The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 1896 - 1871: Shaken Out
The Crown Prince was stunned and asked, "Why does him not recognizing flax have nothing to do with the Minister of Ministry of Agriculture?"
He obviously didn’t understand her line of thinking.
Manbao said confidently, "If he were on good terms with the Minister of Ministry of Agriculture, how could he not recognize flax?"
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang nodded in agreement.
Crown Prince: ...
Mingda, who had been silent, couldn’t help but tug on Manbao’s hand and whispered, "Stop talking, or you’ll really make my Third Brother angry, and Father will definitely punish you."
Prince Gong was already furious, but Eunuch Wu, along with several attendants and palace maids, were comforting him and helping him to leave and rest.
The Crown Prince looked at Prince Gong’s face, felt happy again, nodded at Zhou Man unusually, and said something that angered Prince Gong even more, "I understand."
Prince Gong could no longer maintain his composure and couldn’t help but glare at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was not bothered. He had long wanted to have a fair argument or fight with this brother, but every time, he acted like a turtle in its shell, making him so angry he was jumping with rage, while Prince Gong pretended to be virtuous and well-mannered.
Each time, it caused him to be scolded harshly by both his father and the ministers.
Only last year, after he failed in an endeavor, did Prince Gong show his true colors and no longer pretended to be kind to him.
Now, he got angry more easily, so the Crown Prince simply turned to face him, rolling up his sleeves and asked, "Old Third, want to have a fight?"
Changyu was quite frightened and nervously looked at Mingda.
Mingda just frowned and didn’t stop him, only saying, "Big Brother, Third Brother isn’t skilled in martial arts."
"Don’t worry, I won’t hurt him."
Bai Shan, however, couldn’t let them fight right there. Once they left here, whether they fought on the official road or in the royal palace, it didn’t matter, but they couldn’t fight in Pu Village or in front of them. So he signaled to Manbao, who immediately went to stop the furious Prince Gong, while Manbao stopped the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, aren’t you hungry? Why don’t we have a meal first, or I could give you a check-up. Acupuncture can treat over-exhaustion too."
Bai Shan, along with Eunuch Wu and others, dragged Prince Gong aside, very diligently saying, "Your Highness, you’ve been traveling for half a day and must be tired. Why not take a seat at our humble abode and have a cup of tea. I will arrange for someone to help you change and freshen up."
When the Crown Prince saw that Prince Gong was indeed leaving, he regretfully gave Bai Shan and Eunuch Wu a look, then rolled down his sleeves.
Manbao quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and Changyu also quietly breathed a sigh of relief, pulling on Mingda.
Mingda then said, "Big Brother, if you and Third Brother don’t want to stay here, you could go back to the palace. My sister and I will play here for a while and then leave."
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and then said, "Since we’re here, let’s have lunch before leaving."
Manbao: ... She was just saying it casually, why did he take it seriously?
The Crown Prince was already walking on the path Prince Gong had just taken, heading towards their manor.
Manbao quickly followed and hesitantly asked, "Your Highness, what would you like to eat?"
"Whatever’s available. Doesn’t your sister-in-law specialize in steamed pork? And the meat pies you had outside the palace gates last time were also good."
Manbao let out a sigh of relief. These were the things Changyu had been thinking about, so Manbao had already discussed it with her sister-in-law. They might not have other dishes, but these two would certainly be there.
She led the Crown Prince towards her family manor.
It was Old Zhou’s first time meeting the Crown Prince, and he was so nervous that he didn’t know where to put his hands. Afraid of showing disrespect, he wanted to hide after meeting him at the entrance, but the Crown Prince called him back and took him to the main hall.
Only tea and snacks were on the table in the main hall, and Manbao said, "I’ll go ask my sister-in-law if the food is ready."
Zhou Lixue cleverly said, "I’ll go, Auntie, you rest."
After saying this, he didn’t even greet the Crown Prince and others and ran off in a hurry.
Mr. Zhuang then apologized to the Crown Prince and Prince Gong, "Forgive his lack of manners, Your Highnesses."
The Crown Prince waved it off casually, "When in a guest’s house, just be at ease. Let’s keep it casual and don’t stand on ceremony."
The Crown Prince looked at the shrinking Old Zhou, not believing that Zhou Man was raised by him.
One should know that Zhou Man has a lot of courage.
The Crown Prince, who initially had much to say, suddenly found he had nothing more to ask, only politely inquiring, "Sir, are you Manbao’s uncle?"
Old Zhou hadn’t realized the question was directed at him, so he stood there looking at his toes, and Ms. Qian couldn’t help but pinch him. Manbao quickly explained, "Your Highness, this is my... uncle. I’ve always called him ’father’, and haven’t changed that to this day, so my father isn’t used to it."
Only then did Old Zhou react, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, I... I am Manbao’s uncle."
The Crown Prince smiled at him and pointed to a chair, "Please sit, Old Zhou."
Old Zhou didn’t dare to sit.
Manbao simply moved the chair a bit forward and then helped her parents to sit down, while Bai Shan also moved a chair beside for his grandmother to sit.
The Crown Prince then complimented the three, "Old Zhou, your brotherly love and harmony make you a righteous man."
Prince Gong’s forehead twitched, feeling that the Crown Prince was mocking him with hidden intentions.
Old Zhou was so excited his face turned red, saying that it was only what he ought to do, for how could he let his brother’s line end?
Moreover, Manbao is a bloodline of their Zhou family.
The Crown Prince also praised Old Madam Liu, thinking her wise and loyal for raising such descendants like Bai Qi and Bai Shan.
Old Madam Liu thanked the Crown Prince for his praise. Although Prince Gong’s expression didn’t look too good, looking at the Crown Prince, and then at Princess Mingda and Princess Changyu, who were making faces at each other with Manbao, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The kitchen brought out the food, and upon smelling the aroma, Eunuch Wu and others did not dare let the Crown Prince and others eat it directly. So they picked some to taste first, and only after it was deemed safe, did they allow everyone to start eating.
The Crown Prince glanced at the dishes brought out, and though not as exquisite as those in the palace, they smelled great and looked nice.
This put him in a good mood, and he casually asked a couple of questions, "With these, Manbao’s origin is clear. Has she been recorded in the family genealogy?"
Old Zhou, feeling guilty and thinking the Crown Prince was asking whether she had been recorded in the Xia family genealogy, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said nervously, "It’s recorded under my younger brother’s name. But we’ve agreed with the in-laws that once Manbao has kids, one of them will take the Xia name. Our Zhou family keeps its word, and we definitely won’t go back on it."
Manbao quietly tugged at her father’s sleeve, thinking he was revealing too much.
The Crown Prince raised his eyebrow and asked, "Why would there be a need to take the Xia name?"
Old Zhou was taken aback and replied, "Your Highness, weren’t you asking about being recorded under the Xia family genealogy?"
The Crown Prince looked at Old Zhou, and Old Zhou felt an icy chill throughout his body, not even noticing Manbao tugging his sleeve as he shivered and spilled everything, "It’s, well, my younger brother married into the Xia family, and Manbao was supposed to take the Xia name. But we didn’t dare publicize her background at the time, so her surname was changed to Zhou. She’s grown up now, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to change it back..."
Even Old Madam Liu found it difficult to watch.
