Roaring Dragon-Chapter 74: Hiding Talent Through Vice?

The Dan Prince’s mansion sat on Zheng’an Street, adjacent to the Imperial City and not far from Buzheng Street.

By the time Xie Jinhuan rode through the city and arrived outside the grand estate, the night was already deep. The streets were nearly deserted, with only a few patrolmen in sight.

Linghu Qingmo had practically grown up alongside Princess Changning, and was well-known throughout the prince’s household. As soon as she reached the gates, the black-armored guards stepped forward respectfully.

“Master Linghu! When did you arrive in the capital?”

“Just got in.”

Linghu Qingmo dismounted in front of the gates and introduced calmly:

“This is Xie Jinhuan, newly appointed Edged Halberd Officer of the Princess’s household.”

The two guards had already heard rumors of Xie Jinhuan’s feats. They quickly bowed, clearly a bit flustered.

“Greetings, Lord Xie!”

“No need for formality. I’ve just arrived—no call for all the ceremony.”

Xie Jinhuan returned the bow politely, then followed behind Qingmo and stepped up the stairs with Meiqiu on his shoulder.

“Has the heir retired for the night?”

“Uh...”

The guard leading them hesitated, clearly wanting to go announce them first.

But Linghu Qingmo, whose job partly included monitoring the heir’s conduct on behalf of the Princess, walked straight ahead:

“No need for announcements. Just take us to him.”

The guards didn’t dare argue and immediately led the way.

Xie Jinhuan, carrying Meiqiu, followed behind her along with Yang Dabiao and the others, winding through courtyards and hallways until they reached the western residence by the lakeside.

It was the middle of the night, and the lakeside garden shimmered under the moonlight.

Looking ahead, Xie Jinhuan spotted a black-robed man standing barefoot on the grass, blindfolded with a cloth strip, listening intently to the rustling wind.

The man bore a striking resemblance to the Dan Prince. Without a doubt, this was the prince’s heir, Zhao De.

Though his posture looked somewhat amateurish, standing there under the moonlight lent him an air of quiet authority.

Xie Jinhuan raised a brow, surprised.

“His Highness is still training this late?”

Linghu Qingmo was equally taken aback and stepped forward, intending to get a closer look. But just then, a page boy named Laifu spoke from under the corridor eaves:

“Your Highness, are you ready?”

Zhao De kept one hand behind his back and responded confidently,

“Begin. Let them all come at once.”

“Are you certain?”

“I’m ready.”

His tone was full of self-assurance.

Xie Jinhuan assumed this was some kind of martial training—or maybe one of those “come at me, I’ll take ten of you” routines—and stood still to watch. Linghu Qingmo, puzzled, also paused.

Laifu, unaware of the group watching from around the corner, clapped twice.

Clap clap—

Tap tap tap...

Moments later, a stream of soft footsteps could be heard from the nearby room.

A dozen or so scantily clad maids tiptoed into the garden, forming a circle around Zhao De.

The heir’s lips curled into a wicked grin as he raised his hands and reached side to side, listening carefully.

“There you are!”

“Eek~ Your Highness missed me!”

“You think you can get away? Hmm... That’s you, Xiuqin!”

“Wah~ You’re amazing, Your Highness...”

“You’ve got the roundest cheeks in the house. Think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Oh, Your Highness, you’re awful~”

...

Silence fell around the corridor corner.

Yang Dabiao, who had half-thought the heir had been possessed, let out a silent sigh of relief. Now that’s the Zhao De I remember.

Linghu Qingmo took a long, deep breath. Same sentiment.

Xie Jinhuan, having never heard any gossip about the heir, stared wide-eyed like Meiqiu.

“So... His Highness is like the Princess?”

“They’re full siblings. What did you think?”

“She’s the older sister?”

“What else?”

Princess Changning’s babyface made her look sixteen at best. Xie had always assumed she was the younger sibling—this was genuinely surprising.

The scene was... unbecoming of a prince’s heir. Linghu Qingmo finally stepped forward and called out:

“Your Highness?”

...

The flirtatious laughter stopped dead.

Zhao De, mid-chase, froze. He turned slowly and asked,

“Which maid just spoke?”

Laifu paled and frantically waved the girls back.

“That’s Lady Linghu!”

Zhao De stiffened. He raised his arms and executed a surprisingly graceful Wild Horse Splits Mane, flowing into an impromptu tai chi form.

“Father, I was training! Practicing sound-based orientation!”

“The Prince isn’t here.”

“Then... sis, let me explain—”

“The Princess isn’t here either.”

“?”

Zhao De stopped again, sighed, and finally removed his blindfold with a dignified flourish.

“Oh? Lady Linghu? What brings you here? And this is...?”

Xie Jinhuan stepped forward and saluted.

“Xie Jinhuan, at Your Highness’s service.”

Though Zhao De was known for his antics, he wasn’t deaf. He clearly knew who Xie Jinhuan was. His eyes lit up as he rushed over like Liu Shan spotting Zhao Yun:

“So you’re Brother Xie! No wonder the walls are shedding paint from sheer charisma!”

“Huh?”

Xie Jinhuan blinked, baffled. Even Meiqiu tilted its head in confusion.

Zhao De reached out to pet Meiqiu, then remembered he was still holding the blindfold and stuffed it behind his back.

“Such honor! Brother Xie, you don’t seem the type for jokes.”

