The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 184: Entering the Hall (6)

Yun Qianyue lay on the soft couch, feeling conflicted. After a while, she sat up, annoyed, and said, "Not eating won't kill me. The way you're talking, you'd think I'm starving! Do I really need hibiscus fish to survive?"

"You might not be starving, but such delicacies aren't something you can just have whenever you want," Rongjing said with a half-smile, his jade-like fingers gently tapping the table, creating a soft sound. His tone was gentle yet clear as he added, "Think about it—life is long. Tomorrow, it's fine if you don't eat it. The day after, it's fine too. But to live a lifetime and never taste hibiscus fish again—now, that would be a pity."

Hearing his words, Yun Qianyue remained motionless for a moment. Rongjing, seeing she still hadn't moved, turned to the door and said, "Alright, you can go do something else. No need to go to the study. She says she won't go."

"Who says I'm not going?" Yun Qianyue stood up, walking toward the door. After taking two steps, she turned back and looked at Rongjing. "Didn't you say you'd teach me? Are you not going to the study either?"

"You go ahead. I need to visit my grandfather's study first," Rongjing replied.

Yun Qianyue didn't say anything more and stepped out of the room.

Bingquan, seeing Yun Qianyue come out, bowed respectfully and led her toward Rongjing's study.

Rongjing watched her walk behind Bingquan from the window, her footsteps echoing softly. He smiled lightly, then turned his attention back to the cup of tea she had left behind. His eyes lingered on it for a moment before he gently pressed his lips together, his expression faint and unreadable.

Rongjing's study wasn't too far from his main quarters. It didn't take long before Bingquan brought Yun Qianyue to the door.

Bingquan stopped and gave a respectful bow, "Miss Qianyue, this is the heir's study. You can go in by yourself."

"Mm." Yun Qianyue nodded and pushed open the door to enter.

Bingquan shut the door behind her and walked away.

As Yun Qianyue entered the study, she was immediately struck by the sheer number of bookshelves, which stretched across the room, each one packed with countless rows of books. There were dozens of shelves. If it weren't for the lack of people standing by to collect fees, she might have thought she had stepped into a bookstore or library. And in fact, it might be bigger than even some libraries. She walked deeper into the room, scanning the rows of bookshelves. The shelves were filled with all kinds of works: historical records, poetry, songs, biographies, martial arts, medicine, botany, toxicology, even tales of small-time folk—truly, there was nothing that wasn't there.

As Yun Qianyue walked further into the study, she couldn't help but marvel. It took her two whole cups of tea to reach the end of the room. But instead of a solid wall, there was a crystal curtain blocking the shelves. Through the transparent curtain, she could faintly make out an inner room. She parted the curtain and stepped inside, and instantly, the room became much brighter.

Inside, there was nothing but two large stone pillars standing in the middle of the room. Looking up, she saw that the stone pillars supported a ceiling embedded with glowing night pearls. The ceiling was high, perhaps several stories up. Between the pillars was a white jade staircase that led straight to the top.

Yun Qianyue's gaze shifted back to the rest of the room, a faint curl of her lips as she wondered what secrets this study could hold. She decided to climb the stairs.

It took her a full incense stick's worth of time to make it to the top. When she finally reached the top, she didn't bother to look around; instead, she collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to wipe the sweat from her brow. She thought to herself how poor her physical condition was at the moment. In the past, these few dozen steps would have been nothing.

After a while, once she had regained her strength, Yun Qianyue finally stood up and looked around. To her surprise, she found herself standing on a small octagonal pavilion. The pavilion was as large as two rooms, surrounded on all sides by transparent walls. In the center stood a white jade table, with tea sets and several plates of pastries laid out on it. Next to the table were two soft chairs and two couches. On the opposite side of the room, facing the entrance, was another bookshelf, neatly arranged with about a hundred books. There was nothing else in the room.

Yun Qianyue looked around and then turned her attention to the transparent walls. She reached out to touch them. The surface was cool and smooth, and she inwardly cursed to herself. "This guy really has too much money to burn—using so much crystal for walls, as if it were glass. What extravagance!"

Through the crystal, she could see the entire Prince Yun's Mansion below, including the purple bamboo grove. The sight was clear, and she could make out every little detail below.

She couldn't help but sigh in amazement. No wonder that unscrupulous man had never been removed from his position as heir, even after his parents passed away and he was ill for ten years. It seemed that the entire Prince Yun's Mansion was under his watch. How could anyone ever remove him when he had such control?

After staring for a while, Yun Qianyue clicked her tongue in amusement. She turned back around, laid down on one of the soft couches next to the jade table, and closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze coming through the skylight. It was wonderfully refreshing. She yawned contentedly, thinking that sleeping here would be quite nice.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, the door creaked open, and someone entered. The steps were light and familiar—she recognized them instantly. Yun Qianyue pretended not to hear.

Before long, the person walked up to her and immediately spotted her lying on the couch. Rongjing raised an eyebrow, his voice warm but amused. "I forgot that I placed two soft couches here. Seems like they're quite convenient for your nap."

Yun Qianyue, already half-asleep, didn't respond.

"I forgot to have Bingquan tell you earlier," Rongjing said as he elegantly sat down opposite her, brushing his robes aside. "The books in my collection are yours to read, but you only have half a month to finish them."

"What? You have over a thousand books down there, and I can't even read! How am I supposed to finish them in half a month?" Yun Qianyue suddenly snapped awake, staring at him in disbelief.

Rongjing looked at her with a faint smile. His voice was low and deliberate. "You know whether or not you can read. Those words outside the purple bamboo grove wouldn't be something an illiterate person could understand. And you even helped me figure out the meaning of 'those who enter without permission die.' So, you understand perfectly well."

Yun Qianyue squinted at him, narrowing her eyes. Rongjing raised an eyebrow in return. She snorted nonchalantly, saying, "As long as you know. I've always said it—I'm naturally gifted. I don't need to study. Knowing how to read is easy for me. I can do anything without having to learn."

"Mm. You not only know how to read, but you also have an exceptional memory," Rongjing said, his gaze turning toward the crystal walls, no longer looking at her. "Since you're so naturally gifted, reading a thousand books should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?"