When Gu Youning had the night watch, she would come early to the Yijin Study to copy books; when she had the day watch, she would simply copy books in the early morning and evening instead. As a result, she and Sun Feng'an could hardly ever see each other, managing only a hurried meeting in the mornings. As for having a child, that matter wasn't even brought up at all.
If this had been before, with Sun Feng'an's temperament, he would have long since been climbing the roof to tear off the tiles in impatience. But these days, he had no time to spare for that.
Now he managed the prince's residence's medicinal herbs, and having gradually learned the ins and outs of the trade, he would spend his own money to purchase some herbs on the side and resell them for a profit, earning a bit of pocket money. Each time he made three or five taels, aside from what he gave his mother, the rest he handed over to Gu Youning, who would take out a small pearwood box and carefully stow the silver pieces away one by one.
A married couple running a household always needed to save up a foundation. If they had a child someday, money would be needed everywhere.
That day, Gu Youning copied several pages in one go, feeling naturally comforted. Her writing was becoming more and more practiced—though not particularly beautiful, it was starting to take shape.
The other day, Shu Juan had seen her writing and praised it earnestly, saying that while it lacked the foundation of those who studied calligraphy specifically, it had its own delicate, graceful charm.
She had felt embarrassed hearing this and hurriedly said, "Miss Shu Juan, such words put me to shame."
Now, having finished copying these pages, Gu Youning saw that it was approaching evening. She didn't have the watch today, so she thought of hurrying back to her parents' home to show these pages to Gu Yueqiu. If she got back early enough, she could also start making dinner.
Leaving the Yijin Study, she saw all the flowers and trees bathed in the sunset's afterglow, the evening clouds layered upon each other in the sky, blazing brilliantly.
Walking through this glow of sunset, Gu Youning's heart was full of joy and contentment, and her steps quickened without her noticing.
Who knew that suddenly, a tall figure would appear ahead. Since she was facing into the setting sun, she could only see that person bathed in the golden light of the dying sun, his features indistinct.
But by instinct, she knew it was Prince Duan.
Her joy froze instantly. She stopped in her tracks, standing there stunned.
She still had those pages of xuan paper tucked in her arms. Though outsiders might not necessarily see them, she still felt guilty.
The Yijin Study was the residence's library—his territory. Now that its master was absent, she had been sneaking in to copy books. It was practically theft.
And now she had run straight into the rightful owner.
Gu Youning's face burned hot, and she stood there in embarrassment, not knowing what to do.
As it happened, that figure walked forward, coming right up to her, his tall form emerging from the afterglow, his features becoming clear.
She could only steel herself and offer a curtsy: "This servant greets Your Highness."
Liu Kanyuan's gaze swept lightly over her, and he asked, "Where are you coming from, in such a hurry?"
Gu Youning hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth. Even if she did, she feared it might implicate Shu Juan.
Liu Kanyuan: "Oh? What are you holding in your hands?"
Gu Youning's face flushed red, and she could only confess: "Please forgive me, Your Highness. This servant came from the Yijin Study. This servant was so bold as to copy some things in the Yijin Study…"
She didn't know how to describe it. After all, she was merely a menial servant—a night patrol watchwoman—yet she had gone to the library to copy books. It was already overstepping her station.
Liu Kanyuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh?"
For someone like him, a single glance pressing down was enough to feel like an oppressive weight to Gu Youning.
Gu Youning was terrified inside. She hurriedly knelt down and said carefully, "Before Your Highness, this servant dares not conceal anything. This servant entered the Yijin Study and copied some books. All of this was done by this servant alone and has nothing to do with anyone else. If Your Highness wishes to punish someone, punish this servant."
Liu Kanyuan lowered his eyes, silently gazing at her kneeling on the ground.
The pitiful little maiden—she was so frightened that even her lashes were trembling. Sunlight filtered down through those fine, quivering lashes, and he could clearly see a layer of glistening moisture welling in her eyes.
When he spoke again, his voice was surprisingly cold. "Why did you enter the Yijin Study to copy books? What did you copy?"
Gu Youning had no choice but to be candid. "Your Highness, this servant's younger brother loves to read, and he had been longing for this particular book. This servant could not bear to disappoint him, so she went searching through the bookshops in the streets. She searched many shops in a row but could never find it. Later, a shopkeeper happened to mention that years ago he had known a scholar, and that scholar had once remarked in passing that he had a friend who had seen that book in a prince's residence—it was only a passing remark. But having heard this, this servant began to keep it in mind…"
Liu Kanyuan: "What book?"
