After leaving the palace, Yun Duqing casually chose a bustling teahouse to see if there were any more outrageous stories about domineering princes circulating. Just as he reached the stairs, he overheard someone boldly gossiping about Little Pig Ming, spouting nonsense at the top of their lungs.
With his fiery temper, how could he tolerate such a thing?
Of course not.
"You, who are you?" one of the men who hadn't been struck by the chair stammered, glancing at the row of armed guards behind Prince Chen. "According to the laws of Great Cheng, ordinary people are not allowed to carry weapons on the streets. Violators are to be punished with twenty lashes and fined two strings of silver. You... you're openly defying the laws of Great Cheng!"
Prince Chen scoffed, pointing at the speaker, signaling that it was time for his attendant to step in.
"You... what do you want?" the man who had been pointed at retreated nervously.
"According to the laws of Great Cheng, a prince is permitted to have thirty-six armed guards when traveling. His Highness dislikes extravagance, so he only brought a dozen or so guards today," the attendant stepped forward, smiling as he explained. "If anyone slanders the royal family without cause, the punishment ranges from ten lashes to three years of forced labor."
After the explanation, the attendant obediently stepped back behind Prince Chen, and the armed guards escorted the two men, who had been spouting nonsense, before the prince.
"You... you're a prince?!" The two men's legs gave way, and they dropped to their knees without needing the guards to force them down.
They had only come to this crowded teahouse to spread a few rumors. How could they have run into a prince?
Wait, what kind of refined prince would come to such a noisy teahouse? Wasn't it beneath his noble royal bloodline?
"What a coincidence, I am the fifth prince, Prince Chen," Yun Duqing said, frowning slightly as he looked at the two men trembling before him. With such weak nerves, who gave them the courage to gossip about the private affairs of a third-rank official in a teahouse?
Back then, when the Zheng family had arrogantly demanded that Little Pig Ming step aside, he had made Yun Yanze, the Zheng family's grandson, bow and make way for her in his presence. Yet, there were still people daring to speak ill of his fiancée in public.
Had he been too lenient lately, making people forget his temper?
"Your Highness," a servant by Prince Qi's side whispered, "these two seem to be servants from the Pingyuan Marquisate."
"Are you sure?" Prince Qi asked, his expression turning serious as he peered through the gaps in the screen at Yun Duqing, surrounded by his guards.
"Yes, Your Highness. Half a month ago, when I went to the Pingyuan Marquisate to deliver a message, I saw them leaving the estate. The outer courtyard servants mentioned they were grooms from the suburban villa, delivering fresh produce." A servant by a prince's side needed to have sharp eyes, and this one was no exception.
But why would grooms from the Pingyuan Marquisate's suburban villa be dressed in the scholarly green robes favored by literati, spreading harmful rumors about the Ming family in a teahouse?
"Judging by your refined attire, you should be educated and well-mannered, yet your words are so disgraceful," the attendant from Prince Chen's household scolded sternly. "What are your names? Where do you live? Have you passed any imperial examinations?"
The two men panicked. They had no scholarly achievements to their name. They had only wanted to earn merit and be transferred to work in the main estate of the marquisate. After overhearing a conversation between two stewards, they had mustered the courage to come here and tarnish the Ming family's reputation.
The day before, the two stewards had been whispering in the woods about how the Ming family had offended the marquisate. They planned to disguise themselves as scholars and spread rumors about the Ming family to curry favor with the marquisate, hoping to escape their lowly positions as minor stewards in the villa.
The two men, emboldened by their recent mistreatment at the hands of the stewards, decided to act before the stewards could. They dressed up and came to this bustling teahouse.
They dared not go to the more elegant teahouses frequented by high-ranking officials, choosing instead this crowded but less prestigious one.
Little did they know, this teahouse had recently become popular among female patrons due to its series of stories titled *The Tales of the Domineering Prince*. Many noble ladies and young misses were seated behind the screens.
The two men dared not speak, kneeling on the ground and trembling like leaves in a storm.
"Your Highness, these two seem suspicious," the attendant whispered to Prince Chen. "I suspect they were sent by someone with ill intentions."
Prince Chen nodded slightly. "Teach them how to behave."
"Gentlemen, do you have identification tokens?" the attendant asked, suddenly energized as he approached the two men. "Without identification, you could be imposters with malicious intent. Everyone in the realm knows that the Ming family has produced two top scholars and one third-rank scholar. Back then, the three Ming officials chose exile over bowing to traitors. Now, you're here slandering the Ming family's reputation. I suspect you're remnants of the rebel king's faction."
