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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 98 (Part 1)

You Shu stayed at Prince Duan’s Mansion under the title of Deng Chaoshan’s apprentice. He was mainly responsible for taking care of Prince Duan’s meals, helping him in washing and dressing up, taking medicine, massaging his legs, and so on. He followed Prince Duan wherever he went, and the people in the mansion gradually became accustomed to their inseparable state.

As for the lost Zangxiu puppy, no one mentioned it anymore. However, the pug that You Shu brought back was picked up by Xiao Shunzi and carefully taken care of. He originally wanted to ask Young Master You Shu if he wanted to keep it, but unexpectedly, as soon as You Shu picked up the puppy, he was licked all over his face by the puppy, which made the prince furious. He immediately ordered Xiao Shunzi to take away the pug and throw it away.

Xiao Shunzi originally thought that the prince was like himself, a dog lover, but looking at it now, it seemed that this wasn’t the case. The prince doesn’t love dogs, he only loved the dog named “You Shu”.

Unfortunately, Young Master You Shu doesn’t even know that he is a substitute for a dog, and he is having fun all day long. Young Master You Shu is also a good person. Even though he(ys) knew that the prince didn’t allow it, he(ys) still told him(xs) to quietly pick up the pug and keep it in a side yard, saying that he(ys) would bear the responsibility if anything happened.

So kind and simple, what should Young Master You Shu do if he loses Prince Duan’s favor one day?

You Shu felt uncomfortable all over due to Xiao Shunzi’s sympathetic gaze, so he quickly pushed his master’s wheelchair and walked forward. They had already entered the palace gate and were about to go to the imperial horse farm.

Along the way, they met many civil and military officials, who all stepped forward to salute. Several attic elders arched their hands and said, “Your Highness, the Emperor was very happy when he heard that you are finally willing to go out. He personally planned to go down and get the prize for you.”

“I’m ashamed to have made my father worried.” The Seventh Prince waved his hands repeatedly.

As they walked and chatted, they arrived at the racecourse where many princes and nobles were sitting in their seats. Because Prince Duan was not good at walking and the emperor had given special instructions, his seat was located at the outermost edge of the first row, with a lot of space, so there was no need to worry about overcrowding. Next to him was the seat of the Sixth Prince, titled Prince Su, accompanied by the main wife, two concubines, and several children.

Prince Su was the crown prince’s biological brother, and his status was extraordinary. Ministers came in an endless stream to toast and flatter him, and his wives and concubines were also surrounded by female relatives. They tried their best to please him with their words, and sharp laughter came from time to time, causing You Shu’s ears to swell up. He sat patiently for a while, but seeing that it was late, he quietly leaned over and asked, “Master, when would the horse racing start?”

“It will start when Father Emperor and the Crown Prince arrive. If you can’t sit still, you can go for a walk, but don’t leave my sight.” The Seventh Prince rubbed his smooth hair.

You Shu pointed at the little children squatting in the grass, catching grasshoppers, and asked hopefully, “How many grasshoppers should I catch?”

The Seventh Prince couldn’t help but laugh and waved his hands, “Go ahead, let Xiao Shunzi weave a grass cage for you so that the grasshoppers you catch don’t run away again.”

You Shu was overjoyed and hurriedly ran towards the lawn not far away. Xiao Shunzi pulled out a few pieces of dogtail grass and made a delicate grass cage for him. He followed closely behind and helped collect the spoils, or toys. The more he looked at Young Master You Shu, the more he felt that the other person looked like that Zangxiu puppy from before. 

Back then, all the grasshoppers and beetles that the puppy pounced on were put into the cages by Xiao Shunzi, and then hung under the window lattice, so that the puppy could occasionally hear them at night, which was very hypnotic. The little dog was quite spiritual and didn’t kill animals indiscriminately. It will let go of any bugs it gets tired of playing with, which is also very similar to Young Master You Shu.

If the prince loves dogs, he can raise another one, why should he deceive Young Master You Shu! Xiao Shunzi sighed in sympathy, squeezed out a smile, and stuffed the grasshopper handed over by Young Master You Shu into the cage.

After the two played for a while, they heard a sound not far away, as if someone were shouting ‘the Crown Prince has arrived’.

The Crown Prince has arrived, so the emperor should have arrived as well. You Shu quickly ran back to his master and took a seat while the prince was blocked by courtiers on the way, saluting and chatting.  

The Seventh Prince first held the boy’s wrist, flipped his palm covered with mud and grass juice, and then took out a handkerchief to wipe it slowly. He said with a low smile, “Your paws have gotten bigger, and it’s hard to wipe them all with one handkerchief. It’s much more troublesome now.” Then he threw away the dirty handkerchief and continued wiping with another one.

After wiping the left hand, You Shu obediently stretched out his right hand. When he saw the dark mud between his nails, his cheeks turned red.  

The Seventh Prince shook his head and sighed, but he didn’t dislike it at all. He used a toothpick to pick out the dirt and asked Xiao Shunzi to pour some strong liquor on the handkerchief. Then he wiped it carefully, inside and out, several times before giving up.

“Father will arrive soon. Just sit still.” He pinched the tip of the boy’s nose, took out a pack of sugar-roasted chestnuts from his sleeve pocket, and started peeling them slowly.

You Shu’s attention was immediately attracted. He sniffed the aroma of sugar-roasted chestnuts with his nose and opened his mouth automatically, waiting for his master to feed him. 

The Seventh Prince was amused by his eager appearance. He peeled a chestnut and brought it to his mouth. But when You Shu opened his mouth to bite, he avoided it. You Shu tried to bite the chestnut several times but failed, so he plunged into his master’s arms, held the hand tightly with both hands, and swallowed the chestnut in one gulp, not forgetting to lick the sugar juice from the other party’s fingertips.

“Hah, Lao Qi, who is this person? Why does he look a bit like the dog you used to keep?” A deep voice came from behind, and the two of them looked back, only to see the Crown Prince standing by, his smile looking quite malicious.

Ever since he joined the cabinet, he has been often compared with Lao Qi by his father and the cabinet elders, who have always lifted Lao Qi to the sky and demoted him to the ground. His father also told him clearly that if Lao Qi’s legs were intact, the position of the Crown Prince would belong to the Lao Qi.

The more the Crown Prince thought about it, the more unconvinced he became. No matter how much the elders persuaded him to submit a memorial to the palace for advice, he ignored it. He thought that when he ascended the throne, he would first find an excuse to kill Lao Qi, so as not to let the other party continue to be an eyesore.

The murderous aura emanating from the Crown Prince was very strong, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell it at a glance.

You Shu wanted to explode immediately, but then remembering that he had become a human, he lowered his head to hide his angry expression, and secretly inserted his hand into his master’s sleeve, intertwining their fingers.

The Seventh Prince held You Shu’s hand and smiled faintly, “Imperial Brother, this is Deng Youshu, apprentice of Doctor Deng Chaoshan. He is especially responsible for regulating my body. I haven’t been to the palace for a long time, so I guess you haven’t seen him before.”

“It turns out that you are Doctor Deng’s apprentice. I was really disrespectful with my words. How is Lao Qi’s health lately?” The Crown Prince looked disdainful.

One of them didn’t want to call “Your Highness the Crown Prince”, but instead called “Imperial Brother”; the other didn’t even want to call “Imperial Brother” and changed it to the disrespectful “Lao Qi”, both of them showing their dissatisfaction with each other. The courtiers sitting around held their breaths and listened with their ears closed, afraid of being involved in this dispute.

When You Shu raised his head again, his face was already expressionless, and he arched his hands, “Reporting to His Highness, the prince is in good health.”

“That’s good. It’s already paralyzed, but don’t make any other mistakes.” The Crown Prince sneered, then rolled up his sleeves and left.

Prince Su, who was sitting at the next table, came over and said in a low voice, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is absolutely right. Lao Qi, your legs are paralyzed. Does that thing still work? If it doesn’t work, hurry up and ask this little doctor to take a look.”

You Shu wanted to pounce and bite him, but he had to restrain himself. He is no longer a dog and cannot reveal his true emotions as he pleases.  

The Seventh Prince squeezed his palm tightly and whispered, “Why bother with these autumn grasshoppers? Don’t you know already whether my thing works or not?”

You Shu’s face turned red, and he instantly forgot his previous anger, leaving only the appearance of an extremely shy concubine.

Seeing the shy young man lightly nudge his arm with his forehead, the Seventh Prince burst into laughter. 

At this moment, Emperor Jing strode over, leaving behind the courtiers and princes who were half-kneeling to salute. He directly walked towards Prince Duan who was sitting in the corner and said with a smile, “Lao Qi, are you finally willing to go out? I have already asked Wusizang to pay another tribute this year — a Zangxiu dog, making sure it is exactly the same as the one you had before.”

“Once upon a time, the sea was nothing but water; Except for Wushan, it was not clouds. Father, forget it, the puppy is already lost. There is no need to find a replacement.” The Seventh Prince smiled bitterly and waved his hand.

(Once upon a time, the sea was nothing but water; Except for Wushan, it was not clouds= Once you have seen the sea, the water in other places won’t be interesting. Once you have seen the clouds in Wushan mountain, the clouds in other places can’t be called clouds. In short, once you have seen the precious things, ordinary things won’t be interesting anymore.)

The corner of You Shu’s mouth twitched slightly, thinking that this poem could still be used in this situation? Why does it sound strange?

However, Emperor Jing didn’t care, as long as his son was willing to forget that damn puppy. He became even more cheerful. He held onto Lao Qi’s hands and talked for a long time, and only then did he call up the courtiers and princes whose knees were almost swollen after kneeling for such a long time.

The Crown Prince bent down and patted the hem of his clothes, a murderous look flashing through his eyes. The Sixth Prince glanced at him casually and made a slight gesture with his finger slightly bent.

The horse riders have hung the prizes on the bamboo poles, and Emperor Jing needs to shoot an arrow from the horseback a hundred meters away to cut off the rope. However, that was before. Now that he has an eye disease, he just needed to ride over on his horse and reach out to take it off.  

As soon as Emperor Jing ran a few feet away, the horse started to go crazy, neighing and raising its front hooves, trying to shake off the person on its back.

Emperor Jing’s vision was already blurry, and now he became even more frightened, shouting loudly, “Help, help!”

“Quick, quick, save the emperor!” The scene suddenly became chaotic. Everyone wanted to save him, but they were afraid that they would be punished with death if they failed.

On the surface, everyone looked very active, but in fact, only a few people took action. Especially the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince, who were constantly urging people to rush forward, blocking the racecourse completely. When the Imperial Guards arrived, there was no gap for them to penetrate through, let alone mount their horses to give chase.

As the horse ran further and faster, Emperor Jing was already on the verge of collapse.

At this time, the Seventh Prince suddenly stood up from his wheelchair and stumbled to the fence. He grabbed the bow and arrow from a guard’s hand and shot quickly. The arrow passed through the horse’s left ear and then right ear, sticking into the ground a hundred meters away. The frantic horse finally lifted its hooves and slowly lay down, becoming motionless.

Until then, a guard finally stepped over the crowd and helped Emperor Jing to stand up, whose eyes were dazed. Emperor Jing blinked and asked in a trembling voice, “Who, who saved me?”

“Reporting to His Majesty, it was Prince Duan.” The guard pointed at the rear.

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