The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

They had made a special trip to see the Young Master, only to be turned away at the door. Wasn’t this trip a complete waste?

Based on Ban Ren’s understanding of Mr. Du, he wasn’t the type to waste his time on pointless endeavors.

Mr. Du responded calmly.

"We hurt the Heir’s feelings last night. We have to give him some time to recover.

The only thing we can do now is try our best to show the Heir our goodwill and get him to forgive us for our recklessness last night."

Speaking of last night, Ban Ren was full of regret and complained.

"If you hadn’t insisted we stand down last night, I would’ve charged out with my men to protect the Heir long ago."

If they had just followed the Heir’s orders last night, none of this subsequent trouble would have happened.

Mr. Du actually felt some regret himself.

He had underestimated the Heir’s resilience and, more importantly, never expected the Regent King to make an appearance out of nowhere.

But what was done was done. Further regret was pointless.

The most important thing now was to find a way to soothe the resentment in the Heir’s heart.

As the two walked to their carriage, Ban Ren glanced back at the tall, imposing gates of the Regent Prince Mansion and couldn’t help but mutter.

"You don’t think the Young Master will refuse to come out, do you?"

If this were any other place, he would have charged in and snatched the Young Master out long ago.

But not here. This place was different.

This was the Regent King’s residence. The entire Prince Mansion was heavily guarded, and security was extremely tight.

Anyone who dared to force their way in couldn’t guarantee they would make it out alive.

Mr. Du placed one hand on the shaft of the carriage, vaulted aboard, and replied in a low voice.

"It won’t come to that."

Even if the Regent King favored Lu Man, it was only temporary. Who could guarantee the Regent King would forever harbor goodwill toward the Heir of Prince Yu?

After all, everyone in the world knew the Regent King was temperamental, unpredictable, and vindictive.

As long as Lu Man had half a brain, he wouldn’t tie his entire future to the Regent King.

Ultimately, the only thing he could rely on was the Yu Royal Mansion.

...

Inside the dining hall.

Hua Manman looked at the bundle placed before her and asked uncertainly.

"Did Mr. Du really send this for me?"

Gao Shan nodded truthfully. "Mr. Du also said he would come to visit you again in two days."

Li Ji slammed his chopsticks on the table and snorted coldly.

"Pass down the order! From now on, if anyone from the Yu Royal Mansion is seen, they are forbidden from approaching the Regent Prince Mansion!"

In Li Xun’s mind, the people from the Yu Royal Mansion were the ones trying to steal his mother.

They were all bad guys!

Li Xun also clenched his small fists and shouted aggressively.

"That’s right! Don’t let them near our home!"

The father and son, who usually couldn’t stand the sight of each other, were now surprisingly on the same side.

Hua Manman opened the bundle. Inside, besides balms for her injuries and a change of clothes, were the props she used for her male disguise, a stack of silver notes, and a letter.

She unfolded the letter and skimmed through its contents.

The letter was handwritten by Mr. Du himself.

From the events of last night, he had gathered that the Young Master was the type who responded to a soft approach, not a hard one.

So he had deliberately humbled himself, expressing his sincere apologies in the letter and stating that as long as the Young Master could forgive him, he would do anything asked of him.

At the same time, he didn’t forget to mention the First Madam and Second Miss back at the Yu Royal Mansion, saying they both missed the Young Master dearly and hoped the Young Master would take care of himself so he could one day return to reunite with them.

The words in the letter were earnest; it was clear he had written it with great care.

If Lu Man had been the one to see this letter, he might have been moved.

After all, the First Madam and Second Miss were Lu Man’s closest relatives. The First Madam, in particular, truly doted on Lu Man, and Lu Man must have had deep affection for her in return.

But Hua Manman was not Lu Man.

She had no blood ties to the Yu Royal Mansion, nor any emotional attachment.

To her, this letter was nothing more than empty words on paper, completely useless.

Hua Manman casually crumpled the letter into a ball, tossed it back into the bundle, tied it up, and said to Gao Shan.

"Could I trouble you to have someone return these things to the Yu Royal Mansion for me?"

Since she had already decided to cut ties with the Yu Royal Mansion, she would not accept anything from them.

Gao Shan carefully glanced at the Regent King. Seeing the smile playing on his lips, he knew the Regent King was pleased with this development.

"This servant will see to it at once."

He took the bundle from Hua Manman’s hands and turned to leave.

Learning that Hua Manman was finally going to sever ties with the Yu Royal Mansion completely, Li Ji and Li Xun were both in excellent spirits. They even ate an extra bowl of rice because of it.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Ji tossed his bowl and chopsticks onto the table and said to his brat of a son.

"I’ve already arranged things with the Imperial College. You’ll report there tomorrow."

He used to be too lazy to bother with his son, but now that Manman was back, he couldn’t let his son run wild anymore. It was time to start disciplining him.

The moment he heard he had to go to school, Li Xun immediately jumped up and yelled.

"I’m not going!"

School was no fun at all! Not only would he be restrained by the teachers, but he’d also have to study and do homework. And all the students were so pretentious—just looking at them was annoying!

But Li Ji’s attitude was firm.

"Whether you want to go or not, you’re going to school."

’One slacker in the family is enough. I’m not about to raise a little slacker too.’

Li Xun threatened, "If you make me go to school, I’ll just get into fights with the other students!"

Hua Manman’s eyebrow twitched. Just as she was about to speak up, she heard that scoundrel Li Ji lazily reply.

"Fine. Fight all you want. Just don’t lose and embarrass me."

Hua Manman: "...?"

’Listen to him! Are those words a human should be saying?!’

Hua Manman was so angry her face turned green. "Is that any way to teach a child?!"

She was probably so furious that she completely forgot the difference in their statuses and even neglected to use a respectful form of address.

Far from being angry, Li Ji was actually quite pleased.

’No honorifics is good! It makes us seem closer!’

He seized the opportunity to ask, "Then you tell me, how should a child be taught?"

Hua Manman had never actually raised a child before.

But she had already spoken up, so she had to at least put on an act.

She called Li Xun over to her and asked in a gentle voice.

"You must have friends you play with, right?"

Li Xun thought of his gang of little followers and nodded. "Yes."

Hua Manman: "Your friends probably all go to school, don’t they?"

Li Xun nodded again. "Mhm."

Those who could hang out with him were also descendants of nobles.

From a young age, they were taught by famous tutors, and once they were old enough, they were sent to the Imperial College for their formal education.

Hua Manman coaxed him patiently.

"Think about it.

All your friends are going to school.

In the future, not only will they know many words, but they’ll also be able to play the zither, paint, and play chess.

They’ll master all of the Six Arts of the Gentleman, but you won’t know anything.

How will you be able to play with them then?"