Dang Wu never expected that his first task upon arriving at Yan Dong’s side would be to investigate his own master.
Unlike other courtyards, Fengchun Courtyard didn’t have a strict dress code for its attendants. As long as they didn’t overstep, they could dress as they pleased. Dang Wu stood in front of Yan Dong, dressed in a neat gray outfit. Yan Dong scrutinized him with a critical eye, “I heard that my elder brother assigned a few new people to my courtyard, and you’re one of them, to serve as my attendant?”
Dang Wu cupped his hands, “Subordinate Dang Wu greets the young master. From now on, I will follow your orders.”
Yan Dong smiled, “So, you’re my person now?”
Dang Wu had a bad feeling, “Subordinate is the young master’s person.”
“Do you know what the first rule is for being my person?”
“Subordinate is ready to listen to your teachings.”
“The first rule, naturally, is loyalty.” Chang Qingqing imitated the mannerisms of the palace eunuchs, explaining the rules to the newcomer, “Since you’re the young master’s person, everything should be centered around him. Disobedience is betrayal, and will be severely punished!”
Dang Wu understood that the young master was warning him not to have his heart in Xunfeng Courtyard while being in Fengchun Courtyard. And the way to test his loyalty now was—
Dang Wu turned his head to look at a nearby civilian courtyard. Nong Sheng had gone in earlier and quickly came out.
The three of them were following, and Nong Sheng shouldn’t have been unaware. Moreover, there were clearly people hidden nearby, yet no one signaled to stop the young master. Does this mean the heir doesn’t mind the young master knowing the secret of that courtyard? But why did Nong Sheng lie earlier?
“Hey.” Yan Dong frowned, urging.
Dang Wu collected his thoughts and turned back, “Subordinate will find out the secret inside as soon as possible.”
Only then did Yan Dong nod in satisfaction, “Go ahead.”
With Chang Qingqing accompanying him and his own people hidden nearby, Dang Wu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Please wait a moment, young master. Don’t make me worry. I’ll be out soon.”
Yan Dong had no intention of making things difficult for Dang Wu, nor did he want to get him punished, so he nodded immediately, “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere.”
Dang Wu then saluted and left.
“Such light and agile movements, not simple.” Chang Qingqing watched as Dang Wu disappeared over the courtyard wall in a few moves, surprised, “Could it be that the heir assigned his own people to you? But this person is unfamiliar…”
Yan Song’s people, after so many years, Yan Dong had recognized them all, but this was the first time he had seen Dang Wu. Since Yan Song dared to send Dang Wu to him, it meant this person must be deeply trusted and valued by Yan Song, definitely not a newcomer he had just recruited.
Yan Dong rubbed his ring, wondering if Dang Wu was just one of them, or one among many? If it’s the latter, how many people has Yan Song been secretly raising outside without telling him?
Yan Dong was a bit unhappy.
“This matter worried my brother, so he added an extra layer of protection to feel at ease.” He said absentmindedly.
Dang Wu being sent over now meant he was different from Chang Qingqing and others, and wouldn’t truly be under his control.
“Then he was just humoring you earlier, he’ll definitely go back and report to the heir!” Chang Qingqing nervously hugged Yan Dong’s arm, “If the heir finds out we secretly followed and investigated…”
“If he’s really hiding someone here, I have a reason to demand an explanation!” Yan Dong rolled up his sleeves aggressively, “I’ll call a Yan family meeting to condemn him for hiding someone behind our backs!”
The snow had temporarily stopped, but the wind was still biting. Chang Qingqing quickly pulled Yan Dong’s sleeves down, “But what if Dang Wu deceives you?”
Yan Dong wasn’t afraid. If Dang Wu deceived him, it would also indicate something fishy.
The two of them whispered under the eaves, and soon, Dang Wu flipped over the front courtyard wall. He stood in front of Yan Dong, who was watching him nervously, and reassured him, “Rest assured, there’s no young woman inside.”
With a thud, the stone in his heart fell to the ground, and Yan Dong breathed a sigh of relief, casually asking, “Then who is it?”
“It’s a young man with fox-like eyes, quite handsome, but his face is pale, indicating he’s injured. I searched the bedroom and found a book titled ‘Jinshi Examination Selections,’ with the signature on the cover,” Dang Wu hesitated for a moment before saying, “‘Feng Song.'”
