Chapter 107: His Highness the Crown Prince Was Awesome

In recent times, Fang Jifan had corrupted the atmosphere.

Those Tribute Scholars who passed the imperial examination would have been extremely proud in the past. When their fathers were asked about them, although they pretended to be humble, they could not hide their proud expressions.

But after Fang Jifan scolded Jiang Chen harshly, it seemed that when people were asked about their sons, their first reaction was to look deeply pained.

Wang Hua was no exception. When Emperor Hongzhi asked about his son, he sighed and said, “My son is untalented and only passed by luck. I, your servant, feel ashamed to accept such praise.”

Not only did he have to be modest, but Wang Hua also had to keep a straight face, truly appearing as if this good-for-nothing son had disgraced the family and was an utter embarrassment.

But when Emperor Hongzhi saw his expression and heard his humble words, he actually felt a bit depressed. If even people like Wang Shouren and Jiang Chen were considered worthless, then what about the Crown Prince…

Thinking of this, he became rather annoyed. If the Crown Prince had not already gone to his bedchamber, Emperor Hongzhi would have wanted to give him another beating.

Fang Jifan could clearly sense the fierce aura emanating from Emperor Hongzhi and felt nervous. So he said, “I, your servant, will go check on His Highness the Crown Prince. May I take my leave?”

Emperor Hongzhi waved his hand. “You stay. The rest of you may leave.”

“…” This was truly inviting trouble!

Yang Tinghe, Wang Hua, and the others withdrew, while Fang Jifan awkwardly remained.

Emperor Hongzhi took another sip of tea and then sighed. “The Crown Prince is so unruly that it truly worries me.”

Fang Jifan instinctively said, “In my humble opinion, Your Highness the Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent, far surpassing ordinary people.”

Emperor Hongzhi’s face fell, and he gave Fang Jifan a cold look.

Fang Jifan sighed inwardly. Sorry, Your Highness the Crown Prince. This is no longer about loyalty; I need to save my own skin. So he said, “Of course, Your Highness the Crown Prince is still young and has the nature of a youth. It is natural for him to be a bit wild and mischievous.”

Emperor Hongzhi retorted, “Are you not also young, Minister Fang?”

“…” Fang Jifan was speechless.

He was increasingly feeling that the Crown Prince would have a tough time in the future. Everything fears comparison. Even Fang Jifan did not understand why he had such a shining image in Emperor Hongzhi’s heart. As a result, this once unruly Nanhe Bozi had become a mirror, frequently used by Emperor Hongzhi to reflect upon—looking at Fang Jifan, then looking at Zhu Houzhao, and then…

Emperor Hongzhi kept a cold face but then said, “Sitting here, I recall over ten years ago when I was about your and the Crown Prince’s age. I also sat in this Minglun Hall, listening to the teachers’ lectures. Back then, I was much more serious than you, meticulous and never daring to overstep. The teachers all praised me unanimously and had great hopes for me.”

Fang Jifan had not expected Emperor Hongzhi to have such sentiments. He followed the emperor’s words and said, “After all, Your Majesty is an extraordinary person. Your Highness the Crown Prince is far from comparable.”

Emperor Hongzhi looked deeply at Fang Jifan, his gaze meaningful, and suddenly sighed with emotion. “Fang Jinglong is a fortunate man…”

With that sigh, he departed.

It was clearly early spring, but the snow had been falling for several days without any sign of stopping. The accumulated snow was already three inches thick. These past few days, Zhu Houzhao had been recovering from his injuries, and Fang Jifan felt it was not appropriate to disturb him.

Early one morning, Fang Jifan calculated that enough time had passed and went to the House of the Crown Prince through the snow. As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Jin smiling and approaching him. “Greetings, Chief Fang. How are you, Chief Fang?”

Fang Jifan only snorted coldly and ignored him.

At that moment, Liu Jin shamelessly knelt down and said, “Chief Fang, your boots are dirty. Oh my, this is terrible. Chief Fang is a hero among men. How can your boots be dirty?” Without waiting for Fang Jifan’s consent, he immediately used his sleeve to wipe the snow off Fang Jifan’s boots and then patiently cleaned them.

After finishing, he raised his head and looked up at Fang Jifan with delight. “See, they are clean now. Only this is worthy of Chief Fang’s status. Chief Fang, are you hungry? Your servant will fetch some tea and snacks for you. Chief Fang, working here at the House of the Crown Prince must be very exhausting. You must take care of your health.”

When Fang Jifan first came to the House of the Crown Prince, Liu Jin, relying on his closeness to Zhu Houzhao and being the head eunuch there, did not think much of Fang Jifan, who was merely a small Zongqi. Liu Jin had spoken with a sarcastic tone and acted arrogantly.

But ever since Fang Jifan kept suggesting to take him for Science experiments, Liu Jin had been lying on his sickbed every few days. Old wounds had not yet healed when new ones were added. Especially since it was said that the Crown Prince and Fang Jifan had a plan to go to the sky, Liu Jin was terrified.

Recently, he began to clearly realize that this Chief Fang was not to be trifled with—more than that, he had ten thousand ways to torment him to death. Therefore, Liu Jin became much more submissive in front of Fang Jifan, always wearing a flattering smile.

To be honest, in the House of the Crown Prince, Liu Jin was considered fierce and intimidating. Except for the Crown Prince, everyone avoided him when they saw him. Even Yang Tinghe treated him with some courtesy.

Compared to Yang Tinghe, Junior Supervisor of the Household Wang Hua was less flexible and tactful. He opposed Liu Jin, but at most, he kept a cold face and did not provoke any major conflicts.

