Tan Hua - Chapter 116: Bullying My Father

Chapter 116: Bullying My Father

 

“Hey! You there, old demon Jun!”

 

As Jun Qiyu stepped into the Song residence, he was greeted by Song Guansheng charging toward him, wielding a long wooden spear.

 

“What are you doing at my house again?!”

 

Jun Qiyu casually brushed aside the spear aimed at him.

 

“What do you mean, ‘again’? I haven’t been here for three or four days.” He leaned forward and asked, “Where’s your father? I brought him something.”

 

Dressed in a dark robe, Jun Qiyu held a large brocade box in his hands.

 

“My father doesn’t want anything from you! Don’t even think about stepping into my house! You still haven’t settled the account for bullying my father last time!”

 

Jun Qiyu clicked his tongue. This little brat, barely four years old, had somehow gotten even sharper in just a few days.

 

“When did I ever bully your father?”

 

“Don’t try to deny it! I heard it all! You locked my father in a room, wouldn’t let me in to help him, and I even heard my father crying out in pain, begging for mercy… mmph—”

 

Jun Qiyu quickly covered the boy’s mouth, his expression shifting.

 

“We were just playing a game, you little rascal. If you don’t believe me, ask your father yourself whether I bullied him. But don’t shout about it in the street. Let’s go inside and talk.”

 

Song Guansheng was unconvinced. “What kind of game makes someone cry out like that?”

 

Jun Qiyu was momentarily speechless.

 

“You’re too young to understand. Why are you, a little brat, asking so many questions?”

 

“Take this, old demon Jun!”

 

Song Guansheng, hating to be called little, raised his brows and jabbed with his wooden spear. Though he lacked strength and technique, his height made the spear strike directly between Jun Qiyu’s legs. Jun Qiyu had to fend it off while scolding the boy for his ruthlessness.

 

“If you keep meddling in my business with your father, I’ll send you off to the frontier, to your fief in Loulan.”

 

Surprisingly, this made Song Guansheng pause his assault.

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course. That barren land doesn’t even have a tree. At night, ghosts wail from the cracks in the rocks. You can go there and eat dirt for all I care.”

 

Jun Qiyu thought his threat had worked, but instead, Song Guansheng’s tone held a hint of excitement.

 

“When?”

 

“Huh?” Jun Qiyu realized something was off. “When do you want to go?”

 

Though Song Guansheng was precocious, he couldn’t outmaneuver Jun Qiyu.

 

“My father said I have to grow as tall as him before I can go see Loulan. But if you can arrange for me to go sooner…”

 

Jun Qiyu immediately agreed. “Of course I can. I could send you tomorrow if I wanted. Honestly, you’re just a stumbling block between me and your father.”

 

Song Guansheng didn’t know what a stumbling block was, but he raised his right index finger.

 

“One hour.”

 

“What?” Jun Qiyu asked.

 

“You arrange for me to go to Loulan, and I’ll let you play with my father for one hour.”

 

Song Guansheng struggled internally but decided to let his father endure for a while in exchange for his own trip to Loulan.

 

Jun Qiyu laughed heartily and high-fived the boy.

 

“Deal!”

 

With the little gatekeeper pacified, Jun Qiyu rubbed his hands together and made his way into Song Liqing’s study, familiar as ever.

 

“Liqing, Liqing, I’ve brought you a treasure!”

 

Jun Qiyu eagerly entered and pulled out a large, dark green sphere with textured patterns from the brocade box. The sphere had a small, shriveled stem at one end.

 

“What is this?”

 

Jun Qiyu grinned mysteriously. “You don’t recognize it, do you? This is a tribute from a small country far west of the Western Regions. It’s called a ‘cold melon.’”

 

“A cold melon?”

 

Song Liqing touched the smooth surface of the sphere, finding it cool to the touch.

 

“Is it called that because it’s cold? It’s surprisingly cool, even in this summer heat—like jade.”

 

“Not exactly,” Jun Qiyu explained. “This thing spoils easily, so it has to be transported with ice to keep it fresh.”

 

“Oh, so it’s edible.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Jun Qiyu lifted a second layer of the brocade box to reveal a bowl of pre-sliced melon. The flesh was a rich red, dotted with black seeds.

 

Song Liqing chuckled. “It’s quite pretty—green like jade on the outside, red like a gem inside.”

 

“Try it.”

 

Jun Qiyu handed him a piece. Song Liqing took a small bite. The juice burst forth with a sweetness more refreshing than grapes, a delight in the scorching summer.

 

“How is it?” Jun Qiyu asked eagerly, swallowing his own saliva.

 

“Delicious.” Song Liqing savored the piece, reluctant to finish it, and added, “I’ll call Guansheng and Xiaodi to come share.”

 

“Don’t rush. This melon is all for you. There are a dozen more in the palace icehouse. I can send you one whenever you like.”

 

Jun Qiyu had already calculated: one melon a day would give him at least half a month of visits.

 

Seeing Song Liqing in a good mood, Jun Qiyu leaned closer and asked, “Liqing, are you free tomorrow? Could you stay at the palace after court?”

 

“For what?”

 

“My father wants to see you.”

 

Though Jun Qiyu’s expression was sincere, Song Liqing had his doubts. It was surely another trap set by Jun Qiyu.

 

“Unfortunately… I’m already committed to visiting the He residence tomorrow,” Song Liqing replied casually.

 

Jun Qiyu immediately asked, “The He residence? Which one?”

 

“That of He Zhou, the newly appointed third-place scholar.”

 

“Can’t you reschedule?” Jun Qiyu pleaded.

 

Song Liqing shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We agreed on this several days ago, and it would be rude to cancel. Please convey my apologies to the emperor, and I’ll find another time to visit.”

 

Gently but firmly, Song Liqing sent Jun Qiyu out of the residence.

 

At the same time, Song Guansheng appeared with a bundle on his back, looking eager.

 

“Guansheng, where are you going with that bundle?”

 

“Father, I’m leaving for Loulan tomorrow. Take care of yourself.”

 

Song Liqing was baffled. “What do you mean, leaving for Loulan tomorrow? Are you running away from home?”

 

Guansheng answered honestly, “Old demon Jun promised to send me to Loulan.”

 

“This… this…”

 

Jun Qiyu tried to signal Guansheng to stop talking, but it was too late.

 

The two were thrown out of the Song residence together, each nursing a sore ear. Squatting side by side at the gate, one large figure and one small figure made a pitiful sight.

 

“How is it that you’re the emperor, yet you’re afraid of my father?” Guansheng complained.

 

“I’m not afraid,” Jun Qiyu retorted. “I just need his help.”

 

Suddenly, Jun Qiyu thought of something.

 

“Hey, kid, where is your father meeting He Zhou?”

 

“Who’s He Zhou?” Guansheng asked.

 

“The third-place scholar from the recent examination. You saw him during the parade—decent-looking guy with a proper nose and eyes.”

 

Guansheng’s memory clicked. “Oh, the one who said he’d marry my father with a formal proposal!”

 

Jun Qiyu’s smile froze as alarm bells rang in his head.

 

“When did this happen?”

 

Guansheng answered honestly, “He sent a letter to my father just this morning.”

 

Jun Qiyu patted Guansheng’s head affectionately.

 

“Good boy. Teaching you to read has finally paid off.”

 

He couldn’t help but commend his own foresight.