Chapter 347: Unblocking Is Better Than Blocking

Halfway there, Li Jinglong suddenly stopped, his face turning deathly pale.

Zhu Qiong Jiong followed his gaze...

Wang Gui stood on the opposite side of the street, his face dark, staring at them.

"Uncle Wang..." Zhu Qiong Jiong forced a nervous laugh.

Wang Gui came over, glanced at Li Jinglong, then at Zhu Qiong Jiong, said nothing, grabbed Zhu Qiong Jiong by the back of his collar as if lifting a chick, and strode toward Wu Wang Fu.

Zhu Qiong Jiong, being lifted, had both feet hanging in the air; he struggled twice but couldn't break free, fearing he might hurt Wang Gui.

"Uncle Wang, please be gentle, I can walk on my own,"

Wang Gui remained silent.

Li Jinglong stood rooted, unable to go or stay, his face flushing red then turning white.

Wang Gui took a few steps forward, turned back, glanced at him and said, "Stop standing there, go back and tell your father clearly, punish what needs to be punished."

Li Jinglong's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

……

Wu Wang Fu.

Wang Gui carried Zhu Qiong Jiong into the main courtyard and set him down on the ground.

Zhu Qiong Jiong steadied himself, looked up, and saw Zhu Yong sitting under the corridor, a cup of tea in hand, watching him.

Beside them, Guanyin Nu sat on a chair, her complexion unwell.

Zhu Yong said nothing, just stared at his son.

Zhu Qiong Jiong hunched his neck and whispered, "Father, I…"

"Where did you go?" Zhu Yong's voice was low.

"I didn't… didn't go anywhere, just wandered around the street."

Zhu Yong looked at Wang Gui.

Wang Gui clasped his fists and said, "Prince, the young prince went to the Qinhuai River bank and is squatting behind Zui Xian Lou."

Zhu Qiong Jiong's face turned pale instantly.

Guanyin Nu's teacup clacked— onto the table.

Zhu Yong set down the teacup, stood, and walked to his son's side.

Zhu Qiong Jiong lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

"Raise your head," Zhu Yong said.

Zhu Qiong Jiong slowly lifted his head, his eyes already reddened.

"Father, I was wrong…"

"Where did you go wrong?"

"I shouldn't have gone to that kind of place…"

"Anything else?"

Zhu Qiong Jiong thought for a moment then said, "I shouldn't have climbed over the wall, shouldn't have lied to my sister…"

Zhu Yong stared at him, silent for a while.

"Wang Gui."

"The junior officer is here."

"Take him to the ancestral hall, have him kneel, and without my word he may not rise."

"Understood."

Wang Gui came over, grabbed Zhu Qiong Jiong's hand. The little fellow kept his head down, followed out, tears plop plop falling down.

At the courtyard gate, he suddenly turned back, "Father, I was just curious, didn't intend to go in…"

Zhu Yong waved his hand, and Wang Gui led the boy away.

The courtyard fell silent.

Guanyin Nu sat there, fingers pinching the teacup, her knuckles turning white.

Zhu Yong sat beside her and whispered, "I'm annoyed; later I'll deal with him."

Guanyin Nu gave no reply.

Zhu Yong added, "That kid is just curious; children his age are like that, when I was young I also…"

"You also went?" Guanyin Nu turned her head toward him.

Zhu Yong was startled and said, "No, back then I couldn't even get enough to eat…"

"Then how do you know children his age act like that? Young Prince never went, now grown, wants to see?" Guanyin Nu stared at him.

Zhu Yong opened his mouth but could not speak.

He suddenly realized that any reply would be wrong.

Saying "want to go" would be courting death.

Saying "don't want to go" would make his earlier words a lie.

Guanyin Nu looked at him, slowly saying, "Prince, your son has your temperament; the more you forbid him, the more he wants to go. Today he sneaked out to spy on a brothel, tomorrow? later?"

Zhu Yong nodded, "I understand, later I'll talk to him properly."

"You said the same last time; after you spoke, his curiosity grew," Guanyin Nu lifted the teacup and took a sip.

Zhu Yong fell silent.

Guanyin Nu set down the teacup, stood, and said, "I'll go to the ancestral hall and take a look."

"I'll go with you."

Guanyin Nu glanced at him and asked, "Prince, what are you going to do? Talk reason with him again? After that, will he drag Li Jinglong to stroll down Flower Street?"

Zhu Yong fell silent.

Guanyin Nu left.

Zhu Yong sat on the corridor steps, watching the empty courtyard, and suddenly felt a slight headache.

He recalled his childhood in Fengyang Mountain Village, when he couldn't even get enough to eat and had no mind for such thoughts. Later he joined the army, fought the Northern Yuan alongside Chang Yuchun, licking blood from his blade every day, with no time to ponder these matters.

But Zhu Qiongjiong was different.

The child was born as the Crown Prince of Wu, and whatever he wanted, he got.

He didn't have to worry about food or clothing, nor life or death; he had idle time to be curious about all those messy things.

The more he was forbidden to go, the more he wanted to go.

The more it was hidden and suppressed, the more mysterious it seemed.

Zhu Yong stood up, paced the courtyard twice, then suddenly stopped.

He remembered a joke he had seen online in a previous life.

"The more you deny a child something, the more he wants to do it."

Better to ease than to block.

He strode toward the ancestral hall.

…

Inside the hall, Zhu Qiongjiong knelt on a prayer mat, his back perfectly straight.

Hearing footsteps, he glanced back, then quickly turned around again.

Guanyin Nu stood beside him, silent.

Zhu Yong entered, squatted beside his son.

Zhu Qiongjiong lowered his head and whispered, "Father, I was truly wrong…"

"Knowing you're wrong is enough; get up!" Zhu Yong said.

Zhu Qiongjiong froze, lifted his head, his face full of disbelief.

Guanyin Nu also froze, saying, "Prince…"

Zhu Yong waved his hand, pulled his son up, looked into his eyes and said, "Jiong Jiong, are you especially eager to know what exactly is inside the brothel?"

Zhu Qiongjiong hesitated briefly, then nodded.

"Then Father will take you to see."

Guanyin Nu's expression changed: "Prince!"

Zhu Yong turned to her and explained, "You were right just now; the more we forbid him, the more he wants to go. Rather than let him sneak away, I'll take him to see."

Guanyin Nu opened her mouth, but said nothing.

Zhu Qiongjiong stood there, eyes wide, "Father, you… you really…?"

"Hmm, but there's a condition."

"What condition?"

"After you return, write a review—record everything you saw, heard, and thought. Write it well; if you're curious about anything later, just ask Father, and I'll take you. If you write poorly…"

He paused, then added, "From now on, don't even think about leaving."

Zhu Qiongjiong nodded vigorously, "I'll write! I'll definitely write well!"

Guanyin Nu stood nearby, about to speak, then swallowed it back.

She looked at her husband, suddenly feeling she had never truly understood him.

…

Half an hour later.

At the entrance of Zui Xian Lou.

In broad daylight, the building was cold and empty.

A few workers leaned against the doorway, dozing, and lazily lifted their heads when someone arrived.

Zhu Yong, dressed in plain clothes, led Zhu Qiongjiong inside.

Li Jinglong crouched at the back, being pushed by Wang Gui, his face full of reluctance.

Inside, it was very quiet.

The main hall held a dozen or so tables, made of rosewood, polished to a shine.

On the walls hung calligraphy and paintings, several appearing to be works of renowned artists from the previous dynasty.

At the stairwell stood a rosewood rack, atop which sat a blue‑and‑white porcelain vase holding a few withered lotus stems.