The Young Marquis is Ruining the Court! - Chapter 15

When Chi Zhou arrived back at the Ningping Marquis Mansion, he ran straight into Ming Xi, who was rushing out with his head down.

He blinked and raised a hand to stop him. “Where are you going?”

Ming Xi lurched backward, nearly falling flat on his face.

Chi Zhou was startled and reached out to catch him, only to see the kid perform some sort of erratic dance step. After a flurry of flailing limbs, he actually managed to regain his balance.

Chi Zhou found this quite amusing and stared at the boy’s legs.

Ming Xi focused his eyes, realized his master was back, and hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. “Oh, my lord ancestor! You’ve finally returned. If you stayed away any longer, the Madam would have skinned me alive.”

Chi Zhou felt a sudden chill on his own skin. He asked in a low voice, “Does Mother know I went out?”

Ming Xi rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking to himself: You brought someone back in the middle of the night, then led them out the back door at the crack of dawn. Who in the entire mansion doesn’t know?

It was only because that person was the Sixth Prince. If it had been anyone else, you two wouldn’t have even made it out of the alley before the Madam had you tied up and dragged back.

However, the Young Marquis was prone to turning shame into anger, many things he could do himself but couldn’t bear to hear others mention. Ming Xi had too many past experiences and didn’t want to step on a landmine, so he simply said, “She knows. She spent half the afternoon in our courtyard. When it got dark and you still weren’t back, she just left. She’s likely packing her things to come hunt you down.”

Chi Zhou: “…”

The Young Marquis looked at the front gate of the mansion and suddenly didn’t dare to go in.

But while he didn’t dare to go in, someone else dared to come out.

Chi Tong leaned against the door, scanning him up and down with a beaming smile. She said warmly, “Brother, why aren’t you coming inside?”

Chi Zhou no longer saw Chi Tong as some ethereal goddess. When this young girl looked at him with that smile, he always felt she was up to no good.

But since she had come out to greet him, he couldn’t exactly stay outside. Thus, as Chi Zhou walked up the steps, he adjusted his expression, trying to muster a gentle smile.

To his surprise, just as he joined Chi Tong and they had walked only a few steps side-by-side, the girl said, “I thought you weren’t coming back tonight, Brother.”

Chi Zhou: “Hmm?”

Chi Tong kept smiling. “I figured since you were having a daytime tryst with your lover, and the passion was so deep, surely something would happen tonight. How is it that you’re back so early?”

Chi Zhou’s foot slipped, and he twisted his ankle with a loud thwack.

Chi Tong froze, her expression stiffening for a second before she burst into laughter, nearly tearing up from the sheer joy of it.

“Brother, how are you so innocent? Can a few casual words really scare you like this?”

Chi Zhou took a deep breath, squatted down to rub his ankle, and said through gritted teeth, “Chi Tong.”

“Yes?” Chi Tong wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

Chi Zhou ground out, “Are you sure the place you stayed was a nunnery, and not some editorial office specialized in writing scandalous erotic novels?”

“No, Brother,” Chi Tong replied, her eyes curving into crescents. The moon hung behind her on a tree branch, shining like a clear, bright lamp.

Before Chi Zhou could let out his breath, he heard Chi Tong say thoughtfully, “But you’ve reminded me. I’ll be staying in Jindu for a while, and it’s not great to keep taking silver from home. Perhaps I should write a novel, find a bookstore to sell it, and earn some pocket money.”

“What should I write?” Chi Tong tapped her chin, her gaze landing on Chi Zhou. Her thin lips parted, and a gentle smile graced her saintly face as she softly breathed out a few words: “‘The Untold Tales of the Seven-Times-a-Night Man and the Cold Palace Prince’?”

Standing behind them, Ming Xi’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. It was as if he saw a business opportunity. He was ready to urge the eldest miss to write the book so he could find a way to distribute it throughout every street and alley in Jindu.

Chi Zhou gasped, his eyes wide as he looked at Chi Tong in disbelief.

In the original novel, though Chi Tong’s ending wasn’t exactly great, she at least lived a peaceful life. But if she really started writing such nonsense… and if that tyrant Xie Mingjing found out…

Chi Zhou was very worried that the Ningping Marquis Mansion wouldn’t even last until he was imprisoned before the entire family was executed.

He was now deeply regretting why he had provoked this ancestor. Didn’t he know this “little auntie” was a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

“Tong-tong…” Chi Zhou tried to struggle, limping over to her. “Take some advice from your brother. Cherish your reputation and don’t write that messy stuff. If people find out, they’ll talk behind your back.”

Chi Tong replied, “Brother is right.”

Chi Zhou had just let out half a sigh of relief when she continued.

“Then I’ll just use a pen name. How about ‘The Nameless Marquis’?”

Chi Zhou: “…”

It wasn’t good. Not at all.

What “Nameless Marquis”? She might as well just say “Young Marquis Chi Zhou of Ningping.”

Chi Zhou shut his mouth, not wanting to talk to Chi Tong anymore. This girl’s mind was too deep, if he wasn’t careful, she’d lead him in circles. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hit her, scold her, or threaten her, he couldn’t even manage to stay genuinely angry.

His ankle throbbed. As he limped forward with great determination, Chi Tong followed leisurely behind him. Every now and then, she would recite a few lines of poetry that would make any young girl blush, or sing a few bars of a lingering, romantic tune.

She was like a female ghost teasing her prey from behind.

Chi Zhou suddenly felt that the original author’s understanding of this girl was less than one percent. Otherwise, how could every description of her be limited to terms like “compassionate” and “charitable”? What kind of kind person sings a “Mirror Song” behind an injured person?

