This was an exquisitely elegant estate featuring dark green tiles, red doors, and pavilions. Trimmed tree branches extended outward from the courtyard walls as if beckoning passersby. Even the two stone lions at the entrance had pearls and jades inlaid into their bases, immediately revealing it to be the residence of someone exceptionally wealthy and noble.
As Prince Jing’s maternal uncle, Chu Xunsheng had traveled far across the ocean from the coastal city of the Chu family, the maiden home of Prince Jing’s birth mother, Consort Li, and had since resided within Prince Jing’s estate.
In the eyes of everyone, Prince Jing was merely a high-spirited young aristocrat who enjoyed riding horses and playing around, but within the plot, all of this was nothing more than a disguise.
In reality, Ji Jing had long harbored ambitions of seizing the throne. While the late emperor was still alive, his birth mother, Consort Li, had always been deeply favored, and the emperor had doted on him immensely, secretly promising to pass the throne to him.
However, upon the late emperor’s passing, the crown prince rapidly ascended the throne with swift and decisive methods. His iron-fisted tactics forced Prince Jing’s faction to bide their time, chafing as they spent two frustrating years playing the role of idle princes.
Later, once the right opportunity arrived, the faction would seize the chaos to stage a coup. It was simply that the new emperor’s military might proved far too formidable, leaving Prince Jing’s faction utterly unmatched and ultimately resulting in a miserable defeat, sealed by a cup of poisoned wine sent to the western netherworld.
Yet Chu Xunsheng recalled his cheap nephew’s unconditional, silly smiles and found it truly impossible to imagine that this was someone running a secret assassin organization like the Shadow Tower, let alone a ruthless, cold-blooded schemer harboring wild ambitions.
“Lord Chu has returned? This old slave will go fetch the young master right away!”
Steward Qian greeted him with a kindly and warm smile. Chu Xunsheng waved a hand to indicate it was unnecessary, smiling as he asked,
“I will go look for him myself. Where is Xiao Jing?”
Steward Qian’s eyes narrowed into two crescents, the skin on his face wrinkling up like an aged persimmon. “The young master will certainly be overjoyed to see Lord Chu. The young master is currently riding horses at the racecourse.”
Looking at his kindly, amiable expression, Chu Xunsheng found it genuinely impossible to see how such an endearing old man could be the administrator of the Shadow Tower from the plot.
Talking as they walked, they crossed several garden pathways and traversed a long corridor until they finally reached the racecourse.
At a single glance, Chu Xunsheng spotted the high-spirited youth in purple robes right at the center of the racecourse.
The youth was mounted astride a horse, clad in a full set of purple robes with a gilded belt gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight. Though his face still retained a trace of youthful boyishness, his striking handsomeness was already readily apparent.
My nephew is truly a fine young man.
With a touch of appreciation, Chu Xunsheng watched the youth galloping away in the distance.
“Does Lord Chu require this humble servant to call the Prince down?”
A young servant ran over to inquire.
“No need. Once he finishes this lap, he will naturally see me.”
As Chu Xunsheng spoke, he shrugged off the heavy black cloak he was wearing and casually handed it to a maidservant who stood quietly with lowered eyes by his side.
This maidservant looked somewhat unfamiliar, prompting him to glance at her a few extra times before asking,
“What is your name?”
The maidservant’s pretty face flushed red. Lowering her gaze, she replied in a soft voice, “My lord, this servant is named Yun Qian, and I am a newcomer. Everyone calls me Ah Qian.”
What a lovely name. Chu Xunsheng was just about to speak when an energetic voice tinged with a hint of gloom abruptly cut in,
“What kind of thing are you? How dare you speak to my uncle like this?”
Chu Xunsheng raised his head to see the purple-robed youth dismounting in a fluid motion and striding over quickly, his eyes shining brightly as they fixed upon him.
Yun Qian dropped to her knees in sheer terror, her moist eyes holding a trace of grievance.
Chu Xunsheng spoke gently, “This has nothing to do with you. He is likely just in a bad mood, so you may withdraw first.”
Ji Jing glared bitterly at her before throwing himself into Chu Xunsheng’s embrace, nuzzling against him.
