Long since forced to grow accustomed to Ning Xuan’s excitable temperament, Mo Qi gave a drowsy grunt of assent. “Mm.”
Ning Xuan carefully considered his wording, afraid that one wrong phrase might traumatize Mo Qi as well. It was bad enough that he alone had suffered; dragging a newly made friend into it merely because of something he said would be far too sinful. “Um… it’s perfectly normal for a man and a woman to date.” As though suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly explained, “By ‘date,’ I mean the sort of relationship that leads to marriage. I’m only asking—what if… and I mean only if… two men or two women wanted to date? Er, could they get married too?”
Mo Qi was genuinely exhausted. He performed physical labor every day, and as a newly purchased servant, he did not dare slack off. If someone seized upon the slightest fault, they might make an enormous issue of it. Yet even after night fell, he still had to accompany this person—who seemed entirely incapable of feeling nervous about anything—in chatting and sharing his troubles. Although Mo Qi’s head kept nodding like a chick pecking at grain, he forced himself to retain a sliver of awareness and listened to Ning Xuan ramble in a half-awake daze. “Two women together… I’ve never heard of that. But two men are naturally allowed. Male love has been fashionable among our country’s nobility for many years and has a long history. It is even regarded as an elegant pursuit. From the emperor down to ordinary nobles, and even wealthy merchants with a little money, many keep male concubines. His present Majesty has more than one male consort. Since male consorts cannot produce heirs, our dynasty has never had a male empress, but among consorts and concubines, male consorts generally hold a much higher position than female consorts. Even when their formal ranks are equal, there is still a slight difference in status.”
Ning Xuan instantly became as motionless as a wooden chicken. So he was the only person shocked by all of this? Male consorts, male concubines, and male favorites were considered elegant—and even possessed a long and distinguished history?! Could it be that ancient people were actually far more open-minded and accepting than modern people?
In two swift steps, Ning Xuan seized Mo Qi by the front of his robe and shook the half-asleep youth awake again. “Are you delirious from sleep, or am I dreaming? I’m talking about men—two men together! They have to do… that! And you’re telling me it’s normal?! Neither of them has breasts! They’re both flat! And they’ve both got the same thing down below! That’s still acceptable?!”
The shaking made Mo Qi thoroughly miserable. He struggled to open his eyes. “Why are you making such a fuss in the middle of the night? Hurry up and sleep. We still have plenty of work tomorrow!”
Without waiting for Ning Xuan to react, Mo Qi forcefully knocked away the hands gripping his robe, pulled the blanket over his head, rolled onto his side, and resumed sleeping soundly.
Ning Xuan stared at the moon and released a long sigh. Could the system settings have been crushed beneath the sheer number of transmigrators passing through it…?
The hundred officials attended morning court during the Hour of the Rabbit, so the servants and maids throughout the residence had to rise during the Hour of the Tiger to wait upon their masters. Even insignificant servants like Ning Xuan, Mo Qi, and Qing Zhu—who had no idea whether they would ever reach the front hall in this lifetime—had to obey the rules, rise before dawn, and make their way on empty stomachs through the darkness to the library, where each began his assigned work.
Mo Qi unusually yawned without pause while working, while Ning Xuan—normally overflowing with energy and endless complaints—stood there with a miserable expression, staring blankly into space with two ridiculous dark circles beneath his eyes. He looked exactly like a resentful husband whose father had died, whose mother had passed away, whose wife had remarried, and whose daughter had eloped overnight. Qing Zhu stared back and forth between them in confusion, attempting to understand the subtle transformation that had occurred during the night.
“You finally lost control and decided to have your way with him?” Qing Zhu approached Mo Qi and leaned toward his ear, speaking in what he believed was a quiet voice as he confidently presented his conclusion.
At those words, Ning Xuan, who had previously resembled a wooden block in a stupor, snapped his head around as though struck by lightning and shot two beams of red light in their direction. Every hair on Qing Zhu’s body instantly stood upright. In the end, it was the still-drowsy Mo Qi who had to smooth things over. He waved to indicate that nothing was wrong and told Ning Xuan to turn around and continue working. Then he lowered his voice and warned Qing Zhu beside his ear, “Say a little less. He’s already depressed. Don’t provoke him now. Even a rabbit bites when cornered, much less a living person.”
“What exactly happened?” The more they refused to explain and acted secretive and alarmed, the more curious Qing Zhu became. His mind filled with so many questions that he could neither sit nor stand still and kept edging closer to Mo Qi.
“He said he went outside in the middle of the night and saw something he shouldn’t have.” Unable to shake off Qing Zhu, who had attached himself like something impossible to pry loose, Mo Qi took advantage of his movement and pulled him toward the shelves in the innermost corner. They pretended to wipe, clean, and organize them.
“What did he see that he shouldn’t have? A ghost?” Qing Zhu grew increasingly excited with every word.
Seeing Qing Zhu’s enthusiasm, Mo Qi felt as though his forehead were covered in black lines. He finally understood even more clearly why someone who appeared fairly clever had nevertheless been forcibly removed from serving in the master’s quarters. With a temperament that could not restrain itself, Qing Zhu would cause everyone around him to suffer alongside him within two days of attending a master.
Mo Qi rolled his eyes at Qing Zhu and lowered his voice as much as possible, afraid of accidentally provoking the soulless, wooden Ning Xuan in front of them again. “He said he saw two guards making love beside the lotus pond in the middle of the night. Perhaps those two went a little too far, or perhaps he became so absorbed in watching that he stayed for the entire performance. I was half asleep and don’t know exactly what happened. All I know is that after he returned, he made sure I didn’t get a decent night’s sleep.”
As he spoke, Mo Qi cast a deeply aggrieved glance at Ning Xuan, who stood with his back to them and appeared completely indifferent.
Those words only puzzled Qing Zhu further. His brows furrowed in complete incomprehension. “Isn’t that perfectly normal?”
This was a prince’s residence, the household of genuine imperial nobility. Male love was already regarded throughout the Hua Dynasty as an elegant pursuit reserved for nobles and people of status. The more power and rank someone possessed, the more commonplace such affairs became. Even His present Majesty occasionally went out to meet foreign envoys without taking the empress or any female consorts, bringing only a male consort instead. Within this prince’s residence, such things were far too numerous to count. Their own prince alone kept several young masters in the western wing.
Qing Zhu did not understand the problem, but the instant those words left his mouth, Mo Qi lunged forward and clamped a hand over it. “Shh! Keep your voice down. I merely told him the truth last night, and he tormented me until I couldn’t sleep. Don’t create any more trouble. I’ll be the one who suffers again in the end!”
“Mmph! Mmph!” Qing Zhu flailed his arms in distress. Only after Mo Qi finally finished speaking and belatedly removed his hand did Qing Zhu complain with deep grievance, “You could have just told me properly! Why did you stuff a cleaning rag into my mouth?!”
Mo Qi smiled awkwardly and raised his head, intending to change the subject, only for his eyes to widen in alarm.
Ning Xuan, who had been standing there properly moments ago and, although not accomplishing much, had at least been moving his hands and wiping the shelves, had vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye!
Heaven only knew how enormous a disaster Ning Xuan might cause if he ran around outside in his current condition!
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