Isn’t a Delicate, Supple Beauty a Dream Come True? - Chapter 4

The person slowly straightened their body, and the air within the pavilion seemed to freeze for a beat. Several audible gasps followed, while the folding fan in Xiao Qi’s hand resumed its rhythmic swaying as if nothing had happened.

Chu Gui lifted his gaze.

Sitting in a circle within the pavilion were six or seven young noblemen in brocade robes. The two in the center were exceptionally dressed; one in ink-blue and one in dark brown. The subtle patterns woven with gold thread on their casual robes signaled their noble status as members of the imperial clan.

But which one is Prince An? Second Sister had said his appearance was also quite outstanding.

And so, he looked at their faces.

The one in ink-blue had “peach blossom eyes” that held a faint smile. He was peerlessly handsome, warm as jade, and possessed a very clear, refined aura.

With looks like these, even the so-called “top-tier idols” of his past life—even with plastic surgery and makeup—likely couldn’t compare. If this man was Prince An, his reputation for lechery was a bit of a waste; instead of lusting after others, he’d be better off admiring himself in a mirror. With a face like that, one really couldn’t tell who was getting the better deal.

Then he looked at the man in dark brown on the left. He was also quite good-looking and shared a slight resemblance with the first man, but his temperament was far inferior. His body was thin, and his eyes were somewhat cloudy—a clear sign of being eroded by wine and women. He looked incredibly frail.

Chu Gui immediately made up his mind. He directed a smile toward the man on the left, deploying one hundred thousand percent of his acting skills, giving a slight wink and blowing a metaphorical kiss through the air.

Xiao Yuan coughed violently twice, choked by his own saliva.

Did he see that right? The person shouting about recommending themselves to the Prince’s pillow just threw a flirtatious wink at him? Although he also liked beauties, he had no taste for the Southern Wind. This person must have mistaken him for someone else.

But then again, if it were truly this person before him, it seemed… not impossible to try?

Sigh, why is it a man? If this were a woman, I’m afraid the Empress’s title as the number one beauty in the world would be in jeopardy.

Xiao Qi didn’t bother to mock his cousin’s loss of composure. He snapped his fan shut, stood up, and walked slowly to the edge of the pavilion. He used the tip of his fan to lightly hook the red-robed man’s chin and smiled. “‘Stature of a willow’? You are being a bit too modest… though, your eyesight seems a bit poor.”

Chu Gui never expected he had mistaken the target. The voice before him was clearly the real Prince An.

He felt a momentary flash of awkwardness, thinking: If your reputation hadn’t been spread as so utterly wretched, would I have had to identify you based on physical health? But damn it all, this legendary old lecher who supposedly beds multiple people a night without rest is actually full of vigor, with a spark still in his eyes?

Thinking of this man’s sibling relationship with his mortal enemy, the smile on his face stiffened for a split second. He wondered if that high-and-mighty Emperor also looked like this—looking like a refined human but doing things worse than a beast.

In that instant of thinking about the Emperor, Chu Gui couldn’t entirely suppress the killing intent in his heart. His eyes narrowed slightly instinctively, but he reacted immediately. To mend the situation, he offered a charming smile and began to act spoiled, pitching his voice high.

“Your Highness, it’s not that my eyesight is bad, but a bit of sand just blew into my eyes. Why don’t you take a look for me? It’s really quite uncomfortable.”

As he spoke, he tilted his head higher against the man’s fan, half-closing his eyes to squeeze out a bashful expression while leaving his lips slightly parted—an obvious invitation for a taste. He even began to lean his body toward the man.

Next, the man should play along and pounce on him, revealing an ugly face like a vicious dog fighting for food, Chu Gui thought.

But the reality was completely outside his expectations.

The fan propped under his chin was suddenly withdrawn, and the man quickly stepped back two paces. Chu Gui nearly fell forward into empty air; he braced himself against the ground with one hand and looked up with an expression of pure shock.

“…Your Highness?”

Prince An had already retreated to the steps. Behind him, a man wearing a brass mask suddenly appeared, one hand on his sword and his body tensed in a defensive stance.

