ITVCFITB CHAPTER 14

 Chapter 14 – Master, You’re Done For

When it came to Luo Shuyu and Li Mingjin’s wedding, the one more anxious than either bridegroom was, hands down, the task-laden system host: Shen Mingyun.

Watching the date, August tenth, draw closer by the day, he was getting jumpy.

He’d had hard missions before, with time limits even, but they’d never been that hard. Offer advice here, fix some trivial mess there. But now he had to block a marriage. People say, “Better wreck a bridge than break a betrothal,” and he had zero experience in the latter. Worse, it had already been two days since he’d sounded out Luo Shuyu, and Shuyu still hadn’t given a clear answer.

Most likely, that Luo Shuyu was a pleasure-seeker at heart and had no intention of cooperating, just itching to marry the Third Prince and enjoy life as a royal consort.

In his “Leisure Nook,” Shen Mingyun brooded over how to make the Third Prince call it off.

Eloping? Faking death? Those wouldn’t fly. How to make the Third Prince repudiate the match and keep Shuyu’s reputation intact? Fine, let his reputation (the Third Prince’s) tank.

He wouldn’t pin all his hopes on Shuyu; the real leverage would be on the Third Prince’s side.

But how?

He asked the system; it offered no advice, merely reminded him he could buy props with shop points.

Right! Props!

If the Third Prince had an “accident” and the wedding couldn’t take place on time, wouldn’t that be perfect? The system task only said: stop the August tenth wedding. It never said they could never marry. Ha! The beauty of broad, flexible wording. Find the loophole, slip right through. He would.

Though… these ancients did care about lucky dates. A few injuries wouldn’t cancel a wedding. So he’d have to make the Third Prince vanish on the day?

First, draft a detailed plan. Then pick the right props. Manufacture an incident. Make him disappear for a bit, entirely workable.

Brilliant. He was a natural-born planner.

A pity, though, who leaked Li Bai’s poem? He still hadn’t traced it. The system had stated this world didn’t have a Li Bai. Another transmigrator? But the system said no. What a headache. Could he ever attend a poetry meet again with peace of mind?

---

After a few days of lessons, Luo Shuyu had absorbed plenty about conjugal pleasures and, naturally, thought of Li Mingjin from his past life.

He’d overthought things last night and slept late. At least there’d been no nightmares. Given wedding prep, the Old Madam no longer required him to pay morning respects; and after his break with Lady Liu, he had even less reason to go.

He and Li Mingjin weren’t exchanging letters daily. Too frequent and people might notice they’d met ahead of time.

Lately, the liveliest topic in the capital was that widely circulated Collected Poems of Li Bai. Shen Mingyun pretended indifference but was rattled enough to avoid “borrowing” ancient verses to puff himself up. Putting on airs too often and people stop liking you.

Back home, Shuyu’s days were no longer repetitive. There was plenty to do.

In the mornings, Feng Momo lectured him on running a prince’s household. In his last life, things had been easy enough: no other spouses, no concubines, not even bed-servants, just him in the entire inner court. It's comfortable, aside from fretting about when Li Mingjin’s whip might fall. In truth, when they were together, the whip almost never made an appearance.

Qingwang, now a stopgap “scout,” came after breakfast with fresh intel.

“Master, word from Shen Mingyun’s courtyard: this morning he slipped out the back gate, all mysterious,” Qingwang said.

Luo Shuyu: “Out to do what?”

“Don’t know yet. He only took his body-servant, no entourage. I sent someone to tail him.”

“Don’t get too close,” Shuyu said. “He may be meeting big names. Don’t let our man be spotted.”

“Our people aren’t exactly professional at tailing,” Qingwang worried.

“I’ll think of something.”

At times like this, only one person came to mind: Li Mingjin. Only he could be trusted. Time to ask for a few men.

If Shen had gone to the Crown Prince’s elder brother or the Fourth Prince, by Shen’s own admissions, both kept tight security, especially the Fourth.

The Fourth Prince’s mother had been a maid brought into the palace by the Eldest Prince’s mother. One drunken night the Emperor fancied her, and along came the Fourth. She held rank but never a high one, and the concubine resented her; her days in the palace were a low crawl. With no powerful maternal clan, the Fourth Prince had been bullied by his brothers since childhood. As an adult he clung to the Eldest for shelter, all smiles on the surface, but all depth beneath, and hard to read. Looks refined and spring-breeze gentle, exactly Shen Mingyun’s type.

From the moment he arrived in this world, Shen preferred the mild-mannered Fourth Prince. In the book they weathered many things together and naturally became a pair. Also, the Fourth was only a hair less handsome than Li Mingjin; “warm jade” was exactly Shen’s cup of tea.

Given that Shen’s movements could affect Shuyu’s entire family’s future, Shuyu decisively wrote to Li Mingjin and longer this time.

---

At noon, Feng Momo had the letter delivered to the Third Prince’s manor.

They were engaged; thus a little correspondence was reasonable.

Li Mingjin had napped after morning court and woke to Shuyu’s letter, opening it before lunch.

