Chapter 1251

Unexpectedly, the road back to the manor is always full of minor troubles.

Jin Chen had just gone to the clothing shop; over this time he had held him often, so even without careful measurement, he roughly knew Yajiu's build.

Because the shop caters to noble young masters and ladies, its fabrics are all top‑grade; seeing the young master Heir Apparent in person, the shopkeeper eagerly selected the finest.

"Come try these; I picked a few outfits for you." Jin Chen embraced Yajiu and came back in, letting him try on the clothes.

Yajiu was startled by the favor, but felt it somewhat improper, saying, "Master, I don't need to add these."

His current clothes are already the best for him.

Jin Chen, however, did not agree.

"You are his personal guard; if you don't dress well, others might think the Heir Apparent is mistreating you."

He spoke convincingly, and Yajiu immediately felt it serious; the master is so good, we must not let others look down on him.

So he obediently went in to try on clothes, not seeing the shopkeeper's hard‑to‑describe expression.

He had never seen a young master specially come to buy clothes for a guard and servant.

The Heir Apparent, having kept a person, is becoming more adept at sweet‑talking and deceiving.

When Yajiu came out in a blue robe like mist and clouds, Jin Chen looked pleased, saying, "From now on you will wear this; throw away those dark clothes."

The master liked it, so Yajiu naturally had no objection.

With difficulty they prepared to return to the manor; the street began to bustle, and Yajiu stayed close at Jin Chen's side, guarding against any danger.

"Eh… sorry!"

Someone passing by accidentally bumped into Yajiu, steadied themselves and hurriedly apologized, but were frightened by Yajiu's fierce gaze and fled in panic.

Only then did Yajiu turn back, seeing the master being clung to by a girl who had sold herself to bury her father.

"Young master… young master, please be kind and take me home as a maid! Let my poor father rest in peace underground."

The girl was dressed in mourning attire; though she wore no makeup, she looked fresh and lovely, her tear‑filled eyes making her appear pitifully delicate.

Jin Chen was startled by her and let out a cry.

"Let go!"

"What are you doing! How can this also be forced buying and selling!"

Yajiu hurriedly shielded Jin Chen behind him; if it weren't inconvenient, he would have already kicked him away.

"Even selling oneself to bury a father should be based on mutual consent."

His tone was cold: "My master has no such intention; the girl is being overly persistent."

"Exactly."

Jin Chen firmly nodded behind him, also patting the spot that had been dirtied, appearing quite like a frail noble young master.

The girl merely wept, her sobs sorrowful and heartbroken, saying, "I… I have no other way; my father died three days ago, and we still can't scrape together the money for a coffin."

Jin Chen looked at the corpse covered with white cloth, saw nothing wrong, and threw out several ingots of silver from his waist.

"Hurry back and bury him; don't go lunging at people on the street."

"So scary!"

"Also, just consider this young master kind‑hearted; after the burial, you are not allowed to pester him."

"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!"

Jin Chen grabbed Yajiu's hand and left.

As they walked, he muttered, "Today really is ill‑fated; from now on you should check the almanac before going out."

"Yes, master."

Yajiu nodded seriously.

——

After returning to the manor, Jin Chen and Yajiu were indeed summoned by Jin Xuanqi into the main courtyard's study.

"Father."

Jin Chen bowed, then hurriedly sat on the soft chair, asking, "Has the imperial uncle's reply arrived?"

"Yes, it's an imperial edict."

Jin Xuanqi also never cared about how Jin Chen performed his salutations; with a sigh he handed the imperial edict to Jin Chen, saying, "Your imperial uncle has already punished the officials listed within the capital, and four others have already fled into Yangzhou territory."

According to the investigation, they have already entered Huainan Commandery; tomorrow I will personally set out to capture and return them to justice.

Jin Chen finished looking, swiped and put away the edict properly, "The villains are vicious and cunning; Father, you had better bring more men."

Since you're so concerned for your father, why not let the most skilled Yajiu go along?" Jin Xuanqi joked.

That won't do.

Jin Chen solemnly said, "Father, you're not young anymore; how can you compete with me for people?"

Jin Xuanqi: "......"

All right, I had you come today to say that the Yangzhou area is surely not peaceful lately; you must be more careful when you go out.

As Jin Xuanqi spoke, his tone grew wistful, as if somewhat apologetic: "If Chen'er were merely an ordinary family's child, there would be no need to be so careful."

Jin Chen didn't want to be sentimental with this handsome old man, speaking bluntly: "If I were merely an ordinary family, I would surely go bankrupt."

Without the princely father and the merchant mother, he couldn't withstand his squandering!

Jin Xuanqi fell into Silence again; indeed, that is also the reasoning.

What a warm and cozy atmosphere—bam! —just gone in an instant.

Don't argue with me, go back to your courtyard to play.

Jin Xuanqi had few demands of Jin Chen; as long as he remained safe and smooth, that was enough, and later he would inherit his fief.

Therefore, whether for Yue'er's desired peace or to protect his not-so-stupid child, everyone on this list cannot survive.

On this point, he and his imperial brother think alike.

"Yajiu, during this time when I am not here, you must surely protect the Heir Apparent well."

"Yes, I will obey."

——

"At the same time, the Xu Manor."

"Yu'er, what are you saying?"

Xu Qiongyin doubted she had misheard; her hand on the abacus stalled, and she raised her head from the desk.

"Do you want to marry Zhi Hong again?"

Xu Huaiyu nodded, "Yes."

Fu Xiuming, seeing that the mother and daughter were likely about to argue, quickly set down his teacup, stepped forward, and gently pressed on the lady's shoulder, urging her softly.

"Don't get angry first; listen to what Yu'er thinks—he has always been opinionated."

Xu Qiongyin took a deep breath, "Fine, let's see what nonsense he can come up with."

Xu Huaiyu had already prepared a set of explanations, telling a story even more exciting than those in storybooks.

"Moreover, this story had been polished by his cousin, who said, 'Jin Chen's productions are always top-notch.'"

He pinched his thigh, tears welling up, and began to tell the story.

"It's like this…… About three months ago, I dreamed in the middle of the night that Zhi Hong's older brother suddenly disappeared and was possessed by a monster."

"After waking, I initially thought it was just a nightmare, but I never expected my cousin to have the same dream; from that day on, Zhi Hong's older brother began acting strangely—he used to be proper and courteous, but now he does shameful things and speaks rudely to me."

"My cousin and I probed further, and it turns out that the current Zhi Hong is actually a monster who has possessed Zhi Hong's older brother's body through corpse revival, doing things that ruin his reputation!"

Xu Huaiyu sobbed, "Mother, Father, can you understand how wronged I feel?"

Xu Qiongyin: "……"

She turned to ask her husband, "Can you?"

Fu Xiuming: "……Cannot."

This is too absurd.