Chapter 168 If you can't have it, you can marry it.
Seventh Prince?
Xiao Lin?
Yao Shisan looked at the fair-skinned, rosy-lipped boy in front of him. This was actually the little tyrant Xiao Lin?!
"This humble woman greets Your Highness, the Seventh Prince."
Yao Shisan and Dan Niang bowed and paid their respects.
Xiao Lin didn't look at them, but only glanced at the little boy. "Disgraceful. He was knocked over by a little girl, and he still has the nerve to throw a tantrum."
The little boy was a bit unconvinced, "Your Highness, I haven't grown up yet!"
Xiao Lin was too lazy to waste words with him, "If you're not grown up yet, hurry up and go back to drink your milk!"
Yao Shisan never expected that the little tyrant he hadn't seen for two years would grow up and develop a sense of justice.
She had barely thought that when Xiao Lin's next words were like tearing her face off and stomping on it twice.
Xiao Lin lazily turned to look at Ji Xiaoman, "You, race my dog and see who's faster."
"..."
She overestimated him; after all, he was a child raised by Xiao Shu.
Their hearts are all black.
Ji Xiaoman knew that the Seventh Prince was just trying to make things difficult for him.
"Yes, Your Highness, if you lose, you must not deliberately obstruct the Crown Prince's official duties in the future."
Xiao Lin glared at him angrily, "Let's compete first!"
Ji Xiaoman turned to Yao Shisan and said, "Sister, you take Fu'er and Xuan'er back first."
Fu'er had completely forgotten about Xiao Lin, and she took her mother's hand and prepared to go back.
"etc!"
Xiao Lin got off the ice sled and slowly walked towards the mother and daughter who looked somewhat familiar.
Until the little girl in my memory overlapped with the little girl in front of me who had grown up to the same size.
"Zhou Jiafu!" Xiao Lin looked like he'd seen a ghost.
He then looked at Yao Shisan, "Weren't you all dead?!"
Fu'er is no longer a three-year-old child; she understands a lot now.
"You've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Yao Anfu."
Yao Shisan smiled with satisfaction and then said, "People can be similar, so it's normal for Your Highness to admit your mistake."
Fu'er shook her mother's hand, "Mother, let's go back. If Pangxi wakes up and doesn't see us, he'll cry."
"Alright." Yao Shisan bent down and picked up Fu'er. "This humble woman takes her leave."
Xiao Lin stood still, seemingly frozen, staring in the direction the others had left.
After a long while, he turned to look at Ji Xiaoman and asked, "Could it be that I have misremembered?"
"No, she's not Zhou Jiafu. What are you doing here?"
Ji Xiaoman neither admitted nor denied it.
He simply asked softly, "Does Your Highness still wish to compete? If not, I shall take my leave."
Xiao Lin immediately abandoned the ice cart and the big dog, saying, "Let's go! I'll go with you!"
Ji Xiaoman: "...This subordinate must go to defend the city."
Xiao Lin: "Then you may leave. I will go by myself."
The eunuchs not far from the shore noticed that His Highness had stopped playing, and someone immediately came to take the dog and retrieve the carriage.
The others followed at a distance.
Xiao Lin didn't like them getting too close.
The house where Yao Shisan now lives is a three-courtyard residence, which is not considered large for high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital.
However, this house has a three-story attic.
The rooftop is an excellent vantage point for sightseeing.
Many people wanted to buy this pavilion, but Prince Chai refused to sell it.
Now Zhou Congxian has forcibly lent them the place to live.
The best thing about living here is that there are no gossipy neighbors who like to pry.
Xiao Lin watched the iron flower performance in the attic of this house last year.
He was all alone, and it wasn't very interesting; he fell asleep while watching.
At least he remembered one good thing: he slept quite well.
Looking at the tightly closed door, he became more and more certain that the mother and daughter he had just seen were Zhou Jiafu and Zhou Congxian's concubine!
Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes; his yellow jade tiger was still in the Duke of Ying's mansion.
He didn't go inside, but instead walked toward the eunuchs waiting to the side with a smirk.
"Let's go, into the palace."
The imperial city stands majestically in the very center of the capital.
The city gate had a new face again.
Xiao Lin skillfully tossed his token out.
The guards hurriedly took the token, saying, "Greetings, Seventh Prince."
Xiao Lin hummed twice in a good mood.
My elder brother is good in every way, except that he likes to change the people in the palace. He changes them every six months for a small change and every two years for a big change.
He rarely visited the palace to begin with, and what's worse, he couldn't remember people.
The Hall of Diligent Governance.
Eunuch Tian tiptoed in, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince requests an audience."
His Majesty put down his pen and looked up.
His temples flashed in the light, revealing faint strands of silver.
"Let him in."
No matter how lawless Xiao Lin was outside, once he entered the palace, he was subject to all the rules.
"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects."
His Majesty put down the vermilion brush in his hand, and Eunuch Tian immediately presented him with a warm handkerchief.
"Speak, what do you want this time?" His Majesty said, wiping his fingers as he glanced at the young boy.
Xiao Lin: "I need someone."
"Person? Who do you want?" His Majesty was used to his various strange requests, but this was the first time he had heard him ask for a person.
“Zhou Jiafu, the daughter of Lord Zhou.”
His Majesty paused in wiping his hands, then threw the handkerchief on the table.
"Zhou Qing has no children, where would you find a daughter?"
"There's a limit to nonsense. Even if someone has a daughter, why should they give her to you? Do you think she's just some random cat or dog?"
“I’m not being ridiculous.” Xiao Lin looked up. “I gave her my jade tiger, so Lord Zhou should give me his daughter.”
Your Majesty, "...Who would ask someone for their daughter back?"
Xiao Lin: "If you can't have it, you can marry it."
Your Majesty, do you, a mere child, know anything about marriage?
Xiao Lin looked up as if it were a matter of course, "I know, he's here just to play with me!"
"Brother, you have no idea how bored I am every day! It's so boring!"
"I still remember how fun Zhou Jiafu was when she was little, so please agree, Your Majesty."
Your Majesty, "No... wait, you almost got me hooked. Lord Zhou doesn't have a daughter."
Xiao Lin became a little anxious, "Yes! I've run into them all today!"
His Majesty waved his hand impatiently, "If you have nothing else to do, hurry back. The Hall of Diligent Governance is not a place for you to play around."
Xiao Lin did not get his wish. No matter how unwilling he was, His Majesty had given him the order to leave, so he had to go.
After seeing the Seventh Prince off, Eunuch Tian returned and said, "The Seventh Prince has gone back."
His Majesty grunted in acknowledgment, picked up the vermilion brush again, and after writing down two characters, his hand paused, and then he seemed to sigh.
"The little girl that the Seventh Prince mentioned is the daughter of Lord Meng's granddaughter."
Eunuch Tian replied, "Yes."
He bowed and waited to the side, but after a long while, he still didn't hear His Majesty's next words.
Eunuch Tian glanced at His Majesty discreetly; His Majesty had already begun to concentrate on handling state affairs.
Xiao Lin couldn't get anyone.
However, he could move. The house next door belonged to the Earl of Huaiyang, and he could get the land deed from them with just a few words.
He wanted to exchange it for the land deed of the Prince's Mansion, but the Earl of Huaiyang dared not accept it and could only present the land deed with both hands.
When the neighbors moved, they kept bringing in all sorts of items, big and small.
There are also all sorts of strange and unusual little gadgets.
They were all collected by Xiao Lin.
Fu'er and Xuan'er squatted at the door, and even just looking at it was a feast for their eyes.
"Xuan'er, did you see that kite just now? It had a long tail and it was pretty."
Xuan'er nodded, "Yes, it's so beautiful."
