Looking at Young Master Ah’s manner, he seemed to be an honoured guest. The gatekeeper dared not delay and quickly answered before hurrying off.
He trotted all the way to the main gate. Standing respectfully before the carriage, he said, “The young master invites you. Honoured guest, please follow me.”
The coachman took a stepping stool from the carriage shaft and placed it on the ground as a step.
From the carriage door, a folding fan lifted the curtain aside. A handsome man emerged. He stood tall and straight on the carriage shaft, giving an eye-catching impression like a plum blossom on a snowy mountain ridge. This immediately brightened the eyes of the Zhong residence gatekeepers and guards. He was a beautiful man with a slightly lazy charm.
With one hand behind his back, the man naturally tapped his chest lightly with the folding fan in his other hand. He looked around at the surroundings before his gaze finally settled on the Zhong residence plaque.
The sound of horse hooves approached. It was Du Fei returning from handling business outside with two attendants.
The man on the carriage shaft glanced back towards the source of the sound. Then he stepped down unhurriedly, placing one foot on the stool before landing on the ground. Under the servant’s respectful invitation, he ascended the steps with the fan swinging in his hand and drawing circles as he played with it.
Du Fei, who had just returned, reined in his horse, dismounted, and tossed the reins to a servant. With some confusion, he circled the visitor’s carriage once before slowly climbing the steps of the Zhong residence. He kept looking back repeatedly. At the door, he asked the gatekeeper, “Who is this person, and whom has he come to see?”
The gatekeeper replied, “I do not know. The visitor did not report his name or background. He said he is an old acquaintance of Young Master Ah from the east courtyard and has Young Master Ah’s permission.”
“An old acquaintance of the young master?” Du Fei looked astonished. He turned again to stare at the carriage with full suspicion before entering the gate.
Inside, Steward Li had just come out. Seeing Du Fei’s expression, he called out, “Old Du, what are you thinking about?”
Du Fei looked up, beckoned him over, and asked, “Did you see the guest who just went in?”
Steward Li said, “I saw him. We just met. He is a striking handsome man. We exchanged greetings. He said he is the young master’s guest. This is already the second wave of guests this morning.”
Du Fei asked, “Do you know who that person was just now?”
Steward Li replied, “What else could the young master’s guest be? Probably a fellow examinee from the same session. The one who came earlier was like that.”
Du Fei shook his head. “I have seen him. How could he be an examinee from this session? He is not, and he would not be any examinee. Do you know what he does?”
Steward Li hesitated. “I have only just arrived here. How would I know? Is there a problem?”
Du Fei looked around and said in a low voice, “Yan Province, that Zhao Hongshang from Shangping Prefecture. You know about her, right?”
Steward Li looked startled. “I have heard of her. She is the richest woman in Shangping Prefecture. What are you trying to say?”
Du Fei explained, “Back when the master was discussing a business deal with that woman from Shangping Prefecture, I followed the master’s orders to investigate her background and saw this man. He is a male favourite kept by that woman, just a kept man who lives off her.”
Steward Li was shocked. “Yan Province’s Shangping Prefecture and Lie Province’s Changming Prefecture are far apart. How would the young master know such a person? You must have mistaken him.”
Du Fei insisted, “No mistake. This man’s appearance is easy to remember. I would not get it wrong. Also, the carriage at the gate is from the Zhao residence. How could it be mistaken? I cannot recall this man’s name right now. When I go back and check, the investigation notes from that time should still have records.”
Steward Li asked, “Could he also be one of the old master’s people?”
Du Fei shook his head. “With the old master’s character, he would not allow his subordinates to live as kept men.”
Steward Li suddenly looked worried. Gazing towards the east courtyard, he said anxiously, “I do not know if the young master knows this person’s identity. Associating with such a person, if others find out, some talk will not sound good. Marrying the eldest young miss already easily invites suspicion of living off a woman. It was hard enough to pass the imperial examinations as the top candidate and smooth over that aspect. If he becomes associated with this kind of person and gains notoriety, then he really will be tarred with the same brush. We must advise the young master to have some self-respect.”
Who could say otherwise? Du Fei nodded silently in agreement.
In the east courtyard, Xu Fei could see that Brother Shiheng had no interest at all in dealing with him. He did not know what guest had arrived to make Shiheng so overjoyed.
Never mind. Since that was the case, he would not disturb them any longer. Xu Fei placed Chong’er’s slave registration back on the desk and took his leave.
“Hey, Brother Xu, I really have no use for it.” Yu Qing called out. He picked up Chong’er’s slave registration, intending to chase after him and return it. Just then, a new guest arrived at the main gate. Yu Qing’s eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately forgot about Xu Fei.
Xu Fei nearly collided with the arriving guest. The guest casually raised his fan and pressed it against Xu Fei’s chest to prevent the collision.
Xu Fei quickly apologised and made way. Still, he could not help glancing at the guest a few more times. He had not expected Brother Shiheng’s guest to be such an elegant and handsome man.
Once Xu Fei had taken his leave, the gatekeeper who had led the guest in extended his hand to invite Xu Fei along as well.
Chong’er stood to one side of the main hall entrance, tears streaming down his face, his heart in chaos with no way out.
He watched helplessly as Xu Fei left. He wanted to follow but could not, or dared not. He was no longer Xu Fei’s servant. According to official law, he had become Young Master Shiheng’s servant. Yet Young Master Shiheng had already made it very clear that he had no use for him, did not like him, and did not want him.
He could not leave, yet staying made him unwelcome. Apart from crying, he no longer knew what to do.
Yu Qing had no time to spare for him. With a grinning face, he went forward to welcome the handsome male guest.
