The matters concerning Li Tai and Li Ke were handled by their Chief Clerks. To establish their respective offices, craftsmen had been brought in previously.
Since Li Tai was not present, people had to be requested from Li Ke.
"No problem, no problem~" Li Ke readily nodded, then called out to the side, "Hao Ren Zha, get over here~"
From a distance, a man with a sharp mouth and a simian face immediately scurried over upon hearing the call.
"Your Highness, the King of Han!"
Fang Er's mouth twitched unnaturally. Good heavens, this name, coupled with his appearance, could only be described by three words.
Absolutely perfect~
Li Ke said, "The Dean is looking for you. Do as he instructs."
After saying that, he squatted down again to examine the crocodile, wondering which leg to eat tonight.
"Your subordinate Hao Ren Zha pays his respects to Your Highness, the King of Kun. May I ask what Your Highness requires?" Hao Ren Zha bowed respectfully as he approached Fang Er.
Anyone serving as a Chief Clerk in the King of Han's manor must possess keen eyesight, and he was well aware of Fang Er's status.
"Follow me!"
Fang Er walked away with his hands behind his back.
After circling the north shore of Eight-Clawed Lake for a long time, he found a suitable spot and pointed to the open ground in front of him.
"Ren Zha, bring the craftsmen from the King of Han's manor and build some courtyards for me here as quickly as possible."
"Each courtyard must be no smaller than three fen."
"Ensure the fastest speed, the sooner the better."
Hao Ren Zha rubbed his nose upon hearing this. "Your Highness, if that is the case, could we also have people from the King of Wei's manor participate?"
"After all, the site for the manor has not been decided yet, and they are all idle."
Fang Er nodded. "You handle it as you see fit. I only care about the results."
He did not specify the style of the courtyards, and Hao Ren Zha, being discreet, did not ask, merely patting his chest to give his assurance.
"Yes, Your Highness, the King of Kun, rest assured, your subordinate will do his utmost!"
Upon returning to his residence, the sky was already growing dark. The maids Xiaohuan and Xiaomi were bathing Fang Xin with wooden basins, while Xiaoya was bathing in the house.
Although still a child, her upbringing dictated that she could not be as casual as Fang Xin.
"Sister Xuelian, please boil more water, Master is back~" Seeing Fang Er, Xiaohuan called towards the kitchen.
The maids Bingxue and Yulu nearby also quickly joined forces to move the bathtub into the house.
Fang Er quickly waved his hands. "It's so warm, why take a hot bath!"
"Isn't it more fun to just jump into the big lake nearby and splash around?"
Chai Yue, who was walking out of the house, heard this and her small face instantly turned ashen.
"Husband, please, don't go into the lake to bathe. There are alligators everywhere, it's too dangerous."
Just as Fang Er was about to speak, he saw Li Ke returning from outside, followed by a group of guards who were collectively carrying the two crocodiles.
"Hahahaha, cousin, you're wrong about that. They're just alligators, we can just kill them~"
Fang Er smiled and shook his head. "Alright, don't call them alligators anymore. The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and calling them that is inappropriate."
Li Ke was astonished. "Then what should I call them?"
Fang Er circled the two crocodiles in a performative manner and then said.
"These things look fierce and menacing, let's just call them crocodiles from now on!"
Li Ke found the name a bit hard to accept. "Uh, these things have four legs, calling them fish doesn't seem quite right, does it?"
Fang Er was stunned. Damn it, how should he answer this question?
Who the hell named these things crocodiles?
Step forward, and I promise I won't beat them to death!
After racking his brain for a long time, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed at the crocodile.
"They have scales, and things with scales are called fish~"
Li Ke: .........
It sounded plausible, but somehow it still felt a little off.
Never mind, whatever they're called, as long as they're tasty~
He then said to the guards, "Send one of these things to the kitchen, and the other one is a reward for you."
After speaking, he looked expectantly at Fang Er. "Dean, shall we go bathe~"
Fang Er looked at the crocodiles being carried by the guards and shuddered, shaking his head in refusal.
"Let's forget it. If you want to play in the water, we'll go to the dock tomorrow."
"Why wait for tomorrow, let's go now, we have nothing else to do anyway." Li Ke was a bit disappointed.
With Qingque gone, he had no playmates. Even if the servants were given the courage, they wouldn't dare to join him in his revelry~
How should he spend this long night~~
Perhaps he should send someone to find some indigenous women?
He thought about it and then dismissed the idea. He heard those people rarely bathed, and they smelled~
Fang Er looked up at the sky, where the full moon had already risen. It seemed like the moonlight tonight was quite good.
Thinking of the pile of bikinis in the warehouse, his gaze involuntarily drifted to Chai Yue and Xiao Qing.
"Hmm, it's not impossible. Let's eat early, and then go swimming by the sea after eating!"
"Oh yeah! The Dean is so thoughtful~" Li Ke exclaimed with delight and scurried towards the kitchen.
Braised Crocodile Legs, Stir-fried Crocodile Tail.
Sweet and Sour Crocodile Ribs, Pan-fried Crocodile Skin.
A crocodile feast left everyone's mouths watering.
Li Ke wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth and looked at Fang Er.
"Dean, shall we go?"
Chai Yue glared at him. "Look at your unseemly appearance, as if you haven't bathed in eight lifetimes!"
Having been in Shenyang together for so long, their brother-sister interactions had become more casual.
Li Ke chuckled. "Isn't it because we're bored~"
"Why don't you sisters come along too? There's a shallow bay near the dock where you can play in the water."
As he said this, his gaze flickered towards Yuan Mengjia, who was holding Xiaoya, and he continued with a slight upturn of his lips.
"If you're worried about any danger, you can have Sister Ling'er and Miss Yuan go with you."
Chai Yue saw his subtle actions and burst into laughter.
"Who are you trying to fool with those thoughts of yours?"
Fang Er looked at Li Ke upon hearing this, and saw him gazing intently at Yuan Meng Jia, understanding instantly.
Heh heh heh, little one, you've set your sights on the Taoist nun~
Don't be afraid of a monk showing up one day~ Well, there are no monks left in the Great Tang!
"Hahahaha, let's all go, let's all go!"
"Coincidentally, I have some good things here that will broaden your horizons!"
Ten BYDs lined up outside, and everyone got into the cars one by one, driving towards the seaside.
Fang Er drove, with Chai Yue, Xiao Qing, and Xing'er leading the way.
Near the dock, there was a clean stretch of sand, and further away was the shallow bay Li Ke had mentioned, separated by a patch of woods.
Upon arriving, everyone alighted from the cars.
Under the bright moonlight, the waves lapped against the sand. Chai Yue and the others were delighted by the scenery and began to frolic on the beach.
Fang Er opened the trunk and took out two plastic baskets.
One basket contained deflated swim rings, and the other contained various bikinis~
A mischievous smile played on his lips as he called out to Chai Yue and the others.
"You girls don't rush to play, come over and pick out some clothes!"
Chai Yue immediately ran over with Xiao Qing and the others. Nothing could be more attractive to women than beautiful clothes!
However, upon seeing the contents of the basket, the girls' faces instantly flushed with embarrassment.
"Husband, what are these things you've brought? It's so shameful!"