"Huaiyuan, slow down a bit, no one is fighting you for it. Look at this little face, is there any shape left to how thin you are? If you ask your aunt, what is so essential about that damn Academy anyway? Can't our grand estate afford to feed you?"
Led by an estate page, Jing Luoluo had just stepped into the courtyard when he heard a woman's voice. He couldn't help frowning; this must be that noble consort from the book.
Immediately, the page hurried forward a few steps and called out, "Heir, the young master from the Duke's Estate is here to see you!"
Zhao Huaiyuan swallowed down a large pig's trotter he was clutching in a few bites, hastily pushed the food on the table to one side, and complained with his mouth full, "Aunt, I already told you I'm not eating, you just had to lay out a whole table of dishes."
With that, he even blinked at the other person. Tan Yujiao, Zhao Huaiyuan's aunt, asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Huaiyuan? Why did you suddenly stop eating for no good reason?"
Stepping into the courtyard and seeing a table full of dishes, Jing Luoluo frowned so deeply he could have pinched a fly to death between his brows. He then looked at the woman sitting beside Zhao Huaiyuan.
The book didn't have much description of this Noble Consort of Prince An's Estate; he only knew that the legitimate Princess Consort, Tan Nianci, spent year-round devoted to Buddhism and basically had no major interactions with the outside world.
Therefore, various banquets that required Prince An's Estate to be represented were all handled by this Noble Consort, Tan Yujiao.
The woman had delicate and pretty features and looked at most in her early twenties—right in her prime in modern times. At the moment, she was wearing a moon-white embroidered brocade gown, holding a handkerchief embroidered with peach blossom patterns in her hand.
She was in the midst of instructing the maids to serve the food. Seeing Jing Luoluo arrive, a smile meant for juniors appeared on her delicate face as she greeted him, "Jingluo is here. Perfect, look at this boy not eating properly either, come help me persuade him. He's at the age where he's growing, how can he not eat something?"
Jing Luoluo cupped his hands in greeting toward Tan Yujiao. "Jingluo pays his respects to Noble Consort Tan. You might not know this, but Huaiyuan and I have been exercising lately, so it's not suitable to eat too much rich, greasy food."
Tan Yujiao arched her willow eyebrows in displeasure. "Jingluo, you don't understand. My Huaiyuan has had a weak constitution since childhood, and the imperial physician said he needs more nourishment. You boys mustn't do things haphazardly."
Just as Jing Luoluo was about to speak again, Zhao Huaiyuan shouted, interrupting him, "Auntie, I said I'm not eating! Little Jing took me to see a doctor, and the doctor also said that if I keep eating like this, it's bad for my health!"
At Zhao Huaiyuan's words, the corners of Tan Yujiao's eyes turned slightly red. She gently wiped them with her handkerchief and said with a wronged expression, "Huaiyuan, what kind of talk is that? Could it be you suspect your aunt of harming you?"
Taking in all of her little performance, Jing Luoluo felt contempt in his heart. They were all thousand-year-old foxes, what kind of act was she putting on for him?
Still putting on an act with such petty tricks, he stepped forward and said, "Noble Consort Tan, you've misunderstood Huaiyuan. A few days ago at the Academy, the wound on my head hadn't fully healed, so I dragged Huaiyuan along with me to the medical clinic.
As it happened, the elderly doctor laid eyes on Huaiyuan and kindly checked his pulse for safety, only to say that Huaiyuan had a slight heart condition when he was little, which is why he was told to eat less rich food."
Hearing this, Zhao Huaiyuan nodded repeatedly. "Auntie, it's just as Little Jing says. You've always cherished me, and what the doctor said is also for my own good."
Who would have thought Tan Yujiao would instead give a light rebuke? "And here I was wondering why Huaiyuan refused to eat anymore—turns out he was listening to the words of some quack doctor."
She grasped Zhao Huaiyuan's chubby little hand and earnestly advised, "Huaiyuan, are imperial physicians in the palace not better than some country doctor? How could you believe another person's words?"
With that, the corner of her eye frequently glanced at Jing Luoluo standing in the lower position, annoyance burning in her heart: *This brat from the Duke's Estate is ruining my good deed!*
Persuaded by Tan Yujiao's words, Zhao Huaiyuan looked hesitatingly at Jing Luoluo, weighing his options as if he wanted to speak, but Jing Luoluo interrupted him directly!
