Chapter Forty-One: Prince Han Falls Ill 1
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The old Daoist priest mentally grumbled and ranted against his freeloader of a student for quite a while.
Zhu Zhanhe looked at his teacher in bewilderment. With the old man's back turned to him and seeming quite agitated, he had no idea what was going on.
"Teacher? Teacher?" After waiting for a long time without any sign of the old Daoist turning around, Zhu Zhanhe took two steps forward and called out softly twice.
"What is it? What is it? This old Daoist is deep in thought!" The old Daoist was enjoying his venting session (cursing quite colorfully) when his train of thought was abruptly interrupted by his student.
Where was I in my scolding? The old Daoist, whose thoughts had been derailed, wore a blank expression. Then, catching sight of Zhu Zhanhe standing to the side, he immediately averted his gaze, as if he had just laid eyes on a ferocious beast.
No, I must find a way to get this kid out of here. If I keep seeing him every day, I'm afraid I'll be meeting the Daoist Ancestor sooner rather than later!
Still, I wonder when this boy's "surprise" is finally going to arrive. With a whole year left, time is dragging on far too slowly. The old Daoist muttered continuously to himself.
"Teacher, are you alright?" Watching the rapidly shifting expressions on the old Daoist's face, Zhu Zhanhe genuinely thought the old man might be showing signs of senile dementia, and thus asked with sincere concern.
"What could possibly be wrong with me? You've already seen me today. Now scram, off with you!" Displaying utter impatience and guarding his own precious life, the old Daoist began driving him away!
"Well~ Teacher, there actually is a small matter." Seeing the old Daoist's changing complexion, Zhu Zhanhe spoke with utmost caution, wondering to himself: I didn't do anything to provoke him today, why is he in a foul mood again?
"Spit it out, what is it? Small matters are fine, big matters are out of the question!" The old Daoist cut him off with a single sentence, preemptively blocking any potential life-threatening issues!
"A small matter, just a small matter! I'd like to invite Teacher to go boating on the lake a month from now, and wanted to ask you to set aside some time in advance." Zhu Zhanhe was planning to let his teacher witness something truly eye-opening once the giant crocodile returned!
"We'll talk about it when the time comes. I might not be free." The old Daoist looked at the student before him with a strange expression. Inviting him to go boating for no reason? There had to be some shady business behind it; he'd better brush him off first!
"Just say yes, Teacher, and I'll arrange for someone to come and pick you up when the time comes." Choosing to ignore whatever the old Daoist had just said, Zhu Zhanhe spoke entirely on his own accord.
"Fine, whatever." The old Daoist looked speechlessly at his freeloader of a student talking to himself. Staring for a moment at the young man's face sent an instant chill down his spine, leaving him to give a reluctant consent.
"Then goodbye, Teacher. This student will take his leave." Zhu Zhanhe originally intended to bow and cup his hands in salute to his teacher, but the old Daoist anticipated the movement in advance.
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Stiding briskly right up to him, the old man grabbed his arm, dragged him straight to the threshold, and with one fluid motion—pushed him out, shut the door, and bolted it.
Left standing outside the door, Zhu Zhanhe wore a dazed expression. This teacher of his truly had zero regard for decorum.
"From now on, don't go bowing or saluting this old Daoist for no reason. We Daoists don't care for such formalities. I'm nearly eighty years old, it's better to just go with the flow, and I'll be happy!" The robust voice of the old Daoist suddenly echoed from inside.
"Old age really makes people willful, doesn't it?" Zhu Zhanhe muttered under his breath, though he conceded anyway.
"Don't worry, Teacher, Zhanhe will remember that." Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help marveling at how delightfully unconstrained Daoists were, doing whatever they pleased. It seemed his original choice to take on a Daoist scholar as a teacher was indeed a very wise move. Feeling rather pleased with himself, Zhu Zhanhe turned and walked away.
After returning home:
"This child greets Mother." Upon entering, Zhu Zhanhe saw his mother sitting amidst a pile of papers, sifting through them back and forth with an expression of profound dissatisfaction on her face.
Just as she impatiently shoved the stack of papers aside, she heard the voice of her beloved son.
"Zhanhe is back! Come here quickly; your mother is currently picking out a wife for you. Come and tell me what kind of preferences you have." Seeing her son instantly dispelled Princess Wei's displeasure over the portraits she had just been viewing.
Happily rising to her feet, Princess Wei walked briskly over to her son, grabbed his arm, and made him sit down beside her.
Seeing Zhu Zhanhe arrive, Aunt Xiuying beamed with delight and hurriedly instructed the maidservants to bring over fresh fruits and desserts.
"Thank you, Aunt Xiuying." Zhu Zhanhe reached out to take the cup of tea handed to him by Aunt Xiuying, and turned to catch the warmly affectionate look on her face.
"Your Highness the Heir, just what kind of wife are you actually looking to marry? The Princess has been picking and choosing for days now without finding anyone to her liking. You really need to voice your own thoughts." Aunt Xiuying cared deeply about Zhu Zhanhe's marriage prospects, and seized the moment while he was taking his tea to inquire.
Upon hearing Aunt Xiuying's words, Princess Wei nodded in complete agreement.
"Xiuying is right. Zhanhe, what kind of girl do you want? Hurry and tell your mother, so she can find a suitable match for you." Looking at her son with a curious and eager expression, Princess Wei asked warmly.
"Mother, you've been picking for days already? Where did all these candidates come from?" Zhu Zhanhe looked strangely at his mother, then turned his gaze to the thick stack of papers piled on the table nearby. Only then did he realize that the images and documents his mother had been looking at were profiles and portraits of young women!
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"Your Highness, the Princess has already looked through forty or fifty young ladies, but none of them quite fit." Frowning, Aunt Xiuying also wore a displeased expression.
"Mother, I don't have any excessively high demands. As long as she's reasonably pleasant-looking, knows how to be filial to you both, and can help Mother manage the household properly, that's more than enough." Zhu Zhanhe stated his basic requirements with a solemn face.
"What? How can that do! Zhanhe, don't you worry, Mother will definitely pick a fine wife for you. Go back and rest for now." Zhu Zhanhe's words left his mother, Princess Wei, utterly shocked, followed by a wave of deep emotional warmth.
Wei assumed her son was just saying that out of consideration to spare her the trouble, and even Aunt Xiuying stood nearby looking thoroughly astonished.
In reality, Zhu Zhanhe understood that for a family of their standing, any wife selected would literally be one in a thousand or one in ten thousand. There was simply no need to worry about things like appearance, character, or talent!
"Your Highness, Heir Apparent, Prince Zhao has come to inquire after your health." Just as Princess Wei, deeply moved, was about to continue comforting her precious son, a young servant hurried into the room, bowing deeply with a nervous expression on his face.
"Ah?"
"What?"
"So fast?!" Zhu Zhanhe, his mother, and the others exchanged blank stares, looking at one another in utter bewilderment.
Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help mentally complaining: This unreliable father of mine fell ill far too quickly! No sooner had I returned home than Uncle, Prince Zhao, received the news and arrived at the manor. Did Father send word out about his illness the exact moment I stepped out the door for the Daoist temple?!
"Sister-in-law, dear nephew! I heard my second brother has fallen ill, so I've come to take a look." Even before entering, Zhu Zhanhe heard the booming voice of his third uncle, Zhu Gaozhi's younger brother Zhu Gaosui, who seemed intent on making sure everyone within a mile knew that the Prince of Han was sick.
With that, Prince Zhao strode into the hall with large, sweeping strides.
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