Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 807 Everything is fine
Go see the vast world on my behalf...
Not only did the Fourth Prince feel horrified and moved, but Ah Liu also felt mixed emotions when he heard these words.
Originally, the Fourth Prince thought that his Third Brother came here because he had something to tell him, or maybe he had been wronged in the palace or somewhere else and wanted to have a good talk with his younger brother, or maybe he came to visit simply because he cared about him. However, all his thoughts were washed away by this last sentence.
He finally realized that his third brother, the prince, expected him to be his eyes and half of his body, and to experience the vast world on his behalf in the future. Even though he was a bit of a lazy person, for example, the reason why he did it to the end in Baijia Village was just out of spite. But at this moment, he finally couldn't help but reach out and hug his third brother tightly.
"Okay, Third Brother, don't worry. I will go to study after I return to Beijing! Hey, when I grow up, I will not only see the world for you, but also conquer all of the Ming Dynasty and give it to you!"
Seeing that the Third Prince couldn't help laughing, Ah Liu knew that this was just a joke between children, and that it wouldn't even take eight or ten years, maybe only three to five years, or even one to two years, for the childhood sweetheart relationship between them to change. But he still thought this scene was very interesting. Of course, the boy didn't think at all that childhood sweethearts weren't meant to be used here...
After hugging each other, the fourth prince finally let go of his hand and took a breath through his blocked nose due to excessive wind. Then he suddenly realized that it was a very cold day. He was actually dragging his third brother, the second oldest prince in the world, to talk outside on such a cold day! At that moment, he felt that it was not just his forehead that was cold, but his whole body was cold.
"Look at my memory. It's too cold, Third Brother. Let's not stay outside. Let's find a warm place to talk..." But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the Third Prince shaking his head.
"I'm not going in. I just came to see you, talk to you, and then tell you to go home early. The rest can be discussed after you get home." At this point, the third prince showed his brother a very heartwarming smile, "Although the teacher told me that the bet between you and Zhang Chen is void, I still hope that you can really do something this time."
"You must know that you have always been my proud brother and my father's proud son!"
"Third brother." The fourth prince, who already felt his nose was blocked, felt his eyes were a little sore. He whispered unnaturally, "Third brother, you are really something. You are forcing me to fight to the death by saying this... But don't worry, I am not just joking this time! I won't say anything now, I will give you a surprise later!"
Just by hearing the Fourth Prince's tone, the Third Prince knew that Renhe and Zhang Chen must have selected an outstanding talent in this small Baijia Village - he didn't care whether it was a genius with a photographic memory, or a talent with a natural sensitivity to numbers, or even more so whether it was a genius who could easily learn military books... Of course, the possibility of the latter was almost zero.
Anyway, as long as the Fourth Prince really found it with all his heart, even if it was a talent with only a little bit of special skills, he would be very satisfied. Therefore, the little Crown Prince clenched his fist and knocked on the Fourth Brother's shoulder with satisfaction, and finally smiled and said: "Then I will wait for your unexpected surprise and wait for you to come home. I'm leaving, take care of yourself."
When the Third Prince said the last sentence and really turned around and left, the Fourth Prince could not help but stand there stupidly, and he finally had the most real feeling in his heart about the purpose of the Third Prince's visit.
The third brother left the palace without telling his father, just to visit him and say a few words! It was so cold, and he rode a horse all the way - otherwise he wouldn't have walked so limping - he worked so hard just for him, and he was really a willful bastard as a younger brother... Thinking of this, the fourth prince felt upset.
But neither he nor Ah Liu, who was watching from the rooftop, could have expected that the Third Prince, whose inner thighs were rubbed by the saddle and whose walking was extremely difficult, would suddenly stop after walking a dozen steps. Then, he knocked his head with his right fist in annoyance and walked back straight away.
Faced with this scene, the Fourth Prince, who had just felt sad and guilty, was naturally completely confused. But before he could open his mouth to ask, he saw the Third Prince taking out a large oilcloth bag from his arms with some effort and handing it to him.
