Liang Mansion was not far from the academy, and the mansion was quite magnificent. The horizontal, rectangular inscribed tablet hung over the door of the residence was also inscribed by the emperor’s imperial pen.
Wen Chan followed Liang Yanbei, and until he entered the door, all he thought about was the braised chicken. But when he got to see Liang Jun, all the thoughts disappeared.
For the first time, he became a little reserved and stood behind Liang Yanbei, staring at Liang Jun impatiently.
At the moment, Liang Jun was dressed casually and standing under the eaves, with a blank expression on his face that was also slightly serious.
He looked at Wen Chan and suddenly smiled.
Both Liang Jun and Liang Yanbei had smiling eyes. They would have a smiling expression just by slightly bending their eyes. Even if he was old, he still warmed the hearts and delighted the eyes of others when he smiled, which made Wen Chan breathe a sigh of relief unconsciously.
“It turned out to be His Ninth Royal Highness.” Liang Jun strolled over and saluted Wen Chan, “I, your servant1used in addressing the sovereign by state official or subject in dynastic China pays homage to His Ninth Royal Highness.”
Wen Chan hurriedly went to help, “Minister Liang, there is no need to do this. I am sorry for disturbing you presumptuously by coming to your residence this time2Polite. Please don’t mind it.”
Liang Yanbei said from the side, “Father, it was I who brought His Ninth Royal Highness back. He is now studying at the academy. It is too troublesome to go back to the palace, and he has nowhere to go. So I asked him to come to our house to have a meal.”
Wen Chan looked at Liang Jun nervously, for fear that he would suddenly refuse with a black face.
He knew that he had a special identity, and even in the palace, the food was strictly checked layer by layer before it was delivered to his dining table.
Now that he was there, it would be okay if there was nothing wrong with the food. But if there was anything wrong with the food, the entire Liang Mansion would bear great responsibility.
The risk was so great that no court councillor would let him stay.
But Liang Jun was different from others. After listening to it, he didn’t even think about it; rather, he just said to Wen Chan, “What does Your Ninth Highness want to eat? I, your servant, will send someone to make it.”
“I’ll just help myself.” Wen Chan calmed down and said with a smile, “I will eat what you all usually eat.”
“That’s not okay.” Liang Jun said, “You are a guest once you come here. Your Royal Highness, don’t be formal.”
He was already very reserved. Wen Chan touched his palm quietly and found that it had been sweating for some unknown time. As soon as he saw Liang Jun, a tense mentality took shape as a conditioned reflex.
“I know what His Highness likes to eat. So I’ll talk to the cook.“ Liang Yanbei took the initiative to take on this errand, turned to Wen Chan, and said, “You go and sit in the lobby for a while.”
Liang Jun was surprised, “How do you know what His Highness likes to eat? Are you certain about whether he avoids uncooked or cold foods, as well as the sweetness and spiciness with which he consumes food?”
“Don’t worry.” Liang Yanbei gave his father a confident look.
Liang Jun was a little confused, but he still led Wen Chan into the lobby with a kind smile, “Does Your Highness like to drink tea? Only a few days ago, I, your servant, got a good Pu’er3
, which is a bit sweet to drink. Does your Highness want to drink it?”
Wen Chan shook his head gently, “No, I can drink plain water.”
Liang Jun thought about it but still ordered someone to serve him a cup of red beverage, “This is made of dried plums, with honey4
added to it. It’s very sweet. Your Highness can try it.”
Looking at his somewhat expectant gaze, Wen Chan couldn’t refuse either. He first took a small sip, and his whole mouth was covered with the sweet taste, along with the fragrance of plums.
Wen Chan’s eyes lit up, “It’s really delicious.”
Liang Jun was quite proud, “Obviously. I ground this drink by myself.”
“Wow — —” Wen Chan sang praises of him quite a bit, “Lord Liang is really amazing. He is good at both literature and martial arts, and he can even make delicious drinks. He is so excellent that I am afraid that there are not many people who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Lord Liang in the whole of Xi Liang.”
These words made the head of the Liang household very happy. He burst out in joy and said, laughing heartily, “Your Highness is too kind. If Your Highness likes to drink it, I, your servant, will ask someone to send some to Your Highness another day.”
“Then I’ll thank you, Lord Liang, for your generosity.” It was not a problem for Wen Chan either, and he accepted it calmly.
While praising each other, the atmosphere between the two became much more lively.
“Daddy!” A tender cry came, and before the voice fell, a little boy ran in. But he stopped suddenly halfway through the run and looked at Wen Chan with big, round eyes.
