Chapter Thirty-Eight: Your Highness, Forgive Me

Seeing the bright, smiling face of the wide-eyed, adorable young girl in the distance, Chen Kan quickly adjusted his composure. He strode up to Zhu Yuelan, cupped his hands, and said, "I, Chen Kan, Vice Commander of the Northern Bureau of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pay my respects to Your Highness the Princess."

Zhu Yuelan chirped playfully, "You scoundrel! Why have you only just arrived? Does such a short distance really take that long to cover?"

Chen Kan straightened up and replied with a smile, "I beg Your Highness's forgiveness!"

Zhu Yuelan began to circle around him, her large eyes filled with wonder. "Did my father summon you to the palace yesterday just to grant you an official title? Being in the Embroidered Uniform Guard—not bad at all! But what happened to you? Why are your clothes so dirty?" She stopped, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes. A moment later, she waved her hand in front of her nose with a look of disgust. "You scoundrel, you reek!"

Facing Zhu Yuelan, whose mouth moved like a machine gun, Chen Kan rubbed his nose. Without blushing or skipping a beat, he said, "Your humble servant took a tumble on the road and accidentally stepped in dog dung. Naturally, I am both dirty and smelly. Furthermore, my surname is Chen, my given name is Kan, and my courtesy name is Yuansheng. I am not called 'Scoundrel'."

"Eww!" Hearing this, Zhu Yuelan pinched her nose and took several steps back. "Scoundrel, scoundrel! I’m going to call you Scoundrel regardless!"

Chen Kan spread his hands. "As long as you are happy."

"Right, the roast chicken, the roast goose, the plums, and the peaches—where are they? I’m hungry!" Chen Kan reached out with an air of entitlement, as if these things were owed to him by the Princess.

Without a hint of hesitation, Zhu Yuelan slapped his hand away. "You’re filthy! Go wash up first, and I’ll have someone bring them to you!" Despite her words of disgust, she turned and skipped off to fetch his food.

Watching the back of the adorable, wide-eyed girl as she hopped away, Chen Kan felt his gloomy mood lift just a little. He walked slowly to the riverbank, meticulously washing his hands and face. Considering how long he had been retching earlier, he cupped the river water to rinse his mouth. The lingering taste in his mouth made him uncomfortable, and even after the rinse, it refused to fade. He turned his expectant gaze toward the maids who were huddled nearby, observing him with curiosity.

"Hey, do you have any green salt? Someone, bring me some."

The maids seemed startled out of a dream. One maid said, "Oh, it's the Scoundrel! Sisters, let's beat him!"

Another maid hesitated. "But he seems quite close to Her Highness. What if she blames us?"

A third maid, looking shy, said, "So you want green salt? I'll go get some for you."

The first maid: "..."
The second maid: "..."
"You’ve betrayed us!"
"But he really is very handsome."

Chen Kan got his green salt as requested. It proved that good-looking people can get by easily anywhere. Once he had rinsed his mouth, Zhu Yuelan returned to the riverbank carrying bags of food. The shy maid thoughtfully spread a blanket on the ground.

Like a magical cat, Zhu Yuelan kept pulling various delicacies from the food containers: roast chicken, roast goose, osmanthus cakes, aiwowo pastries, sashimi, longans, peaches, plums... and sweet wine to cut the grease and cool the heat. They were all Chen Kan’s favorites!

After setting everything out on the blanket, Zhu Yuelan sat opposite him, hugging her knees, and smiled. "Scoundrel, eat up!"

After some time to recover, the nauseated feeling in Chen Kan's chest had subsided, and his stomach was indeed empty. He didn't hesitate to tear a leg off the roast chicken and began to eat ravenously. It quickly became an unstoppable feast. The entire roast chicken was reduced to a pile of bones in no time, followed by the goose and the pastries.

Zhu Yuelan blinked her large eyes, watching him eat with such gusto, and asked curiously, "Scoundrel, why do you always look like a starving ghost every time I see you?"

At these words, Chen Kan paused. A trace of melancholy appeared on his face. "That story begins from the time your father had me thrown into the imperial prison."

"Ah! You’ve been in jail?" Zhu Yuelan’s eyes widened as if she had heard something incredible.

"Routine operation, don't make a fuss," Chen Kan said with a reserved air, as if being imprisoned were some grand achievement.

"Tell me, why were you thrown in jail? And since my father put you there, why did he let you out and even make you an official?" The wide-eyed girl had transformed into a little gossipmonger in an instant.

Chen Kan slowed his pace and said between bites, "That’s a long story. You know my teacher, Fang Xiaoru, right?"

"Mhm, Master Fang, of course I know him. My father even said he wanted to invite him to be a tutor for me and my brothers and sisters!"

"It was because of him that I was thrown into your father's prison."

"Ah? Why?"

"Because my teacher refused to surrender to your father."

...

For some reason, faced with the gossiping girl, Chen Kan’s floodgates opened, and he couldn't stop talking. He started from the moment he arrived in this world. When he spoke of how Fang Xiaoru continued to teach him in prison that grain was the hard-earned blood and sweat of the people, a look of recognition appeared in Zhu Yuelan's eyes. When he described the danger of Zhu Gaoxu coming to the prison to coerce Fang Xiaoru, a flicker of worry crossed her face. When he recounted how Fang Xiaoru feigned madness to deceive the Emperor, she looked astonished. And when he spoke of how he had intimidated the prison guards and actually succeeded, he was rewarded with a peal of bell-like laughter.

"Hahaha, that’s so funny!"
"Scoundrel, you are so bad!"

Before he knew it, the food before him had been reduced to scraps. He had finished telling her about his bizarre experiences over the last few days.

An older nursemaid approached Zhu Yuelan and whispered, "Your Highness, the hour is late. It is time to return to the palace."

Zhu Yuelan looked a little reluctant, but she nodded. "Then let us return." She looked at Chen Kan and asked, "Scoundrel, are you coming back to the city with us?"

Chen Kan stretched and smiled. "Of course. Your Highness, don't forget that I am now an Embroidered Uniform Guard. Protecting your personal safety is my duty."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuelan’s face clearly lit up with joy.

"Prepare to depart, return to the palace!" A young eunuch appeared from nowhere and shouted the command.

Within a few breaths, a soft sedan chair appeared before them. A dense crowd emerged from the woods: maids, servants, palace cooks, kitchen staff, and hundreds of Embroidered Uniform Guards to protect the Princess.

Chen Kan stared in stunned silence at the grand spectacle. Good heavens, hundreds of people accompanying one person for an outing. This, this—curbing the extravagant and corrupt ways of the imperial family was a task that could not be delayed.