The Prime Minister is Pregnant with Dragon's Seed - Chapter 5

The onlookers dispersed. Meng Zhou went against the flow of people, his gaze falling on the imposing and time-worn General’s Manor.

The red lacquer on the pillars at the gate had peeled off, wild grass sprouted between the steps, and the two loquat trees in the courtyard were overgrown and untrimmed, their fallen leaves strewn all over the ground.

Meng Zhou silently apologized to Jiang Yao in his heart. He was just wondering if selling Jiang Xin could bring in the six thousand taels he needed when he turned around—only to be met with a familiar face.

Meng Zhou: !!!

He didn’t know how long Chu Huaiyin had been standing there. Meng Zhou’s foot, halfway lifted, froze in mid-air. Not only had he been caught in a lie, but when he remembered how he had moaned that night right in front of Chu Huaiyin, his ears flushed red.

I’m a decent person, please don’t get the wrong idea.

Chu Huaiyin’s previously intrigued gaze turned into one of indescribable expression after hearing what Meng Zhou said. It was truly foolish—hardly worth his attention. No one understood Emperor Tianyuan better than him as his son. Trying to solve this matter through Emperor Tianyuan was simply asking for trouble and was extremely stupid.

Having lost interest, Chu Huaiyin gestured for Ji Yang to handle the matter and turned to leave. He had come on a whim and accidentally exposed a little liar—would’ve been fun to tease him a bit more. Pity… he likes smart people.

“Prince Huai, please wait!” Seeing Chu Huaiyin turn to leave, Meng Zhou’s mind turned and blurted out to stop him.

Chu Huaiyin paused, raising an eyebrow.

“Please keep today’s events a secret.”

“Hm?”

Meng Zhou hesitated for a moment before simply saying, “His Majesty is occupied with countless state affairs. What I did earlier was merely a temporary measure—I never intended to trouble His Majesty over such a trivial matter.”

I’m stalling for time to gather money. Please don’t accidentally mention this during one of your father-son chats.

Although Meng Zhou didn’t think Chu Huaiyin was the talkative type, he’d rather be safe than sorry.

Both of Meng Zhou’s ears turned red. He realized he was being rather shameless. The man had already chosen not to pursue his lies, and now he was making more demands.

Truly underestimated him.

Chu Huaiyin turned around, neither agreeing nor refusing. The memory of Meng Zhou confidently claiming to be “Zhang Zhou” that night surfaced in his mind. Chu Huaiyin gritted his teeth.

If it were just some stranger, it wouldn’t matter. But once he looked at Meng Zhou’s face, the feeling of being lied to refused to pass so easily.

Chu Huaiyin stared at the tips of his flushed ears, and as his gaze instinctively drifted down to Meng Zhou’s fair and slender neck, he suddenly found himself unable to tear away his eyes—as if stuck with glue.

He shut his eyes briefly. A decadent image flashed through his mind, and the scolding he had intended was swallowed down. Instead, he said, “I do happen to have some spare silver on hand.”

Meng Zhou’s eyes lit up.

Chu Huaiyin frowned, feeling a bit annoyed at himself. Then he said, “But I wonder whether you’re borrowing it as ‘Meng Zhou’ or ‘Zhang Zhou’?”

From Chu Huaiyin’s expression, Meng Zhou clearly read: “A wise man refuses handouts tossed with </span>contempt¹.”

He wanted to ask, why did it have to be something-Zhou? Couldn’t they have Jiang Xin borrow it instead? But after one glance at Jiang Xin lying there like a dead pig, and the pre-prepared loan agreement at the side, he silently swallowed the question.

Meng Zhou skimmed through the agreement, his eyebrows slightly wrinkled, and one side of his cheek unconsciously bulged, clearly dissatisfied with a certain clause.

—If Meng Zhou fails to repay the loan within one year, he must fulfill one request from Prince Huai, regardless of what it is.

Chu Huaiyin raised an eyebrow. Meng Zhou had no choice but to rely on him right now. This condition was already lenient so he wasn’t worried the boy wouldn’t accept. But seeing Meng Zhou’s reluctant expression, he thought, maybe it was okay to give in…

“Could you add an extra thousand taels?”

