Chapter 36: Hidden Compartment

Chapter 36: The Secret Compartment

"What are you standing around for?"

Xiao Yan's clear, relaxed voice rang out.

Liu Qingci snapped back to reality, instinctively stepping forward to follow, but not watching his footing, almost bumping into his chest.

The tip of his nose was instantly filled with the smell of dust and sun that still clung to him.

Liu Qingci's pupils shrank in shock, and he hurriedly tried to step back to steady himself.

But his wrist was firmly gripped by a dry, warm palm.

"Watch where you're going."

Xiao Yan's voice sounded above his head, still calm, but the hand gripping his wrist didn't let go right away, the grip neither tight nor loose.

Liu Qingci's ears immediately turned red. He quickly straightened up and tried to pull his hand back: "...Thank you, Your Highness. It was Qingci's carelessness."

Xiao Yan then let go of his hand and clasped his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

"Have a look."

Inside the study, three walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, packed with a vast array of books.

Liu Qingci's gaze automatically swept over the heavy tomes, his eyes lit up.

Just as Xiao Yan said, the collection was rich.

He even spotted several rare editions he had never seen before. Having been immersed in books since childhood, his love for literature and his discerning eye were ingrained in him.

At this moment, these precious books were within arm's reach—a temptation for a true scholar no less than a spring in the desert for a weary traveler.

Liu Qingci didn't even think about the fact that he was in Prince Yu's study, with the chance to look for what Xiao Jing wanted.

His mind was almost completely captured by those books.

Xiao Yan stood a short distance away, his gaze resting on Liu Qingci.

He saw the man tilt his head slightly, his profile unusually clear in the soft light filtering through the window lattice. His usually restrained eyes were now shockingly bright, like a deep pool illuminated by fallen stars.

This was a stark contrast to the Liu Qingci who always seemed to be wearing an invisible mask.

So pure... it was almost breathtaking.

Xiao Yan did not disturb him. He watched quietly for a moment before breaking the silence at just the right moment:

"Stay here. I'm leaving."

Liu Qingci blinked, looking a bit bewildered toward Xiao Yan.

"Your Highness," he began instinctively, a touch of urgency in his voice that he didn't even notice, "this... breaks protocol. Qingci wouldn't dare overstep."

Xiao Yan replied matter-of-factly: "There's nothing wrong with it."

Seeing that Liu Qingci was still hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but held back, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and said teasingly, with a hint of amusement,

"What, you want me to stay and read with you?"

"Please go on with your work, Your Highness..." Liu Qingci answered quickly. If you looked closely, even his ears were tinged with red.

Xiao Yan curled his lips and responded with a quiet "Mm."

Then he actually left.

Leaving Liu Qingci alone in the large, quiet study.

He stood there dumbfounded.

Xiao Yan... just left him alone in the study like that?

Was it that Xiao Yan didn't realize how important the study was, or did he trust him that much?

Liu Qingci's fingers curled slightly inside his sleeve. Finally, he walked over to the bookshelves.

He reached out, fingertips brushing the cool, smooth book spines, pulled out a poetry collection, and sat down on the low couch by the window.

He was so absorbed in reading that he lost track of time until his neck got stiff. He looked up, wanting to stretch.

As Liu Qingci stood up, his foot accidentally snagged on a low rosewood footstool beside the couch. He lost his balance and stumbled toward a nearby display cabinet.

He hurriedly reached out to steady himself against the cabinet, but his palm landed on what seemed to be a fixed ornament—a kylin paperweight.

The force of his fall pushed the paperweight down with a soft "click," and then a section of the cabinet's side panel—which had seemed perfectly seamless—silently slid inward, opening a gap about a hand's width.

Liu Qingci steadied himself, shocked, his gaze instinctively falling on the suddenly revealed secret compartment.

Inside were several old-looking confidential letters and a thin booklet.

The seal on the topmost letter was already broken, revealing a small piece of letter paper, and at the corner of that paper, a stamp came into view.

It was General Zhao's personal seal!

Liu Qingci's breath caught. He froze on the spot, his pupils constricted.

So this... was the hard evidence Xiao Jing wanted to take down General Zhao?

There wasn't much in the compartment—the booklet was likely a detailed list or ledger.

The evidence was right there, within reach. A rare opportunity.

His fingertips were icy cold, hovering in the air, trembling slightly.

Finally, his hand reached toward the compartment.

Steadily and gently, he pushed the sliding wooden panel back into place.

Until a soft "click" confirmed the secret compartment was tightly sealed, and the kylin paperweight returned to its original position, as if it had never been disturbed.

Liu Qingci took two steps back, ensuring he had left no trace.

Then he turned, picked a few books from the shelf, hugged them to his chest, and walked out of the study.

By evening.

Just as Liu Qingci had expected, he still wasn't allowed to go back to the Bamboo Listening Pavilion.

Just like last night.

Xiao Yan had him bathe and change, then sat on the bed to personally apply the medicine.

“Your Highness,” Liu Qingci said, eyes downcast, his voice barely above a whisper, “this trivial matter... I dare not trouble Your Highness to handle it personally. Couldn’t an attendant handle it?”

He simply couldn’t accept such care so calmly.

The shock of the secret compartment in the study earlier that day still lingered, and now he was about to repeat the emotionally unsettling scene from last night. He felt utterly uneasy.

Xiao Yan glanced at him, his expression calm but his tone leaving no room for argument: “Others are clumsy and careless, not as careful as I am.”

He patted the bedding beside him. “Come here.”

The excuse was flimsy, almost dismissive.

Could Prince Yu’s manor really not have an attendant with a steady hand?

Besides, His Highness Prince Yu’s hands had always been used for hitting people—when had they ever been used to meticulously tend to someone’s medicine application?

But Liu Qingci could only think these things; he didn’t dare to refuse again.

So he obediently took off his outer robe, sat with his back to Xiao Yan, and waited.

The medicine application was still very “thorough.”

It lasted so long it was almost agonizing...

Finally, it ended. Liu Qingci fastened his robe and looked up to see Xiao Yan already seated at the chess table, waiting for him to come over.

Oh, tonight he still had to teach Xiao Yan how to play Go.

Liu Qingci composed himself, pondering how to proceed with the instruction in a more prudent manner.

Though he wasn’t sure if Xiao Yan was truly interested in Go.

But Prince Yu clearly had no clue about the game’s rules. To teach him, one had to start from the very basics.

Liu Qingci knelt across from Xiao Yan, reached into the stone bowl to take out one black stone and one white stone, placing them on opposite ends of the board. His voice was clear and soft,

“Your Highness, why don’t we begin with the fundamentals. This is Go, divided into black and white stones, played by placing them alternately...”

Xiao Yan rested his chin on his hand and listened attentively.

Liu Qingci’s tone was mild, his explanations clear and organized, easy to follow.

He actually began learning the basics of Go.

The tutor was easy on the eyes, and his voice was nice to listen to—it really was a treat.

“I already understand all this. Let’s stop here for today.” Xiao Yan toyed with a Go stone between his fingers, a hint of a smile curling his lips. “How about I teach you something more fun?”

Liu Qingci folded his hands into his sleeves and asked respectfully, “Please, Your Highness, tell me.”

“Gomoku.” Xiao Yan set up a pattern on the board and spread his hands to show it. “You know how to play?”