Part 2
For some reason, Ying Xi felt very solemn as he took the novel and saw a pink, gold-flecked exquisite cover.
The stall owner whispered an introduction, “This is the most popular erotic novel in Chang’an. It’s not allowed to be sold openly.”
An erotic novel, written about romance, and mostly with a bit of spice.
Ying Xiâs fingertips felt heavy.
Xie Qianli pursed his lips, his voice dry as he stood by. “Do you want to read it?”
“Let’s look at the cover first.”
Ying Xi read the title, “More Than Three Thousand… Original work by Miaomiaozhi of the Qin Palace.”
Why choose this title?
Ying Xi flipped to the title page, and Xie Qianli leaned in. One tall, one short; one large, one small.
The two cautiously made out the two lines of words on the title page: “I have more than three thousand beauties in the harem, and two thousand in the front court…”
Nonsense!
Ying Xi couldn’t catch his breath and started coughing incessantly in the whistling autumn night. “Cough, cough cough. Who is this about?”
Xie Qianli patted Ying Xiâs back, also frowning. “How can such a book that damages the Emperorâs reputation be sold at the foot of the Imperial City?”
The stall owner chuckled. “Don’t be afraid, young masters. This book isn’t about the current Emperor. The protagonist is the Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty. It doesn’t violate any rules.”
Ying Xi: “What did this Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty do?”
The stall ownerâs eyes twinkled as he spoke in rhyme: “The rosy silk half-slips from fragrant shoulders soft, jade fingers hook the Emperorâs couch aloft. This Emperor of the Great Qing is a peerless beauty. Not only is he exceptionally graceful, he also has a thousand methods; whether in the arena of profit or the arena of love, he can move with ease.”
“The ministers around him are constantly worried about him. Not only are they loyal to him, they also want to be close to his dragon body…”
Xie Qianli felt like sneezing. His back tightened, and he felt a shallow sense of unease.
He said sourly, “Who are all by the Emperor’s side?”
The stall owner replied, “Quite a few people!”
Xie Qianli said, “This kind of book shouldn’t be read.”
“Why shouldn’t it be read?”
The stall owner recommended it loudly. “Just take the beauty Emperor and the Prime Minister, for example. A perfect match, talking about national affairs in bed. Clouds and rain over Mount Wuâpassing over Mount Wu to point out the mountains and rivers of the realm. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Xie Qianli was both sour and angry. “Itâs not the Prime Minister.”
The stall owner laughed. “Why are you being so serious with an erotic novel?”
Ying Xi thought Ju-er was funny. Ju-erâs mind was simple; when had he ever seen an erotic novel?
Ying Xi pulled him. “The Prime Minister is no good. The General is.”
Xie Qianliâs brow jumped. He gazed at Ying Xi’s jade-like fingers pulling his arm, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift.
The stall owner sighed, “And whatâs wrong with the General?”
“He’s upright and serious, like a block of wood! You couldn’t knock a sound out of him with three strikes of a club.”
“But the highlight is that the General is capableâthe stables, the swing, the wilderness… The General is mighty and robust, full of vigor.”
In an instant, Ying Xi’s scalp went numb.
He was pressed close to Xie Qianli’s arm, and the heat from Ju-erâs body was slowly transmitting to him.
Ju-er was indeed very heroic.
Seeing they were interested, the stall owner continued to expand: “Itâs not just the General and the Prime Minister; there are others! Princes, guards, eunuchs… As the Emperor, how can he not be the core surrounded by all his ministers?”
Ying Xi had a headache. “…Fine, stop talking. I’ll buy it.”
Xie Qianli pulled out money with reddened ear-tips, his fingertips burning hot.
In his heart, he felt jealous because of that “core surrounded by all his ministers.”
He really didn’t know why Ying Xi wanted to buy this book?
Maybe out of annoyance at the stall ownerâs chatter, or maybe his Xiao Xi had grown up.
Thinking about itâthree thousand beauties, surrounded by ministers…
He took the scholarâs annotations and pressed them on top of the novel, sandwiching the book to hide the title More Than Three Thousand.
“Ju-er.”
“Mhm.” Xie Qianli was suddenly called out.
“Why put the novel at the very bottom?”
Xie Qianli: “…”
He had clearly seen through his embarrassment, yet he insisted on bringing the topic out into the open.
So, Xiao Xi must have bought the book to tease him.
Xie Qianli replied with a stiff face, “To protect the cover.”
“Ju-er is a dummy.”
He had been called a dummy twice.
However, Ying Xi was smiling as if he weren’t truly scolding him. The tone of reproach made his heart feel fuzzy.
