“Brother, slow down. Please take a seat first,” urged Luo Siming.
“You need to slow down. Your legs and arms aren’t even coordinated anymore, hahaha. Come sit down,” responded Green Prince, beaming. “Why are you so flustered and breathing erratically? Are you really my brother?”
“I… I… Sorry, I was, umm, changing. I did not want to keep you waiting, so I was in a bit of a rush.
Green Prince nodded as though he accepted the explanation. Upon seeing Luo Siming’s face, though, he blurted, “Lies!”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Still feigning? Hahaha. You know how elite and wise I am. I can’t be fooled. Fourth Brother, you didn’t change. What’s the treasure you’re hiding in your room? Sharing is caring.”
“H-how did you know, Brother?”
Green Prince whacked his thigh: “I knew it! What were you eating? Fess up.”
“Wh-what was I eating? Oh, I have yet to have dinner today. I was not eating.”
“Now that’s odd. Adopted Father is always praising Fourth Young Master here for being prim and organised, while I always get denounced. If he was here, we’d be in for it,” responded Green Prince, wiping some green, sweet powder from a green bean cake by Luo Siming’s mouth. “My brother knows I like green bean cakes, yet he’s not sharing with his brother. How tragic.”
Luo Siming, of course, knew the sweet powder wasn’t from a green bean cake but the medicine Reverend Zha provided for Shen Yiren.
Although Luo Siming gave the four doctors the chance to do what they could for Shen Yiren, promising to reward whoever’s approach produced the best results, he hesitated to feed Shen Yiren the concoction Reverend Zhao supplied, citing it would disrepute Shen Yiren.
Either way, Luo Siming ended up swallowing as he frantically careened from Shen Yiren’s room but only realised it now. He was understandably worried about after effects as Reverend Zha’s introduction of the pill was concerning, to say the least – not that he could do anything about at this point.
“What did you come here for, Brother?”
“Oh, right. I was so focused on your green bean cake that I forgot about my green hat. I need your head, Brother.”
Luo Siming smiled, promising, “I am at your service, Brother.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
During one of Emperor Yuansheng covert trips in his younger days, he brought the young Green Prince along to Luo Sword Manor. The story of a maid working at Luo Clan telling the young Green Prince to buzz off when he tried to court her was a big deal, but Luo Ming’s adoption of Green Prince was also a big deal. Ever since then, Green Prince was close to Luo Clan.
Despite being the son of Emperor Yuansheng, Green Prince always addressed Luo Siming’s two elder brothers as elder brothers of his own.
Emperor Yuansheng didn’t just leave Green Prince by the wayside because of the Six Dragons Shall Seal the Nation prophecy but also because Green Prince was on the meaty side. For the same reason, Green Prince was never regarded as a candidate for the throne. As a result, Green Prince’s mother wasn’t a fan of her own son, either. Since none of his parents of relatives thought much of him, Green Prince treated Luo Ming as though the latter was his actual father.
Luo Ming, surprisingly, liked his adopted son for being a generous and tolerant man. Consequently, an oath intended to be nothing more than mutual gains ended up having an emotional component develop over time, something no one saw coming. By the same account, Green Prince was closer to Luo Siming than his own brothers.
“My mistress I married not long ago eloped!”
In the past, Luo Siming felt sorry for Green Prince whenever the latter’s wives eloped in less than three days. Eventually, Luo Siming found them so common that he wasn’t sure how to feel.
“Just let me know what you’d like me to do, Brother.”
“What do I want you to do? I want the classic penalty imposed on them: cucking stools!”
The cucking stools threat Green Prince made became a fable in the world some time ago. For as many times as he had declared it, he never once caught any of the couples who eloped as he was so tolerant that he would just let them go. Having said that, there were some seemingly magical coincidences. Anyhow, what explanation could he offer besides it not being his fate to find them?
“From what I’ve dug up, the one who stole my wife is a musician who plays the flute and erhu. Musicians are the type to never get anywhere in life besides putting on airs like they’re able to comprehend some abstract nonsense nobody else can comprehend. He must have so much free time from unemployment that he came after my wife.”
That didn’t surprise Luo Siming for every man who ever stole Green Prince’s wives was never anyone impressive – such as the gardener.
“They haven’t left Canhu Town yet. I heard he intends to perform one last time tonight before he leaves. When I get my hands on them, I swear I’ll put them on cucking stools. I don’t have enough men with me. I mean, yeah, I have adepts with me, but I don’t have enough men to be intimidating. Bring a few men with me to capture them.”
“I can do that, but do you know where he will be performing?”
“Of course I do.” Green Prince extended three fat fingers: “Bright Jade Restaurant!”