A group of people instantly rushed over to assist the Crown Prince (and to watch the commotion).
Er Niu held onto the Crown Prince’s buttocks, refusing to let go. The Crown Prince howled in pain, “Ouch! Quick, get it off me— Old Seven, Old Seven, can’t you control your dog?”
Yu Jin walked over and calmly called out, “Er Niu, let go.”
Er Niu considered for a moment, then released its grip.
Considering this person had given it braised beef, it hadn’t bitten down too hard. Who knew he’d scream so miserably?
Never mind, it was better to go play with its young master.
Er Niu wagged its tail and walked away.
“Stop right there!” The eunuch who had accompanied the Crown Prince supported him while shrilly yelling at Er Niu.
Er Niu halted and gave the eunuch a serious look.
What, did this person want a bite too?
The eunuch instantly understood Er Niu’s meaning and retreated a step in fear, his voice trembling, “Your Highness, this dog has offended the Crown Prince. Are you just going to let it walk away?”
Before Yu Jin could speak, the Crown Prince cursed, “Shut up! Help me tend to my wound!”
Er Niu didn’t consider him it’s master yet, so what if it bit him? This dog of a servant had no right to make a fuss.
The eunuch was stunned.
He had rushed over to save the Crown Prince immediately, so why wasn’t the beast that bit the Crown Prince scolded, while he was reprimanded instead?
Could it be that in His Highness’s heart, he was worth less than this beast?
The eunuch fell into deep self-doubt.
The Crown Prince glanced at the eunuch with a twisted expression, thinking: What’s there to doubt? Of course, a mere servant is worth less than Er Niu in his heart. Only Er Niu in this world could predict earthquakes.
“Second Brother, let’s go inside to treat your wound,” Yu Jin suggested calmly.
“Good, take me there quickly!” The Crown Prince clutched his buttocks, breaking out in a cold sweat.
As today’s male host, Yu Jin naturally accompanied the Crown Prince.
The Crown Princess remained where she stood, her expression complex.
Several princesses gathered around her.
“Second Sister-in-law, what happened?” Princess Lu asked curiously.
The Crown Princess glanced at them and shook her head, “I’m not entirely sure either.”
Was she supposed to tell everyone that the Crown Prince wanted to steal Prince Yan’s dog, but not only did he fail, he got bitten instead?
The Crown Princess’s only consolation now was that she hadn’t brought Chun’er to the banquet. The child wouldn’t witness the farce his unreliable father had caused.
Inside the room, the Crown Prince had already removed his trousers, and a hastily summoned physician was applying medicine to his wound.
“Ouch, be gentle, be gentle!” The Crown Prince cried out repeatedly.
For the Crown Prince, who had grown up pampered and privileged, rarely experiencing even minor bumps over the years, the recent trip to Qianhe County had been his greatest hardship. How could he endure this?
The physician tried to comfort him while treating the wound, “It’s just a small skin tear, Your Highness. Please bear with it for a moment. If we don’t clean the wound properly, there might be complications…”
Finally finishing the treatment, the physician secretly sighed in relief, gave some instructions for aftercare, and hurriedly left with his medicine box.
The Crown Prince, having just been treated, could only lie face down on the bed with his buttocks exposed.
The eunuch approached, “Your Highness, shall I help you up?”
“I can’t even pull up my trousers. Do you want me to get up with my buttocks exposed? Go stand by the door!”
Scolded, the eunuch silently moved to the doorway.
The Crown Prince looked up at Yu Jin.
“Second Brother, why don’t you rest here for a while? I can’t leave my duties today, so I’ll take my leave now. I’ll inform Second Sister-in-law that you’re here.”
Seeing Yu Jin turn to leave, the Crown Prince hurriedly called out, “Seventh Brother, don’t go yet.”
Yu Jin looked at the Crown Prince impassively, “Does Second Brother have something else?”
The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment.
He had coveted Er Niu for a long time. If he didn’t take action, Old Seven wouldn’t just give Er Niu to him voluntarily.
In that case, there was no time like the present. He might as well ask directly. Surely Old Seven wouldn’t offend him, the Crown Prince, over a mere dog.
Having made up his mind, the Crown Prince said with a pained expression, “Er Niu bit me quite badly today—”
Yu Jin calmly asked, “Second Brother must have done something to Er Niu, right?”
The Crown Prince said pitifully, “I didn’t do anything. I even fed Er Niu some braised beef. Er Niu seemed to like it and ate it all up.”
Who knew that with meat still in its mouth, it would bite him?
This dog was truly ungrateful—the Crown Prince thought dejectedly.
Yu Jin’s beautiful eyes narrowed.
Unsolicited favors are never innocent—the Crown Prince must have brought the braised beef, especially from the palace. How considerate of him.
Seeing that he had laid enough groundwork, the Crown Prince drawled, “Seventh Brother, as the Crown Prince, being bitten by Er Niu in public like this… surely we can’t just let it go?”
Yu Jin raised an eyebrow, “Oh? What does Second Brother propose?”
The Crown Prince’s heart leaped with joy, but he tried to maintain a nonchalant expression, “How about this: why don’t you give Er Niu to me? Er Niu is considered an official of the court, so it wouldn’t be right to beat or kill it. But I can’t just lose face like this. Er Niu bit me, so if I become its master, wouldn’t that solve the problem…”
Yu Jin almost laughed in anger.
So this was what the Crown Prince had been getting at all along—he had designs on Er Niu.
He gave the Crown Prince a long, hard look.
When had the Crown Prince started harboring such thoughts?
“Seventh Brother, what do you think?” Seeing Yu Jin’s silence, the Crown Prince asked eagerly.
The eunuch standing by the door suddenly understood.
No wonder His Highness wasn’t angry about being bitten by the dog—he had his eye on it!
He wondered if Prince Yan would agree.
The eunuch pricked up his ears to listen.
Yu Jin said expressionlessly, “I think not.”
The Crown Prince almost choked.
He had considered the possibility that Old Seven might refuse, but he never imagined the refusal would be so blunt, just like Er Niu biting his buttocks without hesitation earlier.
Did Old Seven have any respect for him as the Crown Prince at all?
The Crown Prince couldn’t maintain his composure, his face immediately turning ugly.
“Seventh Brother, Er Niu bit me. We can’t just let it go like this, can we? If you’re unwilling to give Er Niu to me, then a dog that even bites the Crown Prince can’t be kept—” The Crown Prince’s following words were frozen in his throat by the other’s suddenly icy gaze.
Yu Jin’s eyes were cold, cold as ice daggers that could pierce holes in a person.
The Crown Prince suddenly felt the wound on his buttocks hurt even more, with an urge to cover it with his hand.
“Seventh Brother… what are you doing…” The Crown Prince suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
Yu Jin regained his composure and said calmly, “Second Brother can go to Father Emperor and report Er Niu’s offense. I’m sure the Father Emperor will decide how to punish Er Niu. As for anything else—”
He paused here, his tone turning cold, “There’s something I’d like to tell Second Brother in advance.”
The Crown Prince, intimidated by Yu Jin’s terrifying aura, asked instinctively, “What?”
Yu Jin said word by word, “No matter how good other people’s things are, I’ve never coveted them. Likewise, others shouldn’t try to touch what’s mine. As long as Second Brother remembers this, we’ll remain good brothers.”
With that, Yu Jin didn’t even glance at the Crown Prince. He strode to the door and pushed it open, leaving behind a dumbfounded Crown Prince and eunuch.