Chapter 43: Biting The Finger

Liu Baiwei’s voice was not soft, and her figure was not petite either. His features were bold and imposing, with an air of elegance and freedom that even the rouge and powder couldn’t conceal.

When he spoke with extraordinary knowledge, Zhao Yan couldn’t help but have doubts. Yet now, as she touched that smooth and firm skin with her own hands, she still widened her eyes slightly.

“So, you’re also a scholar from Mingde Academy?” Zhao Yan curled her fingers uncomfortably and asked.

Liu Baiwei lightly coughed and straightened his waistline, “You could say that.”

Zhao Yan didn’t quite understand why a young man about to take the imperial examination would willingly hide his identity. Scholars usually prided themselves on their integrity, emphasizing the integrity of literati; they should be the least tolerant of disguising themselves as women.

Thinking back to the details of the night when Liu Baiwei was exposed, Zhao Yan asked, “Did you disguise yourself as a woman to enter the palace because of a bet with Zhao Yan?”

Liu Baiwei raised an eyebrow at the question and smiled, “Someone with my temperament, how could I be constrained by a mere bet?”

His gaze shifted downward, towards the flickering candles in the lampshade, as if he could see the bustling scene from last year under the lights of the Jingjian Building in Mingde Academy, where scholars and the Crown Prince conversed late into the night.

The carefree Shen Jingming lay sprawled out, sleeping with several other scholars. Cheng Jixing, shy by nature, curled up in a corner, still clutching a scroll of writing in his ink-stained hands…

With the window half-open and the solitary lamp, the slender and tender Crown Prince stood draped in his robe, overlooking the darkened buildings in the midnight.

“Mr. Baiwei’s words woke me up. Since the founding of Great Xuan Dynasty, most officials promoted through imperial examinations come from various noble families. Their loyalty lies in the interests of their own families, not in the well-being of the common people. There are tens of thousands of royal relatives waiting to be fed, and the Shenguang Sect demands funds to build temples and perform rituals. The state treasury is depleted, and in troubled times, only radical measures can root out the problems.”

Zhao Yan turned his gentle gaze towards the flamboyant young man in white beside him, “The new policy cannot be implemented by me alone, nor can it be accomplished in a year. It requires gathering like-minded individuals like yourself, spending ten years or even a lifetime’s effort to bring about a new world.”

He paused and said gently, “Baiwei, I am weak and often ill, confined to the Eastern Palace. I need someone to assume a completely unsuspected identity, to act as a messenger for me, gathering every usable force.”

Liu Baiwei, who had suffered a crushing defeat in yesterday’s archery competition with the Crown Prince, smirked at the suggestion, “The least suspicious person might be a woman with no background and only beauty to offer.”

Shen Jingming, who knows when he woke up, lifted Liu Baiwei’s pointed chin with a folding fan and glanced at Zhao Yan, teasingly, “Isn’t there already two of them?”

Liu Baiwei, not exactly the epitome of masculinity, was used to such teasing from others, but he hadn’t expected Shen Jingming, this reckless fellow, to dare to joke even with the Crown Prince.

Feeling a bit annoyed, he rolled his eyes and retorted, “Get lost.”

The Crown Prince himself didn’t mind being called “beautiful”, and he chuckled lightly, fist against his lips.

After Liu Baiwei had enough of the banter, he leaned against the bookshelf with his arms folded and said boldly, “I can give it a try.”

Zhao Yan looked at him in surprise, and even Shen Jingming restrained the smirk on his face.

Liu Baiwei continued, “Even if there is such a woman, it’s not guaranteed that she’ll act cautiously and be loyal. I’m skilled in painting, I can use cosmetics to disguise my throat and facial features, and with the Crown Prince’s help in covering up, I might be able to pass inspection.”

Zhao Yan nodded thoughtfully, “Baiwei, next year there will be a new section added to the imperial examination. If you disguise yourself as a woman, you might miss…”

“I came to Mingde Academy to hide in the first place. If I can have the opportunity to hide in the Eastern Palace, it’s even better.”

