Chapter 124 - 99: Qin Wanyue Activates Husband-Protecting Mode

Chapter 124: Chapter 99: Qin Wanyue Activates Husband-Protecting Mode

"Brother Wang, my father is Liu Sanjiang."

Liu Xian sat back in his chair with a smile, raising his voice slightly as he faced the Crown Prince. However, from the corner of his eye, his gaze still drifted involuntarily toward Qin Wanyue.

"Oh, my father is Wang—"

The Crown Prince instinctively almost blurted out an earth-shattering name, but fortunately, he caught himself just in time. Frowning deeply, he realized this was the first time he had ever met someone who introduced themselves by directly stating their father’s name.

"Liu Sanjiang?" The Crown Prince thought about it seriously for a moment before a contemplative look flashed through his eyes. "The Liangyou Chamber of Commerce?"

"Oh? Brother Wang has heard of it?" Liu Xian’s eyes lit up slightly at the remark.

Yet, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that Qin Wanyue remained completely oblivious, engrossed in the copy of the *Book of Changes* in her hands. This left him feeling a bit disappointed.

"Yes, the president of the number one chamber of commerce in the Capital City. I’ve heard a little about him."

The Crown Prince, Wang Yuanzhen, narrowed his clear eyes. The background of this Liangyou Chamber of Commerce was far from simple. It was, in fact, a merchant guild under the control of the Eldest Princess of the Great Saint Dynasty—his aunt. And its president, Liu Sanjiang, was nothing more than her loyal lackey. The reason the Eldest Princess enjoyed such a stellar reputation both in the royal court and the Jianghu was largely due to the financial backing of the Liangyou Chamber of Commerce.

At this thought, the Crown Prince slowly shifted his gaze back to Liu Xian.

However, Liu Xian’s gaze was currently glued to Qin Wanyue’s back, his eyes brimming with infatuation. He stared blankly at her figure, unable to extricate himself for a moment.

"What are you looking at?" the Crown Prince asked, his eyes widening in exasperation as he waved a hand in front of Liu Xian’s face.

"Uh..." Liu Xian snapped out of his daze, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I’m sorry, my mind wandered for a moment."

The Crown Prince gave him a wary look. Glancing toward Zeng Anmin’s back, he lowered his voice. "Don’t entertain thoughts you shouldn’t be having!"

Liu Xian looked like a newly transferred student being warned by his deskmate not to mess with the school bully. A hint of defiance flashed in his eyes as he protested, "Why do you say that? Putting my father aside, just myself—"

"Alright, alright," the Crown Prince interrupted impatiently. "Your father is nowhere near enough. The waters in this classroom run deep. Don’t bite off more than you can chew."

"Hmm?" Suppressing his irritation, Liu Xian patiently asked, "Could it be..." He shifted his gaze toward Zeng Anmin’s back and lowered his voice again. "Could it be that he also comes from a prominent family?"

Before the Crown Prince could answer, a sweet voice drifted over from the front.

"Little Brother Quan Fu, I made some more of the fish-shaped pastries we talked about yesterday. Do you still want some?"

Taking advantage of the break between classes, Qin Wanyue pulled a handkerchief out of her cloth satchel, identical to the one from last night. It even had the same white lotus flower embroidered on it.

At the moment, Zeng Anmin’s attention was still entirely focused on the matter of Bai Ziqing’s house being raided by the Imperial City Department. Snapping out of his thoughts upon hearing her words, a smile graced his face. "Let’s eat them together?"

He happened to be hungry anyway.

"Okay!" Qin Wanyue’s eyes curved into lovely crescents. With utmost patience, her slender, fair fingers slowly unfolded the corners of the cloth. "Here."

Nestled within the unwrapped handkerchief were several exquisitely shaped pastries.

"Sister Qin is so good to me," Zeng Anmin said, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips when he saw the treats. He picked one up and popped it into his mouth. A moment later, his eyes lit up. "The pastries you made today are even more delicious than yesterday’s!"

"Mhm." Hearing Zeng Anmin’s praise, the smile on Qin Wanyue’s face grew even more radiant.

The sunlight fell upon her, filtering through her delicate, captivating eyelashes. Sitting in the back row, Liu Xian saw this and instantly felt his mouth go completely parched. He gulped heavily.

He thought, "This girl is so beautiful! She’s even prettier than the top courtesan of the Imperial Music Bureau!"

But as he watched Qin Wanyue earnestly use her handkerchief to wipe the corners of Zeng Anmin’s mouth, a surge of heartache welled up within him.

It hurt! It hurt so much! He wondered why this world had to be filled with such heartbreaking sights.

Meanwhile.

Qin Shoucheng was in quite a good mood today. His face was glowing with vitality as he walked down the corridor outside the Imperial College classrooms, a lively spring in his step.

