By this time, the lamps had already been lit.
Under the lamplight, Wen Qintan lowered his gaze to stare at a formula transformation that Shen Shangling had just written out, furrowing his brows in deep thought.
“Has My Lord figured it out?”
Shen Shangling smiled lightly, “If you deduce it this way, isn’t it just that formula from before?”
Although his face was small, his eyes were not. A pair of peach-blossom eyes were somewhat slender and elongated, and his eye color was exceptionally clear and bright compared to others. With a smile like this, his eyes curved into pleasant crescent shapes.
Wen Qintan was entirely absorbed in pondering the mathematics and paid no attention to it. However, a few others nearby who caught a glimpse of it couldn’t help but skip a beat in their hearts. Even Jiang Yuanlin cast a few extra glances. After all, this Shen Shangling used to be so arrogant and put on such an insufferably haughty front when had he ever shown such a vibrant, genuine smile?
Noticing something, Jiang Yuanlin glanced at Lu Xiao and raised an eyebrow with mild surprise: Lu Xiao’s murderous gaze right now was certainly not kind.
At this moment, Lu Xiao was staring at Shen Shangling, his face as dark as the bottom of a wok.
This fellow actually knew how to smile like that.
He smiled so brightly that the depths of his eyes looked as though they were rippling with spring water, undulating back and forth, making him look just like a little goblin at first glance. Why was he smiling at Wen Qintan? When he had rescued him from the sword’s edge at the hunting grounds at the risk of incurring the sovereign’s displeasure, he had never seen this fellow smile at him like that even once.
He must feel that he himself wasn’t easy to fool, so he was turning to bewitch Wen Qintan instead, trying to find another way out through him.
Lu Xiao let out a cold snort, his gaze locking heavily onto Shen Shangling.
Shen Shangling was chatting and smiling with Wen Qintan when he accidentally caught sight of Lu Xiao’s darkened face out of the corner of his eye. He gave a sudden start, and the smile on his face instantly froze.
Lu Xiao: “…” His face grew even darker.
“It’s late, let’s eat,” Lu Xiao said coolly, “We’ll continue lecturing tomorrow.”
“There’s always someone better, and mountains beyond mountains,” Wen Qintan picked up the paper filled with “formulas” and sighed with heartfelt admiration, “To think that someone in this world has already reached this stage. Truly a grand master of the generation, yet left to drift and wither away on an overgrown path in a murky world—unrecognized by his time, how regrettable, how lamentable.”
Shen Shangling smiled; the excuse he had fabricated was that he had seen some miscellaneous books and learned these things from them.
“There are extraordinary people and extraordinary books in every era,” Hearing Wen Qintan’s sigh, Shen Shangling smiled to comfort him, “I merely came across them by chance. If Lord Wen can truly use these to bring benefit to the common people, I imagine that extraordinary person would feel quite gratified to know of it.”
By this time, he already knew who Wen Qintan was. While discussing with everyone during the lecture, hearing people address this handsome man as “Lord Wen” and hearing Jiang Yuanlin call him “Qintan,” he immediately recalled that the original book summary did indeed mention a Wen Qintan.
However, he hadn’t read the specific details, only roughly knowing that this person belonged to Lu Xiao’s camp as an exceptionally literary strategist. Of course, a person’s literary talent wasn’t the same as the wind-and-moon kind of literary talent the original owner possessed; this man was truly a capable official with great talent in statecraft.
Thinking of this, the look Shen Shangling directed toward Wen Qintan involuntarily grew a bit brighter: A handsome man, furthermore an internally and externally refined handsome man who had everything one could ask for… After a whole day, the way this man spoke sounded gentle, and his temper likely wasn’t bad either.
An ideal type indeed.
“Cold Water is right,” Wen Qintan’s gaze swept across Shen Shangling’s clear eyes, then cast an imperceptible glance toward Lu Xiao. A flash of slyness flickered through his fox-like eyes as he smiled and said, “I have a mind to spend the night talking by candlelight with my good friend.”
“Call him the snow demon!”
