The Youngest Prince of the Zhou Family - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Youngest Master of the Zhu Family (32)

Festival

Zhu Family Grand Festival.

It’s a kind of grand festival that began with the meaning of widely proclaiming the Zhu Family’s prestige throughout All Under Heaven.

As it was a festival with a long history, renowned figures from all over the country began to flock here.

“I am Seom Mun-young of the Seom Family from Jinhae. It’s an honor to be able to come to the Zhu Family Grand Festival like this.”

“I am Ho Po-gwan-chang from Shaanxi. It’s been a while.”

Countless visitors crossed the main gate of the Zhu Family.

The one greeting the guests was the Zhu Family’s chief steward, Ju Yu-kyung.

The Family Head, Ju Tae-seong, was looking down at this scene from the back garden of the estate.

The Zhu Family’s back garden was located on slightly higher ground than the other inner and outer compounds, so it had a structure where one could see clearly below.

Therefore, he could observe all the visitors coming and going.

“Unlike last time, the festival hasn’t even started yet, but there seem to be really many visitors. Don’t you think so?”

“Hmm, does my lady see it that way too?”

Yu Harin was also by his side.

Unlike before, Yu Harin’s previously pale skin now had quite a bit of color, and she had gained enough stamina to easily handle light walks.

Ju Tae-seong gently wrapped his arm around Yu Harin’s shoulders.

“I heard Woo Jin caused trouble again this time?”

“Ahem, what trouble. He just got hurt a little, they said.”

Indeed, secrets don’t exist within the estate.

The moment Ju Tae-seong informed the elders, the secret had essentially disappeared.

It was when the two were spending intimate time together.

“As expected. You were here.”

A cold voice was heard.

Graceful posture, proudly closed lips, and sharply extended eye corners.

There was no room for excuses that she was a typical beauty, but somehow a woman with a slightly chilly impression entered the back garden.

“You’ve returned?”

“….”

Ju Tae-seong’s attitude toward her was cold.

On the other hand, Yu Harin greeted her warmly.

“Welcome back, Lady Namgung.”

“…Is it alright for you to be out here when your health isn’t good?”

A cold retort.

She was Ju Tae-seong’s third wife.

Originally there was also a second wife, but unfortunately, she had passed away first.

“My health has improved quite a bit. By the way, did you rest well at your natal home?”

Yu Harin asked in a gentle tone, but Namgung Yi-hwa didn’t even respond with her cold expression.

Instead, she just glared at Yu Harin and made a displeased expression.

“…I should go now.”

Namgung Yi-hwa’s greeting was quite spiteful.

She was a woman with tremendous pride in her origins as the noble daughter of the Head of Namgung Family.

“Ha, you’re not even asking about Sang-jin and Sang-ah’s well-being?”

Namgung Yi-hwa shouted angrily at Ju Tae-seong, who was leaving the back garden with an indifferent attitude.

As if this was a usual occurrence, Ju Tae-seong ignored her to the end and left the back garden just like that.

A situation where only Yu Harin and she remained.

Namgung Yi-hwa slowly opened her mouth.

“Why don’t you go visit your natal home instead? Your health is weak, and you won’t be able to watch the festival anyway, right?”

Yu Harin smiled brightly at Namgung Yi-hwa’s words.

“But I’ve become much healthier, you know? I’m really fine now. Rather, after stopping all the medicine, my body became this light, you see?”

Yu Harin spun around once in place as if to show off.

At that sight, Namgung Yi-hwa felt even more fire rising in her stomach.

“You stopped… the medicine?”

“Yes. Well, there was poison in it, apparently.”

“….”

Namgung Yi-hwa quietly closed her mouth.

Since she was the only one who didn’t know about such a big incident, did she think she was being ignored?

Yu Harin spoke quietly toward her.

“It wasn’t such a big deal, so don’t worry too much.”

“Who says I’m worried? Ha, really.”

Namgung Yi-hwa turned around sharply.

Her expression was noticeably stiff.

Yu Harin smiled and delivered a pointed remark toward her.

