Xinghui and Danzhu’s palms were red and swollen, and they couldn’t even hold their chopsticks steadily. Han Ze was distressed beyond measure, cursing under his breath about how he wanted to beat that old woman’s palms until they were just as swollen. Suddenly, his eyes darted around, and he pointed at two young maids standing outside.
Assuming a fake air of gravity, he said, “You two, serve the young masters while they eat. If you serve them well, there will be rewards. If you serve them poorly, you’ll be beaten with boards.”
The two little maids were only about ten years old and had never served a master up close before. Terrified by Han Ze’s forced display of authority, they carefully stepped forward, not daring to speak a word, only murmuring, “Yes.”
Han Ze looked at the two children, his dark eyes sparkling. He pointed at the food on the table and said, “Ask them to get whatever you like. Don’t go hungry.”
Han Danzhu pointed at a plate of soy-braised duck, twitched her delicate nose, and asked cautiously, “Dad, I want to eat that duck. Is it okay?”
Han Ze waved his hand grandly. “Why wouldn’t it be okay? We aren’t in the countryside anymore. Your Imperial Grandfather gave us lots and lots of gold. Eat whatever you want; you never have to go hungry again. If Xiaozhu likes it, it’s all yours.”
Danzhu picked at her nails and shook her head reluctantly. “The Nanny said I am a County Princess and a noble lady. I must eat elegantly and cannot eat until my belly is full. I think I’d better not eat it.”
Slap! Han Ze slammed his hand onto the table. “I know why that old lady is so loathsome now! She tells you not to eat your fill because she wants to save the leftovers for herself! Too wicked! I definitely won’t spare her.”
Xinghui took the soup handed to him by a maid and took a small sip. Although that nanny used the excuse of teaching them etiquette to discipline them, he had to admit that after these days of learning, the siblings understood much more about palace rules and etiquette. At the very least, they wouldn’t make major mistakes. The reason they hadn’t greeted their father correctly earlier was simply because they weren’t used to it.
Hearing Han Ze’s words, Xinghui asked, “Dad, how do you plan to punish that Nanny? We are the masters and she is a servant. She hit our palms, so if we just hit her palms back, isn’t that a bit of a loss for us?”
Han Ze paused, asking him distressfully, “Usually, if something happens, I ask Diejin. But Diejin is in league with that old lady; she sides with her. What do we do now? Should we still hit her palms?”
Xinghui’s eyes lit up. He said, “She hit my hand and sister’s hand until they were so swollen; of course she must taste what it feels like. As for the punishment after that, we have to think more. Danzhu, what do you think?”
Danzhu said dissatisfiedly, “Not enough.”
Han Ze looked at the siblings and asked Danzhu, “What does Xiaozhu say we should do?”
Danzhu looked at her small, swollen hands, which still throbbed with pain. She pouted and said, “She made our hands swell, so I’ll make her hands swell too. When hands are swollen, you can’t eat. I’ve been hungry for two days; I want her to be hungry too.”
“What? Xiaozhu, you’ve been hungry for two days?” Han Ze shouted. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Danzhu looked at her father aggrievedly and sniffled. “That Diejin wouldn’t let me find you. She said you were busy getting a Princess Consort and had no time for us. The maids in the mansion were even saying behind our backs that once you marry the Princess Consort, you won’t want me and Big Brother anymore.”
Xinghui was also quite sad. It was one thing for servants to beat them, but a Princess Consort was not a servant. If the Princess Consort didn’t like them and hit them, what could they do?
Han Ze stared at them blankly, then hurriedly explained, “Who said I don’t want you? We agreed when we came to the capital that we’d live a good life together. How could I not want you?”
Danzhu’s lip trembled. “But you’re marrying a Princess Consort, and she won’t like us.”
Han Ze stammered, “How could she not like you?”
Xinghui added from the side, “Dad wants to marry a Princess Consort, and a Princess Consort is a stepmother. Xiao Dunzi in our village used to be fat, but after his mom died and his dad married a stepmother, she wouldn’t even give him food. He was skin and bones by the time we left. Stepmothers are all bad people.”
Han Ze chimed in, “Back when we had nothing to eat, Xiao Dunzi even gave us meat. When I left for the capital, I told him that if I lived a good life, I’d bring him to enjoy it with us. We have meat every day now; I wonder if his stepmother has become a better person, or if she’s still letting him go hungry?”