Lu Xiao let out a cold snort from the side, “Talk through the night about what? He is this Prince’s concubine; isn’t he supposed to attend to this Prince in bed at night?”
The corners of Wen Qintan’s lips curled up slightly: “Understood, Your Highness. This humble subordinate has overstepped.”
Shen Shangling: “…”
No, attend in bed?
Lu Xiao’s words startled Shen Shangling quite a bit. So much so that when the evening meal was served and everyone sat down to eat together, he kept mumbling anxiously in his heart while eating.
Precisely because of this, Shen Shangling didn’t pay attention to the fact that he was eating bowl after bowl. The servants waiting upon them during the meal were utterly astonished.
The evening meal consisted of thick millet porridge so dense you could stand a pair of chopsticks straight up in it, with almonds, dairy cream, and sesame mixed in. There were also several vegetable dishes. Ordinarily, even the Prince would stop after eating two bowls at most. Tonight’s evening meal had been called a bit late, and knowing everyone was hungry, they had prepared quite a bit more.
Yet while the Prince and the others were about the same as usual, this… this concubine of the Prince had already eaten five bowls! He had even eaten three flatbreads!
Although the servant was shocked, as long as Shen Shangling didn’t put down his chopsticks, he was duty-bound to keep serving him. Thus, he filled another full bowl for Shen Shangling.
When Shen Shangling realized the atmosphere was somewhat amiss, he had already finished eating this bowl as well. Raising his eyes, he met the astonished gazes of everyone present.
“Is the snow demon very hungry?” Lu Xiao stared at him and said, “Your appetite is somewhat astonishing.”
“Ah?” Shen Shangling’s heart stirred, and he subconsciously glanced down at his empty bowl. After spiritualization, the system had also explained this to him. After he was full, if he continued to eat, the energy from the food he consumed would be consumed and dissipated without giving him any overly stuffed sensation. He could eat as much as he wanted.
Since he had been preoccupied with matters in his heart earlier and hadn’t been paying attention, he estimated he had continuously eaten quite a bit.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Shen Shangling’s thoughts turned rapidly, and he quickly smiled calmly, “When I asked Your Highness for a monthly allowance earlier, it was also for the sake of eating my fill—”
So what if his appetite was big? It could serve as an excuse to ask for money anyway.
Lu Xiao: “…” His face darkened once again.
Wen Qintan and the others: “…”
“Ahem.”
Wen Qintan gave a light cough, picking up his tea to cover the upturned corners of his lips: Never would he have expected that upon returning to the capital this time, there would actually be such lively entertainment to watch within the Prince’s mansion. The Prince’s concubine couldn’t even eat his fill. Tsk.
“What’s that smell?”
At that moment, Jiang Yuanlin twitched his nose and looked around.
“Indeed,”
Another middle-aged man who had attended the lectures sniffed and also looked somewhat puzzled, “Is there some incense being burned in this west pavilion?”
Because they had gotten so caught up in the lecture, everyone had eaten dinner late, so the evening meal had been served right here in the west pavilion. Could it be that some new incense had been added to the west pavilion?
“This is…”
Jiang Yuanlin sniffed with unyielding persistence, his suspicious gaze eventually falling upon Shen Shangling. He was sitting right next to Shen Shangling. At this moment, he noticed that the trace of fragrance was emanating from Shen Shangling’s body.
“It smells a bit like jujube flower honey,” Jiang Yuanlin looked at Shen Shangling, raising an eyebrow, “What kind of incense is the snow demon wearing?”
He hadn’t smelled it before, and he didn’t know if the mansion had this kind of incense. It wasn’t strong, yet it was inexplicably very sweet and clear, lacking the smoky odor of ordinary burning incense, smelling like jujube flowers wet with morning dew… It was exceptionally pleasant.
“No,” Shen Shangling actually smelled that trace of fragrance as well, but he truly wasn’t wearing any incense, “I’m not wearing any incense.”
Though he spoke calmly, he was actually panicking a little inside: He could feel that there really was a fragrance coming from his body… Could it be some kind of scent volatilized by his spiritualization after eating too much food?
