto his horse without a sound, clamping a hand over his mouth and nose.

Liu Fugui broke into a cold sweat instantly.

In the space of a single breath, he drew the sword at his waist and stabbed backward with all his strength, hearing the sound of a blade sinking into flesh.

Liu Fugui coughed violently, a hoarse, rasping "hah... hah..." rattling in his throat. Blood trickled from the corner of his pale lips, dripping onto his black robe and spreading into a dark, chilling stain.

Ignoring the pain and the dagger buried in his back, he spun and kicked the assailant hard, sending him tumbling off the horse.

Liu Fugui froze, clutching the wound in his lower back.

Perhaps because their comrade had been exposed, they no longer bothered to hide.

Just a few dozen feet behind Liu Fugui, the grass that should have been peaceful now glinted with the cold, metallic sheen of weapons under the sun.

It was over.

Liu Fugui's grip on the reins tightened unconsciously, his palms growing slick and clammy against the rough rope—soaked with blood or sweat, he couldn't tell.

Before an arrow could pierce his heart, he let out a desperate scream that echoed through the valley: "Protect the Third Prince! Protect the Third Prince!"

————

"What's the situation?" Yuan Rang's slender fingers teased the puppy in his arms, rough and careless, making the little dog snap its jaws trying to bite.

Liu Fengnian still couldn't bring himself to look directly at Chen Gangpao, who looked more like a plaything than a real dog. He turned away, preferring to pretend the creature didn't exist. "Bandits run rampant in Lingnan. The Third Prince has been taken by them."

Liu Fengnian, a master of shifting blame, calmly pinned the attack on the Third Prince on the Lingnan mountain bandits, his expression unchanged.

Yuan Rang mischievously tugged at Chen Gangpao's whiskers, ignoring the dog's bared fangs, and said slowly: "Find a chance in a few days to let him escape. Don't keep him there too long."

"Understood."

Yuan Rang set Chen Gangpao down, brushed the dog hair from his robes, and turned to leave.

Chen Shuoan had been busy all day. The moment his studies ended, he slipped into the kitchen alone.

This gave the maids and servants bustling in the kitchen quite a scare: "Young Master Chen, what are you doing here?"

Chen Shuoan explained, "I'll be making His Highness the Sixth Prince's lunch today. Could you kind brothers and sisters make some room for me? Thank you, thank you so much."

"How could we allow this!"

No matter how passionately Chen Shuoan pleaded, his newly claimed brothers and sisters wouldn't budge.

After much back and forth, Chen Shuoan finally secured the kitchen for one shichen.

The head matron was still uneasy, terrified the young master might set the stove on fire. Losing the kitchen would be one thing, but if even a single hair on Young Master Chen's head got singed, it would be a disaster.

She hurried off with quick, mincing steps to report to the Sixth Prince.

Chen Shuoan had just finished butchering a hen and was wondering where the flour was when he saw Yuan Rang arrive.

"What are you doing?" Yuan Rang relaxed upon seeing him unharmed, though his expression was puzzled.

Chen Shuoan smiled, his doe-like eyes curving into crescents and his beautiful lips quirking upward. "Didn't Your Highness say you wanted the whole chicken feast? I'm here to make it happen today."

Yuan Rang stood frozen.

That day, he had been so consumed by jealousy that he'd merely hummed in agreement with Chen Shuoan's words, never expecting the man to actually remember.

The Sixth Prince had lived fourteen years and had never been treated like this.

An inexplicable emptiness surged in Yuan Rang's chest, as if only devouring Chen Shuoan whole could ease the ache.

Chen Shuoan responded to every word he said, followed through on every matter.

A blood-red glint surfaced deep in Yuan Rang's eyes. His pitch-black, ink-dark gaze fixed intently on the pale nape of Chen Shuoan's neck.

Yuan Rang took a deep breath, as if he could smell the tantalizing fragrance radiating from Chen Shuoan through the thick, greasy kitchen air.

The question that had plagued him for days finally cleared like clouds parting.

Yuan Rang had finally seen the sun hidden behind layers of soft clouds, and the light of "truth" scorched his blood, burning hot and feverish.

The Sixth Prince's youthful heart was no longer a secret.

He wanted to kiss Chen Shuoan.

Chen Shuoan himself was completely unaware. He leaned over the basin to wash his hands, saying, "I still owe you two roasted eggs. Did you forget?"

Yuan Rang lowered his gaze, masking the madness on his face, and chuckled softly: "Of course not. I thought you were the one who'd forgotten."

Chen Shuoan waved his arm with grand confidence: "Impossible. I, Chen Shuoan, never make empty promises. If I can't do it, I won't agree. If I agree, I'll see it through."

Yuan Rang raised an eyebrow, appreciative. "Not bad."

And so Yuan Rang became Chen Shuoan's assistant. The two of them, neither of whom had ever personally lit a stove before, bustled about the kitchen in a flurry of activity.

The matron beside them was scared out of her wits, fearing these two might stir up some kind of trouble.

She had thought summoning His Highness the Sixth Prince would persuade Young Master Chen, but instead the two of them were about to raise hell together.

With Yuan Rang's vigorous assistance, Chen Shuoan got his legendary upgrade.

In less than an hour, a simplified version of seasoned fried chicken, led by Chen Shuoan and assisted by Yuan Rang, was officially done.

They even launched the Chen-Yuan Whole Chicken Combo, with two roasted eggs thrown in.

After finishing his official business, Liu Fengnian had intended to stay at his grandson's place for lunch.

But as he waited and waited without seeing the matron bring out any dishes, and was just about to keel over from hunger at his age, Jili finally came rushing in all flustered.

He hastily presented the dishes from the food box before Liu Fengnian, saying, "Please forgive me, my lord. No lunch was prepared in the residence today. Once we found out you were staying, we sent someone out to the Fresh Delicacies Shop right away. It took some time to go back and forth, but the food is all fresh. I'm afraid you'll have to make do, my lord."

Liu Fengnian looked at the lavish spread of meat and fish on the table, feeling rather content.

Then he asked with confusion, "And what will the Sixth Prince have for lunch? Won't it be bad for him to skip a meal?"

Jili bowed as he refilled the tea, respectfully saying, "Young Master Chen is personally cooking for His Highness. They've already started eating over there. Please do not worry, my lord."

Liu Fengnian was not worried after hearing this; he was rather annoyed.

He looked around at the empty seats, with not a single soul around except Jili and the chattering summer bugs.

?

So I'm the one who's extra now?

Jili watched the Minister's face, which was on the verge of tears, and inexplicably felt that the summer breeze carried a hint of desolation.