When the fourth prince saw his third brother, he noticed that he was wearing bulging clothes. He originally thought that he was cold after a long journey in winter, but now he realized that he had brought something for him. He was already touched and took it with both hands, but he did not open it immediately. Instead, he said hesitantly: "Third brother, I am very grateful that you can come to see me. I have everything I need..."
"I know the teacher will definitely make arrangements. Although you will suffer a little, you will not lack food and clothing." The third prince smiled at his younger brother with sympathy, and then said solemnly, "But, you have been away for such a long time, and you have missed a lot of homework. Here are the class notes I took in every class. Remember to review them well. There are also math homework assigned by the teacher..."
The Fourth Prince's mouth gradually opened wide, and he was so astonished that he could swallow a cow. Especially when the Third Prince seemed not to notice his dumbfounded expression and said the next sentence, he felt that his heart was about to break.
"I almost forgot just now. Today, in addition to telling you those things, I came here to bring you these notes and homework. Didn't you say before that you would take the Jiuzhangtang exam in the future? I brought you the textbook and my own notes. Remember to review them well. Math problems must be practiced often to become proficient..."
The Fourth Prince only felt his ears buzzing and could not hear anything.
He even wanted to raise his hands and roar in anger. He was in this remote and boring little mountain village, facing a bunch of extremely stupid students every day. It was already hard and tiring enough. His third brother actually packed up and sent him the class notes and homework of the days he was absent... Didn't his third brother remember that his progress was different from others?
Now he just felt his scalp tingling, even more numb than the cold wind!
My God, the third brother came all the way here, and he still thought about his homework. He is such an honest and hardworking student! He is so tired every day that he just wants to fall asleep at night, and reading and reviewing homework by lighting an oil lamp is not in line with his personality at all... Why does he have to work so hard? The third brother is the prince, and he can just be an idle king!
When the Third Prince said goodbye to the dumbfounded Fourth Prince and walked to the main road of the village vaguely following his memory, he saw Ah Liu waiting there quietly. Although he knew that the other party could not have been there all the time and might have heard the conversation between him and the Fourth Prince, he did not ask a single question and said to Ah Liu directly, "Sixth Brother, let's go."
However, Ah Liu just stared at the Third Prince without moving, and asked very abruptly, "Why?"
His three words were so confusing that even the Third Prince was stunned for a moment, not knowing which "why" Ah Liu was asking. Fortunately, Ah Liu's habit of not liking to talk has improved a lot now. As long as it is not someone he dislikes or does not want to talk to, he is willing to explain a few more words.
"Why are you leaving notes and homework for the Fourth Prince?"
Hearing that Ah Liu was actually wondering about this, the Third Prince smiled with curved eyebrows, and the tense expression on his face completely relaxed. He even glanced back like an ordinary child, as if he was afraid that the Fourth Prince was secretly following behind and eavesdropping. When he was sure that there was no one, he coughed.
"Of course it's to prevent my fourth brother from falling behind in his studies... but this is just an excuse." He didn't know where the impulse came from, and the third prince even made a face, then smiled, "My fourth brother is not here, and others say they are my tutors and accompany me to study, but their progress is actually different from mine, and no one can really accompany me. I'm almost going crazy from studying, how can I let my fourth brother enjoy himself here alone?"
Ah Liu couldn't believe that this was said by the Crown Prince, who was widely known to be diligent, studious, and hardworking. However, looking at his extremely serious expression, he couldn't doubt it. The next moment, he saw the Third Prince clasping his hands together and facing him.
"However, Sixth Brother, just keep it to yourself. Don't tell the teacher, Sister Yingying, or anyone else. I only told you the truth." The Third Prince sighed as if he was mocking himself, and then returned to his focused expression like a little adult, "Because everyone wants to see a wise and studious prince."
“Not everyone.”
Ah Liu suddenly interrupted the Third Prince. Seeing that people were looking at him in surprise because of these five words, he said seriously, "The Emperor hopes that you can keep your true heart and not be manipulated by external things or people. He doesn't care whether you are wise and studious."
As a minister, Ah Liu judged the emperor recklessly, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Although the Third Prince was furious, he didn't scold him, but just stood there in a daze.
