OFTLHFRO C111

Chapter 111: A Gift of Panda Eyes

Prince Yi’s Manor, study.

Seated in the chair, the Third Prince read through the letter, then lifted his eyes to the shadow guards before him, sinking into deep thought.

The three standing at the very front had no idea why their master was looking at them with such an expression.

After a while, the Third Prince finally hesitated and asked:

“Have any of you… ever cared for children?”

At those words, the purple-robed woman at the front replied:

“Replying to Master, this subordinate has.”

“I mean a three-year-old girl.”

The woman in purple froze. “This subordinate has cared for a five-year-old child.”

Five years old compared to three years old… surely there wasn’t too much difference, right?

The Third Prince nodded slightly, then continued:

“Ziyuan, do you have someone in your heart?”

Hearing this, Ziyuan glanced at the black-clad man beside her.

“This subordinate and Mofeng are mutually in love.”

The Third Prince was clearly stunned.

The shadow guards all fell silent. Their master had not worn his emotions so openly on his face in a very long time.

Seeing this, the black-clad man knelt down at once.

“Please forgive us, Master. This matter is entirely my responsibility.”

Ziyuan looked at him with delight, then knelt down as well.

The Third Prince’s gaze lingered on the two of them, his expression complicated.

“It’s fine… I was merely asking. Ziyuan, take Hongxing, Baixue, Xiaochen, and Zhuqing to East Street and find the innkeeper.”

“Yes!”

Sending five first-class shadow guards at once—it was clear the person they were protecting was of great importance.

Ziyuan dared not be careless. Taking the letter with her, she glanced at Mofeng before leaving, deliberately brushing her hand against his as she passed.

Mofeng: “…”

It was a wager the two of them had once made.

And he had lost.

But he accepted that loss willingly.

Watching Ziyuan leave, the Third Prince fixed his eyes on Mofeng for a while, trying to discern some change on that exceedingly cold face.

Finding nothing, the Third Prince could only dismiss Mofeng to arrange other tasks.

Just outside the study door, Mofeng vaguely heard his master muttering in puzzlement:

“Even someone so cold can be liked?”

The shadow guards accompanying him outside could barely contain their laughter as they looked at him.

Originally, Luo Mingchen and Huo Yan’s plan was sound, but they had underestimated Liu Lanyun’s shamelessness. No matter what, she refused to let them take anything away.

“Even if you call the Master here, I will still say the same. You two are newly arrived, without even a place to stay outside. With so many valuable things, if you leave them in an armed escort bureau,1 who knows whether they’ll use them for something else?”

Liu Lanyun blocked the entrance of Qiuyue Courtyard with her people. This matter had already been reported to Huo Yuntao, and Huo Yuntao had simply ordered men to stand at the gates—just in case Liu Lanyun could not hold them back.

Sensing this, Luo Mingchen gave Huo Yan a look.

Huo Yan, already prepared, said:

“Since that is the case, then after a few days we’ll buy a residence and move everything there.”

Before Liu Lanyun could speak, Huo Yan had already turned the carriage back toward their courtyard.

The whole process was carried out without the slightest hesitation, so cleanly that all the words Liu Lanyun had prepared were choked down in her throat.

Once back, seeing Huo Yan not the least bit troubled, Luo Mingchen asked curiously:

“You already expected this?”

“Just testing them.”

As expected, the two of them absolutely did not want Huo Yan and Luo Mingchen to move the dowry to an escort bureau, fearing they might hire people to transport all the dowry out of the capital, making it difficult to retrieve.

Catching Luo Mingchen’s gaze on him, Huo Yan smiled faintly.

“Now that they’ve refused our first request, when we later say we want to buy a residence in the capital and move the dowry there, naturally they will no longer refuse.”

Luo Mingchen suddenly understood.

If they had said outright that they wanted to buy a residence in the capital, Liu Lanyun and Huo Yuntao would have done everything in their power to stop them.

But by first presenting a demand even harder for them to accept, the second request no longer seemed so unacceptable.

After all, people always preferred to compromise.

