Hearing this, both youths could not help breathing sighs of relief. However, Ning Xuan’s solemn expression made it clear that he would not give up until he received an answer, leaving them somewhat embarrassed. They exchanged a glance, and after a long while, the more cheerful and lively Qing Zhu finally spoke. Even then, he carefully weighed every word while watching Ning Xuan’s expression. “Have you… ever looked in a mirror? Or heard anyone else’s… opinion of your appearance?”
Now it was Ning Xuan’s turn to be baffled. He had a fairly good idea of what he looked like. Although he might not have possessed the ultimate combination of heroic masculinity, imposing strength, handsome looks, and carefree charm, he could at least be considered dashing and universally appealing. He certainly was not so hideous that people would retreat three steps and flee at the sight of him. At that thought, Ning Xuan suddenly froze. He truly had not seen what he looked like since transmigrating. Could the distortion of space-time during his journey have disfigured him? In books, people transmigrated while doing anything—even using the toilet or cleaning one—and always arrived perfectly intact. Why had things turned out like this for him?
Ning Xuan nearly raised his head and howled at the heavens. You can’t do this to me…
Qing Zhu and Mo Qi exchanged looks that clearly said, Just as expected. “Your face is… very beautiful…”
Ning Xuan’s dazed, scattered consciousness returned slightly, but he still could not immediately process what “beautiful” was supposed to mean. Could that word even be used to describe a man?
After thinking carefully and deciding that the description did not seem quite right, Qing Zhu immediately corrected himself. “No, not beautiful. ‘Bewitching’ would be more accurate. You look far too seductive.”
Qing Zhu delivered his conclusion, while Mo Qi did not forget to nod in agreement beside him.
Bewitching… bewitching?…
That word sounded so familiar. He seemed to have heard someone say something similar before…
Ning Xuan struggled to restart his brain, which had fallen into a stupor after suffering such a blow. The result was another explosion of the miniature universe within him. This time, however, he did not choose to suppress or endure it as he had before.
“What the hell?! Explain yourself! What do you mean, ‘bewitching’? What do you mean?!” Abandoning all concern for his image, Ning Xuan pounced upon Qing Zhu like a starving tiger attacking its prey. He seized Qing Zhu’s slender neck with both hands and shook him repeatedly, as though determined to rattle his entire body apart. “I’m a man! A man! Can’t you see that?! What the hell do you mean, ‘bewitching’? It’s called handsome, all right!”
Mo Qi hurried forward and dragged Ning Xuan off Qing Zhu. He looked as though he had seen a ghost while repeatedly warning himself inwardly, Don’t be fooled by his delicate, frail appearance, like a slender willow trembling in the wind. The destructive force he unleashes when he goes mad cannot be underestimated. You truly cannot judge a person by appearances, just as you cannot measure the sea with a bucket!
Finally rescued from Ning Xuan’s claws, Qing Zhu clutched his poor neck and coughed violently, looking thoroughly confused. He could not understand what he had said wrong.
Nevertheless, the three of them could be said to have become acquainted through conflict. Only after completing an entire day of physical labor did Ning Xuan learn that he had been sold into a prince’s residence. This was not merely a wealthy and prestigious household—it was the residence of the current emperor’s son, the Fifth Prince Feng Xuanyi: Prince Rong’s Residence.
After piecing together a considerable amount of information from various sources, Ning Xuan gradually formed a rough picture of this era in his mind.
The dynasty he had transmigrated into was called the Hua Dynasty. Many nations occupied the continent, and the Hua Dynasty possessed the largest territory among them. The current emperor had numerous wives and concubines and consequently many children. However, his health had deteriorated steadily in recent years. With so many adult princes available, it was inevitable that each would covet the throne. Although Feng Xuanyi had been born to the empress and possessed an exalted status, the emperor did not treat him any differently from his other sons. Establishing either the eldest son or the legitimate son had always been regarded as the accepted principle for choosing an heir. Yet to everyone’s astonishment, the emperor selected neither the eldest nor the legitimate son. Instead, he chose the son of his most favored consort, Noble Consort Jing—the Second Prince, Prince Xun, Feng Xuanmo. This caused an uproar throughout the realm and provoked prolonged debate at court. In the end, however, subjects remained subjects and could not overturn their sovereign’s will.