"Young Master also said that the wise prince and holy emperor that the elders hope for are actually just like the clay sculptures and wooden statues in the temple. It would be best if you could listen to them in everything, and let them spit on your face without changing your expression and accept their advice with an open mind. That would be perfect. So it doesn't matter whether you are wise or not, what matters is that you know yourself."
Ah Liu paused again and continued, "The eldest lady doesn't care whether you are wise and studious. She only cares whether you are filial to the Queen Mother and the Emperor, and whether your brotherly relationship with the Fourth Prince remains the same as before. As long as you remain the same as before, she will protect you as before."
He said this in one breath, and then he said word by word: "I don't care whether you are wise and studious. I only know that the young master likes you and the fourth prince very much, so I will protect you. If anyone dares to harm you, I will kill him."
When he said the three words "kill him", Ah Liu looked calm, as if he was just saying "kill a chicken". The Third Prince was startled at first, and then he came to his senses. Although he wanted to laugh, he felt choked up when the laughter came to his lips.
He didn't say anything, but nodded heavily, sniffed lightly, and walked straight forward. But before he took a few steps, he heard Ah Liu's voice behind him again: "In addition, there are many people who don't want you to be wise. Because they hope you are stupid so that they can deceive you; they hope you are greedy so that they can deceive you; they hope you are indulgent so that they can gain more power."
"In short, Your Highness, you still have a long way to go in the Eastern Palace. There is no need to discipline yourself too strictly."
It was almost unprecedented that Ah Liu said so many words to the Third Prince. He felt that he was very abnormal, but he endured it again and again. He still did not forget the last and most important finishing touch: "It's good to sneak out and relax like today."
The third prince's mouth curled up suddenly. He had a sudden impulse to escape from the palace, and only the Queen Mother supported him, and Zhu Ying helped him without saying anything. But when he told Lu Sanlang about it, he was terrified, and even his fourth brother was greatly frightened. However, Ah Liu, who was always cold and aloof and who spent more time and more time with his fourth brother, would actually say such a thing...
He is really happy!
The excited Third Prince once again lowered his head and slowed down his pace when he was about to see the entrance to the village, waiting for Ah Liu to come forward and walk side by side with him. However, what he didn't expect was that at this moment, Ah Liu suddenly grabbed his arm and threw him backwards. When he landed on the other person's back, he realized that he had been carried high up on someone's back.
Seeing Ah Liu carrying him on his back and running around the village with great familiarity , the bewildered Third Prince couldn't help but ask, "Is there something wrong at the entrance of the village? Is there an assassin?"
"I told you to take a carriage on the way back." Ah Liu, who was carrying the Third Prince on his back, said these words calmly. When he heard the people behind him exclaim in surprise, he said unhappily, "Your thighs are all rubbed raw. If you ride a horse on the way back, you will get sick even if you are not sick!"
The Third Prince suddenly felt mixed emotions. However, when he completely lost his sense of direction and leaned on Ah Liu's back to leave the village, he couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw the carriage that had been parked there for a long time. He had seen this carriage before, and it seemed to be... Zhang Shou's?
Seeing the driver got off the carriage without saying a word, he was about to ask a few more questions, but he didn't expect to be carried into the carriage by Ah Liu. But as soon as he was put down, he saw Ah Liu looking around, then turned around and handed him a small jar and a roll of white silk bandage: "Ointment, bandage, do you do it yourself or do you want me to do it?"
"I'll do it, I'll do it!" The third prince hurriedly reached out to grab the thing. Seeing that Ah Liu did not argue and got out of the car directly, he lowered the curtain and closed the door securely. He felt relieved, but still carefully confirmed that the curtain was fastened. Then he found that the car was unusually warm. It was obvious that a charcoal basin had been lit under the floor early on.
He didn't care to think about it, and took off his pants layer by layer with trepidation, only to find that his thighs were already swollen and red from riding horses, and some places were even swollen. Seeing this, he quickly dipped his fingers in ointment and applied it, but it didn't bring a cool feeling, but a burning and stinging sensation. It felt like torture!
