The Young Marquis is Ruining the Court! - Chapter 13

Chi Zhou’s entire body trembled instinctively at the sound of that voice, half his body turning numb from the sheer softness of it.

Since his transmigration, his relationship with Xie Jiu had felt less like that of a patron and a gigolo, and more like a pet owner and a cat. It was almost always Chi Zhou who approached with a smiling face to coax this haughty, beautiful “big cat,” when had he ever heard this man use such a soft, melting tone?

He had even called him “Brother.”

Even when Chi Tong called him that, it didn’t sound like this. With Xie Jiu, it sounded as if the title had been rolled over his tongue a thousand times before finally being breathed out. It was enough to melt one’s heart and crush one’s resolve.

Chi Zhou was dazed for half a second. When he regained his senses, he instinctively let go of Xie Jiu’s wrist and took a half-step back before saying, “I almost forgot why we came out. Let’s go.”

Xie Jiu lowered his eyes to stare at Chi Zhou’s hand, which was now tucked back into his sleeve. His lips curled into an unreadable smile, and a flicker of dark gloom flashed through his eyes.

Lu Zhongyuan, seeing this man change faces faster than someone flipping through a book, let out a soft click of his tongue. “Now that’s more like it,” he whispered to himself.

Xie Jiu looked up, his gaze locking onto him. “None of your business. Get lost.”

“Pardon?” Lu Zhongyuan’s eyes widened. He wanted to curse but didn’t quite dare. Instead, he simply bent down and picked up the dog. “That won’t do. You two woke me up first thing in the morning, and now you’re just going to pat your butts and leave? Where are we eating? What are we eating? Count me in.”

Xie Jiu glanced at him. “Don’t tell me you’re out of silver again.”

Lu Zhongyuan pinched the puppy’s front legs and gave them a wiggle, his face not showing even a hint of shame. “Money is just a worldly possession. Why bring that up between us?”

Chi Zhou, having recovered from his earlier awkwardness, looked up at the gate and then through the half-open door at the trees and corridors within the estate.

“Can someone living here really be out of money?” he asked curiously.

They were on the same street as the Ningping Marquis Mansion. Although the gate was smaller, it still looked like the residence of a wealthy family. Could this man really be so broke he had to scrounge for breakfast?

Lu Zhongyuan replied, “I am a man of no talent and as poor as a church mouse. I just fired the doorman a few days ago, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been the one opening the door for you.”

Chi Zhou:  He was certainly learning new things today.

He glanced at Xie Jiu, who let out a cold snort and said, “He raises a courtyard full of cats and dogs. He barely has enough food for himself, yet he spends all his time trying to find ways to feed them.”

Chi Zhou looked at the little black dog in the other man’s arms in silence. After a while, he asked hesitantly, “So, you didn’t let Jiu Jiu give up the dog because you can’t afford to feed it anymore?”

Lu Zhongyuan’s hand paused while playing with the puppy. He looked up at the sky. “Ah, the weather is truly lovely today. Marquis, where shall we eat?”

Chi Zhou:  That was a very clumsy subject change.

Xie Jiu said he wanted something spicy. Chi Zhou wasn’t familiar with the capital, but after hearing the request, Lu Zhongyuan immediately led the way, talking non-stop as they walked. “You’ve asked the right person. No one knows better than I which breakfast stall is the best in the capital, which snacks are top-tier, or which winery makes the wine the Imperial Palace sends people to buy.”

Chi Zhou trailed a step behind. Hearing this, his brow furrowed slightly as a somewhat absurd suspicion formed in his mind.

However, in the next second, Xie Jiu leaned in and whispered into his ear, “He is Lu Zhongyuan, last year’s runner-up in the imperial examinations. He currently holds a position in the Hanlin Academy.”

Chi Zhou’s feet faltered. He had never expected his guess to be correct.

Lu Zhongyuan was a character of significant weight in the first half of the original book. He was one of the two or three friends Xie Mingjing actually had, and he helped the protagonist immensely early on. The reason he was only prominent in the first half was that he was framed in a civil service exam cheating scandal and was executed by Emperor Chengping.

Chi Zhou tilted his head and stared at Xie Jiu for a few seconds. Xie Jiu met his gaze. Seeing that he remained silent, he tilted his head slightly. “Hmm?”

Chi Zhou’s heart was struck by the cuteness. He immediately turned away and said unclearly, “Jiu Jiu, you certainly know a lot of people.”

By now, the sun was high in the sky. As they left the alley, they emerged onto a busy main street crowded with carriages and people. Xie Jiu was stunned for a moment upon hearing those words, then he let out a soft laugh. He leaned down, whispering into Chi Zhou’s ear, “Marquis, I have only ever had you as a patron.”

His breath brushed against the side of his ear, and Chi Zhou’s ears turned red almost instantly.

Xie Jiu gazed down at that pink earlobe, exercising extreme restraint not to lean in and take a bite. It was so cute, turning such a color, it felt as though it was meant to be held in his mouth and slowly licked and teased.

But the light was too bright, the street too noisy, and Chi Zhou too shy, so Xie Jiu didn’t dare to actually bite. He simply watched the earlobe and asked in a voice lighter than air, “Are you jealous, Marquis?”

Just as Chi Zhou had teased him countless times, he used the most direct question to ask for an insignificant answer.

Lu Zhongyuan glanced back at them. He wanted to say something, but seeing their state, he hurriedly turned his head back. He moved so fast he nearly strained his neck.

Feeling embarrassed, Chi Zhou patted Xie Jiu’s arm and tried to act cold. “Behave yourself!”

The strength was light, like a cat’s scratch. Xie Jiu raised an eyebrow, wanting to say that his “brother” was once again the one making false accusations. The most “unbehaving” person was Chi Zhou himself, yet he was the one trying to enforce discipline.