Liu Baiwei stretched lazily, pretending to be relaxed, and snorted, “Besides, by the time I restore my identity, perhaps you and others will have become pillars of the court, while I can simply enjoy the fruits of your labor when I enter the court. Isn’t that easy and enjoyable?”

“Now that the draft of the new policy has taken shape, let’s set a term of ten years as a benchmark, and pledge our commitment.”

Shen Jingming suggested as he held the pen, “Regardless of our positions, I am willing to fulfill this pledge even with my life.”

A moth fluttered under the moonlight, flying into the lampshade without hesitation.

Zhao Yan pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and added two lines of small characters at the end of the scroll: “In this life, I am willing to be like a moth to the flame, even unto death, towards the light.”

Shen Jingming clapped his hands and laughed, “We are all moths to the flame, so let us use the bright lamp as our symbol. When the Crown Prince issues an order, a high lamp will be hung on the Jiafu Tower of the Eastern Palace. Upon seeing the signal, we will gather at the Jingjian Building to discuss the Crown Prince’s instructions.”

Among them, some were nearing the age of maturity, while others were still teenagers. Without exception, they devoutly and solemnly wrote their names after the small characters.

Thinking of something, Zhao Yan looked up at the two men guarding diligently outside the door and smiled, “Ah Xing, Chou Zui, come here.”

Since the untimely death of Prince Yuan’an of the previous dynasty, the Emperor would select a “shadow” to live and travel with the Crown Prince, to act as a substitute at crucial moments.

Ah Xing was Zhao Yan’s “shadow guard,” about the same age as his master, with a body and face that bore a resemblance of about seventy to eighty percent.

Shadows lurked in the dark, usually without names. Zhao Yan had split his own name “Yan” in half and given it to him, naming him “Ah Xing,” and told him that nobody is born to be someone else’s shadow; one should live for oneself in this world.

How could someone with such a humble status deserve to have his name listed on this weighty scroll?

“If not for your day and night protection, how could we plan all this with peace of mind?”

Zhao Yan encouraged warmly, and only then did Ah Xing dare to take the pen moistened with ink and write down a small, neat name at the end of the scroll.

He then handed the pen to Chou Zui, who stood stiffly.

“I can’t read,” Chou Zui said without a hint of embarrassment.

But no one laughed at him. Even the reserved Cheng Jixing spoke up, “It’s okay, just make a thumbprint or draw something else. It’s just a declaration of mutual encouragement.”

Only then did Chou Zui grab the pen like a fist and awkwardly draw a few twisted and rough lines at the very end.

Baiwei, skilled in painting, frowned at the sight of this technique, and quirked his eyebrow, “Brother Chou, why did you draw a fried egg?”

Chou Zui didn’t explain. What he drew wasn’t a fried egg, but a plum blossom.

As memories faded, the group of spirited young people in the Jingjian Building of Mingde Academy ultimately failed to fulfill their ten-year agreement.

Zhao Yan listened quietly as Liu Baiwei recounted the ins and outs, running her fingers over each small and neat name, as if she could still feel the warmth of those days.

Did someone leak their innovative content? Zhao Yan speculated.

The person who could imitate her handwriting must be someone who knew her and Zhao Yan very well. The Shenguang Sect, the noble families, the imperial relatives… Anyone whose interests were touched by Zhao Yan could be a suspect.

Zhao Yuanyu’s involvement with Master Lao’s “immortal teachings” couldn’t be ignored.

She would have to personally visit Shen Jingming and others’ homes when she had the chance, perhaps to find some clues. Zhao Yan tucked the Crown Prince’s final letter and the scroll into her sleeve, feeling heavy-hearted as she returned to the Guanyun Hall.

As she approached, Liu Baiwei hesitated to speak.

Following her subtle hint, Zhao Yan noticed that Wen Renlin, the Prince of Su, had appeared in the Guanyun Hall at some point. He was sitting quietly in the palace chair, one hand curved on the armrest and the other casually resting on his knee, lightly tapping his index finger.

The faint red mark of a tooth bite could be vaguely seen on his powerful and slender palm.

