The trouble had already been stirred up, and it had to be resolved somehow.
Shen Wang let out a silent sigh. He seemed to have grown somewhat accustomed to this by now—his heart didn't hold even a trace of doubt or shock. At first, he'd still marvel at Xie Ning's capacity for destruction, but now he'd simply gotten used to it. This was entirely the sort of thing Xie Ning would do. Today it was a restaurant, merely because this was the extent of the area's bounds. If they went elsewhere tomorrow, he'd still have the ability to turn everything upside down.
Thinking of this, Shen Wang suddenly recalled a rumor circulating in the streets that his subordinates had reported a few days prior. It was said that His Majesty, still unmarried to this day, actually harbored a preference for men. When His Majesty was still the Third Prince, he'd had a study companion who kept pace with him for several years, hidden away in the Eastern Palace. Many people had seen him back then. However, that person seemed to have vanished without a trace afterward. Shen Wang had wanted to investigate deeper, but he could find no information at all—not even a name to go on.
When Grand Tutor Zhou had come that day, suspicion had already risen in Shen Wang's heart. The reason the other party had given didn't hold up in the slightest. And then there was the day the people from the Pei Estate came calling—the way they'd been wound tight as a bowstring wasn't like simple nervousness. If it were merely the son of an old acquaintance, would they really have gone to such lengths?
Every clue was telling him this was no simple matter. Years of vigilance led him to first consider the most unlikely possibility: could Xie Ning, perhaps, be the child of his top superior—that is, His Majesty's child?
The moment this thought first surfaced, he startled even himself. The speculation was too bold; he didn't dare mention it to anyone. He only had his men go to Ji Prefecture to dig up more leads about Xie Ning's father. And there were few people he couldn't find information on—Xie Ning's father was one, and His Majesty's former study companion was another. Taken separately, perhaps it was nothing. But at this moment, he found it hard not to put the two together and suspect.
So when Xin Yi had come to report that Xie Ning and His Majesty had run into each other, part of Shen Wang's heart was filled with worry for Xie Ning, while another part held a faint, hidden anticipation. He hadn't expected the two of them to meet under circumstances like these. So when he'd arrived, he deliberately observed the sparks between them—but why wasn't it matching what he'd imagined? Shouldn't father and son share an unspoken bond, hitting it off at first sight? Why did they instead look like enemies? If he weren't standing between them, he felt like the big one and the little one would have started scrapping on the spot.
The air was thick with gunpowder.
Shen Wang silently reached out and drew Xie Ning closer behind him, then gave two light coughs, trying to break the strange atmosphere. "Third Young Master, it was my failure in instruction that brought about today's misfortune."
His Majesty ranked third among the princes, and when traveling incognito, he would be addressed this way to keep a low profile. The other princes had been systematically dealt with at the start of His Majesty's reign, leaving only the youngest, the Twelfth Prince, to remain, raised in the capital as a wealthy idler. In the capital, no one dared question His Majesty's methods—those who sang a different tune never came to a good end.
"Handle it as you see fit." Xiao Teng waved his hand and closed his eyes, unwilling to look. With so many people around now, it disturbed his peace, and he no longer wished to stay.
Xie Ning poked his head out, watching the retreating figure about to leave, and suddenly shouted, "Hey!"
Xiao Teng turned sideways to look back at him.
"Where do you live?" Xie Ning's eyes were filled with genuine confusion.
Hearing this, Xiao Teng let out a light snort. "You won't even tell me your name—why should I tell you anything?"
Xie Ning couldn't argue with that, but he still felt furious, like he was about to puff up into a pufferfish from anger. He pursed his lips and couldn't get a single word out for a long while.
Seeing that he had successfully turned the tables, a faint curve tugged at the corner of Xiao Teng's mouth.
Then, he deliberately leaned in, flashing a smile that looked far from innocent. "Next time we meet, you'll find out."
Xie Ning, caught completely off guard, froze in place, startled by the gesture.
It wasn't until after he had left that Xie Ning blinked a few times, finally rebooting.
But he wasn't about to back down either. Even though the man was already gone, he insisted on baring his teeth and making faces at the empty air where the other had just stood.
"I hate him!"
Xie Ning wrapped his arms around Shen Wang's neck and tattled, his tone dripping with coaxing whines.
Shen Wang held him snugly in his arms and couldn't help but give his bottom a light pat. "You have the nerve to say that. I took my eyes off you for one day, and you ran off to cause trouble."
"I only meant to teach him a small lesson! It's his fault for having such a foul mouth—he dared to curse my father, so I fought back!" Xie Ning retorted in his own defense.
Hearing this, Shen Wang's gaze turned cold as well.
"Alright, I understand. I'll see justice done for you in a bit."
His Majesty had already told him to stay and handle the matter, which implied he was to report the full story—and naturally, the outcome was his to decide.
With official approval, handling this was all the easier.
Shen Wang looked down at the chaotic scene below.
…
"Are you all a bunch of useless gluttons?! Huh?!"
Wei Jiyu's eyes bulged with fury, his anger reaching its peak. Realizing he had just made a complete fool of himself in front of so many commoners, even the hand he extended was trembling slightly.
Though he had covered himself with his clothes at the first moment, and a servant had quickly handed him a fresh set of garments.
