Master of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 9: Sharing a Roof

The bed belonged to Feiyan, and her blanket and pillow carried a faint, pleasant fragrance. As Meng Tianchu lay there, surrounded by the gentle warmth of the bedding and the soft pillow, it felt as if he were lying beside a tender girl. His heart fluttered a little.

However, the thought of spending his wedding night alone in an empty room, while his bride was just on the other side of a thin curtain, made him feel dejected. So close, yet so far! He sighed. Who can talk about life’s greatest joys now? This is just depressing!

As he wallowed in self-pity, the curtain lifted slightly, and Feiyan peeked in, her delicate face framed by the fabric. Her large eyes sparkled as she said, "Hey, the young mistress asked me to thank you."

"For what? If you really want to thank me, why don’t you come up here and keep me company? I’m feeling cold sleeping alone," Meng Tianchu teased with a grin.

Feiyan rolled her eyes. "You want to sleep with me? Hmph! Maybe in your next life!"

"Oh no! Feiyan’s willing to wait for me in the next life! I’m so touched!" Meng Tianchu laughed heartily.

Feiyan was speechless at his shameless twist on her words. She glared at him before withdrawing her head and letting the curtain drop.

Meng Tianchu chuckled to himself but soon sobered up. Even the maid doesn’t respect me. What a pitiful life this young master leads. With a sigh, he turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

Now that it was quiet, he had time to think about his family and friends. His heart ached as he thought of his parents, who had only him. Though they had pensions and weren’t financially dependent on him, his absence would leave them alone in their old age. The thought brought a sting of sorrow.

Lost in these thoughts, he eventually drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Meng Tianchu was awakened by birds chirping outside the window. Opening his eyes, he saw the bright daylight and was startled. Oh no! It’s already this late—I must be late for work! He instinctively thought of his job at the forensics center, where his strict boss would never show favoritism, even after all the drinks and favors Meng had treated him to.

Jumping up, he flung off the blanket, ready to get dressed. But then he froze, noticing his bare lower body. His little friend stood at attention, seemingly greeting him. He blinked in confusion. Why am I not wearing underwear?

Glancing around at the embroidered red blanket, the antique bed, and the carved wooden beams of the room, he remembered: he was no longer in the modern world. He had traveled back in time to the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty.

Realizing he didn’t have to rush to work or worry about being called to a crime scene in the middle of the night, he let out a triumphant cheer. "Yes!" Stretching lazily, he lay back down, covering himself with the blanket and enjoying the luxury of morning leisure.

Listening to the birds chirping outside, he felt a rare sense of peace. In the modern world, he was always woken by the blaring of car horns or the shouts of pedestrians. Hearing birdsong now reminded him of the phrase, “Birdsong makes the mountains seem quieter.” Indeed, the chirping added a layer of tranquility to the morning.

After a while, he remembered that Xiahou Hong had asked him to visit the study after waking up. Curious about what his father-in-law wanted to discuss, he climbed out of bed, grabbed his pants, and began dressing. Just then, he heard voices from the inner room.

"Feiyan, go check if he’s awake. It’s so late, and he’s still in bed. We can’t even leave because he’s blocking the door. So annoying," said Xiahou Fengyi.

"Okay," Feiyan replied. Footsteps approached the curtain.

Meng Tianchu, still annoyed at Feiyan for pushing him the night before, decided to play a prank. Bare-chested, he bent down behind the curtain, puckering his lips in anticipation.

The curtain lifted, and Feiyan stuck her head in, only to nearly collide with Meng Tianchu’s waiting lips. Startled, she let out a scream and stumbled back several steps, almost falling on her bottom.

Meng Tianchu lifted the curtain, laughing heartily at her flustered state. Finally, he felt vindicated.

Xiahou Fengyi glanced over, saw Meng Tianchu shirtless, and let out a shocked gasp. Turning away with a blush, she stammered, "What are you doing? Get out!" Despite her indignation, the image of his toned, muscular physique lingered briefly in her mind.

Meng Tianchu smirked, dropped the curtain, and picked up his robe. As he slowly dressed, he called through the curtain, "All right, I’m decent now!"

Feiyan cautiously lifted the curtain, her face still red. She glared at him and said, "Last night, the young mistress said you might actually be a gentleman. And now you’ve shown your true colors. A dog can’t stop eating—ugh!"

Meng Tianchu laughed. "Serves you right! Who told you to push me last night? This is payback. Now go fetch water—I need to wash my face."

"Who’s lazy here? You’re the one lying in bed all morning while we’ve been up for ages, unable to leave because you’re blocking the door!"

"How was I blocking you? I wasn’t sleeping in the doorway, was I?"

"You were lying there half-n***d, not even covering yourself properly. How were we supposed to go out?" Feiyan’s face turned bright red as she spoke.

Meng Tianchu suddenly remembered he had left the blanket partially off during the night. Most of his body had been exposed, and considering his earlier state of alertness, he feared Feiyan might have seen more than she should have. Scratching his head awkwardly, he mumbled, "Sorry about that. I’ll wake up earlier in the future."

"Thanks in advance!" Feiyan huffed, blushing as she hurried out to fetch water.

After washing up, Meng Tianchu lifted the curtain and addressed Xiahou Fengyi, who was fixing her hair. "My wife, I’m off to greet Father-in-law in his study. Care to join me?"

Without turning around, she replied coolly, "He asked for you, not me."

"All right, I’ll be back soon. Don’t miss me too much!"

Feiyan, combing Xiahou Fengyi’s hair, snorted. "Who would miss you? Your shamelessness knows no bounds!"

Meng Tianchu chuckled, knowing that changing the impression the original young master had left on them would take time. Women are strange creatures. Winning them over is harder than climbing a mountain.

"Good, no need to miss me. Love sickness has no cure anyway!" Laughing, he turned and walked out.