...
Yuelai Inn, second floor.
Yang Ge sat sprawling in his chair, Shen Fa and Zhao Cha stood uneasily on either side of him, heads bowed, while Zhao Hong stood with his neck stiff between them, his face clouded with anger as he glared at Yang Ge.
"I say!"
Yang Ge glared at Shen Fa, not even glancing at Zhao Hong, "Have you all gone too far in bullying? I let Miaomiao’s debts slide on account of Miaomiao, and you dare come back? What do you think this is? A daycare? Did I actually give you face?"
"How dare you!"
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Zhao Hong’s face turned red as he slapped the table and yelled, "How dare a traitor like you insult those above!"
Yang Ge glanced at him, then at the table he slapped, and puzzledly looked at Shen Fa, "Does this kid not know who I am?"
Shen Fa covered his face, his voice echoing hollowly, "He knows!"
"Then there’s no helping it, the ignorant are innocent, but the knowledgeable must face their crimes... alright, consider this a bit of interest then!"
Yang Ge shook his head slowly as he stood up, his towering height immediately imposing a heavy pressure on Zhao Hong.
Zhao Hong, far from cowering, not only didn’t step back but took a step forward, craning his neck and glaring up at Yang Ge, "You dare harm a hair on this prince today, and I will have your head..."
"Smack."
A loud slap had Zhao Hong spinning a full three hundred sixty degrees on the spot, instinctively covering his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Yang Ge.
Shen Fa and Zhao Cha were similarly stunned... knowing he could hit was one thing, but witnessing him strike the Crown Prince like a child was another entirely.
Yang Ge fiddled with his ears: "What did you just say? Louder, I didn’t hear you!"
Zhao Hong swallowed: "Your Highness..."
"Smack."
Another large slap spun Zhao Hong counter-clockwise, leaving him completely dumbfounded, his mind filled with the huge, bolded words, ’How could he dare.’
Yang Ge held back Zhao Cha who was pale with fear, and moved aside Shen Fa, who was smiling awkwardly in front of Zhao Hong, and took a step forward, looming over Zhao Hong with a benign smile, "Come on, I’ll give you another chance, speak up for me to hear!"
Zhao Hong locked eyes with his ice-cold gaze, shuddered suddenly, and came to his senses, a massive, unprecedented fear flooding him, forcing him to retreat rapidly, about to fall back on the wooden floor of the loft.
Yang Ge suddenly said smilingly, "Fall to the floor and you die!"
Zhao Hong, his knees nearly bent at ninety degrees, heard this and quickly twisted to fall on a nearby dining table, clinging desperately to it while looking at Yang Ge with a face full of fear, panting heavily.
Yang Ge half-smiled as he looked at him, then turned to Shen Fa who was incessantly wiping sweat, "How many sons does the Emperor have?"
Shen Fa trembled, stuttering a laugh, "Eight, eight!"
"Eight?"
At this number, Yang Ge thought of an unpleasant piece of history, shook his head and said, "That number is not very auspicious... Well, I’ll keep this kid; you go back and tell the Emperor to pick another son to groom as Crown Prince, consider this son dead early!"
Shen Fa wiped his sweat and replied, "It’s not necessary to..."
Yang Ge loudly interrupted him, "Er Niu!"
"Coming!"
Zhang Er’s robust voice flew swiftly from the back hall toward the stairs, and before his voice had fully faded, his figure had already ascended the wooden stairway, wiping his hands and nodding as he said, "Shopkeeper, you called?"
Yang Ge: "Take off your apron!"
Zhang Er: "Ah?"
Yang Ge: "Take off your apron!"
Zhang Er quickly pulled off the apron tied around his waist, handing it over to Yang Ge with a mournful expression.
Yang Ge took the apron, clapping Zhang Er on the shoulder with a full smile, "Congratulations, Comrade Zhang Er, starting today you’re officially promoted to be our inn’s front hall manager, your salary increased by two hundred wen per month... this kid, he’s your only front hall attendant, whatever you did before, teach him the same, if he doesn’t do well, beat him, and if he still doesn’t change, tell me, and I’ll handle him!"
Zhang Er glanced dubiously at the red-faced Zhao Hong, immediately recognizing the high quality of his clothes, and awkwardly reached to take back his apron, "Shopkeeper, don’t mess around with me, this youth isn’t suited for this sort of menial work... sit down and talk, I’ll go brew some hot tea for you."
Yang Ge held onto the apron, not letting go, and said with a smile, "Does he have one more head or two more arms than you? Why can’t he do your job? Didn’t I do this before... take off these clothes, put this on! I won’t repeat myself!"
He turned his head, handing the apron to Zhao Hong, his gaze suddenly turning cold.
Zhao Hong’s heart raced, his eyes brimming with tears as he helplessly looked at Shen Fa, then at Zhao Cha.
Shen Fa forcefully signaled with his eyes toward the apron.
Zhao Cha nodded vigorously at the apron.
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Zhao Hong reluctantly lowered his head, hesitantly stripped down to his undergarments, and tentatively stepped forward, suppressing his disgust to take the greasy apron from Yang Ge’s hands, awkwardly tying it around his waist.
Yang Ge’s eyes softened, and he sat back down, speaking lightly, "Although I’m not keen to take you in, your father secretly paid me your tuition, and I’m a man of my word, accepting money means doing the work, and your first lesson is how ordinary people live."
"From now on, follow your brother Er Niu, learn how to be a person, how to work, observe more, learn more, do more... and talk less!"