Listening to all this, Huo Yuhui fell into thoughtful silence.

Not long after Liu Lanyun returned, Huo Yuntao had his men deliver a waist token and a sealed envelope.

“The General says that Eldest Young Master must remember to attend the drill ground this afternoon. If you cannot pass the test, then you will be subjected to mandatory training. The General hopes Eldest Young Master will take this seriously.”

With those words, the man placed the items on the table and left.

Huo Yan calmly gazed at the objects on the table.

Luo Mingchen casually picked one up and looked at it.

“There’s not even a map here. Shouldn’t someone come guide you this afternoon?”

Unexpected that he would worry over such a detail, Huo Yan’s lips curved faintly.

“There will be.”

“Then be careful this afternoon.”

Luo Mingchen was not worried about Huo Yan failing the test—so long as he could find the place, everything else would be fine.

“All right.”

After lunch, Huo Yan took the token and the letter and set out.

No sooner had Huo Yan left than someone else arrived, claiming to pay a visit.

Looking at the pair of brothers, Luo Mingchen fell silent.

In their eyes, was he truly so weak?

Why else would so many people crowd around the moment Huo Yan left?

A dozen house guards stood there like statues.

Huo Xiang shrank back nervously. But then, remembering that his father was absent, he forced himself forward again. Even if he couldn’t fight them, he had to protect his younger sister and himself. He couldn’t let Little Daddy or his elder brother worry.

So Huo Xiang hugged his sister and took another small step back, trying to reduce their presence as much as possible.

His brother had told him before: in the face of absolute strength, sometimes you had to play weak. This was called strategy.

“By rights, Huo Yan is our eldest brother. You, though a man, count as his spouse. Since this is our first meeting, shouldn’t you prepare a meeting gift?”

The speaker—a young man in bright sapphire-blue robes, carrying a streak of roguish arrogance—let his gaze sweep boldly over Luo Mingchen from head to toe.

“A meeting gift?”

Luo Mingchen was speechless.

Was this a robbery?

The man said matter-of-factly: “Exactly.”

Just as Luo Mingchen was about to strike and give them an unforgettable “gift,” a thought occurred to him.

“What are your names?”

But in the brothers’ eyes, his composure looked like dull-witted fear, so the first man replied proudly:

“Listen well. I am Huo Xu, and this here is my younger brother, Huo Yi.”

“Oh.”

Luo Mingchen nodded to show he understood.

“So you want a meeting gift, is that it?”

Huo Xu sneered. “That’s right.”

He thought: this country bumpkin must be timid. A little scare and a few threats, and he would hand over his treasures readily.

Once the goods were in their hands, even if Huo Yan returned successfully from the drill ground, there would be no way to take them back.

Luo Mingchen took two steps forward and crooked a finger at them.

“Come closer.”

Huo Xiang frowned at the gesture—it was exactly like beckoning to a dog. Suspicious, he snapped coldly:

“You come here.”

“I’ve already come closer. You’re the ones asking for a gift, not me who insists on giving it. If you won’t come over, then forget it. You’ve brought seventeen men with you, yet you’re still afraid of just the four of us? Tsk tsk, what courage.”

Luo Mingchen mocked them.

“Since you’re too cowardly to come over, then scram. Stop embarrassing yourselves here.”

“What did you say!”

Huo Xu’s temper was hotter than Huo Yi’s. While his younger brother was still thinking, Huo Xu had already stormed up in a fury, reaching out to grab Luo Mingchen’s lapel.

Huo Yuhui pressed his lips tight, shielding his younger siblings.

He wasn’t worried Little Daddy couldn’t fight—he only worried about becoming a burden.

But before Huo Xu could even touch Luo Mingchen, a fist landed squarely on his eye socket—

and gifted him with a pair of panda eyes.

Footnotes

1. Escort bureau (镖局, biāojú): In ancient China, these were professional security agencies hired to transport money, goods, or people safely across long distances. They were armed and skilled in martial arts, but sometimes had reputations for corruption or collusion, which is why Liu Lanyun pretended to distrust them.