Xie Jue ignored Fang Chuning and turned to walk back inside. Just as Fang Chuning rushed after him, three Shadow Guards blocked his way as if dropping out of nowhere, lining up neatly in front of him. Xie Jue didn’t pause and kept walking.
Growing up as childhood friends with Xie Jue, Fang Chuning had never been treated like this before. He was completely dumbfounded, "What’s the aning of this?"
"Mr. Fang, the master has instructed that you are not allowed to set foot into the Prince Manor. Please don’t make this difficult for us," Shadow Guard Ying Er said blankly.
"Ting Feng..." Fang Chuning beca anxious and tried to charge forward, but Ying Er quickly drew his sword, pointing it directly at him. These Shadow Guards only listened to Xie Jue’s orders; they wouldn’t even heed Xie Xun’s words. If the order was to keep Fang Chuning out, then he wouldn’t be allowed to enter no matter what.
"Oh, fine! I could use a bit of exercise anyway!" Fang Chuning smirked mischievously. He didn’t believe Ting Feng would really allow the Shadow Guards to harm him.
anwhile, Ruyi, sleeping in the guesthouse within Xie Jue’s courtyard, was diligently practicing his handwriting in the room. Little Douding sat obediently inside, writing large characters. Concerned about his eyes, Dongxue and Xia Zhu had lit several lamps. Ruyi, lying bonelessly as if he had no spine, straightened up and sat properly when he saw Xie Jue enter the room. His hand holding the brush suddenly beca disciplined. "Daddy, Ruyi wasn’t slacking! Ruyi was just feeling sleepy."
"If you’re sleepy, go to bed." Xie Jue didn’t overly restrict Ruyi on how long he needed to practice. Ruyi was an energetic child who, if not kept busy writing after als, would engage in mischief and play late into the night, delaying his bedti. Xie Jue had devised this tactic—letting him practice calligraphy until he tired, then sending him to bed. Sohow, Ruyi always got sleepy when writing, particularly in the morning and at night, often dozing off after writing just a few characters, his eyes foggy with tears or blank with emptiness.
Sure enough, his handwriting was clumsy and crooked, but at least he managed to write his own na.
Dongxue carried so water into the room and helped Ruyi wash his hands and feet. Xie Jue then carried him to bed, pulling up the quilt to keep him warm. It was late autumn, with the wind biting cold at night, so the doors and windows were sealed tightly to block out the chill. Once Ruyi was in bed, however, he seed less tired. "Daddy, are you sleepy too?"
"Daddy’s not sleepy."
"Then why is Daddy holding onto Ruyi’s hand all the ti?"
Xie Jue snapped out of his thoughts and realized he had been gripping Ruyi’s wrist the whole ti. Ruyi, ever the obedient child, hadn’t cried out in pain. Xie Jue felt a twinge of guilt. "I’m sorry, Daddy got distracted. Does it hurt, Ruyi?"
"It doesn’t hurt, not at all..." Ruyi smiled sweetly, innocent and carefree. "Daddy, tell a story."
"Alright!"
Outside the Prince Manor, the cold wind howled. Fang Chuning and the Shadow Guards were locked in a heated battle, while the manor’s guards sat on the roof, munching on sunflower seeds and enjoying the show.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Definitely the Shadow Guards. If three can’t best him, there are still four more waiting—round after round. Even the Emperor couldn’t beat them, much less Mr. Fang. If they sohow lose, they’ll face extra training, and letting Mr. Fang into the manor is absolutely out of the question."
"The master’s such a tyrant. This feels like family abuse, doesn’t it?"
"Go ahead and say that louder if you’ve got the guts."
"What, do you think I’m crazy?"
"Poor Mr. Fang—getting beaten by the General at ho, then getting whacked by the master at the manor. Talk about a tough life."
"Hey, Ying Er, don’t aim for his face! The master will get angry."
"Slip-up!" Ying Er apologized briefly and began aiming for Fang Chuning’s abdon instead. Those spots wouldn’t be so visible if injured. Despite their ferocity, they kept in mind not to inflict serious harm—none of them truly wanted to hurt Fang Chuning.
