Chapter 184: Want to Do Many Things to You

Nan Xueyin stood before the bookshelf and looked back.

She did not speak, but Xiao Youlan saw the calligraphy on the wall nearby, as well as the stack of rice paper that had clearly been looked through by her, and smiled slightly, "So you were looking at this."

He walked forward, "You wrote all of these, and you just crumpled them into balls and threw them into the wastebasket. After you left, I found them in your room and unfolded and smoothed them all out."

He had already reached Nan Xueyin's side.

Nan Xueyin opened her arms, wrapped them around his waist, tilted her face up, and asked, "Did you cry?"

Xiao Youlan's eyes curved, "What is it? Does your heart ache?"

Nan Xueyin nodded, "Mm, it aches."

She added, "And I have some other thoughts."

"What thoughts?"

Nan Xueyin leaned in and kissed his lips, "I want to see what the Crown Prince looks like when he sheds tears."

Xiao Youlan laughed, "If there is a chance, I will certainly cry for you to see."

Nan Xueyin laughed along with him.

"I heard from Uncle that you appeared on the roof of the Nan Family in the middle of the night?"

"Mm, at the time, I wanted to first scout out what the situation at the Nan Family was."

"That's true, little Xue has always been careful and cautious."

Nan Xueyin added, "And firm."

"How so?"

"I was taken away by Xiao Mingyu; he had people hypnotize and brainwash me, wanting me to forget you and stay by his side with peace of mind from then on."

Xiao Youlan was slightly stunned; he had never imagined that such a thing had happened.

"However, he did not succeed. No matter how he tortured me, you were always in my head. Later, I even played along to get him to remove the Gu Poison in my body. He gained nothing."

"Little Xue is clever." Xiao Youlan did not stint on his praise.

"That is only natural; if I weren't a little clever, how could I have been liked by the Crown Prince?" As she spoke, Nan Xueyin patted Xiao Youlan's bottom through his clothing.

Xiao Youlan was slightly stunned, a mischievous smile blooming in his eyes.

Just as he was about to kiss her deeply, Nan Xueyin stepped back half a pace, "Speaking of writing, you should write three pieces of calligraphy for me too."

She remembered this matter now and was worried she would forget it after a while.

Xiao Youlan did not get to kiss her and felt a tiny bit of disappointment, but he was not angry and asked patiently, "What do you want me to write?"

Nan Xueyin thought for a moment, "Write something encouraging. I have a little cousin who likes you very much."

"Uncle's daughter?"

"Mm, her name is Nan Lizhu," Nan Xueyin said, "When I was at the Nan Family, she would chatter about you in my ear every day. She said you ranked first in her heart, and I could only rank second."

"She doesn't know you've captured me?" Xiao Youlan raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't told her yet." As she spoke, Nan Xueyin began rummaging through things on the bookshelf.

Xiao Youlan walked up and asked her, "What are you looking for?"

Nan Xueyin replied, "Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Xiao Youlan took her hand, "They aren't on the bookshelf, come here."

Nan Xueyin followed him obediently toward the desk.

Xiao Youlan made a suggestion, "Let's continue to keep our affair a secret from your little cousin; when she comes to Fengdu next time, we will let her see me then."

Nan Xueyin could not help but exclaim, "The Crown Prince is so wicked."

Xiao Youlan looked at her deeply, "I thought little Xue would like wicked."

Nan Xueyin said amusedly, "Your mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter; do you know that you weren't like this before?"

Having reached the desk, Xiao Youlan did not let go of her, spread out the paper with one hand, and replied, "People always grow. The Xiao Youlan of now is no longer the Crown Prince of the past."

Nan Xueyin could not help but laugh out loud.

Xiao Youlan slightly released her hand at this moment; the ink previously ground was already used up, and he had to grind some new ink.

"I'll do it." Nan Xueyin took the initiative to roll up her sleeves.

"Good."

Xiao Youlan picked a wolf-hair brush from the rack and waited patiently for Nan Xueyin.

Having to wait a moment, Xiao Youlan suddenly asked, "Have you ground ink for Xiao Mingyu?"

Nan Xueyin did not even think, "I have. What is it, jealous?"

"A little."

"I even slapped him across the face," Nan Xueyin raised her eyebrows, "Do you want to try that too?"

Xiao Youlan let out a laugh, "That works too."

"In your dreams," Nan Xueyin put down the ink stick, "Alright, write."