He agreed to the main request without a flicker but the last line did tug the corner of his mouth upward. For once the usually impassive face warmed. His consort was a touch unreserved, before the wedding even, but they were marrying soon. Saying such things early… acceptable.

A feather kept brushing his heart, making it itch to see Luo Shuyu.

“These last few days of instruction, better than ten years of reading. —Luo Shuyu”

Heart already drifting toward the Luo residence, Li Mingjin ate and then sat in his study to reply.

If his consort studied so earnestly, what more could he ask?

Since their meeting, their letters had grown more frequent, at least one every two days. This was the thing Li Mingjin looked forward to most.

Assigned to the Ministry of Justice, he was supposed to study law and adjudication with the vice ministers, but mostly he napped or went to watch prison wardens interrogate prisoners. The vice minister had nearly memorialized the throne to declare: this pupil cannot be taught.

What prince takes pleasure in watching people flogged day after day? When displeased, he’d even do it himself. Brutal? Indeed. No wonder His Majesty dumped him in the Ministry of Justice. Put him anywhere else and his supervisors would end up also needing bed rest after a whipping.

That day, the Third Prince clocked in and left again. The mood in the Ministry brightened at once. Two vice ministers who normally glared daggers at each other silently declared a truce: breathe, just breathe.

But in the afternoon, they saw a surprisingly refreshed Li Mingjin return. He announced he would sit for a while and told Vice Minister Tang to give him some work... to pass the time.

The vice ministers clutched their chests and drew a deep breath. Air. Let us savor air first.

---

Luo Shuyu had no idea how Li Mingjin was spiritually tormenting civil servants. He was waiting on the runners’ report.

He’d thought Shen would stew a few days before coming back to nag, but the man had no patience at all. Who knew what new mischief he was hatching.

Most of the time, Shen was profoundly self-centered; his sudden “kindness” always carried an agenda.

By dusk, Li Mingjin’s reply and the tail’s report arrived together.

Shuyu opened the prince’s two letters first. One contained only eight characters:

“Very good. Continue diligent study.”

Study? Heat crept up Shuyu’s cheeks. Could Li Mingjin know…?

No, surely he knew. The Luo residence housed Feng Momo and likely other eyes. He probably knew Shuyu’s comings and goings too. Oddly, that made Shuyu feel safe.

The other letter held a waist token. Two hidden guards would arrive that night. If Shuyu planned anything dangerous, he was to inform Li Mingjin first.

This letter was more proper and warmed Shuyu’s heart. It's trust. Nothing mattered more than Li Mingjin’s trust.

One thing he couldn’t figure out: why did Li Mingjin trust him so readily? He still didn’t know. It didn’t stop him from taking the men to watch Shen. The prince would learn of it sooner or later, so better to say it now. Two against one beat fighting alone.

Qingwang’s report didn’t disappoint.

They had Shen’s whole day.

“His people say he went to his own shop in the morning to launch new goods,” Qingwang said. “Gave some ‘training,’ had the staff shouting slogans, drawing a crowd. The new stock sold fast. At lunch he met someone in a restaurant. Master, guess who?”

“Someone from any and every walk of life?” Shuyu sipped tea. He remembered from the book how Shen longed for the “romance” of ancient brothels. Thanks to rouge-and-powder ventures, he’d befriended a few courtesans and used them as store spokeswomen. Men he flirted with didn’t smear rouge; they couldn’t endorse. As for the capital’s number-one beauty, Su Zhixian—out of his league.

“Close,” said Qingwang. “The top courtesan of Huancai Pavilion, Liang Xian’er!”

“Our people even recognized Liang Xian’er?” Shuyu asked. “I thought she rarely showed herself. A glimpse costs a fortune.”

“They didn’t at first,” Qingwang admitted. “But her maid is famous, fierce as a tiger, ugly and brawny, a crack fighter. If the maid’s there, Liang Xian’er is there. The maid never leaves her side. It was her, no mistake.”

“Do we know what they discussed?”

“They took a private room; we couldn’t hear.”

“I see. Keep eyes on the ‘Leisure Nook,’” Shuyu said. That was the name Shen had given his courtyard, he thought it poetic.

Shuyu mulled over Liang Xian’er; the name was familiar.

The capital’s famed houses were three: Huancai Pavilion, Yunliang Pavilion, and Qingyuanspring. He hadn’t learned that from the book—but from his last life.

How did it stick? Because whenever Li Mingjin went drinking with the boys, they went to those three. And when he treated, his favorite was Huancai.

Last life it hadn’t mattered much. In this life—even hearing it grated!

---

Shadow Three arrived, newly assigned to Luo Gongzi by order of the Third Prince. Feng Momo ushered him in, all due respect.

On his very first day, Luo Gongzi fixed him with a cool gaze and asked, “Tell me, does the Third Prince often go to Huancai Pavilion to hear Liang Xian’er play?”

Shadow Three: “…” Oh no. Do I say it? Do I not say it?

One thing was certain: Master… you’re done for.

---

Author’s Note:
Third Prince: Wife, listen! I never listen to little ditties—I only listen to QQ Music! Like Phoenix Legend!
“I’m like a fish, in your lotus pond—waiting while you stand by the water’s edge…”
Luo Shuyu: …………………………

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