Chapter 197 - The Child's Father!
Time passed quickly, and Tang Yue had completed his second year in South Jin, officially entering adulthood.
In this era, reaching the age of fifteen signified adulthood, but Crown Prince Zhao remained an exception to this rule.
Crown Prince Zhao had matured significantly with age. His facial features showcased the best qualities inherited from his parents, making him increasingly striking.
He exhibited a mature and composed personality. Having shed the teenage aura, he now resembled a successful young man.
On the first day of spring, an unremarkable carriage passed through the city gate and gradually entered the city.
The gate guards observed a young woman inside the carriage, holding a baby who hadn't even celebrated its first birthday. They collected the entrance tax and permitted her passage.
Approximately two hours later, the carriage came to a halt near the Crown Prince's Palace. The infant's cries drew the attention of the entrance guards.
As the young woman approached carrying the child, their jaws dropped in astonishment. After a moment, they spoke sternly, “Halt! You cannot linger outside the Crown Prince's Palace.”
Frightened, the woman retreated a few steps, and the baby in her arms wailed. She tried to soothe the child for a while before retrieving a jade pendant from her bosom. “I have come to seek Crown Prince. Please inform him.”
The two guards appeared to be taken aback. They exchanged glances, furrowing their brows. One of them inquired, “And who do you think you are looking for?”
“I've come to find Crown Prince. He is also the father of this child!”
The child's father! The child's father! The child's father!
Four pairs of eyes suddenly fixated on the baby's face. Their gazes were so intense that the baby's cries grew louder.
The two guards wasted no time. They shared a look, and one of them dashed into the palace.
However, instead of immediately reporting to the Crown Prince, he sought out the butler and hastily relayed the situation. Urgently, he implored, “Butler, notify the young master at once!”
Panic set in; this was a crisis. Crown Prince had a woman outside, and a child had been born. They couldn't predict how Crown Princess would react to such a revelation.
The butler, though startled, managed to maintain composure. Instead of immediately seeking Tang Yue, he calmly suggested, “Let's proceed cautiously. I'll go and investigate.”
After all, he had witnessed the Crown Prince's upbringing. If that woman dared to claim a child as His Highness's and impersonate him, the butler would never forgive such audacity.
Upon reaching the entrance, the butler noticed that the woman had already retreated to her carriage. He parted the curtain and cast a stern gaze in her direction.
Observing an elegantly attired elderly man approaching, the woman carefully carried the child down once more and respectfully repeated her request.
The woman possessed some discernment. She could discern that this elder held a certain status within the manor.
The butler's unwavering focus remained on the infant in her arms throughout the encounter. The longer he gazed upon the child, the more convinced he became of the resemblance to the Crown Prince.
The baby's features bore a striking resemblance to the Crown Prince, particularly his pronounced eyebrows. Such resemblances often occurred when comparing a child to an adult, yet when scrutinizing the facial features in detail, they might not align entirely.
“Butler, shouldn't we inform the young master?” inquired the anxious guard, speaking softly.
“Are you daft? We mustn't inform the young master about this,” the butler retorted. “Hurry and dispatch someone to notify the Crown Prince. We must address this matter before the young master learns of it.”
Both of them hastened to secure the entrance gate. The butler ushered the mother and son into the manor. However, he exercised prudence by leading them to a side hall instead of the main hall and arranging for a servant to attend to them.
The woman watched intently as she followed. Upon reaching the side hall, she hesitated to sit and instead stood by the side, still holding the child. She appeared far from being of affluent background.
The butler had inspected the jade clasp, confirming it indeed originated from the Crown Prince's Palace. Yet, he struggled to believe that the Crown Prince could have fathered a child with the woman before him.
It was not a matter of looking down on others, but rather the woman appeared exceedingly ordinary and unremarkable. How could she possibly be deemed worthy of His Highness?
“Uncle, do you happen to have fresh milk available?” the woman inquired cautiously. “The child is hungry.”
The butler nodded and continued to scrutinize the child's features. “How old is the child?”
The woman offered a gentle smile. “He will turn one year old next month.”
The butler mentally calculated the timeline. If this child was indeed His Highness's, then the woman would have been pregnant at the border. Since he hadn't accompanied the Crown Prince there, he remained uncertain whether His Highness had a companion at the border.
Nevertheless, this matter posed no great challenge to investigate. All that required was a conversation with the guard accompanying him.
“Hold on for a moment; I'll have someone fetch some milk.” Tang Yue had a daily supply of fresh milk in the Crown Prince's Palace, given his penchant for it. There was never a shortage of nourishment for the child.