Meng Zhou had thought it through. At this point, what’s one more debt? Whether it’s six thousand or seven thousand taels, it’s still a loan. Since a fool with money had appeared, it would be a waste not to squeeze him dry.

Chu Huaiyin chuckled—clearly he had underestimated this guy’s shamelessness. “Fine.”

Ji Yang brought the red clay seal. Watching Meng Zhou sign swiftly and neatly, he caught a glimpse of a smile flashing across his master’s face. His own molars ached. Tsk, he shouldn’t be happy—he came here to help the Jiang family keep their ancestral home, but accidentally snagged Meng Zhou and even made him owe a massive debt. He went there for nothing.

Chuu Huaiyin tucked away the deed of sale—no, the loan agreement—and said generously, “I’ll have someone take care of this. You don’t need to worry.”

Just like that night—he’d said something similar, and the next day, Ajuan had returned home.

Meng Zhou nodded. His obedient and trusting demeanor was extremely pleasing to Chu Huaiyin.

However, at this moment, Meng Zhou was already thinking about this clue from the gambling den. He couldn’t let the clue slip away. The one who lured Jiang Xin into gambling and the one who tricked Jiang Yao out of all her savings—could they be the same group?

The breakthrough he had searched for so long had come.

He grabbed the half-dead Jiang Xin off the ground, bid Chu Huaiyin farewell, and walked straight into the General’s Manor, slamming the heavy, half-painted door shut behind him.

“There are family matters to handle.” As an outsider, Chu Huaiyin couldn’t stay and watch. He could only stare as Meng Zhou closed the door without even leaving a crack.

“Master?”

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Xin was young, but already taller than Meng Zhou, meeting the Jiang family’s expectations for a man’s physique.

The only remaining servants in the General’s Manor were the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. Most were veterans who had retired from the battlefield or widows of soldiers. When Jiang Xin was beaten down by thugs from the gambling den, not one person in the manor could fight back.

“Splash—!”

A bucket of water was poured over his head. Meng Zhou gave Jiang Xin a nudge. If not for seeing him being remorseful in the end, he wouldn’t have bothered with this mess at all.

Housekeeper Liu, now sixty, had witnessed Jiang Yao’s wedding, and the old master and young master heading off to war—none of whom ever returned. He had tried to stop Jiang Xin from gambling, even scolded him when desperate. But Jiang Xin would nod obediently and turn around to be coaxed by others back into gambling like nothing happened.

Meng Zhou’s serious expression bore a striking resemblance to his uncle, Jiang Yi. Liu wiped the corner of his eye, momentarily dazed—as if he was seeing Jiang Yi return in triumph, ready to deal with an unpromising younger generation in the family.

Jiang Xin shook his head, dazedly sitting up. Through his blurry vision, he saw someone who looked exactly like the cousin he could never beat—Jiang Yi.

His eyes widened, and he crawled forward to hug Meng Zhou’s leg, crying, “Wuwuwu, you’re finally back. I was all alone here, even cousin Yao doesn’t come anymore. I can’t do it, I’m scared… wuwuwu…”

As he sobbed, his face suddenly went pale. He remembered that he had gambled away the entire General’s Manor. And there’s no way Jiang Yi and Jiang Yao would ever return.

Meng Zhou nudged the now statuesque Jiang Xin. “All you do is cry! Look properly—do you even know who I am?”

“You, you’re Meng… Meng Zhou?”

“Get up. Spar with me.”

“Spar? With what?”

In the General’s Manor, what else could it be but martial arts? Meng Zhou looked around. Aside from the worthless old weapons, nearly everything else had been squandered away.

He was so angry that he almost laughed. He turned around and knocked Jiang Xin to the ground in a few moves, then looked down on him. “Not only can you not shoulder the heavy responsibility of the entire General’s Mansion, but you are also lazy in practicing martial arts! You dare call yourself a Jiang? The whole manor depends on you for their livelihood, and you don’t even have the strength to chop wood. What, should they all starve?”

