activa-t Chapter 58 Classmate
Chapter 58 Classmate
Chapter 58 Classmate
Zhao Heng left the east wing and walked along the corridor toward the study.
The spring day was fine, and the trees outside the corridor were in bloom. Birds hopped from branch to branch, chirping intermittently. Passing through the moon gate and turning west, the secluded courtyard where the music room was located came into view.
As you approach, the sound of a flute drifts out.
The sound was intermittent, playing a simple melody, repeated several times, with occasional notes faltering or breaking off, then resuming and starting again. It sounded like practice, or perhaps a distracted audition.
Zhao Heng paused slightly outside the courtyard gate.
At the same time, the sound of the flute inside abruptly stopped.
Since Yuki-onna was already staying at the manor, the secluded courtyard where the music room was located was temporarily allocated to her alone. Although Lady Wu had suggested sending a maid to take care of her, Yuki-onna herself declined.
Madam Han also intended to arrange for maids, but Xue Nu politely declined.
The little girl may seem aloof and delicate, but she is not afraid of being alone.
Zhao Heng stood there for a moment. The courtyard was very quiet; the lingering sound of the flute seemed like an illusion.
He was originally going to walk straight past, but after a moment's thought, he changed direction, pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate, and went inside.
The doors and windows of the music room in the courtyard were open. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he caught a glimpse of a small, light blue figure by the window, which looked like a frightened deer. It quickly shrank back from the window and hid inside.
Seeing this, Zhao Heng couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.
Without stopping, he walked straight to the music room and pushed open the door.
The Snow Maiden sat upright behind her desk, her long, snow-white hair tied back with a light blue ribbon, revealing her fair neck. She held an open sheet of music, her eyes lowered as she intently looked at it, as if she had never left her seat.
She only raised her head appropriately when she heard the door open.
Upon seeing Zhao Heng, Xue Nu was slightly flustered. After hesitating for a moment, she calmly asked, "Is there a flute lesson scheduled for today?"
Zhao Heng walked to the table, but instead of answering her question, he asked, "Besides sheet music, have you ever seriously read any books?"
How many characters do you know?
Xue Nu was taken aback by his question, but after spending a few days with him, she gradually got used to Zhao Heng's two-faced behavior: he was only docile in front of Madam Han, but quite domineering in private. So she honestly replied, "When I was young, Aunt Wu had someone teach me to read. I read some chapters of the Book of Poetry and some miscellaneous notes. But I don't know many characters yet, and I read slowly."
Zhao Heng nodded.
"It's rather boring to stay cooped up here all day," he said. "Come with me to the study. There are many books there. You can pick some that interest you to read. If you don't understand any words or phrases, you can ask me anytime. It's much better than being here alone with a sheet of music or just staring at four empty walls."
The Snow Maiden was completely taken aback by Zhao Heng's invitation and was momentarily stunned.
Even if Zhao truly believed she was from a respectable family, she was still just a commoner, yet she was able to enter the prince's study and study with him.
A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, followed by a touch of wariness, like a small animal that had sensed an unknown trap.
Seeing that she remained silent, Zhao Heng did not explain further, but simply said, "Come with me," and turned to walk towards the door.
The Snow Woman subconsciously stood up, but still holding the sheet music in her hand, she hesitated and did not immediately follow.
Zhao Heng took a few steps, then turned back and saw that she was still in the same place, so he raised his eyebrows slightly.
"What? Are you still afraid of me?"
The snow woman's face flushed red instantly.
It wasn't a blush of shyness, but rather a blush of annoyance at being caught out, spreading from the roots of her ears and quickly covering her fair cheeks.
Her light blue eyes widened for a moment as she stared at Zhao Heng. Then, as if her competitive spirit had been aroused, she wrinkled her small nose slightly, gave a low "humph," and then, as if in a fit of pique, actually took a step forward, even stepping across the threshold before Zhao Heng could.
However, after walking a few quick steps, Xue Nu realized that she had no idea where the study was, so she stopped and turned her back to Zhao Heng, refusing to turn around, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Zhao smiled as he looked at the little girl's rather stubborn back.
He stopped teasing her, walked a few steps in front of her, and glanced at her sideways.
The snow woman immediately turned her face away, giving him only a cool and slightly flushed cheek.
"This way."
Zhao found it quite amusing and walked ahead at a leisurely pace. Xue Nu followed half a step behind him, clutching the rolled-up sheet music with a slightly pouty expression, her head down, staring at the blue bricks beneath her feet, and they remained silent the whole way.
The days passed by.
In the past few days, Master Ban has practically made the east wing his workshop and residence, rarely going out. Even Madam Han only paid him a courtesy visit once.
However, Master Xu was afraid of disturbing Zhao, so he had him move to the east wing to live with him. Zhao Heng then had someone set up a bed for Master Ban and added candles. The old man really ate and slept there, and almost never left his room except for necessary trips to the toilet.
The sounds of sawing, planing, and hammering filled the air all day long, sometimes accompanied by low-pitched mutterings to themselves; they were so engrossed in their work that they forgot to eat and sleep.
Master Xu, on the other hand, had some free time. He spent a fixed amount of time each day in his study explaining the meaning of the Mozi classic and some other popular classics to Zhao Heng, which could be considered as temporarily taking over the role of teacher.
At first, only Zhao Heng listened to the lecture, but later a small seat was added next to the table.
