The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 58: Even Pretending Isn't Easy

Yun Muhan lowered his gaze to the scribbles on the white paper, his mouth twitching ever so slightly.

"What is it? Is it that bad?" Yun Qianyue glanced at him, inwardly cursing her own incompetence while feigning frustration. She threw the brush aside, grumbling, "I told you I can't write well, but you insisted. I give up—I'm done trying to manage this household. It's impossible!"

"If Grandfather saw you write the character for 'Yun' like this, he'd surely come over with his cane and give you a good whack." Yun Muhan sighed, picking up the brush again. He demonstrated, "Look closely. This is how you should hold the brush, and this is how you write."

Yun Qianyue nodded, eyes fixed on his hand. The bold, forceful strokes appeared on the paper, neat and pleasing to the eye.

"Your turn," Yun Muhan said, passing the brush back to her.

She took it, and, without much improvement, resumed her 'artwork.' When she was done, she looked expectantly at Yun Muhan.

"Keep going," he said.

With no choice, Yun Qianyue continued her scribbling, looking up at him each time she finished.

This time, however, Yun Muhan ignored her and instead opened the account book on the table. He commanded, "Write the character 'Yun' a hundred times. When you're done, let me review them."

"A hundred times?" Yun Qianyue nearly dropped the brush.

"Yes, a hundred times," he replied firmly. "Not a single page less. After all, we have plenty of time."

Yun Qianyue glanced at the character for "Yun" and felt an urge to cry.

She looked up at Yun Muhan, who seemed fully prepared to drag this out indefinitely. Her expression changed several times in a single moment, showing all her frustration and exasperation. Her mind raced, wondering if there was still a way to fix her mistakes. Could she manage to write it perfectly all at once to satisfy him? Could she confess that she already knew how to read and write, manage accounts, and run a household so she didn't have to learn? Could she?

Probably not. If she confessed all that, she'd likely be outed as an imposter, branded as some kind of monster, and probably hunted down. Staying here, pretending to be this useless young lady, was her only option. Why was she so unlucky to end up in the body of someone who didn't know a single character?

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to smack herself with a block of tofu and end it all. Finally, she slumped across the table in defeat and asked Yun Muhan, "Brother, is there really nothing else you need to do today?"

"No," Yun Muhan replied, not even sparing her a glance.

"Then, can you go back first? I'll finish it myself and have Cailian bring it to you when I'm done," Yun Qianyue suggested.

"No. I'll stay here and watch you write," Yun Muhan shook his head. "And stop talking. Start writing, or I'll call Grandfather to supervise you instead."

What a heartless man! Yun Qianyue gritted her teeth and reluctantly spread out a new sheet of paper, returning to her scribbling.

She filled up a hundred sheets in no time, but before she could even say a word, Yun Muhan instructed, "Now write the character 'Meng' a hundred times as well."

"And when I'm done with 'Meng,' can I rest?" Yun Qianyue asked.

"No. After 'Meng,' we'll continue with the next character. We'll keep going until you've learned all of them," Yun Muhan replied flatly.

"This is inhumane! I won't do it!" Yun Qianyue sprang to her feet, glaring at him. "I'm going out to have fun, to race horses with Ye Qingran. I..."

"Shall I invite Rong Jing over to watch you write?" Yun Muhan interrupted with a calm question.

"I..." Yun Qianyue felt a sudden pressure, as though a dark cloud had settled over her, snuffing out her anger in an instant. She slowly sat back down and muttered, "No, thanks. That guy's clearly no good. Fine, I'll keep writing."

"That's better. Get to it." Yun Muhan resumed studying the account book.

Yun Qianyue cursed Yun Muhan's ancestors silently for several generations. Finally, she glanced at him, unmoving as a mountain, sighed in resignation, and continued her scrawling. All she could do was hope for the day to end.

Finally, by noon, she assumed he'd at least leave for lunch, but Yun Muhan went so far as to instruct Madam Zhao to serve him in Qianyue Pavilion. Yun Qianyue truly felt what it meant to live without a ray of light.

As evening arrived, Yun Muhan checked over all one thousand sheets she'd completed, nodded in approval, and left with the words, "We'll continue tomorrow."

After he left, Yun Qianyue flopped onto the pearwood bed, utterly exhausted.

The Buddha said: Pretending is no easy feat.

Once Yun Muhan departed, Cailian, Madam Zhao, Tingyu, and Tingshi entered the room, looking at Yun Qianyue with deep concern.

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes dramatically at them, then dismissed them with a tired wave. "I just want to sleep."

The four attendants quietly withdrew, silently noting that Miss was going through a tough time just to learn to write. They resolved to prepare nourishing chicken soup and bird's nest for her from tomorrow. Otherwise, she'd surely grow thin at this rate.

Staring up at the ceiling, Yun Qianyue lay still as night fell. Pale moonlight streamed in through the window, filling the room with a fragrant scent. She felt a strong urge to get up and enjoy the moonlight, but as she tried to move, her sore arms protested, making her drop the idea. Irritated, she decided that tomorrow, she would come up with a plan—she couldn't let Yun Muhan torture her like this again. However, try as she might, she couldn't think of a solution and eventually drifted off to sleep, worn out.

The next morning, before dawn even broke, the familiar sound of footsteps approached the courtyard. Yun Qianyue stirred, her eyelids twitching, and then pulled the quilt over her head with a fierce tug. Come on, Yun Muhan! Must you be so early?

Sure enough, moments later, Cailian's voice came from outside. After exchanging a few words with Yun Muhan, she knocked on the door and called out, "Miss, the Young Master is here."

"Tell him I haven't had enough sleep yet!" Yun Qianyue grumbled irritably.

Cailian fell silent, then turned to look at Yun Muhan.

"When I was studying, I rose at the third watch every day. It's already the fifth watch now, so you should be up," Yun Muhan's voice drifted through, just as indifferent as the day before. "Grandfather says you're excused from morning greetings for now, so you can focus on your studies. I'll give you the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to get ready. If you're not up by then, I'll come in myself."

Yun Qianyue threw off her quilt with a dark expression. If he came in, that would be a disaster! Even if he was her brother...she wasn't really his sister! Irritated, she sat up and began yanking on her clothes.

"Miss, may I come in and help you dress?" Cailian saw Yun Muhan turn to admire the orchids in the courtyard, then opened the door and entered the room. She found Yun Qianyue struggling with her clothes and thought to herself how unfortunate her mistress was.

Once she was fully dressed and groomed, Yun Muhan came in. Yun Qianyue gazed at him with a face full of discontent, but he ignored her expression, picked up the account book, and said, "Resume copying yesterday's practice sheets." With that, he didn't look at her again.