The rebel king?! Being linked to the rebel king from over a decade ago meant not only losing their heads but also bringing disaster upon their families.
The two men turned pale, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy.
Jiuzhu, seeing the two men who had been badmouthing her family reduced to such a state by Prince Chen, lifted her skirt and prepared to go to his side.
"Hey, don't go out," Miss Chen and Zhou Xiao grabbed her, whispering, "It's better to leave this to Prince Chen."
"Right," Miss Chen nodded. "Prince Chen's methods might be... a bit harsh, but people like this deserve it."
Jiuzhu pressed her face against the gap in the screen, whispering, "But His Highness isn't harsh at all. He's actually very reasonable."
Sure, he had started by throwing a chair at the men spouting nonsense, but that was only because their words were too outrageous. From the moment he entered, he had barely spoken. How could that be considered harsh?
The other young ladies glanced at the stern-faced armed guards behind Prince Chen and the attendant who had reduced the two men to trembling wrecks with just a few words. This... was reasonable?
They were beginning to lose their understanding of what "reasonable" meant.
"Imperial guards on patrol! Who dares to carry weapons within the capital's boundaries?"
A squad of armored imperial guards stormed into the teahouse, their expressions stern. "We received a report that someone here is carrying weapons illegally. According to the laws of Great Cheng, carrying weapons without permission and gathering for brawls is prohibited."
The teahouse owner hurriedly bowed and apologized, "Officers, it's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
The squad leader motioned for the owner to step aside and entered the room. He saw a man in red robes lounging lazily in a chair, surrounded by guards who had two scholarly-looking men kneeling on the ground.
Frowning, he prepared to intervene.
At that moment, the man in the chair turned to look at him. The casual movement exuded an air of nobility and elegance.
"This humble officer pays his respects to Prince Chen," the squad leader stopped in his tracks, saluting with a martial gesture.
As a squad leader of the imperial guards, he had no opportunity to recognize such a high-ranking prince. But this prince was simply too notorious.
One day, he would flog a young nobleman in the streets for leering at women, claiming the sight disgusted him. The next, he would force a man pretending to sell himself to bury his "dead" father to run through the streets shouting, "I'm a fraud!"
His methods for dealing with troublemakers were endless, and the imperial guards were constantly receiving complaints about him. Now, whenever they saw Prince Chen, their first thought was, *Who has offended him this time?*
"Why is it always you?" Prince Chen asked the squad leader. "Are there no other imperial guards available?"
The squad leader: "..."
In truth, he also wanted to know why he was the one always encountering this hard-to-please lord.
He glanced at the two people kneeling on the ground, their faces streaked with tears and snot, and asked, "Your Highness, may I ask what these two have done wrong?"
Prince Chen hooked a finger, signaling his attendant to explain.
The attendant, having served Prince Chen for many years, was well-versed in the art of making small matters seem big and big matters seem endless. He immediately declared, "General, these two have slandered court officials, speculated on the Emperor's intentions, and insulted the royal family."
They had spoken ill of the Ming family, slandered court officials.
They had brought up matters of nobility, speculating on the Emperor's thoughts.
And they had dared to accuse His Highness of disregarding the laws of the Great Cheng Dynasty—that was an insult to the royal family.
After finishing his explanation, the attendant straightened his back, confident that every word he had spoken was true and not fabricated.
The two men kneeling on the ground, their legs weak, wondered when they had ever speculated on the Emperor's intentions or insulted the royal family. If they had such audacity, why would they be working as mere servants?
"Your Highness, General, we are wronged!" Even if they were foolish, they knew things had taken a bad turn. They kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "We beg Your Highness to investigate this matter thoroughly."
"I am neither a magistrate nor an official of the Ministry of Justice. Investigating matters is the job of the courts." Seeing the tears and snot on their faces, Prince Chen turned his head away in disgust. "Since the two of you enjoy gossiping so much, why don't you stand by the window now?"
The two men could hardly stand, but the guards of Prince Chen's estate, ever considerate, dragged them over to the window.
"Start by cursing yourselves for half an hour. Your voices shouldn't be too soft, or I won't hear you. But don't be too loud either, or you'll scare the passersby." Prince Chen raised his chin slightly. "There are many guests here, so mind your language and keep it elegant."
The two men: "..."
They had never heard such an outrageous demand.
Then, they heard the sound of blades being unsheathed.
