On a quiet night, the servants of the Xiao family’s main residence guarded the bedroom doors as usual, waiting for their young master to fall asleep.
Xiao Tan half-reposed against the head of the bed, reading the book in his hands attentively by the bright candlelight of the room.
He gazed fixedly at a certain page for a long time, finally letting out a helpless sigh after a moment.
“Young master, it’s time for sleep.”
A-Zhu walked in from the outer chamber, carrying a quilt in his arms.
Although it was currently midsummer and the weather was so sweltering that even cicadas felt too lazy to buzz, Xiao Tan was bundled up tightly, and not even a crack was left open in the windows.
He took the hot-water hand warmer handed to him by A-Zhu, holding it in his palm to warm himself while his gaze carried a lingering trace of melancholy.
“A-Zhu, let me ask you: in this world, would someone truly commit an act of betraying their beloved?”
“Pfft.” A-Zhu was in the midst of checking whether the windows were securely closed and couldn’t help laughing upon hearing this.
“Young master, isn’t that common? Whatever made you think of asking that?”
Common…
Why is it common?
Xiao Tan was baffled.
Recently, he had been bedridden for a long time, and A-Zhu, fearing he would be bored, had found him a web novel detailing the various schemes, intrigues, and overt and covert struggles of the imperial court.
In the past, when Xiao Tan read such stories, he would look at the intricate calculations of the characters guessing their next move with every step they took which served well enough to pass the boring time of recuperation.
Yet with this newly acquired book, Xiao Tan had barely read half a volume before he grew too angry to continue.
He pondered over it deeply for several days and questioned servants all over the estate, but still could not comprehend why a character in a book would choose to frame and exploit their own lover merely to pursue so-called power.
Although he had been plagued by illness since birth and kept at home for years, rarely coming into contact with matters of romance, his parents often said and books frequently wrote that growing old together and having a bond stronger than gold was how lovers ought to be.
“Young master, let’s sleep.” A-Zhu looked at Xiao Tan with hesitation.
He knew his young master loved to read, but if he damaged his health by staying up late burning the midnight oil, the master and madam would scold him again tomorrow.
Xiao Tan put down the book, rubbed the space between his brows, and let A-Zhu tuck him in while sighing repeatedly in his heart.
That man possessed a mind as vast as mountains and rivers and profound knowledge, yet he was written in the book as mere cannon fodder on the protagonist’s path to seizing the throne, ultimately meeting a tragic end: betrayed by his beloved and dying imprisoned in a dungeon.
“Yu Yi… Yu Guisi…”
Xiao Tan murmured the name a few times. Knowing full well that the plot of such a novel must serve the protagonist, he still couldn’t help feeling a sense of pity.
The candlelight beside the bed went out. A-Zhu lowered the final layer of bed curtains and quietly retreated. The room fell completely silent, and Xiao Tan felt sleepiness wash over him almost instantly.
His eyelashes trembled a few times, and half-asleep, he thought.
The protagonist in this book coincidentally shares the name Xiao Tan. But if it were me, I would certainly never commit such an act of betraying my lover.
“Young master, young master! Wake up quickly, Second Prince His Highness is coming to the residence today, and master is urging you to hurry over.”
Xiao Tan felt someone shaking him and forced his eyes open.
“A-Zhu? What’s the matter so early?”
Half-closing his eyes, he spoke in a dazed voice, habitually waiting for A-Zhu to help him up.
Today’s voice sounded somewhat strange much deeper than usual. Could it be that he was running a fever again?
“What A-Zhu? I am Chunxi. Has the young master muddled his brains from sleeping? You only arrived at the Xiao Prince’s Mansion yesterday.”
The Xiao Prince’s Mansion?
A jolt of shock ran through Xiao Tan’s heart, and he hurriedly lifted the curtains to look outside.
Before him lay a spacious side chamber.
Not far away stood a four-panel agarwood Ruyi folding screen, while a cloisonné flower-and-bird incense burner sat on a nearby incense table. The maid who had just shaken him awake was currently rolling up his luxurious bed curtains, while another maid was organizing the garments and accessories he was supposed to wear today.
Where was this? Wasn’t he just lying in bed sleeping? A-Zhu had been guarding the outer room just a moment ago, how could…
“Eldest young master, please rinse your mouth and wash your face first.”
Chunxi brought over a bronze basin and a towel. Seeing Xiao Tan sitting dazed on the edge of the bed, she couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
As expected of a son retrieved by the Prince from the outside world, he was utterly clueless about the rules of the estate. The two of them had spent ages explaining things to him yesterday, yet this morning he didn’t even seem to know where he was.
