The situation escalated more than expected.
First, Feng Manying was invited to preside over the matter. Shen Mo Mo exaggerated the story, blaming all the responsibility on Yu Xiaoman. She claimed that the young mistress was unruly and inconsiderate, and that she was merely offering some advice when she was rudely rebuffed. Her exact words were: “This old servant has been in this household for nearly twenty years, yet now I can’t even say a word.”
Perhaps out of fear, she didn’t mention a word about Lu Ji.
However, the sword was still stuck in the middle of the courtyard, and several young servants took turns trying to pull it out but failed. This indirectly confirmed that the young mistress had broken rules and that the young master not only failed to discipline her but also shielded her with force.
Shen Mo Mo was one of Feng Manying’s close aides, so favoritism was inevitable. After hearing the so-called testimonies from a few servants, she declared Yu Xiaoman guilty: “Shen Mo Mo is a senior member of this household. You were supposed to learn the rules from her. It’s one thing not to learn, but how could you talk back to her?”
Yu Tao spoke up for Yu Xiaoman: “The young mistress was minding her own business in her room , It was Yun Luo and Shen Mo Mo spoke rudely first.”
“As the mistress, being so petty?” Feng Manying had a reason to reprimand, “From now on, don’t go outside anymore. Otherwise, people will laugh at us and ruin the Lu family’s reputation.”
Yu Xiaoman worried that Yu Tao would suffer, so he stepped forward to shield her. Yu Tao, on tiptoe, retorted: “It’s this disrespectful servant who is ruining the Lu family’s reputation.”
Feng Manying had just said that the mistress should be magnanimous, so she couldn’t make trouble in front of so many people. She had to say: “Shen Mo Mo is one of my people. I’ll deal with her when we get back.”
“And what about her?” Yu Tao pointed at Yun Luo, who was cowering silently on the side, “She started all this.”
Feng Manying waved her handkerchief, seemingly annoyed by the trouble: “Yun Luo is from your courtyard. It was earlier said that she would be promoted to concubine, so I’ll leave her to the young master to handle.”
It wasn’t that Yu Xiaoman didn’t want to speak, but he couldn’t get a word in.
Hearing the word “concubine” confused him even more. Seeing Yun Luo’s angry face, he immediately understood.
Feng Manying tried to downplay the situation and was about to leave with her people when she was stopped by Lu Ji at the door: “Has Shen Mo Mo forgotten to kowtow?”
Shen Mo Mo ‘s old face couldn’t bear it: “The madam has spoken, why bother, young master?”
Lu Ji said sternly: “In my courtyard, others have no say.”
Probably not expecting the usually silent and reserved Lu Ji to openly challenge her, Feng Manying stared in disbelief: “You—”
She regarded Lu Ji as a thorn in her side, but in front of so many people, she held back her anger. Both sides glared at each other, neither willing to back down.
It wasn’t until the matriarch was brought in to mediate.
After listening to the whole story, the old lady said: “Shen Mo Mo and Yun Luo should apologize to the young mistress, then return to their respective courtyards to be dealt with.”
When the matriarch spoke, no one dared disobey. Shen Mo Mo and Yun Luo knelt one after the other, saying “This servant knows her mistake,” though they looked reluctant and directed their words towards Lu Ji. For Yu Xiaoman, who never expected fair treatment in this hierarchical family, this was already polite.
After most people had left, the old lady stayed a little longer, holding Yu Xiaoman’s hand and saying some comforting words, such as “Your mother-in-law is quick-tempered but means no harm.” Yu Xiaoman nodded perfunctorily.
He was only worried about retrieving the half-finished piece of shark silk from Yun Luo. Once he got it back intact, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
“Silly child, getting so worked up over a piece of cloth.” The old lady laughed, patting his hand and giving him a once-over. She frowned, “Being diligent is good, but as a daughter-in-law of the Lu family, you should dress up properly.”