Seeing the cold glint of the swords, they swallowed hard and began, "I'm ugly!"
"Your voice is too soft. His Highness can't hear you," the attendant, ever the loyal enabler, interjected with a wealth of experience in tormenting others. "Louder!"
"I'm as ugly as a pig!"
Prince Chen frowned. "You're not even fit to be compared to a pig. Pick another animal."
The two men wiped the tears from their faces. Were they not even worthy of being compared to pigs? At that moment, they wanted to cry together in despair, but the sharp blades kept them in check.
If only they hadn't rushed ahead of their supervisor to do such a thing.
The squad leader of the Imperial Guards silently turned his head, pretending not to see their pitiful state. It was nothing new; he was used to it.
No one noticed that two attendants from Prince Chen's estate had quietly left the teahouse.
"Your Highness," one of the attendants whispered in Prince Chen's ear after the two had left the teahouse, "we've already sent someone to investigate their identities."
Prince Chen nodded, then turned his gaze back to the two men who were sobbing uncontrollably. "Continue. I quite admire your audacity to speak ill of me."
The two men cried even louder, utterly heartbroken.
They had only been speaking ill of the Ming family—how had it turned into speaking ill of Prince Chen?
"Fifth Brother," Prince Qi pushed aside the screen and stepped out. He didn't even glance at the crying men. "If these two have displeased you, just send them to the magistrate. Why trouble yourself with them?"
"Ah, Fourth Brother," Prince Chen raised an eyebrow at the screen that had been pushed aside. "So you've been here all along. It seems you also think these two have gone too far in offending me, and you're helping me deal with them?"
Prince Qi sat down beside Prince Chen. "They're just two ignorant fools. It's not worth your time to make such a fuss over them."
"Fourth Brother, you clearly don't understand me. Even if a five-year-old child offended me, I would..." Prince Chen paused mid-sentence and turned his head to look at the screen, which had been pushed open just a crack.
Why did the half-face peeking through the gap look so much like Little Pig Ming?
"They're not five or six years old. Shouldn't they know what's appropriate to say and what's not?" Prince Chen retracted his gaze, put down his crossed legs, and straightened his robe and the jade pendant at his waist. "I said half an hour, and not a minute less."
He picked up his teacup, pretending to take a sip, while his eyes darted back to the screen that was only slightly ajar.
"Fifth Brother, you're making such a big deal out of this..."
"They spoke ill of me. Am I not allowed to be angry?" Prince Chen snorted. "Even Father has never spoken to me like that. Who do they think they are?"
Seeing that Yun Duqing was adamant about making this a big issue, Prince Qi realized that Yun Duqing was deliberately stirring up trouble.
Would the common folk be more interested in a prince's affairs or those of a third-rank official?
The story of offending a prince and being forced to curse oneself for half an hour was perfect for casual gossip over tea.
By then, who would care what these two had actually said?
As for the common people, what did it matter to them how many titles the Ming family held? They didn't even understand the ranks of nobility. All they knew was that none of them were as grand as a prince's consort.
The attendant from Prince Chen's estate walked over to the window and smiled at the two men huddled together. "Gentlemen, our prince is kind and forgiving, but I have a short temper. If you don't continue, don't blame me for not saving your dignity."
"Jiuzhu, why are you nodding?" Zhou Xiao asked Ming Jiuzhu.
"I think what he said is right. His Highness is kind and forgiving," Ming Jiuzhu, squeezed behind the screen, watched intently without blinking.
Even when she accidentally made His Highness fall into a snowdrift, he hadn't been angry with her.
Zhou Xiao: "..."
The other young ladies: "..."
This was just absurd.
With Ming Jiuzhu's naive personality, would she be bullied if she married into Prince Chen's estate?
Prince Qi knew that Yun Duqing was as stubborn as they came, so he simply stood up to leave.
"Fourth Brother," Prince Chen called out to him. "You've always been fond of your brothers. Don't you want to stay and help me teach these two scoundrels a lesson for insulting me?"
Prince Qi, known for his gentle and patient nature, felt the urge to cover Yun Duqing's mouth with something.
"Since Fifth Brother wants me to stay, of course I won't refuse," Prince Qi sat back down, his attendant's face stiffening behind him.
Prince Qi was resigned, but the other guests behind the screen were thoroughly entertained. To avoid drawing Prince Chen's attention, some even secretly took out paper and brushes to pass notes and exchange opinions.