Eldest young master? Chunxi? The Xiao Prince’s Mansion?
Xiao Tan had a rather ominous premonition.
The web novel he had read yesterday featured a protagonist who was the eldest son of the “Xiao Prince’s Mansion,” and this maid of his seemed to be named “Chunxi” as well.
Xiao Tan pressed his lips together, casting a steady gaze at the other maid, and tentatively called out, “Qiuyue?”
“Yes? Young master, come over to dress once you’ve finished washing up. Master is urging you.”
Qiuyue was currently selecting a jade crown from a box to match his attire. Seeing Xiao Tan standing frozen in place without moving, she was about to urge him further before swallowing her words back down upon second thought.
Although this eldest young master who had fallen from the skies wasn’t particularly favored, rumors within the estate claimed that in a few days, the Prince was going to marry him off to the Second Prince as his primary consort.
Moreover, Xiao Tan’s appearance was exceedingly upright, and his speech carried the demeanor of a refined gentleman. That warm, jade-like voice of his and his clear-breeze-and-bright-moon temperament surpassed even their own heir apparent, he simply didn’t look like someone raised in an ordinary commoner’s household.
Qiuyue’s thoughts raced back and forth, but Xiao Tan was already completely dumbfounded.
Could this be a case of what one thinks by day, one dreams by night?
Or had he truly… entered a book?
“Young master, wear this today.” Chunxi held up a pale cyan brocade robe with archaic silver-threaded hems embroidered along the bottom.
Outwardly calm, Xiao Tan opened his arms and let her dress him. By the time Chunxi skillfully fastened his belt, it dawned on him, he was actually standing firmly on the ground without needing anyone’s support, completely free of his usual lingering weakness.
This was no dream.
A look of bewilderment surfaced in Xiao Tan’s eyes.
He had never experienced what it felt like to be healthy. Even if he had genuinely wished for such a dream, it was entirely impossible to conjure up this sensation.
Could he have truly stepped into the world of a web novel?
“Eldest young master, please, please lower your head.” Chunxi held the jade crown, raising her hands with some difficulty.
Xiao Tan felt a brief moment of awkwardness before bowing his head to make things easier for the maid.
If memory served correctly, his current body was supposedly the “eldest son” of the Xiao Prince’s Mansion in truth, born from a one-night fling the Prince of Xiao had with a commoner woman in the south years ago.
The Xiao Tan in the book grew up in the pugilistic world and was the direct disciple of the premier Meishan Sect. The author described him thus: (possessing formidable martial arts), (righteous and chivalrous), (a bright, clear moon),(a breeze over the river).”
Yet someone who roamed the pugilistic world with sword in hand, living a free and unfettered life, was later forcefully retrieved by the Xiao Prince’s Mansion and married off as a substitute to the Second Prince, Yu Yi.
“Eldest young master, let’s hurry along.”
Once properly dressed, Chunxi and Qiuyue anxiously led the way in front. Xiao Tan followed them, weaving through the winding pavilions and corridors of the Xiao Prince’s Mansion.
“Walk faster.”
Feeling the gentle breeze stirred by his movement, Xiao Tan couldn’t help urging them on.
The two maids had no inkling of his thoughts, simply assuming that the eldest young master had finally realized the urgency of the matter.
Regulating his breathing, Xiao Tan walked with the speed of flying, his sleeves fluttering as he hurried all the way to the main hall, yet he only looked slightly flushed without even breathing heavily.
The sensation felt far too unfamiliar, yet overwhelmingly real.
He was even somewhat afraid afraid that this truly was a fleeting phantom born from a yearning he had harbored for years.
“Xiao Tan, come over here.”
Inside the main hall, Xiao Zhengze sat upon the dais with a displeased expression.
His Highness was scheduled to arrive at the estate today, so he had risen early to wait and welcome him. To his dismay, despite waiting endlessly, Xiao Tan had not shown up.
He had been on the verge of losing his temper, but seeing that his eldest son’s posture was relatively dignified and his spirits looked quite good upon entering, his dissatisfaction subsided somewhat.
As long as His Highness was satisfied and His Majesty was satisfied, why should he pick a quarrel with a son he was seeing for the very first time?
“Greetings, Prince.” Xiao Tan glanced around unostentatiously, bowed in greeting, and stood aside.
