Chapter 4. For a moment, his eyes widened in excitement.
The musket was pressed against his lips, but Cui Yao advanced instead of retreating.
The pungent, sweet smell assaulted his senses, and Ji Chengnin held his breath, his ears ringing with a suffocating roar.
The courtyard lanterns swayed and quickly spread outwards, blurring into a scene that transformed into a city ablaze with red lotus flames.
He could hardly tell whether he was still alive or still dreaming.
Ji Chengning subconsciously exerted force.
"Bang!"
The sharp airflow fiercely rushed towards Cui Yao's lips, piercing her skin as easily as piercing through silk.
A sharp pain surged through me instantly.
For a moment, his eyes widened with excitement, his translucent pupils sparkling like glass beads, perfectly reflecting the person in front of him.
He's clearly a spoiled brat who can't even kill a chicken, but one second he's all smiles and laughter, and the next second he can shoot you without hesitation.
Ji Chengning was handsome and beautiful. When his face turned cold, it was like peach blossoms covered in frost, exuding a menacing aura.
Two-faced, all talk and no action.
Crimson blood overflowed from the corners of her lips, trickling down Cui Yao's beautifully sculpted jawline.
My mouth was filled with the smell of blood.
His Adam's apple bobbed slowly and laboredly.
"Clatter."
A touch of warmth fell on my neck.
Ji Chengning suddenly pulled away and took half a foot back.
He did not load the musket with lead bullets.
The courtyard was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop. The only sound was the boiling water, which barely masked the sound of his tense, rapid breathing.
Ji Chengning raised his hand and wiped his throat, getting his fingers covered in the vibrant color.
Cui Yao saw a flash of disgust in his eyes, as if it were something filthy, and hastily wiped it away with the back of his hand.
Cui Yao remained motionless.
"Smack!"
Ji Chengning slammed the musket onto the table, making the teacups on it shake. He stood up and looked down at Cui Yao. The young marquis had regained his carefree demeanor and gave a smile. "I'll leave it for my cousin to use for self-defense."
Cui Yao stared intently at Ji Chengning.
His eyes were so pale that they easily conjured images of a cold, slippery, scaly venomous creature. Despite his mouth full of fangs, he squinted, feigning innocence as if asleep, waiting for his prey to walk into his trap.
Ji Chengnin reflexively gripped the gun tightly, then slowly relaxed it.
Cui Yao is weak and extremely docile, what is there to be afraid of?
He slowly released his grip.
However, that tense and eerie feeling still lingered.
Perhaps frightened by the gun, when Cui Yao spoke again, his voice was so hoarse that it was almost unbearable to listen closely. He said, word by word, "Thank you, brother." His voice was hoarse, but his enunciation was exceptionally gentle.
Ji Chengning developed a layer of small bumps on his ear.
"It's late and the dew is heavy, cousin, you don't need to see me off." He said curtly.
Cui Yao lowered her head obediently, "Yes."
The young man turned and left without hesitation.
Cui Yao raised her hand and touched her face with the back of her hand.
Scalding hot.
Ji Chengnin's smile vanished the moment he stepped outside.
Huai De and Chi Zheng dared not utter a sound. They had both heard the gunshot, but the young master had come out unharmed. Looking into the courtyard, they could vaguely see Miss Cui still sitting at her desk.
He was probably brewing tea, his hand resting on a dark, heavy object.
Both of them appeared to be unharmed, but Ji Chengnin's face was frighteningly gloomy.
Everyone thought to themselves in unison, "Could the young master really be going to bully men and women?"
Judging from his angry expression, he probably failed to bully her.
Ji Chengning had no interest in the way his two personal servants had portrayed him as a bully, and turned to walk back.
He was extremely annoyed.
Cui Yao is acting strangely in every way. Even if ordinary people don't recognize firearms, they should be terrified when they are injured.
But Cui Yao didn't react much; even her fear seemed like an act to appease herself!
But he couldn't say these things out loud; he couldn't tell anyone. He pointed a gun at Cui Yao, but Cui Yao wasn't afraid.
No matter how you look at it, this is clearly the young marquis abusing his power and making unreasonable demands.
Ji Chengning pinched his brow hard.
After returning to the hospital, he washed up and changed his clothes, then collapsed onto the bed as if all his strength had left him.
Cui Yao...
After a few moments of thought, Ji Chengnin called out repeatedly, "A-Luo, A-Luo."
A faint sound suddenly came from inside the room.
“Young master.” A slightly hoarse voice answered.