This fake name was now being watched and bitten by many interested parties, but Young Master Yan was clearly not among them, only saying, “Oh.”
Yan Dong hadn’t heard of this name, but as long as the person inside wasn’t Yan Song’s secret lover, he wouldn’t inquire further.
The tracking team withdrew on the spot and went to Gui Shui Hall on Qinglong Street.
In the private room, Yan Dong instructed Qingqing to give the waiter some silver, “Go to Xinglu Lane next door and ask if Second Young Master Yu is at home.”
He had to take medicine these days and avoid certain foods, so he ordered a cup of rose dew. Chang Qingqing ordered a small bowl of hot milk tea, and seeing Dang Wu shake his head, dismissed the waiter.
The waiter smiled and thanked them for the tip before leaving.
Yan Dong picked a book of ancient records from the shelf, and after flipping a few pages, Second Young Master Yu arrived.
Yu Zhaoying ordered a cup of ginger tea and sat opposite Yan Dong, “You came just in time. If you were a bit later, I would have gone to the restaurant with Little Marquis Li.”
His words and actions were as usual, without any burden, and Yan Dong was completely relieved, casually asking, “How’s your sister-in-law?”
“She seems frightened, her face pale. Earlier, her mother came to visit, planning to go to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple to pray.” Yu Zhaoying opened his ever-present folding fan, fanning a kind of elegant charm in the cold winter, “They say she had a nightmare, but I feel her gaze on me is different. She used to look at me with suspicion, but today it seemed more like fear and doubt?”
Yan Dong was puzzled, “Could it be she wasn’t having a nightmare, but was somehow bewitched, suspecting it was your doing?”
Yu Zhaoying shrugged, “Who knows. Forget it, let’s not worry about her.”
Saying they wouldn’t worry, Yan Dong immediately shared their earlier actions, only for Yu Zhaoying to frown slightly, “Feng Song?”
“Ah,” Yan Dong noticed Yu Zhaoying’s expression, feeling something was off, “Do you know this person?”
The bodyguard leaned over to place the tray on the tea table, the small braid hanging in front of his shoulder swaying. As he left, Yu Zhaoying said, “Xia Hui, close the door.”
Xia Hui responded, gently closing the door as he left.
Yan Dong said, “Seems like this person isn’t simple.”
“Indeed.” Yu Zhaoying glanced at the man kneeling behind Yan Dong, “Unfamiliar face.”
Yan Dong said, “Dang Wu, my elder brother’s personal guard, sent to monitor me.”
Dang Wu: “.”
With Yan Dong’s nature, this statement was definitely a boast. Yu Zhaoying shook his head with a smile, “Do you remember the rumor from Luzhou?”
“The fourth prince who supposedly died young?” Yan Dong said.
Yu Zhaoying took a sip of ginger tea, “A villager named Feng Song in Fenghe Village, Luzhou, is actually the second son of the Song family’s steward and Ming Consort’s personal maid. His real name is Song Fengmian. If the rumor is true, he not only knows whether the fourth prince really died young, but might also know the whereabouts of the fourth prince, making him very important and currently in a dangerous situation… Dongdong, what’s wrong?”
Yan Dong stiffly pulled a smile, “Feng Song is Song Fengmian?”
“That’s right.” Yu Zhaoying was puzzled, “Why do you look like you just ate a sheep dung ball?”
The feeling in Yan Dong’s heart was indeed similar to eating a sheep dung ball!
Feng Song was actually Song Fengmian—he didn’t know him, but he had seen this name.
After waking from a nightmare, he inexplicably gained the knowledge that he was in a storybook world, and a scene of the storybook turning pages appeared in his mind. It was the cover of the storybook, with the title written on it, and two lines of small text below:
[Domineering Heir Attack × Scheming Foxy Receiver]
[Song Fengmian looked at the man’s clear and beautiful jawline, his fox-like eyes filled with tears, finally admitting defeat as he lowered his eyes, shy yet straightforwardly saying, “Yes, I like you.”]
Clearly, the first line was the characters of the storybook, and the second line was an excerpt from the original text. Although Yan Dong hadn’t heard of the terms “attack” and “receiver,” he could roughly understand their meaning.
