Chapter 36: The Study

Early the next morning, Yan Xi summoned A-Tai and asked him to go out and buy her some sugar-roasted chestnuts.

A-Tai left Tinglan Pavilion, but returned shortly after, shaking his head at her upon entering the room. Yan Xi understood and dismissed him. In truth, she had no real craving for chestnuts; she had only wanted to see if A-Tai could leave the grounds. The result, predictably, was that he could not. The three of them—mistress and servants—exchanged glances, but none spoke.

The morning passed uneventfully. Nanny Yan brought in several young maids who could perform acrobatics, magic tricks, and tell jokes, doing everything they could to amuse her. Being young, the girl was somewhat resilient; though she had been sullen and unhappy at first, she soon became fascinated and began to laugh quite heartily. Seeing this, Taohong and Qinglian exchanged looks. Their mistress had a generous heart, which was the silver lining in their misfortune.

By late afternoon, as dusk approached, Lu Zhi returned to the residence. Upon hearing the news, Nanny Yan immediately set off to intercept him on his way. She hurried to greet him, eager to report the day's events to earn his favor.

"...She was so happy, my lord. You didn't see it—the little mistress was laughing the whole time. She loved those jokes, and she was quite fond of the acrobatics and magic tricks too. Oh, the little mistress is truly a beauty of peerless grace; she looks so lovely when she laughs..."

Lu Zhi replied with a simple, "Reward her." Behind him, Dongfu acknowledged the command and tossed a silver ingot to Nanny Yan. The nanny was overjoyed, her eyes gleaming; she immediately bowed low and thanked him profusely. "This servant thanks you, my lord, thank you, my lord."

Lu Zhi went to the study. It was still early, so he spent some time reading through official documents. He had only been in office for six days, and his duties were naturally quite heavy. On the surface, the thirteen prefectures of Huainan appeared prosperous and peaceful, but beneath the surface, there was a tangled web of corruption, deceit, murder, arson, tax evasion, and cover-ups. In short, the local tyrants were rampant, led by the Jia, Zhao, and Song families. These three households had almost completely monopolized all the trade routes in Yangzhou, and each was unimaginably wealthy.

Reports from the past six days explicitly stated that the previous military governor, who was elderly, had effectively been angered to death by these three families conspiring together. Being a newcomer, people did not yet know his true nature. For these six days, they had publicly treated his words as law, bowing and scraping before him, fawning over him, and treating him like a deity. It was clear they were probing his background and temperament.

Lu Zhi finished reading the remaining documents on the desk. He took up a wolf-hair brush with his slender fingers and had Dongfu prepare the ink. However, after writing only a few characters, he set the brush down and leaned back against his chair with an air of languor.

The attendant noticed and asked with a smile, "Is the young master tired? Perhaps you should continue tomorrow."

Lu Zhi did not answer. After a short pause, he said, "Go and fetch Shen Yanxi."

Dongfu smiled and immediately agreed, hurrying off at once.

*******

In her room, Yan Xi was whispering secretly with Qinglian and Taohong when a message arrived from outside.

"Little Mistress, the Master requests your presence at Mozhu Pavilion."

Yan Xi’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Taohong and Qinglian were equally taken aback. Just moments ago, Nanny Yan had returned saying he was busy with official business in his study, and Yan Xi had finally let out a breath of relief. She never expected that within the span of a single incense stick's time, he would send for her to come to his study... What could he want with her?

She did not want to go, but she knew she could not disobey him, especially now that she was trying to find ways to curry his favor. Thinking of this, she steeled herself and went, even though she was reluctant.

The February weather in Yangzhou was not overly cold, but it was quite chilly. Yan Xi donned her cloak and left with Qinglian and Taohong. When they arrived, Qinglian and Taohong waited outside. Trembling inwardly, she stepped into the pavilion alone. As she entered, the scent of sandalwood greeted her, and through the haze, she saw the man leaning back at the jade desk.

"Come here..."

"Yes..."

His voice was cold, the tone of command unmistakable. Yan Xi was obedient and answered immediately, walking over at once. When she reached his desk, she stopped and gave a slight bow. "Young Master..."