"Mr. Fang, it’s the middle of the night. Could you stop making this tough for us?" The guards on the roof were getting close to finishing their snack, yet the fight hadn’t reached a conclusion. "It’s freezing out here. Wouldn’t curling up under your blanket at ho feel so much better?"
"Indeed, indeed. Brawling outside the manor gates like this—what if soone saw it? They’d think the Fang Family has so deep-seated grudge against our Prince, coming here to settle a vendetta in the dead of night."
Fang Chuning was nearly out of breath, riled up by their constant banter. He was soone who could easily bond with the boisterous n from military camps, just like Xie Xun, hence the guards spoke freely without much decorum.
Blades and shadows clashed at the manor’s entrance, creating a scene truly unbecoming of elegance. Panting slightly with his breath uneven, Fang Chuning held his ground, still composed despite his exhaustion. "That’s enough. Ting Feng should’ve vented by now. Gentlen, don’t make this harder on ."
"Mr. Fang, it’s you making this harder for us. The master has ordered that he wants to rest early, so you should return ho and rest as well. If we were to let you in tonight, both the Shadow Guards and the manor defenders would have to take the bla and leave their posts. If you keep this up, you’re going to ruin our livelihoods." One of the guards chuckled, completely unfazed by Fang Chuning’s potential frustration. They were simply following orders.
"Fine, you win!"
An hour later, when the night grew deeper, Fang Chuning snuck around to the back gate of the Prince Manor. There stood an old banyan tree, one which Fang Chuning used to climb when he was younger to sneak in and find Xie Jue. The terrain was familiar to him. Purposely leaving earlier only to return now, he figured the infuriating Shadow Guards must have rotated shifts to rest by this point.
But as soon as he reached the tree, Ying Er and Ying San appeared beneath it on the inner side of the wall. Ying Er remarked, "I knew you’d try to climb in."
Fang Chuning: "..."
This was too much!
Perched on the wall, Fang Chuning was greeted by Ying San, who said with a grin, "Mr. Fang, give it a rest. Dawn will break soon. With all your antics, we haven’t been able to catch a wink."
"I haven’t stopped you from resting. Don’t force to use knockout drugs on you." Fang Chuning retorted casually, dangling his threat. This ti, Ting Feng was resolute in ignoring him, even sending Shadow Guards to intercept him. Of all the people to fight against, these guards were practically undefeatable.
"Go ahead if you dare!" Ying Er challenged him, completely unphased. "If you do, the master might ignore you for three months straight."
Fang Chuning, recalling the cold, detached expression on Xie Jue’s face, grew timid. Offending Ting Feng had already landed him in hot water, and Fang Chuning began rambling, "Ting Feng’s temper has been so bad lately. Who’s been provoking him? Tell —I’ll track them down one by one!"
"Who else but you?"
"In heaven’s na, I’ve only set him off about one thing! I’ve never seen him this mad before—it must be a case of misdirected anger." Standing on the wall, Fang Chuning chatted casually with the Shadow Guards.
Sharing their master’s secrets was a breach of taboo for the Shadow Guards. Even with Fang Chuning, they adhered to this principle strictly.
Ying Er suggested, "The sky’s almost bright, Mr. Fang. Why don’t you wait by the front gate for the master so you can enter together for morning court? That way, we can get so rest too."
"Alright!" Fang Chuning agreed readily. "You win this round!"
Sitting obediently on the steps at the front gate of the Prince Manor to await dawn, Fang Chuning couldn’t help but reminisce about life back in Ningzhou. There, they lived under the sa roof, and whenever he annoyed Xie Jue, he could simply soften his tone and posture, imdiately coaxing Ting Feng into submission. But in the capital, he couldn’t grow too audacious, as Xie Jue’s refusal to see him could genuinely keep him shut out.
"This is so frustrating!" Fang Chuning muttered while chewing on the stem of a hollow grass stalk. He hoped to quickly settle these trivial matters in the capital so he could whisk Ting Feng away for a life of carefree adventure.
The late autumn chill bit sharply, and as the temperature plumted in the second half of the night, even the Shadow Guards were unwilling to let him freeze. They brought out a heavy cloak to help him stay warm.
Shivering, Fang Chuning accepted it and said, "Ying San, be a good sport and just let in, won’t you?"
"Do I look like soone with that kind of guts?"
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