Little bad Xi.
Ying Xi stopped and looked back. Xie Qianli almost bumped into him.
Ying Xi tilted his face up toward him, his dark grey eyes shimmering with light. His words carried a relaxation and naturalness that neither of them noticed.
“Ju-er, do the people of the lantern market only do business during this time?”
Xie Qianli was actually well-informed; his five bowls of wontons every night hadn’t been in vain. “Does Xiao Xi know about the ‘Taoist Market’?”
Rural people gather at a certain place every few days to sell and exchange goods. This is a market gathering.
Xie Qianli said, “The lantern market counts as a market gathering.”
Every festival, the people pay a stall fee and occupy a spot to sell things.
“Usually, there is no opportunity to set up a stall.”
Ying Xi sighed. “Maybe if they want to earn more silver, they could open a shop. That way they could do business anytime.”
“Chang’anâs land is worth its weight in gold; how could opening a shop be easy?”
After speaking, their gazes turned toward both sides.
The streets behind those stalls were lined with shops of varying heights.
The tea houses were elegant and clean, the silk shops bright, and the taverns usually hung several strings of red lanterns. The round lanterns swayed in the wind.
Ying Xi suddenly noticed a bookstore. It was large, with at least three floors.
He stopped and casually asked the nearby stall owner, “Old man, whose property is this?”
The old man selling books stroked his beard. “This is the Su family’s bookstore.”
Xie Qianli looked up.
The old man laughed. “Su family bookstores are all over Chang’an; who doesn’t know that? Who among those taking the imperial exams doesn’t buy a few books of old questions? The Guizhi Bookstore also sells paper and brushes; they make a fortune every day.”
Ying Xi’s brow furrowed.
He pointed into the distance again. “Who owns that tavern?”
“There are many tavernsâthe Wang familyâs, the Lu familyâs, and the Cui familyâs. If the young master doesn’t need to host guests, this old man still thinks the variety of food in the lantern market is more complete.”
Ying Xi thanked the old man.
As he asked further ahead, the answers he got were much the same.
This led Ying Xi to think of a cycle of interest: becoming an official, accumulating wealth, descendants becoming officials, and accumulating wealth again.
This made the poor poorer and the rich help each other straight into the clouds.
Although it seemed there was no bribery or corruption, in reality, landed property accumulated generation after generation, and the children of noble families remained firmly as “superior people.”
No wonder the court ministers refused to make the imperial examination the only way to enter officialdom.
Ying Xi realized too late that he had been naive.
He muttered to himself dejectedly, “I seem to be working for them. No wonder few court officials responded.”
Ying Xi wasn’t very happy; he hoped for more people to support him.
Did Ju-er support him?
But court reforms had nothing to do with the military.
He tentatively asked for Ju-er’s opinion, “I’m going to do something big lately.”
Xie Qianli paused and said, “I support you.”
A wave of warmth secretly flowed through Ying Xi. “I might offend many people; the opposition will certainly against me.”
Xie Qianli said coldly, “Then I will kill them.”
Ying Xi: “…”
Ying Xi: “…”
Ying Xi’s silence lasted for several breaths before he finally reacted. Ju-er didn’t mean he would easily go on a killing spree, but wanted to express that the army would stabilize the court to the death.
âThis servant will always be loyal to Your Majesty.
Such a Ju-er. He had killed him in his past life, yet treated him so well in this one.
Ying Xi’s thoughts turned a hundred times, a bit of grievance surfaced, but it was suppressed by an indescribable feeling of being moved.
Under the reflection of ten thousand lanterns, Ju-er was very tall. He felt as though he were enveloped in Ju-er’s shadow.
He looked directly at Ju-er’s broad chest and couldn’t help but sniff slightly. Ju-er had a very clean scent of greenery on him.
“Good Ju-er.”
Before finally leaving the lantern market, the two passed through an alley selling food.
It was too lively in the alley. Freshly baked osmanthus cakes were emitting the unique fragrance of osmanthus.
Osmanthus trees were common in the south, and many golden osmanthus were planted in Guangling.
Presumably, the vendors had brought osmanthus from the south to give the people of the capital a taste of something fresh and rare. Many people were crowded in front of the stall.
Ying Xi was reminded of his hometown by the smell of osmanthus.
âHe wanted to eat osmanthus cakes.
He rarely had such an appetite that he wanted to violate palace rules.
He signaled to Xie Qianli with his eyes. If Xie Qianli weren’t a fool, he would surely buy some.
However, Xie Qianli looked over the stall and cautiously reminded him, “You cannot eat food from outside.”
“Bad Ju-er!”
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