CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: ASPIRING TO BE A PROFLIGATE SON

When Liang Run saw the young nobles glaring angrily at Zhao Yao, he was about to stand in front of his nephew, but then he heard his nephew say, "Second Uncle, let’s go."

Zhao Yao was not afraid of these young nobles with fierce expressions. Although he didn’t know why they were glaring at him, he didn’t care.

The young nobles stared wide-eyed, watching the little one stroll past them.

They couldn’t believe it. The little one didn’t cry in fear; he walked away confidently.

It was only after Zhao Yao left that the young nobles came to their senses. They looked at each other, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Did the little one just leave like that?" The one speaking was a Little Fatty, the youngest son of Song Dekang, named Song Jicai. Because of his plumpness, he was called Fatty.

"Weren’t we scary just now?" This was Zhang He, the youngest son of General Zhang Gong, tall, sturdy, and dark-skinned, nicknamed "Hei Zi" (Black One). They had put on their scariest faces, and usually, others would have been scared stiff by now.

"That little one didn’t seem afraid of us at all; if it were any other little one, they’d be crying by now." The speaker was Shen Sen, the youngest son of General Shen Hu, nicknamed "Three Logs." "The little one looks like a sticky rice ball, but surprisingly he’s quite brave."

Chu Huan said, "That little one didn’t take us seriously at all." He was the youngest son of General Chu Ying, nicknamed Xiao Bai for his fair complexion.

"Impossible, we’re the bullies of the West Market, who wouldn’t be afraid of us?" Zhang He couldn’t accept that the four bullies were ignored, "It must be that our expressions weren’t scary enough just now."

"I used my usual expression," Song Jicai said with a pout, "That little sticky rice ball looked quiet and obedient, it would have been fun to make him cry, but he didn’t cry."

Shen Sen rubbed his chin and said, "Our intimidating power must be declining."

"Not at all, when I was buying snacks just now, the shop assistant was very scared of me, trembling when they saw me." Song Jicai was still holding a few bags of the newly bought snacks. These were for his sister.

"That little sticky rice ball’s courage must be very big," Chu Huan said, frowning, "It’s the first time we didn’t make a kid cry."

"This is a huge disgrace," Song Jicai said with a grim face, "If others find out, our reputation as the four bullies will be gone."

"Right, this hurts our reputation," Chu Huan said, and his expression suddenly became serious, "Next time we see that sticky rice ball, we must make him cry, so he understands our power."

"Aiyah, we shouldn’t have let him go just now," Shen Sen said angrily, "That sticky rice ball runs quite fast."

"Next time we see him, we must scare him until he cries out loud, or our reputation will be ruined."

"We must let him know just how terrifying we are!"

Meanwhile, Zhao Yao, who was being discussed by the four bullies, suddenly felt an itch in his nose and quickly rubbed it.

"Yao Yao, what happened just now? Why were those four bullies glaring at you so maliciously?"

Zhao Yao shook his head and said, "I don’t know." He hadn’t provoked them, so who knew why they were glaring at him.

"Could it be they wanted to snatch the snacks in your hand just now?" guessed Liang Run.

Zhao Yao thought it was highly possible and nodded in agreement, "Seeing that you, my Second Uncle, are an adult, they didn’t dare to come and snatch my snacks."

Angrily, Liang Run said with a slightly grim expression, "They have the nerve of a bear and a leopard to even think about snatching your snacks."

"If they had tried to snatch my snacks just now, I definitely wouldn’t have let them off," Zhao Yao said fiercely.

"These four bullies take advantage of their fathers being generals and behave recklessly everywhere," Liang Run said, frowning.

"That’s how young nobles are," he added honestly, he also wanted to be a carefree and reckless child of nobility, eating, drinking, and having fun every day, without anyone to control him. It sounded delightful, but unfortunately, he wasn’t born into it. "Not just them, but most of the children of high-ranking officials in the capital are like this."

