CH 28.1

Standing in the street full of pedestrians, Chen Wang looked at the bustling teahouse, raised his feet and strode in. After taking two steps, he halted and looked back to see Jiuzhu, who was still standing outside the entrance: “What’s wrong?”

Jiuzhu shook her head: “Nothing.”

She moved and slowly followed Chen Wang in small, quick steps.

Glancing at her with a half-smile, Chen Wang suddenly reached out to grab her wrist and pull her upstairs.

“Your Highness.” Jiuzhu whispered, walking by his side obediently, “There are many female customers upstairs…”

“It’s okay, Ben Wang doesn’t care about those things.” Walking upstairs, Chen Wang heard some women’s applause and lifted the bead curtain. He saw a lot of female customers sitting inside; there were also a few male customers seated sparsely amongst a pile of women, with expressions that screamed that they had nothing left to live for.

Zhou Shucheng was one of them. He glanced at his energetic younger sister, let out a long sigh and turned his head, only to receive a great shock. What is Chen Wang doing here?

He bent and tried to conceal himself behind the other customers: “Meimei, we should leave quickly.”

“Wait a little longer.” Zhou Xiao remained unmoved: “It’s almost time for the overbearing prince to suppress the bandits and rescue the beauty!”

“The overbearing prince held a nine chi1Chi [尺] – It can also be called a Chinese foot. 9 chi roughly equals 9.8 feet [1 chi = 1.09 feet]. lance and rushed into the bandit’s den on horseback. In the twinkle of an eye, sand and stones flew everywhere, shrouding the light of the sun and the moon!”

When a woman sitting in the audience cheered loudly, Zhou Shucheng silently covered his face with his hands. He no longer dared to look at Chen Wang’s expression.

“Dazzled by the prince’s heroic bearing, the bandits kneeled on the ground and begged for mercy repeatedly, their appearance like that of a sinking dog.”

Hearing how the overbearing prince rescued the weak woman trapped in the woodshed and disappeared into the moonlit night, the enamored female customers rewarded the storyteller incessantly.

Chen Wang looked at the frantic women and turned his head to look at Jiuzhu before pulling her to sit at the empty table beside him. He promptly ordered the attendant to bring some fruits and light refreshments.

“Listen while you eat.” Chen Wang pushed the snacks toward Jiuzhu and said in a joking tone: “Unless his brain is filled with paste, no prince will venture alone to suppress bandits.”

Jiuzhu, who was about to pick a pastry from the plate, quietly pulled back her trembling hand.

“Why are you not eating?” Chen Wang saw her withdrawing her hand, and changed the plate before her: “You don’t like it?”

“Tell more, tell more!”

An ostentatiously dressed woman tossed a piece of gold on the stage. The female storyteller glanced at the flashy piece of gold and abruptly took a few sips of tea: “Since everyone is so excited, I will now tell what happened when the overbearing prince returned to the capital after suppressing the bandits and received a lot of rewards from the Emperor.”

As it was getting more and more sensational, a female customer off the stage whispered: “Although I want to know what the real Chen Wang looks like, it is a pity that princes and nobles cannot be approached so easily. Otherwise, I would have definitely taken a proper look at him.”

Chen Wang, who heard her words: What does this overbearing prince without a functioning brain have to do with him?

“Your Highness, chennu also thinks that these stories are meaningless.” Jiuzhu tugged at Chen Wang’s sleeve: “How about we return first?”

“Wait a little more.” Chen Wang grabbed a pear and divided it with bare hands. Then he handed half to Jiuzhu but recalling that sharing a pear was not good2T/N: The Chinese way of saying ‘sharing a pear’ is ‘分梨’ [fèn lí], which is a homophone of ‘分离’ [fèn lí] which means ‘to divorce or separate’. So, when a couple shares a pear, they are believed to separate. Interestingly though, the same doesn’t apply when three people eat it. From now on, whenever you all share a pear, remember to share with two other people, not just one! xD, he stuffed the other half into her hands too. “Ben Wang would like to know how outrageous the story of this overbearing prince gets.” He sneered.

Jiuzhu took a bite from the pear in her left hand and then from the other half in her right hand. With her mouth stuffed to the brim, she peeked at Chen Wang, beginning to mull over what she should do if he got angry.

“The overbearing prince took the golden hairpin bestowed upon him, and swiftly rode on his horse toward the Young Miss’ residence. Her father had promised to let him marry his daughter as long as he succeeded in suppressing the bandits.”

