[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful":3,"chapter-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-8":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Even a Gentleman Must Be Careful",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2268628,4429,"Chapter 8: Eight: Yang Lianghan, Who Shuns Women","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>Eight: Yang Lianghan, Who Shuns Women\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, the dining hall before him wasn’t very large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in Ouyang Rong’s eyes, who had been bombarded by photos of countless living Buddhas preaching with their own bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was bulging full, and right there at his fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the first thing he saw, it indeed filled most of his vision, causing even the most upright gentlemen to lapse into brief contemplation—then… he sternly asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “breasts” jolted in fright and pulled back, the girl knelt down obediently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I came in to bring you a hot water bag to warm your bedding. But I saw you dozing off leaning against the pillow, so I thought to help you lie down for a more comfortable sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ban… Xi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This maid’s accent sounded odd to his aunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong looked down at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid wore a blue high-waisted ruqun, tied with a pale red sash. Though named Ban Xi, her figure was well-proportioned—not slender at all—but now she knelt meekly at his feet, eyes lowered, her delicate face painted with fine eyebrows; the name wasn’t ill-chosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are you from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Silla.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong instantly understood: she was a Silla maid. His aunt really did spend lavishly to keep up with trends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Tang court’s struggle over imperial succession raged fiercely, and the capital’s court was never peaceful for a day, Luoyang city itself displayed a scene of prosperous glory, with myriad nations paying tribute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Tang Dynasty’s confidence: after centuries of division between North and South and massive Han-Yi integration, this newly unified dynasty towered above its neighboring barbarian states in national strength, with unmatched cultural, military, and economic dominance—an unquestioned Celestial Empire ruling the Four Quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, it was an outwardly expansionist universal empire, radiating powerful Huaxia culture abroad—properly called an “Empire,” especially its border armies, ever the vanguard of imperial expansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how Silla maids came to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Emperor Gaozong of the Great Tang was still alive, the current Empress Wei had not yet taken the throne as regent; she was still Empress Consort, and the couple were jointly known as the “Two Holy Ones,” governing together. When Emperor Gaozong fell gravely ill, state affairs gradually slipped into the Empress’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, the Eastern Barbarians consisted of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, locked in constant warfare. The weakest, Silla, pursued distant alliances and near-conquest, allying with the Great Tang. Though aging, Empress Wei remained ambitious and forceful; wherever her finger pointed, Tang iron cavalry and Qi-refining swordsmen crushed Goguryeo and Baekje, establishing the An Dong Protectorate and installing Silla as ruler of the Eastern Barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless women from Goguryeo and Baekje became slaves of the Tang people; even Silla, now submissive and paying tribute, saw countless Silla women leave their ruined, desolate Eastern lands to become slaves in the admired glory of the Great Tang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These women were called either Silla maids or Goryeo concubines. Because the Eastern Barbarians, long near the Central Plains, had long absorbed Confucian culture, Silla maids were gentle, obedient, diligent, capable, with fair skin and round faces… they quickly won favor and admiration among the Tang—and later, Zhou—elite, becoming highly sought-after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silla maids, alongside Bodhisattva Barbarians, Kunlun slaves, and Western Region concubines, became the “Four Treasures of Luoyang Aristocrats’ Display of Wealth…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong couldn’t help but glance again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s my aunt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She went to burn incense for you. She said the incense at Donglin Temple is efficacious, and she’s praying fervently for your blessings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get up. My aunt isn’t here—you don’t need to kneel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi rose lightly, holding out the hot water bag with both hands. She kept her head lowered; the skin of her neck, exposed by the slanted collar of her ru garment, had turned red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong took it, casually shoved it into the bedding, then noticed Ban Xi still standing there, not leaving. He glanced toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given his aunt’s nature, her maids would never dare sneak in to disturb him—and linger—without her knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to exploit my weakness? Hmph. If not for the Merit Pagoda, I’d have truly lost “everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong sighed deeply, preparing to let her witness firsthand what “Yang Lianghan, who shuns women,” meant—using his righteous qi to drive her away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the words stuck in his throat; he changed his mind: “Extend your hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Silla maid flinched, darting a quick glance at the gloomy “Tán láng” on the bed, then shyly extended her hand, whispering softly: “My lord…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ouyang Rong had no patience for hesitation—he snatched her hand, held it still for three breaths, then slightly raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sound of the wooden fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong looked up; the little maid quickly turned her head, but the admiration and anticipation in her eyes didn’t escape him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned slightly, as if weighing his words, then said solemnly: “Next… you’ll need to cooperate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi nodded immediately, then realized she’d nodded too fast—quickly shook her head twice—but then thought better of being coy, and nodded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, nod or shake your head?