Xiao Youlan obediently took the brush, "What should I write for the first one?"

Nan Xueyin thought simply, "Write her name, Nan Lizhu."

"Good."

Xiao Youlan wielded the brush deftly and finished the three characters in one go.

Nan Xueyin signaled, "Write your name at the very end."

Xiao Youlan did as she asked, "Let's add a seal too."

The Crown Prince's precious seal—without a second thought, he pressed it onto the paper.

Nan Xueyin was knowledgeable and knew that with this, the paper now held extraordinary significance; it would basically be worth a thousand gold pieces among the common people.

In other words, Nan Lizhu possessed Xiao Youlan's calligraphy, and even if it were only one sheet, she would be provided for for the rest of her life.

Afterward, Xiao Youlan wrote two more sheets; one was written with "Longevity and Spring Radiance," which Xiao Youlan had thought of, and the last one was something Nan Xueyin had flipped through a book to find: "Spirit like an orchid, forever unchanging."

The three scrolls were finished, and Nan Xueyin admired them back and forth, "Your calligraphy is truly beautiful; had I known, I would have had you write one for me as well."

Xiao Youlan was tidying up his things and, hearing this, smiled: "If you want one, I can write one for you at any time. You can have me write whatever you like."

Nan Xueyin still lowered her eyes to look at that "Spirit like an orchid, forever unchanging," whispering softly: "At any time, really..."

Xiao Youlan watched her earnest appearance for a moment, his heart stirred, and he raised his hand to stroke her cheek.

However, his hand had not been wiped clean, and the ink staining his fingertips smeared onto Nan Xueyin's face.

Xiao Youlan's hand paused.

Nan Xueyin had not yet realized this and turned her head to look over.

Her features were naturally charming, yet there was a smudge of black on the left side of her face, and her expression was still very bewildered, like a precious cat that had wandered in by mistake.

Xiao Youlan could not help himself and lowered his head to kiss the corner of her mouth.

He lowered his voice: "Little Xue, in a little while, let us get married."

Nan Xueyin lifted her face, "I am currently the niece of the Qingzhou Chief Clerk; is that enough to qualify me to be your Crown Princess?"

"It is still a little short for now; the Qingzhou Chief Clerk is not a very high-ranking official," Xiao Youlan said with sincerity, "but Uncle has performed meritorious service and can be promoted based on this achievement. I discussed it with him today; once Xiao Mingyu is dealt with, I will have him enter the Supervisory Court."

Nan Xueyin pursed her lips and asked: "You are promoting Uncle because of me?"

Xiao Youlan shook his head: "Not entirely. Your uncle was a top-three-rank imperial scholar back in the day, overflowing with talent and possessing true learning. Listening to him speak of those years in Qingzhou, I feel he is a conscientious official who is beloved by the common people. Such a person should have been promoted long ago; it was only that Xiao Mingyu's people kept obstructing it. Entering the Supervisory Court is what Uncle deserves."

It is different from Emperor Yongzheng.

Emperor Yongzheng is an emperor who cares deeply about family lineage; that is to say, when he promotes or reuses an official, the first and most important thing he looks at is the person's surname, which family they come from, whose descendant they are, or whether they have received instruction and recommendations from a certain great Confucian scholar.

As a result, the majority of officials in the imperial court are connected by nepotism; everyone basically knows everyone else. A better point of this is that relationships are stable, but the flaws are also obvious: officials shield one another, deceiving those above and hiding the truth from those below.

Over these years, Xiao Youlan has been intentionally or unintentionally promoting and reusing scholars from humble backgrounds—those without family status or backing, but who possess ambition and talent. He has entrusted them with heavy responsibilities and provided them with support.

The Qingzhou Sima is one of them.

Now, Nan Jiyun has also joined in.

Nan Xueyin realized a beat late that Xiao Youlan intended to use the evidence of crimes that Nan Jiyun held to bring down Xiao Mingyu.

This was clearly a great meritorious deed.

She nodded, then remembered an important matter and asked: "You went to see the Emperor just now; how is he? Has he woken up?"

"No, he will likely be unconscious for a few hours."

"You are not staying there to watch over him?"

"If I were to stay there, certain people would have no opportunity to make their little moves," Xiao Youlan said softly, "besides, I wanted to come back to see you."

Nan Xueyin teased: "Only to see me?"

Xiao Youlan answered honestly: "Not only to see you, but also to do many things to you..."