Ch62.1 - I miss you so much

When Zuo Qingshan made this guess, it was obvious that Lu Xingwang slightly applied pressure with the hand holding the folded paper.

For some reason, seeing the crown prince sitting at the table with a serious expression, Zuo Qingshan stopped probing and instead broke into a smile.

Feeling disturbed by his smile, Lu Xingwang looked up and frowned. “What are you laughing at?” he asked.

“Hmm?” Zuo Qingshan walked over to a nearby chair and sat down. He looked at Lu Xingwang and said, “Your Highness, you look much more approachable this way.”

Lu Xingwang raised an eyebrow. “Are you making fun of me, Major General?”

Who would dare to make fun of you? Anyone who would do so would probably die.

Zuo Qingshan shook his head. He was always straightforward, and today, he felt bolder than usual. “I just think that, while you were almost the same as before, you had a bit more life in you. Sometimes you’d even play with a teddy bear, which was pretty amusing.”

“……”

Lu Xingwang couldn’t be bothered to explain that he wasn’t into teddy bears.

Zuo Qingshan continued, “But ever since you became the crown prince, Your Highness, you’ve become this cold, lifeless block of wood. Sometimes, I wonder if there’s some sort of program running inside you—how else could you be so robotic? Honestly, I don’t think anyone would dare say it to you, but it’s honestly a bit… concerning.”

Lu Xingwang, because you hold such a high position, no one’s close to you. Because you’re used to relying on yourself, there’s no one to tell you not to be so hard on yourself, to be kinder to yourself. No one tells you it’s okay to show your sadness, that you don’t have to bottle everything up and force yourself to deal with it all alone.

In the past, at least there was a kid around him. Perhaps Lu Xingwang didn’t realize just how important Jian Mei was to him, but Zuo Qingshan could clearly see it. Because Jian Mei was there, Lu Xingwang had someone to lean on. Yes, that child was his emotional support.

If Lu Xingwang, whom everyone feared, was a sharp sword, then Jian Mei was the scabbard that could perfectly contain him. With Jian Mei around, whenever Lu Xingwang felt sad, heartbroken, or overwhelmed, he had someone to ease his emotions. With Jian Mei by his side, even the cold, distant stone that others avoided could feel warmth.

When Jian Mei was around, everything was normal.

But when the kid disappeared, the flaws began to show. A sword without a scabbard, no matter how sharp, was bound to have problems.

Lu Xingwang withdrew his gaze from Zuo Qingshan and lowered his head. ‘Major General, you’re overthinking. I’m fine. If you have time to chat, why not go finish the military department’s reports for the first half of the year? I expect them by tomorrow.”

“……”

Zuo Qingshan pouted. “Fine, if you won’t admit it, then don’t. But why pick on me? You know I can’t stand doing things like that.”

Lu Xingwang remained unaffected and continued, “If you think missing the report is no big deal, then we can talk about the military department’s supplies and budget for the second half of the year…”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Zuo Qingshan jumped up from his chair as he finally understood. “Alright, I’ll go work on the report now. You just enjoy yourself in secret, but if anything comes up with that kid, let me know.

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After a while, Lu Xingwang put down the memorial and sighed helplessly.

The crown prince stood up. His study was grander than the old palace, yet such a large space felt strangely empty. He passed through a corridor into his bedchamber, a private space where no outsider was allowed to enter.

He pressed a button on the wall, and a secret door appeared, then Lu Xingwang stepped inside. It was a small, enclosed room filled with little things from Jian Mei over the years:

The first perfect exam paper

A bear that sings and has strange, colorful lights

A 101-page fairy tale storybook

His memory had always been sharp, and as he gazed at these items, clearer images surfaced in his mind—every smile, frown, and even the words that had been spoken, all vividly fresh. Though this room was off-limits to outsiders, the cabinets were impeccably clean, without a speck of dust, a clear indication that the owner took great care in maintaining it.

Lu Xingwang picked up the mecha warrior model that Jian Mei had given him last year and stared at it for a while. Recalling the words the kid had said when handing it over, “I hope that Dazhuang-ge stays healthy and everything goes smoothly. If you’re ever feeling down, the mecha warrior will protect you and chase the bad guys away!”

The steel-made mecha warrior felt slightly cold to the touch. Lu Xingwang ran his finger across the mecha warrior’s body, his gaze deep and complex. He stared at it for a long while before speaking in a low, soft voice that only he could hear. “Jian Mei, take care of yourself.”

Just like before, he didn’t want Jian Mei to get involved with his divine powers.

His greatest wish was for the child to grow up carefree, surrounded by the love of his family. Having grown up in the imperial family, he had long since grown tired of the power struggles and scheming that came with wealth and influence. He understood that a simple, stable life might not be such a bad thing after all.

Now that he sensed Jian Mei’s aura, his initial joy was quickly replaced by endless worry. Although he felt a fluctuation, he couldn’t be sure it was coming from Stan Star, and the area was too vast to search effectively.

But what if Jian Mei was alone in some town? He was usually so clumsy… what if he was being bullied? Would he be able to live well? If traditional methods didn’t work, maybe witchcraft could help?

Lu Xingwang gently returned the mecha warrior to its place, his expression becoming increasingly grave as his worry deepened. In the end, he left his palace and called Lan Chang.

Golden Town—Mansion.

