Chapter 1: Green Bamboo Courtyard
The man in the bed opened his eyes in a daze, and after a minute, his eyes became clear. Xia Qian’an lay on the bed and looked around. Knowing that it was still not his own room, he got up slowly. According to the memory of the original body, he picked up the clothes at the head of the bed and put them on patiently.
Xia Qian’an, the illegitimate son of a modern rich family, suffered from social anxiety. He had a good life. He didn’t expect to pa.s.s through to the ancient times and into the body of the son of a prince.
Xia Qian’an came here three days ago. He received some memories of the original owner. Originally called Xia Qian’an, he was cowardly and had a sister of the same mother, but neither his sister nor his mother liked him.
The original owner was fifteen years old, but there were no women around him. Just thinking of this, Xia Qian’an was very happy. As far as his condition was concerned, having no one around him was the best situation.
After getting dressed, Xia Qian’an called Chunyu, a servant girl.
Hearing the voice of the seventh Young Master, Chunyu pushed the door open and held the toiletries in her hand. After the seventh Young Master finished washing, Chunyu approached to help him tie up his hair.
When Chunyu approached, Xia Qian’an’s body was obviously stiff, with a strong sense of rejection. He snapped out of it quickly, and there was no expression on his face. After a few minutes, Xia Qian’an got up immediately and kept quiet to keep away from her.
Starting tomorrow, he would comb his hair by himself. Anyway, he had almost learned how to do it himself. Although he couldn’t compare with Chunyu’s craftsmanship, he was in his own courtyard. He didn’t need to be so particular.
After washing, Xia Qian’an followed Chunyu to the main courtyard for breakfast.
Xia Qian’an was not favored, and he lived in the most remote yard of the royal palace. There were only four servants, and he was treated the worst at meals than other princes. But now, in Xia Qian’an’s eyes, it was good to be able to fill his stomach.
“You don’t have to wait on me if you don’t have my orders.” Xia Qian’an’s tone was flat, and there was no expression on his face.
“Yes, seventh Young Master.”
The four people respectfully said this, and Chunyu’s eyes flashed with a trace of doubt, feeling that the seventh Young Master was a little different. Was it an illusion?
Few people came to his yard. After they were told to go away, Xia Qian’an began to get familiar with the environment. Even though it was the royal family, the most remote part of the palace was a courtyard. The best room in the courtyard was Xia Qian’an’s bedroom, and the small side room was his study.
There were not too many decorations in the room, it seemed empty, but Xia Qian’an didn’t care at all. Xia Qian’an walked to the gate of the courtyard. After going out, he left the Green Bamboo Courtyard. Looking out from the gate, he could see some servants.
Xia Qian’an turned a little pale and turned back quickly.
He went into the study, towards the small bookshelf, and as his eyes swept around, he found an ancient guqin.
Xia Qian’an’s eyes brightened when he saw the guqin, but it was a little high!
“…An Jiu.” 1 Xia Qian’an whispered, remembering that there was a shadow guard following him, but the original body rarely asked him to come out.
Just as Xia Qian’an’s voice stopped, a man in black suddenly appeared.
“Master.” An Jiu knelt on one knee, head down, in a respectful way.
Although ready, An Jiu’s’s sudden appearance still scared Xia Qian’an. Xia Qian’an screamed and stepped back half a step.
Even though Xia Qian’an’s voice was lowered, An Jiu could still hear clearly, and knowing that his master was frightened because of him, An Jiu’s head lowered even more. “I must die for my crimes. Please punish me.”
“No… It’s okay. You get up first. “Xia Qian’an stood still, calming his breathing.
“Yes, master.” An Jiu respectfully answered and stood up, head still slightly lowered.
After An Jiu stood up, Xia Qian’an realized that he was a head taller than himself, so Xia Qian’an could easily see his face. His face was cold, expressionless, and there was deference in his eyes.
An Jiu stood in front of his new master and let him look. Yes, the day after Xia Qian’an had crossed over, An Jiu knew that his master in front of him was not his former one. An Jiu had been following his master since he was ten years old. The real master was a little cowardly and had an inferiority complex that showed in his eyes. This master disliked contact with others and liked to be alone. His temperament was similar to that of other Young Masters in the mansion.
In short, An Jiu knew that the person in front of him was not his former master. Although his body was, he was not the same in essence. However, An Jiu had no idea how. In any case, he was his master’s shadow guard, which would not change.
“Er… Help me take that guqin down.” Xia Qian’an said as calmly as he could, but his voice went a little higher, and he tried to keep his tone fixed.
“Yes, master.” An Jiu went over and took down the guqin on the wall.
Xia Qian’an looked at An Jiu, who grabbed the guqin easily, with a blank expression.
It’d be okay, wasn’t it too heavy? He was much taller here, though.
