Though he was clearly rude and far too presumptuous, though I had countless reasons to punish him, I had no desire to do so. Curiosity, interest, exploration, too many words I had once thought would never have anything to do with me were becoming real for the first time, making it impossible to take my eyes off him. Everyone said the Fifth Prince was wild and unrestrained, contemptuous of worldly etiquette and reckless in everything he did, but only I knew how much of that was true and how much was an act. Now, faced with someone who truly lived however he pleased, feared nothing, and possessed none of the status that might excuse it, I, who had supposedly “mastered” that way of life for years, found myself strangely unsure how to respond.
I accepted the book. It was rare enough for me to willingly do as someone else ordered, yet I had written only a few lines when a surprised voice sounded above me. “You… can recite this book from memory?”
“More or less.” What a joke. I might not claim to have read every book under heaven, but I was hardly some useless wastrel who had never studied.
For some reason, the question irritated me. I had deliberately cultivated that false image in everyone’s eyes, yet hearing it from him felt inexplicably unpleasant. Perhaps I simply had not expected even two lowly servants to look down on me so casually.
“…Who exactly are you?”
“What do you think?” I answered blandly, while inwardly finding the whole thing absurd. You weren’t cautious when you should have been. What are you getting nervous about now?
When he remained silent, I had no choice but to put down the brush and explain with unusual patience, “Just as you see. I’m only one of the residence guards.”
“Can’t be helped. A family falling on hard times isn’t something I could decide for myself. I used to be the son of a wealthy household, you know. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, literature, martial arts, I knew it all.” Lies had long ago become part of my life. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that only because of lies had I been able to keep living, and only through them had my life remained whole.
“Then may I ask the distinguished name of this once wealthy young master, formerly accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, literature, and martial arts, but tragically brought low by his family’s decline? You bear some responsibility for this mess too, but since you’ve at least helped me clean up part of it, if you have the misfortune to lose an arm or a leg someday, I can still ask someone to send you a little silver and keep you from starving.”
How could I miss the teasing and mockery in his words? Yet why did even his disdain look so vivid?
“Yi Hua,” I answered casually. The moment the words left my mouth, even I froze. To anyone else it was only a name, but to me it was an indulgence. How could the personal name of an imperial prince be spoken lightly by another person, much less the name I had chosen for myself? Yet I had given it to him with astonishing ease, to a lowly servant who had only caught my interest on a whim. “Then how should I address this future benefactor who may someday extend a charitable hand when I’m poor and ruined?”
“Ning Xuan.”
“Rosy clouds gather, jade hues staining the sand between one’s fingers; worldly clamor cast aside, one leans against the railing.” Such poetic elegance for the name of a servant felt both surprising and a little wasted. “Ning Xuan. A good name.”
It was rare for me to sincerely praise someone of my own accord, but the person in question looked completely unimpressed, his face wooden no matter how I tried to provoke a reaction.
Having thoroughly bored myself, I idly flipped through the pages and chatted without much purpose. “So what did you do to get punished with copying books? Whoever came up with this has quite an imagination. It’s a rather novel punishment.”
“Nothing like that.”
“Then you really have too much free time. Where are you assigned that you can sit here copying books at leisure?”
“If you’re done with that one, copy the remaining book too while you’re at it.”
Fine. Being ordered around once was being ordered around, and twice was still being ordered around. Since I had not objected the first time, there seemed little point struggling now.
I casually pulled another book toward me and began writing without much care. I had come here intending to tease the little cat, no, Ning Xuan, only to discover that I was the one who had delivered myself straight into his hands.
Then I opened the book and nearly died of surprise.
[Non-graphic summary: Feng Xuanyi realizes Ning Xuan has been working with an adult-themed illustrated manual and immediately turns the discovery into another round of teasing.]
[Non-graphic summary: He comments on a damaged section of the book, deliberately prolonging Ning Xuan’s embarrassment.]
[Non-graphic summary: Ning Xuan explains that he has to repair the damaged illustrations.]
[Non-graphic summary: Feng Xuanyi suppresses his laughter while pointing out that recreating such material accurately would be difficult.]
[Non-graphic summary: Ning Xuan tries to exchange books and escape the situation.]
[Non-graphic summary: Feng Xuanyi feigns reluctance, clearly enjoying the reaction he is provoking.]
[Non-graphic summary: Ning Xuan grabs the book, only to realize what kind of material it contains.]
[Non-graphic summary: His embarrassment becomes obvious, and Feng Xuanyi watches with amused curiosity.]
[Non-graphic summary: The title confirms the book is an adult bedchamber manual; Ning Xuan is mortified.]
[Non-graphic summary: Feng Xuanyi briefly wonders whether Ning Xuan’s innocence is genuine or an exceptionally convincing act.]
[Non-graphic summary: He leans closer and asks whether Ning Xuan has figured out how to restore the damaged pages.]
[Non-graphic summary: Whether the reaction is genuine or not, Feng Xuanyi admits that Ning Xuan has completely captured his interest.]
[Non-graphic summary: Feng Xuanyi deliberately crowds his space to intensify the teasing, while Ning Xuan stiffens in embarrassment.]
[Non-graphic summary: He flips through the illustrated manual beside Ning Xuan and continues commenting on the artwork in an exaggeratedly serious tone.]
[Non-graphic summary: Feng Xuanyi points out another damaged illustration and asks, with feigned scholarly seriousness, how Ning Xuan intends to redraw it.]
[Non-graphic summary: Ning Xuan, thoroughly embarrassed, stalls and insists there is no need to hurry.]
I leaned closer again, originally intending to catch every last change in his expression, but the movement startled the already restless, flustered little cat. He abruptly slammed the book shut, and the sheer suddenness of it only made him look even more embarrassed.
“What are you in such a hurry to close it for? With identities like ours, books like these aren’t easy to come by. We might as well learn something while we have the chance. Who knows? Maybe someday we’ll even get to use it.”