âHuhu, stop being rude!â Kong Nanwu gave the little fox an impatient look. Then, she looked toward Zu An apologetically with her beautiful eyes. âIâm sorry, young master Ah Zu, my maid here lacks discipline. Right, I believe Iâm a well-read person as well, but I donât think Iâve ever heard of these âStrange Talesâ before. May I ask where the young master obtained this book?â
Zu An didnât really mind the little foxâs offense. After all, her current form was just way too adorable. He replied, âIn my earlier years, I encountered an old sir named Pu Songling[1]. He told me all kinds of strange stories, so I remembered them and recorded them down. Iâm now gifting the lady with a copy and hope that itâs to your liking.â
While he had been bored in the Eastern Palace earlier that day, he had already been wondering what kind of gift to give Kong Nanwu to repay her kindness. In the end, he decided on the book âStrange Talesâ. âStrange Talesâ was a book filled with all kinds of bizarre and thrilling stories involving ghosts and humans. She was from the fiend races, so he figured it would probably suit their tastes. Since his time had been limited, he had only made a copy of a small portion. As for the rest, that was something heâd think about in the future.
Kong Nanwu looked pleasantly surprised, exclaiming âSo it was written by the young master personally! This is a rare treasureâ¦â She picked up the book while speaking. The smile on her face immediately froze, however, because the words were⦠really ugly.
Of course, objectively speaking, the handwriting was merely average compared to others. But for someone of her status, and furthermore for someone who liked to read the words of great masters, Zu Anâs handwriting really was quite unbearable.
Zu Anâs face heated up. He coughed awkwardly and said, âPlease read it slowly. I still have something to take care of, so Iâll bid my farewell first.â Then he left, as if he were running away without even waiting for them to say anything.
The little fox wrinkled her nose. âAt least that guy knows himself. This handwriting really is offensive to the eyes.â
Nan Xun moved over, then covered her mouth and giggled. âIt really is a bit ugly.â
âIt indeed doesnât suit his literary grace. No wonder he had someone else write his poem for him earlier.â Kong Nanwu couldnât help but muse. At the same time, she picked up the booklet. As she flipped through the pages, her previously nonchalant expression gave way to mild shock and seriousness. Then, she began to read faster and faster.
The little fox sorted out her fur that had been messed up by her masterâs petting while whispering, âThat guy really is a joke. The young miss helped him out so much, and yet he only gave you this stupid book. The handwriting is even so ugly.â
Nan Xun also added in agreement, âRight? I even helped him out, and yet he didnât give me anything. Men are all fickle in love after all.â
Kong Nanwu burst out laughing when she heard Nan Xunâs jealous words. âWho said he didnât give you any gifts? Wasnât this story written just for you?â
Nan Xun was stunned. She looked at where Kong Nanwu was pointing and saw the words âGhost of a Beautyâ. She cried out in alarm, before quickly starting to read the story. With her current concentration, she could read quickly and she finished it easily. Her face was left red with embarrassment, her insides stirring with emotions.
Kong Nanwu harrumphed. âBut who is this old Black Mountain witch he speaks of? Am I really someone that vicious and hateful in his mind?â
Nan Xun immediately leapt to Zu Anâs defense. âCome on, didnât young master Zu already say he wasnât the one who wrote this? This is the story an old sir told him.â
âLook at you, werenât you a King Manor concubine and even a spy trained by the royal family? How can you still be this innocent?â Kong Nanwu shot her a look. âEven though I canât say Iâve read all of the books in existence in the world, Iâve read quite a few. However, Iâve never heard of these Strange Tales before.â
âMaybe that Pu Songling hasnât made his mark in the world yet, so he isnât that famous?â Nan Xun speculated.
Kong Nanwu shook her head. âThatâs impossible. How could someone with the talent to write something like this not be known? Furthermore, the writing style is completely different from the styles popular in this world. Itâs a true breath of fresh air. Apart from someone of his literary talent, who else could write something like this?â
âYoung miss, are you saying that this Pu Songling is just young master Zuâs alias?â Nan Xun was shocked and overjoyed. âBut why does he need to use an alias?â
âIn my opinion, many of these stories talk about romance between the fiend racesâ creatures and humans, implying admiration and sympathy for the women of the fiend races. It might be because heâs a court official, so he doesnât wish for this book to make him a public enemy.â Kong Nanwu had a bit of joy on her face as she continued.âLast time, he wrote the verses âTheir pitiful remains scatter endlessly across the northern lake, even as wives dream and await their returnâ, which already told me that he was different from normal humans. If we look at all of this together, we can tell that he doesnât have any prejudice against our fiend races.â
Nan Xun felt strangely happy when she heard her praise Zu An. She said, âYoung master Zu was an incredible man to begin withâ¦â Then, her face suddenly turned red. Inwardly, she added, âin every wayâ.
