What An Audacious And Sly Servant! Chapter 12

So, we have a trip coming up. Do you know what to bring for a trip? Does Chu Xun know what to bring for a trip?

Chapter 12 – The Path of No Return

The trip was a very urgent one. Halfway through the morning cla.s.s, the head eunuch Chang Xiao gonggong[1] asked Chu Xun and Mei Qian Deng to return and pack up their things. He said they must set out today.

Di Mu Yang pulled Eunuch Chang Xiao's sleeve. "Gonggong, what about me?"

The eunuch made a salutation to Di Mu Yang. Modest and courteously, he smiled as he said, "Little General, it has nothing to do with you."

Di Mu Yang was a bit muddled. This Mei Qian Deng had just entered the palace to be a study partner for three days. He had yet to make out the routes in the palace and had only attended a few of the serious cla.s.ses. Why is he going out of the palace again?

More importantly, even the Crown Prince who had never left the capital would be taken along to go out of the palace.

If it's the other people's Crown Prince, it's fine. But my family's Crown Prince one-sidedly hostile towards Little Young Master Mei. If there is no third party to mediate between them two, let's not talk about sending relief to the disaster-stricken area, halfway they may had demolish the horse carriage.

Di Mu Yang stretched long his neck and looked worriedly at the back of the leaving Chu Xun and Mei Qian Deng. The loyal and devoted Little General Di had always worried what to do when the Crown Prince and Little Young Master Mei fight.

"Gonggong, why don't I secretly follow them?"

"Relax, the Emperor personally had his plan." After he said so, the eunuch turned around and paid a greeting to Senior Official Song who had been standing at the back.

Senior Official Song returned a smile to him. With both his hands at his back, he was prepared to return to his mansion. "Laofu will return too."

Inside the Ming Jue Palace.

Xiao Jing Zi, "Your Highness, Chang Xiao gonggong said we will depart during wu time[2]."

Chu Xun moved back and forth inside the inner room, he had never been in this chaos. "Then what are you standing there for? Quickly pack things up in my stead."

Our prefect Crown Prince currently was listing out a perfect detailed list of items for the journey in his intelligent mind:

First of all, a pair of clothes for each day. The matching hair string will be one for each day. Going out for this trip will be at least two months before returning. Fine then, let's just round them up and just bring one hundred pairs!

Secondly, there must be no less of sleeping clothes, bed sheet, blanket, pillows and such. The best inn outside will not be better than those in Ming Jue Palace. Packing ten packs of the bed items as preparation just in case.

Next, this Crown Prince's face cleaning soap, Fragrant Snow Face Rouge, lip rouge, Red Jade Cream, Jade Dragon Cream…… Outside, the wind is strong, the rain is heavy and the sun is strong so must not be careless with skincare. Also, this Crown Prince's mirror! (Mirror, mirror, tell me quickly, who is the most handsome person in the world?)

As well as cooking utensils, teacups, teacup lids, tea leaves, pastries, snacks, field rations and other trivial items.

Oh, also need to bring a dagger for self-defence.

Well, where is this Crown Prince's favourite fan? Why can't it be found?

Ai, never mind!

"Xiao Jing Zi, where are that silver needles for me to test poison?" The Crown Prince stuck out his b.u.t.tocks as he turned inside out his wardrobe until its very bottom, pulling out various weird items.

Someone took an item to poke Chu Xun's b.u.t.tocks which was the nearest to the outside and pa.s.sed over the bag of silver needles to him.

Chu Xun turned around in anger. "Xiao Jing Zi, where are you touching?!"

One look, d.a.m.n, it was Mei Qian Deng with her calm face. He only saw Mei Qian Deng carried a black bundle wearing her usual natural black silk clothes. With a black string on her black hair and a fair and clean outstanding face, it was much smooth and tender than a chicken egg sh.e.l.l.

The Crown Prince which originally wanted to reprimand her inexplicably lost his voice.

"Crown Prince, we're going to send relief to Anxi, not to move house."

Clank——

Virtually, a sword stabbed into Chu Xun's chest. His chest hurts! His heart crushes!

