Chapter 1: The Strange Boy

"Alas, he is also a pitiful person; helping him would be a good deed for us!" Aunt Lei sighed and said, leading Erwa back into the rice field. Upon hearing this, Xi felt a shiver run through her body, accompanied by a pang of sorrow in her heart. When she saw Fengxi bringing over a donkey, she hurriedly helped the young man mount it.

My home is located at the foot of the Liangshan Mountain.

Yes, it is! Upon encountering joy, he immediately ran to lead the donkey, and in his fluster, he stepped on the hem of his clothes and nearly tripped.

Hmm! The young man turned right again and walked into a siheyuan. A eunuch dressed in yellow saw him and quickly opened the door to pay his respects, loudly announcing: "The prince has returned to the residence!" As soon as he finished speaking, a tall middle-aged eunuch came out to greet him. "Prince, what have you been doing this time? You're covered in mud!"

Having a wife and children, oh, my house is a tile-roofed one

"Did you not see that I am speaking with Aunt Lei? You have no sense of awareness, just wait!" The young man said, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly.

"Second Master, it is almost time for the meal, let us hurry back!" Jiexin whispered in the young man's ear.

"Oh, Second Master, look at all this mud on you!" Seeing this, Ji Xi took a couple of quick steps to help the young man onto the shore, simultaneously complaining while pulling a silk handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the mud off the young man's face

"Jianxi, how did you follow the prince?" Huang Bo asked sternly. "Sir, the prince insisted on going, and I couldn't stop him!" Jianxi's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, clearly terrified of Huang Bo.

When will I be able to return to my hometown, and when will I be able to see her in her red attire

"Erwa, come here and help me pull out the grass!" The young man ignored him and spoke to a dark-faced boy of about ten years old standing nearby.

Let us all deviate from goodness

"Don't forget my shoes!" the young boy shouted to Jianxi, quickly agreeing as he picked up the muddy straw sandals and jogged to catch up.

"Fengxi, why are you shouting so loudly? You might startle the prince and he could skin you alive!" Seeing that Jiexi was holding his breath, his face no longer bore the previous humility depicted in the illustrations, as he sharply reprimanded the sweating little eunuch in a low voice.

Who will remember my appearance among the beans and rice, and the rapeseed flowers

"Sweet, truly sweet!" the young man said, licking his lips with an expression of lingering desire.

The young boy lay in the spacious marble-carved bathtub, warm spring water slowly filling the tub, overflowing gently from the drain, flowing onto the smooth marble floor and gathering together, draining out through a leak in the corner. Next to it was surprisingly a modern invention—a flush toilet. Anyone who saw this would know that this boy was yet another forsaken child of fate, having 'unluckily' traversed through time.

"Second Master, I dare not do it again..." Seeing this, Xi was immediately frightened and knelt down to plead for forgiveness, but his gaze was evasive, seemingly unafraid of the young man's threat

The Minister, a high-ranking eunuch, sent a servant to urgently summon the Second Master to return! Fengxi respectfully replied while wiping the sweat from his face

"Mother, why are you speaking up for that villain? He spilled all our sweet soup on the ground!" Erwa said to Aunt Lei with displeasure.

"Jian Xi'er, stop wailing, I'm coming up now!" The young man shouted impatiently as he waded through the muddy water that barely reached his thighs, making his way to the edge of the field

"Second Master, hurry up, be careful not to fall!" A young servant, dressed in a servant's attire, shouted anxiously while dodging the muddy water by the field.

Whose desire is whose battlefield

At the foot of the mountain, there are five acres of fertile land

"Aunt Lei, don't pay attention to him!" The young man snatched the water bowl, kicked Jianxi, and shouted, "Who told you to meddle!" Jianxi did not dare to defy the young man in the slightest, so he bent down and stepped aside, secretly glaring at the old woman.

On a scorching summer day, the villagers in the rice fields are busy irrigating the rice that is in the ear and weeding. A boy, around seven or eight years old, is tugging at a bunch of water plants, the roots of which are deeply embedded in the ground. Despite several attempts to pull it out with all his might, he is unable to do so, and his feet have sunk deeply into the muddy field due to excessive effort. His skin is fair, and his face is flushed, making him look nothing like a farmer.

