Jiang Er had arrived in the Capital City.
Heir Apparent Han was panicking.
In truth, he had long anticipated this day would come.
In recent years, he had become somewhat more restrained in his behavior in the capital compared to before.
The women in his household who truly disliked him, he had let go if he could.
He did feel rather apologetic towards his primary wife.
He also didn't care for his secondary wife.
The secondary wife was the eldest daughter of the imperial clan, but her birth mother had passed away, and her household was now run by a stepmother.
In any case, there were some incompatibilities at home, which is why she ended up being matched with him, an unworthy man.
The primary wife couldn't be sent away - if he could have, he would have let her go too.
The mothers of his two sons were also unwilling to leave.
As the sons of the Heir Apparent, there was still a chance they could become the next Heir Apparent. Leaving would be too disadvantageous. Not only did the two women refuse to leave, they engaged in heated rivalries.
This at least added some liveliness to Heir Apparent Han's household.
Both children were now adults.
They both seemed to have potential.
Heir Apparent Han visited Wu's chambers the most.
It wasn't that he had particularly strong feelings for Wu, but rather that he had personally been involved in raising the child when he returned to the capital with Wu. He had developed a unique bond with this child.
He had raised the child from infancy, just like a biological father would.
He often thought to himself, if he treated Shu Shu like his own child, would Shu Shu abandon him for his biological father if Jiang Huai were to return one day?
Wasn't closeness built through daily interactions?
After returning to the capital, he remained very filial towards the Imperial Son-in-law.
Previously, despite his wild behavior, he had maintained very good relationships with his elders.
Except for his mother, Princess Huiyun.
His mother never showed her face, so there was no opportunity for interaction.
He was currently in Wu's chambers, and noticed Wu's expression was rather strange, as if she had something difficult to say.
"Speak," he said.
"I want to make Immortal Liu my goddaughter. She... she used to be Wan'er. Now that Jiang Huaisheng has left home and Old Lady Jiang is bedridden, she's all alone. What good family would marry such a girl? I... thought..."
Heir Apparent Han paced back and forth in Wu's room.
His head was starting to hurt.
"You didn't think. That eldest daughter of yours is quite the formidable character. I've met her once before. Don't let her trick you with her pitiful act. For a young woman, she's extraordinarily skilled at manipulating people all over the capital. She's quite terrifying."
Wu just kept her head lowered.
Seeing Wu like this, Heir Apparent Han kicked the chair in front of him.
Wu was most adept at using this tactic - keeping her head down and remaining silent, while being more determined than anyone.
Just like before, when she suddenly embraced the child and returned to the capital with him.
She appeared weak, but was actually very stubborn.
"I need to go to the palace. When you make your decision, think about Shu Shu."
With that, Heir Apparent Han hurriedly left.
Right now, he was like a clay Buddha fording a river - barely able to save himself.
He had considered simply having someone kill Jiang Er and be done with it, but such actions would leave traces. He was just a frivolous nobleman, not skilled in these matters.
He had been hesitating until now.
It was time to face the music.
Whether he stuck his neck out or tried to hide, he would have to face the consequences eventually.
At least he didn't have any biological children, otherwise they would have to suffer along with him in the future.
Thinking of it this way made him feel a bit better.
Heir Apparent Han entered the palace. As usual, he took a detour to the famous Erlang Baked Flatbread Shop in the capital, queuing up to buy a bag of flatbreads to bring into the palace.
His uncle used to love eating these flatbreads.
But later, he was the one who bought them.
His uncle probably hadn't eaten them since.
But he still bought them.
It had become a habit.
The carriage stopped by the roadside, and a servant went to queue up to buy the flatbreads.
He sat in the carriage.
Surprisingly, he saw an extremely beautiful young man and woman sitting in front of the flatbread shop.
Some people can catch your eye at first glance.
Enough to make you think about kidnapping them.
As Heir Apparent Han was thinking this...
Someone approached them.
Of course, it wasn't for kidnapping.
In broad daylight, although it was bustling, it wasn't as crowded as during holidays when people were shoulder to shoulder. It wasn't conducive for kidnapping.
It was just slightly more crowded than usual.
People coming and going.
A chubby young master walked over.
