The newcomer was none other than Prince Ning's younger son, Xiao Ruolin.
He shared the same mother as Prince Ning's Son, Xiao Ruoqi.
However, despite having the same parents as Prince Ning's Son, their personalities were vastly different.
Prince Ning's Son was modest in demeanor, steady in temperament, and his conduct exemplified that of a noble young master.
This second son, on the other hand, was exceptionally mischievous, arrogant in his behavior, and carried an air of fearing nothing in heaven or earth. Together with Twelfth Master, they were known as the most notorious profligates in the capital.
When he was young, he was taken into the palace by the childless Noble Consort, where he soon met Twelfth Master, who treated the palace like his own home.
After getting into several fights with Twelfth Master and ending up bruised and battered each time, the second son quickly realized that he and Twelfth Master were birds of a feather.
Thus, the two became the dreaded Profligate Duo among officials.
When Twelfth Master beat up General Huwei's son at the brothel for being blind and attempting to force himself on someone, he was busy guarding the door to keep the servants from entering.
And he even handed over the small leather whip…
When the old pedant from the Hanlin Academy wrote an article criticizing Princess Pingning for "a hen heralding the dawn," and Twelfth Master stormed into the Hanlin Academy to argue with the old pedant, he was busy serving Twelfth Master tea to soothe his throat and distributing the lewd anatomical sketches drawn by the old pedant for everyone to read.
Twelfth Master…
In short, whenever Twelfth Master did something outrageous, everyone could see this second son of Prince Ning cheering him on from the sidelines.
This time, when Twelfth Master arrived in Jinling, Prince Ning and his wife immediately locked their second son in the Antang.
Fearing that the two of them together might stir up some major trouble in Jiangnan.
Watching Xiao Ruolin, dressed in fine silk robes, enter cheerfully.
Then plopping down beside Twelfth Master and casually picking up a teacup from the table to take a sip.
"Aunt Dong, pour me some more.
Aunt Dong's tea isn't so easy to come by. Today, I'm basking in the glory of my Twelfth Brother," Xiao Ruolin said with a cheeky grin.
Dongniang smiled faintly and poured another cup for Xiao Ruolin.
Twelfth Master looked at Xiao Ruolin, who seemed boneless as he leaned against him, and couldn't help but kick his calf.
"Did your mother sneak you out? And your own brother is sitting right over there!"
Xiao Ruolin rubbed his calf and leaned even closer to Twelfth Master.
"Sneak me out? Impossible. It was Mother and Prince Father who let me out together.
Originally, I was putting on airs and didn't want to come out, but when Prince Father picked up a whip, I pretended to hesitate and hurried out.
Besides, I don't want to sit with my brother!
Lest he think I have designs on his position as Heir Apparent."
As he spoke, Xiao Ruolin shot a disdainful glance at the Heir Apparent across the room before continuing to drink his tea.
Heir Apparent…
"When I was in Jinling, your mother wouldn't even let me see you. Now she's letting you come here?
What exactly is going on?" Twelfth Master asked curiously.
Seeing Twelfth Master's curiosity, Xiao Ruolin inexplicably grew excited.
He glanced around and deliberately coughed.
"Keep an eye on the door for me, and don't let anyone irrelevant come near."
Soon, only the three of them and Dongniang remained in the room.
His behavior only heightened their curiosity. What kind of earth-shattering secret could make this kid so nervous?
"Spit it out, what's going on?" Twelfth Master urged.
Xiao Ruolin snorted smugly, then tried to edge closer to Twelfth Master again, only to be shoved away by him.
"Speak if you have something to say, fart if you have something to let out."
"No farts for now, but I do have plenty to say. I’ve got a top-secret piece of information here." Xiao Ruolin suddenly lowered his voice.
This inexplicably made the other three tense up along with him.
"What information? Spit it out!" the Heir Apparent couldn’t help but urge.
