Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 33: Two Monkeys

The capital city is divided into four districts: the East Market, West Market, South Market, and North Market. The East Market mainly encompasses the imperial city. The South Market is the area where the officials reside. The West Market is the commercial district, where the merchants mostly live. The North Market is the slum area, inhabited by the impoverished or low-status individuals.

The West Market is a bustling commercial district. Shops, taverns, and inns are lined up here. On both sides of the street, various stalls are set up. The cries of the vendors ring out from morning till night.

Zhao Yao sat on Liang Run’s shoulders, looking around curiously with his eyes. He noticed that after a while of not coming here, many new shops and stalls had sprung up.

Seeing a stall selling sugar paintings ahead, Liang Run carried Zhao Yao over and asked the owner to make a sugar painting of a tiger. When they passed a stall selling red date and yam cakes, Liang Run bought some for Zhao Yao as well.

Zhao Yao sat on Liang Run’s shoulders, munching on the sweet sugar painting while enjoying the delicious red date and yam cake.

Ahead not far away, people were performing, showcasing acts like spitting fire, breaking large stones on their chests, and throwing big ceramic jars.

A crowd gathered to watch, and when they saw something spectacular, they would clap and praise. At that time, someone holding a cymbal would walk to the front of the crowd, and people would give some gratuities.

Liang Run also gave a couple of copper coins and then carried Zhao Yao further ahead. There, an old man was commanding a big monkey and a little monkey to perform all sorts of interesting and amusing actions, making the crowd laugh heartily.

Their fur was golden, their faces handsome, and expressions lively, winning the affection of the spectators.

The big monkey continued performing martial arts, while the little monkey carried a chipped bowl towards the audience, mumbling something.

Though the audience couldn’t understand what the little monkey was saying, they could guess its meaning and thus rewarded a few copper coins into the bowl.

The little monkey was very human-like; when someone gave money, it would bow in thanks.

Seeing the little monkey so polite, the crowd liked it even more. Those who initially gave only one copper coin couldn’t help but give one or two more.

Shortly after, the little monkey approached Zhao Yao. Not long ago, Zhao Yao had asked Liang Run to put him down.

The little monkey seemed a bit afraid of Lai Man, who was beside Zhao Yao. Noticing its fear, Zhao Yao asked Lai Man to hide behind him.

"Lai Man is good; it won’t bite you," Zhao Yao said, placing five copper coins from his hand into the little monkey’s chipped bowl. "What’s your name?" Then he asked, "You look so pretty! Are you a boy or a girl?" It was his first time seeing a monkey with golden fur all over.

The little monkey felt a sense of familiarity from Zhao Yao, which emboldened it to take a step forward. It opened its mouth and said to Zhao Yao: [My name is Xiao Niu, and I am a girl.]

Zhao Yao squatted down and reached out to the little monkey: "Xiao Niu, my name is Yao Yao. Can we be friends?"

Xiao Niu widened its eyes in surprise at Zhao Yao. [You can understand me?]

Zhao Yao smiled and said, "Yes, can we be friends?"

It was the first time Xiao Niu met someone who could understand its speech, and it looked amazed. Mimicking Zhao Yao’s action, it extended its right hand.

Zhao Yao grasped Xiao Niu’s right hand and gently shook it: "Then we’re friends now."

Lai Man poked its head out from behind Zhao Yao, softly calling to Xiao Niu: [I am Lai Man, Yao Yao’s friend. Now that you’re Yao Yao’s friend, you’re also my friend.]

The little monkey was a bit startled, shrinking its neck. It looked toward Zhao Yao for help.

Zhao Yao reached out to pat the little monkey’s head, smiling gently: "Lai Man is my good friend; it’s very good and won’t bite you. Don’t be afraid."

Lai Man promptly said: [You’re friends with both me and Yao Yao. I won’t bite you.]

The little monkey nodded and then turned to look at Lai Man: [If you don’t bite me, then I’m not afraid of you.]

Lai Man happily wagged its tail: [Xiao Niu, you’re really pretty.]

Being praised for its looks, Xiao Niu’s delicate face lit up with a happy smile.

"Xiao Niu, is that your mother?" Zhao Yao asked while pointing at the big monkey that was dancing.

The little monkey nodded and said: [Yes, that’s my mother.]

"What’s your mother’s name?"

[Da Niu.]

In the eyes of others, a handsome child was talking with a pretty little monkey. The little monkey was chattering, and the little boy seemed to understand it, sincerely conversing with it. This scene was amusing, cute, and heartwarming, bringing a faint smile to the faces of those watching.

"Little Young Master, can you understand what the little monkey is saying?" asked an aunt standing next to Zhao Yao.

"Yes, it said its name is Xiao Niu, and its mother’s name is Da Niu."

The aunt feigned a look of surprise, "Little Young Master, you’re really amazing." Of course, the aunt didn’t really believe Zhao Yao could understand the monkey. She assumed he heard the old man call the monkeys by name.

"Your child is really handsome," the aunt said to Liang Run.