This little boy had red lips and white teeth. He was dressed in brocade, which was somewhat similar to Liang Yanbei’s.
Wen Chan recognised him at a glance as Liang Yanbei’s younger brother, Liang Yanheng.
In his previous life, Liang Yanheng died before he could grow up. Liang Yanbei was extremely broken-hearted and changed his name to Liang Heng5Remember how he was called Liang Heng during his first appearance? to honour the memory of his younger brother.
Liang Yanheng seemed to have been only fifteen years old when he died. After the Zhong family slaughtered the imperial palace, they hijacked the carriage in which Liang Yanheng and Lady Liang were being relocated and killed them.
The root cause was that the Liang family was on Wen Chan’s side.
Thinking of this, he still felt guilty in his heart. Even if he posthumously conferred the two of them with posthumous titles after the restoration of the country, it was useless.
He looked at the delicate little boy in front of him, opened his arms, and smiled softly, “Little Hengheng.”
Liang Yanheng also grinned and ran over to hug Wen Chan with the innocence and kindness unique to a child.
Wen Chan picked him up and made him sit on his lap, “How old is Little Hengheng this year?”
“Ten years old.” He answered with a childish voice.
Liang Jun was shocked when he saw that his son was so close to His Ninth Royal Highness, wondering if his eldest son had already taken his younger son out.
But when Liang Yanbei came in and saw his younger brother chatting happily with Wen Chan, he was also very surprised and cast a questioning look at his father.
The two looked at each other in confusion, and neither could find the answer from the other’s expression.
Wen Chan was still chatting with Liang Yanheng and didn’t notice when Liang Yanbei came in, “Does Little Hengheng want to go into the palace to play?”
Little Hengheng?? Liang Yanbei stood behind Wen Chan, and when he heard this name, his expression became complicated again.
“Want.” Liang Yanheng replied, “Gege6older brother said that the palace is very interesting.”
“Is it interesting?” Wen Chan asked rhetorically. And then, thinking of the scheme of just mutual help in the palace, he answered himself in a dull tone, “It’s not very interesting.”
“Any place is boring. But if interesting people are in it, then that place will be interesting.” Liang Yanbei said suddenly.
Wen Chan was taken aback by his voice and turned his head to look. He didn’t know when the person quietly stood behind him, and he did not know whether to laugh or cry, “What kind of fallacious reasoning is that of yours?”
“Gege!” When Liang Yanheng saw his brother, he quickly jumped off Wen Chan’s lap and threw himself onto Liang Yanbei.
“What I said is not fallacious reasoning.” Liang Yanbei bent down to hug him and did not forget to refute Wen Chan.
“Why not?”
“I think Yanbei is right.” Liang Jun intervened from the side.
Wen Chan, “……”
A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. So Wen Chan decided not to argue with the father-son pair and turned around to ask, “Why can’t I see Lady Liang?”
“My mother went home to visit her parents today.” Liang Yanbei replied casually.
“Hey, now that you mention it, I remember this.” Liang Jun suddenly slapped his palm and said, “Your mother asked me to pick some tangerines before she left. I’m going to pick them now.”
“Lord Liang, just let the servants pick them. What if you fall?” Wen Chan asked in confusion.
“My wife7humble said that the tangerines this servant pick are sweeter.”
Wen Chan, “???”
Liang Jun dropped these words, hurriedly said goodbye to Wen Chan, and really ran to pick oranges.
“Your father……” Wen Chan wanted to say something but hesitated. He completely felt that he should stop him. After all, Liang Jun was no longer young.
“Your Highness, don’t worry about it. My father often does this and is quite skilled at picking things.” Liang Yanbei didn’t care and sat down next to Wen Chan with his younger brother in his arms.
Liang Yanheng saw the plum tea on the table and reached out to take it. Liang Yanbei didn’t care that it was for Wen Chan to drink. He took it and brought it to Liang Yanheng’s mouth.
The little boy took a sip and wailed, “It’s so hot!”
Wen Chan saw Liang Yanheng crying from getting burned, and he became a little panicked, “It’s a little hot. It was just brewed. I forgot to remind you.”
Liang Yanbei didn’t seem to believe it and took a sip as well. After swallowing it hastily, he put the tea back on the table and said faintly, “It’s indeed a little hot. So let’s cool it down first.”
But Liang Yanheng was still looking at it eagerly, craving it very much.
Wen Chan brought the tea in front of him and blew on it, trying to cool it down quickly.
Liang Yanbei looked at it with a gentle smile in his eyes.
There was silence in the lobby for a while. Wen Chan blew on it for a long time and felt dizzy several times. He took a sip and said, “It’s done. It’s not hot anymore.”
Liang Yanheng’s face was overjoyed, and he looked at Wen Chan with hope, waiting for him to push the tea over.
Wen Chan got his head dizzy from blowing it and handed the tea to Liang Yanbei, “Drink it.”
Liang Yanheng, “???”
The confused look on his face made Wen Chan come back to his senses. Realising that he had given it to the wrong person, he smiled embarrassedly and turned to give it to Liang Yanheng, but was stopped by a hand midway.
After Liang Yanbei took the plum tea, he gave Wen Chan an ambiguous look, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your thoughtfulness.”
“This is not for you……” Wen Chan was angry but also found it laughable.
“If I drink it, it’s the same as Hengheng drinking it. We are brothers and close relatives.” Liang Yanbei said as a matter of course, and then he took a big sip, just enough to finish the part that Wen Chan blew cold.
The taste was really sweet in his heart.
Liang Yanbei smacked his mouth. Why didn’t he feel that this tea was so delicious before?
Liang Yanheng watched his brother take a sip and didn’t feel the sweetness in his mouth. So he took matters into his own hands8lit. do everything oneself so that we can have ample food and clothes, reached out and snatched the tea from his brother’s hand and drank it himself.
Just when it touched his mouth, his lips were burned, and Liang Yanheng put the tea back on the table, obediently, “It’s still too hot.”
“Brother will blow it for you.“ To ”make up” for the mistake just now, Liang Yanbei took the initiative to blow his tea to cool it down.
After Liang Yanheng finished a cup, the food was ready, and the three of them moved to the side room.
The dishes on the table were indeed all that Wen Chan loved to eat, including the braised chicken that Liang Yanbei promised.
However, Liang Jun came in after picking tangerines and was surprised, “Who are you kidding? Isn’t this what you like to eat?”
Liang Yanbei was quite innocent, “I didn’t lie. This is also what His Highness likes to eat.”
Wen Chan hurriedly came to Liang Yanbei’s rescue, “Don’t blame him, Lord Liang. These are all what I love to eat. I just have a taste similar to Young Master Liang.”
More than just similar? Liang Jun criticised inwardly.
He still didn’t believe it at first, thinking they were Wen Chan’s words to protect his eldest son. But after the meal, Wen Chan actually ate a lot and picked up every dish. So he believed it and was repeatedly amazed in his heart.
After Wen Chan finished eating, he felt that he had eaten a little too much, although he still felt a little unsatisfied.
Seeing that he had eaten well, Liang Yanbei said, “Your Highness, it’s too late to clean up a room now. So why don’t you just sleep in my room.”
Wen Chan subconsciously glanced at Liang Jun, “How can this be fine? Even if there is no place, I cannot sleep.”
“No, if you don’t sleep, how can you practice energetically for the afternoon horseback archery class? Your Highness must have a good rest.” He said.
When Liang Jun heard this, he immediately agreed with his son with both hands9He couldn’t agree more. and said a bit seriously, “Yanbei is right. Since his Royal Highness has come to the Liang Mansion, he will naturally be well served. If His Royal Highness dislikes Yanbei’s room, I, your servant, will immediately order someone to clean it up and buy a new bed. Although it will take some time, it’s better than not sleeping……”
“That’s not necessary!” Wen Chan waved his hand again and again, “I’m just afraid to trouble Master Liang. How can I say I dislike it?”
“No trouble, no trouble.” Liang Yanbei stood up and said to Wen Chan, “I will take you there now.”
“……Thank you for your help.”
Although Wen Chan seemed reluctant on the surface, he actually slept so soundly that he almost drooled.
He didn’t wake up until Liang Yanbei came to call him.
To be honest, Wen Chan liked that bed so much. As soon as he lay down, he could smell the scent of Liang Yanbei everywhere, which gradually filled his heart all of a sudden and made him feel extremely at ease.
When he left, he felt quite brokenhearted at having to leave.
Liang Yanbei had pinched the time and let Wen Chan sleep a little longer while ensuring that he would not be late.
Before leaving, Liang Jun smiled and gave him a gift. He stuffed him with several tangerines.
Wen Chen especially wanted to ask: Can I also come back tomorrow?
Looking at Liang Jun’s face, he forcibly swallowed the words into his stomach and said goodbye to Liang Jun properly.
In the carriage, Liang Yanbei tried to have an idle talk with Wen Chan.
“Zhong Wenjin has an elder brother who is also in the academy.” Liang Yanbei said carelessly.
Wen Chan paused while eating the tangerine, “Who?”
Liang Yanbei thought for a while and said, “He seems to be called Zhong Wenting.”
Translator’s corner
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
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