Chapter 540 - 543: Tattling
When Hua Manman learned that Mr. Du had gone next door to teach, she thought she wouldn’t be seeing Li Xun today.
She was just getting ready to enjoy a comfortable day off when Li Xun came scampering in.
"Mother! Let’s go out and play!"
Hua Manman was surprised. "Don’t you have lessons today?"
Li Xun began to skillfully tattle.
"That Mr. Du is the worst.
Not only did he break my bookshelf and make a mess of my study, he even scared me on purpose.
Father couldn’t stand it, so he made him fix the bookshelf and put the study back the way it was.
He’s still repairing the bookshelf right now, so he has no time to deal with me.
And Father is about to go inspect Tianjing, so let’s go with him!"
Hua Manman never would have imagined that Mr. Du would go from being a teacher to a handyman.
’That’s quite the career change.’
She wanted to ask for more details, but Li Xun was already eagerly pulling her out the door.
"Father’s carriage is parked right outside. Let’s hurry!"
Hua Manman ran out the door with the little boy.
She turned and called out to Jiao Gui, who was running after her.
"I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back later."
When Ban Ren learned the Young Master was going out, he immediately insisted on accompanying them to ensure the Young Master’s safety.
Once they were out the main gate, they spotted the carriage parked by the side of the road at a glance.
Li Xun took his mother’s hand and ducked into the carriage.
Ban Ren, like the other trusted aides, rode on horseback behind the carriage.
Only after getting into the carriage did Hua Manman see the Regent King.
He was dressed in an ink-blue brocade robe today, with a cinched waist and narrow sleeves, and deerskin boots on his feet. His dark hair was meticulously tied up. The whole outfit was sharp and clean, and combined with his handsome face that held a hint of wickedness, he looked exceptionally dashing and unrestrained.
Hua Manman consciously found a seat furthest from the Regent King.
Li Xun, as always, stuck close to his mother.
He pulled out some snacks from a hidden compartment in the carriage, piled them all in front of his mother, and said attentively,
"Mother, eat up."
Hua Manman wasn’t hungry yet.
But she still picked up a piece of candied fruit and put it in her mouth.
Under the child’s expectant gaze, she said with a smile,
"It’s very sweet."
Li Xun immediately beamed with joy.
Hua Manman picked up another piece of candied fruit and offered it to the child.
Li Xun obediently opened his mouth and gobbled down the fruit in one bite.
Perhaps because it was his mother who fed him this piece, he felt it tasted exceptionally sweet and fragrant.
’It’s better than any snack I’ve ever had!’
Seeing that the boy liked it, Hua Manman offered him another piece.
Li Xun quickly said, "Mother, you eat."
Hua Manman ate the candied fruit in her hand, then offered another to the boy.
This time, the boy didn’t refuse and quickly opened his mouth to eat it.
Hua Manman’s heart softened.
’Even with just a small piece of candied fruit, he insists I eat first.’
Li Ji watched the mother-son interaction before him, his heart filled with an emotion called envy, jealousy, and hate.
’I want Manman to feed me too.’
He cleared his throat and asked, feigning casualness,
"Are those snacks any good?"
Li Xun knew his father’s usual tricks all too well. The moment he heard that, he knew his father wanted a piece of the action.
He immediately reached out and swept all the snacks in front of him into his arms.
"They’re not good at all! Father, you can’t have any!"
Li Ji: "..."
’Bratty sons are truly the worst!’
Li Ji was so angry he wanted to reach out and pull the little brat’s ear.
Li Xun quickly hid behind his mother, yelling as he did,
"Mother, help! Father’s going to hit me again!"
Hua Manman quickly tried to mediate.
"He’s just a child, he doesn’t know any better. Regent Prince, please don’t stoop to his level."
Although she said that, she had no intention of sharing any of the snacks.
Li Xun peeked his little head out from behind his mother and deliberately made a face at his father.
’Stupid Father, nyah nyah nyah~’
Li Ji forced a cold smile.
’You just wait, you little brat!’
Amidst the family’s playful bickering, the carriage smoothly drove out of Shangjing.
Originally, there was a considerable distance between Shangjing and Tianjing.
The Regent King had ordered people to carve out an official road through the mountains.
With the new road, the journey between the two cities was shortened by a huge margin.
The carriage hadn’t been on the official road for long when it was suddenly stopped.
The playful fighting inside the carriage ceased.
Li Ji pushed open the carriage window and looked out, seeing several disheveled-looking young men kneeling not far ahead.
It was the six Princely Heirs whom the Regent King had sentenced to labor reform.
They had been repairing the road nearby and happened to spot the Regent King’s carriage passing by. They hurriedly dropped their tools and, ignoring the officials’ attempts to stop them, practically scrambled over.
"Regent Prince, we know we were wrong! We’ll never dare to act so recklessly again. Please, spare us!"
They were born into a life of luxury, accustomed to ordering servants about, and had never known hardship.
Now, after just one day of roadwork, they felt like their arms and backs were about to break, and their feet were covered in bloody blisters.
’This is no life for a human!’
They really couldn’t take it anymore.
Hua Manman heard the voice and immediately recognized it as the Princely Heir from Prince Zheng Mansion.
Curiously, she poked her head out to look.
They looked completely different from the high-spirited young men she had met last time; now, they were all disheveled and utterly exhausted.
If she hadn’t met them before, Hua Manman would never have believed that this group of men, who looked no better than beggars, were actually Princes.
No matter how much the Princely Heirs pleaded, Li Ji remained unmoved.
"Take them back and have them watched closely."
Chen Wangbei came forward with the trusted aides and forcibly dragged the six Princely Heirs away.
The carriage started moving again.
Hua Manman watched the direction the Princely Heirs had been taken, almost as if she could still hear their miserable cries.
’Tsk tsk, how pitiful.’
She turned to look at the Regent King and, after a moment’s hesitation, asked,
"No matter what, they are the Princely Heirs of the various Vassal Kings. What if something happens to them while you just leave them out here like this?"
If something happened to their precious sons in Shangjing, those Vassal Kings wouldn’t care about the reason.
They would only point their fingers at the Regent King, believing it was his failure to look after their precious boys that led to the incident.
Li Ji smiled meaningfully.
"Rest assured, I have everything under control."
Seeing him say this, Hua Manman didn’t press the matter further.
The carriage arrived in Tianjing just as it was noon.
Many citizens had already moved into the city, including a variety of business people.
When Tianjing was first established, Li Ji had divided the entire city into twenty-seven districts. Businesses like shops and restaurants were almost all concentrated in Dingkang Square and Zhongming Square.
The districts were connected by district gates.
The gates were closed every night at 9 p.m., when the city-wide curfew began, and would only reopen at 5 a.m. the next day.
This way, not only did it make the Celestial Capital neater and more aesthetically pleasing, but it also allowed the government to better manage the city’s populace and minimize petty crimes.