Obviously, Song Fengmian was the “scheming foxy receiver” in the storybook, and although the “domineering heir attack” wasn’t named, Yan Dong thought about it: his elder brother had a clear and beautiful jawline, was decisive and uncompromising, naturally domineering, and more importantly, there were only a few heirs in Dayong. The one secretly hiding Song Fengmian and sending his personal guard to buy pens for him was his big brother!
“Ah…” Yan Dong’s shoulders slumped.
Yu Zhaoying quickly asked, “Little ancestor, what’s wrong now? Did you just have a daydream and dream of something bad?”
Apparently, Hou Yi had shared Yan Dong’s “illness” with Yu Zhaoying.
“No, but…” Yan Dong’s long eyelashes trembled as he said blankly, “My world has collapsed.”
Dang Wu said, “Master, the heir is fine.”
“He’s fine, very fine,” Yan Dong muttered, “Destined lovers building a love nest, how could he not be?”
Everyone: “?”
Oh no, could it be that the young master has aftereffects and is hallucinating? Chang Qingqing screamed internally.
Yu Zhaoying tapped his head with the fan, the first to catch on, “You suspect Brother Yan and this Song Fengmian?”
“The heir keeps Song Fengmian because of his special identity and usefulness, not because of romantic feelings.” Dang Wu clarified his master’s stance, proving his innocence.
Chang Qingqing also whispered, “Young master, is there some misunderstanding?”
Yan Dong shared the clues he had pieced together earlier, especially finding it hard to explain why Yan Song sent his personal guard to buy pens for someone, which was really suggestive—after all, for so many years, it was only Yan Dong who could trouble Nong Sheng with such trivial matters!
The private room fell silent, everyone’s eyes converging, each with their own thoughts:
Chang Qingqing: The heir can fall in love?!
Yu Zhaoying: Brother Yan can fall in love with a man?!
“This point is indeed hard to explain.” Yu Zhaoying rubbed the fan handle, thinking while cautiously watching Yan Dong’s expression, “If it was to conceal his whereabouts, Brother Yan should have sent a skilled person who rarely shows up in public, not Nong Sheng, the personal guard leader, which would attract more attention.”
Dang Wu didn’t dare to criticize Yan Song, but he also thought it made sense.
“No, I don’t want to believe it,” Yan Dong took a deep breath with his eyes closed, “I want to form an investigation team again to thoroughly investigate the truth!”
“Good!” Yu Zhaoying supported him first, then asked, “Where do we start?”
“Naturally, with the man who was brought back… you,” Yan Dong turned to Dang Wu, raising two hard fists, “I’m very serious and solemn, if you dare to obstruct me, you’re done for!”
Dang Wu inwardly lamented, quickly saying, “Subordinate wouldn’t dare.”
“Hmph.” Yan Dong turned his head, crossing his arms, “Feng Song’s identity is special, so this matter must not be spread, to avoid exposing his identity and causing trouble. We can’t openly approach the courtyard he’s hiding in, to avoid attracting attention.”
“Oh.” Yu Zhaoying laughed, “Our young master is quite considerate.”
Yan Dong irritably scratched his cheek, “If his identity is exposed, his life will be in danger, it’s no joke.”
Yu Zhaoying cupped his hands, “I await Young Master Yan’s orders.”
Chang Qingqing said, “Me too!”
“My plan is—” Yan Dong leaned on the table with both hands, saying seriously, “Investigate secretly, probe openly, a two-pronged approach.”
“Not bad, not bad,” Yu Zhaoying waved his fan, “How do we implement it specifically?”
Yan Dong issued orders, “Yu’er, you’re well-informed, so you’re responsible for keeping an eye on news about Feng Song.”
Yu Zhaoying said, “Understood.”
“Dang Wu, you’re responsible for monitoring the small courtyard, keeping a close eye on the movements there.”
Dang Wu was troubled, “Young master, forgive me, I can’t be too far from you.”
“Huh?” Yan Dong raised an eyebrow, “Finally not pretending? You swore you were my person, don’t you feel guilty?”
Dang Wu stubbornly said, “Subordinate is the heir’s person, and ordered to protect the young master, so I’m also the young master’s person.”
Yan Dong snorted, not making things difficult for him, “Alright, then while you’re protecting me and regularly reporting to your master, help me probe the attitudes of Chun Chun and Nong Sheng, and report any news to me immediately.”