The handsome man saw him and froze on the spot. Only when Yu Qing reached him did he raise his fan and tap it against Yu Qing’s forehead. “Why are you here too, you brat? Have you come to sponge off others?”
Yu Qing cupped his hands in greeting. He suddenly remembered something, turned his head and said, “Chong’er, brew the tea.”
Although he did not want Chong’er, he still called on him quite naturally and habitually.
Chong’er wiped his tears, nodded hard, and went inside to work. He poured out the spiritual rice from the pot and tidied it, washed the teapot with clear water, filled it with water, added the insects and boiled it all in one smooth sequence. It showed he had grown used to working around Yu Qing.
The handsome man understood from Yu Qing’s manner that there were outsiders present and it was not convenient to speak. Considering the subtle nature of Linglong View, he said no more. Under Yu Qing’s guidance, he walked with his hands behind his back while observing the courtyard environment.
The two entered the hall, sat cross-legged before the low table on the mat platform. Just then Chong’er lifted the fire cricket, which looked like a hanged ghost, out of the steaming boiling water. He rinsed the teapot with the hot water and poured it out, added fresh water, and put the insects back in.
Lifting an insect into the water to brew tea? Insect tea? This strange scene caught the handsome man’s attention and left him somewhat stunned.
Soon steam began rising from the teapot as the water gradually boiled.
The handsome man immediately lowered his head then raised it again, looking up and down repeatedly. He saw no charcoal fire beneath the teapot. He stretched his head to peer into the teapot and spotted the glowing, heating insects inside. He was instantly shocked and full of doubt.
Yu Qing watched with a grin beside him. He knew this would happen, which was why he had asked Chong’er to brew tea for him to see. He enjoyed seeing this fellow look like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
When the water had boiled completely, Chong’er lifted out the fire cricket and returned it to the metal jar. He began brewing tea for the two of them and served each a cup.
The handsome man stared blankly at the steaming hot tea handed to him. With a doubtful expression, he looked up and asked, “Is this tea?”
“What else could it be if not tea?” Yu Qing gestured with his hand. “Please drink.”
The handsome man raised his eyebrows slightly, tapped the table with his fan, then pointed at Yu Qing and said word by word, “You drink first!”
Yu Qing rolled his eyes hard. “Is that necessary? You make it sound as if I would poison you.” With that, he picked up the teacup, signalled for him to watch carefully, then gently blew on the hot liquid and took small sips slowly.
The handsome man really did stretch his neck, lean his head forward, and widen his eyes to watch closely, as if afraid Yu Qing was playing tricks.
Yu Qing was quite obliging. He performed clearly and even forced himself to drink nearly half the cup of hot tea in one go before setting it down. “Satisfied now?”
The handsome man asked, “Does this tea have any special taste?”
Yu Qing replied, “No, you can drink it with complete peace of mind. It is just normal tea.”
The handsome man said, “Then why should I drink it?” The implication was, had he never drunk tea before? Why must he drink such an unreliable kind?
Yu Qing was left speechless for a moment. He sighed, “This is to broaden your horizons.”
The handsome man said, “For this kind of horizon, looking with the eyes is enough. There is no need to try it with the mouth. Disgusting.”
“I…” Yu Qing was somewhat out of temper. He sighed, “Do you know what that insect is?”
The handsome man said nothing. He opened his fan and fanned himself lightly with a cold, observing look, waiting for him to finish speaking.
The attempt to build suspense had failed. Yu Qing could only explain himself. “This insect is called the fire cricket. It is something the幽崖 mission this time requires catching. Think about it. Could anything the幽崖 wants be bad? This time coming to the capital, I passed through the ancient tombs and wasteland and picked one up along the way. This thing really is excellent. It even makes brewing tea convenient.”
Seeing him enter self-praise mode, the handsome man remained composed and continued fanning himself while waiting for him to reveal his true purpose.
Sure enough, after a round of boasting, Yu Qing got to the point. “Of course, although the item is good, if you take a liking to it, I can also sell it to you cheaply as a token of respect.”
The dagger was now fully revealed. The handsome man remained unmoved and said, “You are goods who crawled out of a poor mountain ditch. The rustic air has not even left you yet. Do you know what counts as a good thing? If it really were good, with your character you would have hidden it in your trousers as a treasure long ago. If you think it is good then keep it for your own use. Do not think about cheating money from me. Talk less and later I can still give you a few taels of silver to buy sweets.”
A few taels of silver? Yu Qing glared. He was about to slap down a banknote to show him that he could no longer be dismissed with just a few taels.
But the handsome man had already noticed Chong’er. Seeing the boy wiping tears and sobbing nonstop, with both sleeves soaked through, yet still working methodically, he found it rather unusual. He smiled and said, “This is the first time I have seen a woman around this lad. Lass, what is wrong? Did he bully you? Did he sleep with you or eat you? Tell me and I will vent this anger for you.”
Chong’er immediately looked panicked and waved his hands hurriedly, forgetting even to wipe his tears.
Yu Qing nearly choked to death at those words. He slapped the table to remind him, “Can you not be so disgusting? He is a man, not a woman. What kind of eyes do you have?”
“A man?” The fan in the handsome man’s hand froze mid-wave. His expression stiffened. He stared carefully at the somewhat flustered Chong’er for a moment, tilted his ear slightly, but Chong’er had already stopped crying. He then said, “In that case, tell me yourself. Are you a man or a woman?”
Chong’er answered cautiously at once, “I am a man.”
Upon hearing this, the handsome man’s ears twitched slightly. Then he raised his eyebrows, resumed fanning himself, and stared at Yu Qing as he asked, “You country bumpkin with eyes that can spot good things, are you sure he is a man and not a woman disguised as one?”