Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 136

It took two months to get there, but only one month to return. The little prince’s horse was so exhausted that it was foaming at the mouth when they arrived back at the palace.

As soon as Prince Cheng heard that his son returned from court, he rushed to see him, worried that the boy got himself into trouble. When he entered the room, he found the princess holding the little prince and crying. Prince Cheng’s heart tightened, and he quickly ran over, fearing something serious happened.

In the end, his son was fine. His concern made him forget how much his wife loved to cry.

In fact, there were changes. The little prince, who used to enjoy teasing cats and dogs, was different now. He no longer smiled or acted carelessly. Instead, he looked as if he aged overnight, with cold eyes and a stern face—almost resembling his long-absent father-in-law.

After a while, the princess, still distressed, stood up, wiped her tears, and left. Finally, Prince Cheng got a chance to speak with his son.

“What happened? Did you hit a wall?” Prince Cheng teased.

The young prince stayed silent.

“I told you, Zhang Shu is a stubborn man. You’ll never get the better of him.”

“It’s not him.”

“Not him? His husband, then? I remember Zhang Shu’s husband didn’t oppose the idea at the time…”

“It’s not Uncle Jin either.”

“Oh…” Prince Cheng stretched the word, “I see, it’s because the young ger doesn’t like you, isn’t it? You’ve always acted like the best in the world…”

“Don’t say anything!” The young prince suddenly stood up, knocking everything off the table. His eyes were red, his teeth clenched, and his face contorted with pain.

Prince Cheng immediately stopped smiling and looked at him seriously. It was only a month since he received the letter, which meant the boy rushed back from Anyang County in about a month—he was on the road the whole time. When the princess cried earlier, the boy didn’t say a word of comfort but simply sat there in a daze. It seemed this time, the young prince was genuinely hurt.

“Tell me everything that happened. If they really hurt you, I will never forgive them. Don’t worry, even though I don’t have great power, I can deal with ordinary people.” Prince Cheng tested him.

The young prince anxiously interrupted, “Don’t interfere with my affairs!”

“What are you talking about? You’re my son. If they’ve hurt you, of course, I will deal with it,” Prince Cheng said, watching his son’s expression carefully. Seeing his frown, he added, “How about this, we confiscate their property and exile them to the southern border?”

“No!” The young prince quickly refused. Then, seeing his father’s amused expression, he realized something. “I see, you’re just teasing me.”

“Tell me what happened. Let me give you some advice.” He gently rubbed his son’s head, a gesture the young prince hadn’t felt in years, bringing back memories of his childhood.

The boy, holding back his tears all the way, finally let them fall. “Father, I was deceived by that little spy again!” The young prince choked as he spoke about the spy, his heart aching terribly.

Prince Cheng listened patiently as the young prince explained. He believed the Zhang family conspired to mock him, then rejected his marriage proposal at the last moment. The worst of it, he felt, was Qianjin. He pretended to be affectionate, only to reject him when it mattered most. He believed Qianjin’s words the day before, but the next day, Qianjin suddenly said he regretted it. The young prince, embarrassed and hurt, cut off the goose’s head and returned without delay.

As he cried uncontrollably, his behavior was reminiscent of the little chubby boy who once went to his father to complain.

Prince Cheng sighed. Qianjin was only sixteen and still appeared not to have matured. Meanwhile, his own son, who was already twenty, seemed no more grown-up. He raised his hand to pat the boy on the head but stopped halfway, unable to bear the sight of him crying.

“Do you know what your mother is most upset about?” Prince Cheng suddenly asked.

The young prince shook his head. His mother never said anything.

“The most painful thing for her was not being able to see your grandmother off seven years ago. Luzhou is much farther than Anyang County, and it was a time of unrest. When they received the death notice, your grandmother was already buried for two months.”

The princess was stunned upon receiving the news and couldn’t cry. She tried not to show it, but after the matter was settled, she spent half a year bedridden, crying every day.

The young prince was shocked. He always thought his mother was scared by the rebels, but now he understood the true reason for her illness back then.

“Your mother often goes to the small Buddhist temple to pray for your grandmother. If your grandfather’s health wasn’t so poor, she probably would’ve wanted to return to Luzhou for a year or two.”

The young prince thought for a moment. “I always thought my mother and her family lived well, even though she married so far away. My mother never told me she wanted to go home. No one ever mentioned it…”

“Qianjin is a good person,” Prince Cheng said gently. “He must have rejected you because he was concerned about these things. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, but to him, it’s everything.”

“But he never told me…” The young prince’s voice trailed off. He realized he was too impulsive.

The young prince thought he was being considerate by allowing Qianjin to spend more time with his family, but he didn’t truly understand Qianjin’s feelings.

“No matter how tall a tree is, its leaves will always fall back to their roots,” Prince Cheng said. “It’s hard to leave your hometown. Your mother married far away, but it was not by choice. It was because of the imperial order. But Qianjin has the right to choose. You think the Zhang family deceived you, but have you thought about how much more they’re criticized than you? Do they have to sacrifice their reputation to set a trap for you? You’ve been too impulsive.”

The young prince was left speechless. He thought himself the most wronged person, but now he realized the world was much harsher on gers than men. What should he do now? He acted too decisively, and he wasn’t sure if Qianjin and the others would forgive him.

In truth, he heard Qianjin crying, but he still left. He thought Qianjin should understand his situation, but he didn’t think to consider his feelings.

It wasn’t clear when Prince Cheng left, but the young prince stayed at the table all night, contemplating. He made up his mind.

The Zhang family was very worried. Qianjin had become absent-minded lately. No matter what he did, he seemed lost in thought. He nearly cut his hand while chopping vegetables, dropped his clothes by the river while washing them, and even fell while picking fruit in the mountains.