Once he turned and exited, he hastened toward the courtyard where the guards resided. He seized a guard who was on a day off and pulled him into a secluded corner. “Xingli, be straightforward. Did His Highness have any companions of the female persuasion while at the border?”
“Hehe, why is the steward suddenly inquiring about this? Could it be that the young master has taken a sudden interest?”
“Don't prattle, just answer!”
The guard blinked, observing the young master's earnest demeanor, and realized this wasn't a jest. “Yes, indeed, but…”
He didn't need to say more. The steward had already dashed away like a gust of wind, his footsteps somewhat haphazard.
The guard watched his retreating figure and muttered, “If I had known it was this easy to get away, I wouldn't have bothered cramming all that information overnight.”
When the steward reappeared in the side hall, his demeanor had undergone a complete transformation. Outwardly, he was deferential, but internally, there remained a hint of inner turmoil, mingled with a dash of excitement.
Ever since Crown Prince had taken a male spouse, he hadn't ceased worrying about the Crown Prince's son for a single day. Now, he had presented himself to the Crown Prince. If it turned out to be true, he would have left behind a trace of his bloodline for His Highness.
Tang Yue was engaged in a game of checkers with Zhang Chun in the backyard. After defeating Zhang Chun, he tossed the checkerboard aside and reclined in a rocking chair. “Are you feeling better?” he inquired. “Did Imperial Doctor Wu come to check on you?”
Zhang Chun patted his bicep. “No worries. You're as tough as a bull. The old man said I'll be fine as long as I'm not a 15-year-old girl.”
Tang Yue raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. “He's correct about girls, but don't assume you can be too familiar with boys.”
Zhang Chun shrugged. “You don't need to tell me that. I have no intention of parting ways before I turn 15. Who'd fancy kids anyway?”
Tang Yue's expression darkened as he glared at Zhang Chun. He wondered, “Is this kid insulting us? Everyone knows Crown Prince Zhao was only 14 when he married Crown Prince Zhao. Doesn't that imply he had an affinity for youngsters?”
Did that mean he had a predilection for children?
Zhang Chun didn't dwell on it. After flaunting his feeble muscles, he shifted the conversation away from Ye City's rumors.
As expected of someone with a background in the entertainment industry, he possessed a natural sensitivity to such gossip.
Initially, Tang Yue was intrigued by the conversation, but as it dragged on, drowsiness crept in. Feeling bored, he instructed someone to fetch half of his toys, which he continued to craft.
Zhang Chun crouched beside him, observing his deft knife skills as the wooden block gradually transformed into a miniature round object.
“Is this going to become a small car?”
“Yes, Ya will soon become a mother. I need to utilize my time to create some toys for my nephew.” Last month, State Duke Heng's Mansion had informed them of Tang Ya's pregnancy. Tang Yue's initial reaction was not pure joy but concern.
Tang Ya was still quite young. Being a modern person, he naturally wished for her to delay childbirth.
However, local customs dictated otherwise. Additionally, the child was already on the way, and he couldn't take her away. He had no choice but to accept the situation with mixed feelings.
Zhang Chun smirked. “What do you mean by ‘soon'? It's only been three months, you know? It's quite some time away. Do you think women give birth as easily as hens lay eggs?”
Tang Yue glanced up at him. “I'm a doctor. Don't I understand childbirth? Even though it's just three months, time flies when it comes to pregnancy. I need to prepare some baby clothes in the coming months.” He was quite occupied.
“Right, right, right. Great Miracle Doctor Tang, when are you going to have a child to play with?” Zhang Chun teased.
Tang Yue's eyelids twitched, and he felt like retaliating with his knife. “I'm waiting for you to be born so I can play with you!”
“You cheeky brat! Do you think you're the only one without children?”
They shared the same outlook and had no intention of harming other girls' prospects. In this lifetime, they were unlikely to have biological sons.
“Alright, just you wait. I'll gift you a chubby boy one day!” Zhang Chun quipped, half in jest.
Now that he was affluent and influential, with the support of the crown prince's residence, he had no worries. If he couldn't find a life partner, he could always adopt a daughter-in-law for himself. Whether he desired a plump or slender one, the choice was his!
“Enough of this banter. We haven't done today's exercises yet. Hurry up and get started!” In his efforts to expedite Zhang Chun's recovery, Tang Yue not only prepared nutritious meals but also required him to perform a daily set of exercises to fortify his physique.
While martial arts were no longer an option, incorporating some physical activity served as a supplement. He aspired to become increasingly resilient and robust!
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