The little fox pouted and said, âI think that guy has bad intentions. Maybe he wrote about love between the fiend races and humans on purpose to seduce the lady!â
Kong Nanwu was stunned. A pink blush gradually appeared on her cheeks as she replied, âNonsense. He also wrote about foxes here. Do you think heâs trying to seduce you too?â
âThere really was a fox there?â The little fox, who had originally been looking at the book disdainfully, jumped up. She ran over to read the book with keen interest.
Kong Nanwu panicked and exclaimed, âAh, wait your turn! I havenât finished reading it yet.â
âI want to see, I want to see!â Nan Xun also moved over. The master and servants quickly began fighting each other over the book.
â¦
Zu An exited Scarlet Invitation. When he returned home, a servant came over to report to him. âYoung master, youâve finally returned! Third young master came looking for you several times already.â
The servants from the manor were pretty much all from the Chu clan, which was why they naturally called Chu Youzhao young master.
âWhy was he looking for me?â Zu An asked curiously.
âI think he wanted you to produce a written piece for him. He wasnât willing to go back even very late last night, and waited for you the entire time. Later on, the Qin clanâs people came to bring him back. He even waited here for a long time this morning.â The servant replied.
Zu Anâs eyelids twitched. His âwritten pieceâ earlier had just been mocked by those girls, so how could he embarrass himself even more and write something that would ruin his reputation further?
âGot it,â he replied. There were just too many headache-inducing things that had happened in the past few days. He really wasnât in the mood to deal with that kid.
He was just about to leave when he heard the servant say, âRight, the third young master also mentioned that the first miss entrusted him to pass something on to the young masterâ¦â
âWhy didnât you say so earlier?!â Zu An glowered. He quickly left again. It had already been a long time since he had received news about Chu Chuyan. He wondered how she was doing now. On his way there, he remembered that Chu Youzhao had waited for so long for him, so she was probably upset. It wasnât too appropriate for him to show up with nothing.
Of course, if it were that âwritten pieceâ or something, heâd pass on it. He knew that Chu Youzhao didnât care too much about written stuff with her personality anyway, and that it was just a momentary interest.
With her nature of only wanting to play, he bought a bunch of clay figures, Chinese rings, bamboo-copters, colored lanterns, shadow puppets, and other toys before sprinting over to the Qin clan.
â¦
In the past, he would most likely have been refused at the entrance if he arrived, but now, the Qin clan treated him like a respected guest. The Qin clan brothers greeted him enthusiastically and asked about his well-being, almost as if they were scared of not treating him well enough.
After finally getting rid of the two brothers, Zu An arrived at Chu Youzhaoâs room. Chu Youzhao was a man in everyoneâs eyes, so she obviously had to spend more time alone to avoid suspicion.
Chu Youzhao puffed up her cheeks and ignored him when she first saw him. But when she saw the pile of strange and bizarre little toys he was holding, her attention was immediately sucked in. She was exhilarated as she listened to Zu An describe how to play with the toys. After playing with them for a while, her eyes turned red. âEveryone treats me as a boy, so I never got to play with these things. I wanted to play, but I couldnât tell them. Only brother-in-law treats me the bestâ¦â
Zu An was stunned. He had never expected that even though she appeared to be having fun, her life had actually been quite lonely. He replied, âCome on, donât feel broken-hearted anymore. If you ever want anything in the future, just tell me! Brother-in-law will secretly buy it for you to play with!â
âBrother-in-law is the best!â Chu Youzhao hugged his arm, her smile making her eyes resemble crescent moons.
Zu An tactfully freed his arm. This little girl really didnât know how to hold herself back sometimesâ¦
âBrother-in-law, kick this shuttlecock with me! I donât even dare to ask the maids to play this with me normally,â Chu Youzhao invited him.
Zu An was speechless. Iâm a big guy already, what adult man kicks shuttlecocks? He was just about to refuse, but when he saw the glistening tears in her eyes, his heart softened and he agreed.
âRight, big sis wrote a letter to you! You should read it first, and then you can play with me without worrying about anything!â Chu Youzhao tapped her head and quickly stormed off into her room. She quickly returned with a letter.
Zu An received the letter and gave her a look of suspicion. âYou didnât secretly read it, right?â
âOf course not!â Chu Youzhao jumped in fright⦠and then looked all around her with an unnatural expression.
Zu An was speechless again. Hey, your expression already completely sold you out. After he opened up the letter, however, his expression suddenly turned serious.
1. Pu Songling was a Chinese writer who lived in the Qing dynasty, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. â