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nEditor: SimoB

nShi Qing rushed into the Imperial Study furiously, shocking the princes sitting there with his flustered and snow-covered appearance.

nThe little master was used to being spoiled. They had never seen even a drop of rain land on him since they’d met him.

nEveryday, the ministers who arrived at the gate of the palace had to leave their sedan chairs and walk in on their own two feet. Even the princes couldn’t use a sedan chair in the palace.

nAnd while the members of the harem could, the inner palace was completely segregated from the rest. If they wanted to come out, they too had to walk in accordance with the rules.

nIn the palace proper, apart from their father who sat on the throne, only Shi Qing could remain in his sedan chair.

nThe pampered little master did not fail to take advantage of the favour that even the princes were not shown. Since the Emperor permitted him to stay in the sedan chair, he always rode all the way to Imperial Study. He then had someone carry him up its steps.

nNaturally, he was a proud being. Since the events that unfolded after the new year, Little Master Shi had become even more true to his nature. At the end of the day, the soles of those blue cloud boots embroidered with gold thread were still flawlessly white. It was clear that his feet had hardly ever touched the ground.

nBut now, unmelted snowflakes filled the delicate little master’s inky hair and covered his red cape. Even his usually white shoes had water stains on them from treading through the snow.

n“Shi Qing? Why didn’t you have the eunuchs carry you in?”

nThe princes all stood up, intending to share false pleasantries. The eldest prince was the one who spoke first. He smiled and warmly reached his hand to help brush off the snowy cloak.

nBut Shi Qing dodged his hand. His round eyes were full of dissatisfaction: “Big brother, what are you trying to do?!”

nFirst Prince: “?”

nFirst Prince: “What did I do?”

nShi Qing’s fur was standing on end: “If you don’t like me, just say it to my face. Why must you humiliate me like this?!”

n“Humiliate? I… How did I humiliate you?”

nThe first prince, who was suddenly carrying a big black pot on his back, was stunned.

nWho here didn’t know Shi Qing’s status?

nHe wasn’t dumb nor insane, so why would he bully Shi Qing?

n“You still have the face to say you didn’t?!”

nThe little master became even more incensed. He turned around and pitter-pattered over to the door. He pulled Yu Chennian, who was standing outside due to being wet from the snow, into the room and pitter-pattered back.

n“Who doesn’t know that I want him to carry me out of the sedan chair these days? How is he supposed to carry me when you let him stand in the snow for so long that he got wet!”

nFirst Prince: “……”

nHe was just bullying Yu Chennian. But how did Shi Qing misconstrue his actions to this point?

nEven if there were ten thousand grassy mud horses stampeding across his heart, he knew that he couldn’t afford to antagonize Shi Qing. He forced himself to calm down and swallowed back his anger.

nWith a smile on his face, he went to pull at Shi Qing’s arm in a friendly manner: “Shi Qing, I really didn’t mean anything by this. It’s just that Ninth Brother has been slacking on his coursework these days. As his elder brother, I naturally expect better from him, which is why I punished him. If Ninth Brother can’t carry you, how about I ask the eunuchs to do so instead?”

n“No way!”

nOrdinary people would’ve known to quit while they were ahead, but Little Master Shi had never had to learn that lesson.

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nHe very blatantly shook off the first prince’s hand and displayed his horrendous attitude: “How can any of those eunuchs compare to Yu Chennian? They’re all too thin and smell nasty. I’m not settling for anyone other than Yu Chennian!”

nThis was very in line with the little master’s temperament.

nIf he could have something better, he would never settle for less.

nThe eunuchs in the palace were no better to him than the ordinary servants outside the palace.

nThey were all castrated at a young age when they began their life serving others. They had to get up early in the morning and go to sleep late at night. Their meals were not particularly well-balanced, so they were all naturally thin.

nTheir backs were filled with hard muscles. Not exactly the most comfortable surface.

nIn addition, most eunuchs were somewhat incontinent after being castrated. If they didn’t move quickly enough, something would inevitably leak out.

nIn order to not offend the senses of their masters, most eunuchs would ask for powdered fragrances from outside the palace to use on themselves.

