Dugu Mingde and Dugu Mingze, accompanied by their attendants, headed towards the palace gates.
Dugu Mingde and Mingze were twins from the Dugu Jing Family. They entered the palace at the age of four to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies, returning ho only for three days each month for rest and living together with the Crown Prince.
The palace guards were familiar with the twins and, after a simple inspection, let them through. The twins were exceptionally handso with deep-set features. Now over seven years old, they were taller than their peers. This was their monthly hocoming day from the palace.
After the carriage traveled a certain distance, the young Crown Prince erged from the carriage deck. At seven years old, the young prince was androgynous, with a fair complexion and red lips, looking extrely attractive.
Dugu Mingde said, "Your Highness, if the Emperor blas us, you must take full responsibility and not implicate us!"
The young Crown Prince snorted coldly, "I’ve already left a note for the Empress. Even if Father is angry, Mother will intervene. Besides, just say I hid in the carriage myself, and you were unaware; you won’t be blad."
Dugu Mingze asked, "Your Highness, where do you want to go?"
"I want to go to the Imperial College to find my brother, who hasn’t entered the palace for ten days!"
"We’ll go with you!"
The Crown Prince was displeased, "Why are you coming along?"
"We haven’t seen our brother for ten days either."
The Crown Prince widened his eyes, "How many tis have I told you, he only has as a brother. You all don’t count and are not allowed to call him brother."
The twins from the Dugu Family had fiery tempers and would often argue with the Crown Prince, "Why don’t we count? Cousin is also a brother!"
"Cousins don’t count!"
"Prince said we count, so we count!" Dugu Mingze continued to shout.
"I am the Crown Prince; if I say you don’t count, then you don’t!" The Crown Prince was very temperantal, "Get off, I don’t want to see you."
"Your Highness, this is our family’s carriage!"
The Crown Prince stood firm as a mountain, "Beining’s land is all mine; the people and the carriage both count as mine!"
The Dugu Family twins, "..."
The carriage reached the gates of the Imperial College. Given the Crown Prince’s special status, he should not appear. Dugu Mingde went in to find Ruyi and ca out looking dejected in less than a quarter of an hour.
"The tutor said Brother Ruyi went hunting outside the city with the students."
The Crown Prince was disappointed. He glanced at the sky; going hunting at this hour ant they would either stay overnight at the manor or return after dark. He was unlikely to see his brother.
Annoying!
His brother went hunting without him!
"Your Highness, shall we return to the palace?" Dugu Mingze suggested.
"It’s rare to be out of the palace; I want to have so fun."
Dugu Mingde and Dugu Mingze dared not let him wander the streets alone. The Emperor and Empress were not rigid people, and they allowed the Crown Prince to leave the palace. However, whenever the Crown Prince traveled, he was always treated with reverence, and such freedom was rare. The Crown Prince’s temperant was flamboyant, and he disliked restrictions, so he didn’t really enjoy being outside. With busy coursework, he eventually seldom left the palace.
The group arrived at the bustling street. Spring was the season of renewal, and the street was lively. The Crown Prince was pampered in the palace, but due to frequent hunting with Xie Xun, he wasn’t at all dainty. He dragged Dugu Mingde and Mingze to eat noodles by the roadside. He wasn’t picky about the setting, but he did criticize the food.
"This is awful!" He only ate one bite before stopping, his pretty eyes filled with disdain.
Dugu Mingde had ordered lamb noodles, a common breakfast dish at the Marquis Mansion. The twins thought it was even better than what the mansion’s chef made.
"Your Highness, it’s quite delicious, though of course not comparable to the palace’s dishes."
"Too gay! You must be really hungry to eat this," the Crown Prince complained, pointing to a nearby snack stall, "Go buy so food."
Dugu Mingde glanced over, "Your Highness, are you sure?"
"Go!"
"...Wait!" Dugu Mingde soon returned with a box of food, and as he approached, a foul sll wafted over. The Crown Prince covered his nose, "Keep it away; what is this stuff?"
"Stinky tofu; you asked for it!"
"Why is the tofu so slly?"
"Your Highness, although it stinks, it’s delicious!" Dugu Mingze gloated, knowing the Crown Prince hadn’t tried it before. He rembered once accompanying the Crown Prince out of the palace. The Prince had criticized the youths eating stinky tofu by the roadside, questioning why people would eat such foul-slling things, claiming it was because they were too poor. He even had Dugu Mingde toss a gold piece to a well-dressed youth eating stinky tofu, which made him heartbroken.
"I am not anosmic."
"It’s really good!"
"Then you eat it first!"
Dugu Mingze made a pained face. He didn’t like it either — neither he nor Dugu Mingde did, in fact, they found it repulsive. He had only seen his mother eat it. Looking to his brother for help, the twins had an unspoken understanding, but Dugu Mingde chose self-preservation over camaraderie, pretending not to see and saying, "Nice weather today!"
Dugu Mingze was furious. With a mindset of mutual destruction with the Crown Prince, he pinched his nose and ate a piece of stinky tofu. The taste wasn’t to his liking; the stench exploded in his mouth, and he almost spat it out. He truly disliked the sensory assault, but Dugu Mingze put on an expression of delight as if tasting a delicacy, "It’s really good, Your Highness, it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten, nothing compares!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
Dugu Mingze’s expression was so sincere that the Crown Prince believed him, attempting to take a piece of stinky tofu. As soon as he bit into the skin, the juices burst in his mouth with a foul sll assaulting his nose.
The Crown Prince’s face twisted in painful exertion, seemingly trying to endure, but he ultimately couldn’t hold back and turned his head to gag, his stomach empty, expelling only bile.
Dugu Mingde was shocked. Was it really that bad?
"Dugu Mingde, I’m going to execute you!"
Dugu Mingze, "..."
Dugu Mingde refused to take the bla, "...Your Highness, you’re targeting the wrong person; I’m innocent."
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