The last time he had overeaten was in that room at Qiyu Courtyard. Because of the original owner’s exquisite and fastidious nature, the room itself had incense burning in it. At that time, it probably just masked this scent, causing him not to pay attention.
Right now, this fragrance was in the west pavilion, and he was sitting very close to everyone, so they all smelled it. What kind of mess was this… Shen Shangling had a bit of a headache. He smelled fragrant, but he wasn’t a flower. This broken system kept producing a bunch of unreliable things.
“Perhaps it’s the smell of the porridge,” Luckily, another young man attending the lectures laughed at this point, “Porridge and rice mixed with some nuts, dairy, and the like, sweet, fragrant, and thick, ahem—”
“Probably.” The other person also nodded.
Shen Shangling inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
After the meal, the servants cleared away the dining tables and bowls, then moved the lamps back over. Under the lamplight, the group copied, organized, and finished collating all the formulas Shen Shangling had lectured on today before bidding farewell one by one.
“Your Highness,”
Seeing that everyone had retreated, Shen Shangling also hastily said, “I’ll return to the small courtyard—”
Although his foot hadn’t healed yet, he decided that even if he had to hop on one leg, he would hop back to the small courtyard.
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Xiao walked over with an expressionless face, lifted him up by the waist with a single arm, and strode outward.
Shen Shangling: “!”
Being carried around like a cloth doll truly stripped him of any dignity whatsoever.
Lu Xiao carried him directly to the study. Shen Shangling knew that Lu Xiao’s living quarters were all in the study; though called a study, it was just like Lu Xiao’s bedchamber. The moment he stepped inside, his entire body bristled with tension, feeling like he was facing a formidable enemy with extreme vigilance.
“The snow demon was in a good mood today,”
Lu Xiao set him down to sit on a chair, his voice cool, “Smiling like a refined dog-tail flower gone goblin-like. What is it, had a pleasant chat with Lord Wen?”
Shen Shangling: “…”
No, weren’t these words a bit sarcastic? If he didn’t smile, was he supposed to pull a long face instead? Shouldn’t a teacher’s demeanor during a lecture be approachable and natural? You’re the dog-tail flower!
“Remember your duty,”
Lu Xiao pinched his chin, his thick fingertips tracing heavily across his jawline once more, “If this Prince sees you batting your eyelashes at others again, vainly attempting to bewitch people with this bit of looks—this Prince will snap your neck.”
Shen Shangling’s eyes widened in shock: “…”
Damn it.
What was this wicked prince saying? Would he dare repeat it!
Furthermore, he hadn’t expected at all that whether it was Lu Xiao’s expression or his tone… could be so wretchedly roguish. When he first met Lu Xiao, he had felt that this God of War was extremely upright and stern, like an unsmiling, ice-cold cool guy. Who would have thought he had misjudged him? At its core, this person was utterly full of roguish swagger!
However, upon thinking that this person was the God of War of Great Yin who led troops year-round and had spent a long time mixing in military camps, the rough and overbearing swagger naturally wouldn’t be lacking.
“I-I didn’t—”
Shen Shangling’s face flushed red. Before crossing over, when he was in the entertainment industry and chased and cursed at for having zero acting skills and relying purely on his looks, he had never felt this awkward. “I… hss—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Xiao’s rough fingertips brushed across his chin, rubbing his skin until it burned with a stinging pain. He couldn’t help letting out a soft hiss, leaving his unfinished words exceptionally aggrieved.
“It’s best if you didn’t,”
Lu Xiao wore an undisguised swagger on his face, “This Prince is also doing this for your own good, lest you harbor wild delusions and end up crying later—”
Shen Shangling: “…”
“Do you think Wen Qintan has any shred of compassion?”
Lu Xiao scoffed lightly, “At eighteen, he killed his mother’s murderer with his own hands, carving out hearts and slitting bellies; at twenty-three, he sent the entire Wen clan down a path of no return, overseeing the execution of the clan head by dismemberment. While everyone else’s legs trembled with fear, he sipped tea and chatted with a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze—”
Shen Shangling shivered, feeling utterly shocked in his heart.
