Chapter Eleven: Resisting Temptation Begins With Me
Faced with Eleven’s praise, Li Yunjie seemed a little unsure of himself.
It was like telling a child who’d just learned addition and subtraction that one day he’d be building rockets.
Who would believe that?
Li Yunjie ended the conversation with silence.
He reached for the teacup on the table, intending to quench his thirst.
Crash!
The cup shattered.
“When your body has just advanced, it’s normal not to control your strength well,” Eleven commented calmly.
Li Yunjie drew in a deep breath.
He now understood the meaning of “Eighth Rank” more deeply.
He savored the sensation of shattering the cup with a casual squeeze.
So this is what it feels like!
No wonder people would spend all their wealth just to cultivate.
He glanced at the sky—already late afternoon.
The cycle of energy he’d just performed had left him exhausted, and now he was hungry.
He made his way to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat.
As he pushed open the door, the aroma of roast goose filled the air.
Delicious!
Li Yunjie followed the scent, searching everywhere, but couldn’t find anything.
Just as disappointment set in, a rustling noise behind the fence caught his attention.
Peering through the gap, he saw a young woman, her back to him, hiding in the corner.
She looked suspicious, sneaking about.
“Who’s there?!”
At his shout, the girl jumped in fright, cowering in the corner.
A thief? Li Yunjie thought to himself.
Anyone daring to steal from the Prime Minister’s residence was no ordinary thief.
“Don’t move!” he warned.
“I didn’t see a thing, let’s stay out of each other’s way.”
Li Yunjie was nervous.
If she was truly desperate, he doubted he could handle her in his current state.
Uneasy, he edged cautiously toward the door.
“Master~”
Just then, Eleven appeared out of nowhere.
Startled by the voice, the “thief” sprang up and shot toward the door in a flash.
Li Yunjie, thinking she meant him harm, was frightened as well.
He dashed to the doorway.
Bang—
They collided headlong.
A warm sensation spread across Li Yunjie’s chest.
That familiar feeling...
A girl?!
Seeing her face, Li Yunjie was filled with confusion. Why would a girl be sneaking about in his own kitchen?
Su Xiyan said nothing.
Her unusually large, clear eyes stared at Li Yunjie, making him uneasy.
Her cheeks bulged like a hamster, crammed full.
From time to time, her small cherry lips moved as she worked to swallow what was in her mouth.
Gurgle—
Li Yunjie’s stomach rumbled embarrassingly.
Su Xiyan glanced at his stomach, then down at the goose leg in her hand.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then, raising her right hand with half a roast goose leg, she wiped the grease from her mouth.
With a haughty little look, she handed the goose leg to Li Yunjie, as if to say: For you.
“Thank you.”
Li Yunjie took the goose leg; he really was starving.
“I’ll consider this borrowed,” he said. “I’ll pay you back tenfold in the future!”
He never owed anyone, not even for a goose leg.
“Shh—”
Su Xiyan pressed a slender finger to her lips.
She glanced at the goose leg in his hand.
“You mean, don’t tell anyone about this?” he asked.
Su Xiyan nodded vigorously.
“Don’t worry! I’m the soul of discretion!”
Satisfied, Su Xiyan smiled, looked around to make sure no one was there, and slipped away with a furtive little run.
“Master,” Eleven asked in confusion, “it’s just a roast goose—what’s the big secret?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Li Yunjie replied, gnawing on the leg. “A maiden’s thoughts are not for the likes of you.”
She was a proper young lady from a noble family.
If it got out that she was caught stealing goose legs, how could Su Xiyan show her face among the capital’s elite?
Li Yunjie finished the goose leg in two bites, but his stomach was still empty.
There was still an hour until dinner.
“Eleven, fancy a snack?”
“Of course!” Eleven nodded eagerly.
They exchanged a smile and headed out into the street.
Perhaps out of old habit, Li Yunjie led Eleven westward, to Ren’an Street.
Ren’an Street was where the Music Bureau was located.
“Master, isn’t this a bit much?” Eleven said, glancing at the Music Bureau’s sign, looking uneasy.
Weren’t they just looking for a bite to eat?
“How did we end up here?”
Damn muscle memory...
Li Yunjie swore to himself he hadn’t done it on purpose.
Besides, he’d resolved just yesterday to reform his ways!
He would never set foot in a brothel again!
Wine and women sap a man’s will!
He would resist temptation, starting with himself!
“Zichuan!”
Just as he’d decided to leave, a loud call behind him stopped him in his tracks.
Zichuan was his courtesy name. Only one person in the capital called him that so familiarly.
“Zhao Hong!” Li Yunjie turned, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Zhao Hong, the third son of the Zhao family—the Third Prince.
He and Li Yunjie were close, like brothers.
Normally, royalty and nobles would look down on someone like Li Yunjie, a titled heir of a different surname.
But Zhao Hong was an exception.
Why? There were two reasons.
First, Zhao Hong and Li Yunjie shared similar fates.
One was the son of a non-royal prince, the other the child of a palace maid.
Both were outcasts.
Second, three years ago, Li Yunjie had secretly taken Zhao Hong to the Music Bureau incognito.
It opened Zhao Hong’s eyes to a new world.
“Zichuan!” Zhao Hong said seriously, sidling up to whisper in Li Yunjie’s ear, “Didn’t we agree, outside you call me Lingyuan?”
In the world of men, one always needed an alias.
That was a rule Li Yunjie and Zhao Hong had set for themselves.
“No offense, Brother Lingyuan!” Li Yunjie apologized.
“Brother Zichuan, I heard you single-handedly cracked the Academy case the other day?” Zhao Hong’s face was full of admiration. “Such speed—truly incredible!”
“You flatter me, Brother Lingyuan.”
“Such a joyous occasion,” Zhao Hong said with a sly grin, glancing at the Music Bureau. “Shouldn’t we celebrate?”
“No need!” Li Yunjie waved him off immediately. “There’s still much to do at home!”
His righteous tone left Zhao Hong puzzled.
In the past, Li Yunjie would never have lingered outside the door this long.
He’d have been inside with a couple of jars of osmanthus wine by now!
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t insist,” Zhao Hong said, sounding a little disappointed. “I hear there’s a new courtesan at the Music Bureau today, surnamed Zhou.”
“Seems I’ll have to admire her beauty on your behalf, Brother Zichuan!”
With that, he made to enter.
“Wait!”
At the mention of a courtesan surnamed Zhou, Li Yunjie was suddenly alert.
“Is this Zhou courtesan a relative of Zhou Jingzhi?”
Zhou Jingzhi served as registrar at the Imperial Academy.
He’d broken the law, and according to custom, his female relatives would be sent to the Music Bureau.
“Exactly,” Zhao Hong nodded, “I believe she’s his younger sister.”
Li Yunjie frowned.
He knew well that Zhou Jingzhi wasn’t the true culprit behind the Academy case; he was merely the scapegoat.
Now that Zhou Jingzhi had paid with his life, his female kin should not have suffered further.
“Zichuan, didn’t you have urgent business?” Zhao Hong asked, puzzled.
Li Yunjie chuckled. “It seems… it’s not that urgent after all.”
“How about we go in for a while?”
Eleven: …