“Oh, and… rather than whining to the Family Head asking him to inquire about Sang-jin and Sang-ah’s well-being first, shouldn’t those two children run to the Family Head and Foster Mother first to pay their respects? That’s proper etiquette and the family’s rules.”

“….”

Yu Harin was being irritating to the very end.

Soon, Namgung Yi-hwa glared at Yu Harin silently as if in a bad mood, then left the back garden just like that.

“Sigh.”

Watching her retreating figure, Yu Harin let out a quiet sigh.

Since she, who was always full of complaints and dissatisfaction, had returned, it was an obvious fact that the estate would become quite noisy from now on.

Her head was already throbbing.

​

* * *

​

The Zhu Family Grand Festival is a grand festival held for about ten days.

For the first two days after the festival begins, light banquets are held to enjoy refreshments and tea, and at night, spirits are raised with alcohol.

Since there would be people who traveled long distances, the first two days meant to rest comfortably without burden and adapt.

Moreover, Jiangxi’s entertainment was famous enough to be rumored as the best in the Central Plains.

The Zhu Family separately invited famous dancers and musicians to hold grand banquets, which were quite a spectacle to behold.

“Kihya! As expected of the Zhu Family. I participate in this festival every year, and each time my mouth drops open. Really.”

“You’re absolutely right. If I had known it would be like this, I should have come every time too. Keuh.”

People were drinking and getting to know each other.

“By the way, I’m curious. Why doesn’t the Sword Master choose a Young Family Head?”

“He must be being cautious. It’s not like there are just one or two talented individuals.”

“That’s true, the Eldest Young Master received the title of Sword Dragon at the young age of twenty, and the Second Young Master is also the Head of Namgung Family’s grandson, so it’s truly remarkable.”

Woo Jin’s story was completely left out there.

“I don’t know for sure, but I think the Eldest Young Master is likely to be the next Young Family Head…”

“That’s true, but actually, that… isn’t bloodline the problem?”

“Bloodline?”

“Don’t you know?”

“I don’t know, tell me. Why is bloodline an issue?”

The man who brought up the topic lowered his voice even more and carefully began to speak.

“Ah, well. Originally the Foster Mother was the legitimate wife, right? But since she couldn’t bear children… the family hurriedly arranged a political marriage, which was with Jin Family Head’s eldest daughter, Lady Jin Seo-hwa, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of this. That’s right, yes! Lady Jin Seo-hwa!”

People nodded their heads.

“The problem is her background, Jin Family Head isn’t from any famous family… But Lady Jin Seo-hwa bore a son and daughter, so they are…”

“Oh ho, those people are the Eldest Young Master and Eldest Young Lady?”

“That’s right. Good skills, good personality. But still, the problem is their background…”

“Hmm, that is difficult indeed. If we only consider background, the Second Young Master and Second Young Lady are perfect.”

It’s the mighty Namgung Family.

There’s no one here who would say the bloodline of the Namgung Family isn’t remarkable.

No, you wouldn’t find one even if you searched all under heaven.

“Wait, didn’t the Foster Mother of the Zhu Family barely give birth to just one son?”

“Ahem, there is one, but…”

Suddenly, people’s expressions turned sour as if they had eaten shit.

“That bastard is such a scoundrel… You know, right? Tsk.”

Nothing good could be said about him.

“Still, considering his lineage, isn’t he the most suitable?”

“Well, that’s true too. He has the Shaanxi Yu Family as his maternal family, and he’s practically the legitimate son of the Zhu Family Head, isn’t he?”

“He’s just young, that’s all. In fact, he has the most legitimate bloodline. Hmm.”

“Hey, why are we talking about such things after coming all this way? It’s not like we’re the ones deciding.”

“You’re right. Hehe, everyone raise your cups.”

People quickly forgot what they had been saying and got absorbed in other topics.

And there was someone who had been watching all of this.

Crack.

With the sound of grinding teeth, a woman quietly set down the tea cup she had been holding.

“…How dare they.”

Those ignorant fools were comparing her son to other lowly bastards.

