Chapter 47: Lord Chief Incense, My Hand Hurts So Much
Xiao Li’s good mood upon returning home lasted for all of fifteen minutes.
She looked at the scriptures before her, then at the man standing bowed in front of her.
She helplessly tapped the space between her eyebrows. "Shouldn’t the Lord Chief Incense be investigating a case instead of running over here to supervise me while I write? Isn’t this a bit of a waste of your talents?"
Lou Yan, standing opposite her, was meticulously formal and strictly business. "The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Criminal Justice are responsible for investigating cases. This servant has been commanded to supervise the Princess in copying the scriptures."
As he spoke, he had people bring over a desk, lay out the paper, and open the book of scriptures.
"Princess, if you please."
Xiao Li: "..."
’So with this whole setup, I have no choice but to copy these scriptures, do I?’
"My brother only said I had to copy them. He didn’t say when I had to finish. I’m in no hurry."
Lou Yan said, "His Majesty has decreed that until the Princess has finished copying, she is not to dine, not to sleep, and not to delay."
Xiao Li fell silent for a moment before finally picking up her brush. She didn’t want to copy them, but now she had no choice.
The Emperor had found that letting her stir up trouble had its benefits, which was why he usually handled her with a light touch. But he was the Emperor. He could indulge her in causing trouble for others, but she could not provoke his authority.
’These scriptures... I have to copy them.’
"Since I’m stuck here copying scriptures and can’t leave, I’ll have to trouble the Lord Chief Incense to investigate someone for me."
Lou Yan didn’t speak. Xiao Li glanced up at him. "What, can I not order you around anymore?"
While Xiao Li remained seated, Lou Yan had already straightened up. He now looked down on her, his long, narrow eyes dark and serene. Yet beneath that serenity, it was as if a man-eating beast was sealed away—dangerous and terrifying, ready to break its chains at any moment.
He lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes.
"Who does the Princess wish to investigate?"
"Feng Yu’s husband. His name is He something-or-other. Be thorough."
She was only a princess, but she showed no hesitation in using the Emperor’s men.
Lou Yan walked to the doorway and gave a few orders. Someone left immediately, clearly off to handle the task. He, however, turned back and resumed his position to the side, watching Xiao Li copy the scriptures.
Xiao Li: ’I’ve accepted my fate.’
However, Xiao Li had overestimated herself. ’It’s just copying scriptures,’ she had thought. ’How hard can it be?’
The first copy was no problem at all. The third and fourth were still fine. After the fifth, she could already write it from memory without looking at the book. After the tenth, she could recite it backward and forward, but her hand was beginning to ache.
She endured the discomfort and continued writing. The more she wrote, the worse it got. By the fifteenth copy, her hand had started to tremble.
"SMACK!" She threw her brush aside and clutched her aching wrist.
’Only fifteen copies, but I have to do two hundred!!!!’
’I was about to leave. Why did I have to talk back?’
’My hand is already trembling after just fifteen. At two hundred, isn’t my hand going to break from all this writing?’
But Xiao Li wasn’t the type to give up easily. She rubbed her wrist, took a sip of tea, picked up her brush again, and continued to write.
She endured the pain and wrote another five copies. When she looked up again, the sky had grown completely dark.
Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly glimpsed a figure standing perfectly still. His posture was as straight as a sword, and his gaze was like a torch, fixed intently on her.
Several lamps were lit, brightly illuminating the room. Although he stood in a place the light should have reached, it felt as if the light could not land on him.
An ultimate, viscous darkness seemed to swallow the light whole.
Xiao Li quite liked Feng Yin’s face, as well as his pampered, noble air. He was pleasing to the eye.
But that was like seeing a cute puppy or a naive underclassman—nice to look at, easy to like, something to tease for a moment.
Lou Yan, however, was different. He had no sunlight about him, only a gloomy darkness that never dissipated.
He was a prisoner struggling in darkness and despair—unwilling to accept his fate, yet unable to break free.
’Looking at him is like looking at myself.’
’Drawn to the scent of a kindred spirit, yet disgusted that I am also such a person.’
"Please let me in. It’s time for the Princess to take her medicine. Her health is poor, and she cannot miss a dose."
Hong Yue’s voice came from outside. Xiao Li’s brow twitched slightly. Soon, a eunuch came in to ask Lou Yan for permission. Only after Lou Yan nodded did the eunuch go out and let Hong Yue in.
"Princess."
Hong Yue entered with a tray, her eyes full of concern for Xiao Li.
She placed the tray on the table. "Princess, please eat something before taking your medicine. Taking it on an empty stomach will hurt your stomach."
Hong Yue knew the Princess was forbidden from dining, so she had brought pastries and bird’s nest soup. It wasn’t a proper meal, but it would be enough to line her stomach.
Xiao Li was indeed hungry, and she wasn’t one to make herself suffer. She would eat first and deal with the consequences later. Besides, she was already copying the scriptures; the Emperor surely wouldn’t fuss over her eating a little something.
’If he really wants to make an issue of it, then let him.’
The food filled her stomach about halfway. After a bowl of bitter medicine, she was completely full.
Hong Yue cleared the dishes, handed them out, and returned to kneel before the desk. "Princess, this servant will grind the ink for you."
Once she finished grinding the ink, Xiao Li sat back down and resumed copying.
From beginning to end, Lou Yan said nothing, as if he had become one with the pillar behind him.
Xiao Li’s hand was in pain, but strangely enough, the more it hurt, the more she wrote, and gradually, she grew accustomed to it.
She wrote on, and another three hours passed. It was now midnight.
Hong Yue, keeping watch beside her, was clearly drained, but a glance at Lou Yan showed he hadn’t even changed his posture.
Xiao Li, on the other hand, felt energized. For her, staying up all night was no difficult task.
"Are you really going to stand there until I’m finished?"
His cool gaze fell upon her. "Yes."
Xiao Li glanced at the stool next to him. "You can sit down."
Lou Yan remained unmoved. "This servant is fine standing. The Princess need not concern herself."
Xiao Li could feel a sort of confrontation between them, and yet, it also felt like it wasn’t one.
Perhaps she was mistaken. Besides, she wasn’t in the best state right now, so she said no more.
Sometime after midnight, Hong Yue dozed off and her head hit the table with a loud "THUD."
"Princess, forgive me! This servant was wrong."
Xiao Li lifted her hand and stretched her arm. "Move these things to the side, and then you may go."
Hong Yue said anxiously, "This servant is awake now. I can continue to accompany the Princess."
Xiao Li stood up. "Then go brew a fresh pot of tea."
Xiao Li put down her brush and sat in a nearby chair. When Hong Yue brought the pot of tea, Xiao Li waved her off to fetch some more pastries.
Xiao Li poured an extra cup of tea and placed it to the side. "Do I have to invite you?"
After a two-breath pause, Lou Yan came over and picked up the teacup. "Thank you for the tea, Princess."
Xiao Li picked up her own tea to take a sip, but it was a bit hot. As she went to set it back down, her hand suddenly twitched. The cup fell, and tea splashed all over her.
"Princess!"
Before Xiao Li could even react, Lou Yan had already strode to her side, knelt on one knee, and lifted her sleeve.
"Were you burned, Princess?"
His movements were swift, but his tone was calm, showing no sign of agitation.
Xiao Li stared at his cold, stern face, suddenly wanting to see what he would look like with a different expression.
"I just got my clothes wet."
She lowered her eyes, her expression weary. She lightly touched her head with her left hand while extending her aching right hand forward. "Lord Chief Incense, my hand hurts so much."