Eternal Night - Chapter 18
He slowly and methodically walked around the room a few times, having memorized everything in it clearly. Comparing it to what was written in the book, he had a clear understanding of the situation.
He blew out the candle and lay on the bed, silently sensing the atmosphere inside and outside the room.
There were at least a dozen people keeping watch for him in the courtyard. He smiled silently and began to practice his martial arts.
Even the crown prince went hungry.
"Your Highness, it's time to get up." Yi Hong lifted the gauze curtain. Staring blankly at the empty bed, she frowned and quickly darted out of the room.
Xinghun silently floated down from the beam to the ground, glanced at the water in the silver basin which was still warm, and picked up a towel to wipe his face. He was satisfied to confirm his judgment; Yihong really did know kung fu.
Just as he was leaning back in his soft chair, drinking his own brewed tea and enjoying the stories of the Prince's Mansion, Li Yannian, Li Er, and Yi Hong Lan Lü appeared at the door.
"What's going on?" Li Yannian asked, staring at Xinghun.
"Deacon Li, I'm hungry." Xinghun put down his book and blinked.
"Where did you go just now?"
Xinghun pointed to the roof beam and said with a hint of grievance, "I'm not used to sleeping outside the stone chamber, so I went upstairs to sleep. Before I could even call for Sister Yihong, she had already run away."
Li Yannian looked at him for a while and said gently, "Let's go to the flower hall for breakfast."
Yi Hong glared at him fiercely.
Xinghun smiled and took her hand, saying, "Sister Yihong is very skilled; I didn't hear her when she came in."
Yi Hong tried to shake off his hand, but he held it tighter: "Is sister angry?"
“Eternal Night!” Li Yannian called out to him.
"What did Steward Li call me? Is that a name you can use to address me?" Xinghun interrupted him calmly.
Li Yannian was taken aback, but not offended, he chuckled. He bowed slightly to him and asked, "Would the young master like to eat in his room or in the flower hall?"
"Flower Hall." After saying that, Xinghun showed an embarrassed expression: "Xinghun is being presumptuous, please forgive me, Steward."
Li Yannian straightened his face and said, "What's your name? What did you call me?"
“Yongye…I am Li Yongye, the heir of the Prince Duan’s mansion! Steward Li, please lead the way.”
They both laughed. But behind each other's smiles lay their own thoughts.
The way he spoke made Li Yannian feel that the person in front of him was really Li Yongye, the heir of the Prince's Mansion, and he was in a very good mood.
Yongye, however, felt extremely satisfied to have Li Yannian trampled under his feet. He was somewhat disappointed that the name Xinghun had been discarded so quickly.
Breakfast was simple yet plentiful: four side dishes, a small plate of steamed buns, and bamboo shoot and lean pork congee.
Yongye was really hungry. He had never seen such an exquisite breakfast in the Wandering Valley. He picked up the ivory chopsticks and started eating.
Before he could even put a piece of scrambled egg into his mouth, the wind whistled past his face. He instinctively dodged, and Li Yannian, having missed his target, was momentarily stunned. Slightly annoyed, he swung his palm again. This time, Yongye didn't dare to dodge at all, watching with heartache as his chopsticks and the egg on them were knocked away.
"Your Highness, please stand aside and learn the rules," Li Yannian said calmly.
Yongye rose with a look of fear and helplessness, thinking to himself, "This is bad." Although Li Yannian had been trying to emphasize that he was now the heir apparent once he entered the villa, he couldn't allow him to be truly presumptuous. After all, this wasn't the Prince's residence yet; if he acted convincingly, it would make Li Yannian appear like a servant.
The words just now clearly displeased Li Yannian. A lie is a lie. Li Yannian did this simply to let him know that in front of others in the Prince's mansion, he was the heir apparent, but in front of him, he was not.
Li Yannian ate his food with refined manners, carefully picking out the lean meat from his bowl, and slowly swallowed a mouthful of porridge. Yi Hong quickly handed him a snow-white towel. He took it and carefully wiped his mouth before turning to look at Yongye: "This is how you eat."
Yongye thought he could eat now. But Li Yannian said again, "Spit it all out! Just learn the rules."
"Eat it and then spit it out?" Yongye felt the oppressive feeling that Li Yannian had given him back then return. He remained silent, knowing that he had underestimated Li Yannian, thinking that Li Yannian had allowed him to impersonate him, but unexpectedly, he had set a trap, elevating him to the position of the heir apparent before slapping him to the ground. It was telling him once again that the heir apparent could make him do whatever he wanted, and if he wasn't allowed to, he would still be the dog that Youli Valley had released to bite.
Yongye was very receptive to the lesson. He sat down quietly, politely picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Saliva naturally welled up, which he spat into the plate. Then, just like Li Yannian, he picked out some lean meat, drank some porridge, and his mouth watered again, which he spat out once more.
He cursed Li Yannian inwardly for being a pervert, and finished his breakfast without taking a single extra bite. He took the towel from Yi Hong, wiped his mouth, and stood up gracefully.
"Very good, do lunch and dinner this way for three days first." Li Yannian was pleased to see Yongye staring at the food and swallowing his saliva, and was very proud of his method that killed several birds with one stone.
Three days without food?! Yongye remembered this, reminding himself that he was on a mission. He reminded himself never to forget to consider people's intentions in anything he did in the future.
"By the way, what happened last night?"
Yongye lowered his head and answered softly, "Yongye thinks that now that I'm much better, it's best if no one stays with me in the room. After all, people tend to talk in their sleep."
Li Yannian paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Seeing his approval, Yongye quickly added, "Yongye is skilled in martial arts, but my body and skin are still prone to revealing my abilities. When I return to the palace, it's best to minimize the number of people serving me."
Li Yannian thought for a moment and smiled, "You've thought this through quite thoroughly. After you've eaten, go and wander around. You can only stay here for ten days. You need to get back to the capital before New Year's Eve."
Yongye quickly agreed.
What would happen if you didn't eat for three days?
As Yongye walked through the courtyard, he saw the artificial hill with a real hole at its base. Without a second thought, he crawled inside. He grinned and called out, "Lancui! Quick, get the ribs! I'm not coming out until you get them!"
These are details clearly written in the book.
Seeing that he was being reprimanded by Li Yannian and didn't take him seriously, Lan Cui sneered, "Young Master, you have a good memory; it's enough that you know this happened. You think there really are spare ribs to eat? Steward Li said... ah—"
Yongye clapped his hands and crawled out of the cave. He glanced at Lancui, who was screaming in fright, and said, "It's just a hibernating snake. Sister, don't scream so pitifully!"
Even though he had already crawled into a hole, he still wouldn't give him a piece of rib to eat. Yongye thought that throwing out a frozen snake was no big deal.
At lunchtime, he listened attentively to all the rules and regulations. Under the gloating gazes of Lan Cui and Yi Hong, he ate and spat, the delicious flavors barely lingering on his tongue making it almost unbearable, yet his face showed an expression of hearty enjoyment. When Lan Cui ladled a bowl of soup and handed it to him with a sinister smile, Yong Ye waved his hand, spilling the soup all over her, and casually said, "I want Yi Hong to feed me!"