When Xue Nu first followed Zhao Heng into the study, she was a little unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. Fortunately, Master Xu readily agreed to Zhao Heng's request to teach Xue Nu as well, without the slightest hesitation, which made Xue Nu feel a little flustered.
Thus, the Snow Maiden was given that small seat, located to the side and behind Zhao Heng.
At first, Xue Nu was nervous and only dared to stare at the blank wooden plaque that Zhao Heng had given her on her knee, saying that she could write down anything she didn't understand.
However, Master Xu was not rigid in his teaching. His words were profound yet easy to understand, so Xue Nu gradually relaxed and even dared to imitate Zhao Heng, raising her head to listen attentively to Master Xu's lecture.
She didn't recognize many characters. When Master Xu mentioned certain allusions, names of people, or place names, she would secretly draw symbols on the wooden tablet that only she could recognize.
Although Zhao Heng mostly listened quietly, his occasional questions were often insightful and to the point, drawing praise from Master Xu and making him more cheerful during lectures.
On this day, Zhao Heng went to the east courtyard ahead of time to inform Master Ban and Master Xu that he would be away from home for the entire day the next day and might not be in the mansion at all. He asked if there was anything he needed to arrange.
Meanwhile, Master Ban's spinning machine had entered the initial testing phase, and all the questions that needed to be asked had already been answered. As a natural-born master of mechanical devices, he no longer needed Zhao Heng to answer his questions from time to time; and Master Xu was even less likely to interfere with Zhao Heng's freedom.
So the two of them simply told Zhao Heng to go about his business and to be careful when he went out.
The next morning, before dawn, the study in the front courtyard of Lord Chunping's residence was already lit.
When Zhao Heng pushed open the door, Meng Ben and Gongsun Yang were already waiting inside. Meng Ben, with a long sword at his waist, paced back and forth. Gongsun Yang, on the other hand, sat behind a desk with several scrolls of bamboo slips spread out in front of him, holding a pen in his hand, seemingly checking something.
Upon seeing Zhao Heng enter, Gongsun Yang immediately stood up.
"Young Master," Meng Ben said, bowing, "Ji Cheng and Luan Ding have succeeded. As you instructed, invite them to an abandoned farmhouse by the Ming River outside the north city. The place is secluded, and there is no one nearby. The people have been settled in, and no one has noticed."
Zhao Heng nodded, walked to the main seat and sat down, looking at Gongsun Yang.
Gongsun Yang bowed and said, "Young Master, I have sorted out all the affairs of the manor. This is the daily expense list that Zhao Su needs to report to the Madam today, this is the calculation of the retainers' salaries, and this is—"
"You can handle these things as usual. You will stay in the mansion today, as I have other matters to instruct you on."
Gongsun Yang immediately became solemn: "Young Master, please give your orders."
"I have already spoken to Madam Fu. If anyone in the manor asks about me today, just say that I went to Zuiyue Tower at the invitation of Miss Zi Nu to discuss some matters. Madam Fu knows how to speak to her mother; just act accordingly."
"I have noted it down."
"Furthermore," Zhao Heng's tone deepened, "if I haven't returned home by dusk, you must immediately arrange to go to Zuiyue Tower yourself. Just tell Zi Nu one thing—Zhao Heng is in trouble; please lend a hand. Afterwards, you will be rewarded with a generous gift no less than before." If she asks for details, tell her everything about Wu Ji. She will understand.
Gongsun Yang didn't ask further questions, but cautiously inquired, "What if Miss Zi Nu is unwilling to take action?"
Zhao Heng calmly said, "You should return immediately. There's no need to cause trouble, but you must inform your mother right away that I've encountered danger outside, and ask her to quickly ask Lord Xinling or General Li Mu to search for me. However, unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to alarm others."
"I will remember this carefully and will not dare to make a single mistake."
"Alright." Zhao Heng stood up. "Go ahead. I'm entrusting the affairs of the manor to you today."
Gongsun Yang bowed again, backed out of the study, and gently closed the door behind him.
Zhao Heng turned and walked into the inner room. He changed into a dark gray coarse linen shorts, then loosened his hair and casually tied it back with a simple strip of cloth, leaving some stray hairs on his forehead.
In the bronze mirror, the Zhao prince in his brocade robes and jade crown was gone, replaced by a handsome young man from the marketplace.
Meng Ben silently handed him a dark cloak. Zhao Heng took it, put it on, and pulled up the hood to cover most of his face.
The two then walked lightly, one after the other, through the quiet, deserted corridor in the early morning, around the narrow alley behind the kitchen where firewood was piled up, and arrived at a side door that was usually not opened much when transporting miscellaneous items.
Outside the gate was a back alley, where a very ordinary blue-canopied carriage was parked not far away, with a man driving it.
Meng Ben helped Zhao Heng quickly get into the carriage, then took over the driver's seat and let the man into the carriage as well.
The carriage wound its way through the streets and alleys, finally entering the back alley of Zuiyue Tower. It was quiet here in the early morning; the music hall was bustling at night, but deserted during the day. The carriage entered through an inconspicuous side gate and disappeared within the courtyard walls.
A moment later, another similar-looking blue-canopied carriage drove out, but the driver was the same man who had just entered the carriage.
The carriage drove out of the courtyard, turned into another alley, and headed towards the city gate.