The garden was specially built for Jun Moyan's outings. The bluestone path was wide and flat, convenient for wheelchair access. Trellises were erected along the path, providing shade, shelter from rain, and aesthetic appeal.
Following the trellis corridor into the garden, a long pavilion constructed from a Grape Trellis soon came into view. Inside the pavilion were a long table and stone benches, where the Three children and Jiang Mubai were playing a pitch-pot game.
"Uncle Jiang, you're no good! You missed all ten throws. How about we switch to a different game?"
The Grape Trellis was laden with glistening purple Grapes. Mu Yanxi, holding a bunch of purple Grapes, his little mouth moist from eating, spoke to Jiang Mubai with bright, expressive eyes.
Jiang Mubai casually plucked a Grape and popped it into his mouth, smiling, "Fine, whatever you want to play, this Young Master will accompany you to the end. The Jiang Family doesn't lack anything else, just money."
"Uncle Jiang, no wonder I liked you the moment I first saw you."
Mu Yanxi tilted his head, thinking for a moment, "There's a pond ahead. How about we have a fishing competition? Limited by sunset, whoever catches more fish wins. The loser pays one hundred gold."
"Sounds good."
The three little ones and one adult left immediately, failing to notice Jun Moyan and his attendant Leng Jian at the end of the corridor.
"Master, shall we go watch the Little Masters fish too? It sounds quite interesting."
"No, push me back."
Seeing Jun Moyan's resolute attitude, which allowed no argument, Leng Jian had no choice but to turn the Wheelchair and head back. As he walked, he couldn't help but look back, his face full of regret.
He also wanted to watch the Little Masters fish.
"Before dinner, if I see those three nuisances again, you are dead."
Dropping this statement, Jun Moyan slammed the Study Room door shut with a 'bang'.
Leng Jian scratched his head, turned around, and went to the garden to find Jiang Mubai.
"Young Master Jiang, please try to persuade my Master..."
After learning of Jun Moyan's attitude toward the three little ones from Leng Jian, Jiang Mubai closed his Fan and tapped Leng Jian on the head.
"Clumsy Jian, your Master isn't as heartless toward the three children as you think."
Leng Jian rubbed his head, "Young Master Jiang, what do you mean by that?"
"When he first saw these three little ones, didn't he order you to throw them out?"
Leng Jian nodded.
"And then, what he just said was that he doesn't want to see the three little ones again before dinner?"
Leng Jian nodded again.
Jiang Mubai spread his hands, "See? That's change and progress. From being unable to tolerate them for even a second to being able to endure them for a short while. You know your Master's terrible temper; if he truly disliked these three little ones, he would have ordered us both thrown out long ago, instead of allowing you to speak such Nonsense?"
Leng Jian awoke as if from a dream.
In the Study Room, Jun Moyan approached the bookshelf to the left of the desk. He raised his hand and rotated a plum vase on the shelf left and right several times. Then, the bookshelf suddenly moved aside, revealing a Secret Chamber passage wide enough for a Wheelchair.
Entering the Secret Chamber passage, the bookshelf automatically slid back into place behind him. Jun Moyan moved his Wheelchair through the long hidden passage to a small Secret Chamber.
The Secret Chamber's furnishings were similar to the Study Room: a desk in the center, and bookshelves on all four sides.
Jun Moyan arrived at the desk, picked up the black jade mask resting there, put it on, then took a medicine bottle from the side, poured out a crimson pill, and swallowed it.
After doing this, Jun Moyan raised his hand and reached for the inkstone in the corner of the desk, pressing down.
With a 'rumble,' the desk slowly opened to both sides, revealing a Secret Chamber passage below, accessible by Wheelchair.
Jun Moyan slowly stood up from his Wheelchair, entered the passage, and boarded a rail car.
The rail car slid for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and the view suddenly opened up.
This was a Secret Chamber ten times the size of the Study Room.
The Secret Chamber was laid out in a grid pattern, with hundreds of wooden racks neatly arranged. Each rack was filled with scrolls tightly packed in Bamboo Tubes, densely packed, numbering over ten thousand.
On one side of the Secret Chamber were about ten Stone Tables, with people seated at each, holding brushes and ink, copying something onto the scrolls.
"Greetings, Young Master."
Upon seeing Jun Moyan wearing the mask, everyone in the Secret Chamber rose to pay their respects.
Jun Moyan raised his hand in a gesture, lowered his voice, and asked the person in charge, "Has the news from the Mu Family arrived?"
"Yes."
"Bring it here."
"Yes."
When Jun Moyan emerged from the Study Room, it was already dusk.
The setting sun cast a soft golden glow over the entire Prince's Mansion. Looking further out, the Stone Pavilion where he usually liked to stay—the Stone Table that usually held a Chessboard or Buddhist Scriptures—was now set with several exquisite dishes.
Outside the Stone Pavilion, the Three children were squatting under an osmanthus tree, chattering about something unknown.
"I'm truly envious of you. You sit at home, and children just appear out of nowhere—three of them!"
Jiang Mubai appeared beside Jun Moyan at some point, shaking his Fan with envy as he sighed.
Jun Moyan withdrew his gaze from the three children. His expression was unreadable, but he felt a secret Annoyance.
Those three little things were clearly annoying and troublesome, yet he had become completely engrossed, not even noticing someone approaching from behind!
"How does it feel to be a father for the first time? Are you excited and thrilled?"
Jun Moyan glanced sideways at him, "Are you that idle? Have you run out of Other matters to attend to? Running to my Prince's Mansion every day."
"I did have things to do, but now the only thing I want to do is study them. I'm telling you, these three little ones are fascinating..."
"Can you just shut up?"
Jiang Mubai paused briefly, then continued his torrent of words, recounting how Mu Yanli defeated the newly crowned Top Scholar Mu Shi'an in one move, how Mu Yanxi swindled Jun Moyi out of a Thousand tael of gold, and how Mu Ning caused a scene at the Birthday Banquet, forcing Mu Yuanlin to publicly expel Mu Xi from the family.
Jun Moyan had already learned all of this from the latest intelligence reports in the Secret Chamber.
However, as Jiang Mubai recounted each event, scenes couldn't help but flash through his mind.
"...Oh right, you haven't met Mu Ning yet, have you? She's different from before too."
If he hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine, but upon hearing the name Mu Ning, an image of that snow-white, comical pancake face immediately appeared before Jun Moyan's eyes.
Even though six years had passed since the incident,
"Shut up! Don't mention those two words in front of me!"
Jiang Mubai glanced at him, "Fine, I won't mention it. But the way she looks now is incredibly beautiful, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her as beautiful as an immortal, rumored to be just like Li Changge back in the day."
Jiang Mubai spoke with a nostalgic expression, "You know Li Changge, right? She used to be the number one beauty in Fengjing City, but alas, beauty is fleeting..."
"Was your tongue grown just to speak Nonsense?"
Jiang Mubai fanned himself, "Of course not, it's also for eating. It looks like Leng Jian is almost ready too. Let's go eat."
Jiang Mubai tucked his Fan into his waist and, without waiting for a reply, pushed Jun Moyan's Wheelchair toward the Stone Pavilion.
Jun Moyan gripped the Wheelchair armrests tightly, his handsome face Indifferent, his Dark eyes deep and shadowed, yet he did not call out to stop him.
"Squeak, squeak."
The Wheelchair rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a rhythmic sound.
The three little ones squatting under the osmanthus tree all turned their heads to look over simultaneously.
Upon seeing that it was Jun Moyan, expressions of joy appeared on the pretty little faces of the three children, and they got up and ran over.