Chapter 4: The Fifth Prince

 

“Your Highness, the Fifth Prince has come to pay his respects and offer congratulations,” the doorkeeper reported as he rushed into the room.

 

“Congratulations? Is he here to ask for money?” Shen Yian shook his head and smiled.

 

In Tianwu City, from the emperor to the beggars, who didn’t know about the Fifth Prince Shen Tengfeng’s character?

 

“Bring him to see me.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness,” the doorkeeper replied.

 

Shen Yian left the room and ordered the servants to prepare some tea and pastries, then walked alone to the pavilion.

 

Shen Tengfeng…

 

This guy was the second male lead in the original novel.

 

Don’t be fooled by his appearance as a spoiled rich kid; his ability to navigate between the princes and ministers with ease was not something ordinary people could possess.

 

“Sixth Brother!!” Shen Tengfeng shouted at the top of his lungs before even entering the courtyard.

 

The doorkeeper quickened his pace, but was still overtaken by the fiery red figure behind him.

 

Shen Yian stood up and smiled: “Fifth Brother, what wind has brought you here?”

 

“Hahaha, Fifth Brother has come to offer congratulations!” Shen Tengfeng laughed loudly.

 

“When is the big wedding? Let the Fifth Brother drink some wedding wine and bask in the joyous atmosphere,” Shen Tengfeng said with a big smile.

 

Shen Yian deliberately glanced at Shen Tengfeng’s empty hands.

 

Did he come to offer congratulations with empty hands?

 

Shen Tengfeng looked a bit embarrassed and rubbed his clothes with his hand: “Sixth Brother, you know that Father Emperor always withholds my allowance, and recently I’ve been a bit short on cash. I’ll make it up to you after your wedding, hehe.”

 

“Fifth Brother’s presence is enough to make me happy, what need is there for material proof of our brotherly love?” Shen Yian smiled calmly.

 

“Yes… Sixth Brother is right!”

 

This sentence only made Shen Tengfeng more embarrassed, as he was actually here to borrow money.

 

“Please sit, Fifth Brother. The Flower Village Teahouse has recently come out with some new pastries, which are perfect for us to enjoy together.”

 

Shen Tengfeng’s eyes widened as he looked at the exquisite pastries on the stone table: “Sixth Brother’s life is really more luxurious than mine!”

 

“Didn’t these pastries cost over a hundred silver coins?”

 

The Flower Village Teahouse’s pastries had become the object of desire for the upper class in Tianwu City after they suddenly became popular, and the price had skyrocketed!

 

“Fifth Brother is joking, I was lucky to get some for free from a high-ranking official who knows the owner of the teahouse.”

 

“A high-ranking official? Sixth Brother’s social connections are really wide!”

 

“That high-ranking official is someone you know, Fifth Brother.”

 

Shen Tengfeng held his teacup and asked with wide eyes: “Who is it?”

 

“Father Emperor.”

 

“Ptui!” Shen Tengfeng spat out the tea in his mouth.

 

The Flower Village Teahouse’s pastries were deeply loved by the palace ladies, and the palace would send people to fetch them every day. The royal family was the teahouse’s most important customer.

 

“Ah? Did Father Emperor give them to you?”

 

Shen Tengfeng looked like he had seen a ghost.

 

“Don’t you have any, Fifth Brother?” Shen Yian blinked his eyes innocently.

 

“Does everyone have a share?”

 

“Everyone does, Father Emperor sent someone to deliver them yesterday.”

 

“The steward said it was a eunuch in red clothes leading the way, followed by a horse carriage filled with packaged pastries.”

 

Shen Tengfeng clutched his chest, feeling a sudden pang of heartache.

 

Logically speaking, as a prince living in the palace, he should have been the first to receive the pastries, but he didn’t even get a single piece!

 

Did Father Emperor really dislike him that much? Or had he simply forgotten about him?