As usual, a lavish banquet was set up in the back garden for the important guests. A poor drenched four-legged beast nudged its owner’s leg looking miserable. The little girl stood there frustrated not knowing who to blame. While Jian Mei felt a little scared and took small careful steps to hide behind the young master.

The young master noticed the little girl’s subtle movements and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

The little girl walked over confidently with her four-legged beast and asked, “May I ask who threw my pet into the fountain?”

Grandma Li replied, “No one threw it.”

“How could it have gone in by itself if no one threw it?” the girl retorted confidently.

Jian Mei watched her argue with Grandma Li and muttered in a low voice, “It really did go in by itself.”

It rolled in on its own.

He didn’t dare to say more; it was something that could only be understood implicitly.

The little girl was taken aback that a commoner would dare to argue with her. There was an old saying: “When you hit a dog, you must consider its master.”

She lowered her head slightly to look at the young master. “Young Master Wen, my uncle and I came all the way to your house as guests, and this happened. Aren’t you going to say something?”

The gentle and refined young master nodded and said softly, “I do have something to say.”

Only then did the little girl seem somewhat satisfied, and a smile appeared on her face.

“We’ve always been very welcoming in our family, but there are a lot of flower fairies living in our garden. Flower fairies are usually very quiet, and your pet’s reckless behavior has already scared several of them.”

The young master raised his hand, and with a flick of wind magic, the flowers scattered on the ground floated up, finally settling gently on his fingertip. “The flower fairies might move away due to the disturbance, but since you’re a guest in my home, I won’t say anything further.”

What else can I say?

You’re almost pointing at my nose and scolding me.

The little girl was taken aback, her frustration building. She said with some displeasure, “My uncle and I came to your home as guests. Is this how you treat your guests?”

The young master didn’t flinch in the slightest. The usually polite and refined person gave a faint smile after hearing her words and said, “Young Lady Song, what do you mean? Didn’t you ask me to say a few words?”

I asked you to say something about your servant, not me!

The little girl was so angry that she was practically steaming but she couldn’t argue back. In the end, she could only sulk and storm off with her pet. After she left, Jian Mei quietly gave the young master a thumbs-up and murmured,, “Awesome.”

The young master laughed softly.

Their group headed to the banquet in the back garden, where quite a few people had gathered. Jian Mei was shocked to see the man in silver robes from the hospital yesterday! How was it him again?

The priest was sitting at the elevated seat, so he spotted Jian Mei even at a distance. He seemed a bit surprised, but didn’t do anything about it. He merely glanced over before continuing his conversation with Jia Si.

While the young master was eating, Jian Mei stood nearby, quietly listening.

As the host of the gathering, Jia Si asked, “Daren, did you come this time to investigate into the hospital?”

“The crown prince is planning to reform the Ministry of Healing and Medicine,” the silver-haired priest said unhurriedly, “The reason is that he discovered that, although the department has recruited many talented healers in recent years, the overall efficiency hasn’t improved. So now, he plans to carry out a major reformation, redirecting the annual government funds for doctors into policies that benefit the public.”

Jia Si said, “The crown prince is still young. For hundreds of years, Stan Star has managed the Ministry of Medical Supervision this way. If he wants to change it, he’ll have to see if the influential medical families agree. Even the current emperor didn’t dare to make such changes. How could someone as inexperienced as the crown prince possibly disrupt the benefits of so many powerful people?”

“Indeed,” the silver-haired priest agreed with conviction. “Stan Star has always relied on divine power. Our strength comes from the gods, and our people are naturally able to accept this divine energy. Our bodies are structurally different from those of extraterrestrials, so most foreign medicines don’t interact well with us—they actually conflict with our biology. 300 years ago, during a medical reform attempt using foreign drugs, allergic reactions caused the deaths of thousands.”

Jia Si nodded in agreement, “You’re absolutely right.”

The silver-haired priest continued, “I came here today to discuss something with you. The crown prince is young, but he’s not easily fooled. If I can’t present solid evidence to convince him, I’m afraid I’ll be in trouble. As the mayor of Golden Town, I was hoping you could help by providing a report.”

During the meal, the two of them were practically in cahoots. Their words might have sounded reasonable, but in reality, it was all about protecting their own interests, with no regard for the lives of the commoners.

After the meal, Jian Mei pushed the young master back home, looking somewhat distracted.

Once they got back, the young master glanced at him and asked, “Mei, what’s wrong? Is something on your mind?”

The young master had just finished his bath, and Jian Mei helped him get dressed before starting to massage his legs. This was part of the initial stage of his treatment. Before the acupuncture, the atrophied muscles in his legs needed to be relaxed as much as possible to get the blood flowing better. This whole process would take about a week to get used to.

Jian Mei was sitting by the bed, massaging the young master’s legs as he spoke. “Young master, I overheard the adults talking today. I don’t really get national politics, so I wanted to ask—do you think the crown prince is wrong?”

The young master didn’t expect a child to be interested in politics, so he replied, “Well, then, try to analyze it from an angle you don’t fully understand and tell me—do you think he’s wrong or not?”

Jian Mei hesitated a little before answering, “I don’t think the crown prince is wrong.”

“Oh?” The young master’s interest was piqued. “Why is that?”

Feeling encouraged, Jian Mei began to speak more confidently. “I don’t fully understand what the adults say about our people not being able to tolerate foreign medicines, and I wouldn’t dare to argue with that. However, the issues the crown prince pointed out such as the inefficiency of the hospitals and the oppression of the lower classes—are very real. People with power should protect the weak, not exploit them.”