nExcept for the eunuchs in a position of power, the little eunuchs were, as expected, pretty poor. The perfumes they bought were all cheap goods that relied on overwhelming the nose.

nBut at the end of the day, anything was better than letting the masters smell that indecent odour.

nIt was also the reason why people outside the palace said eunuchs were half women. They were so fragrant no matter where they went. From their point of view, this made the eunuchs appear very feminine.

nBut let’s get back to the main point. Shi Qing was a reading companion, so of course he would not bring his servants. This was why he often let the eunuchs carry him off the sedan.

nIn the past, Little Master Shi Qing would endure because there wasn’t another option. But after being carried by Yu Chennian these past few days, how could he go back?

nHe very unreasonably blew up on the first prince: “Everyone knows that Yu Chennian’s been following me these days. By punishing him, you’re punishing me. Since I became your reading companion, I’ve had to enter the palace at dawn every day and go home after the sun sets. I have to get hit on the hand by the tutors because of you as well! I’ve been doing my best for you, but you slapped me in the face using Yu Chennian as a proxy. What bone could you possibly have to pick with me!?”

nThe first prince almost laughed out of anger: “I just punished Yu Chennian, but somehow you’re making this about yourself!”

nShi Qing didn’t back down: “If you didn’t punish him, would I be covered in snow?!”

nNo one else could come up with such a convoluted string of logic.

nBut the other princes were very happy to see these two fall out.

nThey gleefully added fuel to the flames:

n“Yeah elder brother, this was your fault.”

n“Shi Qing is still young, and he wants for nothing at home. But now he has to come and suffer here as your reading companion. It’s normal for him to be upset.”

n“Elder brother, you should apologize to Shi Qing and swear never to do it again. How could you humiliate him like this for no reason? He’s quite pitiful.”

nShi Qing never had to question his own choices, because everyone around him always had the same rationale regarding him: Shi Qing could do no wrong. It was always others who did something wrong to him. And if he did do something wrong, then please refer back to the previous two sentences.

nWhen Yu Chennian, whose only crime was not falling for Shi Qing’s tricks, was falsely accused, the first prince did nothing to help him.

nHe had even gloated.

nNow, it was his turn.

nFirst Prince: “……”

nOnly now did he understand how frustrating it was to apologize when he had done nothing wrong.

nThe first prince was the eldest son, so he had always felt that he had great prestige amongst his younger brothers.

nHe only sucked up to Shi Qing out of consideration for the prime minister and the emperor.

nBut there was no way he could truthfully say he wasn’t angry at being scolded. And in front of his younger brothers no less.

nBut no matter how furious he was, he could only bear it for the benefits Shi Qing’s background could bring him.

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nHe breathed in deeply and squeezed out a slight smile. He endured the itching in his teeth and tried to keep his expression kind: “Shi Qing, big brother was wrong. I won’t do this again, so don’t be angry anymore, alright?”

nOnly then did the anger on the little master’s face slowly began to fade.

nWith a snort, he raised his chin proudly as if to say ‘look at how tolerant I am’: “Fine. Since you’ve admitted your faults, I’ll forgive you this time.

nThis was a classical example of adding insult to injury.

nThe smile on the first prince’s face almost twisted.

nHe looked around and saw that, except for Yu Chennian who emotionlessly kept his head down as usual, his other brothers were enjoying a laugh at his expense.

nWhen had he ever experienced such a grievance before?

nHe tried to endure it, but in the end he couldn’t.

nWith a stiff smile on his face, the first prince said dryly: “I’m feeling somewhat tired today. I’ll go to the back to have a rest for a while. Younger brothers, please inform the tutors on my behalf when they arrive.”

nWith that, he turned and left in a hurry.

nIt was obvious even from the back that he was about to blow a gasket.

nThe other three princes glanced at each other a few times before going up to talk to Shi Qing.

n“Look at how wet you are.”

n“You have such a childish temperament. Even if you are angry, you should have come to the Imperial Study first, ah. Look at all the melted snow on you. What if you catch a cold?”

n“And your boots. They’re all wet. Do you have a spare pair in the back? If not, send someone to my house for a pair. Don’t worry, they’re all new.”