Lu Zhi’s eyes were fixed on her. The young girl’s long lashes fluttered as she lifted her eyes to glance at him, seeing him clearly. She bowed again and called out to him once more. Only then did the man leisurely shift his gaze, his expression distant and cold as he spoke: "Can you write?"

Yan Xi nodded. "Yes."

Lu Zhi continued: "I will dictate, and you will write."

Yan Xi responded again, finally feeling a sense of relief, thinking to herself: *So he was just too lazy to write himself and called me here to be his scribe.*

Having thought this through, Yan Xi looked around the desk. Aside from the large chair he was leaning back in, there was no seat. She turned and asked him, "Young Master, would it be possible to have Dongfu bring me a chair?"

To her surprise, the man did not speak. With a cold face and a slight tilt of his head, he gestured toward the seat he was occupying.

Yan Xi understood, and naturally, her face flushed red at once. But she said nothing more and walked over. The man sat comfortably in the back, leaving only a small space in front. Yan Xi perched on the very edge of the seat, picked up the wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and once ready, said in a soft voice, "I am ready..."

Lu Zhi inhaled the fragrance from her body. He remained silent for a long moment before he began to dictate, unhurriedly.

Yan Xi followed his words, writing slowly. After a few sentences, Lu Zhi leaned in to look. On the white paper, the characters were neat and bold. She seemed to have intentionally adjusted her brushwork; it did not look much like a woman's calligraphy, but rather bore a three-part resemblance to his own. She had only seen his handwriting once before, on a note he had given her, and she had remembered it well enough to imitate it to some degree—a testament to the education she had received in a high-ranking family.

"Is this acceptable?" she asked, turning her face slightly to look at him.

Lu Zhi let out a soft "Hmph."

Suddenly, Yan Xi felt his large hand grasp her waist, his fingers beginning to stroke and caress her... His voice was deep and low.

"What do you think? I didn't expect you to have such talent..."

Yan Xi let out a soft sound, her body swaying to the side. His touch tickled, and her face burned even brighter. "What talent? It is just knowing how to write a few characters. How could I dare mention talent in front of you, Young Master..."

Lu Zhi curled his lips, his expression still languid.

"Is that so? No need to be so modest... I recall that you also have the ability to remember everything you see..."

As he spoke, he continued to stroke her waist. They were so close that the hot breath from his mouth washed over her face. Yan Xi could clearly feel the heat reaching her earlobes, but she was not foolish. She did indeed have a photographic memory, but very few people knew of it.

"How does the Young Master know?" Yan Xi asked with suspicion.

Lu Zhi did not answer. Since he didn't answer, she didn't press him; she assumed he must have heard it from someone else, and simply replied: "Yes, just a little..."

Lu Zhi continued dictating. Yan Xi straightened her posture slightly and dipped the brush to continue writing. But things were different now; her back was pressed almost entirely against his chest, and his warm hands remained on her waist...

"Young Master..."

After a long while, the girl could bear it no longer. She called out to him softly and tried to pull away again. But she heard a laugh from beside her ear, followed by a rush of heat. The man lowered his gaze, his voice becoming hoarse and laced with impropriety.

"Why are you so beautiful? I can't help myself when I look at you..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Xi felt as if her ears might go deaf. Her face grew even redder, and not knowing how to respond, she could only shrink her body and try to dodge his touch.

"Young Master, please dictate quickly..."

She turned back to remind him, hoping desperately that this was some urgent official document that needed finishing immediately. To her dismay, as soon as she turned, the man leaned in and kissed her.

Instantly, her lips and tongue were entangled with his. The young girl let out a whimper, her eyes squeezed shut, and within moments, they were tear-filled and her breathing grew ragged. He held the back of her head, his touch as forceful as ever, leaving her unable to move an inch.

Just then, a frantic, urgent report sounded from outside the study.

"My Lord! A report from the military camp—the granary is on fire!"

Yan Xi felt him slowly release her. The girl, eyes swimming with tears, watched as the desire in his eyes gradually faded. He licked his lips, yet even in the face of such a crisis, he showed no sign of panic, acting as if nothing had happened between them. He asked in an unhurried, calm voice, "What?"