sjar Chapter 586 Lin Jiayou silently handed it over, thinking, "Save some money!"
Chapter 586 Lin Jiayou silently handed it over, thinking, "Save some money!"
During the lunch break, Gu Qingchen pulled Qian Zhenyun to hide under a sycamore tree.
"I've figured it out!" Gu Qingchen slapped his thigh. "The little prince must have been kept too strictly in the palace and had been cooped up for too long, so he ran out to get some fresh air!"
Qian Zhenyun suddenly realized: "That's right! There are so many rules in the palace, how could a little kid like him stand it? If I were him, I would suffocate too!"
“Exactly!” Gu Qingchen nodded vigorously. “Look at him, everything is new and interesting to him. He even finds the roof of our dilapidated private school interesting. He must have never seen the outside world.”
As the two were talking, they saw the young prince walking towards them, surrounded by several eunuchs.
"Gu Qingchen." The little prince walked up to her, his big eyes sparkling. "Could you take me to see what you were talking about earlier, the roof you mentioned?"
Gu Qingchen glanced at the nervous eunuchs behind him and shook his head: "Forget it, you have too many followers, it's inconvenient."
The young prince turned to look behind him and frowned: "They are indeed in the way."
After saying that, he waved to the eunuchs: "You may all leave. I need to spend some time alone with my classmates."
"Your Highness, this is absolutely forbidden!" the head eunuch cried out anxiously. "Your safety—"
"It's alright," the young prince waved his hand. "What danger could there be in the private school?"
The eunuchs exchanged glances, but ultimately dared not disobey the crown prince's wishes. They could only retreat to the side, but their eyes remained fixed on the scene.
The young prince nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Gu Qingchen: "Is it alright now?"
Gu Qingchen looked around and indeed, although the eunuchs were still there, at least they weren't sticking close to them anymore.
“Alright.” She stood up. “But what’s the point of just looking at the roof? I’ll take you to a more fun place.”
Qian Zhenyun anxiously tugged at her sleeve: "Sister, where are you taking His Highness?"
"Go outside!" Gu Qingchen said matter-of-factly. "What's so fun about this private school? The outside world is much more exciting!"
Qian Zhenyun nearly fainted from fright: "Sister, are you crazy? Taking His Highness the Crown Prince out without permission is a capital offense!"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Gu Qingchen waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like we're going to any dangerous place, we're just going for a walk around the neighborhood."
Upon hearing the word "go out," the young prince's eyes immediately lit up: "Can we really go out?"
"Of course!" Gu Qingchen patted her chest and assured her, "I've been in this academy for several days now, I know it very well!"
She glanced around to make sure the eunuchs weren't paying attention, then lowered her voice and said to them, "Come with me, I know a secret passage."
As she spoke, she took the lead and walked towards the back wall of the academy.
There was a small door there that was usually used to transport odds and ends. The lock on the door had been broken for a long time, and she had made a point of noting it when she discovered it a few days ago.
Qian Zhenyun was feeling uneasy, but seeing how excited Gu Qingchen and the Crown Prince were, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.
Lin Jiayou followed silently behind without saying a word, but his eyes held a complex emotion.
The four little rascals crept up to the back wall, and Gu Qingchen pointed to a small door hidden by vines at the base of the wall.
"Come on, let me show you the wonderful world outside!" Gu Qingchen said, and took the lead in bending down and crawling out.
The young prince stared curiously at the narrow opening that only allowed one person to pass through, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He followed Gu Qingchen's example, crouching low as he slipped out. Qian Zhenyun and Lin Jiayou followed closely behind.
As soon as he stepped out of the private school, the young prince was captivated by the scene before him.
The wide streets were bustling with people, filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and shouting, and a dazzling array of novel stalls.
He opened his obsidian-like eyes wide, looking left and right, as if trying to take in all the excitement.
"Wow! So many people!" the little prince exclaimed. "And this, what is this?" He pointed to a sugar figurine stall, his face full of curiosity.
Gu Qingchen proudly raised his chin: "These are called sugar figurines, and they're super sweet!"
However, their group, especially the young prince in his bright yellow robes, was too conspicuous in the crowd.
Passersby turned their heads to look, and some of the bolder ones even stopped to point and whisper about the young prince.
"Look, isn't that child wearing the color of the Crown Prince?"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. Why would someone from the palace be here?"
"But the fabric and the color of that outfit are clearly royal!"
Gu Qingchen felt a little uncomfortable listening to these comments. She tugged at the little prince's sleeve and whispered, "Your clothes are too conspicuous. You should change next time you come out."
The young prince paid no attention to these things. He walked up to a stall selling rattle drums and stared at the colorful drums with bright eyes.
"How do you play this?" he asked, pointing to a rattle drum.
The stall owner enthusiastically picked it up and shook it, making a crisp sound. The little prince was immediately attracted and reached out to take it.
"Boss, how much is this?" the young prince asked.
Gu Qingchen then realized that none of them had brought any money. She touched her empty purse and looked at Qian Zhenyun.
"Qian Gun Gun, did you bring any money?" Gu Qingchen asked.
Qian Zhenyun shook his head, looking completely innocent: "I didn't bring it when I came out."
Upon hearing this, the little prince's face immediately fell, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Just then, Lin Jiayou took out a small pouch from his pocket and silently handed it over.
“There are some here.” His voice was soft, yet carried a reassuring calmness.
Gu Qingchen's eyes lit up. He took the purse, opened it, and found several pieces of silver and some copper coins inside.
"Lin Jiayou, you're really rich!" Gu Qingchen exclaimed. "But is this enough?"
Lin Jiayou pursed his lips. Before he came to Bailu Academy, his uncle did give him a lot of money, but it was probably not enough to support these people causing trouble on the street.
The stall owner looked at the children, a shrewd glint in his eyes.
He glanced at the young prince's bright yellow robes, then at the clothes of the other children, and had already made up his mind.
"These rattles usually sell for five coins each, but seeing how distinguished you young gentlemen are, I'll give them to you for ten coins," the stall owner said with a smile.
Gu Qingchen frowned, feeling that the price was a bit off, but she didn't know much about the market, so she could only take out ten coins from Lin Jiayou's purse and hand them to the stall owner.
The young prince took the rattle drum, shook it excitedly, and listened to the crisp sound, a bright smile spreading across his face.
"That's so much fun!" he exclaimed happily. "Let's go check out some other places!"