“Go and investigate this Miss Cui’s background,” Ji Chengnin’s voice sounded somewhat muffled from under the pillow. “Her age, appearance, place of origin, relatives—everything related to Cui Yao must be thoroughly investigated, and then report back to me.”
"yes."
The bedroom fell completely silent.
Ji Chengning tossed and turned until dawn broke before finally falling asleep.
The light curtain was lowered, and the sunlight, which had been mostly blocked, gently fell on Ji Chengning's face.
He was afraid of the cold, so he hugged the quilt tightly, only revealing half of his face. He was sleeping soundly, his fair cheeks slightly flushed.
Huaide and Chizheng didn't dare to breathe, watching helplessly as a tall figure strode forward and ripped off the veil.
The sunlight was blinding, and Ji Chengnin shielded his eyes with his hand, muttering, "A Luo, stop messing with me."
The other party coaxed patiently, "Young master, if you don't get up now, what will happen to your morning classes at the Imperial Academy?"
Ji Chengning mumbled, "Just say that I offended some ghosts and spirits while wandering around last night, and that I have a persistent high fever. I need to take two days off."
But this time, the eunuch did not obediently follow the order. Instead, he asked, "How should we explain this to Ji Lin?"
Although Ji Chengnin was still unconscious, he was startled by this outrageous way of addressing him.
She slapped him across the face. "Are you crazy? My second uncle... he returned home later than me and told people to keep their mouths shut and not to let, not to let my second uncle know."
Before he could finish speaking, two icy fingers landed gently on his face, then twisted sharply outwards.
"Hmm!"
Ji Chengnin suddenly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Huai De and Chi Zheng standing silently by the bed with their heads down. Neither of them moved. A Luo had gone out last night. Ji Chengning's body stiffened. Then, whose hand was on his face?
Although he had a guess, he still looked up with a hint of hope.
He met his second uncle's cold eyes.
"Second, Second Uncle!" Ji Chengnin pulled himself into the blanket, peering out through a tangled mess of hair, and asked cautiously, "Why are you here?"
Ji Lin sneered, "You are a young lady in your prime, I can't come here."
Hearing his second uncle's tone was so cold it felt like ice crystals were about to fall out, Ji Chengning wisely got up and swore to the heavens and the earth, "Second Uncle, I had no such intention."
Ji Lin felt that if she looked at this scoundrel for another two moments, she would lose ten years of her life.
He said in a deep voice, "Get up quickly, you will come with me today."
Ji Chengnin hurriedly changed his clothes with the help of his servants, and asked incredulously, "I'm riding in your carriage, Second Uncle?"
Ji Lin smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"I wouldn't dare!"
Ji Chengning's hair stood on end.
He wasn't afraid of angering his second uncle, but he would tremble when he saw the other man smile.
He quickly washed and groomed himself, and finally looked presentable.
Ji Chengnin smiled sincerely at Ji Lin, who was looking through his calligraphy practice books, and asked, "Second Uncle, what would you like for breakfast?"
Ji Lin flicked her sleeve, "You get up before the sun is high in the sky and you still want food?"
Minister Ji uttered a resounding and harsh statement: "No."
Ji Chengning looked at his second uncle with a mournful expression. It was noon, only a quarter past dawn!
A moment later, on the carriage.
Ji Chengning first used a knife to cut the steaming hot flatbread into small pieces, then placed them on a clean square of oiled paper and presented them to his second uncle, carefully placing a handkerchief underneath. "Second Uncle."
Knowing that today was a grand court assembly, and that Minister Ji had changed into a brand-new silver-red official robe that could not be even slightly unclean, he took a silver token, tied a small piece of it, and gave it to Ji Lin along with the robe.
The boy blinked his charming eyes pitifully, "Second Uncle, it's not that I don't want to go to the Imperial Academy, but I didn't sleep half the night and was too tired to get up."
Ji Lin couldn't keep her cold expression any longer. She took the sesame cake and asked in a cool tone, "Why? Has my young master been studying so hard that he's hanging himself by his hair or pricking his thigh with an awl, or has he been tossing and turning in bed thinking about his son?"
Ji Chengnin was shocked. "Second Uncle, how did you know?"
Although the reality may differ somewhat from what Ji Lin imagined.
Ji Lin put a piece of flatbread into her mouth and chewed slowly and deliberately, without saying a word.
Seeing that he remained silent, Ji Chengnin also picked up a flatbread. Unlike Ji Lin, he was not particular and only used an oiled paper as a base.
The servants, having been instructed by Ji Lin, packed the flatbreads into a food box and sent it to the carriage. Boiling water was placed at the bottom of the food box, so the flatbreads were still steaming hot when they were taken out.
