Chapter 30

The next day, Consort Shen sent her personal maid, Xiaotao, to summon Zhao Hongrun to Ningxiang Palace.

Because a few days ago, Zhao Hongrun deliberately offended the concubines in the palace to force the Emperor of the Great Wei to allow him to leave the palace. As a result, today, Consort Shen had to take her mischievous eldest son to visit each of those concubines' palaces to apologize.

Fortunately, Consort Shen had always lived a life of non-contention and had never made enemies with the concubines in the palace. Moreover, those concubines were not fools. When they heard that the Emperor of the Great Wei had reluctantly granted the eight-prince Zhao Hongrun a token to pass through the palace, they immediately understood and had no resentment.

After all, except for Consort Chen, none of them had suffered any real loss. Now that Consort Shen personally led Zhao Hongrun to apologize, their resentment dissipated.

With the resentment gone, these concubines found Zhao Hongrun increasingly likable. After all, Consort Chen had been accustomed to bullying them, but now, due to Zhao Hongrun, she was increasingly neglected by the Emperor of the Great Wei, which made them feel greatly relieved.

Because of this, even Liu Shuyi, who had been the first to be angered by Zhao Hongrun, could not stop praising him after Consort Shen personally apologized.

"You're too kind, Sister. I find Hongrun to be a good child."

Liu Shuyi was the mother of the third prince, Prince Xiang, Zhao Hongjing. It was hard to imagine that as the mother of a prince who had already been enfeoffed and left the palace, Liu Shuyi could not suppress Consort Chen, which showed how highly Consort Chen was regarded by the Emperor of the Great Wei.

After all this, it was almost noon when Consort Shen and Zhao Hongrun returned to Ningxiang Palace.

"Hongrun, you seem to be in a good mood today? ... Or are you up to something again?"

Back in Ningxiang Palace, Consort Shen couldn't help but ask, as she felt that today's Zhao Hongrun was unusually well-behaved, and even when she asked him to apologize to those concubines, he had no complaints.

"Mother, you have keen eyes. How could I be up to something?" Zhao Hongrun grinned.

"You... I can't say." Consort Shen gestured for Zhao Hongrun to sit beside her and curiously asked, "Where did you go yesterday? Tell me."

"Um, nowhere special." Zhao Hongrun dared not tell the truth and half-jokingly said, "I just looked around and wandered on Chaoyang Street. ... It was very lively, more interesting than the palace."

Consort Shen kindly advised, "The outside world is different from the palace. You must be careful. Also, as a prince, you cannot do anything that goes against your duty."

"I know." Zhao Hongrun reluctantly responded and then bowed to take his leave, "Mother, I'll take my leave now."

"Hey? Aren't you staying for lunch?"

"No, I'll go to the sixth prince's pavilion first." Leaving these words, Zhao Hongrun ran off like the wind.

"This child... Even if the outside world is interesting, there's no need to be so eager, right?"

Consort Shen shook her head helplessly.

She was mistaken. She thought Zhao Hongrun was eager to leave the palace, but in fact, he was just eager to go to the sixth prince Zhao Hongzhao's Yafeng Pavilion.

After all, in a little while, his sixth brother might return from the palace school.

Leading a group of guards, Zhao Hongrun hurried to Yafeng Pavilion. Indeed, Zhao Hongzhao had not yet returned from the palace school, and only a group of young eunuchs were cleaning the pavilion.

"Eight Prince." Seeing Zhao Hongrun, the young eunuchs quickly bowed.

"Exempt from the ceremony, where is the sixth prince?" Zhao Hongrun asked, knowing the answer.

The young eunuchs, not suspecting anything, respectfully replied, "Eight Prince, the sixth prince has not returned yet."

"Oh... You can go about your business. I'll wait a bit to see if the sixth prince returns early."

Zhao Hongrun pretended to wander around the pavilion casually, but in fact, he was looking for his next target, trying to find a painting he could secretly take without his sixth brother noticing.

After a short while, he chose his target and, while the young eunuchs were not paying attention, secretly took a painting, quickly rolled it up, and hid it in his clothes.

"Well, well, it seems the sixth prince won't return. I'll leave the palace and come back tomorrow."

"Eight Prince, please walk slowly."

With the young eunuchs' respectful farewell, Zhao Hongrun left happily.

Not long after he left, the sixth prince Zhao Hongzhao returned with his guards.

"Six Prince, the eight prince came earlier."

As soon as Zhao Hongzhao stepped into the pavilion, a young eunuch reported.

"Hongrun?" Zhao Hongzhao was slightly surprised and asked, "Where is he?"

"He left after waiting for you, Eight Prince."

"Oh..." Zhao Hongzhao frowned slightly, feeling puzzled.

After all, this was the second time. His eighth brother Zhao Hongrun had visited him for two days, but they had missed each other both times.

"Looks like I'll have to visit Wenzhao Pavilion."

