"Your Highness, we have arrived!"
Just as Qin Hui was feeling a bit awkward, a servant's voice finally came from outside the door.
"Let's go. You should know him, right? When you were at the Imperial Academy, you were his teacher!"
The carriage finally stopped again, and Zhao Zhen looked at Qin Hui and said.
"There's no such thing as a teacher-student relationship. I was just a school official..."
As Qin Hui said this, he felt a little embarrassed. Compared to teacher-student, he and Han Mo were more like enemies.
There had to be a limit to bragging, and he knew that clearly. If he dared to put on airs in front of Han Mo, he would probably be thoroughly beaten and lost.
"Regardless, he's an old acquaintance. Let's go in together!"
Glancing at Qin Hui out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Zhen turned and walked directly into the wine shop.
Rather than wanting to broaden Qin Hui's horizons, it was more that he was a bit flustered at this moment and didn't dare to face Han Mo alone.
"Your Highness!"
While others didn't recognize Zhao Zhen, Jiang Yan did. Seeing Zhao Zhen walk in from outside, he quickly stepped forward to bow.
"Brother Han really has a refined taste..."
Just as Zhao Zhen was about to ask where Han Mo was, he suddenly heard the sound of chopping wood coming from the backyard.
After a moment of愣住, Zhao Zhen said with a wry smile.
"My lord said he was feeling troubled, so..."
As he said this, even Jiang Yan found it hard to continue. After all, who would not sleep in this heavy snow and insist on chopping wood outside? Such a thing was not something a normal person would do.
"It's nothing. Brother Han has always been unrestrained. You don't need to mind me. I'll go to the backyard to see Brother Han!"
Leaving Han Mo's guards in the main hall, Zhao Zhen led Qin Hui to the backyard.
Although it was already February in Jiangnan, seeing Han Mo chopping wood shirtless in the snowy night, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but be stunned.
"Brother Han, you really have a refined taste!"
Even though Zhao Zhen had intentionally made his footsteps louder, Han Mo seemed not to have heard him at all. He was still engrossed in chopping firewood. Helpless, Zhao Zhen coughed and spoke first.
"You've made me look foolish, Your Highness. I was lost in thought just now and didn't hear you approaching. Your Highness, why have you come so late?" After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Han Mo, still shirtless, clasped his hands towards Zhao Zhen and asked.
"It's really nothing major. I just finished my work and heard that Brother Han had arrived in Suzhou. I came to see you specifically!"
Even though he knew this young man was pretending to be ignorant, Zhao Zhen had no choice but to say it with a forced smile.
"So that's how it is. Your Highness, why don't you wait in the front for a moment? I'll be done chopping soon!"
After hearing Han Mo's words and looking at the axe that had been prepared nearby, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. This young man wasn't really asking him to wait in the front...
"I remember the first time we met, we were chopping wood outside Bianliang city, weren't we?"
After a dry cough, Zhao Zhen could only make conversation.
"That's indeed the case. At that time, Your Highness was just a leisurely prince. Not like now, with high position and heavy responsibilities!"
Although Han Mo spoke with a smile, the same words, when heard by Zhao Zhen, truly gave him a different feeling.
"Brother Han deserves the greatest credit for my current status!"
Although he felt a little uncomfortable, Zhao Zhen forced a smile, thinking of his purpose today.
"Your Highness is too kind. Han Mo has actually done nothing. It's all Your Highness's good fortune!"
The more polite Han Mo spoke, the hotter Zhao Zhen's face became.
Strictly speaking, Han Mo had not wronged him in any way. On the contrary, he had calculated many things against Han Mo. Thinking back to the promises he had made, he truly felt ashamed at this moment.
"Your Highness, it is cold here. Why don't you go to the front and wait for Lord Han..."
Seeing that they were talking back and forth without him being able to interject, Qin Hui quickly said.
"That's right. Although Brother Han is a scholar, his martial arts are also not bad. How about this, you go to the front and wait. The first time Brother Han and I met, we chopped wood for a whole day. How about we catch up tonight in this snowy night?"
Since he couldn't escape this, Zhao Zhen smiled and said directly.
"Your Highness, absolutely not. If you catch a cold..."
Hearing Zhao Zhen trying to send him away, Qin Hui quickly said.
"Alright, although I've been busy with government affairs recently, my martial arts haven't fallen behind. How can a martial artist easily catch a cold?"
Zhao Zhen spoke while picking up the axe placed beside him, flexed his wrist, and directly removed the fox fur cloak he was wearing.
"Your Highness..."
It was truly unimaginable that this prince, Zhao Zhen, would personally chop wood, and even more so, chop wood alone with Han Mo. Qin Hui would not be happy about this.
"Do you have anything else?"
Zhao Zhen spoke while cutting a log and placing it on the chopping block beside him. With a wave of his hands, he split the log in two.
"No, no more. Your subordinate withdraws!"
After saying only one sentence and being driven out, Qin Hui's frustration was truly understandable.
Seeing that only he and Zhao Zhen were left in the backyard, Han Mo didn't stand idly by. He stretched his shoulders and refocused his attention on the pile of firewood.
"We haven't been this close for a long time. To be honest, I am indebted to Brother Han..."
After a dry cough, Zhao Zhen spoke first again.
"Why does Your Highness say that?"
"Master Wang's matter, I knew about it at the time..."
After hesitating, Zhao Zhen spoke again.
Upon hearing this, the axe Han Mo was about to swing visibly slowed down. When the axe fell, the landing point of the blade clearly deviated from the center of the log.
After saying this, Zhao Zhen felt a sense of relief.
"Actually, I had already guessed this..."