Gu Youning: "In reply to Your Highness, it is called the Xinbian Zhuru Zongyao."
Liu Kanyuan: "You copied it?"
Gu Youning: "Yes."
Liu Kanyuan commanded, "Hand it over."
Gu Youning's heart tightened slightly. She did not want Prince Duan to see it.
Even though Shu Juan had said her writing was quite good, she knew her handwriting was childish and unrefined, bound to invite ridicule. And Prince Duan naturally wrote beautiful calligraphy—how could she have the nerve to present her own coarse, clumsy handwriting to him?
But Liu Kanyuan's voice deepened several degrees. "Still not presenting it?"
Gu Youning started in alarm. Not daring to disobey, she tremblingly pulled the folded pages of paper from her sleeve and carefully presented them to Liu Kanyuan.
She dared not lift her head, only hearing the rustle of paper above her. She knew Prince Duan had opened the pages she had copied, knew that he was reading them.
She was ashamed beyond all measure, wishing she could burrow into a crack in the ground, or snatch back those pages so he would not look at them.
Yet nothing happened above her for a long while. She stole a glance upward, only to see him pressing his lips together, reading attentively, as if studying the characters on the page.
Gu Youning felt utterly weak all over, wishing she could simply faint away on the spot.
But just then, Liu Kanyuan's gaze suddenly swept over, catching her embarrassment squarely.
Gu Youning froze, then felt all hope crumble to ash.
She might as well just die.
Liu Kanyuan said coolly, "What are you crying about?"
Gu Youning, tears in her eyes, said in a trembling voice, "This servant deserves ten thousand deaths. She begs Your Highness's forgiveness."
Liu Kanyuan raised a hand, lifted his robe, and unhurriedly lowered himself into a half-crouch, bringing his eyes level with hers.
Gu Youning was stunned for a moment. She tried to look away, but could not.
This lord of Prince Duan's residence gazed down at her from above, in a manner that brooked no refusal, leaving her nowhere to flee.
Liu Kanyuan: "Since you can copy it, do you know what 'the mind is the master of the body' means?"
Gu Youning's mind went completely blank, and she shook her head dazedly. "This servant does not know…"
Liu Kanyuan handed those pages of xuan paper back to Gu Youning.
Gu Youning accepted them in a daze.
Liu Kanyuan looked at her in that moment—in the faintly cool morning light, with a trace of dampness gathered at the corners of her eyes, she looked soft and clear, aggrieved and innocent.
This reminded him of that night—she had cried, tears falling from her flushed eyes.
A sudden flicker of something stirred in his chest, a soft, damp emotion echoing there, tingling and aching, with a hint of pain.
He pressed his lips together, suppressing this unfamiliar feeling.
When he spoke again, his voice was exceptionally cold: "A mere servant girl, yet so audacious as to trespass into the Yijin Study and copy texts not meant for circulation—it is simply—"
That tone of righteous indignation… Gu Youning froze in fright, staring at him motionless.
Liu Kanyuan gazed steadily at her and lowered his voice. "However, since this is your first offense, this prince may deal with you leniently."
Gu Youning was bewildered, murmuring, "Your Highness…"
So how exactly was she to be punished?
Liu Kanyuan rose to his feet, his figure tall and upright.
Gu Youning instinctively tilted her face up, following his gaze.
Prince Duan looked down and ordered, "You claim you copied these texts yourself. Then recite them for this prince."
Gu Youning didn't understand what he intended, so she could only tremblingly unfold the paper and read it timidly. In truth, she had originally known few characters, but fortunately, having copied such a passage, she had asked Shu Juan about the many characters she didn't recognize or know how to write, and gradually she had learned more.
Now she recognized every character in this passage, so she read it in a low voice. But when she reached a certain section, Liu Kanyuan suddenly interrupted her: "Let me ask you—what is the meaning of the passage you just read?"
Gu Youning's mind was a ball of cotton. "Meaning?"
Liu Kanyuan said, "That line just now."
It took Gu Youning a moment to react before she looked down, only to see that the line read something like "The master of my heart lies neither in heavenly principle nor in the sages."
She was lost.
Watching her blink in confusion, Liu Kanyuan said, "Read it again."