"And that little monkey, it can even shake its head like that."
Fu'er swayed back and forth, imitating the little monkey.
Xuan'er applauded enthusiastically.
Dan Niang only watched for a short while before realizing that the neighbors next door were either rich or noble, and immediately led the two girls who had come to watch the commotion back.
“Madam Yao, someone next door is moving in. They look like a wealthy family. I’m afraid they might be difficult to get along with.”
Yao Shisan, supporting the chubby boy, didn't take it to heart.
"We'll just close our doors and live our own lives. What does it matter whether we get along with our neighbors or not?"
“One month later, whether we receive a reply or not, we will set off for the border region.”
Dan Niang nodded, "That's right. We're only staying for a month anyway, so we'll just be careful on weekdays."
That's what they think.
But their new neighbors don't see it that way.
That afternoon, Xiao Lin led a group of people to knock on the door next door.
Yao Shisan looked at the large group of people at the door, each holding a plate of food.
"...What is Your Highness doing?"
Xiao Lin reached out and opened the other half of the door. "Of course, I'm treating you to dinner."
The people behind him filed in.
"This, this is..."
Dan Niang was also stunned; it seemed they had moved the entire restaurant here!
Xiao Lin took a seat in the hall and looked around with a hint of disdain.
"Lord Zhou is too stingy! This shabby room doesn't even have a single painting!"
"Yuanbao, go and bring me my 'Fighting Cocks' painting and hang it up!"
"yes!"
A young eunuch immediately ran out.
"Need not--"
Yao Shisan couldn't stop them in time, so he could only look at Xiao Lin and say, "Seventh Prince, no need, we're just staying temporarily."
"Temporary stay?" Xiao Lin was even more disgusted. "Is Zhou Congxian so poor that he doesn't even own a house?"
"Don't worry, you can't stay here anymore. Stay at my manor!"
Xiao Lin picked up his chopsticks, and surprisingly, he found himself somewhat hungry for the food on the table that he had long been tired of eating.
"Sit down, everyone, and eat!"
Dan Niang dared not sit down.
Although the child in front of them was only eight or nine years old, he was actually a prince.
She could only look at Yao Shisan.
Only after Yao Shisan sat down did she dare to pull Xuan'er down to sit as well.
Xiao Lin excitedly introduced his favorite dishes, and then asked the eunuchs waiting to serve them.
But he discovered that, from beginning to end, he was the only one who was happy.
No one else dared to pick up any food.
It seemed that he gave the order, and the eunuch picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks before they would take a bite.
The table full of delicious-looking food suddenly became tasteless.
Xiao Lin's face turned cold.
Yuanbao keenly sensed his emotions and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
It's over.
"Seventh Prince?"
Zhou Congxian rushed back from Jinzhou. As soon as he entered the door, he smelled the aroma of food and wondered if he had arrived at the perfect time.
I never expected Xiao Lin to be here.
Xiao Lin merely glanced at him, put down his chopsticks, got up, and left.
"Your Highness!"
Yuanbao and a group of eunuchs chased after them.
They left behind a table full of delicious food, and a group of people with blank expressions.
The room suddenly became empty.
Dan Niang finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I could only smell the aroma, I couldn't taste anything at all, I was so scared!"
Xuan'er tugged at her mother's sleeve, "Mother, was brother angry just now—"
Dan Niang quickly covered her daughter's mouth, "That's His Highness, don't call him that!"
Call him "Brother Prince"?
That's suicidal!
Zhou Congxian glanced in the direction Xiao Lin had left, then turned to reassure him, "Eat up, don't waste it."
"I just rushed back at full speed, and my stomach was still empty."
"As expected of the capital! It's delicious!"
"Fu'er, Xuan'er, you two eat this meatball..."
Laughter and chatter drifted faintly out of the house.
Xiao Lin stood in the courtyard that was not originally his, his eyes darkening.
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