Chapter 154: Chapter 139, Apology_1

Zhou Chengye and Yan Wenxiu immediately wanted to see Xiao Yeyang after returning to the Academy, but unfortunately, they didn’t see anyone, not even Dong Yuanxuan.

After asking around, they learned that the Little Prince hadn’t returned to the Academy at all.

Yan Wenkai wondered, “If he hasn’t returned to the Academy, where did the Little Prince go?”

Zhou Chengye knew more than the Yan brothers and said, “He might have gone to the Royal Palace.” Previously, when the Rui Prince came to Zhongzhou Province, he also stayed at the Palace.

“Hmm?”

The three Yan brothers all looked over at once.

Zhou Chengye was puzzled, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yan Wenkai, who couldn’t keep things to himself, immediately asked, “Isn’t the Little Prince’s residence supposed to be at the Academy?”

Zhou Chengye shook his head, “Of course not, the accommodations at the Academy are only for the convenience of the Little Prince’s studies and classes. In the past, during breaks, the Little Prince would return to the Palace.”

Yan Wenkai: “Where is the Palace then? How come we haven’t heard about it?”

Zhou Chengye was surprised, “You don’t know?”

The three Yan brothers shook their heads in unison.

Thinking of the Yan family’s situation, Zhou Chengye patiently explained, “The Palace is built on the main peak of Wuhua Mountain.”

Yan Wenkai was astonished, “Wuhua Mountain, isn’t that very close to the Academy?”

Zhou Chengye nodded, “Indeed quite close. Wangyue Academy is built on the outer peak at the periphery of Wuhua Mountain, not far from the main peak. By boat, it would take less than half an hour to get there.”

Yan Wenkai: “Since it’s so close, then let’s hurry to find the Little Prince.”

Zhou Chengye looked at him speechlessly, “That’s the Royal Palace, a restricted area. Entering without being summoned is a capital offense that could lead to execution.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Wenkai immediately shrank his neck, “Then forget it, we’ll see him when the Little Prince returns to the Academy.”

Zhou Chengye, although anxious to apologize, knew that this was all they could do.

…

The main peak of Wuhua Mountain.

For convenience of entering and leaving, as well as for leisure, the Royal Palace was built at the foot of the mountain, and at the top, a grand villa—Meilin Villa—was constructed.

Behind the villa, the red plum trees on the mountain were ready to burst into bloom.

Under the plum trees, a graceful and strikingly beautiful woman was sitting at a stone table, selecting plum branches that had just been picked, ready to place them into the green porcelain vase prepared early on the table.

“So, is Yangyang upset because Zhou family’s eldest grandson cued the wrong play?”

The beautiful woman’s eyebrows carried an air of authority that could not be ignored, her tone was lazy, yet laced with an inviolable majesty.

A few meters away, a person dressed in black was kneeling on one knee, respectfully keeping his head low, “Yes.”

The beautiful woman smiled, and in an instant, it seemed as if all the red plums on the mountain paled in comparison to her, “Zhou Zhengyao is a careful man; otherwise, he wouldn’t have retired safely from the position of Grand Secretary. It seems like this incident must have been an accident.”

“Forget it, there are not many friends for Yangyang here. It turns out that the Zhou boy managed to catch Yangyang’s eye. We’ll let this matter go. There’s no need to pursue it further.”

The man in black: “Understood.”

The beautiful woman’s gaze roamed as she spoke with a smile, “By the way, tell me about that little girl from the Yan Family. Yangyang is usually quick to anger and quick to forgive, but this time, after returning, he locked himself in the room and hasn’t come out. It must have been the influence of that little girl.”

The man in black immediately recounted the conversation between the Little Prince and the Yan family girl at the Zhou Residence, not missing a single word.

The beautiful woman listened intently, and when she heard the Yan family girl’s views on “The Tale of a Virtuous Wife,” a hint of surprise flickered across her eyes.

“The fault lies not in the Madam, but in a scumbag father?”

“Scumbag?”

The beautiful woman pondered the term, her lips slowly curled up, “Quite fitting, isn’t it just a scumbag?”

Then, a trace of melancholy crossed her eyes.

“Alright, you may leave now. Make sure to protect the Little Prince well! As for other matters… don’t concern yourself with them.”

“This servant will take his leave!”

As soon as the man in black’s voice fell, he quickly disappeared from the spot.

The beautiful woman placed the selected plum branches into the vase and motioned for the maid to come over, “Go, send this to the lower Palace.”

“Yes!” the maid carefully carried the vase away.

Once the person left, the beautiful woman stood up, her gaze settling on the mountainside full of red plums. Her expression became somewhat forlorn. What was the use of a nice view when there was only her to appreciate it?

…

The Academy.

Zhou Chengye anxiously waited until the third day, when he finally heard that Xiao Yeyang had returned to the Academy. Right after class, he immediately took Yan Wenxiu to pay a visit.

“Do you think the Little Prince will forgive me?” On the way, Zhou Chengye was somewhat anxious and nervous.

Yan Wenxiu: “…..Your actions were unintentional, and the Little Prince is not one to hold grudges. Don’t worry; it should be fine.”

Zhou Chengye still felt uneasy: “But this time, the Little Prince has missed class for three consecutive days, which shows that he must be really angry.”