Gu Youning: "The master of my heart lies neither in heavenly principle nor in the sages…"
Liu Kanyuan: "What does it mean?"
Gu Youning, helpless, shook her head.
Liu Kanyuan frowned, his expression cold, looking somewhat disdainful.
Gu Youning bit her lip in terror.
She truly didn't understand—she had no idea what he was talking about!
Liu Kanyuan said flatly, "Merely copying without grasping the great principles within—how is that any different from an ox chewing on peonies? It is nothing but a pointless desecration of the sages."
Gu Youning hastily said, "Yes, yes, this servant deserves death ten thousand times over. This servant has desecrated the way of the sages."
Liu Kanyuan's expression grew even darker.
Gu Youning quickly shut her mouth, not daring to say another word.
The prince's temperament was far too strange!
Liu Kanyuan drew a slight breath and looked at her with a grim face. "You copied it and gave it to your brother, and your brother could actually understand it?"
Gu Youning paused, then nodded.
Liu Kanyuan's expression was deep and unreadable. "Oh? Has he studied?"
At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck Gu Youning's mind, and as if suddenly enlightened, she realized what she should say.
She quickly brought up Gu Yueqiu, saying he had been clever since childhood, with a photographic memory, and recounted—somewhat embellished—various anecdotes from his childhood.
Finally, with both hands braced on the floor, she knelt there, face upturned, and said with proper deference, "Your Highness, please see the truth. Though this servant is stupid and dull, my brother does have some talent and loves reading above all else. This servant has always known that Your Highness is wise and benevolent, one who cherishes talent. I beg Your Highness to show mercy and grant forgiveness, and to reward my brother with a position copying books."
Liu Kanyuan raised an eyebrow, his voice carrying a hint of mockery. "What audacity. Trespassing into the Yijin Study is already a grave offense, and now you dare to harbor such delusions, seeking to obtain a position?"
If it had been any other day, hearing those words would have made Gu Youning want to burrow into the ground in shame.
But over this stretch of time, she had grown a thicker skin through practice. Besides, having been so thoroughly intimidated by Liu Kanyuan today, she had thrown caution to the winds—desperation breeds courage. She was already guilty of crimes deserving ten thousand deaths anyway, so she might as well say what needed saying while she could.
So she pleaded earnestly once more: "Your Highness, our whole family are servants of this manor by birth. Our lives and our fates rest entirely in Your Highness's hands. It's just that this humble servant has copied a few scrolls of books these past days, and I have learned that a gentleman cherishes talent, and that Bo Le had an eye for fine horses. Though my younger brother was born lowly, he has some learning in him—he is truly a steed of a thousand li. I only hope that a master with Your Highness's discerning eye might be willing to lift him up. If word of this got out, it would only add to Your Highness's fine reputation for treasuring talent."
She paused, then continued in a soft voice: "If Your Highness would graciously show mercy and grant him a meal to eat—a position copying books—our entire family would be forever grateful for Your Highness's boundless kindness. Even in the next life, we would gladly serve as beasts of burden to repay you."
When she finished, there was no response from above.
Her heart pounded with dread, terrified that she had misspoken and committed yet another capital offense. She dared not say another word, only held her breath and waited, heart in throat, for the prince's judgment.
After a long while, just as she thought she could hold her breath no longer, the man's deep voice reached her ears: "To think there is someone of such exceptional talent in my manor, and I knew nothing of it. It seems I have been negligent."
Gu Youning grew even more anxious, unable to tell whether it was sincere or mocking sarcasm. She could only hurry to say: "Your Highness honors this humble servant too greatly with such words—I dare not. My younger brother only seeks work enough to feed himself. I beg Your Highness's mercy."
Liu Kanyuan's voice was flat: "For the sake of a brother in your family with such promise, I shall overlook this offense today."
Gu Youning was overjoyed and relieved, nodding quickly: "Yes, this humble servant will do her utmost and dare not slack."
With that, she moved to take her leave, but Liu Kanyuan called her back.
Her heart leapt into her throat, and she said carefully: "Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"
Watching her tread as if on thin ice, Liu Kanyuan almost felt like some man-eating monster, and couldn't help a cold smile.
He pressed his lips together haughtily, one hand clasped behind his back, and said: "From now on, attend to your duties and stir up no more trouble. If you do, I will not be so lenient again."