Yu Xiaoman disliked wearing human clothes, and the elaborate attire of a woman was even more bothersome. So, he usually wore a long skirt and outer robe, with his hair loosely tied in a bun. Sometimes even Yu Tao thought he didn’t dress like an official’s wife.
Fortunately, Yu Xiaoman had an excuse: “I just fell and got dirty, so I was about to change.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Ktf wbgf rtf ibbxfv ja tfg yfjealoei ugjcvvjeutafg-lc-ijk, atf wbgf rtf ilxfv tfg. Vtf abbx Oe Al’r tjcv jcv qijmfv la bnfg Te Wljbwjc’r: “Sjgilfg, P tfjgv rbwf gewbgr jcv atbeuta sbe akb vlvc’a ufa jibcu. Rbk P rff Hlhtl ralii xcbkr tbk ab qgbafma tlr klof. Cr j ugjcvwbatfg, P’w gfilfnfv.”
As soon as the old lady left the courtyard, Lu Ji released his hand.
Yu Xiaoman felt the residual warmth from Lu Ji’s palm on the back of his hand. Uncomfortable, he curled his fingers, clutching his clothes, then stealthily moved his hand behind him, rubbing the skin where Lu Ji had touched with his fingertips.
Lu Ji walked to the middle of the courtyard, leaned forward, and effortlessly pulled the sword out of the ground with one hand. He smoothly sheathed it and turned around, just in time to hear Yu Xiaoman say, “Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”
Duan Heng, speaking for Lu Ji, interjected: “Our general was just annoyed by the noise, not specifically helping you.”
Remembering that Lu Ji knew not only that he was a stand-in but also that he was a man, Yu Xiaoman felt so embarrassed that he couldn’t lift his head. He muttered an “Oh” and stood there, watching Lu Ji leave.
His eyes fell on the sword hanging by Lu Ji’s side, and a sense of helpless loss filled Yu Xiaoman’s unsettled heart once again.
The incident at the Lu residence became a topic of gossip for many days, with enough old stories being dredged up to keep people talking for hours.
“They say the young master is really unfortunate,” Yu Tao sighed one day. “He was sent to the army to learn martial arts at a young age, went to the battlefield at sixteen to serve the country, and fought everywhere, not even seeing his mother before she died. His mother’s body wasn’t even cold before Old Master Lu brought a concubine to be his stepmother. Far away on the frontier, out of sight and out of mind, he then got injured and crippled his leg…”
Yu Xiaoman, focused on his needlework, looked up at this point: “Injured?”
“Yes, in battle. Blades and swords know no mercy. My father said many lost their heads and couldn’t even find their remains, so they could only set up a tomb for the clothes.”
Yu Xiaoman’s eyes widened in confusion. He thought, didn’t Sister Biyue predict that he was harmed by a traitor?
Yu Tao continued on her own: “Sigh, now he can only stay in this deep courtyard, watching people’s faces every day, unloved by his father and mother.” She looked around and lowered her voice, “I’ve heard that the main wife is trying to persuade Master Lu to pass the title to the second young master.”
In this dynasty, hereditary titles were always passed to legitimate sons and firstborns. According to tradition, the title should go to the eldest legitimate son, Lu Ji. However, with Lu Ji’s leg injury not improving after three years of treatment, the situation was uncertain.
Yu Xiaoman’s concern shifted immediately. Worrying for his benefactor, he asked, “What can be done?”
Yu Tao’s eyes lit up, and she leaned in to whisper: “I heard that titles can be given to those with great merit. Since the young master’s career is cut short, and the second young master is incompetent, if they can’t compete in that aspect, then… producing an heir also counts as an accomplishment, right?”
Yu Xiaoman thought Yu Tao was talking nonsense.
Even if there was some truth to it, he couldn’t help with that. Lu Ji would avoid him if he knew he was a man; how could they share a bed?
Sister Biyue had said that only by sleeping in the same bed could they have a baby.
So Yu Xiaoman immediately dismissed this idea and focused entirely on finding a way to heal Lu Ji’s leg.
