Three days outside equaled thirty days inside the space.
Those pampered officials who usually lived in luxury were now working harder than scholars before the imperial exams. They memorized physics formulas more smoothly than the classics of the sages.
After staying in the space for a whole month, Feng Zexuan felt her eyes protesting from staring at the same group of men every day.
Taking advantage of the night, she quietly slipped out for some fresh air.
The moment she landed, she realized more people had entered the hunting grounds.
Firelight glowed from the main tent in the distance.
“Oh ho, more people showed up?”
“System, what quality of leeks are these this time?”
“Reporting to host: twenty-eight fresh arrivals. The four commanders of the Imperial Guards and their personal troops. Premium quality. Guaranteed fresh!”
Feng Zexuan’s eyes lit up.
The old officials inside the space had practically been picked clean of gossip already.
Time to replenish with fresh blood.
She tapped lightly with her toes, moving catlike through the shadows before silently landing behind a bush outside the main tent.
Shadows swayed inside as several male voices filled with suppressed anger drifted out.
“We must report this!”
“Absolutely not! Do you want chaos in the capital? Can you bear that responsibility?!”
Four tall figures were projected against the tent wall. Two of them had their hands on their sword hilts, the atmosphere tense.
“My, my… so many energetic new leeks delivering themselves right to the door.”
“Host, planning to sweep them all up in one go?”
“Grab them now, or later?”
The argument inside instantly stopped.
Xiao Che’s hand slammed onto his sword hilt.
The teacup in Li Jingyan’s hand froze midair, a drop of tea sliding down the rim.
Lu Zheng opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Su Yan narrowed his eyes and looked toward the tent entrance.
The four exchanged glances, all seeing the same shock in each other’s eyes.
The Prince of Zhenbei… was eavesdropping on them?
No, wait.
She was discussing with that mysterious “Bucket” whether or not to capture them!
“No rush, no rush. Let’s enjoy the show first.”
“System, same old rules. Dig up the files on these four.”
“Received! Retrieving records…”
The system screen lit up.
“The four men in the tent are respectively: Commander of the Imperial Guards Xiao Che, Commander of the Luanyi Guard Li Jingyan, Imperial Patrol Officer Lu Zheng, and Palace Gate Supervisor Su Yan.”
“First, the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guards, Xiao Che. Thirty years old, trusted confidant of His Majesty, highly skilled in martial arts, upright and honorable.”
The moment the words “Xiao Che” appeared in the voice transmission, the burliest man in the tent instantly tensed. The muscles in his shoulders and back tightened like a fully drawn bow.
The other three immediately turned to look at him, the corners of their mouths clearly twitching with anticipation for incoming entertainment.
Xiao Che suddenly had a very bad feeling.
The Prince of Zhenbei’s “inner thoughts” never said anything nice.
Whenever she opened her mouth, explosive gossip followed.
“Oh? Sounds like a decent fellow.”
Feng Zexuan rubbed her chin.
“However!” the system’s tone rose dramatically.
“He has a five-year-old precious daughter named Xiao Niannian. She’s the apple of his eye!”
Xiao Che’s heart skipped a beat.
Why was this dragging his daughter into it?!
“This iron-blooded commander may be decisive and ruthless outside, but at home he turns completely soft. If his daughter wants the stars in the sky, he’d probably build a ladder to fetch them.”
“One time, little Niannian said in the middle of the night that she wanted candied hawthorn. Without hesitation, Xiao Che climbed over the palace wall overnight and ran all over the capital just to find her favorite old shop.”
Feng Zexuan burst out laughing.
“Good grief, the Commander of the Imperial Guards climbing walls in the middle of the night to buy snacks? If the patrol guards had caught him, where would he put his dignity?”
Xiao Che’s face started heating up.
Li Jingyan raised his teacup to hide the smile at his lips.
Lu Zheng’s face turned red from holding back laughter.
Su Yan coughed lightly, amusement flashing in his eyes.
“Host, the best part is still coming!”
Xiao Che’s heart sank straight to the bottom.
Was this never going to end?!
