Chapter 13: The Blue Manual, in Whose Hands

Chapter 13: The Blue Booklet, Who Will Claim It

After finishing his meal, Ning Xishi dawdled for a bit. During that time, Qi Huairui was called back by the servant his mother had sent, leaving Ning Xishi alone by the window, watching the street below empty out as pedestrians dwindled, then watching the waiter hang the lanterns as everything gradually fell quiet.

Ning Xishi rose to his feet, his robe hem flaring out in a graceful arc as he strode out of the tavern.

Dongshuang quickly followed.

The master and his servant didn't bother with a carriage, instead heading toward a destination they didn't know well, bathed in the frost-white moonlight.

They ran into some night patrol guards along the way, but after flashing their waist tokens from the Imperial Academy and the General's Mansion, they were let through without any trouble.

In truth, most of the night patrol guards recognized Ning Xishi's face—after all, Second Young Master Ning was so famous in the capital that you couldn't help but know him. But according to protocol, they still had to show their waist tokens.

Ning Xishi led Dongshuang across three streets before finally reaching the street where the General's Mansion was located. The moment they appeared, they saw the steward Li Yuan at the gate, craning his neck as he waited for their return.

Upon seeing them, Li Yuan hurried down the steps: "My dear young master, where on earth have you two been? Why are you back so late?"

"After school, I went out to eat with a friend." Ning Xishi let Li Yuan grab his arm, feeling a strange sense of warmth—as if this really were his home, as if someone were actually waiting for him to come back.

"Has the General gone to bed?" Ning Xishi asked casually as he followed Li Yuan into the mansion.

Li Yuan quickly replied: "He's already gone to bed. Ever since the General was injured, his health hasn't been the same, so he goes to bed earlier now."

Dongshuang was young and couldn't hold back what was on his mind; upon hearing this, he let out a soft snort.

—The three of them had just passed by the General's courtyard, and the study lamp was still on.

But this actually made Ning Xishi feel more at ease. After all, everyone in the General's Mansion, from the highest to the lowest, treated him well and didn't want him to have any more contact with the General—which was exactly what he wanted.

To be honest, he really couldn't picture himself sharing a bed with another man.

However, Ning Xishi never knew when to quit while he was ahead; he liked to dance right on the edge of the line.

So Li Yuan heard Ning Xishi say: "Oh, then I'll come back earlier tomorrow, while the General is still awake."

Li Yuan: "...?"

Wait—are you the real one who's into men? Did this imperial matchmaking actually land right where you wanted it?

But Li Yuan didn't dare say that, so he just gave a vague smile.

After escorting Ning Xishi back to his courtyard, Li Yuan went back to report to Xie Jingxing. In truth, Ning Xishi's whereabouts and everything that had happened at the Imperial Academy and Yuelai Restaurant had already been reported to Xie Jingxing; all Li Yuan could offer was Ning Xishi's side of the story.

Also waiting off to the side was Qiu Changyu.

Ning Xishi's claim that he would pay his respects to Xie Jingxing tomorrow evening, combined with that erotic picture book from today's academy session, was enough to make anyone's imagination run wild.

Qiu Changyu had no choice but to order Li Yuan: "From now on, keep Second Young Master Ning away from the General."

It seemed the situation was that the General, a fake gay man, had run into Ning Xishi, a real one...

All you could say was that fate worked in mysterious ways.

Li Yuan had been thinking the same thing all along and nodded hurriedly in agreement.

Qiu Changyu and Li Yuan worried themselves sick over their General's virtue, little knowing that Xie Jingxing had lowered his eyes to the stack of documents before him. The documents weren't important—what mattered was what was underneath them: a painting of a young man leaning against a stone bridge, a smile in his eyes.

On the left side of the painting was a signature and date—Summer Solstice, the Sixth Year of Longzhen, at Qinggu Bridge on Sanshui Street in the capital.

It was now the Eighth Year of Longzhen, which meant Ning Xishi had only been fifteen back then.

If Qiu Changyu or Li Yuan had bothered to investigate Ning Xishi more carefully, they would have discovered that this was precisely when the young man was coming into his own, his reputation just starting to take off.

At the time, noble ladies who heard about Ning Xishi's looks all wanted to go out and see him for themselves. This painting of him leaning on the bridge with a willow branch had once been bid up to three thousand taels of silver!

Now it would fetch an even higher price.

This painting had indeed been secretly bought at a high price on Xie Jingxing's orders. He couldn't really say why—only that when he'd read the line 'noble ladies fighting over Second Young Master Ning's exquisite portrait' in the scout's secret report, an indescribable feeling had welled up in his heart.

Almost without thinking, he'd ordered someone to go buy the painting right away. He'd even subconsciously added one more instruction: don't let the strategist know.

It was as if he was trying to cover it up, which only made it more obvious.

The General's Mansion's scouts and secret guards were truly the best of the best. What Xie Jingxing ordered at noon was brought in before dusk.

And it had stayed on Xie Jingxing's desk ever since, until Qiu Changyu came to report, at which point Xie Jingxing covered it with a stack of documents.

Over there, Qiu Changyu had finished instructing the steward on keeping watch against fire, theft, and Second Young Master Ning, before they went back to discussing the recent troubles in the martial world.

Qiu Changyu was very perceptive about such matters and trusted his gut completely. The appearance of the Beggar Gang's secret signals at the Imperial Academy was truly suspicious. He'd originally wanted to start his investigation with Ning Xishi, but aside from that little white cat, Biniang, Ning Xishi had pulled that whole erotic picture stunt at the academy today, which firmly convinced Qiu Changyu to remove him from the suspect list.