Jiang Xin flushed red. Who said he didn’t have the strength to chop wood?! He sprang up and punched at Meng Zhou with all his might.

Meng Zhou sidestepped, grabbed his arm, and twisted it down—Jiang Xin’s face met the floor.

With his face smashed into the ground, eyes and mouth twisted, he couldn’t speak. Jiang Yao used to use this move too. He was instantly reminded of the fear the Jiang siblings had instilled in him.

Meng Zhou let him go. “If you still remember your surname, don’t make Uncle Liu go begging on the street at his age.”

Jiang Xin suddenly hugged Meng Zhou’s leg again, crying like a baby. In terms of generation, he was Meng Zhou’s elder, but now he cried without any image. He had muddled into the position of head of the Jiang family, terrified and helpless—especially after Jiang Yao’s death, completely alone. He was terrified of dragging the family down, yet couldn’t resist the lure of gambling.

After Meng Zhou’s speech, he seemed to have found his backbone again and cried bitterly. He was finally not alone anymore.

Meng Zhou tried to pull his leg away, speechless. Why is this grown man crying so much?

“Uncle Liu, pull him off me.”

“Yes.” Liu Bo responded. Both of them worked together to pry Jiang Xin off Meng Zhou’s leg.

“Still want to gambling?”

“No!” Jiang Xin shook his head. He had learned his lesson. As long as he lived, Jiang family must stand. Gambling wasn’t even fun—it was just a brief escape. Now that Meng Zhou was here, he had a rock to rely on, a steady strength that filled his limbs and bones. How could he go back?

Meng Zhou was slightly satisfied. He coldly counted out five hundred taels from the notes Chu Huaiyin gave him and handed them to Uncle Liu under Jiang Xin’s eager gaze.

“Fix up the manor, hire some guards. Getting beaten in front of the general manor—how embarrassing! And call a doctor to check on the old folks, whether they’re sick or not.”

Uncle Liu trembled as he took the silver. Many of the elderly in the manor had injuries and ailments, but no money for doctors. They didn’t dare ask, fearing they’d burden the family. They simply endured. He knew this money was borrowed from Prince Huai. A complicated swirl of gratitude and guilt welled up in his heart.

“Good guards will cost more, won’t they?” Jiang Xin sniffled.

Meng Zhou smacked his head. “Did I say to hire experienced ones? Buy some teenage boys and train them! You think the retired soldiers in this manor are useless? Do everything Uncle Liu says.”

Jiang Xin knelt and clutched his head. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Meng Zhou tidied his clothes and glanced at the tear-soaked patch on his collar, speechless.

“I’ve got things to do. I’m leaving.”

Jiang Xin looked at him eagerly. “When will you come back? How do I find you?”

“If anything happens, find me at Dali Temple. Don’t go to the Meng family.”

Before Jiang Xin understood the words “Don’t go to the Meng family”, Meng Zhou had already disappeared outside the gate. Liu Bo helped him up and gave a quick explanation of the Meng family’s situation. He sighed. “Young Master Meng’s life isn’t easy either.” But the Jiang family was no better off—no one had the energy to care for others. Unexpectedly, in the end, it was Meng Zhou who came back to worry over them.

Jiang Xin’s eyes turned red. He didn’t know much about what was going on here before. He only knew that he never saw Meng Zhou again after his cousin died. “I’ll kill Meng Fushan for cousin!”

Uncle Liu quickly stopped him. “Master! The urgent task is to restore the Jiang family, so Young Master Meng can be free of worries. If needed, we’ll be a helping hand.”

Jiang Xin took a few deep breaths and calmed down. Right—he had to become strong to protect everyone in the Jiang family. He drew a spear from the rack, face swollen like a pig’s head, and began to train with gritted teeth, not stopping for a moment.

Liu Bo felt deeply relieved there were still two members of the younger generation left in the Jiang family that would not disappoint their ancestors. He tucked away the silver Meng Zhou gave him and began to carry out the tasks one by one.

Author’s Note:
question: Both Chu Huaiyin and Meng Zhou think they profited. So… who actually lost?