“Just after buying the candied hawthorn and stuffing it into his robe, he happened to run into the night patrol of the Imperial Guard. And the one leading the patrol was none other than another person in this tent—Imperial Patrol Officer Lu Zheng.”
Lu Zheng: “…”
Xiao Che: “…”
Li Jingyan and Su Yan kept darting their gazes between the two men, their jaws clenched tight to stop themselves from laughing aloud.
Lu Zheng’s brain spun rapidly.
Night patrol… suspicious person…
Suddenly, he remembered.
Half a year ago, the “master thief” he had chased through three streets before the man finally jumped into the river to escape!
That person had been agile, with incredible lightness skills. Even with over a dozen men, Lu Zheng had failed to catch him.
Afterward, his superior had cursed him out mercilessly and even punished him with a three-thousand-word self-criticism report.
That man…
Was Commander Xiao?!
Lu Zheng stared at Xiao Che in utter shock and disbelief.
Xiao Che turned his head away, not daring to meet his gaze.
“And then? Did they fight?” Feng Zexuan urged eagerly.
“To protect his identity, Xiao Che immediately fled using qinggong, leaping across rooftops. Lu Zheng thought he’d encountered a notorious criminal and led his men chasing after him through three whole streets while yelling at the top of his lungs.”
“In the end, Xiao Che was cornered with nowhere left to run, so he plunged headfirst into the moat. Hugging that stick of candied hawthorn to his chest for dear life, he swam for half an hour before finally shaking off the pursuers.”
“When he got home, he looked like a drowned ghost, and half the candied hawthorn had melted away. Yet he still grinned and coaxed his daughter: ‘Niannian, look! Daddy bought you exclusive crystal candied hawthorn. Isn’t it pretty?’”
Feng Zexuan laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.
“That’s tragic! A mighty commander jumping into a river just to save face!”
The system added the finishing blow:
“To this very day, Lu Zheng still doesn’t know that the ‘assassin’ who made him write that three-thousand-word self-criticism was actually his direct superior.”
“HAHAHAHA! I’m dying!”
Inside the tent, the atmosphere had become unbelievably awkward.
Xiao Che and Lu Zheng stood stiffly in silence, neither daring to speak first.
Li Jingyan slowly set down his teacup, eyes gleaming with the delight of watching drama unfold.
Su Yan coughed lightly to break the silence.
“Commander Xiao… so you’ve had such… remarkable experiences.”
Xiao Che’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Lu Zheng was bursting with frustration, but didn’t dare act out.
After all, the other man was his superior officer.
“Don’t rush, host. The second melon is even juicier.”
“Commander of the Luanyi Guard Li Jingyan. Twenty-nine years old, born into a noble family, skilled in both literature and martial arts. Once known as the ‘Most Handsome Man in the Capital.’”
Li Jingyan’s hand trembled around his teacup.
Now it was his turn?
“Of course, that title was stolen by your brother a year ago.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. My brother’s face exists solely to crush all living beings.”
Feng Zexuan looked incredibly proud.
Li Jingyan relaxed slightly and subconsciously touched his face.
Thankfully, merely losing in looks wasn’t too socially fatal.
He glanced at Xiao Che and Lu Zheng, secretly feeling relieved.
Compared to their humiliating stories, his situation was nothing.
But he had severely underestimated the destructive power of the system.
“Now for the important part. Lord Li has a hobby—collecting fragrances and making his own perfume powders.”
The smile froze on Li Jingyan’s face.
No… no way…
“He has a secret room in his residence filled with rare fragrances from every nation: ambergris, musk, sandalwood, agarwood… more complete than even the imperial treasury.”
“Every single day after work, without fail, he spends two hours researching fragrance recipes. Ones for calming the mind, refreshing the spirit, repelling mosquitoes… and also…”
The system deliberately dragged out the last word.
Li Jingyan’s heartbeat thundered like war drums.
Don’t say it!
Please don’t say it!
Su Yan’s gaze landed on Li Jingyan’s hand gripping the teacup so tightly his knuckles had turned white, and a knowing smile slowly curved his lips.
Discussion
Comments
0 comments so far.
Sign in to join the conversation and keep your activity tied to this account.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.