The Ninth Prince entered the palace to retrieve some silver, and Young Master Su was successfully freed. As he stood up, his legs were numb from squatting, and the Ten Linked Rings in his hand clattered.

He ran back and stopped at a small stall, picked up a small wooden ox, and looked at the Ninth Prince, saying, "The usual rule, pay first, and I’ll pay you back later."

"I’m out of money," the Ninth Prince said.

Young Master Su twitched his mouth, "This only costs one silver."

"I don’t even have a copper coin," the Ninth Prince said.

Young Master Su just looked at the Ninth Prince.

The Ninth Prince looked back at him.

"How much did the Emperor give you when you entered the palace just now?" Young Master Su asked curiously.

"One silver, enough to redeem you."

"..."

Young Master Su was stunned.

The Emperor had actually given him only one silver?

Unwillingly, Young Master Su put down the wooden ox and said, "Didn’t you think to ask the Emperor for a bit more?"

Young Master Zhao nodded.

Exactly.

To rush into the palace and only come back with one silver.

The Ninth Prince rolled his eyes at the two of them.

That’s his father the Emperor, not someone you can ask for more money from casually.

If you don’t ask properly, the Emperor might give you a beating instead of silver.

The Ninth Prince looked at the Nine Linked Rings in his hand, "My father rewarded me this."

Although I really didn’t want it.

Young Master Zhao had already noticed that both the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen each had a Nine Linked Rings.

The one in Young Master Su’s hand was made of copper, incomparable to theirs.

Young Master Su’s eyes lit up, "This is gold."

The Ninth Prince wished he could use the Nine Linked Rings to knock him.

So what if it’s gold?

It’s a reward from the Emperor, can it be pawned?

Moreover, the Emperor expects him to solve the Nine Linked Rings and show him.

Thinking about how he got involved because of Young Master Su, the Ninth Prince especially wanted to hit him.

But for now, tricking Young Master Zhao was more important.

Young Master Zhao had just witnessed Young Master Su being engrossed in playing with the Ten Linked Rings, now the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen each had one, but he didn’t.

He looked at this, then at that, and pointed at the Nine Linked Rings, "Is this fun?"

"Very fun," the Ninth Prince said.

Young Master Shen looked at the Ninth Prince.

Earlier in the carriage, he didn’t say that.

Young Master Zhao looked at him, and Young Master Shen nodded firmly, "It’s fun."

Young Master Zhao also wanted to play, "I’ll go back and ask my dad to buy me one."

Saying that, he turned and ran.

Young Master Su looked at the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen and said, "You two are really not sincere, tricking him like that."

"When you tricked us, you didn’t remember to be sincere?!" the Ninth Prince glared at him.

"..."

Young Master Su looked innocent, "How did I trick you?"

The Ninth Prince was too angry to speak, and Young Master Shen held up the Nine Linked Rings in his hand, "It’s this, the Emperor wants the Ninth Prince to solve it."

Although it wasn’t explicitly said that he should solve it too, Young Master Shen felt he wouldn’t be an exception.

Even if the Emperor didn’t care, his dad would surely want him to solve it.

They were all tricked by him!

Why play with anything else but the Nine Linked Rings.

Young Master Su felt at ease, he said, "When my dad asked me to solve the Nine Linked Rings, he said it took a very smart person to solve it."

If it wasn’t for Marquis Dongxiang provoking him, could Young Master Su endure playing with this?

He would’ve thrown it onto the roof after a few tries.

Fueled by anger, Young Master Su sulked for half a month before solving it.

Playing with the Ten Linked Rings was because his anger wasn’t fully vented, he wanted to show his dad that solving the Nine Linked Rings was nothing, even the Ten Linked Rings couldn’t stop him.

The Ninth Prince looked at the Nine Linked Rings, he also needed to solve it quickly, couldn’t let Su Yang take longer than him.

With no money to shop, they rode their horses back to the mansion.