Chu Gui’s heart turned cold. Had he leaked a trace of himself in that uncontrolled moment just now, drawing out the other’s secret guard? This masked figure really had some skill; where had he been hiding? He hadn’t sensed him at all.

His mind raced as his face once again collapsed into a fragile expression. He said timidly, “Why does Your Highness have no pity for me at all? I almost fell down.”

Once the line was out, the one who felt the most uncomfortable was Chu Gui himself. He hadn’t realized that by imitating the melodramatic dramas he’d seen in the past, a simple act of “acting cute” would have such powerful destructive force. He didn’t know if it worked on the target, but he had successfully disgusted himself first.

His throat bobbed as he forced down the urge to gag, using what he thought were eyes full of deep affection to incessantly electrocute the man.

Xiao Qi couldn’t help but let out a genuine laugh.

At first glance, he thought this was a refined gentleman of high mountains and flowing water, only to be disappointed when the man suddenly pulled a vulgar, flattering face.

Then, for a flash, the man seemed like a wolf cub, extending sharp claws and retracting them instantly.

In the end, he realized this was just a fox that hadn’t yet achieved its Tao—possessing nothing but a superb face. His methods of seduction were like those of a total amateur, so clumsy they were painful to watch, and truly quite amusing.

Unfortunately, for a person who mysteriously delivered himself to the door, it was better to avoid trouble in the current situation.

He pulled a long face and said coldly, “What kind of person do you take this Prince for? Do I just pick up anything, fragrant or foul, into my mansion? A mountain boy of unknown origin dreaming of climbing the social ladder? Men, show him out!”

He said “show him out,” but it was effectively a dynamic eviction.

Chu Gui left the ginkgo forest in a daze, only then snapping out of it. Did I just… fail to get into his bed?

That shouldn’t be possible. He hung his head and began to replay everything, wondering which part went wrong.

The clothes? No, Second Sister arranged them herself; they were the most fashionable style in the Upper Capital right now, and the slender waist was cinched perfectly.

The face? Even less likely. To ensure the effect, he had specifically applied light makeup before coming. Given his level of disguise skills—plus the fact that as an acrobat in his past life, he always did his own stage makeup—his technique was expert. In this era of crude makeup methods, it was definitely enough to stun the masses.

So where was the reason?

Chu Gui pulled the cluster of cornel berries from his hair, opened his mouth, and irritably bit off several red fruits, chewing them hatefully.

The resentment in his heart seemed to be taking physical form: Xiao! Qi!! Lecher?? Heh, you’ve fucking broken your character!

In the Tiaoyuan Pavilion, Xiao Yuan, Jiang Wei, and the others shared similar thoughts to Chu Gui. None of them expected Prince An would actually push away a “delicacy” delivered to his lips.

The Young Marquis of Xingchang Mansion, who had just joined the capital’s social circle, looked on with profound admiration. He thought to himself that if even someone looking like that wasn’t good enough, he couldn’t imagine what the hundred-plus beauties in the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Flowers must look like.

Jiang Wei, however, was filled with regret. Due to curiosity, he had previously taken in two or three fire-venting young servants, but compared to the red-robed beauty just now, they were the difference between heaven and earth. He had been too busy staring to remember to speak up and stop the eviction.

He now complained incessantly, “Sigh, Cousin, if you didn’t like him, you could have given him to me! Why kick him out? He hasn’t even reported his name yet.”

Xiao Qi ignored him.

Xiao Yuan, who after all didn’t favor male beauty, regained his clarity once the initial shock passed. Thinking of the Prince’s secret guard who had suddenly appeared, he chimed in, “Jiang Wei, Cousin just saved your dog life. Didn’t you see the secret guard appear? That beauty is likely a Chinese Rose—covered in thorns.”

Xiao Qi glanced at his cousin with a lazy smile on his face. He opened his fan again and chatted casually, “The weather… it’s been autumn for a while, why is it still so hot!”

Jiang Wei was snapped awake by Xiao Yuan’s point. Being from a noble family himself, he immediately understood some things and didn’t press further. The pavilion was soon filled with the noisy chatter of drinking games, and before long, this little interlude was forgotten.

After playing for another hour or so, the sun began to tilt westward. Xiao Qi, who had arrived latest, was the first to prepare his carriage to return home.