“Heh.” Chen Wang sneered. Which official would dare to treat a prince with such an attitude?

How could people actually like such a sloppy story?

“You all, tell me, did Chen Wang give a golden hairpin to his fiancée?”

“He did! I had heard about it. Not long ago, Chen Wang bought a lot of gold and silver jewelry from Miaojin Building and had them delivered to Assistant Minister Ming’s residence.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Of course it’s the truth. My aunt works in Miaojin Building and is in charge of welcoming the female customers. One day, she came back and told us that Chen Wang bought a heap of expensive jewelry for his fiancee.”

Hearing their words, Chen Wang tilted his head and looked at Jiuzhu, who was nibbling on the pear silently.

After the story ended, the guests gradually started leaving the teahouse but Chen Wang sat on the chair with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the storyteller on the stage, who was currently bending over to gather the silver awarded on her. After some time, he fished out a handkerchief from his sleeve.

“This student greets Your Highness.” Zhou Shucheng couldn’t hide anymore after the other customers dispersed. So he could only brace himself and come greet Chen Wang.

Handing the handkerchief to Jiuzhu, Chen Wang glanced at Zhou Shucheng and noticed the uniform of the Imperial Academy on the latter’s body. He frowned slightly, how come even an educated scholar liked to listen to this kind of a ridiculous story?

“When this student came to the teahouse to accompany his younger sister today, he never thought he would meet Your Highness.” Although Zhou Shucheng didn’t know what Chen Wang thought of himself, at this critical moment, he still had to emphasize his innocence: ​​”Did Your Highness also come to listen to the story?”

Chen Wang asked back, “Do you think Ben Wang is someone who likes to hear this type of story?”

Zhou Shucheng turned silent.

Whether you like it or not, aren’t you still here?

“Ming meimei.” Turning around after packing her stuff, Zhou Xiao’s expression changed when she saw Jiuzhu and Chen Wang. After greeting him, she asked Jiuzhu in a low voice, “When did meimei come here?”

Her main point being: Did Chen Wang actually hear the story?

Jiuzhu clasped Chen Wang’s handkerchief and mumbled, “We arrived when the storyteller was telling how the prin… the prince beheaded the bandit.”

Zhou Xiao gave Jiuzhu a look. Couldn’t you take advantage of the fact that His Highness still hadn’t reacted and taken him out?

Jiuzhu rose to her feet: “Your Highness, the story is over. We…”

“Guniang, is that you ah?!” Holding a pouch full of rewards, the female storyteller walked towards Jiuzhu with a big smile: “I didn’t see you after that day so I didn’t even get a chance to express my gratitude.”

Chen Wang turned his head to look at Jiuzhu, who was sneaking towards the exit slowly, and pulled her back.

“Fortunately, I heeded guniang’s words last time. Since I began telling the story of the evil prince, the customers have all been rewarding me more and more. And even the other storytellers have started to imitate me.” The woman bowed towards Jiuzhu: “Thank you for showing this humble woman a way to earn money, guniang.”

Jiuzhu denied having anything to do with it: “I just asked you to tell more stories about him, I didn’t tell you the content of these stories.”

“Guniang is being modest. For those of us who tell stories to be able to eat, showing a way to earn money is not something unworthy of credit.” She was very grateful to Jiuzhu, “If guniang wants to hear any other story next time, just tell this humble woman. She will tell according to your preferences.”

“N-no need.” Jiuzhu didn’t dare to look at Chen Wang’s face: “You should go back to work first, I still have some things to deal with.”

The woman looked at the handsome man beside Jiuzhu, and revealed a considerate smile: “This humble woman won’t disturb guniang any longer. Please make yourselves at home, farewell.”

With her tactful departure, Zhou Xiao looked worriedly at Jiuzhu. Zhou Shucheng didn’t dare to disturb Chen Wang, so he forcibly pulled her away.

“Block the entrance, don’t let anyone come in.” Chen Wang raised his head and instructed the guards to go outside. The attendants glanced at each other, bowed and retreated behind the bead curtain.

*Knock, knock, knock*

Chen Wang softly tapped on the table with the knuckles of his index finger while looking at Jiuzhu, who did not dare to speak in that kind of an atmosphere: “Come, sit before you talk.”

T/N: Will he really get angry on his little pig? Nooo, don’t be (｡•́︿•̀｡)

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