Chapter 45: The Art of Governing Subordinates
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“Your Highness.”
Upon seeing Xiao Ming, Wang Shijie immediately cupped his hands in greeting, a fawning smile on his face.
Xiao Ming feigned surprise and said, “Isn’t this Brother Wang? What brings you here? What a coincidence.”
Wang Shijie thought to himself, I’ve been freezing out here in the snow for half the day just to wait for you. But instead, he said, “Your Highness, this only proves that we are fated to meet. I’ve heard that you’ve been keeping to yourself lately, declining visitors, and immersing yourself in scholarly pursuits. I never expected that just by strolling around today, I’d happen to run into Your Highness.”
In truth, Xiao Ming had been avoiding the Wang family, deliberately playing hard to get.
For the past few days, Qingzhou had been blanketed in heavy snow, and the bitter cold gave him the perfect excuse to refuse all visitors. Wang Shijie had come looking for him several times, only to be turned away each time.
Especially now, with the Qin family growing rich from Drunken Qingzhou wine, Wang Shijie could no longer sit still. He had been coming by every few days, and today, upon hearing of Xiao Ming’s whereabouts, he must have rushed over to wait for him.
“Oh, that is true,” Xiao Ming responded casually. “I was indeed engrossed in researching something new recently, and I must have inadvertently neglected Brother Wang.”
“Something new?” Wang Shijie perked up like a cat catching the scent of fish. “Might I ask what ingenious invention Your Highness has come up with this time?”
To Wang Shijie, the current Prince of Qi was no longer the useless fool of the past but someone with vast knowledge and a mind full of peculiar ideas.
This transformation baffled them, but since he was still the same prince in name, they could only accept that he had somehow acquired special skills.