Seeing him waiting here, Zhao Yan inexplicably felt a trace of guilt and quickly tightened her grip on the scroll hidden in her sleeve, whispering, “It’s late at night, why is Prince Su here?”

Wen Renlin raised his eyes at her words, and calmly replied, “Is this prince not welcome?”

Zhao Yan was startled, remembering the previous night when she was gasping for breath in Wen Renlin’s arms. Asking this question tonight seemed unnecessary, almost like burning bridges.

Just as she was about to explain, she noticed Wen Renlin looking at her hand hidden in her sleeve. He said in a low voice, “Clean it.”

“Clean it… What?”

Could it be that he’s asking her to bathe? It sounds quite ambiguous for a man and a woman alone together at night.

Zhao Yan hesitated, not moving, and cautiously said, “I’ve already bathed.”

Wen Renlin didn’t say anything, but calmly stood up and grabbed Zhao Yan’s right hand hidden in her sleeve, leading her towards the washing area outside.

He was tall with long legs, covering twice the distance in one step. Zhao Yan was pulled forward by him, stumbling to keep up, repeatedly saying, “Slow down, slow down!”

In the hurry, the scroll in her sleeve accidentally fell out and rolled to Wen Renlin’s feet.

Zhao Yan’s eyelids twitched. If Wen Renlin found out she was once again involved in the turmoil surrounding the Crown Prince’s death, it would be catastrophic.

However, unexpectedly, Wen Renlin’s thoughts were not on this matter at all. He simply stepped over the scroll as if he hadn’t seen it, and pressed Zhao Yan’s right hand into the cold water in the copper basin.

It had just rained, and there was a slight chill in the summer night in the mountains. Zhao Yan couldn’t help but stiffen as she suddenly felt the cold water.

Wen Renlin’s face showed no emotion as he meticulously and carefully rubbed her delicate white hand with his fingertips, as if she had touched something dirty and needed thorough cleansing.

The man’s joints were firm, and his fingertips had a slight callus. Rather than serving, it felt more like a mild punishment. It wasn’t until Zhao Yan’s fair and tender palm turned slightly red from being washed that Wen Renlin finally mercifully let go of her and took a cotton cloth to dry her hand.

Zhao Yan couldn’t understand. Enduring the tingling and slight pain in her palm, she tentatively asked, “Is Prince Su angry? Is it because I killed Zhao Yuanyu last night, and it annoyed Prince Su?”

Other than having touched the blood of her enemies, Zhao Yan couldn’t think of anything else that would bother Wen Renlin so much.

Wen Renlin glanced at the scroll on the ground and chuckled softly, “What does it matter if this prince is annoyed? Your Highness still has other shoulders to rely on.”

Although his tone seemed indifferent, there was a somewhat sinister undertone to it.

Zhao Yan really pondered where this strange feeling came from and suddenly felt a pain in her fingertip!

She couldn’t help but let out a cry, suddenly opening her eyes, only to see Wen Renlin lower his head, taking her pinky into his mouth, lightly closing his teeth… Zhao Yan trembled, feeling a chill creeping from her fingertips to her scalp.

Seeing her dumbfounded and at a loss, Wen Renlin’s eyes softened slightly, and he lightly bit the tip of her finger, ultimately unable to bring himself to bite down hard.

“This matter ends with Zhao Yuanyu’s death. This prince has said that this is the final concession.”

He pinched the delicate joint of her pinky, not too hard nor too light, and said, “If Your Highness does anything inappropriate again, or touches anything dirty, this prince will leave a mark on this disobedient finger joint and bind your hands tightly with chains.”

Zhao Yan stared blankly as Wen Renlin tossed the cotton cloth and left. After a while, she finally reacted: when he mentioned “touching something dirty”…

Could it be that he knows about Liu Baiwei pulling her hand to feel his chest?

Like seeing her pet cat rubbing someone else’s hand?

Is this guy spying on everything from the rafters? Nothing can escape his notice.

Zhao Yan squatted down to pick up the scroll and pressed it against her chest, feeling a lingering fear.

But how could she willingly give up here?

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