Chapter 6

His chest was flat.

At the mention of the handbook, his blood ran cold. He sat up straight, and the usually refined and aloof expression on his face finally showed signs of cracking.

Where was his handbook?

Where was it!

The contents of that handbook were crystal clear to him. If anyone else were to see it, it would be better to just kill him outright. If someone familiar saw it, there might be hope, but if a stranger did, they might mistakenly think it was written by his master, right?

…Hold on, no need to panic. He reassured himself that it wasn’t a big deal.

His master was well-known, and although the contents were fabricated based on real situations, to those unaware, it was basically all nonsense.

Such things were not uncommon in the embroidery shops of the Flower Street. His master was also very popular in the selection of male protagonists, but his approach to writing was different, and it included a large amount of truth.

Who else in this world knew more about what had happened between Xie Yun and Sang Yao?

So no one would take it seriously.

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead unconsciously. He clenched his fist, trying to calm himself down.

Maybe he hadn’t brought it with him today.

He definitely hadn’t brought it.

As time passed slowly, Jinglian felt the carriage interior was particularly tormenting. He couldn’t help but speculate, could it be that his master had actually found out, but because the content was too disrespectful, his master couldn’t bring himself to say he had seen it, so he secretly threw it away?

Was today’s action actually a covert way of warning him?

He couldn’t guess anymore.

He couldn’t imagine what he would do if his handbook was lost.

Being seen by others was one thing, but it was his carefully crafted work, the result of more than a year of painstaking research.

Countless nights of burning the midnight oil, poring over texts, hiding and seeking, trembling… as a companion reader of a noble family, he faced pressures from all directions every day, waiting by Xie Yun’s side. He had to be vigilant at all times, he couldn’t have any weaknesses, he had to be versatile, he had to be a qualified blade for the Xie family.

His handbook was the only thing that relieved his stress and gave him comfort.

Jinglian’s face was pale, with no expression on the surface, but he was already in despair in his heart.

_________

Meanwhile, in the Silence Moon Palace, after some wandering thoughts, Sang Yao remembered her father’s instructions before leaving.

She felt that she shouldn’t waste her time trying to make her sister believe that Xie Yun liked her. In fact, it wasn’t a very important matter.

“Oh right, Sister.”

Sang Shu looked at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sang Yao always felt that this matter was difficult to bring up. She quietly glanced at the palace maid beside her, then whispered, “Father reminded me before he left to remind you to pay attention to the heirs.”

Sang Shu nodded and said, “I know.”

Sang Yao hugged Sang Shu’s arm and said in a muffled voice, “Sister, I just want you to be happy in the palace. If you don’t want to have children, just pretend you didn’t hear it.”

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Sang Shu chuckled lightly at this, reaching up to gently pinch Sang Yao’s soft cheek. “Yao Yao, you don’t understand. This child must be conceived.”

In fact, Sang Yao did understand to some extent. It was probably just the power struggle in the harem. The imperial heir was always a trump card at any time.

She just didn’t think it was that important. Things were fine as they were now. The higher one stood, the greater the risk of falling. Besides, raising children was not a simple matter. She didn’t want to risk her sister’s life.

Seeing Sang Yao’s expression, Sang Shu knew what she was thinking, but she didn’t explain much to Sang Yao. Instead, she chose the simplest but most direct reason.

She lowered her voice and whispered in Sang Yao’s ear, “As usual, if the emperor has an accident, all consorts without children will be buried alive with him.”

The words “buried alive” almost exploded in Sang Yao’s ear.

She widened her eyes suddenly and then gripped her sister’s wrist. “Then what should we do?!”

Although the emperor was not old, he had become increasingly weak in recent years, with sunken cheeks and unsteady steps, like a boat untethered, he might fly off any day now. And her sister was still in her prime…

“Don’t worry.”

How could she not worry? The more she thought about it, the more terrified she felt. Her palms were sweating, and she stared at her sister earnestly, starting to consider some unorthodox ideas. “How about… how about we deceive the emperor?”

Sang Shu pinched the girl’s cheek and said, “Stop thinking nonsense.”

She comforted her again, “The emperor is in good health, so don’t worry. When you go back, tell Father that I am aware of this matter.”

Sang Yao thought, how could you be aware of something so fateful? Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes as she said, “I will go back and pray to Guanyin Bodhisattva for you. I heard that the Child-bestowing Guanyin at the Chengtian Temple is very effective.”

“You, an unmarried girl, praying to the Child-bestowing Guanyin? Just stay obediently at home.”

Then she changed the subject, “Let’s not talk about this, Yao Yao. Besides Xie Yun, is there any other young master from another family that you like?”

Sang Yao said, “I don’t like Xie Yun.”

“Alright, you don’t like him. Besides Xie Yun, is there anyone else?”

Sang Yao thought carefully, then shook her head and said,

“I don’t have anyone else.”

Sang Shu couldn’t help but sigh.

She had never thought that Sang Yao’s first love would turn out to be Xie Yun.

He was a man above the clouds, and this unrequited love was destined to come to nothing.