Zhang Shu understood that it was always difficult to let go of someone you loved for the first time. He always regretted not being able to be with Li Mujin in his past life, and Li Mujin carried that worry with him into old age.

But Qianjin was stubborn. He agreed to the advice of his family, yet still struggled with the decision. Since he cried when the proposal was made, he didn’t cry again. However, his forced smile hurt them more than his tears ever could.

Still, Qianjin finally cried again, and it was because of Erbao.

Erbao and Qianjin were two years apart in age. They quarreled at home, but their relationship was much better than Qianjin’s relationship with Zhang Sanbao, who was still too young to understand.

His little face showed a hint of determination. “Brother Yao, you should marry him. When I succeed in my studies and pass the imperial examination, I’ll move to the capital with the whole family. Then you won’t have to worry about us and put yourself in a difficult position.”

Qianjin stood there, blankly staring at Erbao, the only one who called him by his name. Although he didn’t think things through thoroughly, his only concern was to ensure that Qianjin wouldn’t suffer.

Suddenly, Qianjin rushed over, hugged Erbao, and began crying. Erbao, at a loss, was soon joined by Zhang Sanbao and Li Yuanyuan, who both rushed over to hug Erbao’s legs on either side, crying, “Big brother, don’t cry! Wahh, wahh!”

The two chubby little ones, bearing a heavy responsibility, cried harder than Qianjin.

From that day on, Qianjin stopped forcing himself. When he was in a bad mood, he stayed in his room, and when he was in a better mood, he still talked and laughed with everyone.

He never threw away anything the little prince gave him. Some things had such a strong presence that throwing them away only made them more memorable, so there was no need to waste them.

When Qianjin had nothing to do, he sat by the window, idly fiddling with things, recalling the origin of each item. He realized he was too impulsive at the time. If he hadn’t spoken so hastily on the day of the proposal, perhaps things could have turned out differently. The problem might have been overcome slowly, but instead, he chose the most hurtful way of rejecting the prince in front of everyone.

He saw the little prince’s pain at the time, but considering his family, he still retreated. In the end, it all came down to whether he loved enough. The characters in storybooks would give up everything for love, but he knew he could never do that.

Two years later

Zhang Yao was still well-known in the area. It was said that Master Zhang entrusted him with the management of his three shops in Anyang County and three more at Zhangzhou Port. Nanhai County, being too far away, was still under Master Zhang’s supervision.

A ger managing six shops, his business was even more successful than when Master Zhang was in charge, which was truly admirable.

People often recalled how, as a child, he used to carry a small abacus Master Zhang made for him around his neck. But no one saw him wear it in recent years. It was likely hidden away, perhaps with plans to pass it down to his descendants in the future.

This year, Zhang Yao turned eighteen. By now, he was considered quite old, yet his home was constantly visited by people proposing marriage, but none succeeded in marrying him.

One young ger absentmindedly played with an abacus in his sleeve, moving the beads back and forth to mask his unease.

He was tall and handsome, with a firmness between his brows and slightly tanned skin, indicating he often spent time under the sun. He stood at the bow, drawing the attention of both girls and boys, but he kept his head lowered, avoiding anyone’s gaze.

Nanhai County was a vital trading port for the court, guarded by naval forces for many years to maintain peace in the region.

This year, an imperial edict was issued, placing Nanhai County under the jurisdiction of Prince Cheng’s Mansion, granting them one-tenth of the tax revenue. Prince Cheng refused, but he made one request: that they move their family to Nanhai County, including the old concubine who was wasting away in the palace.

The emperor tried to persuade him multiple times, but ultimately, Prince Cheng’s decision was final. The emperor could only sigh and send him off. As for the possibility of “letting the tiger return to the mountain,” the emperor didn’t care. Without military or real power, if Prince Cheng could stir up a storm, then he deserved to lose.

The imperial edict was not yet publicly announced, but all the officials knew about it. People commented that the emperor was particularly generous to Prince Cheng, especially since the brothers who fought together to conquer the world refused all the rights that were within their grasp. This only endeared Prince Cheng to the emperor even more.

A commotion arose in the naval camp when the soldiers learned that the centurion in the camp was the only son of Prince Cheng. The man they worked with all this time, who seemed no different from them, was living among them in secrecy. Except for his occasional absences, no one realized who he was.

The little prince watched Qianjin in secret, unsure of how to approach him. He couldn’t bear to show himself, worried that if Qianjin agreed to marry someone else before he was ready, it would break his heart. He kept watching, hoping for a sign. Luckily, each time, Qianjin refused the marriage proposals.

What the little prince didn’t know was that Qianjin was aware of his presence. Every time he came to visit during his leave, someone informed Qianjin in advance. The “bad guys” were hired by him, part of a plan to draw the elusive little prince out into the open.

The young prince’s good father, Prince Cheng, wrote a letter to Zhang Shu when he registered at the naval camp. The letter stated that the young prince would be given three years to resolve everything. If he couldn’t, then marriage would no longer be an issue between them. During these three years, Qianjin was not allowed to marry anyone else, or else they would resort to forcefully claiming the spouse.

Zhang Shu was so furious he almost went to the capital to give Prince Cheng a beating, but he understood what Zhang Qianjin was thinking. Qianjin was sentimental and probably couldn’t let go of the young prince.

After a long silence, he told Qianjin about the letter. He nodded and replied, “Three years, I can wait.”

The young prince stood on the bow, facing the wind, uneasy and unsure. Little did he know, Qianjin went to the kitchen with a smile, preparing wine and food to entertain him.