Lin Si and Zhong Wan had grown up together. Thus, even if he couldn’t say he knew everything that went on in the other’s mind, he could always guess at least part of it. He looked up at Zhong Wan and gestured, “Could it be that Master is worried for Young Prince Yu?”

So you forcefully connected Yu She’s true identity with Prince Ning, trying to convince yourself to stay?

Zhong Wan didn’t speak.

Back when Prince Ning had been framed, Prince Yu had played a role. Zhong Wan shouldn’t be worrying about Yu She.

Lin Si pondered a bit and signed, “At the time of the event, Young Prince Yu was only a few years over ten. He didn’t have a part in the scheme. Master doesn’t need to feel like he has betrayed the Prince.”

Zhong Wan rubbed the spot between his brows and lowly said, “I can still draw the line.”

Though Lin Si had also been sold onto Prince Yu’s estate at the time, he had only stayed outside the?second door, feeding horses. He didn’t know much about what had happened between Zhong Wan and Yu She inside. He thought about it and directly asked, “Back then, did Master and Young Prince Yu really fall in love?”

Zhong Wan choked.

“No..” Zhong Wan smiled. “Don’t tell me you believe those rumors too? Nothing of the sort happened.”

Lin Si looked at Zhong Wan, confused. He was completely lost.

They hadn’t made promises to each other, so why was he worried about Yu She now?

“He..”

Zhong Wan leaned back against his headboard, head pillowed on his arm. He drawled out, “Previously.. though we had been classmates for a few years, in the entirety of those three years, we barely spoke to one another.”

“I didn’t want to cause trouble for the Prince, so never communicated with those people. Other than occasionally arguing with Fourth Prince Xuan Jing when I was bored, I didn’t have connections with anyone else.”

“Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong had?black hands and a poisonous heart. He always plotted and schemed against me from the shadows. I didn’t think highly of him.. Yu She and Xuan Qiong are cousins, so were on the same side. Naturally, I avoided him too.”

Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong’s mother was?Noble Consort?Yu; she was also Prince Yu’s blood-related younger sister.

Zhong Wan rubbed his sore neck. “Speaking of this, I was confused too when I first heard it. We weren’t related at all, not like with Xuan Jing where we had somewhat of a semblance of a relationship after so much fighting. Why would he put so much effort into buying me?”

Lin Si thought about it and very bluntly signed, “So he admired you. Or had dirty thoughts.”

“That wasn’t it. He really didn’t.” Zhong Wan shook his head. “After throwing me into a side courtyard in his home, he completely ignored me for three months. A long time later, probably after getting annoyed by the steward of the side courtyard, he finally moved in.”

Lin Si was confused. “Getting annoyed by the steward?”

Zhong Wan had a smile that wasn’t really a smile on his face. He started coughing again.

“I lay in the side courtyard for half a month. After I could finally get out of bed, of course I wanted to escape.. I hid in the food waste bin, wanting to be transported out. I also dressed as a servant and tried to sneak out the side door. Every midnight, I would go look for the best places to flip over the wall.. Nobody from the main estate lived in the side courtyard. All the servants in the courtyard were in charge of watching me. The steward was scared that I would escape, so kept me under twenty-four-hour surveillance, always half a step behind me. Every night, the steward would bring over a chair and set it by the head of my bed, then sit down and stare at me.”

Itbcu Qjc mbeutfv j ofk alwfr jcv aglfv cba ab ijeut. “Vb P jrxfv atf biv rafkjgv..”

Tbecu Itbcu Qjc ijs lc yfv delfais. Lf ibbxfv tjgwifrr.

Ycis atf biv rafkjgv xcfk ktja xlcv bo qfgrbc tf gfjiis kjr. Pa tjv jigfjvs yffc atgff wbcatr, jcv cba j wbwfca tjv qjrrfv ktfgf Itbcu Qjc kjrc’a atlcxlcu bo tbk ab frmjqf. Ktf rafkjgv aglfv gfjiis tjgv ab fzqijlc, “Tbecu Zjrafg, sbe’gf jigfjvs j rijnf. Snfc lo sbe ifjnf, klatbea atf vbmewfcar obg ifjnlcu, sbe kbeivc’a fnfc yf jyif ab ifjnf atf mlas kjiir. Mbg sbeg fcalgf ilof, sbe kbc’a yf jyif ab yes qgbqfgas bg ijcv; sbe’ii tjnf ab tlvf ktfgfnfg sbe ub.”

Zhong Wan thought to himself,?no shit, I know the laws of this dynasty better than you.

The steward was so annoyed that he lost his patience and started trying to intimidate him. “Young Master, our Heir still has your?self-selling contract. If you run away, all he has to do is tell the?yamen?and you’ll be caught before the day is over. By that time, the punishment for being a runaway slave is being sentenced to facial tattooing by the authorities. You know what?facial tattooing?is, right?”

Zhong Wan didn’t care at all. He coldly said, “I’m a man. Who cares if my face is ruined. At least that way, nobody will have thoughts about me!”

The old steward became agitated. “Facial tattooing is permanent. How could you not care about your own face..?”

Young Zhong Wan was bewildered. “I’ve never cared about my own face. Steward!!! I’ve already ended up in this situation?! What face do I have?”

The old steward was so angry he almost stopped breathing.

The two argued for a whole day. By nightfall, the old steward thought that Zhong Wan would finally calm down. He was just about to take a nap on the chair when Zhong Wan suddenly started talking.

“Uncle Feng.” Zhong Wan wasn’t sleepy at all. He stared at the top of the bed curtains. “Let’s have a heart to heart chat.”