But he didn’t say it. After all, Chi Zhou had already resorted to a light slap, which meant he was genuinely annoyed. Xie Jiu didn’t want to push him too far.

He took a step back, but Chi Zhou didn’t.

Seeing that Lu Zhongyuan had already walked into a noodle shop by the street, Chi Zhou paused as if he had just remembered something. He asked, “I sent someone to the Glass Moon to redeem you, why didn’t you agree?”

Xie Jiu was slightly stunned, a bit surprised yet also somewhat expecting it.

After all, every time this person forgot him and they met again, he would arrange an exceptionally piteous backstory for him. Then, he would barge into his life like he was kicking down a locked door, shouting that he would drag him out of this predatory world. He was like a bandit.

How could a person like Chi Zhou give up on saving him just because of a single rejection on the Glass Moon?

It was quite unethical, Xie Jiu thought. It was unethical of him to abuse Chi Zhou’s sympathy, to hide things from him and deceive him. But he truly enjoyed the special treatment of Chi Zhou holding such immense goodwill toward him, even without knowing who he truly was. It felt as though, from childhood to now, he was always the most special person in front of this man.

Xie Jiu’s eyes curved as he said warmly, “Because I redeemed myself.”

Chi Zhou: “?”

Xie Jiu continued, “You’ve given me a lot of money over the years. It was enough for me to buy my own freedom.”

“Oh…?” Chi Zhou opened his mouth wide, letting out a dazed response.

Xie Jiu held the door curtain open for him, and the three people and one dog sat in a corner of the main hall.

Lu Zhongyuan ordered three bowls of beef noodles and a side of cooked beef. The bowls for Xie Jiu and Chi Zhou were filled with a generous amount of chili oil, while the small side plate was placed by the puppy’s mouth.

Chi Zhou, being savvy, pulled out a small ingot of broken silver to pay the bill. Then, without a word, he swirled a large clump of noodles and shoved them into his mouth.

“Hiss”

As soon as the chopsticks touched his lips, Chi Zhou let out a pained hiss from the spice. The pain in his lower lip was particularly intense. Xie Jiu poured a cup of water and placed it in front of him, saying seemingly casually, “If you can’t handle the spice, just switch to plain noodles.”

“No need,” Chi Zhou refused flatly. He lowered his head and took a huge bite of noodles, alternating between water and food. By the time he finished the bowl, both his upper and lower lips were swollen, making it impossible to tell where someone had bitten him.

Lu Zhongyuan had noticed the marks on Chi Zhou’s mouth the moment he saw them, but he hadn’t said anything. Seeing this now, he gave Xie Jiu a questioning look.

Xie Jiu met his gaze with a cold, indifferent expression, but his hand took the cup from Chi Zhou and refilled it with warm water.

“Fine,” Lu Zhongyuan shrugged, too lazy to deal with the two of them. He fed himself and the dog until they were full, then tossed the puppy into Xie Jiu’s arms. He cupped his hands toward Chi Zhou. “Thank you for the meal, Marquis. I have official duties to attend to, so I’ll be going now.”

Chi Zhou was busy gulping down water and only reacted after the man had left the shop. His eyes fell on Lu Zhongyuan’s wooden clogs, which went “clack-clack” with every step. “He’s wearing those to the Hanlin Academy?”

Xie Jiu said, “He’s habitually unkempt. He keeps his official robes at the Academy and will change when he arrives.”

Chi Zhou felt relieved and stood up to head outside.

The spring was in full bloom. The morning sun felt particularly comfortable on the skin, and Chi Zhou almost wanted to go back and take a nap. He squinted his eyes and let out a yawn. Xie Jiu stayed by his side, not knowing where he was going, simply following.

After walking for half the street, Chi Zhou seemed to snap out of it. He asked, “Where are you staying now?”

Xie Jiu was stunned and hesitated for two seconds before answering, “An inn.”

Chi Zhou’s brow immediately furrowed, and his voice rose as he repeated, “An inn?”

“Yes,” Xie Jiu nodded. “My savings were only enough to redeem myself. I can’t afford a residence in the capital.”

“Then you…” Chi Zhou started to say something but swallowed his words. He grabbed a random person on the street to ask where the nearest real estate agency was and led Xie Jiu forward.

Xie Jiu followed him through another street before asking, “What did you want to say just now?”

Chi Zhou’s expression was full of regret as he whispered, “I wanted to ask why you didn’t come to me if you had no place to stay. But then I realized that after all these years, I never redeemed you myself, so I felt like a real jerk. It’s only natural that you wouldn’t come to me.”

Xie Jiu, holding the dog, didn’t say a word for a long time. After walking a bit further, he asked, “What are you going to do now?”

Chi Zhou replied, “Buy a house for you.”

Xie Jiu asked, “Are you going to keep me?”

It was the same question asked four days ago on the boat in the Star River. Back then, Chi Zhou had given a positive answer, and Xie Jiu said he didn’t believe it. Now, under the clear sky of the capital, he asked once more, “Will you come to see me?”

Chi Zhou’s footsteps faltered slightly. When he took his next step, the breeze at the end of the street blew cherry blossom petals into the air. He nodded. “I will.”

Xie Jiu stroked the puppy, his long, pale fingers disappearing into the black fur, hiding the mole at the base of his finger. Neither of them brought up the previous topic of eloping. Xie Jiu simply smiled softly and didn’t press Chi Zhou further. Instead, he lowered his head and looked at the little black dog he had supposedly disliked with an exceptionally gentle gaze.

Chi Zhou heard him whisper to the puppy behind him:

“You have a home now.”

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