tallest building

Chapter 223 Disagreements

After Gong Chang'an had breakfast that day, a young eunuch from Ying Tong's side came to find him.

"Fourth Young Master Gong, the young master requests your presence!" The little eunuch said with a fawning smile.

"But tell me why?" Gong Chang'an asked deliberately.

"Uh... I don't know either, but you'll find out when you get there!" the little eunuch chuckled.

Gong Chang'an stopped asking questions, stood up, and followed him out.

Upon seeing Gong Chang'an, Ying Tong immediately grabbed him and said, "Good brother, sit down quickly."

Gong Chang'an hurriedly said, "How can I be addressed as the Crown Prince? No, no."

A tabby cat lay on Ying Tong's seat, its belly up, basking in the sun. Gong Chang'an knew that this cat was Ying Tong's beloved pet, and it was fed better than people.

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Ying Tong said. "Ever since you entered the palace, we've felt like old friends. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Seeing his behavior, Gong Chang'an knew that he needed something from her, but she didn't say anything. She said a few more humble words before sitting down.

As soon as he sat down, the tabby cat snuggled up to him, rubbing against him.

"You little ball of fluff, go play somewhere else!" Ying Tong said indulgently.

Immediately, a young eunuch came over and took the cat away.

Ying Tongcai said to Gong Chang'an, "I heard that His Majesty will test Ying Bai and my writing in a few days. As you know, firstly, we've been practicing riding and archery a lot these days, and secondly, I'm not good at writing."

I'm just afraid I'll be outdone by Ying Bai, that would be too embarrassing. Could you possibly help me out?

"How does Your Highness intend for me to help?" Gong Chang'an asked, blinking.

"I know you write well, why don't you write one for me? Don't make it too good, just try to sound like me." Ying Tong said this with some embarrassment, but she had to.

He naturally trusted Gong Chang'an. Princess Zhao had told him more than once that Wen Mingqian and his mother were very reliable, and now that they were both in the palace, they could naturally help him.

However, his understanding of "helping out" was clearly different from what his mother meant.

Seeing that Gong Chang'an did not express his opinion, he immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is this matter causing you a lot of trouble?"

"I'm naturally happy to relieve the young master's worries," Gong Chang'an said, seeing that the time was right. "However, this matter must not be known to others, otherwise it will be difficult to hear about. I might get a beating from my master, and it will also affect the young master's reputation, won't it?"

"Don't worry about that. No one else will know except you and me," Ying Tong said. "Just write it down. I'll memorize it, burn the original manuscript, and no one will know."

Gong Chang'an agreed, pondered for a moment, and then wrote it down in one go.

Ying Tong was overjoyed to see it. Her eyes were on the paper, but she thanked Gong Chang'an, saying, "Thank you so much. I'll thank you properly later."

Gong Chang'an said, "I dare not accept the young master's thanks. I shall take my leave now."

Ying Tong ordered someone to escort Gong Chang'an out, and said, "No one is allowed to disturb me today unless there is something important."

After leaving Ying Tong, Gong Chang'an went to find Ying Bai.

Ying Bai was reading when he saw Gong Chang'an arrive. He put down his book and smiled, "Why are you here? Have you eaten yet?" "I ate a long time ago," Gong Chang'an said, taking out a small scroll from his pocket. "I heard the young master say the other day that he liked Gu Juezi's paintings. I happen to have one here. I just didn't know which box it was in for a while. Fortunately, I found it yesterday when I was looking for clothes."

"Oh? You have a painting by Gu Juezi? That's incredibly rare. There are only a handful in the palace." The Crown Prince of Chu was delighted to hear this. He reached out and took the painting, opened it, examined it closely, and praised it highly.

Both princes raised in the palace were of above-average talent, but the prince of Zhao was more inclined towards martial arts, while the prince of Chu was more inclined towards literature.

Gong Chang'an, intentionally or unintentionally, catered to the preferences of these two people when they were together. As a result, his relationship with them grew closer and closer.

"Could I borrow this painting for a few days?" Ying Bai asked Gong Chang'an. "I'll return it to you after I've had my fill of it."

“Your Highness, you are too kind to say that. I originally intended to give you this painting as well,” Gong Chang’an said. “I obtained it by chance, but I personally don’t particularly like Gu Juezi’s paintings. Since that’s the case, it would be better to give it to Your Highness. That way, the painting won’t be left to gather dust, and Your Highness’s wishes will be fulfilled.”

"Chang'an, oh Chang'an, how can I praise you enough!" Ying Bai exclaimed, praising him highly. "No wonder everyone says you're so good."

Gong Chang'an simply smiled and said, "Your Highness, please enjoy the show. I will take my leave now."

From that day on, the Crown Prince of Chu carried this painting with him wherever he went, whether walking, sitting, or lying down.

The next day, the weather was sunny.

Both princes are in a good mood today.

The article that Gong Chang'an wrote for Ying Tong won the emperor's praise, and they were given another day off.

Ying Tong said, “Come to my place. Yesterday, my mother sent many good things into the palace, including food and toys. Take your pick.”

The other two had nothing else to do, so they followed him.

Ying Bai was naturally still holding the painting in his hand. After arriving, he sat down and opened it to admire it.

Unexpectedly, Ying Tong's tabby cat suddenly pounced. Ying Bai was startled and, fearing it would damage the painting in his hand, kicked the cat aside.

The raccoon let out a miserable cry and tucked its tail between its legs, shrinking to Ying Tong's feet.

"What are you doing?!" Ying Tong frowned, clearly displeased, and picked up the cat tenderly. "It just wants to play with you."

Although Ying Bai reacted quickly, the cat's claws still scratched the drawing paper, and he felt as if his heart was bleeding.

Normally, he would definitely avoid arguing with Ying Tong, but looking at the scratched painting, he couldn't suppress his anger.

"This is Gu Juezi's prized possession. How can I not feel heartbroken that this little beast scratched it?"

"It's just a painting, what's so great about it? I'll compensate you with a hundred paintings." Ying Tong had always found Ying Bai's tastes somewhat ridiculous. It was just a few strokes from some poor, pedantic literati, so why was it worth looking at so intently? It wasn't a beautiful woman or a famous horse, what was there to examine so closely?
Ying Bai instinctively wanted to retort, but Gong Chang'an quietly tugged at his collar.

"Both princes, please calm down. What happened today was purely accidental. Prince Zhao invited us here with good intentions, but who would have thought that the cat would suddenly be so mischievous?" Gong Chang'an said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "Although the painting is damaged, the craftsmen in the palace should be able to repair it as before. Why don't I take it over to them to have them take a look?"

After his interruption, Ying Bai calmed down considerably and realized that arguing any further would be pointless, so he said, "Fine, I'll go with you!"

Ying Tong was also very unhappy. His cat had been kicked hard, and its body was twitching as if it was about to vomit.

He stroked the cat tenderly, then called to the eunuch beside him, "Bring Wang Heng here and let him take a look at this cat."

Wang Heng was the palace veterinarian. The palace had horses, deer, and many other rare birds and animals, so naturally, there was a veterinarian there.