Steward Feng: “..”

In his heart, steward Feng cursed Zhong Wan for being so troublesome, but he still forced himself to look alert as he stiffly asked, “Chat about what?!”

Young Zhong Wan calmly said, “Let’s talk about your mother.”

Steward Feng froze for a moment before realizing that his old mother had gotten teased. He immediately became outraged, almost starting a fight with Zhong Wan.

“Calm down, calm down. Why are you so agitated?” Young Zhong Wan hurriedly begged for mercy. “I was wrong I was wrong I was wrong.. Calm down! You’re already this age, so can’t get angry so easily. Sit down! Sit down..”

Steward Feng was so angry his beard flew up. He turned around and sat down, planning to ignore him. He was just about to doze off again when Zhong Wan suddenly asked, “Uncle Feng, do you have a wife?”

Steward Feng with a pissed expression, “My wife is still alive, yes.”

Zhong Wan nodded. “You and the missus, do you get along well?”

Steward Feng was at a loss. It was the middle of the night.. Why did he have to tell someone who was barely out of adolescence about the relationship between him and his wife?

Steward Feng turned around and glared at Zhong Wan. “There’s nothing to be well or not well! Is this related to Young Master in any way?”

Zhong Wan was very honest. “Of course.”

Steward Feng held back his anger. “Then may I ask Young Master Zhong.. How is it related to you?”

“It’s the middle of the night, quite late. You and me.” Zhong Wan pointed at himself, then at steward Feng. “Are in a room together. I’m worried that you are only guarding me so well because you want to do something bad. After I fall asleep, you’ll fuck me.”

Steward Feng completely went crazy. He stood up and roared, “I’m fifty-four this year! My grandson is around your age! You and I.. I- I- I..”

“D-d-don’t be angry..” Zhong Wan was scared that he would harm himself in his anger, so hurriedly coaxed, “I was only mentioning that as a possibility! Only a possibility.. I was scared that you’d see my sleeping countenance and be unable to resist yourself, accidentally causing trouble. You have a family and I have to maintain my chastity for your master’s Heir. If we get together, not only would that ruin your relationship with your wife, but would also cause you to lose your job. I couldn’t bear that..”

Steward Feng refused to listen to him. In his anger, he cussed out a string of colorful language and was so furious that his face turned purple.

“Calm down.. I was wrong, I’m the one who has taken an interest in you because we’ve spent so much time together. Not you, not you.” Zhong Wan rushed to apologize, “I used a lesser person’s thoughts to assume the reasoning behind a gentleman’s demeanor. I sincerely express my regret.”

Zhong Wan got out of bed to personally pour steward Feng a cup of tea.

Steward Feng drank it. After a long time, he finally managed to start breathing normally again.

Zhong Wan lay down. Steward Feng sat down too.

An hour later, Steward Feng felt somewhat sleepy. Zhong Wan started once more, saying, “I thought about it and realized that my words just now were too extreme. My apologies, Steward Feng. You’re a good person.”

Steward Feng: “..”

Young Zhong Wan stared at the window and drawled out, “Look. The moon is beautiful tonight.”

Steward Feng felt goosebumps forming all over his body.

Zhong Wan spoke to himself, “Right now, the mood here is quite nice too.”

Steward Feng thought that perhaps he was so sleepy he had gone crazy.. How was the mood nice?

Zhong Wan very seriously said, “So how about I sing a song for you?”

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Steward Feng stared at Zhong Wan numbly.

Zhong Wan shyly said, “I originally thought that I would get sold to become an?actor, so in prison.. I prepared ahead of time.”

Steward Feng’s gaze was desolate. He didn’t know whether or not he should praise Zhong Wan for planning ahead.

“Then I’ll start now.”

Zhong Wan cleared his throat and gently tapped the bed board rhythmically. “After getting married..?had to wear white.. Who died..?The master of this house..”

“Shut up!!!” Steward Feng was furious. “Singing this to your master, are you looking to die?!”

“Is that not okay?” Zhong Wan sighed with regret. “But as someone who only started learning recently.. I only know how to sing?The Young Widow Visits the Grave.”

Steward Feng was so mad his hands shook. “You.. stop singing.”

Zhong Wan nodded. “Alright. Don’t get angry. I just wanted to sing a song to coax you to sleep.”

“As long as you stop talking, I’ll naturally be able to fall asleep!”

Zhong Wan promised. He held up three fingers and swore to the Heavens, “I’ll shut up.”

Steward Feng cautiously sat down once more.

Zhong Wan did what he said he would. This time, he really didn’t say a word.

An hour later, Steward Feng, who had rushed around the whole day and stayed up half the night, fell into a deep slumber.

With bright eyes, young Zhong Wan’s lips curled up slightly. He had never fallen asleep. He sat up.

“My apologies to you..”

Zhong Wan didn’t dare to put on his shoes. He carefully walked outside, barefoot, and escaped the side courtyard that night.

Of course, he got caught and brought back before sunrise.

Zhong Wan was escorted into the?central room, but continued acting rowdy. “Isn’t it just a face tattoo? Do as you wish! Even if there’s a tattoo on my face, there will still be plenty of women willing to marry me!”

Steward Feng had looked for him the whole night, so now was so fatigued that he felt only a step away from death. He breathed out weakly as he said, “You aren’t scared, right? Fine, fine.. you wait. Just you wait.”

Zhong Wan waited. An hour later, Yu She arrived.

Zhong Wan kneeled on the ground. As soon as he saw Yu She, he knew things were over.

The person who could really fuck him was here.