“Master.” An Jiu held the guqin carefully and respectfully. He meant it as, ”Master, where is the guqin going?” But Xia Qian’an understood it as ”Master, the guqin has been taken down, do you want to take it yourself?”
The brain waves of master and servant were not connected correctly, so Xia Qian’an became unlucky. Xia Qian’an took the guqin, but he didn’t expect it to be so heavy. He stumbled forward. Fortunately, An Jiu moved quickly. He took over the guqin with one hand and pulled up his master with the other hand to prevent him from falling.
“Uh… It hurts…”
Xia Qian’an b.u.mped into An Jiu’s chest, which was broadly built. He b.u.mped his nose, which was a little sore now, and even his head was a bit dizzy. It was not good to not to deal with injuries.
“Master, this subordinate…”
An Jiu wanted to kneel down, but it made Xia Qian’an dizzier, and with his head throbbing, he used his hands to grasp the clothes of the man in front of him.
“Ugh… Don’t move. You’re making me dizzy.”” Xia Qian’an’s voice showed he was a little uncomfortable. When An Jiu heard the words, he didn’t move, and his eyes were full of self-blame. An Jiu had the guqin in his right hand, and his left hand was empty to prevent his master from falling.
A minute later, Xia Qian’an calmed down and realized that he was still in An Jiu’s arms. His ears were slightly red, and he got up quickly, putting a distance between him and An Jiu.
“Just put the guqin on the table…””
An Jiu looked at his master, then quickly bowed his head and said respectfully, “Yes, master.”
After that, he flashed back to the shadows. A shadow guard should stay in the shadows. Only when his master ordered something would they come out.
Xia Qian’an rubbed his temples, but he still felt a little dizzy. Just now, he b.u.mped his head again, and his head was swollen. After a while, Xia Qian’an sat on the low couch beside the desk, straightened out the guqin, took the white cloth beside it, and slowly wiped off a little dust on the guqin.
The original master hadn’t touched the guqin for some days. Xia Qian’an played the strings at will and thought about it. He couldn’t seem to find the original master’s music from his memory, so he played a better one at will.
Although Xia Qian’an was an illegitimate son, he was also a rich and n.o.ble son in terms of ident.i.ty. His family will not be harsh towards him. Besides, there were no big waves due to Xia Qian’an’s disorder. He was part of the family, so Xia Qian’an began to learn all kinds of skills from childhood. Playing guqin was one of them.
Xia Qian’an stopped playing one, put the guqin in place, and went to the bookshelf to look for some books. The characters of this dynasty were similar to those of modern times. Xia Qian’an could basically understand them.
“Seventh Young Master, it’s time to eat.” The sound of Dongjì Xue’s voice came from outside.
Xia Qian’an was a person who couldn’t help himself once he entered his own world without any interference from the outside world, so he didn’t hear anything and still sat at his desk reading.
“Seventh Young Master…” The person on the other side of the door was quiet for tens of seconds, then the voice rang again, this time with some doubts in the tone. She remembered that the seventh Young Master had been in the study a little bit ago.
“Master.” An Jiu called from the shadows, realizing that his master might not have heard, and then came out without permission.
“…” Xia Qian’an still didn’t hear anything and read happily.
“Master…”
“…”
An Jiu scratched his head, his master still gave no response, An Jiu hesitated for a while, and then stretched out his hand to take the book out of his hand.
The book in his hand was gone, so Xia Qian’an blinked. When he came back to his senses, he saw An Jiu kneeling in front of him.
“… What’s up? “Asked Xia Qian’an.
“Master…”
“Seventh Young Master, it’s time to eat.” The voice of Dongjì Xue rang again.
“I see.” When Xia Qian’an heard it, his reply was a little louder.
“It’s okay… If this happens again… Just take what I have in my hand… Just take it away.” Xia Qian’an felt a little guilty. It seemed that he should pay more attention to what troubles he may get into here.
“Yes, master.”
“An Jiu, you don’t have to kneel every time you appear.”
“Master, the ceremony must not be abandoned.” An Jiu bowed his head and said, his tone firm without any ups and downs.
“But it’s very troublesome. No, you don’t have to kneel in this Green Bamboo Courtyard.” Xia Qian’an thought about it. He was not used to the fact that every time he appeared, he would kneel and talk to him.
An Jiu gave him a different feeling from other people when he and An Jiu were near each other, he felt no repulsion towards An Jiu.
“Master, this is not…”
“An Jiu, you must obey.” Xia Qian’an commanded, expressionless.
“Yes, master.” He didn’t feel that his master was angry, but An Jiu still should listen. His master’s words couldn’t be refuted.
After reaching his goal, Xia Qian’an went to lunch with no expression on his face and great pleasure in his heart. An Jiu was also hidden in the shadows.