Chapter 53: Cleanliness Obsession

Chapter 53: Cleanliness Obsession

Xiao Yan was aware of Liu Qingci's embarrassment, so he considerately left in silence, leaving him alone.

Liu Qingci listened to Xiao Yan's footsteps fading away until they disappeared completely.

He let out a long sigh, his whole body relaxing.

But his thoughts uncontrollably drifted back, the anger on his face not only remained but had even intensified.

Truly a playboy who flits from flower to flower, speaking in such a... such a frivolous manner!

Just as Liu Qingci stood by the window, a hesitant knock came from outside.

He quickly composed his expression, reverting to his usual aloof demeanor.

Fu'an entered, bowing, a smile plastered on his face: "Is Young Master Liu well?"

Liu Qingci: "Eunuch Fu'an, what business do you have?"

At some point, Fu'an's attitude toward him had gradually changed.

When Liu Qingci first came to Prince Yu's mansion, Fu'an was arrogant, acerbic, and cold, never giving him a kind look.

But now Fu'an's demeanor was as if he regarded him as something of a master, respectful enough but not exactly fawning.

If anything, it wasn't just Fu'an who had changed.

Xiao Yan's change was the most significant.

Fu'an's voice brought Liu Qingci back to the present: "His Highness ordered this servant to prepare the Eastern Warm Chamber, saying that from now on you will reside there. Please let me know if you need anything specific added."

Liu Qingci was slightly taken aback.

Xiao Yan was actually letting him stay in the warm chamber? He had thought...

Ahem—

It wasn't that Liu Qingci wanted to share a bed with Xiao Yan, but they had already stayed together before, and he hadn't expected Xiao Yan to assign him different quarters.

However, this suited his wishes; living alone was always more comfortable.

In fact, between the Eastern Warm Chamber and Xiao Yan's residence there was only a wide screen that offered minimal privacy; a soft call here could be heard clearly over there.

Liu Qingci said: "I'll trouble you, Eunuch Fu'an. Keep everything simple."

"You are too kind, Young Master." Fu'an did not leave just yet; instead, he stepped closer and handed him a small hand warmer: "This is a jade hand warmer that His Highness obtained some days ago. It is said to provide warmth without being scalding. Young Master, try it first and see if it suits you?"

Liu Qingci took the jade hand warmer, his fingertips touching the warm, smooth jade. The body was carved with delicate plum blossom patterns.

He said: "Thank His Highness for me."

Fu'an smiled and acknowledged, then left to direct the servants to make arrangements.

Although Liu Qingci had said to keep everything simple, Fu'an had clearly made arrangements in advance.

The bedding was newly supplied cloud-silk quilts, and the charcoal brazier burned top-quality silver-thread charcoal. Although it was just a warm chamber, the conditions were no worse than Xiao Yan's quarters.

Liu Qingci sat down on a rosewood recliner nearby and picked up an open book resting on the armrest.

The book was open to the middle, face down on the desk; it must have been left by Xiao Yan after he read halfway through.

After reading a few pages, Liu Qingci realized that the book was written by a scholar who traveled through Jiangnan. It recorded customs and interesting anecdotes from various places in Jiangnan in the form of essays divided into volumes.

Jiangnan again.

Liu Qingci frowned.

Did Xiao Yan like Jiangnan that much? Hence he also favored Young Master Lin, a soft-spoken man from the water town region of Jiangnan?

Liu Qingci closed the book and stared vacantly at the busy servants.

Seeing Liu Qingci lost in thought, Fu'an stepped forward and explained:

"His Highness said that Young Master is sensitive to cold, so he specifically added an extra brazier."

Liu Qingci blinked, looking at the nearly finished warm chamber. He could indeed feel the warmth building up.

Was Xiao Yan... always so considerate to people?

He raised his eyes to look at Fu'an and asked directly: "Did Young Master Lin also stay here before?"

"Young Master Lin?" Fu'an was taken aback. After thinking carefully, he said: "Young Master Lin last came to Lan Yue Xuan over a month ago... At that time, Young Master Lin did not stay at Lan Yue Xuan for long periods either."

Fu'an said this euphemistically. Back then, after Prince Yu summoned someone, he would drive them away once he was satisfied.

Unlike now, Prince Yu actually personally cared about Young Master Liu's food and clothing, even worrying about details like whether he was cold and how many braziers to use.

Tsk tsk, Fu'an couldn't help but sigh again.

"Over a month ago?" Liu Qingci exclaimed in surprise. "Didn't he come just a few days ago?"

Fu'an was bewildered: "No, these days Lan Yue Xuan has been quiet and empty, with no one visiting. Even His Highness often goes to the outskirts of the capital to practice horseback riding. Young Master Liu, if I may say so, now that you have come to Lan Yue Xuan, it will be much livelier from now on!"

Fu'an flattered him, smiling cheerfully.

Hearing Fu'an's words, Liu Qingci thought of Young Master Lin's boasting tone in front of him and shook his head helplessly inwardly.

It was just that Young Master Lin, assuming Liu Qingci couldn't verify the truth, had made up those lies.

But then again, what was the point of bothering over the truth of these trivial matters?

What did it have to do with him?

Liu Qingci straightened up, slowly... the tension at the corners of his mouth slowly eased.

"By the way, there's another strange thing." Seeing that Liu Qingci bore no grudge and was willing to chat with him, Fu'an added a few more words: "About a month ago, His Highness suddenly ordered that all the beds, tables, and chairs in Lan Yue Xuan be replaced with new ones, and even the floor carpets were replaced! It was as if he was disgusted by something dirty..."

Fu'an was puzzled.

Everything used by His Highness was of the highest quality and cleaned by dedicated staff daily. Why was he so disgusted?

What Fu'an didn't know was that Xiao Yan was disgusted by the men and women who came and went in Lan Yue Xuan; given how the original Prince Yu used to behave, who knows what strange things they had left behind.

It was truly hard not to be bothered...

Hearing this, Liu Qingci was even more astonished.

Although he was not sure why Xiao Yan had given such an order, he had to admit that hearing about it... had brightened his mood considerably.

Liu Qingci's thing about cleanliness was, in some ways, even more extreme than Xiao Yan's.

The thought that every arrangement in these rooms was brand new and clean made the air itself feel more inviting to him.

From that day on, Xiao Yan and Liu Qingci began living together and sharing meals.

The two slept with only a folding screen between them and ate at the same table.

Liu Qingci's daily habits started to shift.

Although he had noticed signs before, now he was even more certain.

Xiao Yan seemed to enjoy watching him eat...

Not in an obvious, staring way, but occasionally his gaze would drift over, subtle yet present.

At first, Liu Qingci felt a little uneasy, sticking to his old habit of taking small, slow bites, his thoughts drifting.

But the presence of Xiao Yan's gaze was too strong. Though wordless, it seemed to silently gauge how much he was eating.

Feeling oddly self-conscious under that gaze, Liu Qingci unconsciously ate an extra half bowl of rice and helped himself to more dishes.

Though Xiao Yan's expression remained indifferent, it was clear he was quite pleased with the result.