Chapter 214

C214 – The Family of Three

As Zhang Chun hurried out, he witnessed two of his shop’s employees lifting Sun Wang. He yelled in terror, “Halt!”

The two young men had intended to startle the young master, but when they heard their boss’s furious shout, they instinctively loosened their grip, and Sun Wang tumbled to the ground.

“Ah…” The onlookers let out alarmed cries. Some of the more timid individuals covered their eyes, unable to bear witnessing the scene directly.

Though the fall wouldn’t prove fatal, it was bound to result in sore buttocks. In their hearts, everyone mourned silently for the young master.

Little Luoyuan was equally frightened. He shut his eyes, bracing for the impending pain. However, after a while, he felt no discomfort. Instead, it was soft beneath him.

Shifting his position slightly, he let out a yelp. Zhang Chun clenched his teeth and said, “Young master, could you please shift your position?”

It turned out that when Zhang Chun rushed over, he had unconsciously acted as a cushion for Little Luoyuan.

This had been an entirely instinctive response, without any thought about the consequences if Little Luoyuan had fallen and hurt him.

“Dong… Dong… Dong…” The two young men were left bewildered. Regardless of their intelligence, they could sense that this young master held an unusual status. He might even be related to the Dong family.

However, they had never heard any mention of their boss having a brother. Weren’t they told that the Loyal and Brave Marquis Prefecture had only one surviving child?

“What are you waiting for? Help him up quickly!”

“Oh… Right…” After helping Little Luoyuan to his feet, Zhang Chun supported him by the waist and stood up. He gestured towards Little Luoyuan and then pointed at the two employees, asking with trembling voice, “Now, tell me, what happened here?”

Little Luoyuan was the first to speak up. “They bullied me,” he complained.

The two of them couldn’t defend themselves. They simply looked at Zhang Chun with eyes full of grievance, silently conveying, “It’s a misunderstanding!”

Zhang Chun questioned, “Why would they bully a child like you? I’m not one to jump to conclusions based solely on one side of the story.”

Moreover, he had an intimate understanding of Tang Yue. Although he consistently adhered to the rules, once he was out of Tang Yue’s sight, he could be quite mischievous.

“I want to retrieve my belongings. They won’t allow it. They claim that I never requested them to take it and accused me of theft!”

Zhang Chun was perplexed. Even though 20% of the shares belonged to Little Luoyuan as a birthday gift, it shouldn’t be considered his family’s property, right?

Little Luoyuan pointed with his pale finger. Zhang Chun glanced over and spotted a new toy car wrapped in a piece of cloth.

Initially, Tang Yue had crafted this car, and it was based on the blueprint he had given to Little Luoyuan. It undeniably belonged to Tang Yue.

However, he had already granted himself the rights to manage the car, and everyone would receive dividends if he sold it. What was this child thinking?

He rolled his eyes and squatted down, causing a sudden ache in his spine. He massaged it and said, “Stop fooling around. Your dear father left this here to sell, so he could buy you some delicious treats.”

“No, I don’t want to eat that. I want my dear daddy’s food!”

Tsk… The Crown Prince’s residence was indeed filled with peculiar individuals. The eldest acted like a wife, while the youngest acted like a father. They might even have some kind of father complex.

“Alright,” Wang Yao declared, “Go back and inform your dear father. If he agrees, I’ll retrieve all of this for you!” He didn’t believe that Tang Yue couldn’t handle this unruly child!

Upon hearing this, the young master finally nodded in agreement. The two young men standing nearby transitioned from astonishment to understanding. They now comprehended whose child they had been mistreating.

With a thud, the two of them simultaneously knelt down and apologized by kowtowing.

Zhang Chun raised an eyebrow and said, “Very well. Those who were unaware are not at fault.” Besides, you acted correctly. Upon your return, everyone will be rewarded with half a month’s salary.”

“If anyone with a position can simply take items from his shop, then… What use does he have for these people?”

The two young men were left dumbfounded. They had expected severe punishment, but instead, not only were they not penalized, they were also being rewarded. Their boss was truly benevolent and endearing!

They had an overwhelming desire to rush over and embrace him. What should they do?

Zhang Chun cast a glance at Little Luoyuan and inquired, “Have they mistreated you? Would you like to take action against them?”

Little Luoyuan scoffed. “I pay no heed to insignificant individuals. The Prime Minister possesses exceptional tolerance and doesn’t concern himself with commoners.”

The corner of Zhang Chun’s mouth twitched. This young one must have been exposed to too many stories. Tomorrow, he wouldn’t introduce him to modern TV dramas; instead, he should instill him with the values of this era.