Danzhu burst into tears. “Bad Dad! Don’t marry a stepmother! I don’t want to go hungry!”
Han Ze looked as if he were frightened by her crying. He looked at her helplessly and comforted her, “Xiaozhu, d-don’t cry. Miss Shen is a good person; she won’t let you go hungry.”
Danzhu thought of the rumors in the mansion over the last few days and shouted, “Dad is a liar!”
Han Ze picked at the tablecloth, scratching his head in an anxious state. After a long while, he finally asked, “How about this: I’ll make Miss Shen give her guarantee—guarantee she won’t let you go hungry. How’s that?”
Xinghui pursed his lips and asked unwillingly, “Dad, do you really have to marry that Miss Shen?”
Han Ze said bashfully, “Your Imperial Grandfather said we must choose a lucky day before the decree is issued.”
Xinghui was sad; his father was still set on marrying her. Since that was the case, he could only fight to ensure she didn’t abuse him and his sister after moving in. He asked, “Dad, when you said you’d have Miss Shen guarantee not to starve us, did you mean it?”
Han Ze nodded and said happily, “So you agree to me marrying her?”
Xinghui said, “Dad, if you want to marry her, you can. But I’ve heard that some stepmothers don’t just starve their stepchildren, they beat and abuse them too. Can you make her guarantee she won’t abuse us?”
Han Ze’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Miss Shen is a good person; she’s helped me a lot. She doesn’t even like gold or silver, so you can rest assured. When she marries into our house, she won’t fight us for the gold and silver. It’ll all belong to the three of us. you can buy whatever you want.”
Danzhu pouted. “Liar. There’s no one who doesn’t like gold and silver.”
Xinghui also felt Miss Shen was lying. Although he didn’t love gold as much as his father, he knew that without money, you couldn’t buy anything.
Han Ze waved his hand dismissively. “You haven’t been out; you don’t know the people in the capital. They are all strange. Many don’t like gold or silver; they think it’s vulgar. They like flowers and plants and call it ‘refined elegance.'”
Danzhu and Xinghui: “…”
They decided they should finish eating and then go punish the Nanny. As for “refined elegance”—if one hasn’t been hungry, how could they know the importance of gold and silver?
…
Nanny Xing and Diejin were kneeling on the ground outside, listening to the childish words coming from inside. They grew increasingly anxious.
Nanny Xing quietly tugged at Diejin’s skirt. “Diejin, hurry and think of a way!”
Diejin hated Nanny Xing to death. If she hadn’t spoken up for her, the Prince wouldn’t have been so angry with her. She knew better than anyone that while the Prince wasn’t very smart, he was difficult to win back once offended.
Seeing Diejin ignore her, Nanny Xing tugged at her arm again.
Diejin snapped impatiently, “I can barely protect myself! How do you expect me to find a way?”
Nanny Xing argued, “The Prince has always trusted your words. If you go beg him, he’ll surely listen.”
Diejin looked lost. She shook her head in silence. She had overestimated her position in the Prince’s heart and underestimated the position of the children. Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets.
…
After dinner, Han Ze had the mansion’s doctor examine Xinghui and Danzhu’s hands and apply ointment. The siblings were eager to start the punishment, but Han Ze said, “Your hands hurt. Let the maids punish her.”
Xinghui and Danzhu hadn’t planned on doing it themselves anyway. They looked at the two young maids. “Nanny Xing used to bully you all the time. Now it’s your turn to bully her. See my hands? Whoever makes her hands just as swollen first, I will reward with one tael—no, half a tael of silver.”
Han Ze said reluctantly from the side, “Half a tael of silver can buy many buns. You can’t just reward them like that.”
Xinghui replied, “The grandmothers in the village say you can’t catch a wolf if you’re unwilling to sacrifice the child. If we want the maids to help punish Nanny Xing, how can they be ruthless if we don’t give them a little sweetness?”
Han Ze thought about it and nodded. “Xiaoxing is the smart one. We’ll do as you say.”
Xinghui quickly added, “If someone is smart, does that mean the family listens to them from now on?”
Han Ze looked at him and said as a matter of course, “We definitely listen to whoever is the smartest. That way we won’t get cheated.”
