Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As soon as the young girl left, Li Jingsong and I lunged at Zhao Yu-one of us grabbing him in a chokehold while the other started tickling him mercilessly.

“Shady? Who’s shady?”

Li Jingsong had to stay on guard against Zhao Yu’s wild kicking while simultaneously trying to tickle him. “You choose a pretty face over your friends!”

In the struggle, Zhao Yu managed to shout, “Li Jingsong, if you still want to marry into Prince Xian’s family, you’d better stay far away from Zhou Xuesheng! County Princess Yunxiang can’t stand her!”

“Fine! So I’m the one standing in the way of your marriage prospects, am I?” I tightened my hold on Zhao Yu’s neck and called out to the others. “Xiao Yu, Xiao Hu! Get over here!”

“Get them!”

Seven or eight of us became a tangled mess of limbs, resorting to the most underhanded fighting tactics imaginable.

“What do you think you are doing!”

Suddenly, a stern, authoritative roar cracked through the air like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

It was enough to make anyone’s scalp prickle with fear.

Instinctively, we all froze.

I looked up to see Ye Qing’s stunningly beautiful face clouded with frost. His eyes were wide with fury, a storm of rage swirling within them.

I pulled my hand back from Li Jingsong’s collar, Zhao Yu let go of my belt, and Li Jingsong released his grip on Zhao Yu’s trousers.

The other helpers also stopped and stood up straight.

As the oldest, Zhao Yu was shoved forward by the rest of us. “Um, Lord Ye, we-”

He was cut off by Ye Qing’s angry rebuke. “Have you no sense of decorum? You are all young masters from prominent families, yet you act… so ridiculous! If others saw this, you would be the laughingstock of the city!”

“…”

Though we found his outburst a bit baffling, we knew that staying quiet and taking the lecture was the best course of action.

Finally, Ye Qing flicked his sleeves in a fit of pique and stormed off.

Chapter 21

From then on, he stopped joining our outings, which made things much more relaxed for us.

As the New Year approached, we were confined to our homes, following our elders to deliver gifts and attending various banquets. There was no more opportunity to go out and cause trouble.

For the New Year, the palace hosted a grand banquet filled with delicacies, music, dance performances, and fireworks. Everyone was smiling and laughing; it was a picture of national peace and prosperity.

My Emperor Uncle announced that after the New Year, every family should keep a close eye on their students and prepare well for the Autumn Imperial Examinations.

He then specifically singled me out. “Xuesheng, will you be participating this time?”

“Uncle, I haven’t even finished learning all my characters yet.”

My uncle’s eyes lit up. “Well, that’s perfect. Let Lord Ye teach you properly. The two of you should stop being at each other’s throats.”

“Unc-”

My mother pinched me hard. “Hurry up and thank your uncle!”

Meeting my mother’s highly threatening gaze, I had no choice but to stand up reluctantly. “Thank you, Uncle. I will certainly study hard.”

My uncle said with a beaming smile, “Go on then, go offer a toast to Lord Ye.”

“…”

My mother pinched me again, whispering a bribe: “I’ll give you a hundred taels.”

Gritting my teeth, I took my cup and walked over to Ye Qing’s table. “Lord Ye, I shall be in your care from now on. I will be sure to study well.”

Ye Qing had returned to being the elegant, refined Lord Ye of old, every movement carrying an air of sophisticated grace.

Could he really have transformed into some kind of monster?

Ye Qing stared straight at me, his eyes like deep abysses. It was incredibly unsettling.

He slowly raised his cup and lightly clinked it against mine. “It would be my honor.”

My heart constricted with fear. I downed my wine in one gulp and hurried back to my seat.

I could feel the burning sensation of his gaze lingering on my back.

This Ye Qing was becoming more and more sinister.

Still, my Emperor Uncle was truly brilliant. With a single move, he had dispelled the murky rumors surrounding me and Ye Qing, thereby salvaging his official’s reputation.