"That’s true."

"If I were them, I’d be like that too."

"You would be like that too?" Liang Run was startled by Zhao Yao’s words, "Yao Yao, you want to be a young noble?"

Zhao Yao actually nodded, "Yeah, being a young noble is great."

Liang Run’s face darkened instantly, he couldn’t believe it as he asked, "What’s so great about being a young noble?"

Zhao Yao held up a finger and said, "Firstly, young nobles don’t have to study hard."

Liang Run felt mixed emotions at his nephew’s words, "You want to be a young noble just so you don’t have to study hard?"

"Yes, young nobles are all dummies, no one forces them to study hard." There’s nothing wrong with being a dummy, "Secondly, as a young noble, you can play whatever you want."

"You can also play whatever you want."

"Not really," Zhao Yao wrinkled his little face, "I can’t even leave the palace freely; I have to sneak out, so where can I really play whatever I want?" Being a Prince, although prestigious, comes with many rules to follow. "I can’t play in the West Market every day like they do." The palace really isn’t fun.

These words left Liang Run speechless.

"Most importantly, as a young noble, as long as you don’t go overboard, no one will manage you."

"Yao Yao, being a young noble will make people look down on you."

Zhao Yao shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "If they look down on me, so be it, I won’t lose a pound of flesh." He didn’t care about others’ opinions; he just wanted to be happy himself. "Second Uncle, doing bad deeds is normal for young nobles, and people won’t find it surprising."

"Is that really a benefit?" Liang Run was shocked at Yao Yao’s thoughts.

"Of course, it’s a benefit. That way, you don’t have to honestly follow the rules." Zhao Yao’s expression suddenly became serious, "Most importantly, if a young noble does one good thing, they will be praised."

Liang Run didn’t quite understand what Zhao Yao meant, looking a bit puzzled, he said, "Regardless of who does something good, they’d be praised, I think."

Zhao Yao raised his index finger and shook it, "It’s different."

"What’s different?"

"Second Uncle, it’s like how a bad person often does bad things, but one day if they suddenly do something good, everyone will praise them and even think they’ve changed for the better, forgetting the bad deeds they’ve done before." Zhao Yao said, "If a good person always does good things, everyone gets used to it, but if one day they suddenly do something bad, everyone will think they’ve become bad, forgetting all the good things they’ve done before."

Liang Run was stunned, staring at Zhao Yao.

"Yao Yao, you..."

"Second Uncle, isn’t that the way it is?"

"You’re right," Liang Run sighed, "The world demands a lot from good people, but they’re very lenient toward bad people."

"It’s the same for young nobles, that’s why it’s better to be a lawless young noble." He wanted to be a carefree Prince, but reality didn’t allow it, so he could only be a foolish Prince.

Liang Run now felt that Zhao Yao’s words made a lot of sense, "Yao Yao, do you really want to be a reckless child of nobility?"

"I do want to, but unfortunately, I can’t," Zhao Yao said, pulling a sour face, "If I’m uneducated, unruly, disobedient, and act out, Father will definitely beat me to death. Father doesn’t allow his sons to behave recklessly, and neither do the ministers." Those Imperial Censors always keep an eye on the members of the Imperial Family, and even the slightest mistake will be reported.

"Most importantly, I don’t have the confidence to be a young noble." If he were like his second and third brothers, when he grew up, he would be a carefree Prince.

Hearing Zhao Yao’s last sentence, Liang Run felt a pang in his heart.

"It’s all because the Liang family has neither power nor influence, making you and your sister live cautiously in the palace."

Seeing Liang Run looking full of guilt, Zhao Yao knew he misunderstood and quickly said, "Second Uncle, I didn’t mean to blame you. The Liang family lacking power and influence isn’t a bad thing; at least it keeps Mother and me out of the vicious battles for the throne." If the Liang family had power, even if he wanted to be a carefree Prince, they’d force him into the competition for the throne.