Chapter 39 The Old Taoist: Damn it, you...

Zhu Zhanhe knew his father, the Prince of Han, remained stubborn, so he decided to lay the groundwork for what was to come.

"Father," Zhu Zhanhe asked, looking at his father with a serious expression, "they say that fortune and misfortune are intertwined; every situation has its ups and downs. Have you ever considered that between this fortune and misfortune lies a risk so immense it might be unbearable?"

The Prince of Han was unimpressed. "Son, don't try to hoodwink your father with those tricks you learned from that old Taoist! According to you, if I fail this time, something good is bound to follow? Tell me, what could possibly be good? Our whole family staying alive would be good enough!"

The Prince of Han was dissatisfied. To him, success would be the greatest fortune, and failure would mean the end for them all—that was the only thing that mattered.

"Father, if you succeed, that is the fortune, and my good news would merely be the icing on the cake. But after that icing, the bad news I have would be a catastrophe. Yet, if you fail, my good news would be your salvation!" Zhu Zhanhe spoke in riddles, leaving the Prince of Han annoyed.

"Enough, enough! I can't argue with you. Just tell me what this good news and bad news is, so I don't have to fret!" the Prince of Han pressed, his curiosity piqued.

"Father, once my uncle and Xiaoxizi return, you will know. There is no need to rush," Zhu Zhanhe replied, still withholding the truth. No matter how well he described it, it could never compare to the shock of seeing it with his own eyes. Besides, even if he told his father he possessed a six-zhang-long Dragon King, the Prince would never believe him. Without proof, the Prince might just think his son had gone mad, which would be an even bigger headache.

"However, Father, I can tell you this in advance: the bad news I have is truly staggering. It may be more than the two of us can handle. You should prepare yourself mentally!" After much thought, Zhu Zhanhe decided to warn him; he didn't want his father to be scared witless or fall ill from the shock.

"Unbearable? What could be so unbearable? When your third uncle and I were besieging Jinan, we faced death at every turn. Didn't we eventually break through Tie Xuan’s defenses? Let me tell you, son, there is nothing your father cannot endure. Unless the dynasty falls and I am forced to be a ruler of a lost kingdom, I will fight to the end!" The Prince of Han, Zhu Gaoxu, dismissed the warning, truly believing there was nothing he couldn't handle.

***

"Fine, Father. As long as you are prepared, I will say no more. I’m going out for a while," Zhu Zhanhe said. Seeing his father’s stubbornness, he decided to leave.

"Going to the Chaotian Temple again? You should stay home more. I’m about to fall ill, and your third uncle is coming to see me," the Prince complained the moment he heard his son was heading to the temple.

"You haven't fallen ill yet. I’ll be back soon," Zhu Zhanhe replied, ignoring his father’s grumbling as he turned and walked out.

"Your Highness!" As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Steward Hu, who jumped and immediately knelt on the ground.

"Rise," Zhu Zhanhe said, not bothering to look at him, and continued on his way. Only after Zhu Zhanhe had disappeared did Steward Hu shakily stand up. He touched his forehead and realized he was drenched in cold sweat. Trembling, he quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his face.

Zhu Zhanhe, unaware of the steward’s terror, ordered his head of guards, Liu Erniu, to prepare the horses. Moments later, he arrived at the mansion gate to find Liu Erniu and his team already assembled. He couldn't help but be impressed.

"Your Highness, you’ll be going out less in the coming days. The Prince has assigned another hundred guards to the mansion; I need to train them," Liu Erniu said, his voice low and respectful as he handed the reins to Zhu Zhanhe.

"I understand," Zhu Zhanhe replied, glancing at the burly man who was bowing and scraping. He didn't make things difficult for Liu Erniu; he knew this was his father’s arrangement to ensure the mansion’s security during his "endeavors" in the coming days.

"Let’s go. Pick up some candied haws for me on the way," Zhu Zhanhe said as he mounted his horse.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Liu Erniu beamed, his muscular face lighting up with relief and joy at being tasked with such a simple request.

At the Chaotian Temple, Zhu Zhanhe handed out the candied haws to the children led by Xiao Jindou. By the time he reached the inner courtyard, he was surrounded by seven or eight of them.

"Uncle, Uncle, give me another one!"
"Uncle, give me one, I haven't had any yet!"
"These are so sweet! Uncle, you must visit us more often!"

"Alright, alright! Uncle needs to see the Master, stop making a scene!" Xiao Jindou, acting like a little adult, waved his hands to quiet the group. In truth, he was the eldest of the lot.

"Here, Xiao Jindou, take the rest and share them with everyone. I’m going in," Zhu Zhanhe said, handing the oil-paper package to the boy before heading inside.

"Uncle Zhanhe is so nice. If only I were a girl, I’d marry him when I grow up so I could eat candied haws every day!" one of the little ones mumbled with his mouth full.

"Forget it, you’re a boy! Stop dreaming. Come on, let’s go share the snacks!" Xiao Jindou said with a look of disdain, leading the cheering group away.

Zhu Zhanhe, having overheard the nonsense, nearly tripped and shuddered before quickening his pace toward the old Taoist’s quarters. He pushed open the door to find the courtyard empty. He walked into the room to see the old Taoist copying scriptures, chanting as he wrote.

"Reach the ultimate void, keep the stillness absolute. All things... know the constant, which means tolerance; tolerance leads to impartiality; impartiality leads to kingship; kingship leads to heaven; heaven leads to the Tao; the Tao leads to eternity; one may perish, but the path is never lost."

The old Taoist looked up at his student. "You're here. Sit yourself down, I’m busy."

He prepared to continue writing, but something about his student seemed different. He looked up again, his expression growing increasingly strange. His brow furrowed, his eyes went blank, and he didn't even notice the ink from his brush dripping onto the scripture he had just finished copying.

A moment later, the old Taoist let out a string of profanities.

"Holy cow! You... you Taoist ancestor!" The old man’s face turned crimson, his excitement beyond words.