"Greetings, Doctor Qin. Master Yu said he would like to invite you for a chat after classes end this evening." A student respectfully bowed to him.

Yu?

Qin Shoucheng was momentarily taken aback before joy spread across his face. He gently stroked his beard and asked, "Oh? How did you know I caught a ten-pound fish today?"

"Ah?" The student looked bewildered. "What fish? It’s Master Yu. He said he wants to see you tonight."

"Oh." Qin Shoucheng nodded and laughed heartily. "Alright, tell him I’ll bring the big fish I just caught to see him tonight. Tell him to get the cook ready."

With a cheerful chuckle, he turned and headed toward the classroom entrance.

"Uh..." The student blinked, staring blankly at Qin Shoucheng’s retreating back, completely confused.

Moments later.

"Prepare for class!" Qin Shoucheng announced with a beaming smile as he stepped up to the classroom door.

His gaze then subconsciously drifted toward his daughter. The mouth he was just about to open snapped shut, and the smile on his face completely froze.

Qin Wanyue carefully wiped the corners of Zeng Anmin’s mouth clean before putting away her handkerchief. She looked at him with a sweet smile. "Eat slowly."

"Mhm." Zeng Anmin nodded nonchalantly.

Just as he reached out to take another fish-shaped pastry from Qin Wanyue’s hand, he suddenly felt a chilling breeze on the back of his neck. He instinctively looked up, only to be met with Qin Shoucheng’s death glare.

"Uh..." Zeng Anmin blinked at him innocently.

"Zeng! An! Min!" Driven beyond the limits of his endurance, Qin Shoucheng dragged out his syllables. "What are you eating?!"

Fueled by sheer fury, his voice almost cracked.

Zeng Anmin looked a bit embarrassed. He glanced down at the fish-shaped pastries in the handkerchief. "It’s the fish-shaped pastries Miss Qin brought... Does Dean Qin want one?"

Fish-shaped pastries?!

Qin Shoucheng instinctively looked toward Qin Wanyue’s hand, which she hadn’t yet fully pulled back. His expression grew increasingly dark. "No eating is allowed in the classroom! Do I still need to emphasize the rules of the Imperial College?!"

"Uh... my apologies." Zeng Anmin honestly didn’t have much confidence to stand his ground here. Flirting with a man’s daughter right in front of him inherently put one at a disadvantage.

"I brought the pastries. If you must punish someone, Master, punish me," Qin Wanyue said timidly, a hint of grievance in her eyes.

Qin Shoucheng subconsciously met his daughter’s aggrieved gaze. His vision instantly swam with dark spots, and he swayed, almost losing his footing.

"Phew." He took a deep breath, forcing his face to remain expressionless. "Just this once!"

This entire scene played out right in front of all the students in the classroom. They all shot daggers of jealousy at Zeng Anmin. As the renowned female scholar of the Imperial College, Qin Wanyue naturally attracted the gazes of countless young men. And today, she had blatantly protected Zeng Anmin in front of everyone...

Heartbreak!

It was too painful!

Only Liu Xian’s eyes were wide open as he stared at Zeng Anmin’s back. He had noticed a detail that everyone else had missed.

Taking a deep breath, he patted the Little Fatty Crown Prince on the shoulder. The Crown Prince frowned and turned to look at him. Pointing a trembling finger at Zeng Anmin, Liu Xian asked, "Did Master Qin just call him... Zeng Anmin??"

A faint smile flickered across the Crown Prince’s chubby face. "Mhm," he nodded nonchalantly.

GULP!

Liu Xian swallowed hard. Hailing from a merchant family, he naturally scrutinized the heavyweights among the Capital City’s officials on a daily basis. Not only had he heard the name of Zeng Anmin, also known as Zeng Liangjiang, but his father had also told him about the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry of War and Grand Scholar of the Martial Hero Hall, Zeng Shilin, Duke Zeng.

"Though Minister Zeng has only been in the Capital City for a little over a month, he managed to topple a towering giant like Prince Qi, giving every official in the capital an epic political lesson worthy of the history books!"

His father had spoken these very words to him with an incredibly solemn expression.

Night fell.

Qin Shoucheng finally finished teaching a grueling class. He shot a deep glare at Zeng Anmin’s retreating back, scoffed coldly, and flicked his sleeves as he strode out of the classroom.

"Master." The steward’s figure slowly approached.

"Ah. I’m going to visit Master Yu a little later. Go prepare the fish I caught yesterday; I’ll be needing it soon."

The mere thought of that big catch managed to soothe Qin Shoucheng’s previously foul mood. All of his recent displeasure was swept away.

"Uh..." The steward’s face stiffened. He bowed, an awkward expression washing over him. "That fish was taken by the Young Miss to make fish-shaped pastries."

THUD!

Caught off guard, Qin Shoucheng completely missed his step and slammed his forehead straight into the wooden pillar in front of him.