Ji Chengning took a big bite of the flatbread. The mutton was delicious, roasted to perfection, with a crispy skin and tender inside. As the flatbread was bitten open, the oily juices seeped into it, making it even more fragrant than the meat.
Ji Lin used vegetarian cakes, ate a couple of pieces and then put them down, pouring Ji Chengning a cup of tea to cool.
Ji Chengnin's mouth was stuffed full, so he couldn't speak, but he smiled with pursed lips.
Ji Lin stared at his spineless appearance for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Atu, do you want to enter officialdom?"
Ji Chengnin was so disgusted by the saccharine address of "Atu" that he shuddered violently, and looked up sharply as if someone had stepped on his tail. "Huh?"
How old is he? Why is he called by this name again?
Ji Lin looked at him calmly, her presence commanding respect without anger.
Ji Chengnin swallowed the complaint that was about to come out, ate the pancake whole, and asked with a blank look, "Entering officialdom? What does entering officialdom mean?"
He's just playing dumb again.
Ji Lin said irritably, "To become an official."
Upon hearing this, Ji Chengning looked longingly at the words, "I want to, I want to, so much so that I can't sleep. I want to enter officialdom and rise to the top in one step, win the emperor's favor, become the prime minister, one of the Three Dukes, and be given the title of Grand Tutor of the First Rank."
Ji Lin listened to his daydreaming and nodded approvingly, "Good ambition." He smiled slightly, "Now get out of here."
Ji Chengnin laughed loudly.
He laughed as he wiped his mouth with Ji Lin's handkerchief, deliberately leaving a wild, oily lip print next to the plain orchid, as if he were showing off to the orchid.
“A person like me would only cause endless harm if I were to become an official, Second Uncle. The rise and fall of dynasties is a tragedy for the people,” Ji Chengning said with a smile as he picked up his warm tea. “The people’s livelihood is not easy. It’s better not to have another corrupt official like me who harms the country and its people.”
Ji Lin flicked Ji Chengning's forehead with her finger, "Nonsense."
The carriage swayed and rocked, so Ji Chengning closed his eyes for a short rest.
He was not awakened by Ji Lin until the Ji family's carriages stopped in front of the Imperial College.
Ji Chengnin didn't even need to step on a stool; he jumped directly down from the carriage, making Ji Lin's temples bulge with veins.
The young marquis was not late today.
Qu Pingzhi, the son of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who was usually on good terms with him, stared wide-eyed in shock and exclaimed repeatedly, "Sanlang, Sanlang, Chengning is here!"
He stepped forward happily, "Chengning, you're up so early today."
Ji Chengnin gave a weary smile. "Good morning."
Zhou Mufang, the son of the General of Zhenxi, greeted him with a smile and casually brushed aside Ji Chengning's messy hair. "Oh, what wind blew this morning that brought the young master here?"
"Spring Breeze." Ji Chengning dodged the claw and kicked him.
Zhou Mufang laughed as she took the kick, then affectionately put her arm around Ji Chengning's shoulder. "Don't be angry, come on. Today is Mr. Li's lecture. When he sees you, he'll be so surprised his eyes will pop out."
Ji Chengning woke up almost immediately.
Mr. Li is the one who said his brain kernel weighed less than three qian (a unit of weight).
The three walked side by side, chatting and laughing all the way into the schoolhouse.
Mr. Li Wensheng, who was sorting through his books, raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw the three of them enter.
"Good morning, sir." Ji Chengnin smiled brightly.
After the three greeted each other, Li Wensheng nodded and said, "Yes, it's morning."
Mr. Li appeared to be only in his thirties, with a handsome and refined face that exuded a scholarly air. However, the words he uttered were quite different from his appearance.
Before long, the students had arrived. Li Wensheng did not turn the pages of his book, but said indifferently, "Today's lecture is on the ninth volume of the Qi Law, the chapter on adjudication."
Ji Chengning felt dizzy just hearing the name. He forced himself to sit for a quarter of an hour, but his eyelids were drooping and he was swaying.
Li Wensheng suddenly said, "Young Master Ji."
Ji Chengning felt a jolt in his spine.
He looked up blankly, not understanding what was going on, but obediently stood up and said, "Sir."
Even if Ji Chengning is spoiled, he shouldn't cause trouble at the Imperial Academy. This was a profound lesson he learned after being made to kneel in the ancestral hall all night by Ji Lin following his back-and-forth arguments with Li Wensheng.
Li Wensheng asked kindly, "Young Marquis, there is a small couch in my room. Would you be so kind as to take a seat there?"
A note from the author:
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