nShi Qing was like the moon being coddled by countless stars.

nThe people around him all had expressions of heartache, as if him standing in the snow for a while was a heinous crime.

nYu Chennian, who was the real victim in all this, was still as unpopular as ever.

nThe little master had long since been used to such treatment. He sneezed and rubbed his little nose: “It’s fine. We’re all men here. It’s just some snow and wind. I have a change of clothes in my room so I’ll just put those on.”

n. He turned around to look at the youth who was silent all the time. He hadn’t forgotten about Yu Chennian.

nHis tone was not much better than before: “What are you doing!? Come here, ah!”

nYu Chennian, who was widely regarded as being as dull as a piece of wood, followed him silently. He had stood in the snow too long earlier and so left a trail of water behind him as he walked.

nThe princes didn’t dislike Shi Qing, but they did dislike Yu Chennian. One by one they gave way.

nYu Chennian pretended not to see the scornful expressions on the faces of these elder brothers. He just quietly stared at the youth in front of him and moved forward with slow and steady steps.

nAfter stepping out, Shi Qing did not go straight to his room. He reached out to pull at Yu Chennian’s arm instead.

nThe youth subconsciously dodged.

nThe little master was shocked. His white and tender face immediately showed dissatisfaction: “What do you think you’re doing?!”

nYu Chennian lowered his eyes. He held himself awkwardly: “I’m dirty.”

n“It’s just some melted snow, so where are you dirty? How troublesome.”

nShi Qing didn’t seem to care at all. He grumbled some more before reaching for Yu Chennian’s arm again.

nHe lowered his voice and whispered, “I want to hear if big brother is saying bad things about me. You have to follow me and protect me if we get caught, okay?”

n“Of course.”

nMaybe he felt like this request made him appear weak, or perhaps he felt like Yu Chennian needed a boost of encouragement to do his best later, but the little master raised his chin: “I didn’t ask you to come because the eunuchs in the palace are not my people. It’s because I think highly of you. Although you’re as dull as wood, you’re tall and strong enough not to be completely useless.”

nShi Qing didn’t seem to realize that he had let the chicken out of the bag. After saying his bit, he grabbed Yu Chennian’s hand and looked around carefully. He stood on tiptoe and walked forward with light steps.

nAfter two steps, he felt something wasn’t right again. Looking back, he saw that Yu Chennian was still walking like he usually did. His delicate face showed a look of utter frustration.

n“Are you dumb? I’ve already said we’re going to eavesdrop. Keep your head down before they see you!”

nYu Chennian lowered his head mechanically.

nHe had a deep look in his eyes as he stared at the youth in front of him.

nShi Qing was acting like he was going to rob someone. He stooped down carefully as he inched forward. Yu Chennian could see Shi Qing walking on his tiptoes in his especially small and cute boots as they advanced little by little.

nShi Qing was obviously doing something questionable, but Yu Chennian didn’t question it in the slightest.

nDing! Yu Chennian’s animosity value: 95

/100

nThe System didn’t understand: But the Host didn’t do anything?

nShi Qing: Maybe it’s because I look so good. Hee hee hee hee.

nWhen they arrived at the first prince’s house, the eunuch who was supposed to be standing outside was absent.

nIn order to show their frugality, the princes who came to the Imperial Study only took one eunuch along to serve them. At the same time, the eunuchs who served the reading companions were those who originally worked in the Imperial Study. There was usually one attendant per person then as well.

nUnlike the reading companions, the eunuchs around the princes were all their close confidants.

nAfter all, the palace maids could still leave and get married when they were 30, but the eunuchs would stay in the palace their entire lives. Of course they would be more loyal and reliable than the palace maids. The princes also preferred to be served by the eunuchs.

nIf the prince’s eunuch was not outside, then it could be inferred that he was inside.

nShi Qing took Yu Chennian’s arm and snuck all the way to the door.

nYu Chennian followed silently and hid with him. He saw Shi Qing widen his big round eyes as he carefully pressed his ear to the door.

nThere was actually no need to do so. The first prince was loud enough to be heard from outside the door.

nBecause he was trashing his room.

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