Chapter 87: A Strangely Alluring Charm
Xiao Li finished her tea and left, with Ziyue trailing closely behind.
"Pretty Lady, are you going home? Do you want to walk around a little longer? Can I follow you?"
His eyes were filled with simple, straightforward adoration, and his voice still held a boyish immaturity. Even his incessant chatter wasn’t annoying.
Xiao Li wasn’t in any hurry to go back, so she said, "I’m just going to wander around. Why don’t you lead the way?"
Ziyue’s face immediately lit up. "Yay!"
He was clearly very familiar with the area, navigating the streets and alleys with ease. He knew it all like the back of his hand—which shop had the tastiest noodles, where the wine was most fragrant, and where the buns had the most meat.
Xiao Li knew he was a little money-grubber, so she took out her coin purse, intending to treat him to something. To her surprise, he refused and even took out his own money to treat her instead.
"You gave me a lot of tip money, Lady. Today, I can treat you for once."
Xiao Li couldn’t help but tease him. "Aren’t you supposed to be saving up to get a wife?"
"Hehe." He gave a simple-minded laugh and scratched his head, smiling shyly. "I’m still young, so I have plenty of time to save. Also... I lied to you before. The Young Master is very good to me; he gives me a lot of money, he just doesn’t let me spend it recklessly. He even has me studying, saying that I’ll have plenty to spend money on once I make a name for myself in the future."
Xiao Li chuckled softly. "He’s very good to you."
’He’s not treating him like a servant at all. He’s raising him like his own child.’
Ziyue understood this in his heart. "The Young Master is the best master in the whole world."
’Spoken like a true child.’
The two chatted as they walked, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Manxi Building. A carriage was stopped at the entrance. They saw Manager Jiang get out first, then turn to help Song Junzhan out from inside.
"Young Master..." Ziyue’s eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over.
The two men looked over, seeing Ziyue and, behind him, Xiao Li slowly approaching.
"Cough, cough..."
The Young Master coughed a few more times before greeting Xiao Li. "Miss Xiao."
"Young Master."
Xiao Li returned the greeting as she drew closer. From her angle, she could see the corners of his eyes were red from his violent coughing, his clear irises shimmering with moisture. There was an inexplicable, alluring charm to seeing such an ethereal, immortal-like man in this state.
"Since you’re here, Miss," Manager Jiang invited, "why not come in for a cup of tea?"
Xiao Li quickly shook off the strange feeling of attraction and nodded. "Then I’ll impose."
The teahouse was closed for the day. Already a place with few patrons, it now held only the four of them.
Manager Jiang pulled Ziyue along to prepare tea and snacks, leaving Xiao Li and the Young Master to head upstairs alone.
"Cough, cough..."
The suppressed coughs were painful to listen to. Xiao Li wasn’t a talkative person, but she couldn’t help asking, "What illness is causing that cough? You don’t look like you’re short on money. Haven’t you found a good doctor to look at it?"
Song Junzhan covered his mouth with a handkerchief, finally managing to suppress the cough before replying. "Some time ago, I fell into the water and was submerged for too long. They saved my life, but my lungs were damaged. I’ve seen doctors, but they all say it just needs to be managed with gentle care and that there’s no other cure."
Xiao Li said, "Didn’t some successor to a Divine Doctor arrive recently? I heard he can save even dying people the Imperial Hospital has given up on. Haven’t you gone to see him?"
At her words, Song Junzhan glanced at her. "Cough. I’ve considered it, but I haven’t had the chance yet."
After a moment of silence, he said, "You, on the other hand, look much thinner, Miss."
’The news that Princess Xuanyang was in a coma for a month had spread like wildfire. It had only been a few days since she’d woken up.’
Xiao Li knew she had lost weight, but it didn’t bother her; it wasn’t from any illness. "I didn’t have much of an appetite for a while, but I’m fine now. I’ll get better with a little rest and nourishment."
Song Junzhan understood and said no more.
Ziyue brought up the tea. Seemingly unafraid of the heat, Song Junzhan took several large gulps, finally suppressing the urge to cough.
Seeing his master’s struggle, Ziyue thoughtfully patted his back and said indignantly, "The Young Master must have gotten into an argument with someone today."