Xinghui patted himself. “You just said I’m smart. So from now on, you’ll listen to me?”
Han Ze gave an “Ah” and said unwillingly, “Fine… then I’ll listen to you. Is that okay?”
“No taking it back?”
“I never take things back!” Han Ze said defiantly.
Xinghui was happy. He ordered the maids: “Start hitting.”
Nanny Xing’s heart hammered, and she clenched her fists. Han Ze stepped forward and shouted, “Old lady, open your hands right now!”
Unwilling but helpless, Nanny Xing opened her hands. The two maids had been bullied and scolded by her for a long time; now that their masters were letting them retaliate, they didn’t hold back.
Outside, the servants heard the screams of pain and shuddered. They felt Nanny Xing deserved it. Relying on being the Empress’s person, she had acted arrogantly in the Prince’s Mansion. Did she not consider that the Prince and the children were the Empress’s own son and grandchildren? She dared to strike their palms; she was practically asking for it. The Prince didn’t even need the Empress to intervene to settle her.
The punishment of Nanny Xing taught the servants that although the three masters were new to the capital, they weren’t easily fooled. If you angered them, even as the Empress’s person, you would be punished and beaten. Those who previously had minor schemes immediately straightened up, not daring to act out again.
…
The next day, after breakfast, Han Ze said as if he had just realized something, “Yesterday, your Imperial Grandmother said she wanted you to stay with her in the palace. Do you want to go?”
Though they were reluctant to leave their father, they also liked their grandmother. “We want to go.”
Han Ze sent them to the palace. Upon returning to the mansion, the gatekeeper reported that Shen Jiaqing had arrived.
Han Ze went to the reception hall and gave a simple laugh. “Jiaqing.”
Shen Jiaqing stood and bowed. “Prince.”
Han Ze said hurriedly, “Sit, sit. You’re always so formal.”
Once Shen Jiaqing sat, he asked, “Prince, about the marriage decree?”
Han Ze smiled and said, “Dad has already agreed to the marriage. Just wait; there’s no rush.”
No rush? Shen Jiaqing was secretly annoyed. If there were no rush, he wouldn’t have hurried over to ask. But since the Prince said the Emperor had agreed, he felt at ease. He would just wait at home.
Han Ze added, “Jiaqing, there have been rumors in the mansion the last two days. They say once I marry the Princess Consort, she will abuse Xinghui and Danzhu…”
Shen Jiaqing interrupted hurriedly, “How is that possible? Mingya would be sad for half a day just stepping on an ant! How could she abuse the children?”
Han Ze laughed. “I said it was impossible too! Mingya is so kind. When others mocked me for being a fool, she even spoke up for me. How could she abuse them?”
Shen Jiaqing relaxed and said sincerely, “Prince, you must not believe the words of petty people. You know what kind of person Mingya is, don’t you?”
Han Ze’s face wrinkled like a bitter gourd. “But Xinghui and Danzhu don’t believe it. They are terrified that the Princess Consort will abuse them. They insist Miss Shen give her guarantee—guarantee she won’t abuse them. Why don’t you go back and tell her to give a guarantee?”
Shen Jiaqing was annoyed. His fingers whitened as he gripped his teacup. He gave a slight smile. “Is the Prince joking?”
Han Ze looked at him blankly. “I’m not laughing. I’m worried to death.”
Shen Jiaqing gritted his teeth. …Damned idiot.
Seeing him silent, Han Ze said, “Don’t you understand? Well, your family probably hasn’t had this happen, so it’s normal you don’t understand. But go back and tell Miss Shen to write a guarantee for Xinghui and Danzhu to see. Let them know she’s a good person and stop wrongly accusing her.”
Shen Jiaqing: “…”
Han Ze continued, “Fortunately, Miss Shen has studied since she was a child. It’s just one guarantee; she’ll definitely write it. Not like me—I barely know any characters. If you asked me for a guarantee, I couldn’t even write it. Hehe…”
Shen Jiaqing stood up abruptly. Han Ze looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
Shen Jiaqing took several deep breaths. “I’ll go back and have Mingya write the guarantee.”
Han Ze smiled. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Shen Jiaqing couldn’t take it anymore and strode out.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152