But Wei Jiyu felt that this kind of humiliation couldn't be so easily brushed aside.
Xie Ning, I've remembered you. You're dead!
Wei Jiyu gritted his teeth, silently vowing that if he didn't get his revenge tenfold, a hundredfold, his name would be written backwards!
The servants who had followed him trembled, and one stepped forward to remind him, "Young master, perhaps we should return to the residence first. That child's words seem to be true…"
"True or false, what of it? Do you think I'd be scared even if it were true?!"
The servant swallowed hard. Seeing Shen Wang heading in their direction, he was terrified.
Wei Jiyu caught on and turned around to see Shen Wang. A flicker of panic crossed his face, but he quickly forced himself to stay calm. "Lord Shen witnessed it too—he started the trouble today. As long as he apologizes to me, I'll let it go."
As his words faded, the apology he imagined never came. Instead, several well-trained men in black bound him tightly.
He struggled in vain, kneeling half-way on the ground, craning his neck up. "You're a court official too—aren't you afraid my father will submit a memorial to impeach you?"
Hearing this, Shen Wang gently shook his head.
So young, yet spending his days in idle pleasure and dangling his family's glory as a threat—this was hardly a wise move. The Wei family's official career was surely destined to end with this son.
"Welcome." Shen Wang smiled faintly and waved his hand.
Xin Yi and the others understood and tied Wei Jiyu up to take him back.
Shen Wang thought coldly to himself, "Before your father impeaches me, he might have to come begging me to let you go."
At that point, who knew who would be apologizing to whom.
With that thought, Shen Wang reached out and patted Xie Ning's head. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any injustice."
Hearing this, Xie Ning gave him a kiss, feeling delighted inside.
That's more like it—unlike that annoying fellow earlier who came up and made him apologize without even asking first. Xie Ning decided to deduct ten points from him in his heart.
Shen Wang wasn't like others who preferred to take things step by step. He dealt with Wei Jiyu, the most likely to resist, right away, then began shooing away the onlookers still lingering nearby to watch the commotion.
"Dear patrons, apologies, but we're closed for business today. Please come back tomorrow," the shop assistant patiently said to each person.
Xin Yi followed behind him with a murderous look on his face. Even those guests who weren't too keen on leaving swallowed all their words the moment they saw his face.
They could only mutter to themselves about their bad luck today, running into something like this.
Once everyone had left and only their own people remained inside, Shen Wang said calmly, "Please ask your boss to come out."
The shop assistant didn't dare disobey and scurried off to find him.
Before long, a man followed him out, his face full of a simple smile. "To be honest with you, sir, our boss isn't here."
"Please send all the bills for the things broken today and the losses from clearing the premises to the Shen residence, and we'll compensate for them," Shen Wang said.
The manager was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled as if about to speak. He was getting on in years, and his eyesight wasn't what it used to be. When his gaze landed on Xie Ning's face, he froze.
He stepped forward, ignoring everything else, and just stared at Xie Ning, looking carefully for a good long while, his expression sinking into thought. "May I ask, young master, what is your surname and given name?"
Xie Ning found it strange and said nothing.
Shen Wang looked up, asking with a sense of pressure, "What's the matter?"
"It's like this—our boss hasn't come in a long time. Just now I caught sight of this young master, and his appearance is remarkably similar. It made me momentarily dazed. But perhaps I'm just old and my eyes are failing me, heh heh."
The manager let out a dry laugh. Over the years, he had gradually stopped participating in the tavern's affairs. The reason he still stayed here was that he hoped to one day see the boss again and repay the kindness he owed him from back then.
A thought struck Shen Wang, and something suddenly occurred to him. "What's your boss's name?"
"Xie Qingci." The manager thought for a moment—there didn't seem to be any harm in saying it.
But the moment Xie Ning heard his father's name, his eyes lit up instantly, and he became excited all over. "That's Daddy!"
He suddenly found the old grandpa before him quite endearing.
Shen Wang was enlightened, but also puzzled.
So it turned out he wasn't someone born and raised in Jizhou—he had once come to the capital to do business. This manager before them was just the perfect breakthrough.
From his mouth, they might be able to glean some useful information. That was Shen Wang's plan.
The manager had already recognized Xie Ning. He was stunned for a long moment, and a faint glimmer of tears flickered at the corners of his eyes. "Since it's the young master, then there's no need to speak of compensation. These are all trivial matters."
"Don't… don't just stand here. Come inside and sit down to talk," the manager beckoned.
Xie Ning squirmed a little, jumped down from Shen Wang's arms, and looked at the other man with some curiosity.
This person actually knew his father too!
He loved listening to his father tell stories about his past, so he was always pestering him about it, but his father would always reluctantly reveal just a little bit.
He would also knock on his head, "You're just a kid, why do you like listening to these things? How about a fairy tale instead—The Little Mermaid, okay?"
"I'm tired of hearing those, no!"
"…"
Then he would have to trade his homework for it, and only then would his father tell him some stories.
Xie Ning thought back for a moment, and quickly matched the person in the story to the one standing before him.
"You're Little Snot!"
It had been a long time since anyone had called him that. The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing and nodded, "Yes, I'm Little Snot."
Xie Ning tilted his head, "So Little Snot is Grandpa? I thought he was an older brother."