"Huaiyuan, why don't the two of us go into the palace and let the imperial physicians take a look? Whatever the case may be, we'll leave it entirely to the imperial physician's judgment."
Tan Yujiao instantly grew anxious. "That won't do!"
Realizing her tone was overly hasty, she tried to patch it up. "What your aunt means is that going back and forth is also troublesome. It would be better to send someone to invite the imperial physician to the estate for a diagnosis.
As it happens, Huaiyuan has been treated by Dr. Hu since he was a child, so he is very familiar with his physical condition!"
Hesitating, Zhao Huaiyuan was about to nod in agreement when Jing Luoluo interrupted him. "Then how about this, Huaiyuan, come into the palace with me! It's been a long time since I went to pay my respects to the Empress anyway!"
With that, he grabbed Zhao Huaiyuan and tried to slip away. Anxious at heart, Tan Yujiao shouted loudly, "Wait!"
Clearly, Zhao Huaiyuan had never seen his usually gentle aunt act this way, and he couldn't help freezing in place. "Auntie... you... why are you doing this?"
Covering her face with her handkerchief, Tan Yujiao wept. "Young Master Jing, I know you are Huaiyuan's good friend, but with the scene you're making today, could it be you suspect I would harm Huaiyuan?
I am this child's own flesh-and-blood aunt! For you to act like this... it truly makes a person's heart run cold for no reason!"
With that, the sound of the woman's sobbing whimpers reached his ears. Zhao Huaiyuan angrily shook off the sleeve Jing Luoluo was holding. "Jing Luoluo, what on earth are you trying to do? Auntie cares for me the most, don't you ever bring this up again!"
Jing Luoluo couldn't understand what had gotten into Zhao Huaiyuan. The woman's crying couldn't possibly be any faker, yet he actually believed it was real!
Enraged as well, he snapped back, "If I don't mention it, I won't mention it then! Hmph, Zhao Huaiyuan, you just go on eating to your heart's content! From now on, even if you eat yourself into a pig, don't ever come looking for me again!"
Hearing this, Tan Yujiao stopped crying and stepped forward like an old hen protecting its chicks. "Young Master Jing, shut your mouth! Is this how the mighty Duke's Estate teaches you? The moment you open your mouth, you insult the heir of Prince An's Estate! You've completely lost all sense of propriety!"
Looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Jing Luoluo retorted angrily, "Did I say anything wrong? Look at what he's eaten himself into—is this what you call being 'good for him'?"
Clearly choked by the unruly brat's words, Tan Yujiao's willow eyebrows shot up. "What nonsense are you spouting? If I'm not looking out for Huaiyuan, am I supposed to starve him?"
"Hmph! I'm afraid you harbor the intention of feeding him until his heart condition flares up, just so you can hand the position of heir over to your own son!"
Jing Luoluo had no scruples left now. He truly didn't need to be afraid of the wolf in front and the tiger behind like before; knowing that in an ancient society where aristocrats could cover the sky with one hand, almost no one in the capital dared to cross him!
Since this fat little Zhao Huaiyuan had fallen for the woman's tricks, he might as well spell it out clearly so she could weigh the consequences and not dare to continue harming Zhao Huaiyuan!
At these words, the dining hall fell deathly quiet. The maids and pages shrank their necks one by one, wishing they could cover their ears so they wouldn't hear a single bit of what was just said.
Standing blankly in place for a long moment before reacting, Zhao Huaiyuan roared in fury, "Jing Luoluo! I won't allow you to slander my aunt—I'm going to fight you to the death!"
With that, his obese body lunged forward, slamming Jing Luoluo down beneath him. Caught off guard, Jing Luoluo found himself pinned firmly underneath, unable to break free!
"Oh, so you're actually hitting me, Zhao Huaiyuan? I'll fight you to the death too!"
Instantly, the two of them tumbled into a brawl, landing fists and slaps on each other's faces. Tan Yujiao shrieked in terror, "Are all of you dead? Why aren't you hurrying up and pulling them apart?!"