Zhao Hongzhao muttered. After all, out of courtesy, since Zhao Hongrun had visited twice, even though they missed each other, Zhao Hongzhao should return the visit.

Thinking this, he walked toward the back hall, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked around strangely.

"What's wrong, Prince?" his guard, Fei Wei, asked curiously.

Zhao Hongzhao also felt puzzled, looked around for a while, and then shook his head in confusion.

"Is it an illusion? I feel like something is different..."

Shaking his head, Zhao Hongzhao walked inward.

The guards looked at each other, all puzzled.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hongrun, after changing clothes in the palace, led a group of guards out of the palace and exchanged another of his sixth brother Zhao Hongzhao's works for silver.

Repeating his old trick, he wandered around the city for a while until he felt he had shaken off any followers. Then, he led Shen Yu, Mu Qing, and Lu Mu to a waterside pavilion, instructing the other seven guards to continue wandering around the city to prevent any further surveillance and then to go to a tavern to drink.

As they say, once is a stranger, twice is a friend. This time, to see the lady Su, Zhao Hongrun didn't need to solve any riddles.

He directly reported his name to a servant, and soon, the young maid Lüer from the third floor of Cuixiao Pavilion came down to greet Zhao Hongrun.

Perhaps the four hundred taels of silver from yesterday had an effect. Lüer's attitude toward Zhao Hongrun had clearly improved. The money-loving little girl led Zhao Hongrun up to the third floor while sneakily eyeing the bulging bag on Lu Mu's shoulder, and she was delighted when she saw it.

Zhao Hongrun shook his head, speechless.

"Miss, Mr. Jiang has arrived."

Lüer announced, and then Su's voice invited him in.

Entering the room, Shen Yu, Mu Qing, and Lu Mu sat in the same positions as yesterday, cross-legged and eyes closed, resting.

Zhao Hongrun, however, was surprised to see that the walls, which had been full of crane paintings, were now empty.

"Where are the paintings?" Zhao Hongrun asked curiously.

Su looked at him helplessly and said, "Mr. Jiang, you still ask... With the immortal crane you painted, my humble paintings, which are mere mortals, dare not show themselves and have long hidden away."

"Heh." Zhao Hongrun chuckled and looked at the small table in front of him, surprised to find that there were no wine bottles or cups prepared on it, unlike yesterday.

Zhao Hongrun was slightly stunned and was about to speak when Su softly invited him, "Mr. Jiang, please come to my inner chamber. I have prepared wine."

Zhao Hongrun looked up and indeed saw that Su had prepared wine on a table in her inner chamber.

In addition, there was a chessboard on the table.

"Still not convinced from yesterday?" Zhao Hongrun sat down opposite her and asked with a smile.

Su looked at him with some resentment and said somewhat melancholy, "I pride myself on my skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Yesterday, I lost in music and painting, and even in calligraphy... I think I cannot match you. So today, I can only bring out the chess to try to win back a point."

"Confident, aren't you?" Zhao Hongrun looked at Su and said with a mischievous smile, "What if I tell you that among music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, I am best at chess? Are you still so confident?"

"Eh?" Su's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I don't believe it." Su thought for a long time but still couldn't believe that a fourteen-year-old child could be proficient in all four arts.

"Don't believe it? Then let's try! ... But first, what if you lose?"

Looking at Zhao Hongrun's eager eyes, Su's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head and said softly, "Then... What do you want, Mr. Jiang?"

"Just to drink with you... really drink, not just touch the wine with your lips."

"Just that?" Su breathed a sigh of relief.

"..." Zhao Hongrun stared at her for a long time, "What did you think?"

"I thought it was drinking." Su's white neck turned red, and she said hurriedly, "Since Mr. Jiang is so confident, I'll take the first move."

"Sure. ... To avoid you losing and not accepting it, I'll let you three moves." Zhao Hongrun poured himself a cup of wine.

"..."

Su looked at Zhao Hongrun in surprise, her eyes darting around, and then she placed four stones at the corners of the chessboard.

"You're quite cunning." Zhao Hongrun was somewhat amused and then shook his head, smiling, "But it's all in vain; you will still lose."

Hearing this arrogant statement, Su was indignant and determined to make this boy, who knew nothing about humility, taste the bitterness of defeat.

So she racked her brains and focused entirely, thinking for a long time before each move. In contrast, Zhao Hongrun seemed to be more interested in drinking and admiring her beauty, making his moves almost without thinking.

But incredibly, in the end, Zhao Hongrun won, and by a large margin.

"How can this be?"

Su was utterly stunned.

"Drink up." Zhao Hongrun poured her a cup and placed it in front of her.

Looking at the chessboard and then at Zhao Hongrun, Su had no choice but to take the cup and, under Zhao Hongrun's watchful eyes, slowly drank the wine.

Perhaps she was not good at drinking, for even a light wine made her cheeks flush, her eyes become more tender and alluring.

Watching this, Zhao Hongrun sincerely thought that a beautiful woman drunk was indeed a rare and beautiful sight.