“You want to coax him into helping you,”
Lu Xiao let out another scoff, “In your next life, maybe.”
Shen Shangling: “…”
His heart was trembling slightly: This world where people kill each other like gods of death… is too unscientific.
“Y-Your Highness,”
Shen Shangling steadied his mind, attempting to escape, “Otherwise, should I return to the small courtyard? My foot is sprained, and I’m afraid of disturbing Your Highness at night—”
The high atmospheric pressure in this study made him feel somewhat suffocated; he super wanted to escape back to his own little courtyard.
“You’ll sleep on the soft couch outside the warm cabinet on this side,” Lu Xiao frowned, “Could it be that if you return to the small courtyard, this Prince will have to dispatch people to wait on you?”
Saying this, he carried him over and placed him beside the soft couch, “This couch is quite high, no need to sleep on the footstool; sleeping on this one is convenient.”
Shen Shangling secretly glanced at Lu Xiao’s expression and didn’t dare to struggle anymore.
The items for washing brought in by the servants were hastily tidied up by him, and then he cautiously lay down on the couch on this side. The main room of this study was originally built as a spacious suite. Through the hollow carved lattice partitions, if Shen Shangling actually sat up, he could see Lu Xiao’s bed curtains right through the hollows.
Fortunately, at least they weren’t touching. After lying down, Shen Shangling quietly let out a long breath of relief.
Once he lay down, he couldn’t fall asleep for a moment, so he began to ponder: Once he finished lecturing on these formulas and finished telling “Journey to the West” what else could he do next?
Tossing and turning, he got a bit of insomnia.
Just as he was beginning to feel a hazy hint of sleepiness, Shen Shangling opened his eyes again: He had drunk a lot of water during the afternoon lecture, and at night he had eaten God knows how much porridge… At this moment, he needed to use the latrine.
Back at Qiyu Courtyard, he had already witnessed the ancients’ “toilet.” Actually, it wasn’t a toilet; it was like a bathing area, just a specially partitioned small space where a “night bucket” was placed. The bucket was lined with some wood ash and furnace ash, and incense was burned nearby. It was like a “disconnected” flush toilet.
However, he was extremely not used to it. He endlessly yearned for the flush toilets in his original world where he could wash his bottom and dry it with warm air.
The more Shen Shangling thought about it, the more miserable he felt, especially once he sat up and felt the pain in his foot, making him feel even more miserable.
He slipped his shoe onto his foot while standing on one leg, preparing to hop over to that side on one leg.
“What are you doing?”
As a result, the moment he had barely managed to stand trembling on one leg, Lu Xiao’s deep voice abruptly questioned from over there.
Startled, Shen Shangling gave a shudder, nearly crashing straight down onto the floor in the darkness. With great difficulty, he managed to grab hold of the soft couch, clinging to it in a very ungraceful posture.
To suddenly speak up in the dead of night, it scared people to death.
As soon as Lu Xiao finished asking, he walked over. The tall figure appeared even more overwhelmingly oppressive in the dark.
“I…”
Shen Shangling struggled for a moment, wanting to stand back up, “I want to go to the latrine—”
Lu Xiao let out a light snort.
Shen Shangling: “…”
Snort what snort, he really wanted to beat someone up.
Without another word, Lu Xiao picked him up in a single grasp and strode toward that side. Because it was the middle of the night, both he and Lu Xiao were only wearing their inner garments. Since it was now summer, the inner garments were naturally thin.
At this moment, Shen Shangling felt as though he was pressed almost completely against Lu Xiao, and through the inner garments, heat radiated heavily from that warrior’s iron-cast muscles.
How awkward.
For a split second, he even began to suspect: What on earth did Lu Xiao want by insisting on keeping him here in the study? Clearly his foot couldn’t move either; if he really wanted to torment him, he couldn’t possibly torment him with much anyway, right?
“Pee, then.”
After setting him down, Lu Xiao dropped a cool sentence.
Shen Shangling almost thought something was wrong with his ears: Wasn’t this person a prince? When they first met, he even spoke in a literary tone. Th-Th-This, how could he use such a “vulgar” word?