Chapter 5 Young Master Ji

Everyone in the Prince's mansion knew that their master had been in a bad mood lately.

After dealing with Huang Zhao that day, Hao San led his men to surround Guangyuetai. The madam, who was used to doing business in the middle of the night, had just fallen asleep when she was dragged out of bed. When she saw clearly that the people standing in front of her were all armed with armor and long swords, their old faces were deathly pale in the morning light.

Hao San announced the name of the Prince's Mansion, and everyone immediately obeyed.

After a thorough search, not a single actor, courtesan, or even those who had just been degraded and were still being trained was left out.

After reporting back in the afternoon that he hadn't found the person, Cen Yan, who had only rested for a short while, even got up after washing up and went to Guangyuetai himself.

I looked at them one by one, from dusk till the moon and stars faded.

As the water clock dripped down, the madam sweated more and more as she wiped her brow. She searched among the male courtesans but couldn't find one. In the end, even the tall female entertainer couldn't escape her fate and was dragged before Cen Yan.

Not found.

It's not inside.

Cen Yan sat silently, his face dark. Fireworks were burning in the courtyard, and the only sound was the crackling of the torches.

The madam's back was soaked with sweat, then dried, then soaked again.

Hao San, Xu Si, and Liu Qi all kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.

After returning to the capital, he encountered a constant stream of conspiracies and schemes, but none of them could get close to Cen Yan. However, this time, he was not only poisoned by love, but was also tricked into bed... One can imagine the raging anger in Cen Yan's heart.

Upon returning to their residence, Hao San and Xu Si were both punished.

Cen Yan missed three morning court sessions in a row, claiming to the outside world that he was recuperating from poisoning. The Crown Prince summoned him several times, presumably wanting to apologize in person, but Cen Yan declined each time.

Following this were several imperial edicts. After dealing with the two officials from the Crown Prince's faction, the Crown Prince ceased issuing edicts.

But Cen Yan, contrary to his usual behavior, moved closer to the Crown Prince again.

It's highly unlikely that the Crown Prince orchestrated that scheme, and Cen Yan wouldn't be unable to figure it out.

But this is the kind of behavior that's meant to annoy the other side. Liu Qi guessed that the master probably thought the Crown Prince was too stupid and hadn't found out the mastermind behind it all after so long. He was holding back his anger and finally decided to blame it all on the Crown Prince, the host that day.

Knowing that Cen Yan was burning with lust, his attendants had been extremely cautious lately, fearing that they might accidentally break a taboo.

Cen Yan asked Liu Qi to investigate the person, and the first person Liu Qi thought of was the courtesan who disappeared that night.

Shocked, he stepped down from the table, then realized he had misunderstood. The guests at this spring banquet were all sons of officials, who were about to participate in the imperial examinations. They had nothing to do with courtesans.

Liu Qi was always efficient in his work, and in no time he had thoroughly investigated the person.

"His name is Zhuang Dongqing. He is the second son of Lord Zhuang Xingchang and the only illegitimate son in the Zhuang family."

With fingers dipped in tea, he wrote out his name stroke by stroke.

Cen Yan: "Zhuang Xingchang?"

"It's normal that the master doesn't remember a sixth-rank official. He hasn't been promoted for many years. He comes from a peasant family and his abilities are average. But Madam Zhuang has some connections. Her surname is Bi, and she is from a distant branch of the Bi family."

Bi was the surname of Empress Yuan.

Cen Yan glanced at the Crown Prince with a cool look, but unexpectedly, after going around in circles, he came right back to where he started.

The Crown Prince, who had been keeping a close eye on Cen Yan's table, was suddenly glanced at and immediately tensed up, bracing himself for the Prince of Dingxi's attack. He mentally raced through his thoughts, but Cen Yan didn't look at him again. "..."

Cen Yan was looking at Zhuang Dongqing.

The head.

The young man worked hard and diligently, but even if he wanted to see someone's face, he couldn't.

My gaze was fixed on Zhuang Dongqing. I wondered why she would look up even once in the middle of the meal. A whole cup of tea had passed, and she was still eating with great relish. Looking up was simply out of the question.

Cen Yan glanced down at the dishes on the table; they were all quite ordinary.

Gazing at Zhuang Dongqing for a moment... a true delicacy.

Unsure? I'll try it again.

As Cen Yan ate each dish with Zhuang Dongqing, he was puzzled but surprisingly ate an extra half bowl of rice.

This was the most I've eaten in a while, since I've been feeling down. When I was turning the bowl around, Liu Qi was much more enthusiastic about serving the food.

Setting down his chopsticks, Cen Yan looked at the students who were still keeping their heads down:

It's confirmed, it's a people problem.

*

Zhuang Dongqing boasted in one breath, put down the bowl, and burped, "I'm stuffed."