A young boy sat on the back of a donkey, swinging his legs and singing loudly with all his might. His melodious voice echoed across the fields, and he sang with great passion, as if the endless fields of rapeseed from his hometown appeared before him

I cannot sever the madness of longing for home

"Huang Bo, I went to help Aunt Lei pull weeds and fell in the rice field!" the young man said with a grin.

Hmph, the prince has interceded on your behalf, and today you are spared. Hurry and change your clothes; you are to serve the prince during his meal later!" Huang Bo shouted, and seeing that he was as if granted a great pardon, he bowed his head and retreated.

"Master Xi, I have already washed the bowl, it is very clean..." the old woman said in a panic. Erwa felt humiliated and glared at Jianxi, clenching his fists, but he did not dare to explode.

A wide road leads directly to my home

Yes, yes... Seeing that this gentleman has a temper, he is like a stubborn mule; the more you advise him, the more he gets worked up. Feeling anxious as if being scratched by a cat, all she could do was obediently wait on the side, pitifully looking towards Aunt Lei.

"Second Master, this is not appropriate, after all, he was appointed by the officials!" Jianxi said with a smile. "This guy causes such a commotion every few days, disturbing the entire residence!" Fengxi also expressed his dissatisfaction. "Nonsense, do you have a say in this matter?" Jianxi scolded Fengxi with a frown. "If you shout at Fengxi again, I will kick you out!" The young man raised his leg and kicked Jianxi, causing him to stumble as he shouted.

"Second Master, take a break and have some water!" the man said respectfully to the young boy

What should be planted in five acres of fertile land

The second master has returned! The second master! The dimly lit door of the Sanming was half open, and they entered directly. The doorman bent down to greet them, while someone was busy reporting inside.

Hmph, get up, mhetushu.com! The young man snorted coldly and walked forward, passing through two guarded small gates into the backyard. Before him lay a large garden, with pavilions and rockeries scattered throughout, as well as a small lake of over ten acres. It was the blooming season, with flowers in full bloom, filling the air with fragrance. "Second Master, let us return to the Winter Garden!" the guide, Fengxi, inquired.

"Second Master, please hurry up here, or I will be scolded again when I go back. Have some pity on me!" A young servant, dressed in a manner typical of the countryside, pleaded with a mournful expression.

"The prince is still young and does not understand; do you not realize this? If the princess finds out, she will surely skin you alive!" Huang Bo reprimanded in a low voice. "I deserve to die, I deserve to die..." Seeing Xi repeatedly bowed his head in pleading for mercy.

"Why go through all this trouble? I'll just wash by the ditch!" The young boy opened his hands in delight, took off his small jacket, and jumped into the water channel to splash water and clean the dirt from his hands and face. He casually picked up the discarded jacket to wipe the droplets off his face and walked barefoot to the shade by the field.

Jianxi frowned slightly, while Er Ye, not knowing where he had learned the rustic folk song, sang along despite the fact that there were no rapeseed fields as mentioned in the song. In front, Fengxi, who was leading a donkey, also joined in the singing. After listening for a while, he unconsciously began to hum along as he walked.

Who will remember the wounds I have endured

"Second Master, we are also heading back. You should return soon as well, so as not to keep your family waiting!" Aunt Lei smiled and said to the young man, noticing the pleading look in his eyes.

A great river flows through my home

Alright! The boy known as Erwa walked over, splashing through the water with a cheerful smile. The two of them each grabbed the water plants and together exerted their strength to pull them up. However, the boy, due to his excessive force, got his foot stuck and lost his balance, falling backward. The people by the field simultaneously exclaimed "Ah!" in surprise.

What a scoundrel, how could you say... Upon hearing that the official had sent for him, Jianxi was taken aback. "What are you waiting for? Quickly attend to the Second Master and return! Hurry up and lead the donkey!" Seeing that Fengxi was still bowing and waiting for reprimand, he became even angrier

"Aunt Lei, is there sugar added to this tea?" The young man took the water jug himself, poured a bowl of water, drank it in large gulps, returned the bowl with both hands, raised his eyebrows and asked. Seeing that the young man casually drank the tea without concern, Erwa grinned.