Otherwise, in the future, the royal heir might not exhibit noble qualities but might become excessively compassionate and gentle, which wouldn’t be ideal.

As the young master and his companion returned to the Crown Prince’s Palace, the servants they encountered along the way could sense the young master’s discontent. There were even traces of suspicious dust on his forehead.

Tang Yue had been diligently compiling medical texts recently. The hundred male nurses he had established were now fully capable of handling various tasks, although their expertise lay primarily in treating external injuries. Nevertheless, they excelled in handling accidents.

These individuals had been receiving training for five years. Tang Yue initially groomed them to be qualified nurses, and now they were proficient in practicing medicine independently. He had invested his utmost effort in their development.

The medical manuscript he was presently crafting aimed to condense his two decades of experience from his previous life. This manuscript would be passed down through the generations, evolving and refining with ongoing practice.

Since the past winter, the border region had grown increasingly unstable. Several incidents involving civilians crossing the border had occurred. While this issue had been suppressed, Crown Prince Zhao suspected that North Yue was preparing to make a move against South Jin.

North Yue boasted a substantial foundation. After four years of recovery, it had regained nearly half of its former strength. The current North Yue King, an ambitious ruler, harbored a lifelong aspiration to unify the realm.

Consequently, he was determined to launch this campaign before his passing.

However, Tang Yue harbored no fear of North Yue. Over the past four years, while North Yue had been gradually recuperating, South Jin had been experiencing unprecedented growth. At a superficial glance, the landscape and people might appear the same, but the bedrock of society had transformed.

Within these four years, the majority of the first cohort of educated individuals had already integrated into society, establishing families and businesses. Half of them had successfully passed their exams, and after further studies, they would become the next generation of educators.

In a decade or a century, a hundred-year-old tree and a hundred-year-old tree. Tang Yue never anticipated that within a few short years, he would be capable of fundamentally transforming the common people of South Jin. As long as he could navigate this phase smoothly, the future was bound to be even brighter.

“Father…” A soft scoff accompanied the sound of approaching footsteps. As Tang Yue set aside his pen and looked up, a petite figure had already rushed to his side, embracing his arm while gazing at him.

“You returned so swiftly?” Ever since the incident with the stampede that year, Tang Yue seldom took his son out. And when he did, it was always with a substantial entourage, which he found rather dull. Consequently, he reduced his outings. Once everyone had forgotten his appearance, he would allow his son to venture out in a low-key manner.

Little Luoyuan eagerly recounted the events of the day to Tang Yue, emphasizing the significance of those toy cars. He wanted Tang Yue to retrieve them.

It took Tang Yue some time to explain the purpose of those objects to him. He reassured him repeatedly that he would craft more enjoyable toys. Those childlike cars were only suitable for one or two-year-olds.

Upon hearing this pledge, Little Luoyuan reluctantly relented. “Thankfully, I didn’t inform Dad. Otherwise, he might have confiscated them first.”

“What do you mean by ‘act first, explain later’?” A deep voice resonated from outside the door. Tang Yue looked up, his eyes warm as he regarded the mature and composed man.

Over the past few years, the Crown Prince had grown half a head taller than Tang Yue and possessed a much more robust physique. With the two of them standing together, no one would think that the Crown Prince lacked the advantage in terms of appearance.

Although his facial features remained unchanged and as handsome as ever, his demeanor was effortless, and his sharpness was restrained, discouraging direct eye contact.

Little Luoyuan shrank back and then shook his head. “Nothing, we didn’t discuss anything.” He cast pleading eyes at Tang Yue.

Tang Yue smirked discreetly. The father-son duo seemed like natural adversaries. They hadn’t grown closer over the years; on the contrary, Little Luoyuan’s respect for Crown Prince Zhao had grown day by day.

Crown Prince Zhao’s teaching approach differed from Tang Yue’s. Tang Yue was as gentle as a stream, enabling Little Luoyuan to learn and grow happily. In contrast, Crown Prince Zhao was stern, employing every method to instill his values into Little Luoyuan’s mind.

Presently, it was Tang Yue’s teaching approach that proved more effective. However, he understood that it could, at best, cultivate a refined and knowledgeable young master. Crown Prince Zhao’s methods were the proper way to groom an emperor.

As heirs to the throne, they didn’t need to appear gentle on the surface; they needed to be resolute. Crown Prince Zhao’s words and actions exemplified this best.

Tang Yue smiled and stood by his son’s side. “Indeed, we didn’t discuss anything.”

Within their family of three, Tang Yue’s heart tilted in favor of his son. However, Crown Prince Zhao’s influence carried enough weight to balance the scales between the big and the small, so he didn’t concern himself with it.