I haven't had such a normal meal in a long time.

Well, to put it simply, it tastes like it's meant to be eaten.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

grateful.

As the dishes were gradually cleared away, Zhuang Dongqing even felt a little regretful that the leftovers couldn't be packed up.

As a pageboy, Liu Fu was provided with a special place to eat by the academy. When the servants returned, Zhuang Dongqing asked about it and found that the food was not bad.

Zhuang Dongqing stuffed a few more pieces of the newly served dried meat into Liufu's hand, drank some tea to aid digestion, and made a few perfunctory remarks to the students who wanted to chat with him. Suddenly, the gong and drum sounded—

The cultural exchange at the Spring Banquet has begun.

The venue was large, with desks placed in the center. The students laid out their brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in order, creating a temporary desk where students and scholars could express their thoughts and feelings with flowing strokes of their pens.

The questions were set up in several large pavilions scattered around the area. Led by the headmaster, everyone gathered in one place to listen to him explain the rules for setting and answering the questions. Zhuang Dongqing was too full and felt sleepy. Listening to the classical Chinese texts from the outside was the best way to help him fall asleep. As he listened, his eyes closed and his head nods.

For a few moments I felt gazes directed at me, and I struggled to open my eyes, but I couldn't see anyone looking at me.

Zhuang Dongqing scratched his head. It must be an illusion.

At the same time, Liu Qi noticed that Cen Yan was multitasking, answering the headmaster while his gaze was fixed on the students.

After the rules were explained, the headmaster invited the Crown Prince and the Prince of Dingxi to compose a poem to begin the discussion. He quoted extensively from classical texts and cited numerous sources, praising the two men's poetry as unparalleled and unmatched in the world.

The crown prince was very pleased and readily accepted the pen.

Cen Yan accepted it, but then handed it to a civil official. The chief minister, who was holding the pen, hesitated to speak. Knowing that Cen Yan had recently executed three officials, the civil official was trembling with fear. In silence, he finally accepted it and reluctantly competed with the Crown Prince on the same stage.

After this brief incident, Cen Yan looked up again and Zhuang Dongqing was gone.

Raising her gaze, she saw a piece of clothing disappear around the corner. After a moment's thought, taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the prince composing poetry, she quietly left and followed him.

*

Zhuang Dongqing was called away by Young Master Ji.

To be precise, it was his servant.

Zhuang Dongqing was already curious about who this young master was, and now this was exactly what he wanted.

The courtyard was lush with trees, and after a few turns, the surroundings soon quieted down. The lively noise of the banquet was almost inaudible unless you listened carefully.

Zhuang Dongqing's heart also became peaceful in this tranquility.

Stopping near the lotus pond, the servant gestured for them to proceed. A figure could be vaguely seen behind the bushes. Thinking it must be a prince, Zhuang Dongqing swallowed hard and forced himself to walk out.

The view suddenly opened up, and the lake surface had melted, its blue waves rippling gently.

A man dressed in a navy blue robe with wide sleeves stood by the lake, his clothes fluttering in the gentle breeze.

His seemingly casual standing posture is actually upright and elegant.

Turning around, he bowed respectfully to Zhuang Dongqing, smiling warmly, and greeted him, "Brother Dongqing, how have you been?"

"..."

Zhuang Dongqing returned the greeting with a smile and called out, "Young Master Ji."

He immediately noticed that the other person was holding a folding fan. Although the weather was warming up, it was still far from the point where it was necessary to use a folding fan. He must be attending a spring banquet and trying to appear cultured. There were many students at the banquet who also had folding fans.

On the other side of the lake, hidden in the bushes, Cen Yan, who had followed all the way, raised his eyebrows.

Young Master Ji?

He didn't know that Li Yang had taken the surname Ji.

That's interesting.

"The Consort Shu's surname is Ji," Liu Qi added in a low voice.

Nodding, Cen Yan raised his hand to signal him to be quiet.

Zhuang Dongqing and Young Master Ji exchanged a few pleasantries by the lake. The story of Zhuang Dongqing bumping his head and not recognizing people was repeated again.

"So you don't remember me either?"

Zhuang Dongqing looked at him carefully and shook her head helplessly.

"It's alright. Now that we've met again, we can spend more time together in the future. You'll remember us eventually, Dongqing."

Young Master Ji smiled, his eyes wide and his expression seemingly innocent and guileless.

In just a few words, his cheerful, outgoing, and humorous personality is vividly portrayed.

What's even more remarkable is her gentle temperament, which makes her approachable. Even Zhuang Dongqing, who was initially wary, felt her warm and welcoming presence.

Looking at the cheerful young man before me, the phrase "bright and clear-minded" is fitting to describe him.