Dang Wu hesitated, “This…”
Yan Dong glared, “Hmm?”
Dang Wu had no choice but to say, “Subordinate obeys.”
That’s more like it. Yan Dong assigned the tasks, drank tea for a while, and during that time, he and Yu Zhaoying discussed the meanings of “attack” and “receiver,” concluding that according to this theory, Yu Zhaoying was the receiver, and Xia Hui was the attacker, then they each went their separate ways.
It was mealtime, and Yan Dong went to Plum Garden. During the meal, he glanced at his father, who was eating heartily, and his elegant and refined mother, and casually said, “The most beautiful mother and the most handsome father in the world, have you ever imagined what your future eldest daughter-in-law would be like?”
“Of course.” Yan Qingyun showed a bit of an old father’s eagerness to hold a grandchild.
“What kind of daughter-in-law do you imagine?”
Yan Qingyun’s standard was simple and straightforward, “One that your mother likes.”
“The best would be a daughter who knows and supports your brother wholeheartedly. If Yan Song doesn’t have such a fate, then whoever he chooses is fine. We trust his judgment. Why,” Cui Fulai looked at Yan Dong, “has Yan Song taken a liking to some girl?”
Yan Qingyun: “Hmm?!”
“Don’t get excited, don’t get excited, it’s nothing. I was just asking casually.” Yan Dong covered up, “It’s just that you don’t seem worried about my brother’s marriage at all.”
Cui Fulai smiled, “As parents, we naturally hope our children can marry and have children, and be happy as a family, but we can’t go against their wishes. Your brother doesn’t have that intention, so why should we rush? After all, Yan Song has been sensible and steady since childhood, never making us worry. He knows what he’s doing.”
“Exactly, your brother is busier than a spinning top on the street, so we don’t say things he doesn’t like to hear and annoy him.” Yan Qingyun saw Yan Dong looking absent-minded and thoughtful, so he gave him a piece of roasted lamb chop, boldly guessing, “Oh, could it be our little cub is having a spring awakening and is testing our opinions through his brother?”
Cui Fulai’s gaze was teasing.
“Oh, there’s no such thing!” Yan Dong blushed, hurriedly putting down his chopsticks, waving his hands, “I’m busy inheriting my brother’s legacy and aiming for first place, where do I have time for romance?”
The couple was amused by their youngest son’s reaction, and Cui Fulai said, “Alright, alright, it’s all your father’s fault. How can a big swallow know the aspirations of a little swallow?”
“Exactly!” Yan Dong glared at the laughing Yan Qingyun, got up and served him a big bowl of rice, “Eat more, talk less!”
Yan Qingyun quickly held the bowl, “Alright, father won’t say anymore, I’ll finish eating right away.”
Yan Dong authoritatively “hmm”ed, not daring to mention marriage again. After the meal, he accompanied Cui Fulai to check the New Year’s gift list for the Cui Junwang Residence, then returned to his courtyard.
Aiming for first place wasn’t just talk. Yan Dong spent the entire afternoon in the study, had a simple dinner of a small bowl of walnut milk, and then studied for another half an hour.
“Young master,” He Bao, like a joyful bird, landed outside the window, “The heir is back.”
Yan Dong immediately put down his book, grabbed the boxwood pen case, and headed to Xunfeng Courtyard.
Yan Song had changed into a casual cotton robe, his hair tied loosely with a white ribbon at the back, sitting behind the desk handling official duties. In Yan Dong’s eyes, he was never the fearsome King of Hell or a power-wielding minister. At this moment, he was clearly just a beauty, a great beauty.
After more than ten years, he never got tired of looking. Yan Dong stood outside the window, indulging in the sight, before turning to go inside.
“I’ve opened the pen, try it, brother.”
Yan Dong opened the box and placed it on the table. Yan Song picked it up, dipped it in ink, and wrote a line of approval on the document. The handwriting was excellent, a perfect balance of strength and grace.
“Not bad.” Yan Song looked up, his gaze pausing, “What’s wrong?”
With just one glance, he saw through Yan Dong’s facade of normalcy, sensing something amiss. Yan Dong was taken aback, his left hand gripping the table corner tightly, his heart and teeth both letting a crack slip:
“Brother, do you have feelings for that Song Fengmian?”