Translator: ChiFu
Needless to say, attending lectures at the Imperial College was only one aspect of a scholar’s education there; the six arts—music, archery, horsemanship, calligraphy, and numeracy—must also be mastered.
The instructor’s coaching in horseback and archery was equally stringent as Mu Zhan’s. It felt like they were going through cruel military training.
Among them, the worst of all would be Wei Chen, who was intellectually gifted but had inept athletic ability. He turned pale at the sight of the horses and turned to flee, but the instructor quickly caught him and threw him over the animal’s back like a chick.
Then, all the Imperials saw the always proud Wei Chen with a face full of devastation and on the verge of tears. This was the only joy in the miserable practice. The result was good, however. Under the instructor’s pressure, Wei Chen’s small body became tougher, and even though he was still a touch wimpy, he was able to straighten his back and ride his horse. Although he was riding a small filly with a placid demeanor, the instructor reprimanded him, claiming that even a tortoise could walk faster than him.
Wen Mingyu returned from two lessons feeling ill throughout his body.
The same agonizing ache he had felt when learning to ride a horse returned to him. His entire body ached, including his shaking, weak legs. His inner thighs were on fire, and he was forced to walk once again as a waddling penguin cub.
This time, Mu Zhan was already present when he arrived. It was unusual that he was the first to be here, so Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but suspect that Mu Zhan was doing it on purpose.
However, Wen Mingyu truly did cover him with a pot this time. Mu Zhan often wanted to return sooner, but there were simply too many official affairs to attend to. He finished a little earlier than usual today, therefore he was in a happy mood, just like a social animal who has finished work early.
Mu Zhan’s emotions were not outwardly obvious on his face, but Wen Mingyu, through his pheromones, could sense them. He stood at the door, tugging at it, looking at him with grudging eyes. He hesitated to enter like a helpless puppy whose toys had been confiscated.
Mu Zhan noticed him and was a little perplexed. “Why aren’t you coming in?”
He then stood up, as if preparing to go and get him.
Knowing that he could not avoid it, Wen Mingyu, pressing his lips, simply entered on his own, only to waddle with the ways of a penguin cub again.
Mu Zhan froze for a few seconds before laughing out loud, very casually and unforgivingly. Wen Mingyu expected this, but he was nonetheless so angry that his face went scarlet. He gave him a glare. Only then did Mu Zhan grudgingly stop laughing, but the smile that curved over his mouth remained persistent.
Wen Mingyu headed to the beauty coach, laid down, and basically just acted like a salted fish that didn’t want to get up again.
That serene posture of folding his hands on his tummy and discarding the vexation of worldly affairs once more made Mu Zhan laugh aloud.
Mu Zhan approached and gave his calf a pinch. He immediately let out an “oww”, his leg retracting like an electric shock, sore and numb to the bone.
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.
“Keep your distance!”
Lbkfnfg, Ze Itjc rjlv, “Pa’r yfaafg ab gey la ab tfji ojrafg. Qjr atlr ogbw atf tbgrfwjcrtlq jcv jgmtfgs ifrrbc ajeuta ys Oljcu Itfc?”
Qfc Zlcuse’r gfrqbcrf kjr j ugeca, jcv jiatbeut tf kjr jkjgf bo atf jvnjcajufr bo yflcu raglma jcv atf rffwlcu jvnjcmfwfca lc qgbugfrr, atf jubcs kjr qjiqjyif. Lf rageuuifv j ilaaif, qeiifv tlr ifur yjmx lcab Ze Itjc’r ugjrq, jcv mjgglfv bc ilwqlcu ilxf j rjiafv olrt.
Mu Zhan sat next to the salted fish, observing him.
Not long after, the palace servants brought the evening meal and filled the table with it.
“Let’s go, go and have your meal.”
As Mu Zhan tried to pull him up, Wen Mingyu suddenly exclaimed, “Wait.”
Then he transformed into a lop-eared rabbit; his clothes were all over the beauty coach.
A fluffy mass of snowy white, like a soft and sweet little milk cake.
This little milk cake faced him, actively stretched two tiny, short paws towards him, and tilted its head with a look asking for a cuddle.
Mu Zhan was staring into those dewy-like eyes and couldn’t help but freeze. He unwillingly snapped back to attention and picked him up when the lop-eared rabbit let out a cry to urge him on.
Wen Mingyu obviously refused to walk in that manner and allowed Mu Zhan to carry him instead. Feeling that the human form was inconvenient and heavy, he simply shrank down to the size of a palm-sized rabbit, and it wouldn’t even be cumbersome to offer himself to Mu Zhan as a pendant.
Little did he know, though, that Mu Zhan would be more than eager to carry him even in his human form.
Wen Mingyu was set down on the table and served with a porcelain plate that was larger than he was, giving the impression that he had entered a fantastical realm of food and could hold and munch on whatever was served to him for a long while.
As Mu Zhan ate, he fed the rabbit beside him, and his eyes were unwittingly drawn to observe him do so. The food scurried into its tiny mouth from the puffy cheeks’ gnawing and nibbling. It was clearly a repetitive eating action, yet it had an inexplicable charm that kept people captivated.
Wen Mingyu finished his meal and ate to his heart’s content until his belly bulged slightly. Half-squinting, he lay there with a satisfied expression on his face.
Mu Zhan looked at him twice and poked his belly, saying, “Eating so much and not moving, won’t you get fat?”
Wen Mingyu erupted at the mention of the word “fat”.