Zhuang Dongqing's Adam's apple bobbed as he looked at the smile, but it only filled him with dread, and his heart pounded with fear.

"Oh right, what was your page's name again? I forgot."

As soon as he spoke, Zhuang Dongqing's voice became extremely hoarse.

"Oh, he... he's kind of my page, his name is Sande."

San De...

The name of the sixth prince's personal eunuch.

The sixth prince, Li Yang, is the male protagonist of this story.

As the guess was confirmed, Zhuang Dongqing's heart skipped a beat, then plummeted to the ground.

For a moment, I felt dizzy and disoriented, not knowing what day it was or where I was.

He is the male lead.

However, there was no such person as Zhuang Dongqing in the original story.

So, there are two possibilities.

Firstly, the Zhuang family was implicated in the process of deposing the crown prince. He later changed his name and identity, and stayed by the male protagonist's side as his advisor.

The second possibility is that he was implicated and his entire family was executed. With everyone gone, he would naturally never appear again.

Zhuang Dongqing, Zhuang... I quickly racked my brain for a story, but there really isn't anyone with that surname...

Zhuang Dongqing, Zhuang Dongqing, Qing, Qing...Master Qing...

Mr. Qing!

My mind went blank for a moment, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, and then a massive influx of information exploded into my head.

He devises strategies for the male lead, and shields him from swords, knives, and banned drugs...

There wasn't a single scene where he wasn't a punching bag...

A lighthearted and enjoyable read.

The male protagonist had a good time.

It feels good to step on him as a stepping stone.

"..."

"…………"

hiss.

Zhuang Dongqing suddenly lowered her head.

Headache.

Information overload.

All of Master Qing's plotlines were jumbled together in his mind, a chaotic mess.

"Brother Dongqing?"

"Dongqing?"

Li Yang called his name several times, and Zhuang Dongqing only heard him after shaking his head and forcing himself to clear his mind.

When he raised his head again, Li Yang was speechless.

There was no other reason; Zhuang Dongqing was covered in cold sweat and his face was deathly pale.

“Brother Dongqing, you…”

Before Li Yang could finish speaking, Zhuang Dongqing interrupted him, saying, "Young master, you flatter me. I have never truly known you."

"Spending more time together... our statuses are worlds apart, so perhaps it's unnecessary."

Li Yang was stunned for a moment.

Zhuang Dongqing stated expressionlessly, "What do you think, Sixth Prince?"

Li Yang: "..."

Before Li Yang could say anything more, Zhuang Dongqing bowed deeply and said, "I am not feeling well, so I will not spoil the prince's mood."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.

When Li Yang came to her senses and wanted to say something more, he looked up and the man was already gone.

Zhuang Dongqing did it on purpose.

He was so angry that he was afraid he would lose control if he stayed in the same place and say something that would offend the male lead.

He took a few steps into a narrow path, away from everyone. His chest heaved with anger. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but when he did, he found his eyes burning and his breath steaming.

That's infuriating.

That's so unfair!

As Master Qing's identity was revealed, Zhuang Dongqing also remembered some fragmented scenes of the original owner at Guangyuetai.

He was almost certain that the original owner of this body did not know the identity of the Sixth Prince, but those who poured the wine knew it perfectly well. It was a shame that the original owner still thought that Young Master Ji should not go out to make friends more often and wanted to protect him... It was simply, simply stupid, utterly foolish.

Even if Li Yang didn't reveal his identity, those princelings wouldn't dare to force him to drink excessively.

If his identity is revealed—the son of a favored concubine—at most he'll get a scolding when he returns to the palace.

On the contrary, the original owner of this body unwittingly blocked so many drinks, and Li Yang didn't stop her at all.

Back at the farmhouse, he was forced to kneel in the ancestral hall in the dead of winter wearing only a thin shirt, then he developed a high fever and was punished. And yet, the kitchen staff kept serving him vegetarian dishes in his yard for so long! It was truly... truly...

I'm so angry.

He's so angry!

Born into humble circumstances

He deserves to suffer this pain for the male lead, right?!

This is utter bullshit, this male protagonist is bullshit, and this cannibalistic feudal society is bullshit.

"ah."

Walking too fast, Zhuang Dongqing's foot suddenly hit a stone, and she squatted down in pain, feeling both angry and aggrieved.

I tried to hold back, but I couldn't; tears streamed down my face.

Why is he so unlucky?!

"Young master, are you alright?"

A pair of boots stopped in front of me, and a warm male voice spoke.

It was Cen Yan who had followed them all the way.

Zhuang Dongqing wiped her face and said in a muffled voice, "It's nothing, I just really hate this place."

My mind is completely muddled with anger.

Unexpectedly, the voice paused for a moment and then replied, "What a coincidence?"

"I'm also fed up with this place."