 

From then on, Shen Tengfeng ate the pastries with a vengeance, almost choking several times in the process.

 

It had to be said that the Flower Village Teahouse’s pastries were indeed delicious!

 

Sweet in the mouth, painful in the heart!

 

“If the Fifth Brother likes them so much, there are still many left in the mansion. You can take them all back with you!”

 

“Wuuu, Sixth Brother, you’re really good to me,” Shen Tengfeng said with a moved expression, wiping his mouth.

 

“Don’t worry, Sixth Brother, you have me in your heart. If you have any troubles in the future, come find me and I’ll definitely help you!”

 

After finishing his big meal, Shen Tengfeng let out a satisfied burp, carrying a large package of pastries as he left the prince’s mansion.

 

As he passed by the gambling den, he heard the sounds of people placing bets and suddenly came back to his senses.

 

Wait, wasn’t he supposed to be borrowing money from the King of Chu?

 

How did he end up leaving with a package of pastries?!

 

Damn it! He had been fooled by the Sixth Son!

 

No way, he had to find someone to take the fall.

 

“Hey, hey! You look like a capable person, I have a package of new pastries from the Flower Village Teahouse, five hundred silver coins for you, a steal of a deal!”

 

The young man in luxurious clothes looked at Shen Tengfeng as if he was an idiot and shook off his hand: “Are you crazy? Who would buy that?”

 

“Slap!”

 

Shen Tengfeng smiled wickedly, pulling out his golden waist token: “You dare to insult me? You know who I am? The consequences of insulting a member of the royal family… ha ha ha…”

 

“Are you… are you the Fifth Prince?” the young man asked, covering his red and swollen face.

 

“You insulted me just now… do you understand?”

 

The young man was about to cry, wondering why he was so unlucky to run into this big troublemaker on the street: “Your Highness, I only have two hundred silver coins on me…”

 

“No problem, I like making friends, and today I’ll make friends with you.”

 

“Let’s go, I want to have a good chat with my new friend.”

 

Shen Tengfeng laughed even more maniacally, putting his arm around the young man’s shoulder.

 

He thought he was just a small fry, but it turned out to be a fat sheep, ha ha ha.

 

――――――

 

“Mendu, go to the Flower Village Teahouse and get some freshly baked pastries, as well as some cakes and a fruit platter.”

 

Mendu hesitated for a moment before asking: “Your Highness, do you need to prepare anything else?”

 

This setup, without a doubt, meant that His Highness was preparing to visit the Duke of State’s mansion.

 

“No need, that’s all.”

 

“Take this and show it to the owner of the Flower Village Teahouse, he’ll know what to do.”

 

Shen Yian tossed a black iron token to Mendu.

 

“Yes, Your Highness!”

 

Shen Yian sat cross-legged behind the chessboard, closing his eyes as his invisible divine sense extended outward, stopping only when it hit an invisible wall before retracting.

 

“Still a bit short, it seems…”

 

Legend had it that once one entered that realm, their divine sense could roam freely, traversing the entire world in an instant.

 

The original storyline was now only a reference, and the future path was unknown.

 

But even in the face of the unknown, as long as one had enough strength, they could be fearless.

 

“Hmm? Yin Hai is gone. I didn’t expect you to be here. Wanna play chess?”

 

Shen Yian smiled slightly in surprise.

 

“Hidden Guard—Fu Sheng greets His Royal Highness the King of Chu.”

 

The man in the black robe bowed while dragging his long sleeves.

 

The Hidden Guard, an organization of assassins cultivated by Shen Yian, consisted of orphans he had raised from a young age, as well as talented individuals he had recruited from the martial arts world. Although the organization was not large in scale, it was enough to protect the people he wanted to protect.

 

Without saying much, Fu Sheng had already knelt down at the chessboard, holding the black pieces.

 

“Interesting,” Shen Yian smiled lightly, slowly picking up a white piece.

 

“Snapped!”

 

“Heaven’s Origin!”