"Exactly, what is it? Hurry up and tell us." Twelfth Master also looked at Xiao Ruolin.
"Second Young Master, don’t keep us in suspense."
Dongniang smiled, planning to send the news via pigeon post to the princess in the capital the moment Xiao Ruolin revealed it.
Xiao Ruolin was quite pleased with everyone’s reactions. He hurriedly straightened his posture and cleared his throat.
"Did you know Princess Pingning is coming to Gusu?" he whispered.
The three who were already fully engaged…
Seeing everyone roll their eyes exaggeratedly at him, Xiao Ruolin finally caught on.
This was Chun Bu Wan—of course Chun Bu Wan would be the first to know such news!
"You all already knew! Then I won’t beat around the bush. Prince Father and Princess Consort both said that for Princess Pingning, who hasn’t left the capital for so many years, to leave quietly must mean something major is happening. Plus, with you suddenly arriving in Jinling the other day and even dragging my eldest brother to Gusu, Prince Father and Princess Consort are bound to overthink things. My mother worries that if, before Princess Pingning arrives in Gusu, Twelfth Brother has already led my eldest brother into causing some disaster, wouldn’t that offend Princess Pingning? So, my mother sent me here to make sure my eldest brother returns to Jinling tomorrow." Xiao Ruolin whispered.
The three who had expected to hear some earth-shattering secret today…
Twelfth Master even felt like laughing.
"Make your eldest brother go back? And then you come? Why aren’t your parents worried you’ll cause even bigger trouble following me?"
Xiao Ruolin chuckled.
"Prince Father and Princess Consort are afraid my eldest brother might offend Princess Pingning, but they’re even more afraid of offending the Empress! Think about it—if my eldest brother goes back, Twelfth Brother will be left fighting alone in Gusu. If he gets beaten up or causes a disaster, won’t Twelfth Brother have to bear the blame alone? When word reaches the capital, won’t the Empress feel uneasy? She’d think our Ning Wang Fu is just protecting itself, leaving Twelfth Brother to shoulder everything alone. The Empress would surely blame us for not sharing the burden with Twelfth Brother. So, my mother and Prince Father sent me here. My mother said Twelfth Brother came quietly, surely wanting to do something secretly without revealing his identity. That’s when I’m needed to back Twelfth Brother up. After all, Jiangnan is Prince Father’s fief. Even though I’m not the eldest brother, everyone still has to give some face to me, the Second Young Master of Prince Ning, right?" As he spoke, Xiao Ruolin patted his not-so-robust chest…
The other three were speechless.
Twelfth Master sighed several times in a row.
These women of Dayu… why do they overthink everything so much!
"Second Young Master, what exactly did the Prince and Princess Consort instruct you to do?" Dongniang asked with a smile.
Xiao Ruolin chuckled again.
"My mother said my main job is to act arrogantly and clear the way for Twelfth Brother. Just do my duty."
Twelfth Master…
So you do know your duty is to be arrogant and domineering!
"Twelfth Brother, don't worry, Mother secretly slipped me a lot of silver notes. I won't be as stingy as Eldest Brother! I'll cover all your expenses in Gusu. Whether it's going to brothels or gambling dens, I've got you covered!" Xiao Ruolin patted Twelfth Master's shoulder again.
Twelfth Master glanced at the speechless Heir Apparent across from him. No wonder everyone said Prince Ning's Son's position was rock solid! With someone like Xiao Ruoqi, even if Prince Ning drank eighteen jars of Nü'er Hong, he'd never give the heir position to him!
"Cousin, you're too kind! Don't worry, my expenses aren't high. Before my aunt arrives, having ten or eight thousand silver taels will be enough." Twelfth Master patted Xiao Ruolin's shoulder.
Xiao Ruolin was delighted and immediately leaned in with an ingratiating smile. "Twelfth Brother, since you're going to spend my silver, shouldn't you tell me why you came to Gusu…"