It’s said that a nephew resembles his uncle, and Zhao Yao did look a bit like Liang Run. The aunt assumed Zhao Yao was Liang Run’s son.

Being complimented on his looks pleased Liang Run, who said with a cheerful smile, "He takes after his mother." Yao Yao resembled his sister a lot, especially the eyes, which were almost identical.

"Auntie, you’re good-looking too." Returning a compliment for a compliment is customary, so he naturally praised her in return.

The aunt’s face blossomed into a smile: "The little young master’s words are so sweet." Saying this, she pulled out an apple from the basket she carried, "Little Young Master, take this, it’s very sweet."

Zhao Yao took it without hesitation, extending both his hands and giving the aunt a bright smile: "Thank you, Auntie."

The aunt couldn’t resist patting Zhao Yao on the head, "You’re welcome."

"Auntie, may I give the apple you gave me to Xiao Niu?"

"Of course you can."

"Thank you, Auntie." Zhao Yao turned and placed the rosy apple into Xiao Niu’s bowl, "Xiao Niu, for you."

Xiao Niu loved eating apples and immediately thanked Zhao Yao: [Thank you, Yao Yao.] With that, it took the apple back to the old man and gave it to him.

The old man clasped his hands towards Zhao Yao in thanks, then placed the apple in a bamboo basket beside him.

Xiao Niu continued to hold the bowl, asking the spectators for more tips.

Noticing Zhao Yao had been watching the little monkey intently, Liang Run picked him up and asked, "Yao Yao, do you like these two monkeys?"

"Yes, they are very pretty and very clever." Monkeys are generally smarter than many other animals, and most importantly, they can mimic human actions like no other animal can.

"If you like them, we can buy them," Liang Run suggested.

"Second Uncle, I don’t think that old man would sell Xiao Niu and her family," Zhao Yao observed that the old man treated the two monkeys as his own children. More importantly, they helped him earn a living. "However, Second Uncle, we can hire the old man to bring Xiao Niu and work for us."

"Work?" Liang Run asked, "What kind of work?"

"Second Uncle, there are many tasks they can do." Zhao Yao smiled knowingly, "Second Uncle, let’s approach them after their performance ends."

"Alright." Liang Run couldn’t see what was so special about an old man and two monkeys.

Zhao Yao followed Liang Run to a teahouse not far away, sitting by the second-floor window that offered a view of the old man and the monkeys’ performance.

After about an hour, the old man and the two monkeys concluded their act. Seeing this, Liang Run quickly exited the teahouse and approached the old man. After exchanging some words, the old man led the two monkeys behind him into the teahouse.

Xiao Niu was delighted to see Zhao Yao and hopped over to him.

Zhao Yao picked it up, and it wrapped its arms around Zhao Yao’s neck, rubbing its face against Zhao Yao’s. Zhao Yao reciprocated the gesture.

The old man, holding Da Niu’s hand, politely greeted Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao invited the old man to sit down.

Liang Run poured the old man a cup of tea.

The old man, having made a living performing arts for decades, had developed a skill of "Eyes of Golden Flame." He could tell at a glance that Zhao Yao was of noble status and that Liang Run deferred to Zhao Yao.

"Grandpa, how old are Da Niu and Xiao Niu this year? Have they always been with you?"

"In response to the little young master, Da Niu is three years old, and Xiao Niu just turned two this year," the old man respectfully replied, "Over a year ago, I happened upon Da Niu and Xiao Niu, who had fallen into a trap..."

Da Niu and Xiao Niu had fallen into a human trap and were severely injured. The old man took them home to heal them. With his devoted care, Da Niu and Xiao Niu gradually recovered.

After they healed, Da Niu didn’t take Xiao Niu back to the forest but chose to stay with the old man and live with him.

The old man was childless and alone, so he was naturally delighted that the two monkeys were willing to stay with him. Thus, he adopted them.

Da Niu and Xiao Niu were very intelligent and could understand human speech. So, the old man trained them to perform and make money. Although they didn’t earn much, it was enough to sustain the three of them. Thus, they relied on one another for survival.

"Grandpa, would you be willing to bring Da Niu and Xiao Niu to work for me?" Zhao Yao said, "I will pay you every month and provide you with a place to live, so you won’t need to perform on the streets anymore."

"Little Young Master, what do you want us to do for you?"

"Rest assured, Grandpa, I won’t make you do anything bad," Zhao Yao said, patting Xiao Niu’s belly, "Grandpa, you must realize that taking Da Niu and Xiao Niu to perform won’t always be safe. Sooner or later, others might covet them, as they are very remarkable, which could bring danger."

This struck a chord with the old man’s deepest worries in his heart. He knew very well that Da Niu and Xiao Niu were not only good-looking but also very clever and human-like. Most importantly, they could perform and earn money, which made them a target for ill-intentioned people. He lacked the ability to protect Da Niu and Xiao Niu.

"Little Young Master, we are willing to work for you." The old man had longed for a stable life without having to wander around. Now, someone offered to employ them and provide a place to live, which was exactly what he wanted.

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