Yan Wenxiu’s expression shifted slightly, asking, “It was just a play. Why has it caused such a big reaction from the Little Prince?”

Zhou Chengye glanced at Yan Wenxiu: “Don’t ask anymore. In any case, remember, never mention anything about ‘The Tale of Divorcing the Husband’ in front of the Little Prince. Oh, and I should remind Wenkai and Wentao as well.”

Seeing that he didn’t want to say more, Yan Wenxiu didn’t continue to inquire: “Hmm, I will remind them.”

Soon, the two of them arrived at Xiao Yeyang’s residence.

After being announced, the two entered the courtyard.

In the courtyard were Dong Yuanxuan, Yan Wenkai, and Yan Wentao.

“Little Prince, the Zhou Family has been a poor host, please don’t hold the actions of us juniors against us.”

Upon seeing Xiao Yeyang, Zhou Chengye immediately stepped forward to bow and apologize, his tone brimming with sincerity.

At this moment, Xiao Yeyang’s mood had already calmed down. He looked at Zhou Chengye indifferently, raised his hand to signal him to stand up, and said nothing.

Zhou Chengye was still uneasy and was about to say more when Dong Yuanxuan stopped him.

“Since the Little Prince does not wish to dwell on it, let it go.”

Zhou Chengye spoke in a low voice: “Then, has the Little Prince forgiven me?”

Dong Yuanxuan: “If the Little Prince still bore a grudge, do you think you’d be able to enter this courtyard?”

Hearing this, Zhou Chengye finally relaxed. Then, he turned to Dong Yuanxuan and gave a bow: “I was reckless that day, Dong Brother kindly warned me, but I failed to understand!”

Dong Yuanxuan smiled: “Alright, the matter is in the past; don’t think too much about it.”

Meanwhile, Xiao Yeyang, upon seeing Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao’s bruised faces, was somewhat puzzled: “What happened to you two?”

Yan Wenkai, with a pained expression, said: “Don’t mention it. These past few days, Su Hongxin’s guys ganged up and beat us, and the Instructor just stood by, not even intervening!”

Xiao Yeyang laughed, remembering how, not so long ago, these two took advantage of their robust energy to frequently best others during sparring. Now it seemed their comeuppance had arrived.

However, Xiao Yeyang quickly suppressed his smile, wondering: “That shouldn’t be. After the medicinal bath, your bodies should recover quickly. How could you have been beaten up?”

Upon hearing this, Yan Wenkai’s expression also turned bitter: “Why else? Our eldest sister didn’t give us the herbal packs.”

Xiao Yeyang was surprised: “Why not?”

The quick-talking Yan Wenkai blurted out without thinking: “Isn’t it because you suddenly left during Grandpa Zhou’s birthday celebration? Everyone said it was because my eldest sister offended you. And when we got back, our family blamed her. How were we supposed to ask her for herbal packs at that point?”

On the side, Dong Yuanxuan and Yan Wenxiu, after hearing this, were both making urgent eye signals to Yan Wenkai to stop talking, while Zhou Chengye looked down in embarrassment.

Xiao Yeyang quickly stood up, looking anxious: “My departure was my own business; what does it have to do with Daohua? Why would you blame her?”

After finishing, he started pacing rapidly back and forth before asking again, “Did you scold her?”

Yan Wenxiu repeatedly signaled to Yan Wenkai to stop talking, but sadly, Yan Wenkai didn’t get the message and instead spoke indignantly, “It was more than just scolding; it nearly came to blows!”

At this, Yan Wenxiu truly wanted to bang his head against a wall.

Did this guy not know that family scandals should not be publicized?

Zhou Chengye, on the other hand, felt even more guilty. He hadn’t expected Yan Father to act like that. In his own home, if Jingwan made a mistake, she’d be at most reprimanded verbally, perhaps even forced to kneel at the ancestral hall, but they almost never laid a hand on her.

Dong Yuanxuan, however, showed understanding. The Yan Family, hailing from a humble background, had finally come into contact with the Little Prince and naturally wanted to maintain the relationship.

Having offended the Little Prince, they must have been anxious at heart.

Xiao Yeyang was frustrated: “How could your family do this? Daohua… Daohua is still so young; how could she withstand you hitting her?”

Yan Wenxiu immediately stepped forward: “They didn’t hit her, there were just a few words.”

Yan Wenkai snorted. Just a few words, huh?

If it weren’t for grandmother’s intervention, father might have really raised his hand!

Xiao Yeyang’s brows were tightly furrowed, and after being silent for a while, he turned to the Yan brothers: “My anger was due to my own reasons, and it had nothing to do with Daohua. Hurry up and write a letter home, telling your parents not to blame Daohua anymore.”

Yan Wenxiu: “Zhou Brother has already clarified the matter.”

Xiao Yeyang: “His clarification is his matter. From my side, you also need to explain.”

He hadn’t expected his departure to cause trouble for Daohua.

At this moment, recalling the situation, his fury at the time must have frightened her, hadn’t it?

“What are you standing around for, go on?”

Looking up to see the three Yan’s still not moving, Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but urge them on. After thinking for a moment, he directly pointed at Yan Wenkai, “You write it, and explain the situation clearly to me.”

Yan Wenkai looked at those around him: “Oh.”

Seeing his confused expression, Xiao Yeyang shook his head: “Never mind, I’ll watch you write it.”