[He truly lives up to the title of a domineering prince. His words and actions exude the unique dignity of royalty!]
[The red robe with golden embroidery—who else could wear it so splendidly if not a domineering prince?]
[The prince beside him is also quite handsome.]
[Other princes are all the same, but the domineering prince is a star unlike any other.]
[I just saw Miss Ming in the teahouse. I wonder if she noticed Prince Chen's domineering demeanor.]
Thud.
Ming Jiuzhu, crouching behind the screen, tried to open it a bit wider to get a better view, but she slipped and fell out.
The attendants from Prince Chen's and Prince Qi's estates, along with the Imperial Guards, all turned to look at her.
It really was her!
Prince Chen, recognizing the person who had fallen, stood up and casually walked over to help her up from the ground.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu patted the dust off her skirt. "What a coincidence."
Prince Chen: "..."
"Are your legs numb from squatting?"
"Just a little." Jiuzhu glanced back at the screen where her friends were hiding, only to find that they had pulled it tightly shut, leaving no gap at all.
Pretending not to notice the others behind the screen, Prince Chen glanced at the two men who were still berating themselves. "Take them to the Capital Magistrate's Office. There are ladies present here; don't let their ears be sullied."
"Quick, quick, write this down!" Behind the screen, Miss Chen whispered to her friends. "This is the dynamic between a domineering prince and a delicate lady. Do you all see it now?"
The other young ladies nodded in agreement. This was the real deal—a commanding prince and his sweet, devoted wife. The stories told by storytellers always fell short, lacking the authenticity and subtlety of real life.
Zhou Xiao: "..."
She suddenly realized that she might be the only normal one among her friends.
Relieved that they no longer had to berate themselves, the two men were moved to tears once more. This was hundreds of times more torturous than being scolded by their supervisors.
After the two were dragged away by the imperial guards, Prince Chen cleared his throat. "This prince just now..."
"Your Highness was incredibly dashing just now," Jiuzhu said with sparkling eyes. "You looked like a heroic knight descending from the heavens to right wrongs."
Cough, no need to praise him so earnestly.
Prince Chen smiled. "It's just that this prince cannot stand to hear such nonsense. Minister Ming is a virtuous and capable official, praised by the people. How could we allow petty men to slander him?"
What young lady wouldn’t enjoy hearing someone praise her admired father? At this moment, Jiuzhu’s eyes weren’t filled with stars but with the blazing sun.
"Your Highness is as wonderful as my father," Jiuzhu said with a smile as sweet as honey.
Prince Qi watched as the young lady from the Ming family beamed brightly at Yun Duqing, his brow twitching slightly. He couldn’t understand why this Miss Ming would place such trust and admiration in Yun Duqing, who was known for his arrogance and lack of discipline.
Had no one told her about Prince Chen’s past deeds? Or was it true, as the rumors said, that she was currying favor with Su Meidai and Yun Duqing for power and wealth?
Looking at Ming Jiuzhu’s innocent smile, Prince Qi wondered if she was truly the kind of person his mother had described—someone who would cling to power and act as an accomplice to tyrants.
"Just average, just average. This prince still has much to learn from Minister Ming," Prince Chen said, tilting his chin up slightly, maintaining his usual air of pride, though the corners of his mouth couldn’t quite suppress a smile.
He pinched Jiuzhu’s hair bun. "Stay here and keep playing. This prince will personally make a trip to the Capital Magistrate's Office."
If his future father-in-law and future wife were being plotted against, and he didn’t seek justice, where would his dignity be?
The young ladies hiding behind the screen, realizing they had been discovered by Prince Chen, quietly retreated to the table, picking up their teacups as if they had never been eavesdropping.
They were proper young ladies from respectable families, after all. How could they possibly be caught watching such a scene?
"Fourth Brother," Prince Chen called out to Prince Qi before leaving. "Come with me to the Capital Magistrate's Office."
Prince Qi looked at Prince Chen, knowing this wasn’t a request.
He smiled faintly. "Very well."
"Your Highness," Jiuzhu quickly reached out and tugged at his sleeve. "I want to go too."
She wasn’t a three-year-old child. Why was she still so clingy?
The Capital Magistrate's Office was a chaotic place, often crowded with onlookers during trials, not suitable for a young lady.
Looking down at the corner of his sleeve caught in her hand, Prince Chen gently tugged at it but couldn’t free it. "Then stay close to this prince and don’t wander off."
It was just... he didn’t want to see her tearful and upset, that’s all.