Unfortunately, the favorable situation did not last. Prince Xun, Feng Xuanmo, had barely been named heir and had not yet secured his footing when the declining health of the imperial father who favored him placed his position in grave danger. Officials at court began forming factions and secretly seeking other promising masters. The imperial brothers also gathered into groups of two or three, eventually forming three primary factions: the princes, nobles, and officials supporting the current Crown Prince, Prince Xun Feng Xuanmo; those supporting the Eldest Prince, Prince Yi Feng Xuanzhe, who was both the eldest and legitimate son; and those princes and officials who remained undecided, intending either to support neither side or to follow whichever way the wind blew. Their own master—the Eldest Prince’s full younger brother, the Fifth Prince and Prince Rong, Feng Xuanyi—naturally belonged to the Eldest Prince’s faction.
Ning Xuan rapidly drew a diagram of the various factions in his mind. Poor families grew poorer the more children they had, yet the poorer they became, the more children they continued having. An emperor, meanwhile, fathered children whenever he had nothing else to do, only to end up facing dynastic upheaval and chaos throughout the realm. Sure enough, being a person was difficult, being an emperor was even more difficult, and being an emperor who fathered a great many children all at once was the most difficult of all…
“What are you muttering about over there now?” A knuckle suddenly struck Ning Xuan on the head. Caught completely off guard, he hurt so badly that tears immediately swirled in his eyes. Ning Xuan glared resentfully at Qing Zhu, who looked as though nothing had happened, and nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
Only a few days had passed, yet the youth who had blushed furiously when Ning Xuan first greeted him had vanished without a trace. After spending several days together, Ning Xuan had concluded that rather than being lively and cheerful, Qing Zhu was thick-skinned and incapable of learning from his mistakes. Not only did he repeatedly commit the same offenses despite every lesson, but he could do so without the slightest idea why they were wrong and even seemed to enjoy himself immensely. Looking at him, Ning Xuan could only sigh that had he been Qing Zhu’s mother, he would have sold the boy too. Keeping him at home would have been nothing but a disaster!
Mo Qi, however, was different. Quiet and steady, he worked more and spoke less. Although the three of them often played together, laughed, and bickered, Ning Xuan always felt as though a layer of something stood between them, making Mo Qi difficult to see through or understand at times. Nevertheless, he was extremely loyal when it mattered. The day before yesterday, Ning Xuan and Qing Zhu had grown so hungry that they slipped into the rear kitchen in search of food. Unfortunately, their luck was terrible, and Xiao Tang happened to arrive to inspect their post. There were so few workers that one could count them on one hand, and before Xiao Tang could lose his temper, Mo Qi covered for them first, claiming that the two had gone to the latrine. Xiao Tang could hardly enter the latrine to investigate. He had only come by on a passing whim and had no desire to waste his time in such a place, so Mo Qi successfully muddled his way through the situation.
When the two returned afterward with their clothes stuffed full of packages, they only belatedly realized how serious the consequences would have been had they been exposed. Their eyes immediately reddened with emotion, and they nearly worshiped Mo Qi like a bodhisattva. The three crouched beside the innermost foot of the shelving and devoured every pastry and morsel of food they had smuggled back like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds. It was precisely because of this that Ning Xuan firmly categorized Mo Qi as the silent but deeply loyal type.
Already immune to Ning Xuan’s pitiful, tear-filled expression, Qing Zhu swiftly snatched the untouched spring roll from his bowl. “I know you don’t like sweet food, so I’ll be a good person and generously help you deal with this.” He tossed the spring roll into his mouth and chewed with exaggerated relish, as though afraid anyone nearby might fail to appreciate how delicious it was.
Futile Devices Scans 
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