Chapter 63#

Live a Proper Life#

Fifteen years ago, Biandu.

After returning to Biandu from Lizhou, Su Ruhui settled down considerably. He rented a small courtyard near the palace city at a high price. Since Tantai Jing didn’t give him pocket money, he had to sell blueprints to Jiang Xueya to earn money. He stayed at home every day, without complaint, unlike when he was in the Frontier Guard, where he racked his brains to escape Sang Chiyu’s control. Because he had become much more honest, their relationship also eased considerably; at least Sang Chiyu no longer glared at him. However, even if he didn’t seek pleasure, there were always others who sought pleasure with him.

As soon as he settled down, his old cronies came knocking, inviting him to gamble and cockfight. He righteously declared, “This young master is going to take the Star Gazing exam, so don’t come looking for me these few days.”

A group of younger brothers looked at each other, saying, “Brother Hui, are you joking?”

Young Master Xu, from the Xu family, scratched his foot and said, “Last year you said you’d rather die than become an official, and that you’d open a restaurant in the market and be a chef.”

“I’ve changed my mind now.” Su Ruhui patted the book in front of him, thick as a brick.

“Brother Hui,” Young Master Xu sat opposite him, “Is that guy named Sang forcing you? Sigh, we’re not in the Frontier Guard anymore, why is he still bothering you? I heard you saved him once when you were little, and he doesn’t even know how to repay your kindness, pushing you like this. Wait, a few of us brothers will find an auspicious day, put a sack over his head, and beat him up.”

Another younger brother was filled with righteous indignation, “Exactly, ungrateful…”

Su Ruhui stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth, “You little brat, do you know who you’re cursing?”

The younger brother chewed the bun, stunned, “Isn’t it Sang Chiyu?”

Su Ruhui angrily said, “You’re cursing your future sister-in-law…”

Before he could finish, footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Steady and powerful, it was the sound of military boots on the ground. Sang Chiyu was here! That guy worked for the Eagle Guard, and among the people Su Ruhui knew, he was the only one who wore deerskin military boots every day. This courtyard only had one door, and the younger brothers had nowhere to go. If Sang Chiyu saw them, Sang Chiyu would probably think he was neglecting his duties again. He had been putting on a show of studying hard for several days, just waiting for Sang Chiyu to come and check on him, but he didn’t expect him to come today.

Su Ruhui hurriedly told the younger brothers to hide. They didn’t understand why, but seeing Su Ruhui’s anxious look, they had no choice but to obey, some hiding in cabinets, others under the bed.

Su Ruhui sat by the window, found the best light and angle, and struck his most handsome pose. At the same time, a knock sounded at the door, and he called out, “Come in.”

The door was pushed open, and it was indeed Sang Chiyu. He wore a dark black riding robe, a belt cinching his narrow waist, with two swords at his side: a standard military saber and “Withered Moon,” which his master had given him a few days ago. He opened the door but didn’t enter the room, frowning as he looked down. Su Ruhui’s room was surprisingly messy, with blueprints piled up like snowflakes all over the floor, covered with Su Ruhui’s calculations. Besides the blueprints, there were socks, mixed in with the messy blueprints, very conspicuous.

“Uh…” Su Ruhui had forgotten to tidy up the room. He picked up a few blueprints as if to cover up, and invited him to sit.

Sang Chiyu glanced at him indifferently, then turned and left, returning a moment later with a small, red-lacquered wooden basin. Sang Chiyu picked up his socks and took them to the patio to wash. After washing, he hung them on the clothesline. Su Ruhui had accumulated so many socks that they formed a spectacular row. Su Ruhui hesitated to speak; that wooden basin was what he used to wash his face. Never mind, Sang Chiyu was kind enough to wash his socks for him, what was a washbasin? Even if Sang Chiyu used a golden basin to wash him, he wouldn’t care!

Sang Chiyu was outside doing housework for him. He put on his crystal spectacles, picked up a marble disk, and meticulously adjusted the star array, changing the star lines. After washing the socks, Sang Chiyu returned to the room, tidying up Su Ruhui’s books, ledgers, scattered blueprints, and the stone astrolabes he had carelessly tossed aside. He categorized the books and placed them on the bookshelf, stacking the completed blueprints in one pile and the uncompleted ones in another.

Picking up a blueprint, he found that Su Ruhui had not only deduced the principles of the stars but also drawn many different styles of firearms. He paused slightly and asked, “Firearms?”

Su Ruhui looked up and said, “Those are the firearms my senior sister asked me to improve. She’ll come to collect them later.”

