The Real Young Master Was Sold as a Slave, The Obsessive Crown Prince's Forced Love - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: No Understanding of Rules

After his adoptive father passed away three years ago, he never saw Brother Ah He again.

Now, after three years, upon this sudden reunion, wasn’t Brother Ah He concerned about how he’d been living all these years?

When Song Yu saw Brother Ah He, the things he most wanted to ask were: Brother Ah He, why haven’t you come back to see Little Yu for all these years? Brother Ah He, why did you join the Imperial Academy of Medicine? Brother Ah He, didn’t you dislike medical arts? Brother Ah He, you’ve grown so much taller…

But why was Brother Ah He asking him these things?

In the past, Song Yu wouldn’t have thought this way.

Perhaps having gone through the true/false Young Master ordeal made him overly cautious now.

With a smile that was still pure and enthusiastic, Song Yu took the cup Su Yunhe handed him and drank some water.

He held the cup obediently in his hands.

He shook his head.

“How could I possibly have the chance to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?” He quickly skirted the topic and asked what concerned him most. “Brother Ah He, why didn’t you come back to see me all these years? I missed you so much. I waited for you every day. For these three years, I was always worried you might have encountered some danger.”

Su Yunhe, who was a few years older than Song Yu, had a gentle smile in his eyes.

He raised a hand to caress his cheek. “The Imperial Academy of Medicine doesn’t easily grant leave. I had planned on saving up a few more days off and coming back to spend the New Year with you this year.”

【???】

【Why is the Protagonist Shou lying to Little Fish? They clearly seem to have a good relationship.】

【Even if their relationship is good, they don’t necessarily have to tell the truth. Song Yu hasn’t told the Protagonist Shou about the Crown Prince either.】

【But why lie about saving up leave to come back for New Year? He clearly just finished a ten-day long leave, spending every one of those days with the Protagonist Gong (Male Lead).】

【I don’t understand why he would lie about something like that either.】

Protagonist Gong?

What’s that?

And, did Brother Ah He really just finish a long break?

Song Yu was briefly distracted.

“Why aren’t you speaking? Are you angry at Brother He?” Su Yunhe pinched Song Yu’s cheek.

Song Yu showed his teeth as he snapped back to attention and smiled at Su Yunhe, then looked unhappy again. “Brother Ah He didn’t even write to me. I was genuinely worried about you every day.”

“Brother is wrong.” The look in Su Yunhe’s eyes paused slightly, and he pinched Song Yu’s face again. “Tell Brother, how did you end up at Dagukang Wharf?”

Just as they were talking.

The room door was pushed open.

A young attendant stood at the doorway. “Physician Su, Consort Li in the palace has summoned you. Please come with me.”

【Crap, I almost forgot about this! Su Yunhe has always been the one to check Consort Li’s routine pulse.】

【Su Yunhe is responsible for Consort Li’s routine pulse, but Little Fish is supposed to kill Consort Li…】

【Little Fish isn’t going to use Su Yunhe, is he!】

【The Protagonist Shou is so miserable! He finally became an Imperial Physician through his own hard work, only to be used by his former friend!】

【Song Yu looks like the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.】

【Go away, Song Yu! Don’t hurt our He He.】

Watching the scrolling text, Song Yu’s fingers, clutching the cup, tightened slightly.

How could he harm Brother Ah He!

Without Brother Ah He and his adoptive father, he would have died in the woods years ago.

He would absolutely never harm Brother Ah He.

After the attendant finished his report, Su Yunhe smiled gently. “Understood.”

The attendant left. Su Yunhe turned to Song Yu and asked, “Did Supervising Physician Xu tell you which noble person’s case file you’ll be responsible for?”

Song Yu gathered his thoughts and shook his head. “No, he only said it was late today and told me to settle down first, and that the rest would be arranged tomorrow.”

Su Yunhe smiled. “You’ll be entering the palace sooner or later. I wouldn’t feel at ease if someone else took you. How about this: you change your clothes now and come with me to the palace shortly. I can explain the palace rules to you on the way, so you don’t offend any noble person later.”

Song Yu was going to kill Consort Li. If he entered the palace with Brother Ah He, what if the matter came to light later and implicated Brother Ah He?

Song Yu immediately shook his head, with a hint of intimate pleading. “But I’ve been running around all day and I’m so tired. I don’t want to move.”

When their adoptive father used to ask him and Brother Ah He to go into the mountains for herbs, if he didn’t want to go and acted spoiled like this, Brother Ah He would surely pinch his nose, call him a lazy cat, and then go discuss with their father changing the date.

But now—

Su Yunhe still pinched his nose, but said, “No, you must go. Little Yu, don’t be willful. The Imperial Academy of Medicine is not our Lengyun Mountain.”

He spoke seriously. Song Yu had no choice but to change into the clothes provided by the Imperial Academy of Medicine, wash up, and follow him into the palace.

…

Qi Wang had just emerged from the palace when he saw two Imperial Physicians approaching.

Unlike his dusty appearance on Lengyun Mountain.

Song Yu was wearing the grey-blue official robe of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, his slender figure looking quite upright.

He was smiling brightly and turning his head toward the person walking next to him, laughing about something the companion said. The warm yellow light from the octagonal palace lanterns along the path spread a halo over Song Yu’s face…

Qi Wang frowned at the sight.

Joking in the palace, how improper!

Why were colleagues walking so close to each other!

Su Yunhe had just been telling Song Yu an embarrassing story about their childhood herb-picking when he suddenly looked up and saw the person approaching not far ahead. His heart immediately sank.

It was the Crown Prince!

Su Yunhe was about to stop and kneel down to pay respects, but a thought flashed through his mind, and he slowed his action.

Immediately after, he raised his hand, pushed Song Yu’s back with his palm, and said intimately in a hushed voice, “Every time I pushed you like this when we were little, you’d fall down…”

He pushed him suddenly.

Song Yu was completely unprepared and stumbled forward two steps.

Plop!

The moment Song Yu lost his balance and fell with a plop.

From behind him.

“Ten thousand blessings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

Came the sound of Su Yunhe respectfully kneeling and paying his respects.

Song Yu, sprawled on the ground, grimaced and looked up, seeing Qi Wang’s sullen face.

Ignoring the burning pain in his knees from hitting the palace’s bluestone pavement, he quickly scrambled up, knelt down, and repeated Su Yunhe’s words, “Ten thousand blessings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

Qi Wang’s eyes were utterly dark.

After his gaze rested on the top of Song Yu’s head for a moment, he looked at the person slightly behind Song Yu.

Su Yunhe knelt on the ground, speaking respectfully, “This subordinate was commanded by Consort Li to enter the palace to check her pulse. This person is new to the Imperial Academy of Medicine and has no understanding of palace rules. I beg Your Highness to curb your anger. This subordinate will strictly discipline him.”

【Why do I feel like the Protagonist Shou’s words sound a bit petty! (cha li cha qi – ‘tea-like’ / subtly malicious)】

【Indeed. If he hadn’t pushed Little Fish just now, Little Fish wouldn’t have fallen. But now he’s making it sound like Little Fish doesn’t understand the rules.】

Song Yu, kneeling with his forehead touching the ground, couldn’t see the words floating above his head.

He could only hear, after Brother Ah He spoke, the Crown Prince’s cold scoff: “No understanding of rules? Then kneel for half an hour to remember the lesson.”