Even after the young servant had left, Ye Yuwu still hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
The servant, holding the books in his arms, avoided the crowd and walked into a secluded alley, where an extravagant carriage stood parked, exuding an air of nobility at first glance.
If Ye Yuwu had been there, she would have recognized it as the same carriage she had encountered near the academy when distributing street-flyers earlier.
“Your Lordship, the books have been purchased,” the servant said respectfully as he approached the side of the carriage, handing the books toward the carriage door.
At that moment, a pair of slender, elegant hands reached out from inside the carriage, took the books, and withdrew them into the compartment. Soon after, the servant heard the sound of fingertips tapping lightly against the side of the carriage.
Seeing this, the servant immediately seated himself at the front of the carriage and drove the horse onto the street.
Inside the carriage sat a man of unparalleled elegance, his appearance like a finely crafted painting. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, his features handsome—a high nose bridge, lips red as rouge, and teeth white as snow—all exuding an extraordinary aura.
Clad in a moon-white brocade robe as pure as snow, with his jet-black hair tied up, he sat in the carriage, emanating an air of noble grace amidst the mundane world.
His slender hands gripped the books so tightly they turned pale, and his eyes were clouded with deep thoughts, making it impossible to discern what was on his mind.
The servant driving the carriage outside was also puzzled by his lord’s intentions. Originally, they were supposed to return to the estate after the morning court session, but as they passed by a street, the lord had suddenly signaled him to stop.
From a distance, the servant had spotted Miss Ye, who was dressed in strange attire.
This Miss Ye was someone the servant had seen several times before. Each time, she would shamelessly pester him for information about the lord’s whereabouts, follow the lord around without any sense of shame, and occasionally send him gifts under various pretexts.
The lord had always been indifferent to her, even annoyed, and had finally seized an opportunity before the emperor to leave Bianjing.
However, Miss Ye’s affairs had recently become the talk of the town in Bianjing.
It was said that she was not the true daughter of the Tai Mansion, that the real daughter was someone else, and that Miss Ye had even been driven out of the mansion. It was pitiful to think of a delicate young woman having to make a living out in the open like this.
Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes today, he would never have imagined that Miss Ye, who had always dressed meticulously around the lord, would wear such plain clothes and tirelessly hawk goods to earn money. It was truly lamentable.
But what puzzled him the most was his lord’s behavior—ordering him to buy books from Miss Ye’s stall, yet showing no apparent interest in the books himself.
As the servant pondered his lord’s thoughts, they soon arrived at the marquis’s estate.
Bai Zunyue, holding two books in his hands, placed them behind his back and strolled leisurely into the estate, making his way to the garden.
Sure enough, he spotted a figure in peach-pink from afar.
He walked up behind her, and a maid nearby, upon seeing him, was about to curtsy when he waved his hand to stop her.
Then, he lightly tapped the woman on the head with the books in his hand.
The woman winced in pain, covering her head with her hand. Turning around, she saw it was her own brother and gave him a resentful look.
“Brother!” It turned out she had been reading in the garden pavilion and hadn’t noticed his arrival, allowing him to catch her off guard.
Bai Zunyue offered no explanation and simply tossed the books into her arms. “A gift for you.”
With that, he turned and walked toward his study, as if he had just completed some task, leaving Bai Zunxing, who was still sitting in place, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Bai Zunxing loved reading and was open to all kinds of books. Today, she had come to the garden specifically to read, finding the combination of beautiful scenery and books truly delightful!
It was precisely because Bai Zunyue knew his sister’s love for books that he had given them to her.
Bai Zunyue was extremely angry. She tossed the book aside and picked up the one she had been reading before being interrupted.
It didn’t take long for her to finish it, but it was still early. She didn’t know what to do if she returned to her courtyard, having nearly exhausted all the books she had recently. She didn’t feel like going back just yet.
Just as she was thinking of feeding the fish in the pond, she noticed the two books she had thrown aside earlier. One was the Three Character Classic, but she was past the age for studying that.
The other one… she took a closer look.
Hmm, a book she hadn’t heard of before.
Between a Square Inch, First Issue—what kind of book was this? She had never come across it.
The cover was unusually designed, unlike anything she had seen on other books. No one had ever made a book’s cover so exquisite, and it immediately caught her attention.
Curious, she opened the first page, where the title of each story and its author were listed in detail.
Only then did she realize that this book was likely a collection of short stories. She had read many such books before.
But as she began reading, she found it completely different. Each story here was concise, never obscure or difficult to understand, and incredibly engaging, with a wide variety of genres.
It was perfect for leisure reading—nothing too heavy or distressing.
She spent the entire afternoon immersed in it. As the evening glow brushed the horizon, even her maid reminded her it was time for dinner, but she was still reluctant to put it down.
If Bai Zunyue hadn’t sent someone to urge her to eat, she might have remained indifferent.
Now that only she and her brother were at home, and as a young lady who rarely ventured beyond the inner quarters and typically dined in her own room, the Marquis’s estate wasn’t overly strict with rules. Thus, she could join her brother at the dining table.
Bai Zunxing arrived, but she didn’t let go of the book. Holding the open volume in one hand, she used the other to pick up food, her eyes never leaving the pages.
Bai Zunyue watched his sister’s behavior expressionlessly, immediately recognizing the book in her hand as the one he had given her at noon. Unable to hold back, he spoke up, “Zunxing, focus on your meal.”
“I know, brother, but indulge me just this once. This book is too good. I’m already on the last story and will finish it soon.”
Normally, she wouldn’t read while eating, but this book had an inexplicable allure. She couldn’t bear to stop, feeling an irresistible itch to continue.
Especially the last story—wasn’t it a Huaben?
She sometimes secretly asked her maid to buy Huaben for her and had read quite a few, but the plot of this one was unlike anything she had ever encountered. She simply couldn’t put it down. The prince’s character was so unique.
He was fastidious, yet his cleanliness obsession didn’t apply to the female lead. The moment he encountered the little maid, all his plans fell into disarray.
And their various interactions made Bai Zunxing blush fiercely.
She couldn’t stop reading, sometimes even laughing out loud at certain scenes (in modern terms, it was like an “auntie’s grin”).
Just as she couldn’t help but smile again, Bai Zunyue suddenly snatched the book from her hands. His slender fingers rested on the cover, creating an oddly aesthetic sight.
Bai Zunxing shot him an accusing glare. “Brother!”
“The book is confiscated for now. You’ll get it back when you’ve finished reading it properly.” Bai Zunyue’s previously expressionless face now showed a slight frown, his handsome features stern and unyielding.
“This domineering personality is just like the prince in the Huaben!” she snorted coldly, mumbling softly while picking at her food, not daring to say it to his face.
“Hmm?” Bai Zunyue didn’t catch what she said. He lifted his eyelids and asked indifferently.
“N-nothing… Brother, where did you buy this book?” she stammered, hastily changing the subject.
“Ahem,” he cleared his throat and said seriously, “Just picked it up randomly by the roadside.”
“You can just randomly pick up books by the roadside?” she looked at her brother with a skeptical expression.
However, Bai Zunyue was skilled at concealing his emotions, making it impossible for others to see through him.
She only saw his deep, dark, and coldly stern eyes, but failed to notice the fleeting, almost imperceptible glint that flashed through them.