Getting closer, Sang Chiyu could see that Su Ruhui’s face was a little pale.

Sang Chiyu’s brow furrowed into a deep line, “When was the last time you slept?”

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Su Ruhui tilted his head and thought, “The day before yesterday? The day before that?”

“You should rest,” Sang Chiyu said.

“It’s fine, I’ll rest after I finish calculating.”

Most of the people who entered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had the secret art of “Limitless Deduction.” Although Su Ruhui was far more familiar with star charts and star array arrangements than them, he really couldn’t surpass them in deduction, and deduction was an extremely important subject. He had to complete a massive amount of calculations within a specified time, so Su Ruhui had to practice more before the exam.

Sang Chiyu frowned, and after he finished a calculation, he said, “You should rest.”

“Wait a little longer,” Su Ruhui said.

Sang Chiyu was silent for a moment, then whispered, “I’m sorry.”

He raised his hand and chopped Su Ruhui on the neck with a hand chop. Su Ruhui immediately fainted, slumping into his arms. Sang Chiyu looked down at his sleeping face, his long eyelashes casting a shallow shadow under his eyes. Sang Chiyu averted his gaze and carried him to the bed.

Perhaps he wasn’t so bad, Sang Chiyu thought, at least he was willing to change.

Sang Chiyu covered him with a quilt, straightened up, and said indifferently, “You can go now.”

The room was silent for a moment, then the younger brothers, hidden in cabinets and under beds, crept out furtively.

“Quiet, don’t disturb him,” Sang Chiyu said.

The younger brothers covered their mouths, tiptoed to the door, then slipped away quickly, disappearing in a blink of an eye.

When Su Ruhui woke up, it was already evening. Candles were lit in the dim room, and Jiang Xueya sat in the candlelight, legs crossed, looking at his blueprints.

“Awake? I’ve taken the blueprints. When the craftsmen produce the finished product another day, go to the Ministry of Military Affairs to see it.” Jiang Xueya was about to leave, but at the threshold, she turned back and surveyed his tidy home. “Has the Snail Girl visited your house?”

“No,” Su Ruhui’s lips curved into a smile, “It’s the Snail Gentleman.”

A month later, on the first day of the third month, the Star Gazing examination was held on time. Jiang Xueya personally escorted Su Ruhui to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and even Zhou Xiaosu came to cheer him on. This girl still didn’t know that Su Ruhui had crippled Yan Jinyu’s leg, nor did she know why Yan Jinyu suddenly ignored her, and had been depressed for a while recently. Su Ruhui originally wanted to tell her Yan Jinyu’s identity, so she wouldn’t keep thinking about him, but Jiang Xueya said she had a big mouth, and if she accidentally revealed the secret of the Yan family’s eldest branch, it would invite retaliation from the Yan family, which these inexperienced young men couldn’t handle. Jiang Xueya was very clear about the dirty tricks of aristocratic families; they were simply impossible to guard against. After much thought, as long as she no longer associated with Yan Jinyu, Su Ruhui would give up.

“Senior Brother, you can definitely do it!” Zhou Xiaosu clenched her fists and said, “Waiting for your good news!”

“The examiner, Lord Lang Yaguang, is familiar with me,” Jiang Xueya instructed, “If you need anything, just ask him, he will look after you inside.”

“Got it,” Su Ruhui replied casually, his gaze sweeping through the crowd in front of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s gate, but he couldn’t find Sang Chiyu. That ungrateful fellow, after tormenting him for so many days, didn’t even come to see him off for the exam. Su Ruhui pouted, secretly cursing Sang Chiyu for being disloyal. He carried a bamboo basket towards the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Inside the basket were his writing brush, ink, paper, inkstone, pastries, food, and the socks and handkerchiefs Sang Chiyu had washed for him.

Zhou Xiaosu shouted, “Senior Brother, Senior Brother, you’ll definitely be first! Ruhui, Ruhui, number one in the world!”

Everyone around them looked over, and many showed disdain. Su Ruhui had a thick skin and ignored the pointing and whispering of others. He lazily waved his hand and swaggered through the main gate, disappearing into the crowd.

Sang Chiyu stood on the second floor of a wine shop across the street, watching Su Ruhui’s back enter the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s courtyard and disappear under the wide, dark eaves of the examination hall. The communication compass in his waist pouch suddenly vibrated. He opened it, and Su Ruhui’s mischievous voice came through, “I’ll finish the exam at noon three days from now. I want to see you pick me up at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, otherwise, I’ll tear up my exam paper on the spot.”