Before coming here, he had consulted several elders in his clan who were nearly three hundred years old. They said that the merman’s pearl could cure all diseases. However, when asked what a merman’s pearl was, even the knowledgeable elders couldn’t explain, only knowing an ancestral saying—”sincerity brings tears to pearls.”
These six words had puzzled Yu Xiaoman from his village to the capital, but he hadn’t understood their true meaning.
For him, tears were usually caused by pain, either physical, like when his scales were plucked, or emotional, like when his candy fell on the ground.
To find the legendary merman’s pearl, Yu Xiaoman spent his free time crying in deserted places.
If he couldn’t cry on command, he would pinch his own flesh, arms, legs, stomach, palms, the back of his hands… he even tried the thickest part, his buttocks, causing him to grit his teeth in pain and silently weep.
Despite his efforts, the tears that fell were always murky and fragile, not a single clear and bright merman’s pearl in sight.
One day, while everyone in the residence was resting at noon, Yu Xiaoman sneaked to the pond, took off his shoes and socks, and dipped his feet in the water, revealing half a fish tail.
Plucking scales was one of the most excruciating pains for a merman, comparable to the human punishment of flaying. Last time, to trade information about Lu Ji with Sister Biyue, he had plucked a few scales and bitten through a bunch of water grass in pain. This time, he bit down on a handkerchief, mustered his courage, and was about to start when two small carp suddenly swam over, interrupting him.
Yu Xiaoman spat out half the handkerchief and said, unclearly, “I’ll just pluck a couple of scales and leave, not taking your place.”
As descendants of fish, mermen naturally have the ability to communicate with other fish, even the domesticated carp in the pond, which cannot speak human language.
Two robust and healthy carp swam around Yu Xiaoman’s tail fin. Yu Xiaoman was in a hurry to pluck his scales and didn’t feel like chatting with them. “What cord? I didn’t lose any cord… Hey, you two, let go, don’t pull my belt!”
The small carp, unusually strong for their size, cooperated to nearly tear Yu Xiaoman’s cloth belt, which was soaking in the water.
Unable to handle the distraction, Yu Xiaoman temporarily gave up on plucking his scales. Following their guidance, he squatted and felt around the bottom of the pond. Soon enough, he fished out a plum blossom-patterned cord.
Initially, he thought this item belonged to Lu Yue, the only one in the residence fond of such decorative items, often adorning his waist and fan with them.
He placed it by the window to dry, and upon a closer look, he noticed that the cord was made of plain, simple thread, with a design that seemed to match the solemn official attire.
The Lu family had a tradition of gathering for meals in the main hall on the first and fifteenth of each month. During a break, Yu Xiaoman observed Lu Yue sitting across from him, thinking, “And this guy still thinks he can become an official and inherit the title? That’s laughable.”
He was about to swallow his distaste and ask if Lu Yue had lost the cord when Master Lu asked, “Where is Qi Zhi?” A servant replied that “the young master is unwell and resting in his room.” Immediately, Feng Manying played the concerned mother, sending someone to prepare soup and food for Lu Ji. During the meal, she constantly made remarks, under the guise of concern, about Lu Ji’s declining health and inability to shoulder great responsibilities.
This time, her performance was overly blatant, and the support from the second household was too conspicuous, sparking Master Lu’s ire. He slammed his chopsticks on the table, and the room fell silent.
They ate the rest of the meal in a chilly silence. As soon as it ended, Lu Yue disappeared. Yu Xiaoman, happy to avoid him, pocketed the cord and returned to his courtyard.
As spring approached, the days grew longer, and Yu Tao was just lighting the lamps. Yu Xiaoman took a fire striker to help her.
Since the last argument, Yun Luo hadn’t appeared in the courtyard, likely back serving Lu Ji. This thought left Yu Xiaoman feeling both relieved and inexplicably uneasy.