"What is it?" Seeing joy and encountering happiness, startled but not lightly, he then contentedly pulled on the long sound and asked.

"Minister (a term used during the Song Dynasty to refer to eunuchs in low-ranking positions), may the Second Master be here?" A young eunuch, around twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in yellow, hurriedly approached, lifting his robe and asking in a low voice.

Who will remember my appearance

The young boy jumped down from the donkey's back, and immediately someone took the reins from Fengxi's hands and led the donkey away. The boy was barefoot, walking on the long bluestone path in the middle of the courtyard. On either side, there were more than ten servant rooms, and as people came in and out, they all bowed and saluted upon seeing the boy approach. Ahead was a row of seven main rooms, but the boy did not enter; instead, he turned onto a small path to the right, passing through a corner gate and walking along a corridor towards the back, with Xixi and Fengxi jogging behind him.

Well then, I will help you when I have some free time! The young man heeded Aunt Lei's advice, stood up and said. Seeing this, Xi hurriedly picked up the cloth jacket to assist the young man in putting it on, smoothing it out, but the mud stains on it could not be cleaned off immediately.

The large chicken is plump, the goose is fat, and the cattle and sheep are robust

"Madam, please pour a bowl of water for the second master!" The busy middle-aged man in the field smiled and called out to the woman by the rice paddy, looking at the young boy who was drenched in sweat.

"Hehe, yes, the second master is enjoying it sweetly!" the old woman replied with delight, "It's been hot these past few days, and Erwa's father specially bought it from the market! Just a piece, please have some compassion for the little one!" A young man dressed like a servant by the field pleaded with a mournful expression.

I sever the gaze with a longsword

"It's fine, I've got him!" Erwa acted quickly, releasing the weeds and wrapping his arms around the boy. However, two black handprints were left on the boy's snow-white cotton coat. The boy used the force to pull out his feet, staggering two steps before finally standing firm with the bookshelf.

Three individuals quickly arrived at the front of a large mansion shaded by greenery. This estate covers a considerable area, enclosed by a wall over one zhang high, encompassing nearly two hundred mu of land. In front of the black-painted gate lies a small square paved with bluestone, where some vendors are calling out their wares under the shade of the surrounding trees, yet the scorching sun has resulted in little business. There are no stone lions commonly found in front of large mansions beside the gate; instead, a pair of plain stone drums stands on either side, with hitching posts and stepping stones distributed on both sides.

"Second Master, have some herbal tea!" The old woman, with a beaming smile, respectfully offered a coarse porcelain bowl to the young man with both hands. Before he could reach out to take it, Jianxi rushed over, snatched the bowl, splashed the water out, and threw it onto a silk scarf that had mud spots on it. Then, she quickly took out another silk scarf from her bosom and wiped the bowl inside and out.

A sudden explosion echoed, and the young man glanced to the left. Through the high wall, he could only see the flying eaves of a Taoist temple and the rising black smoke, but the specific situation inside was unclear. "Damn it, is it alchemy or bomb-making every day? Sooner or later, we need to drive this damn Taoist away, or that bastard Qingyun might blow us all up one day!" the young man scolded with a frown.

The small one dared not speak, the small one dared not speak... hurriedly bowing and apologizing, the originally pale and timid little face turned even more ashen.

Huang Bo, it’s no trouble at all. I see children in the village even younger than me playing in the rice fields, and I want to give it a try as well. No complaints, just joy!" the young man said with a smile

"Sophora flowers, osmanthus flowers, attend to the prince's change of clothes!" Huang Bo instructed the two palace-dressed young girls behind him, watching as the boy entered the room barefoot, gently shaking his head as he followed inside. This child is truly peculiar; as soon as he feels a little better, he refuses to stay in the residence, preferring to mingle with the rural villagers every day. The vast courtyard seems unable to contain him.

The house was filled with piles of icing, yet he never mentioned anything sweet; truly a ... ... " Seeing Xi pouted and hid under a tree, watching her master enjoy himself while silently complaining.