Chapter 533: Chapter 533 : (Extra) Jiang Muchen’s Love Story (17)
Xie Jianyu doted on him, so naturally he would be inclined to grant him this request.
The problem lay with his husband, Supreme General Zhang Fengxi, who would rather be stabbed by a thousand needles than let his wife spend hours in another palace, allegedly giving another omega a lesson in cultivation.
"No."
Zhang Fengxi’s refusal was a single word, his facial skin stretched taut over the underlying muscles.
Xie Jianyu, who was sitting next to him with little Zhang Yueting in his arms, could only let out a heavy sigh.
"Fengxi..." He began, only to be interrupted by his husband.
"No, Jianbao. No. You are busy enough. When you are not going around handling your Crown Princely tasks, you should be home with our children. Mingrui and Junjie, not to mention Tingting, need you desperately. You cannot go to Shuiran Palace every day to tutor Jiang Muchen’s prospective bride!"
Jiang Muchen gritted his teeth.
"I was asking my Little Uncle, and not you!" He snapped at Zhang Fengxi.
"I am your Little Uncle’s alpha and husband! He may not go anywhere without my permission!"
Xie Jianyu arched a brow as he passed Zhang Fengxi a look.
"Really, Fengxi? Are you pulling ranks now?"
Zhang Fengxi glared in his direction.
"In this case, yes. I am."
Although Zhang Fengxi’s refusal was jarring, it was not entirely without reason. An alpha had the right to prohibit their omegas from going somewhere or doing anything they deemed unsafe.
If one stretched the logic forcefully, Zhang Fengxi could argue he was simply protecting his wife from overworking herself, and society would likely accept this. At this point, Jiang Muchen had no choice but to accept Zhang Fengxi’s decision.
Same went for the omega -- in this case, Xie Jianyu.
"Very well," Xie Jianyu said while shifting Zhang Yueting’s position in his arms.
The little girl turned her head to look at her mother and begin to babble.
"Daaaa~ Mammaaaa~"
Jiang Muchen looked like Xie Jianyu just stepped onto his fragile glass heart and crushed it.
Zhang Fengxi was moved to tears.
But then Xie Jianyu continued, "In that case, please have Liu Chengjiu over at Fuxi Palace every afternoon after lunch. I will tutor him here."
"...!!!"
"...!!!"
This time, both men raised their voices in objection.
"No way!"
"Not allowed!"
"And why not?" Xie Jianyu asked as he peppered little kisses on Zhang Yueting’s round cheek.
"Daaaa~"
"Jianbao, he is a wolf. A wolf from the Liu family, to boot," Zhang Fengxi reminded him.
"Exactly! What if he decides to avenge his entire family and do something unspeakable in Fuxi Palace?"
Xie Jianyu chuckled.
"With me here, what can he do?"
Fuxi Palace had been his to govern for over ten years now.
"I still object," Zhang Fengxi insisted. "I will not allow Liu Chengjiu to step foot inside the palace grounds, no matter what!"
Xie Jianyu chuckled again. And then he shot his husband a grin.
"Fengxi, ah, you are my alpha and my husband, but do not forget that I am the master of Fuxi Palace. I alone decide who may come in and who may not."
"..."
"..."
And so, Jiang Muchen returned to Shuiran Palace after thanking Xie Jianyu profusely for his help.
Zhang Fengxi was left behind to grovel at his wife’s feet, begging the latter to please reconsider.
Unfortunately, once Xie Jianyu made a decision, he would not listen to anyone.
The next day quickly arrived, and Liu Chengjiu was delivered to Fuxi Palace in a cloud carriage.
He did his best to fix his appearance and presented himself in the best way possible, but the struggle was evident.
His skin, a result of years of neglect, refused to shed its rugged exterior.
His hair, a haphazard tangle of strands, couldn’t compare to the carefully coiffed tresses of the noble omegas.
His hands, rough and calloused from pulling bowstrings since young, were a far cry from the delicate hands of the noble omegas.
To make it worse, Jiang Muchen made the love of his life take him, Liu Chengjiu, as a student.
Just what was the Crown Prince going to think of him once he got to see him again, this time from a close distance?
Probably, "What am I going to do with such an ugly omega?"
Or, "What made this omega dream of becoming a cultivator?"
...
Liu Chengjiu’s cheeks burned from embarrassment whenever these thoughts crossed his mind.
Unfortunately, there was nothing else he could do for now.
He would lay his heart bare before Xie Jianyu, offering his unwavering devotion to his new teacher. Whether it would be enough to win Xie Jianyu’s favor, only time would tell.
As the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Empire, Xie Jianyu was understandably very busy.
When Liu Chengjiu arrived, he was ushered into the guest room because his teacher had yet to return from Fuxi Palace. He sat awkwardly at the table as Mingyu, one of Xie Jianyu’s personal maids, came to serve him some tea.
"Please have some tea and pastries, Young Master Liu."
"Yes, thank you."
"It might take Master a while to return today. He left a message, saying that you may visit the library if you wish to do so."
"Yes, thank you."
"Our library has an extensive collection of literatures and manuals. Even if you don’t like to read, a visit is definitely worth it."
"Yes, thank you."
Mingyu gave Liu Chengjiu a quizzical look afterward, probably wondering why the omega sounded like a broken record, constantly repeating the same three words.
In the end, Liu Chengjiu decided to dispel the awkwardness and accepted Mingyu’s well-meant suggestion.
"In... In that case... Miss, can you please show me toward the library?"
The library was located in the inner courtyard. Tall shelves lined the walls, filled with books, scrolls, and unknown boxes that piled up high to the ceiling. Bright paper lanterns were suspended from the ceiling, acting as light source for the library visitors. The empty space between the shelves was covered with soft carpet and strewn with sitting pillows.
When Liu Chengjiu entered, two twin boys younger than ten raised their heads in unison to look at him. They both shared Xie Jianyu’s beautiful face and almond-shaped eyes.
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Author’s note :
Ahhh~
Readers, this author has good news for all of you. After juggling so many works at the same time, this author decides to update 3 extra Chapters a month for this novel, until it naturally concludes -- the 1st, the 14th, and the 27th starting from January.
I didn’t expect this arc to be so long, but this is essentially the second last arc before we conclude the novel. Stay tuned, beloved readers!