But she couldn’t bring herself to advise Sang Yao to give up on this.

At the age of seventeen, Sang Yao was already noticeable, with a striking beauty that was not suitable for a legitimate wife of a noble family. However, many clans would be happy to take her as a concubine. The Sang family, strictly speaking, was not influential enough, and the marriage of their children had to consider the interests of the family first.

This was the fate of a daughter from a noble family.

Sang Yao couldn’t escape it.

But even so, she still wanted to fight for Sang Yao. So she said, “Yao Yao, in a few days, there will be a celebration for the prince’s birthday in the palace, and the children of noble families will all come. You can go with Father.”

Xie Yun would naturally be there too.

Sang Yao didn’t like to attend palace banquets, but she was timid and didn’t want to stand out. So even if others went, she would follow, afraid that others would think she was disrespectful.

Sang Yao responded, “I understand, Sister.”

She didn’t stay long in the palace and left the Silence Moon Palace with Ran Dong in the middle of the day.

Ran Dong followed Sang Yao, feeling that her young lady was absent-minded today. It didn’t seem like sadness, but rather a mix of happiness and sorrow.

She hesitated and said, “Miss, is there something bothering you? Why don’t you tell me?”

Sang Yao usually didn’t hide anything from Ran Dong, but today’s matter was difficult to bring up. After struggling for a long time, she used a more tactful approach to express her doubts.

“I read a book yesterday…”

Ran Dong responded, “And then?”

Sang Yao was truly puzzled. She said, “There was a man in it, who looked elegant and refined. He was especially fond of a lady, but they had little interaction in daily life. So the man often fantasized about doing various things with the lady in different places, like in a carriage, in a study, on a windowsill, and even in a wild forest, never stopping for a moment. Do all men think like this? No matter how decent they appear on the outside?”

Ran Dong: “… What kind of book did you read, Miss?”

Sang Yao said, “I forgot.”

Ran Dong said, “Well, of course not. Who would think about such things all day long? I guess that man is probably a despicable person.”

Sang Yao added, “But that man usually has no interest in women, he has no wives or concubines around him. He doesn’t seem like a despicable person.”

Ran Dong thought seriously for a moment, then said, “Maybe he likes that lady too much but is too afraid to show it, so he suppresses his feelings too much and becomes obsessed?”

“He’s become a pervert,” Ran Dong silently added in her heart.

Sang Yao was surprised. “Well, that’s possible.”

“But I don’t understand. That lady doesn’t seem that special.”

Feeling a bit guilty, she continued, “She’s just average-looking, not very well-built, and her family background is just so-so. She can’t win arguments and doesn’t seem very imposing. She’s decent in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but compared to other young ladies, she’s…”

This wouldn’t do. Sang Yao started to make excuses for her embarrassment. “But she’s not that bad. At least that lady…”

After a moment of silence, Sang Yao said, “She’s a bit smart and doesn’t eat much.”

Ran Dong smiled and didn’t think too much about it. She said, “Miss, you don’t understand.”

“Love in this world has never made much sense.”

She said mysteriously, “Loving you for your stunning beauty might be superficial, but if they love you despite your mediocrity, that’s true love.”

•  

After returning to the Sang residence, Sang Yao didn’t go out much.

Although the Sang family was not a prestigious family, there were quite a few people of the same generation in the family. She was originally not a sociable person and had a poor relationship with those people. Now that she had stumbled upon a hot potato, she naturally had even less interest.

Originally, she was just holding the handbook in her room, wanting to find a place to hide it. But then she couldn’t help but open it again and read it carefully.

As she read, she couldn’t help but sigh. Although he always wanted to be with her like a pair of mandarin ducks, the storytelling in the book was unexpectedly subtle and very captivating.

She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice someone patting her shoulder. “What are you reading?”

Sang Yao was startled, jumping up like a frightened bird, looking panicked. She quickly closed the handbook. When she turned around, she saw her second cousin, Sang Yinyue.

Still feeling scared, she stammered, “Why didn’t you knock before coming in?”

Sang Yinyue was her cousin, and Sang Yao didn’t particularly like her.

A few days ago, the Fifth Prince in the palace had talked to her a few times, and her cousin had been watching nearby.

It wasn’t a big deal, but then Sang Yinyue started telling everyone that she liked the Fifth Prince. It was all baseless gossip, but now everyone was secretly saying she was delusional.

Glancing at what Sang Yao was holding, Sang Yinyue said, “I thought you were hiding in your room for the past few days. Turns out you’re reading these indecent and vulgar stories.”

Partially hit by the accusation, Sang Yao put the handbook behind her back without explaining. She said instead:

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“What are you here for?” Sang Yao asked.

Sang Yinyue said, “What’s with that expression? I’m here to tell you some good news.”

“What good news?”

Sang Yinyue said, “I’m here to congratulate you. You’re about to soar high.”

“The Fifth Prince has taken a liking to you. He’s thinking of taking you as a concubine. Not many people know about this, so don’t tell anyone. Just enjoy it secretly!”