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong frowned. “Then, your Silla custom for nodding should be the same as ours in the Great Tang, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong sighed helplessly. “Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her flushed face whispered: “It’s the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong gripped her hand, face serious: “Alright. Next, follow me. We’re going to play a special game. Don’t be too afraid—it’s just a game. Afterwards, we’ll pretend nothing happened…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi nodded like a sparrow pecking grain. She felt like she could barely breathe, her head spinning… She’d become a scheming maid who lured her master, woe is me—but why… she wasn’t sad at all? In fact, she was a little happy! Yes, it must be because her lord’s face was too handsome, especially with this scholarly, perpetually melancholic sickly beauty… woe, she couldn’t hold back—she wanted to crush him into her arms… Oh, why wasn’t he acting yet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong watched her expectantly: “Can you try to feel deep revulsion, intense hatred, utter disgust toward me? Imagine I’m a villain trying to defile your purity, and you swear to resist to the death—yet I bind you, rendering you immobile, then I reach out and touch you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman eavesdropping outside: “???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What strange fetish does Tán láng have? Having played the upright gentleman too long, he wants to experience the thrill of a debauched noble forcing himself on a virtuous woman, right?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, both women inside and outside the room felt their brains were overloaded…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong saw the Silla maid staring at him, mouth slightly open, clearly stunned. “Uh… why aren’t you speaking? Why are you glaring at me like that… hey, I’m not a pervert.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He merely wanted to test whether violating a woman’s will through physical contact would deduct merit—and thus probe the underlying logic of the Merit Pagoda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, forget it. Go out. I need… to be alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong sighed, released her hand, and lay back in bed, his face etched with “utter boredom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t expect that Ban Xi, seeing his lifeless expression, became even more convinced of her earlier conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Silla maid from a distant land stood by the bed, hesitating to speak, as if wanting to say: “My lord, role-playing the wicked noble and the chaste maiden isn’t impossible—but don’t stuff a gag in my mouth, don’t tie me up, don’t spank me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ouyang Rong had no interest in listening—he waved his hand, dismissing the maid, who looked back with reluctance and regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Sanhui Courtyard, once away from the house, Zhen Shi and Ban Xi stood under the eaves, staring at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi couldn’t hold back: “Lady, did you hear? My lord’s request… it frightened me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Shi’s face was stern. “Afraid of what? Tán láng was just teasing you. You took it seriously? Think: is it even possible? He simply finds you too plain and unattractive—and being kind, he didn’t want to refuse outright, so he made up an excuse. Men who dislike a woman always have countless excuses. Enough, enough. Go now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi’s eyes grew red. She lowered her head, murmured “Yes,” clenched her fingers together, and withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember!” Zhen Shi suddenly called out, not turning back, her voice cold: “Nothing happened in that room today. Tán láng didn’t say a word to you. You heard nothing! No one outside will ever know of this—otherwise…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Xi immediately prostrated herself, bowing her head and swearing silence. Zhen Shi gave a light snort, broke off a green willow branch extending from the corridor, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once she was far away, Zhen Shi’s calm, composed expression instantly collapsed. Unconsciously, she wound the broken willow around her index finger, frowning in worry:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What to do, what to do? It’s all because I repressed him too harshly when he was studying. Look how twisted he’s become—his tastes have grown so perverse…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the lady in her silk skirt clasped her chest and sighed deeply: “Ah, well, at least there’s good news—he likes women, not… men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She flung the broken willow twigs from her palm: “Forget it. As long as he marries a woman from the Five Surnames and continues the family line, his bedroom tastes… let him have his way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And this Ban Xi? Too weak-willed, too timid, too clever but indecisive—she can’t hold Tán láng’s heart. Soon, I must place a suitable beautiful maid in his room—to warm his bed, entertain him, let him do whatever he pleases—as long as it stays secret!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Shi stood quietly on the corridor for a moment. Before leaving, she turned and glanced at a peach blossom branch protruding over the high red wall, muttering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Logically, even by land, he’d only be a few days behind the water route—why hasn’t he arrived yet? If he doesn’t come soon, Tán láng will be leaving the mountain…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nightfall. Sanhui Courtyard. Dinner table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong and Zhen Shi sat at a round table eating. Ban Xi, with a red mark on her forehead, served with several maids, ladling rice and picking dishes for the aunt and nephew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one spoke. Faces were calm, as if the morning’s events had never occurred. Ouyang Rong quietly glanced at Ban Xi’s forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, there was little to say at dinner. In this era, one did not speak while eating or lie down in silence—unless it was something important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, dinner ended. Zhen Shi gave Ouyang Rong a few caring reminders, then left with Ban Xi and the others. Ouyang Rong saw them to the courtyard gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tán láng, go rest well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You too, Aunt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late again, Ouyang Rong woke. He rolled over, instinctively reaching under his pillow, fumbling blindly—only to find it empty. He realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you feeling for? No phone now… I must’ve slept too soundly.” He muttered, smiled bitterly: “But if you want to touch a girl, you could’ve touched one during the day—so why didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong turned over, lying on his back in darkness, staring at the black ceiling, recalling Ban Xi’s incident, and Zhen Shi’s silent but ever-present longing for a noblewoman of the Five Surnames to glorify the family. He understood all these women’s subtle thoughts—but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry. I still want to go home. I don’t want attachments.” A quiet sigh in the dark, then a whisper: “Is there anyone whose merit is complete, whose flesh has become a Buddha, ascending to the Pure Land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ouyang Rong suddenly sat up, rolled off the bed, dressed quietly, and fixed his gaze on the moonlight before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would go to the Pure Land Palace again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>",1960,"2026-06-19T21:28:25.445Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","13b6057831407d3bb7cc08e5776f5c7042ea23850dd353a34413b14539a21d84","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-9","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-7",864,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feven-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-cover.jpg"]