Namgung Yi-hwa despised that fact.

The only ones with noble blood were her children, born with half Namgung blood and half Zhu Family blood.

“It doesn’t matter what they babble about.”

Namgung Yi-hwa barely suppressed her anger.

She had returned home after a long time, but everything was just infuriating.

“Anyway, the Elders will all support Sang-jin.”

Thinking of the elders, Namgung Yi-hwa finally seemed relieved as she lifted her tea cup.

She was a greedy person.

Therefore, she felt she absolutely had to make her son the master of the Zhu Family to be satisfied.

If not for that, she wouldn’t have married Ju Tae-seong in the first place.

How dare they take a daughter of the Namgung Family as their mistress, and not even as the legitimate wife but as the third wife?

It was something her pride couldn’t allow, but she had endured it looking toward the future.

‘If only he becomes the Young Family Head, if only…’

Everything would be over.

Numerous elders supported her son Sang-jin, and for this martial arts tournament, he had entered the Namgung household to train simultaneously.

‘If he makes a proper impression here, the Young Family Head position is guaranteed.’

The problem was Sword Dragon, but this time she was confident of winning.

Sang-jin also possessed martial talent no less than Sword Dragon’s.

Dreaming of a happy future, Namgung Yi-hwa finally smiled brightly.

​

* * *

​

Jiangxi Province, Nanchang.

A carriage raced across the main road like an arrow.

Its destination was the Zhu Family Estate.

It had been exactly seven days since leaving the Tang Family Estate before I could return home.

‘The martial arts tournament must have already started.’

At the end of the martial arts tournament, a small martial competition between direct descendants is held.

But “small” only referred to the scale – in fact, the real charm of the martial arts tournament lay precisely in this martial competition.

It was a golden opportunity to witness the martial arts of the direct descendants.

Every martial artist harbors desires for advanced martial arts.

The warriors of the Zhu Family were no exception to this rule.

If anything, they were even more so.

Still, I had managed to time it roughly right before the martial competition, as Father had ordered.

I wasn’t particularly interested in this festival to begin with, but Father seemed to want to show me advanced martial arts.

And so the main gate of the Zhu Family Estate came into view.

The carriage stopped.

I gave the coachman who had worked hard double the promised money, and we immediately walked along the main road toward the main gate.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, vermin.”

An irritating, unlucky voice that made my annoyance surge just from hearing it rang in my ears.

Someone was standing in front of the main gate.

Ju Sang-jin.

The person who would be my Second Brother… no, that bastard.

I don’t have very good memories of that bastard.

Every single day, whenever he sees me, he’s dying to devour me – he’s just a complete… son of a bitch.

He had been staying at his maternal family home for several months, but it seems he came running right back when the martial arts tournament opened.

As expected, he approached me with the expression of a predator that had found its prey.

“I heard you got beaten up somewhere and caused trouble for the Tang Family? What a sight.”

“…”

“Oh? No greeting for your brother you’re seeing after so long. Is it because you haven’t been beaten lately?”

Ju Sang-jin said this while drawing up his internal energy.

Normally I would have cowered and run away, or gotten thoroughly beaten up, but now there was no need for that at all.

I could snap Ju Sang-jin’s neck in just one move.

“Stop it, Second Young Master.”

Then Yu Ran stepped forward to stop Sang-jin.

“Huh? Why is Sister Yu Ran coming out from there?”

“It was the Family Head’s order. To guard the youngest young master.”

“What? Keke, now you’re even receiving protection from the Red Dragon Squad Leader… Wow, you’re really the shame of the Zhu Family. A shame.”

Ah, my head is already spinning.

Now that this son of a bitch is back, things are going to get quite troublesome.

“Aren’t you going to greet me?”

“…”

Looking at Ju Sang-jin who was picking a fight out of nowhere, I smiled bitterly.

“Long time no see.”

“Ha, now you’re openly being cheeky.”

“Should I cry for you then?”

From now on, I decided I would no longer tolerate his misdeeds.

I was planning to crush him so thoroughly that he wouldn’t even dare to act up.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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