He bit tightly his back dental alveoli. Holding a fist, he flicked a finger at Mei Qian Deng, "You……"

Then, he suddenly noticed. Why are there only Mei Qian Deng and I inside the room? Where was Xiao Jing Zi? Where were those little demonesses? Why was the door and windows tightly shut? Why was the surrounding so abnormal?

"What are you trying to do?" Chu Xun held his clothes. Both of his hands crossed defensively in front of his chests. His whole back was glued to the wardrobe as he remained on alert.

Mei Qian Deng stood in front of him without a tiny bit of movement.

"Have some words wanted to tell Crown Prince."

"……" Chu Xun gulped.

"This trip to Anxi is not on grand scale. Crown Prince must conceal your ident.i.ty. With this much of luggage, I ask Crown Prince to pick only some of the important ones."

Mei Qian Deng's line of vision landed on that little mountain of Chu Xun's clothes and then compared it with the bundle on her back. She was obviously telling Chu Xun that he could bring a bundle only just like her.

She didn't care of Chu Xun's stormy expression as she continued, "Later, there will be two horse carriages. The Emperor outwardly declared that Crown Prince is going to Xiangguo Temple[3] to pray for good fortune. Halfway, we will change horse carriages to head for Anxi instead. Therefore, these items are quite worthwhile……" Again, she looked at that little mountain of clothes.

"Incidentally, we can dress up to put on an act."

Chu Xun blew his top as the back of his hand slapped at the pile of clothes behind him. Bang!

He was so furious that his nostrils had expanded. With his head raised, it obviously made the nostrils looked even larger. He pulled back the hand that slapped that pile of clothes and pulled out a forefinger pointing to the sky. "You must be audacious to the extreme for actually daring to order this Crown Prince?"

Mei Qian Deng bent her waist while hugging her fists. "Mei Qian Deng doesn't dare. These are all the Emperor's intention."

"This Crown Prince doesn't believe you. Imperial Father had to take care of the national affairs, it's impossible he will bother to care of how much things this Crown Prince is bringing!" Chu Xun threw out his chest, attempting to break away from Mei Qian Deng who was in front of him. Just as his chest going to b.u.mp into Mei Qian Deng's shoulder, he suddenly got terrified. At the same time when his body was retracting, his feet stepped out crosswise, avoiding Mei Qian Deng like a crab.

Chu Xun ran to the bed side and purposely took the bedsheet made of natural black silk on his bed to be used as the bundle sheet. In a breath, he had stuffed tens of pairs of clothes and poured all sorts of creams for face and hand into it. The other odds and ends things were messily stuffed into it too. Finally, he made two ends of the bundle and exerted himself to carry on his back this already turned into a giant ball bundle.

"Chuckles."

Mei Qian Deng suddenly smiled.

She had entered the palace for three days. Every time Chu Xun looked at her, she was always with that serious and solemn face, always in reserved.

Currently, Chu Xun was quite stunned with this Mei Qian Deng's sudden smiling appearance.

So, this boor can smile too!

Later, he regained his sense and flared up again. "Mei Qian Deng, how dare you ridicule the current Crown Prince?!"

The horse carriages jolted along the mountain way. Chu Xun was raised in the palace, he was comfortable and spoiled into a little delicate one. Two hours had yet to pa.s.s when his whole body felt quite comfortable. He wanted to search for Xiao Jing Zi to ma.s.sage him when the callous Mei Qian Deng informed he couldn't do so because Xiao Jing Zi was in the other horse carriage at the back.

Chu Xun grinded his teeth. He was going to endure then.

Then, the horse carriages pa.s.sed through a concealed small route to a desolate and uninhabited place. The mountain foot scenery was very pleasant. There was a huge banyan tree. They stopped under it to wait for the others.

The horse carriages stopped. Chu Xun as if trying frantically to escape charged straight down and hugged that huge banyan tree as he violently threw up. He threw up like there was no tomorrow, throwing up even the gastric acid completely. It was then that he rubbed his chest to cool down and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

"Xiao Jing Zi, water." Chu Xun breathed feebly.

Someone pa.s.sed over a water skin bag. Chu Xun's eyes lifted bulged as he coldly said, "Open the cap."