Wait…

Chi Zhou stopped abruptly. He turned around just as Chi Tong finished the last line.

“Who envies his halls of gold and jade, a playground of laughter? Better my frosty brows atop a horse, where hair is frayed.”

Chi Tong raised her eyes and asked, “What is it, Brother?”

Chi Zhou shook his head. “Nothing.”

He was just suddenly dazed.

How did he know what song that was?

He didn’t remember a single thing from the original owner’s memory, so how could he remember this tune?

He had heard it once, that day at the Glass Moon. As he walked from the first floor to the third, he heard a girl playing the pipa and singing this song. Some of the lyrics overlapped with what Chi Tong just sang, but he had never heard anyone mention the title, had he?

Was it a residual memory from the original owner?

Chi Zhou found that there was no other logical reason for him to know the song Chi Tong was singing. In the end, he could only settle on this relatively reasonable explanation.

But as soon as he convinced himself, he was so frustrated he wanted to gnash his teeth.

Where was the justice?

He couldn’t remember who he was, or the faces of others, yet he specifically remembered a “scandalous” tune from a brothel?

Trash original owner, no wonder I transmigrated into you! Living was just a waste of air.

Chi Zhou’s expression flickered. Seeing Chi Tong’s look of increasing confusion, he thought for a moment and came up with an excuse. “Better not sing those tunes.”

Afraid she might misunderstand or rebel, he added, “I’m not saying the song is bad. It’s just that there are many eyes and ears. If people hear and start spreading rumors about you, gossip is a fearful thing. I fear people will talk.”

Chi Tong was a noble lady of Jindu, born of a military marquis’s house, and a girl who had just finished her spiritual cultivation at a nunnery. No matter how much she herself didn’t care, she should worry about giving people something to use against her.

Chi Zhou knew his words sounded quite preachy, but since it was both an excuse and his honest thoughts, he couldn’t help but offer a bit of caution. The Marquis Mansion already had one “useless” Marquis tied to brothels and pleasure houses, it wouldn’t be good to ruin the third miss’s reputation as well.

He didn’t expect this “smiling tiger” of a sister to actually listen, but he would say his piece, whether she listened or not was up to her.

Chi Zhou prepared to walk away after finishing, but Chi Tong remained silent. After a long pause, she let out a soft laugh behind him. “I understand, Brother.”

Relieved, Chi Zhou made his way back to the Shuanghua Courtyard where the original owner lived, finally parting ways with Chi Tong.

He Ganling hadn’t appeared. Chi Zhou suspected Chi Tong had been sent by her to keep an eye on him.

Before leaving, Chi Tong glanced down and said, “Remember to apply the ointment, Brother.”

Chi Zhou agreed, but his ears felt a bit tingly, and a layer of goosebumps rose on his arms. Only when she had completely disappeared through the door did he breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed the heavens really couldn’t stand him having too easy a time. This morning, Chi Zhou had noted that Chi Tong’s “brother” wasn’t as clingy as Xie Jiu’s, but tonight, this girl had followed him, using the word “brother” like a comma.

A gust of wind blew. Chi Zhou stepped over the courtyard threshold, rubbing his arms.

Ming Xi had prepared some medicinal oil, but Chi Zhou didn’t use it. After washing up, he had the boy wring out a wet towel and bring a basin of cold water. He sat by the window, lighting a candle to read while applying a cold compress to his injury.

It was quite a twist, the ankle was already somewhat swollen. It looked rather intimidating, though it didn’t actually hurt that much, certainly not as much as the beef noodles from this morning.

Thinking of this, Chi Zhou raised his hand to touch his lower lip.

The swelling had vanished. He could only feel that the skin was a bit broken. He thought it was just dry skin, so while he read, he habitually started to pick at it.

He poked out his tongue to moisten it before using his hand. At first, he peeled it quickly, but the further he went, the slower he got. Chi Zhou kept using the tip of his tongue to find his hand, but in the end, he was a bit too impatient. The moment his hand let go, a very faint taste of blood spread across his tongue.

“Hiss.”

Feeling the sting, Chi Zhou took a light breath, pulling his entire lower lip into his mouth to suck away the tiny bit of blood.

He knit his brows, feeling a bit annoyed.

He had spoiled “Xie the Cat” far too much. Why eat chili so early in the morning? It wasn’t healthy at all.

After the annoyance, he began to reflect.

The man says he’s been eating too “plain” lately, and you go with him to eat spicy food. If he says he hasn’t “done it” in a long time, are you actually going to get into bed with him?

His teeth bit down with a bit of force, and he accidentally caught the wound that was just about to heal, breaking it completely.

Chi Zhou irritably tossed the book aside, pulled the now-warm towel off his foot, and hopped on one leg over to the bed. He pulled up the covers and fell straight to sleep.

Perhaps because he had been thinking about “adult-rated” things before bed, Chi Zhou woke up with a slightly flushed face and shallow breathing. This state wasn’t unfamiliar, even in modern times he had mornings where he needed to take a shower.

Chi Zhou was momentarily stunned and reached down to check.

He expected to find a sticky mess, but the moment he actually touched himself, he was even more stunned.

Chi Zhou threw back the covers and sat up, using the moonlight streaming through the window to look at his hand. He was so frustrated he laughed.

Dry. Parched. Absolutely nothing.

That’s it? That’s it?!

Was the original owner impotent? To have a wet dream and not even have a nocturnal emission, he really was a “talent” of a man.

Chi Zhou felt both angry and amused. After laughing, he grit his teeth and bit down on the wound on his lip again.

“Xie Jiu-jiu, what kind of love-struck fool are you? What exactly is so good about this broken man that you could be so devoted to him?”

Damn it!

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