In the dead of winter, he was holding a paper fan. He actually pointed the top of the fan at Zi Congheng's chin and said, "Young master sees you're quite handsome. Interested in coming with me? I guarantee you'll eat and drink well, certainly better than gnawing on flatbreads here."
Jiang Mianmian's eyes widened.
This wasn't scientific.
This was a classic scene of harassing innocent women.
But surprisingly, it wasn't her being harassed, but her brother.
Jiang Mianmian thought the other party had very poor judgment.
There really was such a young master - white and chubby, surrounded by a group of servants, looking fierce and aggressive.
People around them started to move away.
Heir Apparent Han frowned slightly, feeling somewhat ashamed. For some reason, looking at that chubby young man reminded him of his past self.
"Not interested," Zi Congheng replied.
But the chubby youth didn't believe him.
Jiang Mianmian, on the other hand, was interested.
She excitedly leaned in and asked, "Young master, if I go with you, can I eat and drink well too?"
The chubby youth only then noticed there was an extremely beautiful girl next to the handsome man.
But the girl looked quite young.
For some reason, though.
Usually, you couldn't see even one person with such exquisite features.
Now he suddenly saw two at once.
And this younger one was so enthusiastic, it threw him off balance.
Shouldn't someone being harassed resist violently?
This...
He felt an urge to turn and run.
But these two people were really good-looking, and they were just sitting in front of the flatbread shop.
They seemed to have been sitting there for a while.
They probably didn't have any significant background.
That's why he had approached them in the first place.
After all, in the capital where powerful figures were everywhere, one could easily offend someone they shouldn't if they weren't careful.
"Of course you can. This young master has plenty of money," he said.
"How well can we eat and drink? Where? Can I bring friends? Can I bring my parents? Can I bring my sister? Can I bring my brother? Can I bring servants?" Jiang Mianmian asked rapidly.
"I... suppose so," the chubby youth replied hesitantly.
Lu Yuzheng looked up and saw a tall, sturdy man like a black tower, and another man as ugly as a demon but equally strong, both standing behind the young lady and young master.
"Then let's go. There's no time like the present. Let's go eat and drink well right now," Mianmian said happily.
Lu Yuzheng wanted to run, but was blocked by the demon-like man. The six servants behind him were no match for a single punch from that man.
Mianmian pulled Zi Congheng and said, "Brother, thanks to you, he's going to treat us to good food and drink. It's all because of your face. This is great! I'll bring you out again next time. Bringing you out really brings good luck."
Zi Congheng: ... Your hand is oily. You've touched the sesame flatbread.
Lu Yuzheng was shaking with anger. "You... you let go of me. Do you know who my father is?"
Mianmian excitedly grabbed her bug brother's hand even tighter.
The key moment had arrived.
Time to name-drop, oh no, father-drop!
"Well, do you know who our father is?" Mianmian shouted even louder.
Lu Yuzheng's legs went weak with fear. This was bad.
In the past, when he said this line, others would be scared.
He never expected to meet someone who shouted even louder.
His calves were starting to cramp. This foolproof method that had never failed before was actually being used more smoothly by someone else. It was over, he had met his match.
"Who is your father?" he asked nervously.
"If I tell you, you'll be scared to death. First, take us to eat and drink well, otherwise I'll have my father wipe out your entire family," Jiang Mianmian said fiercely.
When out and about, one's identity was self-proclaimed.
Lu Yuzheng was truly frightened now.
He didn't know who he had offended.
To be so arrogant, if not a princess, she must at least be a noble lady.
He forced himself to say, "This lowly one has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I've greatly offended you. Please accept this small token as an apology. I was just joking earlier."
Mianmian gestured for Pangya to accept the banknote.
She said leisurely, "In the future, do more research before going out. Don't harass just anyone. This young master is in a good mood today, so I'll let you off. There won't be a next time!"
"Yes, yes, yes. May I ask your honorable surname?" Lu Yuzheng asked nervously.
"My humble surname is He. Go back and find out for yourself," Mianmian said arrogantly.
The chubby youth politely handed over the banknote, then ran away with his servants without looking back.
Jiang Mianmian looked at the banknote in Pangya's hand and said, "Finders keepers. We'll split it among the five of us. When we get back, don't tell Mother about this."