Xiong Liang picked up the gold-lacquered tray from the table, intending to throw it into a ravine to keep his master from being annoyed by the sight of it.

He had just lifted it and was about to move when Xiao Qi’s folding fan tapped down on top of it. “What are you doing?”

Xiong Liang stared with wide eyes, confused. “Throw… throwing it away.”

Prince An, who had just been a ruthless flower-destroyer by kicking the person out, now revealed an intrigued smile. “The person cannot stay, but the things can be left behind. After all, it is a token of a beauty’s heart. This is a rare trophy from my years of campaigning in the ‘Kingdom of Flowers.’ There’s no harm in keeping it to play with.”

As soon as he said this, the others all burst into laughter. Tasting that familiar hint of “lewdness” in his words, the faint sense of incongruity in their hearts finally dissipated. That was right—this was the Xiao Qi they all knew, the most romantic and affectionate Prince An of the Great Ding Kingdom.

After settling back into the Prince An Mansion, bathing, changing, and having dinner, Xiao Qi was in his study reading the official gazettes of the past few days.

After reading for a long while, he found he couldn’t quiet his heart. He suddenly spoke: “Wuming?”

The secret guard wearing the brass mask manifested from behind a pillar and bowed respectfully. “Present.”

Xiao Qi didn’t look up, speaking with a tone that was both a question and a critique: “Why were you so restless today?”

Wuming knew his master was referring to his sudden appearance in the afternoon.

At the level of a Prince, it was perfectly normal to have a few secret guards around. But the reason they were called “secret” was that they must never show themselves unless it was a critical moment. Now that he had shown his face, it was likely that the news of the secret guard had reached the Emperor’s desk before the Prince even returned home. It was indeed a bit rash.

But at that moment, it was truly an urgent situation.

Before the red-robed beauty had been granted an audience, Wuming had sensed him carefully. From start to finish, he hadn’t detected any abnormality—body shape, breathing, heartbeat, and walking posture were all identical to an ordinary person. But that sudden explosion of killing intent was as intense as someone returning from hell.

He had been drawn by that aura and felt a fatal threat in an instant, which forced him to manifest and protect the Prince’s side.

Without making excuses or shirking responsibility, Wuming simply judged truthfully: “That person is by no means simple. His mastery of concealing his breath is the highest I have ever seen in my life. Moreover, even with me present, if he had made a sudden, violent strike, I am not entirely confident I could have blocked it.”

Xiao Qi: “Can you tell his lineage or where he came from?”

Wuming: “I cannot. The time was too short, and the loophole was only a faint trace. I have no clues at all. Do you need me to investigate thoroughly?”

Xiao Qi put down the gazette and tapped his index finger on it, thinking for a long while. He decided not to waste more energy on this sudden little accident and replied, “Forget it. He’s an inconsequential person.”

After speaking, he looked up at Wuming. “Whose turn is it to attend tonight?”

“Lady Wei.”

Xiao Qi’s expression didn’t ripple at all as he answered, “Not ideal. Having seen such a peerless beauty this afternoon, even if he couldn’t stay, it’s impossible to be entirely untouched. Change the tablet. Summon that Master Xiliu from Southern Yong.”

Wuming gave a low “Yes.”

His hands nimbly removed the mask. Beneath the mask was a face covered in crisscrossing scars, to the point where his features were unrecognizable.

But with another peel of his fingers, there was yet another layer beneath the scarred face—a face that shared a two- or three-tenths resemblance with his master.

Wuming pressed a mechanism on the bookshelf, and the secret door opened quietly. After he stayed inside for half an incense stick’s time and came back out, he was the spitting image of another Xiao Qi.

Just as he was about to leave the study, his master behind him issued a new order: “And the other two young servants from Southern Yong. The three of them together.”

The smile Wuming had just put on his face stiffened slightly, and his peach blossom eyes held a trace of helplessness. He gave a long-winded response: “Yes~”

Inwardly, he couldn’t help but grumble: So, Master, why did you insist on defiling your own reputation with lechery in the first place? Wouldn’t being greedy for money have been just as good? Your subordinate’s capital is limited; I’m really feeling a bit overtaxed!