“What does your tearing up the exam paper have to do with me?” Sang Chiyu’s voice was flat.

“Alright, it has nothing to do with you,” Su Ruhui said again, “Then I’ll write ‘Sang Chiyu loves me for ten thousand years’ on the paper.”

“…” Sang Chiyu’s indifferent face finally showed a crack. “I’ll come, don’t mess around.”

On the day the Imperial Astronomical Bureau exam ended, Su Ruhui handed in his paper an hour early, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He squatted at the main entrance, waiting for Sang Chiyu to pick him up. The sun was high, and Su Ruhui squatted under a crape myrtle tree, idly playing with a nine-ring puzzle. Zhou Xiaosu came to pick him up with servants, but he refused to leave. Zhou Xiaosu wondered, looking around, “Who are you waiting for, Senior Brother?”

Su Ruhui snorted, “Waiting for a snail that walks too slowly.”

A long time after noon, perhaps an hour, Sang Chiyu still hadn’t arrived.

He wasn’t someone who broke promises, Su Ruhui couldn’t understand why he had agreed but didn’t come. All the examinees from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had left, and there were few people in front of the gate, only an old dog basking in the sun. Su Ruhui and the dog stared at each other. Su Ruhui opened his compass; after staying in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for three days and two nights, his communication compass’s spirit stone had run out, making communication impossible. Zhou Xiaosu’s compass didn’t have Sang Chiyu’s talisman seal, so she couldn’t contact that guy at all.

Su Ruhui felt very depressed; Sang Chiyu didn’t care about him at all.

“Senior Brother, let’s go back. The person you’re waiting for definitely isn’t coming.” Zhou Xiaosu tugged his arm, “I’ve had someone prepare a big table of delicious food. Let’s go, I’m starving.”

Su Ruhui shaded his eyes and looked towards the palace city. People came and went on the street, but there was no sign of that cold, black-clad figure.

He really wasn’t coming. Su Ruhui was so angry that smoke seemed to rise from his head.

Sang Chiyu didn’t intentionally not come. That day was Tantai Jing’s birthday, and a banquet was held at the North Star Hall. He had originally swapped shifts with a colleague, freeing up a small half-hour at noon to pick up Su Ruhui. However, an assassin appeared at the birthday banquet, coming from the Black Street. For an assassin to infiltrate the North Star Hall, there must have been someone unclean within the Secret Sect. Sang Chiyu was ordered to investigate the case and had no time to pick up Su Ruhui. He couldn’t contact Su Ruhui, and although he had told Jiang Xueya to inform Su Ruhui that he had urgent matters, Jiang Xueya was as busy as he was and forgot about it.

Sang Chiyu found out that Gao Conglong, a co-judge of the Ministry of Military Affairs, had been deceived by a woman from Black Street, who introduced her into the palace city as an attendant, thus allowing this Black Street woman to infiltrate the North Star Hall to serve wine. Sang Chiyu arrested Gao Conglong and imprisoned him. By the time he was free, it was already late at night.

He walked through the alley, and the cold moonlight, like water, spilled onto his shoulders. Suddenly, an astronomical official hurriedly found him, saying with a bitter face, “Lord Sang, I finally found you. Please go and manage Young Master Su. He’s blocking the entrance of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and refuses to leave. Now the common people are all gathered around watching.”

Sang Chiyu was slightly stunned, “Why is he blocking the way?”

“He’s not really blocking the way… Sigh, anyway, he just refuses to leave.” The astronomical official said, “This subordinate heard that the Grand Master put Young Master Su under your care. Do you have any way to persuade him?”

Sang Chiyu hesitated. Su Ruhui had already left Lizhou and had already passed the Star Gazing examination. His task of supervising Su Ruhui was complete, and he didn’t need to bother with Su Ruhui’s affairs anymore. Moreover, Su Ruhui was like a plague, eroding people, polluting people, making people sick, making people bad. Sang Chiyu didn’t want to have too much involvement with him anymore.

“Lord Sang…” The astronomical official’s eyes were teary.

Sang Chiyu finally compromised and followed the astronomical official to see. When he rode his horse to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, he immediately saw a tent that had appeared out of nowhere in the open space in front of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Su Ruhui sat inside like a grand master, with a low table in front of him, covered with dishes. Zhou Xiaosu sat opposite him, looking speechless. The surrounding common people were three layers deep, pointing and gesturing at the inside. From time to time, a servant boy would squeeze through the crowd, holding up steaming hot dishes, shouting, “Dishes are served! Mushroom-flavored white jade abalone!”