Ah, the familiar, comforting scent of sunshine mixed with Uncle, entirely devoid of anything unclean.
Huh?
Ji Jing nuzzled against him a second time. This time, he caught the faint fragrance of expensive perfume, light yet undeniably present.
It was also a familiar scent, though Ji Jing could not quite place where it came from.
Chu Xunsheng pushed away his nephew’s head, which was rubbing around like an overly affectionate puppy, and said helplessly, “Why are you still acting like a child?”
Ji Jing’s eyes were watery. “Did Uncle go somewhere to play without taking Ah Jing along? You even brought back the scent of the outside world.”
Sniffing himself and detecting nothing unusual, Chu Xunsheng flicked Ji Jing on the forehead. “You have the nose of a dog.”
Rubbing his head, Ji Jing felt a lingering sense of doubt, yet he did not press further. Smiling brightly, he asked, “Does Uncle want to ride horses? Ah Jing can teach you.”
To be honest, watching his dashing, graceful form on horseback had indeed stirred a quiet itch in Chu Xunsheng’s heart. Nodding in agreement, he said, “I will go change my clothes.”
Ji Jing waited outside for a brief moment before hearing the sound of the door sliding open. Looking up toward the noise, his breath hitched abruptly.
His uncle had shed his loose, flowing white robes and replaced them with form-fitting black martial attire. His long hair was pulled up high and secured with a jade crown, leaving his broad shoulders and narrow waist fully exposed to view. The absolute highlight was his slender, athletic waistline pulled tightly taut by a black belt, signaling explosive power at a single glance.
Ji Jing swallowed hard, glancing from the black bandages wrapped around his uncle’s fingertips to the thick, long riding crop held within those delicate fingers.
Ahem, ahem.
Chu Xunsheng vaulted onto a horse, tugging at the reins as he looked down at Ji Jing. “Why are you still standing there frozen?”
Stepping closer, Ji Jing flipped the riding crop around so that the handle pointed forward.
He gave Chu Xunsheng’s waist a gentle tap.
“Uncle, you need to pull your lower abdomen in tight.”
Obeying the instruction, Chu Xunsheng pulled himself taut. The black martial clothing clung tightly to his skin, contracting in rhythm with his movements, prompting Ji Jing to give him another light tap with an uncontrollable urge.
“Clamp down with both legs.”
Chu Xunsheng cast a sideways glance at him, his expression unreadable, yet carrying an inexplicable chill.
Startled by the coldness, Ji Jing felt half of his ardor instantly chill away. Terrified of arousing even a shred of his uncle’s displeasure, all of his lingering romantic thoughts vanished instantly, leaving him entirely focused on teaching properly.
Perhaps Chu Xunsheng possessed a natural talent for riding; by the middle of the morning, the two of them were already able to trot their horses around at a smooth pace.
Riding side by side, Chu Xunsheng finally remembered the purpose of asking his nephew out here and spoke up, “Xiao Jing, would you like to accompany me to a banquet?”
Mainly, since he was a hated corrupt official who got along with no one, having someone who could actually fight close by would provide a useful safeguard if a conflict broke out.
Ji Jing froze upon hearing this, appearing to ponder something deeply for a long moment before responding, “What kind of banquet is Uncle attending?”
Chu Xunsheng smiled. “Nothing grand. Just one of those drinking and merrymaking gatherings hosted by the civil officials.”
Ji Jing clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh, entirely oblivious to the pain.
Had he not already thrown away his uncle’s invitations, which practically piled up into mountains? How were there still leftovers slipping through?
As Ji Jing thought of those exquisite, beautifully crafted invitation cards written with phrases either aloof or direct, a vein practically throbbed on his forehead. Before Chu Xunsheng could speak another word, he blurted out, “I am going! I am going!”
His uncle’s personal safety would be guarded exclusively by him!
Don’t think he didn’t know what those civil officials were like. Usually, they put on lofty, aloof airs as if looking down on everyone, spouting endless nonsense about righteousness, propriety, and shame, but in reality,
before three rounds of drinks passed, they would likely strip off their outer robes and crawl over begging his uncle to play with them!