Chapter 139: Apology
After Zhou Chengye and Yan Wenxiu's group returned to the academy, they immediately tried to find Xiao Yeyang. Unfortunately, they couldn't locate him, and even Dong Yuanxuan hadn't seen him. They asked around and eventually learned that the Young Prince hadn’t returned to the academy yet.
Yan Wenkai was puzzled. "If he hasn’t returned to the academy, where has the Young Prince gone?"
Zhou Chengye, knowing more than the Yan brothers, replied, "He might have gone to the royal palace." When Prince Rui came to Zhongzhou, he also stayed at the royal palace.
"Hmm?" The three Yan brothers all looked at Zhou Chengye.
Zhou Chengye, confused, asked, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Yan Wenkai, unable to hold back his curiosity, immediately asked, "Isn’t the Young Prince’s residence in the academy?"
Zhou Chengye shook his head. "Of course not. The academy's residence is just convenient for the Young Prince to attend classes. When he had free time, the Young Prince would always return to the royal palace."
Yan Wenkai asked, "Where is the royal palace? Why have we never heard of it?"
Zhou Chengye was surprised. "You don’t know?"
The three Yan brothers shook their heads in unison.
Zhou Chengye, realizing the situation, patiently explained, "The royal palace is built on the main peak of Wuhua Mountain."
Yan Wenkai was shocked. "Wuhua Mountain? Isn't that very close to the academy?"
Zhou Chengye nodded. "Indeed. Wangyue Academy is on the outer peaks of Wuhua Mountain, and the main peak is not far at all. If you take a boat, you can get there in less than half an hour."
Yan Wenkai said, "Since it's so close, let's go find the Young Prince."
Zhou Chengye gave him a helpless look. "That's the royal palace, a forbidden place. If you're not summoned, entering without permission is a crime punishable by death."
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenkai immediately shrank back. "Then forget it. We’ll see him when he returns to the academy."
Although Zhou Chengye was eager to apologize, he knew there was no other option.
At the main peak of Wuhua Mountain, the royal palace was conveniently built at the foot of the mountain for ease of access. At the summit, there was also an elegant villa, the Meilin Villa.
On the mountainside behind the villa, the red plums were on the verge of blooming.
Under a plum tree, a graceful and stunningly beautiful woman sat at a stone table, selecting freshly picked plum branches to arrange in a green porcelain vase placed on the table.
"So, you're saying that Yang'er is angry this time because the eldest grandson of the Zhou family chose the wrong play?"
The woman spoke with a lazy tone, but her words carried an unmistakable authority, and her demeanor held a sharp air of confidence.
Two to three meters away, a man in black knelt on one leg, his head lowered respectfully. "Yes, that's correct."
The woman smiled faintly, and at that moment, the entire mountain of red plums seemed to lose their color in her presence. "Zhou Zhengyao is a cautious person; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to retire safely from the position of prime minister. I believe this incident was an unintended mistake."
She sighed. "Never mind. Yang'er doesn't have many companions here, and it’s rare for Zhou’s boy to catch his attention. We’ll let this matter go, no need to investigate further."
The man in black responded respectfully, "Understood."
The beautiful woman’s gaze shifted as she smiled and said, "By the way, tell me more about that young lady from the Yan family. Yang'er’s temper usually flares up quickly and fades just as fast. But this time, after returning, he locked himself in his room and refused to come out. It seems like he was influenced by that young lady."
The man in black immediately lowered his head and recounted the conversation between the Young Prince and the Yan girl at the Zhou residence, word for word.
The beautiful woman listened attentively. When she heard the Yan girl’s view on the "Husband Retention Record," a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"The fault isn’t with the lady, but with the scoundrel father?"
"Scoundrel?"
The woman carefully chewed on the word, and the corner of her mouth slowly curled into a smile. "An apt description, isn’t it? A true scoundrel."
Then, a hint of melancholy appeared in her eyes.
"Alright, you may leave. Make sure to protect the Young Prince well! As for the rest... don’t worry about it."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
The man’s voice fell, and he quickly disappeared from sight.
The beautiful woman placed the chosen plum branches into the vase and waved for her maid. "Take this to the royal palace below."
"Yes, Miss." The maid carefully cradled the vase and left.
Once the maid had gone, the woman stood up and gazed at the vast expanse of red plums on the mountain. Her expression became slightly lonely. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, what did it mean if only she could appreciate it alone?
At the academy.
Zhou Chengye anxiously waited. It wasn’t until the third day that he heard Xiao Yeyang had returned to the academy. As soon as the class was over, he immediately dragged Yan Wenxiu to go see him.
"Do you think the Young Prince will forgive me?" Zhou Chengye asked nervously on the way.
Yan Wenxiu replied, "It was unintentional, and the Young Prince isn’t one to hold grudges. Don’t worry. It should be fine."
Zhou Chengye remained uneasy. "But the Young Prince hasn’t come to class for three days, which shows he was really upset."
Yan Wenxiu’s expression shifted slightly. He asked, "Why would such a small matter cause such a big reaction from the Young Prince?"
Zhou Chengye glanced at him. "Don’t ask. Just remember, don’t ever bring up the 'Husband Retention Record' in front of the Young Prince. Also, remind Wenkai and Wentao."
Not pressing further, Yan Wenxiu nodded. "I’ll remind them."
Soon, the two arrived at Xiao Yeyang's residence.
After announcing their arrival, they were allowed to enter.
In the courtyard, Dong Yuanxuan, Yan Wenkai, and Yan Wentao were all present.
"Young Prince, the Zhou family didn’t entertain you well. Please forgive us."
Seeing Xiao Yeyang, Zhou Chengye immediately stepped forward, bowing deeply and apologizing with utmost sincerity.
At this point, Xiao Yeyang's mood had already calmed. He glanced at Zhou Chengye, raised his hand to signal him to rise, but didn’t say anything.
Zhou Chengye felt a bit nervous and was about to speak more, but was stopped by Dong Yuanxuan.
"Since the Young Prince doesn’t want to discuss it, you don’t need to say anything more."
Zhou Chengye whispered, "So, has the Young Prince forgiven me?"
Dong Yuanxuan replied, "If the Young Prince were still upset, do you think you could have entered this courtyard?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengye finally relaxed. He then cupped his hands and bowed to Dong Yuanxuan. "I was reckless that day. Brother Dong kindly reminded me, but I didn’t understand."
Dong Yuanxuan smiled. "Alright, what’s done is done. Don’t dwell on it."
On the other side, Xiao Yeyang noticed that Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao were both bruised and battered. He was puzzled. "What happened to you two?"
Yan Wenkai sighed. "Don’t even ask. We’ve been beaten up by Su Hongxin and his gang over the past couple of days, and the coach just stood by and didn’t stop them!"
Xiao Yeyang chuckled. Not long ago, these two had been taking advantage of their energy and beating others in sparring. Now it seemed like karma had caught up with them.
However, Xiao Yeyang soon stopped laughing and became serious. "That shouldn’t be. After the medicinal bath, your bodies should have recovered quickly. How did you end up getting beaten?"
Hearing this, Yan Wenkai’s face turned sour. "What else could it be? big sister didn’t give us the herbal packets!"
Xiao Yeyang was confused. "Why not?"
Without thinking, Yan Wenkai answered quickly, "It’s because on the day of Grandpa Zhou’s birthday, you suddenly left. Everyone said it was our sister who offended you, and when we got home, our family blamed her. How could we ask her for the herbal packets at that time?"
Dong Yuanxuan and Yan Wenxiu immediately exchanged glances, signaling Yan Wenkai to stop talking. Zhou Chengye awkwardly lowered his head.
Xiao Yeyang suddenly stood up, his expression anxious. "What does it have to do with Daohua? Why are you blaming her?"
After saying that, he began to pace anxiously, then asked, "Did you scold her?"
Yan Wenxiu hurriedly gave Yan Wenkai a warning glance, trying to stop him from saying more. Unfortunately, Yan Wenkai didn’t pick up on the hint and said indignantly, "Not only did they scold her, but they almost hit her!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenxiu wanted to bang his head against a wall.
Didn’t Yan Wenkai know the saying "family scandals should not be aired"?
Zhou Chengye felt even more guilty. He never expected that Yan’s father would treat his daughter like this. In his own family, if Jingwan made a mistake, the worst she’d face would be a verbal reprimand, or possibly kneeling in the ancestral hall. Physical punishment was almost unheard of.
Dong Yuanxuan, however, understood. The Yan family came from humble origins, and having managed to establish a connection with the Young Prince, they were eager to maintain that relationship. Naturally, they would be anxious about offending him.
Xiao Yeyang was furious. "How could your family do this? Daohua... Daohua is still so young. How could you treat her like that?"
Yan Wenxiu immediately stepped forward. "No, no, we didn’t hit her. We just said a few things."
Yan Wenkai muttered, "Just said a few things? If grandma hadn’t stopped him, father would have probably hit her!"
Xiao Yeyang frowned tightly and fell silent for a moment. Then he looked at the Yan brothers. "I was angry because of my own reasons, not because of Daohua. You must write a letter home and tell your parents not to blame her anymore."
Yan Wenxiu replied, "Brother Zhou has already clarified everything."
Xiao Yeyang said, "His clarification is his business, but here, you need to explain yourself too." He hadn’t expected his departure to cause so much trouble for Daohua.
Now, recalling how furious he had been at the time, he must have frightened her.
"Why are you all standing there? Go on!"
Seeing the three of them still standing motionless, Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but urge them. After a moment’s thought, he pointed at Yan Wenkai. "You go write it, and make sure you explain everything clearly."
Yan Wenkai looked around at everyone. "Oh."
Seeing his confused look, Xiao Yeyang shook his head. "Forget it, I’ll watch you write it."
(End of this chapter)
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