Such a frivolous and dissolute person didn't fit the Beggar Gang's code of conduct at all.

For Ning Xishi to join the Beggar Gang, all their protectors would have to be dead.

·

Ning Xishi had no idea he had been completely cleared of suspicion. The next day, he got up bright and early to go check on his new lodgings.

The General's Mansion treated him exceptionally well, so naturally no one tried to stop him—which was much easier than leaving the Minister's residence.

However, Steward Li Yuan still paid close attention to him, coming out with servants carrying a lunchbox: "The small kitchen made breakfast for you early, young master. Since you're in a hurry to leave, take it and eat it on the way."

Ning Xishi waved him off: "No need, I'm used to buying food from street vendors."

By this point, Li Yuan had already scurried over to Ning Xishi's side and lifted the bottom layer of the lunchbox slightly.

A big, gleaming silver ingot nearly blinded Ning Xishi. Li Yuan smiled with a knowing look: "A young master going out to study naturally needs to socialize—these are all for you."

Ning Xishi immediately said: "Dongshuang, carry this for me."

The three of them exchanged knowing smiles, and the master and his servant headed off to the Imperial Academy.

It was still early, and only the students who lived at the academy year-round were in the courtyard.

These students were the best and brightest selected from across the realm, all assigned to Class A—future candidates for the imperial examinations who would bring honor to the academy.

They were the face of the academy.

Rich kids like Ning Xishi were almost all in Class C, their greatest contribution being not causing trouble or ruining the academy's reputation.

As such, Class A and Class C never had anything to do with each other—in fact, they looked down on each other.

Class A students championed the idea that academic excellence leads to official position and looked down on these rich kids who just fooled around; the rich kids, meanwhile, thought: go ahead and take your exams—even if you become the top scholar, you'll still end up working for my dad. What's there to be proud of?

Therefore, when Ning Xishi showed up this early, the Class A students studying in the back courtyard couldn't help but snort disdainfully at the sight of him.

Some even turned their backs to him, to make it clear they wouldn't acknowledge him.

Low murmurs drifted his way: "The second young master of the Minister's household, and instead of staying in his proper place, he goes and sucks up to royal relatives, doing such demeaning work—he's brought nothing but shame on the Minister."

"I heard that the newly minted tanhua, the eldest young master Ning, has even asked to be posted out of the capital to gain experience, rather than bide his time in the Hanlin Academy. If he ever climbs to high office, he sure wouldn't want to be around this kind of filth in the capital."

Dongshuang overheard and was furious, shooting a worried look at his young master.

Ning Xishi just gave the group of poor scholars muttering among themselves a quick once-over, then acted like he hadn't heard a thing and kept walking toward his old lodgings.

Dongshuang hurried to catch up and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you angry, young master?"

"Plenty of people can't stand me. If I got mad at every single one, I'd probably be dead by now," Ning Xishi said casually.

"But this is different. They're your own classmates, and they still talk like that..." Dongshuang was genuinely upset.

"Look at what they're wearing—clearly from poor families. Getting into the Imperial Academy wasn't easy for them. If I made a stink, it wouldn't cost me much, but it could wreck their futures." Ning Xishi didn't want to keep talking about it. "Let's go see the quarters first."

"Yes."

The Crown Princess's two cousins were indeed scared of their clan uncle, Ning Xishi. They'd cleared out the room overnight and even given it a bit of a sweep.

Dongshuang was thorough. He set the food hamper on the stone table by the door and said, "Young master, you eat first. I'll give it another once-over, then run back to grab the bedding and make your bed."

After eating, Ning Xishi still had time before class, so he personally went through his book box, making sure it held only the Four Books and Five Classics before relaxing.

He'd tossed the illustrated booklet from yesterday in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile, over at the General's residence, Xie Jingxing sat in his wheelchair, and with a flick of his sleeve, out slid a familiar booklet with an indigo cover.

The cover was all wrinkled—clearly the owner had gotten angry reading the contents and crumpled it up in a fit.

From the outside, it looked just like any of those classics, but you'd only know what was inside once you opened it.

Xie Jingxing was six years older than Ning Xishi, way past the age of needing that kind of instructional material. Having spent years in the army, he'd heard and seen plenty, but he was a fastidious man and always found this sort of thing filthy, so he'd never bothered with it.

But... as if possessed. As if bewitched.

Just like that painting from yesterday—the one of leaning on a bridge and plucking a willow branch—he'd ended up keeping this booklet too.

Outside the window, bright sunlight poured down from the blue sky, filtering through the treetops and casting shadows on the window paper, but it couldn't reach into the deep, dark gloom of the bedchamber.

Xie Jingxing lifted a finger, and the only sound was the rustle of pages turning, as if the general were going through official paperwork.

That evening, when Ning Xishi came out of the academy, a bunch of his buddies swarmed him, egging him on to go out and have some fun.

These so-called friends wouldn't have dared before, since Ning Xishi was now the Lady General—if the General got angry, they'd be in deep trouble.

But after seeing Qi Huairui and Ning Xishi stay out so late the previous night without any consequences, and their bond seemingly even stronger, these friends could no longer contain themselves. They all clamored to go out for a meal with Second Young Master Ning, preferably with a jug of wine they could secretly share.

If their parents asked, they'd say they were drinking with Ning Xishi—surely their parents wouldn't dare trouble the General's household.

It was a win-win.

Ning Xishi gave a bored smile and agreed without a second thought.

If he returned to the General's residence too early, he might be summoned for the night. Better to go back late.

So they all agreed and headed to their usual haunt, Qingyan Tower.

==========Author's Note:==========

Second update.