“Uh...”

So that's the 'gray' in charisma, huh... Xie Jinhuan found the pun just tolerable and chuckled.

“Much obliged.”

Seeing that Linghu Qingmo’s face was stone cold, Zhao De realized things were awkward and tried to explain:

“Brother Xie, do you know what I was doing just now?”

Xie Jinhuan could guess—but he figured this was the prince’s way of saving face.

“Training to locate by sound?”

Zhao De waved his hand and responded with dramatic gravitas:

“There’s an old saying: ‘Serving a king is like serving a tiger.’ As the son of a prince—especially one with influence over military, politics, and finance—if I showed both civil and martial brilliance...”

Xie Jinhuan nodded in understanding.

“Your Highness hides your talent beneath vice?”

“Shh~”

Zhao De patted him on the shoulder, wearing the look of someone with secrets too deep to share.

Linghu Qingmo and Yang Dabiao, knowing his true nature, both sucked in a breath. Their expressions seemed to say:

With that level of talent, you think you need to hide it?

Pretty sure the Emperor never worried about your dad getting too powerful because... well, look at you. No court faction would bet on a guy like this.

Still, Zhao De was the future Dan Prince. No one dared mock him to his face.

When behaving normally, Zhao De did carry himself with a noble’s ease—and like his father, he was surprisingly approachable.

“Brother Xie, your contributions in Danzhou were incredible. If I don’t entertain you properly, Father will scold me for poor manners. Laifu! Book a table at Zǐjīn Pavilion. Order the Eight Immortals Banquet! Put it on the Prince’s tab!”

“You got it!”

Xie Jinhuan and even Yang Dabiao were a bit stunned.

Zijin Pavilion was the most extravagant pleasure house in the capital—just the tea cost ten taels to start.

As for the "Eight Immortals Banquet," it was their premium service. The dishes were just a footnote—the main course was eight top courtesans, each with their own jaw-dropping act.

Xie Jinhuan had lived in the capital for sixteen years and never figured out exactly how wild the banquet got. All he knew was that no man left that place standing upright.

Tempting? Yes. But this was clearly Zhao De using Xie’s name for a night of indulgent embezzlement. Xie politely declined:

“Your Highness is too kind. I’ve already received great rewards from the Prince—I couldn’t impose further.”

Afraid that Zhao De would corrupt Xie Jinhuan’s soul, Linghu Qingmo quickly added:

“He’s still recovering from injuries and has had a long day. Better to rest first—perhaps another time.”

Zhao De looked disappointed, but he wasn’t about to let the excuse slip past.

“No drinking, fine—then we’ll just play. Tomorrow, there’s a fun match at the Golden Pavilion: Zhang Huaiyu from the Imperial Academy versus Wei Lu of Snow Eagle Ridge in a test of willpower.”

“I’ve wagered three thousand taels on Zhang Huaiyu. If he loses, put it on the Prince’s tab. If he wins, we split the profits—my treat to Brother Xie!”

The Golden Pavilion functioned as an auction house, but also hosted duels, animal fights, and betting events.

Xie Jinhuan was hurting for silver, but this form of hospitality was... extreme. He glanced at his ever-watchful secretary, Mo Mo.

Linghu Qingmo knew the heir wouldn’t pass up the chance to profit off Xie. She asked,

“What are the rules?”

“Simple. Both men meditate while we put on performances. First one to flinch loses. Instant scandal material—it’s hilarious.”

“Test of will, huh...”

Linghu Qingmo mused aloud:

“Zhang Huaiyu is the protégé of Headmaster Fan from the Imperial Academy—also a junior disciple of Master Mu. He’s visited Danyang Academy a few times. Definitely a true gentleman. Wei Lu... I think he’s the grandson of Wei Wuyi. Why would he challenge a Confucian scholar?”

Zhao De waved a hand.

“He came to the capital for the Empress’s birthday. Stopped by the Academy, caught Zhang Huaiyu reading The Erotic Chronicles of Wei Wuyi, and blew up. Accused him of hypocrisy. Zhang insisted it was academic research. So Wei Lu set up this match to expose him.”

“Ohhh...”

Linghu Qingmo understood now.

She’d seen plenty of racy Confucian writings at Jìwén Study Hall—she could imagine Wei Lu’s outrage. After some thought:

“Zhang Huaiyu probably has better control. But Wei Lu’s no pushover either. I’d say odds are 60/40. Best to bet conservatively.”

Zhao De grinned, confident.

“If Wei Lu got that worked up over a book, his self-control’s garbage. Zhang’s gonna win easy. If the Golden Pavilion didn’t have a betting cap, I’d drop fifty thousand taels without blinking.”

It did sound convincing.

Then Zhao De turned to Xie Jinhuan.

“Of course, Brother Xie’s a true hero. If you enter the match tomorrow, all bets are off.

“Want to give it a try? Anyone can sign up. Just have to sit still. Make it through one round, and you get prize money. The more rounds you clear, the higher the payout. Win the whole thing, and it’s a thousand silver taels!”

Xie Jinhuan, currently needing to scrounge 10,000 taels per week, was intrigued. But he also wasn’t blind to beauty—this kind of contest smelled like a trap.

“I just got to the capital. Don’t know the scene yet. I’ll go check it out first.”

“Fair enough. We’ll see tomorrow then.”