Xiao Li looked at Song Junzhan. ’It was hard to imagine what an ethereal person like him looked like when angry.’
Xiao Li didn’t ask, but to her surprise, Song Junzhan explained, "I went to see a few of my elders today to ask for their help, but they refused. We argued a bit."
Ziyue fumed, "None of those people from the aristocratic families are any good!"
Xiao Li raised an eyebrow. "You want to become an official?"
Song Junzhan nodded, then shook his head. "I want to be an official, but not just for the sake of it. Do you remember what I said before about the imperial examinations?"
"Now that His Majesty has forcefully purged the Lu family and the aristocratic families are in turmoil, this is the perfect opportunity. With a strong recommendation from the right person, we can surely reopen the gates to the imperial examinations."
Xiao Li fell silent.
Song Junzhan looked frail, but his eyes were firm and resolute. He was stubbornly determined to accomplish this.
"Perhaps... this isn’t such a good opportunity. The current Emperor might not possess the courage and wisdom you’re hoping for."
’No one knew Xiao Jingyun’s character better than she did.’
’He promised to take down the Lu family, but he almost backed out at the last minute. After we finally managed to topple them, ha, the fucking idiot had to act all magnanimous and let them go.’
’She was the one who killed Lu Cang. She was the one who killed Lu Yanzhi. And she was the one who killed those few Lu family generals.’
’If she hadn’t intervened, the Lu family would have emerged completely unscathed. Forget exiling them; the Emperor himself might have been replaced by now.’
’And he expects an idiot like that to revive the imperial examinations?’
’He doesn’t have the foresight or the wisdom, let alone the decisive courage and perseverance. This will absolutely never succeed.’
Song Junzhan paused, seeming both surprised and unsurprised by her words.
"Many of my forefathers’ generation lost their lives for this cause. I’m just trying to finish what they started. Even if the hope is slim, I have to try—for them, for all the scholars from poor families in the realm, and for myself."
Xiao Li asked, "Aren’t you afraid of meeting the same fate as your predecessors?"
Song Junzhan replied, "Death comes for everyone. If I am to die for this, I will have no regrets."
Xiao Li held her teacup, silent for a long moment.
’In Xiao Li’s world, the imperial examinations had existed for a millennium. The rules had changed, but its core purpose—serving as an indispensable bridge for cultural inheritance and talent selection—had not.’
’She knew the value of the imperial examinations, but she felt no sense of belonging to this world and had no intention of trying to change it.’
’But Song Junzhan belonged to this world. He might not have realized his actions could change the world, but he had judged it to be something that must be done, and he possessed the resolve to risk everything for it.’
’Suddenly, Xiao Li felt that the frail-looking man before her stood incredibly tall.’
’This was a noble cause. This was true wisdom.’
’It was precisely because countless people throughout history had performed such noble deeds that history was changed, making the world a progressively better place.’
’Cultural inheritance, national strength—these things most needed people like him.’
"You may look ethereal, Young Master, but you’re actually quite cunning."
’The aristocratic families resisted the imperial examinations. The late Emperor, as the sovereign, led a group to enact reform, but was ultimately forced to cut off his own arms, and he died just a few years later. There was definitely a conspiracy behind it.’
’He had just laid bare a matter so sensitive that even an Emperor had to be secretive about it—and he had done so to a woman he had met only a few times. A woman whose dress and bearing clearly marked her as a member of an aristocratic family.’
’Wasn’t he afraid she would go back and leak this, bringing utter ruin down upon him?’
’Did he trust her that much, or was it because her surname was Xiao? Or perhaps he had already guessed her true identity and saw her as his hope?’
"I greatly admire your integrity, Young Master, but unfortunately, I’m not like you."
"I have no interest in fame or fortune. I do things purely based on my own preferences. Unless there’s a bargaining chip I find truly tempting, I won’t meddle in affairs that don’t concern me."
Song Junzhan smiled and asked, "Then what kind of bargaining chip would be to Miss Xiao’s liking?"
Xiao Li shook her head with a smile. "Who knows?"
’Right now, apart from her single-minded obsession with leaving this world, there was nothing else she wanted.’