The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 1905 - 1880: Insults (Bonus - for Reader “Bao Erya”)
Only then did the Prince notice the Crown Prince. Not wanting the Crown Prince to see him in this state, he tried to push himself up with both hands. However, as soon as he pushed, his arms felt sore and weak, and he could not lift himself. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
The Crown Prince’s frown deepened, and he was about to prod him with a horsewhip. Suddenly, recalling that this was not a servant but his brother, he decided to use his hand instead. Seeing the soft flesh on his brother, he showed a face full of disgust, "Didn’t you say you were practicing martial arts with the Martial Arts Master? Why is there no strength at all? You’ve fallen a few times, and you’re already like this?"
The Prince gritted his teeth and refused to cry out in pain. While massaging him, Manbao said, "Your Highness, the Third Prince is actually doing well already. However, Third Prince, you can do even better. Keep up the good work when you go back."
The Crown Prince gave Zhou Man a sidelong glance, "Speak properly."
The Prince was in such pain that his forehead was covered in sweat, and he couldn’t help but let out a muffled hum, yet he did not cry out further. Even though he guessed Zhou Man’s words would not be pleasant, he had no energy to speak to stop her.
Manbao said, "The book says we should encourage those facing adversity. The Prince’s progress might be a bit slower than others, but losing fifty pounds in over a year is already very good."
She gestured, "You should know, when the Third Prince first started, even walking made him pant, and he couldn’t see his toes when he looked down."
Recalling something, Manbao chuckled softly and lowered her voice, "A year and a half ago, even if the Crown Prince was mighty, he probably couldn’t have toppled the Third Prince, right?"
Though these words were meant to hit at the Crown Prince, he didn’t feel offended. Instead, the Prince, lying down, gritted out through his teeth, "Zhou Man!"
Manbao continued to rub him, no, she was giving him a massage...
The Prince accidentally let out a scream of pain.
The Crown Prince was startled, then looked down at the Prince, seeing how he alone took up the entire wooden couch. Clearly, he had been training for a year, yet his arms and legs were still pale and weak. Because of the pain, he was crying so hard that his tears and snot were about to mix.
The Crown Prince pondered, was it this futile lump that made the previous five years a mess?
He frowned tightly, his gaze coldly fixated on the Prince. Father always scolded him for being ungrateful and a useless waste, always blaming the Third Brother, claiming he never thought of having the Third Brother replace him, and the Third Brother never thought of competing for the throne...
Of course, the truth proved that only half of what his father said was right. He had no intention of having the Third Brother replace him, but the Third Brother surely had thought of competing for the throne, and even took action.
So, was the first part half-right too?
Was he a useless waste?
No matter how hard he tried before, he couldn’t have children. He felt the court officials were always displeased with him, but once he did have children, those difficulties and accusations seemed to change instantly. Although he still received many impeachments every day, the content and wording of those impeachments had greatly changed.
The Crown Prince thought of something, his face instantly tightened up, and he stared at the still wailing Prince, annoyed and spat a word, "Useless!"
The Prince was enraged, retorting, "You’re only capable of such bravery!"
The Crown Prince sneered, "I can lead troops while mounted and beat you while dismounted. The kingdom of our Great Jin was built on battles. Are you saying this bravery is akin to that of a reckless warrior, implying that about Father?"
The Prince said, "Father mentioned that in these times of peace and stability, what is needed is civil governance. What use is martial prowess? Should a ruler personally lead troops to battle? Are the generals in the court just for show?"
The Crown Prince retorted, "A few years back, Father stated his intention to lead troops himself."
The Prince: ...
The Crown Prince’s gaze grew even colder, turning to speak to Zhou Man, "This medicinal wine is too strong. I will have someone fetch another bottle from the palace."
Then, he turned to the Prince and said, "Idiot!"
The Prince was furious, but the Crown Prince had already stormed out, leaving him to direct his anger towards Manbao and the attendants in the room. Unable to contain him, Manbao tried to suppress him, but he leaped from the bed, completely ignoring that he was unclothed and in pain. He jumped off the wooden couch and kicked the table over...
The table turned over, but he fell down too, clutching his calf and wailing.
The two attendants were so frightened they knelt to the ground, trembling all over.
Manbao looked at the Prince sitting on the floor, and a single thought echoed in her mind: It’s over—
Manbao hurried to help the Prince up, and the two attendants also crawled over to assist, but the Prince, overwhelmed with rage, pushed them away with reddened eyes, shouting, "Get out! I don’t need your hypocrisy. I... I’ll chop you all, I’ll chop you all."
Mingda and others outside sensed something was wrong and rushed over, wanting to open the door. Hearing the commotion, Manbao held the door shut, saying, "It’s okay, please wait outside a moment. The Prince is just feeling a bit upset."
Mingda paused outside, feeling a bit hesitant.
Bai Shan frowned and advised the two, "Let’s wait a while in the courtyard. The medicinal wine is stimulating, and kneading and massaging surely hurts more. Even strong warriors sometimes can’t endure the pain, let alone the Prince."
Mingda frowned, intuitively feeling something was off. Third Brother had also cried out earlier, but it wasn’t this chaotic. Mainly, the Crown Prince had just stormed out in a rage, and now the Third Brother was angry too?
Bai Shan was also aware of the oddity, but since Manbao didn’t want them to enter, it meant their entry would only worsen the situation. So naturally, he helped to stop them from entering.
Finally, Mingda was persuaded, pulling a worried and curious Changyu back to the courtyard to sit and wait.
Bai Erlang had many things he wanted to say, but in front of them, he couldn’t speak privately to Bai Shan, so he held back with effort.
Manbao, holding the door, waited quietly until the Prince, sitting on the ground, finished throwing everything within reach. The two attendants were so scared they were lying prone on the floor. Manbao stepped forward, standing by the Prince’s side, confused about a lot of things, yet maintained a calm and profound demeanor, "Your Highness, why are you so upset? The Crown Prince wasn’t just criticizing you."
The Prince’s eyes reddened, glaring hatefully at Zhou Man, "What did you say?"
"The Crown Prince was also criticizing himself."
Although Manbao didn’t understand why the Crown Prince would criticize himself, from her half-baked psychological perspective, the Crown Prince’s earlier fury and abnormal outburst of calling someone a fool seemed like a double entendre, scolding both the Prince and himself.
The Prince gave Zhou Man a look of disbelief.
Manbao nodded confidently, "You’ve had such a hard time, you can’t even get up from the couch. If the Crown Prince was just scolding you, why would he be so angry that he turned pale and left just like that?"
The Prince calmed down a little.
Manbao continued, "It’s obvious the Crown Prince was also scolding himself. It’s just unclear what thought crossed his mind to make him that furious."
The Prince puzzled, "Could it be he finally realized he’s a fool?"
Manbao: ... She’s not certain whether the Crown Prince is foolish, but she’s sure the Prince is not any smarter than the Crown Prince.
The two attendants, kneeling and trembling, kept their heads down, not daring to lift them even a bit.
Manbao gently asked, "Third Prince, do you want to check your leg?"
It was only then the Prince noticed the pain in his calf, the pain so severe that he lay flat on the ground...