That person silently extended back the hand and opened the water bag and pa.s.sed it back again to him. Chu Xun poured a few mouthful of clear water to gargle and sprinkled some of the clear water on the handkerchief to wet it. Then, he leisurely used it to wipe his whole face. He put a silk handkerchief on top of his face as he thought, going out is really a matter of enduring hards.h.i.+ps, why, still have to deal with that boor too.

Putting down the handkerchief, when he turned around his body, he instantly saw Mei Qian Deng's face.

This boor, he couldn't even think even if he wanted, too scary!

"Where is Xiao Jing Zi?" For the sake of covering the for no reason guilty conscience in his heart, Chu Xun looked around and randomly found a topic to talk.

Unexpectedly, Mei Qian Deng calmly replied, "Didn't come."

"Didn't come?! Isn't he in the horse carriage behind us?" Chu Xun was stunned, his heart felt discouraging.

"He is already at the Xiangguo Temple."

"This Crown Prince is at here, what is he doing going to the Xiangguo Temple?!" Chu Xun gasped crazily for he had got angry until he almost broke out an epilepsy.

From the beginning until the end, Mei Qian Deng had no fear nor respect towards Chu Xun for she spoke flatly as usual, "To deceive the public in Crown Prince's place."

Chu Xun suddenly for a moment felt a dizzy urge. He couldn't stand properly so he instantly supported himself on that huge banyan tree while one of his hands supported his forehead as he continuously kneaded between his eyebrows. He inhaled, it was not enough so he inhaled a large one so that he would take a turn for the better even a bit.

The imperial court only knew that the Crown Prince was going to the Xiangguo Temple to pray for good fortune. Everyone knew that Xiao Jing Zi was his personal eunuch so putting Xiao Jing Zi at the Xiangguo Temple was indeed excusable. However…… Chu Xun's eyebrows frowned even further as he stared at Mei Qian Deng. This time leaving for Anxi, Imperial Father had said double meanings.

Sending disaster relief was on the surface. They actually were going to see the local authorities' conduct and to make sure if the commoners had truly received the aids.

This was not hard.

The hard one was the second meaning which was referring to the man-caused calamity.

"It can't be that Imperial Father only let you and me go to Anxi Prefecture?" Chu Xun received a scare.

Mei Qian Deng didn't understand the court administration matters while this was his first time travelling far. One might as well said that they had no ability to take care of themselves. From a certain mental aspect, both of them were incomplete people. Chu Xun had always been very self-confident but this time he was completely in despair.

"Crown Prince, laofu had stand beside you for a very long time."

An old yet sonorous voice suddenly sprung out.

Chu Xun's sensitive mind jolted. "Senior Official Song?!"

Very well, one was a Crown Prince who was incapable of taking care of himself, another one was a jianghu wild gra.s.s who had no combat strength in the imperial court and plus a Hanlin Imperial Academy member who was full of political wisdom yet advanced in age.

Chu Xun gave himself a fierce pour of a mouth of cold water to help himself to get over the shock.

Then, he ruthlessly rubbed his handsome face.

This journey, it couldn't be the gone forever once depart type?

"We have to hurry for we need to reach the small town before night time."

Mei Qian Deng's indifferent sight landed on Chu Xun's side face.

Senior Official Song saw in her eyes so he cleared his throat to smash apart Mei Qian Deng's idea. "Little Deng, you don't have to take great care of our Crown Prince. He's already a fifteen years old person. It's impossible he can't even take a little bit of suffering. Just endure the hards.h.i.+ps of the arduous journey, we need to make haste for Anxi."

Chu Xun, "……"

Mei Qian Deng, "Senior Official, please don't jest anymore."

A pause.

"Crown Prince is not used to threats."

[Mini Theatre]

Di Mu Yang: "Do you all know how my surname comes about? Actually it has a deep meaning. From the beginning, it has been foreshadowed that this General will surge forward with great momentum throughout the life. It is the upright (耿) in the loyal and devoted[4] + single dog (单身狗) (lackey[5], melodramatic[6], go die[7],……) = Di[8] (狄)"

Let this General cry for a moment.

[1] An form of address for a court eunuch

[2] Between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

[3] A Buddhist temple.

[4]忠心耿耿

[5]狗腿

[6]狗血

[7]狗带, an internet slang which sounds same to go die

[8] In conclusion, his surname is a combination of the upright word and dog word which when combined, it turns into the Di word