Sang Chiyu didn’t expect this fellow to spend an afternoon at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and even set up a tent in front of their main gate. Sang Chiyu walked in. Su Ruhui saw him coming and smiled, raising his cup to him.

“Why is this?” Sang Chiyu’s long brows furrowed slightly.

Su Ruhui propped his chin, “Didn’t you say you’d pick me up? I’m a man of my word. If you don’t come, I’ll just have to wait here. I’m such a delicate young master, I can’t possibly stand foolishly in the open, exposed to the wind and sun, can I? So I set up a tent. And it just so happens I’m hungry, so I ordered some dishes from a nearby restaurant. Do you want to try some?”

Zhou Xiaosu rolled her eyes, “Senior Brother, you were waiting for him? I’m such an idiot, accompanying you here to make a fool of myself for so long!”

With that, Zhou Xiaosu left angrily.

“…” Sang Chiyu’s words carried a hint of helplessness, “Master was assassinated at the birthday banquet. I was ordered to investigate the case. I had already told your senior sister to inform you that I had urgent matters, but she must have forgotten.”

Su Ruhui was unhappy, “Urgent matters? Isn’t picking me up to go home an urgent matter?”

Sang Chiyu reached out his hand to him, “I’ll take you home.”

Su Ruhui started to act stubborn, “If you tell me to go, I go? Wouldn’t that make me lose face? I’m not going.”

Sang Chiyu frowned.

“I’m not going. You think of a way to coax me, and I’ll leave when I’m happy.” Su Ruhui refused to move.

Sang Chiyu didn’t buy into his act at all and said, “If you don’t go, I’ll beat you.”

Sang Chiyu was a man of his word; when he said he’d beat him, he really would.

Su Ruhui pouted, and Sang Chiyu reached out his hand again.

Su Ruhui reluctantly took his hand, and he pulled Su Ruhui up. They got on their horses. As they left, Su Ruhui pointed to a few children, “The dishes inside are all yours. Go quickly, eat them while they’re hot.”

The children cheered and scrambled into the tent to grab food.

At that time, there was no curfew, and Biandu was very lively at night. At the crossroads, there were fire-breathers and sugar painters. Tall houses stacked upwards, each room lit with brilliant candlelight like stars, and ethereal figures were framed in the window screens, like a lively shadow play.

The sound of horse hooves clattered as they rode their horses onto the elevated walkway, slowly moving along the path paved with red-lacquered wooden planks. Su Ruhui asked Sang Chiyu, “Why don’t you ask me how I did on the exam? You don’t care about me at all. I’m such a tall person, how small are your eyes that I can’t even enter them?”

Su Ruhui was being quite unreasonable today, but Sang Chiyu didn’t argue with him and asked as he wished, “How did you do on the exam?”

“I’m definitely first place.” Su Ruhui put on a proud and lazy smile, “I overestimated their questions. I should have known not to bother preparing so much.”

Sang Chiyu didn’t respond, and the two fell silent again. As long as Su Ruhui didn’t speak, Sang Chiyu would never initiate conversation.

Su Ruhui felt stifled and asked, “Why do you always ignore me? You clearly liked me so much when we were little, why did you change when you grew up?”

The candlelight along the way brushed past Sang Chiyu’s cheek, his outline blurred in the halo.

He looked ahead, his voice a little low, “Perhaps because you are too lucky.”

“Lucky?”

Sang Chiyu lowered his eyelashes, “If you want to be first, you can be first. If you want to win someone’s heart, you can win someone’s heart. Su Ruhui, heaven favors you. You should cherish it, not squander it recklessly.”

“What luck? That’s because I’m smart and likable.” Su Ruhui rode his horse alongside him, “Alright, alright, if you want to cultivate, I’ll cultivate with you. If you want to observe precepts, I’ll observe precepts with you. From now on, I, Su Ruhui, will mend my ways, honestly be an official, and live a proper life. Will you stop hating me, please?”

Sang Chiyu glanced at him, then looked away, not answering.

“Please, please?” Su Ruhui pressed on relentlessly.

In the end, Sang Chiyu still didn’t respond, so he had to give up. By the time they arrived home, he was too sleepy to keep his eyes open and fell unconscious as soon as he touched the bed. Sang Chiyu covered him with a quilt. In the lamplight, his sleeping face was peaceful, with a quiet handsomeness.

Sang Chiyu blew out the lamp and stood up, his wrist suddenly grabbed by Su Ruhui.

Su Ruhui mumbled in his sleep, “Please, please…”

Sang Chiyu sighed softly and placed his hand back under the quilt.

“Alright.”