But now, Liu Jin was like a tame kitten in front of Fang Jifan. Liu Jin felt that Fang Jifan was an unreasonable person. To deal with unreasonable people… naturally, one had to act subservient.

Fang Jifan lifted his boot and looked at it. Hmm, not bad. Eunuch Liu was quite skilled in this area. He had underestimated him before.

He casually asked, “Where is His Highness?”

“His Highness…” Liu Jin showed a strange expression. “His Highness is in the Greenhouse…”

The Greenhouse…

Fang Jifan was stunned. “He went there early in the morning?”

“No, no.” Liu Jin shook his head, then said with a pitiful expression, “His injuries have gotten a bit better these past two days. The day before yesterday was normal, but last night, when his condition improved significantly, he said he wanted to sleep in the Greenhouse to take care of his watermelon seedlings.”

“…” Fang Jifan suddenly had a feeling of utter disbelief.

He quickened his steps and hurried to the Greenhouse. As soon as he entered, he felt a wave of warmth.

It was indeed warm inside. On one hand, the brick walls retained the heat, and on the other hand, the Flue provided warmth, keeping the place at a comfortable temperature.

Looking around, it was fairly tidy. Fang Jifan’s gaze finally settled on one spot. There, Zhu Houzhao, wrapped in a dragon and phoenix silk quilt, rolled over on the wooden floor. His right leg stuck out from under the quilt, and he continued to snore in a rather indecent manner.

Fang Jifan had to cough once.

Zhu Houzhao then woke up groggily. As soon as he opened his eyes, his first reaction was…

“The little watermelon seedlings, the little watermelon seedlings…” Zhu Houzhao crawled out from under the covers and then lay on the ground. Seeing that the few seedlings in the corner of the Greenhouse were still there, he showed a relieved expression.

He was delighted and measured the length of the watermelon seedlings with his finger. Immediately, his face lit up with excitement. Clearly, the little watermelon seedlings had grown just a tiny bit overnight. A look of satisfaction crossed his eyes. “Someone, someone! What time is it already? Quickly bring water. The watermelon seedlings need to drink.”

Fang Jifan, who was standing nearby, finally said awkwardly, “Your Highness…”

The Greenhouse was somewhat dim. The sun had not come out for two or three consecutive days. Although the Colored Glaze on the roof had good light transmittance, it still could not provide sufficient light.

But as soon as he saw Fang Jifan, Zhu Houzhao immediately smiled. “Old Fang, Old Fang, look, these watermelon seedlings have really grown. Now… should we fertilize them? Do we need someone to remove pests? Look, is this a pest on top? This Palace thinks it looks like a pest has bitten here. How hateful! If This Palace catches this damned pest, This Palace will tear it to pieces.”

Has Your Highness… gone mad?

Fang Jifan said, “How can Your Highness sleep here? Your Highness should sleep in your bedchamber.”

Zhu Houzhao immediately replied, “This Palace feels at ease only when sleeping here.” Then he gritted his teeth and said, “Imperial Father does not believe This Palace can grow watermelons. This Palace will grow them and show him. This Palace must vent this frustration. Old Fang, these watermelons… will grow, right? By the way, when can we eat the watermelons?”

“Um… this… Your Highness, this is an Experimental Field.” Fang Jifan felt somewhat guilty. No matter what, that beating happened because of him. Zhu Houzhao had been beaten quite unjustly.

“What does that mean…” Zhu Houzhao stared straight at Fang Jifan.

Fang Jifan had to patiently explain to him. “The so-called experiment means there is a possibility of success and also a possibility of failure. What I mean is, it is possible to grow watermelons, but it is also possible not to grow any.”

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately became anxious. Only now did he realize that the Experimental Field Fang Jifan kept mentioning meant this.

He rushed forward and grabbed Fang Jifan by the neck, shaking him excitedly as he said, “You must grow them! You must grow them! If they don’t grow, that beating was for nothing! This Palace was beaten so badly that This Palace could not get out of bed for several days! This Palace still hurts all over! If they don’t grow, This Palace will kill you with one strike, then draw a sword and cut my own throat. We brothers will die clean!”

Fang Jifan, being choked, started to roll his eyes.

Damn… It is an Experimental Field! Did I not tell you? For this, you even want us to die together? Have you gone crazy?

But… Fang Jifan could actually understand Zhu Houzhao’s feelings.

Being treated like a child by his Imperial Father all his life, always thought to be fooling around, he always wanted to accomplish something big to make his Imperial Father look at him in a new light. Who would have thought that a severe beating would cool his heart by half.

The only way to prove Emperor Hongzhi wrong was to grow watermelons. For Zhu Houzhao, this was the only method. He had to vent this anger.

Zhu Houzhao was a stubborn person and now had a complete gambler’s mentality.

And damn, his grip was incredibly strong. He kept choking Fang Jifan’s neck and shaking him. Fang Jifan struggled desperately and managed to squeeze out a sentence. “Your… Your Highness… be careful… be careful not to damage the watermelon seedlings…”

All at once, Zhu Houzhao finally calmed down. He immediately let go, then stealthily crouched down to take a look. “Right, right. We absolutely must not harm the watermelon seedlings. This Palace’s beloved little watermelon seedlings, grow quickly, bear fruit. Wait, wait for This Palace a moment. This Palace will go fetch water for you. Let you eat and drink your fill. Wait a little, wait a little.”

Saying this, he excitedly rushed out of the Greenhouse to fetch water.