Hmm.

After a few months, the foal had grown quite a bit, but as for them, they couldn’t keep pace with the horse’s growth, and riding on the horse’s back didn’t fit as well as before.

However, feeding and washing the horse daily, the bond between them and the horse was very strong. The horse was intelligent with affection and wouldn’t throw its master off.

The servant led the horse back.

Mrs. Tang had already learned about her son pawning himself to a small vendor for a Ten Linked Rings, and the Ninth Prince going to the palace to ask the Emperor for money to redeem him.

She indeed brought out the feather duster bought some time ago, chasing Young Master Su as feathers flew everywhere.

Of course, with such a big show, Mrs. Tang’s blows didn’t land on Young Master Su much; her speed couldn’t match Young Master Su’s escape.

Out of breath, Mrs. Tang watched Young Master Su hiding behind a pillar, sticking his head out to look at her, which made her want to call someone to hold him down for a beating.

The maid and servants were used to this scene, no one stepped forward to intervene, nor did anyone say anything nice for him.

Young Master Su said, "Mom, I didn’t buy anything else, it’s the Ten Linked Rings, Dad would definitely buy it for me."

Mrs. Tang understood Marquis Dongxiang’s temperament; for something so easily challenging for their son, no matter how much money, he would buy it. "Couldn’t you have gone back to get money first before buying it?!"

"Couldn’t you wait for a short while?!"

Young Master Su circled around the pillar, cautiously guarding against his mother’s sneak attack, still arguing, "I was anxious, I searched several streets, only that stall had it, and there was only one. I’d miss it if I left."

"Dad said, don’t do things you’ll regret."

"So you confidently pawned the Ninth Prince there?!" Mrs. Tang said angrily.

Young Master Su didn’t reply.

Mrs. Tang glared at him, "Go kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours."

Young Master Su stood there not moving.

Mrs. Tang slapped the little table with the feather duster in her hand, "Do you want to kneel, or should I have someone hang you up for a beating?!"

Young Master Su ran off immediately.

The Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen followed behind him.

Of course, they weren’t going to kneel; they were supervising him.

To see if he would dare to trick them again.

Once they left, Mrs. Tang threw the feather duster on the ground and took deep breaths to calm herself.

As long as she wasn’t disciplining her son, she remained an elegant and graceful noble lady.

With feathers all over the floor, Mrs. Tang stepped away.

The maids quickly tidied up, one picked up a feather from the corner and laughed, "In another year or two, Madam may really not catch the Young Master."

"What does it matter, isn’t there still the Marquis?" another maid laughed.

"It’s not like there are wars every year."

"..."

In the ancestral hall, Young Master Su knelt on the ground.

After a quarter of an hour, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer, took out the Ten Linked Rings from his chest, and began to play with it.

The Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen were convinced; he was truly accustomed to this.

Young Master Su knelt on the prayer mat, while the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen sat by the front door, both solving the Nine Linked Rings.

Young Master Zhao had returned to the Zhao Family, easily persuading Old Master Zhao to buy him a Nine Linked Rings.

He ran back with the Nine Linked Rings, the joy on his face making the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen a bit guilty.

Young Master Zhao sat beside them, and after a short while, realized he had been tricked.

How is this thing fun?!

Not at all!

Thinking about what he could have been playing, now stuck here because of their prank, scratching his head in frustration, unable to solve it.

The Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen were led into this by Young Master Su.

He was deceived by the two of them and led into the trap!

To think he trusted them so much, they actually tricked him?!

Young Master Zhao couldn’t hold back and started fighting with the Ninth Prince and Young Master Shen.

When Young Master Su finished his punishment, the three of them beat him up again.

After the fight, they played the Nine Linked Rings with tears.

No other choice, Old Master Zhao said that while he could buy it for him, if he couldn’t solve it within half a month, he shouldn’t think of getting next month’s advance on his monthly salary.

But if he solved it, he could use this gold like money.