Feng Manying had mentioned that Yun Luo was to be promoted to concubine for Lu Ji.
During his years under the sea, Yu Xiaoman had countless times thought about how to repay his debt to Lu Ji. He even considered finding several beautiful wives for Lu Ji if he had no interest in wealth or a career. He was willing to give Lu Ji anything he wanted.
But now, for some reason, he found himself unwilling to see Lu Ji surrounded by numerous wives and concubines.
Even knowing that Lu Ji had someone he liked left Yu Xiaoman feeling distressed. He patted his own head and sighed inwardly, “Xiaoman, you are here to repay a debt. Do not entertain any other thoughts.”
Entering the room, he placed the candleholder by the bed. Watching the flickering flame, he sighed deeply.
Lost in his melancholy, he was startled to see someone sitting by the window. He was so shocked that he stumbled backward and fell onto the bed.
Seeing that it was Lu Ji, he quickly composed himself. “You… why are you here?”
Immediately feeling foolish for his question—it was Lu Ji’s room, after all. Just because he had been allowed to sleep there for a few days didn’t make it his home.
Acknowledging his mistake, Yu Xiaoman quickly stood up, grabbed his pillow, and prepared to leave.
Halfway to the door, he remembered the pillow was also Lu Ji’s. Embarrassed, he turned back, placed the pillow on the bed, and only took the gauze cloth tucked underneath it before heading out again.
Lu Ji’s voice stopped him. “I came to find something.” He asked, “Have you seen a red sandalwood cord?”
Yu Xiaoman had indeed seen it.
Not only had he seen it, but he also retrieved it from his pocket to show Lu Ji.
Lu Ji’s slender fingers gently brushed the tassels at the end of the cord. Confirming it, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Yes, this is it.”
Finding Lu Ji’s lost item made Yu Xiaoman very happy. In his excitement, he babbled, “This cord is really well-made. It didn’t come apart even after soaking in the water for so long, only a few tassels fell off.”
Lu Ji frowned, “In the water?”
“Yes, I fished it out from the bottom of the pond…” Halfway through his sentence, Yu Xiaoman realized the problem. “Uh, I mean, I saw it while cooling off by the pond this afternoon and picked it up.”
Seemingly believing his story, Lu Ji didn’t question further about how he retrieved it. He put away the cord, thanked Yu Xiaoman flatly, and turned to leave.
Yu Xiaoman blinked, thinking, “Shouldn’t I be the one leaving?”
So he spoke up, “You should sleep here, I’ll go out.”
“No need,” Lu Ji said, continuing to walk out.
Yu Xiaoman grew anxious. “There’s no bedding or mattress in the study. You’ll catch a cold.”
“The weather is warm,” Lu Ji replied. “Isn’t everyone cooling off by the pond?”
What kind of cooling off happens in the spring? Caught in a loophole, Yu Xiaoman wanted to smack his own mouth.
Unable to come up with an explanation, and more eager to keep Lu Ji around, Yu Xiaoman had a sudden idea. “The Master has returned and mentioned you at dinner. He might check on your room tonight.”
Lu Ji paused.
Yu Xiaoman pressed on, “I know a bit about weaving. I can fix your cord, so you don’t have to find someone else.”
Lu Ji’s hand, which was holding the door frame, remained still as if he were hesitating.
“After all… we are both men,” Yu Xiaoman said, bringing out his most convincing argument. Feeling both guilty and embarrassed, his voice grew weaker. “Even if we share a room, there’s no need to avoid suspicion.”
After speaking, he lowered his head, feeling entirely without confidence.
His ears, however, picked up the soft creak of wheels turning, heading back into the room.
Then he heard Lu Ji’s low, pleasant voice, “Thank you.”
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Author’s Note:
Next, please enjoy the traditional, beloved trope: Sharing a room — Sharing a bed — “He’s so cute” — Turning myself gay.
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Ah classic trope but still so lovable 😍♥ giving me the ‘kiss kiss fall in love’ vibes 🤭