Chapter 232: Eavesdropping
The shopkeeper recognized Liu Chuanbin; he was a frequent visitor and known as a little tyrant among the scions of noble families.
Therefore, he quickly cleared out the room next to the private room booked by Gong Changan and said with a smile, “Young Master Liu hasn’t been here for a while. Is the academy not busy today?”
“Why so much nonsense? Is my busyness any of your business?” Liu Chuanbin rolled his eyes and went upstairs.
The shopkeeper quickly called a clever waiter and said, “Go up and serve the young master of the Liu family well. Be careful not to provoke him, and let him finish his meal peacefully and leave.
The Heir Apparent of Prince Zhao and the Heir Apparent of Prince Chu will both arrive in the adjacent room shortly. If they are displeased, our business here will be ruined.”
Liu Chuanbin had caused trouble in restaurants more than once, and no restaurant was willing to entertain him, yet they dared not offend him.
Each time, they had to plaster on smiles and appease this troublesome guest. If he were to become unhappy and cause trouble, it would ultimately be resolved by the Liu family’s butler paying some silver.
For instance, last spring, after drinking a few too many cups of wine, he got into a dispute with guests from Wujiang over a singing girl, smashing the guest’s head with a wine pot and having his servants beat the man half to death.
The man had intended to report it to the authorities, but was dissuaded by intermediaries. Since ancient times, the common people do not fight with officials. Although these guests from Wujiang were considered major merchants, how could they compare to the Prince of Shou Shan Commandery?
People privately said that although Liu Chuanbin was not old, it was evident he would become a debaucher in the future, coupled with his violent temper, he would surely cause a death.
He had not yet grown into adulthood, but none of the maids in his room were intact.
As Liu Chuanbin sat down upstairs, one of his followers approached him with a shifty look and whispered, “So Gong Changan has invited the Heir Apparent of Prince Zhao and the Heir Apparent of Prince Chu, and they are said to arrive shortly.”
“So that’s how it is.” Liu Chuanbin’s eyes darted around after hearing this. Arrogant as he was, he knew that the status of these two heirs apparent was extraordinary, and they were people he should curry favor with.
So he said, “This is easy. Go down and order the most exquisite banquet. I’ll invite these two over later. If that Gong fellow wants to play host and gain favor, I won’t let him off cheaply!”
Meanwhile, Gong Changan was strolling around the street and saw an acrobatic troupe performing on the ground, with Ying Tong standing there with his hands behind his back, watching.
He stepped forward and said with a smile, “Your Highness has such refined taste, but it’s time for lunch. Please go upstairs. I will go and find the Heir Apparent of Prince Chu.”
Afterward, he saw Ying Bai browsing old paintings at a book stall.
“Your Highness made me search hard. Have you found any satisfactory calligraphy and paintings here?”
Ying Bai stood up and smiled, “There’s really nothing good. There are one or two pieces that are somewhat interesting, but they are too badly damaged.”
“Let’s go back to eat first!” Gong Changan said, “There will be time to browse later.”
Everyone had arrived, and they were just about to be served when Liu Chuanbin sidled over.
He ignored everyone else and cupped his hands towards the two heirs apparent, smiling broadly, “It is truly fate that I meet the two heirs apparent. I have been thinking of you these past few days but could not see you. I never expected to meet you here.”
Seeing his fawning demeanor, Xu Mang and Feng Tianzhu couldn’t help but look at each other and feel nauseous.
“It’s Chuanbin! You’re here too, what a coincidence.” Ying Tong smiled, “It has been a long time since I last saw you.”
Liu Chuanbin seized the opportunity and said, “So Your Highness has also been thinking of me. We can truly be said to have a heart-to-heart connection. They say it’s better to meet than to choose a date, and better to encounter than to invite. How about I play host today! I’m in the room next door. Have them remove this partition, and we can have a large table together?”
“That might not be appropriate. Changan invited us today,” Feng Tianzhu said. “Young Master Liu, how about inviting us another day?”
“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. Everything depends on the wishes of the two heirs apparent,” Gong Changan said with a smile.
“It’s good to have more people.” The Prince of Chu’s family actually had a closer relationship with the Prince of Shou Shan Commandery’s mansion, so Ying Bai spoke up.
Hearing him say this, the Heir Apparent of Prince Zhao said nothing. Although there was some friction between the two, it did not show at all in front of others.
Therefore, it is not that many of these noble scions are heartless; they all understand human relationships and social graces.
Immediately, Liu Chuanbin’s men called the restaurant staff to remove the partition between the two rooms.
Thus, the two rooms were combined into one, naturally making it more spacious.
“Changan, be careful. This kid has bad intentions,” Feng Tianzhu whispered in Gong Changan’s ear. “I’ll drink a few more cups later. If he makes things difficult for you, I’ll give him a piece of my mind!”
“Elder Brother, let’s forget it. You shouldn’t be drinking anyway, and it’s not worth hurting yourself for him,” Gong Changan stopped him. “Let him have his moment of satisfaction for now.”
While they were talking, the food and drink were already being served.
Liu Chuanbin still felt it wasn’t lively enough, so he called for a singer to liven things up.
He planned to humiliate Gong Changan after a few rounds of drinks.
Gong Changan quietly said a few words to Gong Bao’an, and the two brothers said they had something to attend to and temporarily left the table.
After a while, they still hadn’t returned, so Liu Chuanbin said he needed to use the restroom and also left the table.
He discovered Gong Changan and his brother were talking by the corner of the stairs.
“I’ll be going into the palace with the two heirs apparent later, so you don’t need to worry about me. However, you should be wary of him at the academy and don’t go alone.” This was Gong Changan’s voice.
“Fourth Brother, I’ll be careful,” Gong Bao’an said, clearly a little scared. “I hope he doesn’t bother me for no reason anymore.”
“I don’t think this banquet will end soon. When it does, I’ll have to return to the palace. I don’t have time to talk to you further, take this.” Following this was a rustling sound, indicating Gong Changan was taking something out of his embrace.
“What is this?” Gong Bao’an asked curiously.
“This is a treasure,” Gong Changan said with a smile. “I worked hard to get it from the tutor. You always complain about not growing taller, right? This is a pill specifically for growing taller, refined by Tutor Chen, the most skilled alchemist in our academy. I managed to get two pills from him. I took one, and this one is for you.”
“Really? Fourth Brother, you’re so good to me. This is truly a treasure!” Gong Bao’an happily took the item.
“Alright, go back into the room in a moment! I’ll go downstairs to see about ordering a couple more dishes. Since that fellow surnamed Liu likes to treat people, let him spend more silver,” Gong Changan said and then hurried downstairs.
Liu Chuanbin heard their conversation and couldn’t help but smirk. Gong Changan turned the corner and bumped right into him, startling him and causing him to instinctively step back.
