Chapter 18: The Cold-Faced God of Slaughter

Xiang Junzheng did not expect this deity to arrive so suddenly. In the imperial court, he had always remained neutral, seeking neither merit nor trouble, only self-preservation. Yet, for the past few days, Xiang Junzheng could not fathom why the Crown Prince seemed displeased with him. Today, during his rest day, the Crown Prince had suddenly appeared at his residence, leaving him feeling anxious and unsettled.

Without time for further thought, Xiang Junzheng hurriedly straightened his attire and strode out to welcome him.

Quan Aoyu had indeed come suddenly. He had heard Jun Zijin’s agreement with the iron shop owner to pick up a wheelchair today. When he arrived at the shop, the item had already been taken by Jun Zijin, but he truly wanted to see the finished product and was unwilling to return to the palace just like that, so he turned and headed to the Xiang residence. He did not wait for the Minister to come out to greet him, walking straight into the front hall of the residence.

According to ritual, the Crown Prince is the heir apparent. When the Crown Prince arrives, a minister must lead his sons to welcome him outside the main gate, while the female members of the household welcome him inside the gate, where an incense table is set in the main hall.

In the June weather, Xiang Junzheng felt it was exceptionally hot today. Jogging all the way, he had just stepped into the hall when he hurriedly and respectfully bowed:

"This humble official pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. Your Highness has graced my humble home, and I failed to welcome you from afar; I hope you will forgive my offense."

He saw Quan Aoyu dressed in casual attire, sitting in the main seat, sipping tea at a leisurely pace.

"Is Minister Xiang blaming Gu for coming uninvited?" Thinking of the girl who had once shown him the kindness of half a steamed bun being sent away to the manor to suffer, Quan Aoyu felt annoyed and spoke with a sarcastic, biting tone.

"This humble official would not dare." Terrified, Xiang Junzheng’s legs went weak, and he knelt down, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Quan Aoyu had no intention of scaring him further and said:

"Stop standing there on the ground."

Xiang Junzheng rose tremblingly. After a long while, seeing that this ancestor had no intention of speaking, he tentatively inquired.

"May I ask what brings Your Highness here today?" Xiang Junzheng asked cautiously.

"Looking for someone." There was no follow-up.

This ancestor was truly a man of few words. Xiang Junzheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask again:

"May I ask who Your Highness is looking for?"

"The young ladies of your residence," Quan Aoyu said with some impatience.

Xiang Junzheng did not know which young lady this ancestor was looking for, nor could he be sure if it was a good or bad thing. Not daring to ask further and without time to overthink, he had no choice but to order his servants to summon all the young ladies of the residence.

Seeing this cold-faced god of slaughter not even lifting his eyelids, his expression indifferent and silent, seemingly in a foul mood, Xiang Junzheng, who was already standing crookedly, bowed even lower, standing by in trepidation.

It was truly no wonder Xiang Junzheng was timid and fearful. The whole world whispered that the Crown Prince of the Tianqi Kingdom was stern and humorless, merciless, unpredictable, cruel in his methods, and ruthless. He was a cold-faced god of slaughter; even when children in commoner households were being naughty and crying, the moment they heard the Tianqi Crown Prince was coming, even the most unruly child would immediately become obedient and quiet.

Xiang Junzheng felt anxious and uneasy, secretly pondering:

"It seems that the arrival of this god of slaughter today is likely not a good thing. I wonder which girl has provoked him?

The eldest girl is a well-known and universally recognized talented woman in Jingcheng. Since childhood, she has been well-read in poetry and books, deeply understands the way of etiquette, is well-mannered, and is always polite and measured when interacting with others; it certainly cannot be her.

The third girl of the second branch is a bit overbearing, but she is only a bully at home. Besides, she is usually with the eldest girl, so it wouldn't be her either. The fourth girl is usually kept in her courtyard by her mother, so she has even less opportunity to provoke this god of slaughter. That only leaves the second girl, who is notorious for her bad reputation. This bane had been hiding in the Luoshan Courtyard for a few days, but today she went out to show off again. Thinking of this, he regretted letting her out of the residence—no, he regretted letting her return to the residence at all."

Luoshan Courtyard was the name given by the First Lady, Lady Wu, after Jun Zijin and her servant moved in. It implied the setting sun at dusk. Giving such a name to a courtyard for a vibrant, teenage girl was clearly malicious.

But Jun Zijin truly did not care about these empty, meaningless things and had not taken it to heart at all; she had no intention of changing it.

Jun Yiyi was currently talking in Lady Wu’s room. The day after tomorrow was the birthday of the Prime Minister’s grandmother. For the past half-month, she had been practicing the zither diligently in her courtyard, determined to shine brilliantly at the banquet the day after tomorrow.

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince wanted to see her, Jun Yiyi was incredibly excited. She thought that the Crown Prince must have seen her somewhere, been conquered by her beauty, and had come to the residence today.

She was confident in her appearance. She had originally planned to go out to pick out some jewelry today, so she had dressed up elaborately and was even more radiant.

Lady Wu urged her to perform well; with the favor of the current Crown Prince, what was the third young master of the Prime Minister’s residence?

Jun Yiyi stepped out of the courtyard lightly, pondering all the way what song she should play for the Crown Prince today.

Jun Zhidie was equally excited. She secretly rejoiced in her heart: "The Crown Prince wants to see her! She is about to fly onto a branch and become a phoenix. Lady Wu, Jun Yiyi, let’s see if you still dare to look down on me. Jun Zijin, you slut, see how I deal with you." Jun Zhidie triumphantly cursed everyone in the residence who had offended her or stepped on her.

She had wanted to dress up first, but Lady Li, fearing that the Crown Prince would wait too long and the opportunity would be lost, urged her to go quickly.

A moon-shaped archway had been dug into the wall between the courtyards of the first and second branches of the Xiang residence. Usually, people from both branches went in and out through this archway. Jun Zhidie crossed the archway and hurried toward the front hall next door.

These two heard the Crown Prince had arrived and, bringing a group of maids and nannies, rushed over, only to bump into each other outside the hall door. Only then did they realize the Crown Prince didn't just want to see them, and they were incredibly jealous.

Jun Yiyi spoke first:

"Is Third Sister dressed like this to see His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Cousin is already betrothed, yet you still want to see His Highness the Crown Prince? But for a personage like His Highness, Cousin should not indulge in wishful thinking," Jun Zhidie retorted, refusing to be outdone.

Jun Zhidie was usually Jun Yiyi’s little follower, yet today she dared to talk back.

Jun Yiyi was furious, but she had inherited Lady Wu’s true teachings; how could she lash out here? Jun Yiyi secretly warned herself not to act impulsively. She took a few deep breaths, suppressed the anger in her heart, and then said calmly:

"Third Sister has great courage today."

Jun Zhidie was startled, realizing she had been too impulsive just now, but the words were already out, so she could only hold her ground.

"Cousin, do not be angry. It is just that His Highness the Crown Prince’s status is what it is; how could he look upon someone who already has a marriage contract?"

Jun Yiyi was so angry her face turned pale. Just then, she saw Jun Zijin and Jun Shuyan walking over from the opposite side, chatting and laughing. The two of them immediately shared a common hatred.

Jun Yiyi thought to herself: His Highness the Crown Prince actually invited this slut too.

Jun Zhidie did not have Jun Yiyi’s shrewdness and started scolding directly: "His Highness the Crown Prince is really something. Calling that slut Jun Zijin is one thing, but he actually didn't even spare Jun Shuyan."