Futile Devices Scans

Hearing this, Ning Xuan ground his teeth in anger—was there an even more vicious tongue than this?!

Time passed beyond the hour of Yin, and Ning Xuan stood stiffly at the doorway together with the other seven for a full hour. Moving his shoulders ever so slightly, he felt that if this continued, he would turn into a statue.

“Hey, hey!” Yi Xuan called softly.

Hearing this, Ning Xuan raised his head, signaling for him to just say whatever he had to say.

Yi Xuan, whether truly unconcerned or simply oblivious, said calmly, “It’s already Yin hour, and the Prince still hasn’t risen. Go in and take a look—don’t delay the morning court.”

Why me?!

Ning Xuan groaned inwardly. For this master who had suddenly descended into his life, he wished nothing more than to stay as far away as possible.

Seeing straight through his thoughts, Yi Xuan chuckled. “Don’t act like you’re suffering after getting a bargain. This kind of chance to perform in front of the master is something others would fight tooth and nail for—you’re the one putting on airs here.”

As he spoke, Yi Xuan even threw Ning Xuan a sideways glare.

“Then I’ll give it to you.” Ning Xuan replied weakly. He didn’t care for it anyway—he knew full well what kind of person he was and how capable he truly was.

“That won’t do,” Yi Xuan said quickly. “We all take turns like this. Up until yesterday, everyone already had a round. Today we were supposed to start over again, and since you just arrived, it begins with you.”

Ning Xuan had never thought a smile could look so… radiant? So friendly? Yet it made his skin crawl, instinctively telling him things were not as harmless as they appeared.

“Heh heh~” Ning Xuan forced a smile, the corners of his eyes twitching, eyelids jumping. “No need to be so polite—I’m new here, I should learn from you seniors first—”

“What’s wrong with you?!” Before he could finish, Yi Xuan suddenly snapped, clearly agitated. “I’m doing this for your own good! Yesterday I even nearly fell out with them just to get you this opportunity—” he swept a glance at the other six, who all pretended not to hear, “—and now you’re trying to harm me?!”

“How am I harming you…” Ning Xuan was utterly at a loss, unable to follow Yi Xuan’s line of thinking at all.

“When we serve at the front, it’s every man for himself—we don’t gang up or edge people out like that. If I get one extra chance to show myself before the Prince, and just so happens that he’s in a good mood and rewards me, those people—docile on the surface but wolves underneath—would tear me apart in secret!” Yi Xuan spoke with grave seriousness.

Ning Xuan could only sigh in resignation. It was just waking the Prince up—how could there be so many hidden rules and complications? And it even involved grand matters like climbing ranks and vying for favor! Truly, once one enters a noble household, it is as deep as the sea—whether it was the masters of the various courtyards or the servants attending them, everyone was constantly scheming and struggling, busy with open and hidden strife. No wonder calls for anti-corruption and building a harmonious society were so popular nowadays.

Lowering his head, Ning Xuan pushed the door open and stepped inside, looking like a warrior cutting off his own arm, forced to accept his fate. Yet he did not see the sly grin behind him—Yi Xuan’s face full of triumph at his success. Even the other six, who had all along stood like statues with eyes lowered, watching their noses and guarding their thoughts, could not help but suppress their laughter. In the faint chill of the early morning light, their shoulders trembled slightly, and somewhere among them came a barely audible sigh.

As long as one had served in the Prince Rong’s Manor, as long as one had attended upon the Prince, who did not know, who had not heard, that the Prince’s temper upon waking was far more than just a little bad? It was the kind where, with the slightest misstep, one would suffer the consequences!

Back when there was no Ning Xuan, the seven—Yi Shu, Yi Xuan, Yi Ji, Yi Quan, Yi Heng, Yi Yang, and Yi Guang—who had long suffered under it would each try to push the duty away, yet none could escape it. Who knew how many times they had secretly “fought fiercely” over this dreaded moment of dawn? Now that a newcomer had arrived, if they did not seize the chance to bully him, then when would they?

Carefully pushing the door open, Ning Xuan felt that though he was clearly here on official duty, he looked more and more like a thief. A lamp was always kept lit in the room—dim but not dark. Incense burned softly, light and pleasant to the senses. Ning Xuan could not help but marvel—truly, the wealthy and powerful lived differently; even sleeping in the middle of the night was handled with such refinement. The bed curtains, woven with subtle golden patterns, were drawn; the furnishings within were elegant beyond compare. It was a luxury clearly built from silver and gold, yet without the vulgar ostentation of a nouveau riche. Even a single teacup placed upon the table was exquisitely chosen—fine white porcelain from Jingdezhen, its patterns simple yet refined. Merely looking at it brought a sense of calm delight; touching it revealed a smoothness like a peeled egg—one might even mistake it for jade.

Not rushing to wake the Prince, Ning Xuan, entering another’s bedchamber for the first time, took the opportunity to carefully observe the layout. He had once thought that being transferred to serve by the Prince’s side and receiving a single room was already enviable treatment, but compared to this chamber, it paled instantly. Then again, this vast manor belonged entirely to the Prince—forget property, even every blade of grass and tree, along with all the freeloading servants and attendants, belonged to him. His own little space likely wasn’t even enough for the Prince to set foot in.

Reluctantly setting down the teacup—worthy of being compared to fine jade—Ning Xuan began scheming how he might somehow get his hands on such a treasure. If he could sell it outside, perhaps he wouldn’t have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life.

His mind clattered with calculations, happily imagining profits, when a careless step nearly knocked over the stand in the corner. In a heroic move to “save the beauty,” he lunged forward and caught the vase atop it, cursing inwardly: Damn it! Even a mere teacup here is a top-tier treasure—let alone a vase this big! Anything that could catch the eye of someone accustomed to gold and jade must be no ordinary item. If he accidentally shattered it, forget making a little money off a teacup—even selling himself might not be enough to pay for a single shard!

Still shaken, Ning Xuan hurriedly put the vase back where it belonged, then retreated five steps at once, as if avoiding disaster. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard the faintest sound of movement—a rustle from within the gauze curtains of the brocade bed, magnified in the silence.

It really was too quiet—so quiet that even the tiny disturbance of him almost knocking over a vase had been enough to rouse someone. Truly difficult to serve! Ning Xuan concluded, yet did not dare delay any further. Stepping forward, he carefully lifted a corner of the gauze curtain, knelt respectfully with both knees on the ground, turning slightly to the side with lowered head, and softly called, “Your Highness, it is time for morning court.”

Though his words were calm, Ning Xuan’s heart was anything but. He, a bright and promising young man of the twenty-first century, how had he, in just a few days, learned such servility? Kneeling when told to kneel, bowing when told to bow?

Receiving no response, Ning Xuan raised his head—only to have his expression darken instantly upon seeing what lay before him: Damn it! The design of these ancient beds is completely unreasonable—the head and foot are indistinguishable! On his very first day, forced into this humiliating lesson in servility, he had knelt so respectfully… only to be facing someone’s backside!!

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