What fat. He was just fluffy, that’s all. Don’t wrongly accuse the rabbit!
Without even a sliver of intimidation, the round blue eyes glared, only making him cute and extremely adorable.
Mu Zhan became more eager to tease him. He lifted one paw, looked at his revealed belly, and frantically exclaimed, “Look, it’s so full that it’s bulging.”
Wen Mingyu immediately struggled to fall back to his belly to block it, but Mu Zhan wouldn’t let him and raised his other tiny paw, gently forcing him to stand up.
Long hours spent riding had left Wen Mingyu with sore legs that persisted even when he transformed into his rabbit form. Hence, when both of his jiojio stood on the table, his short legs began to tremble violently.
He looked down and was so furious that he wanted to kick Mu Zhan, but because of how short he was, he was unable to do so. Even if he tried to lift his legs and fly, he wouldn’t touch anyone. After two bounces, he rested and let go of all the tension in his body. Rather than standing upright, he allowed his legs to droop like two noodles.
Mu Zhan lost himself in laughter at this. He only meant to tease him, and after briefly squeezing his paw, he set him down again, this time letting him lie on his palm rather than the table.
Wen Mingyu used this opportunity to get revenge on him by biting him with a tiger’s mouth, which was a bit painful but ignorable. Unconcerned at all, Mu Zhan felt wonderful since the rabbit was being coquettish.
After Wen Mingyu finished biting, he slouched down, and the soft, dangling ears slid past his cheeks. He was abruptly filled with melancholy when he saw that the tips of his ears had a few furry tufts gone from them, exposing some pink flesh.
He’s… bald.
He pulled it out himself and ended up going bald. When he was falsely pregnant, he couldn’t control his impulses and pulled some of the fur off. It still hasn’t grown back. He was no longer the gorgeous, velvety rabbit with the most exquisite fur that he once was.
He pulled his ears against his cheeks and lowered his head to cover his face, feeling ashamed of how he had lost his face and how unattractive he had become.
Mu Zhan noticed his movement and extended a hand to prod him. “What are you doing covering your face?”
Wen Mingyu whimpered, still keeping his ears covered and remaining still.
Mu Zhan, however, seemed to have mind-reading skills. He could see it at a glance, hitting the nail on the head.
“Is it because the ears are missing some hair?”
Wen Mingyu stiffened at once. He hit him right in the gut.
Mu Zhan felt somewhat helpless. “Isn’t it a bit late to hide now? This one has been looking at you for how long, and that small tuft of hair missing doesn’t affect anything. You remain adorable and unchanged.”
When Wen Mingyu heard this, his claws slightly relaxed, allowing him to peek at Mu Zhan with his round eyes. Seeing that he was serious and was not making fun of him, he carefully let go of his rabbit ears and let them gently fall back beside his cheeks once more, softly, like a wee cloud.
Mu Zhan couldn’t resist and gave it a squeeze. He stroked the fur downward and landed on his back. Just as he was about to keep going, the rabbit evaded him. The lop-eared rabbit scowled at him and cooed, making it clear that he was not to touch him; don’t forget that he would have a false pregnancy.
In an instant, Mu Zhan’s face displayed regret.
The rabbit avoided having his back rubbed as he scuffed backwards. The tail ball reached Mu Zhan’s fingertip position, and further back, he might fall off.
Mu Zhan’s fingers slightly flexed, and the rabbit’s buttocks were automatically driven higher. His back bent out of a curve, and in the wake of gravity, he also slid a short distance forward.
Mu Zhan’s hand seemed to have turned into a mini-slide.
It’s kind of fun.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t hold back and frolicked several times in a row. When he realized he was acting in such a childish manner, he froze and stole a glimpse at Mu Zhan. He masked his embarrassment with a dry cough, but because he was still a rabbit, all he was capable of producing was a tender, sticky oink that nonetheless sounded cute.
Wen Mingyu shut up resolutely, raised his paw, and gestured towards the beauty coach, indicating that he wanted to go there and relax, paralyzed.
Mu Zhan countered, “It’s all lying down anyhow. Why not accompany this one to grade the memorials, where there are lotus pastries.”
Wen Mingyu abruptly changed his mind after hearing the words ‘lotus pastries’.
On an exquisite blue and white porcelain plate, only three flower pastries were arranged. Although they were described as light refreshments, they were perfectly rendered to resemble blooming lotus flowers. The pink petals were delineated in layers, and the center of the flower was a tender yellow filling made to look like a cluster of stamens and even a small lotus seedpod.
It was too beautiful. People couldn’t bear to eat it.
ChiFu: Mu Zhan’s laugh, for ChiFu, is like those emperors being surprised by something magical and unusual, like an old man…xd
Aiyo, going to sleep now! Next update is next week! Thank you <3
Thank you for the chapters and have a good rest translator!
I want to see the lotus pastries 😭🤤
Google is your friend, they look unreal
THEY LOOK BEAUTIFUL AJAHSISNDN LIKE ACTUAL LOTUSES!! 🤩🤩
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Oh no not the penguin waddle 😂. I had actually wondered if he was still practicing! But if he was, we wouldn’t get to re-live that first time Mu Zhan laughed at him. I’m almost sad for Mu Zhan being told he can’t rub his bunny’s back any more, but nobody said he can’t rub the overstuffed tummy with his favorite lil nubbins on it 😏
Thanks for the update.
Such silly rabbit antics… sigh, adorable. Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🐇
Thanks for the chapter
Thank you for your translation 💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟
Thank You for the new chapter ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁)