Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Origin of Prince Han's Gold Beans

The most delighted person to hear that the tribute from the Yunnan fiefdom had arrived was, naturally, our Prince Han. He spent his days scattering gold beans like birdseed, which made his consumption of wealth immense. Now that the supplies from Yunnan had arrived, he could continue his joyous scattering, and he was absolutely thrilled.

"Steward Hu, take the head eunuch of the Treasure Bureau with you, and join Steward Wei. Have the fine treasures placed directly into the vault, and store the rest in the warehouse accordingly. Remember to bring the inventory list to me," said the Princess of Han, remaining composed. Having managed the internal affairs of the Prince’s mansion for many years, she handled such matters with seasoned ease. Her arrangement of the personnel—including her own brother, Wei Jizhong; the head eunuch of the Treasure Bureau, one of the eight bureaus sent by the Emperor; and the Prince’s own trusted aide, Steward Hu—was truly watertight.

She was indeed his mother; she handled matters with such finesse! Zhu Zhanhe could not help but study his mother closely. Once a mere farm girl, after years of managing the Prince of Han’s estate, she had undergone a complete transformation. He couldn't help but give his mother a thumbs-up. Seeing the look of admiration in her son’s eyes, the Princess of Han beamed with pride.

The Prince of Han, who had originally been eager to see what treasures the fiefdom had sent, felt his interest wane after hearing his wife’s arrangements. To him, as long as there was enough money, it didn't matter what else came! Thus, he abandoned the thought of going to see for himself; he had just realized that personally checking the goods might be beneath his dignity as the Prince of Han.

"The two of you look over the goods from Yunnan at home. I have received an imperial decree from our old man to visit the Imperial Prison today." Having recovered from his initial excitement, the Prince spoke loudly to mask his earlier impatience for the wealth. The Princess shot him a look of pure disdain and ignored him entirely.

The Prince didn't mind his wife’s expression in the slightest. He turned to look at his son, then at the pretty maids behind him, and finally glanced around. After fidgeting for a moment, he moved closer to his wife and extended a rough palm.

"Ahem, ahem!" The Prince cleared his throat to get her attention, his eyes drifting toward the room’s decorations as if they were fascinating, not daring to meet his wife’s gaze.

Zhu Zhanhe watched his father’s embarrassment with interest, while Aunt Xiu rolled her eyes and turned away, unable to bear the sight.

The Princess looked at her husband with annoyance, wanting to say something but holding back. After glancing at her son, she finally remained silent. With a sharp, icy glare at the Prince, she took a small embroidered purse from her waist, shook out some items, and shoved them into his hand.

Zhu Zhanhe looked closely and saw a few gold beans. So, his father had run out again and was shamelessly begging his wife for money. No wonder he had been so excited about the tribute from Yunnan—he was broke! Zhu Zhanhe thought to himself.

The Prince was busy admiring the decor when he felt the weight in his palm. His heart filled with joy, but his face fell when he looked down. He didn't dare complain, though. He stared at the few gold beans—was this all? What was this supposed to buy?

Without showing his disappointment, the Prince stuffed the gold beans into his sleeve and made no move to leave. Glancing stealthily at his wife, he saw she was busy tying her purse and not paying attention. With a sudden burst of courage, he snatched the purse from her hand.

Under his wife’s stern gaze, he ducked his head and dumped all the gold beans out into his hand. There were dozens of them—shimmering, golden, and delightful.

The Prince, in high spirits, was met with his wife’s look of shock and dissatisfaction. He looked awkwardly at the purse in his hand, wanting to return it but not daring to.

Just as the Prince was feeling troubled, he looked up and saw his precious son watching the spectacle. Inspiration struck. He stuffed a few beans back into the purse and, under his son’s equally startled gaze, shoved the purse into his son’s hand. He then looked at his wife with a guilty expression; seeing she remained silent, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ahem, I must be off to the Imperial Prison," the Prince announced. With a handful of gold beans and an air of haughty satisfaction, he cast one last cautious look at his wife before walking out with his head held high.

"Mother, the purse..." Zhu Zhanhe, stunned by his father’s antics, finally regained his senses and returned the purse to his mother.

"Forget it, keep it as pocket money. We aren't short of that little bit. I just worry about your father—the way he is, I truly cannot rest easy." The Princess sighed, looking at her husband’s retreating figure with a heavy heart. In a family of such great wealth and status, she only asked for peace and safety, but the restless nature of the Prince of Han left her exhausted.

However, her mood improved when she looked at her son; he was, at least, sensible and considerate.

"Your Highness, Young Master, the supplies from the Yunnan tribute are being stored. Here is the inventory list for your review," Steward Hu said, entering the room to report.

"Tell us the important parts, and leave the list," Zhu Zhanhe said, stepping in to speak as he noticed his mother’s somber mood.

"As you command, Young Master," Steward Hu replied, sensing the tense atmosphere and speaking with great deference.

"Reporting to the Princess and the Young Master: among the tribute from Yunnan this time, aside from the usual fresh mushrooms, tribute rice, tea, and medicinal herbs like ginseng, the finest treasures are: one portion of thousand-year-old Gastrodia elata, and two stalks of century-old ginseng. The rest are the same as in previous years. Please review the list." Steward Hu handed the ledger to Aunt Xiu and bowed out.

"This subordinate will take his leave."

"Thank you for your hard work, Steward Hu. You may go," the Princess said, taking the ledger from Aunt Xiu. As she flipped through the pages, her mood brightened, and she even forgot her annoyance with the Prince.

"Zhe'er, these things have come at just the right time. I have saved a fair bit of family wealth over the years; when the time comes, I shall marry you off to a wife with a grand and glorious wedding," the Princess said with a smile, looking at her son with satisfaction.

"Mother, don't waste that money. Managing this household is not easy. When we move to the fiefdom, we will need plenty of funds for renovating the residence and building the ancestral tombs," Zhu Zhanhe replied. He didn't want to spend money on a wedding; he wanted to save it for building large ships.

The Princess, unaware of her son’s true thoughts, assumed he was merely being considerate of her struggles as a manager. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Don't worry, Zhe'er, I have it all planned. Go and play, or head out to the streets for a stroll. Don't stay in the study all day; get some fresh air," she said, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Yes, Mother, I shall take my leave." Zhu Zhanhe comforted her and stood up to depart.

"My Zhe'er has truly grown up," the Princess thought, watching her son leave with a heart full of relief.