In his memory, this Prince of Xiao was hardly a good man. Abandoning wife and child aside, he had even used the life of primary master’s shifu to coerce Xiao Tan into coming to the capital.
Hearing Xiao Tan address him as “Prince,” Xiao Zhengze let out a cold snort. Though he didn’t scold him, he offered a caustic remark: “Your etiquette is quite standard; it seems we didn’t need to specially hire someone to teach you.”
Xiao Tan frowned without responding.
The Xiao Tan in the original book naturally knew nothing of these etiquettes, and the Xiao Prince’s Mansion hadn’t bothered to teach him either, causing numerous laughable blunders. After marrying over, he added countless major and minor troubles for Yu Yi.
Fortunately, before transmigrating over, he had at least been the young master of an aristocratic clan. While he couldn’t claim mastery over every single rule, handling an ordinary occasion was more than enough.
“When His Highness arrives shortly, you know what to do.” Xiao Zhengze took a sip of tea and slowly spoke.
Yu Yi was coming?
Xiao Tan recalled the plot elements from the book.
This should be the initial meeting between the original body and Yu Yi. Pressured by the current Emperor, Yu Yi had no choice but to come to the Xiao Prince’s Mansion to meet his unwed Imperial Prince Consort.
Xiao Tan deliberated: “Naturally, as long as the Prince does not go out of his way to trouble my family.”
“As long as you are obedient, this Prince has no idle time to bother with a minor pugilistic sect,” Xiao Zhengze said with disdain.
The imperial court and the pugilistic world had always minded their own business. As a dignified Prince wielding immense power, it wasn’t worth his while to trouble a tiny Meishan Sect; using that to threaten Xiao Tan was merely a means to keep him under tighter control.
This kid had been raised since childhood by those straightforward martial artists and surely knew nothing of the labyrinthine schemes of the capital. If used properly, he might just become a chess piece planted right beside the Second Prince one that could serve their purposes in the future.
Though Xiao Tan felt internal contempt, not a hint of it showed on his face.
In the book, Xiao Zhengze had used precisely this tactic to force the original body into agreeing to come to the capital and marry. He just wondered what method was used later on to make the original body turn around and betray Yu Yi, who had always loved and pampered him, choosing instead to work for them.
The two sat opposite each other in silence for a long while before a servant finally entered to report that the Second Prince’s carriage had arrived outside the main gates.
Xiao Zhengze stood up hurriedly and walked outward. Xiao Tan lagged half a step behind, feeling inexplicably nervous yet somewhat eager.
Xiao Tan touched his heart, suppressing that strange surge of palpitation.
Perhaps this was the original owner’s lingering emotion?
Newly arrived in the capital and confronted with such treacherous intrigues having stayed for only a single night without even recognizing all the people in the estate yet, only to be forced into marrying a man he had never met before it was only natural to feel fear and hesitation.
He simply couldn’t fathom why he felt such eagerness.
“Greetings, His Highness.”
Recovering his wits, Xiao Tan saw the usually imposing Prince of Xiao currently bowing in salute to the person in the distance.
Yu Yi sat in a wheelchair, clad in a lotus-pink ceremonial robe, his long hair half-tied. His gaze was deep and cold, his expression filled with untamed defiance. A formidable retinue of guards and maids followed behind him, yet not a single person dared to step forward.
Maneuvering his wheelchair himself, he halted before Xiao Zhengze and spoke coldly: “Prince of Xiao, your household’s upbringing is truly impressive.”
Cursing inwardly, Xiao Zhengze immediately turned his head and barked: “Tan’er! Why aren’t you greeting His Highness yet?”
That tone carried seven parts doting and three parts reprimand, leading anyone unaware to assume that Xiao Tan was genuinely a dearly cherished eldest young master of the Xiao Prince’s Mansion.
Lowering his eyes to conceal the mockery within his gaze, Xiao Tan bowed his head in salute.
Yu Yi maintained a blank expression, but inwardly, he was sneering. This person is truly identical to his past life; feigning innocence upon their first meeting, only to reveal his true colors shortly after.
Approaching him, treating him well, and binding him by his side with ambiguous affection, he had thought he could finally weather the storm and live together until the end of their days, only for it to end in a parting of life and death, separated by the realms of the living and the dead.
Meeting again, this person was speaking the exact same words and performing the exact same actions as in his past life.
Unfortunately, he, Yu Yi, was no longer that ignorant Second Prince who could only foolishly wait to be deceived.
Since Heaven had granted him a second chance, he would never again be hoodwinked by this person’s gentle, deeply affectionate facade.