Chapter 25: Bewilderment (1)

Their goal was simply to embarrass the Thirteenth Young Master. On the surface, it was to vent their anger for the Snow Maiden, but in reality, they were merely exploiting the situation to play tricks on the Thirteenth Young Master, whose luck was enviable.

Because of this, they believed that activities like trivia contests were the best way to make him look bad. So when the Thirteenth Young Master said he wanted to perform a talent, they schemed to push him into the quiz instead.

On the sidelines, Tiger Girl merely smiled without any intention of stopping them. She wanted to watch the spectacle, but her idea of entertainment was entirely different from theirs. She wasn't interested in seeing the Thirteenth Young Master in trouble, but rather in watching those who plotted against him.

Let’s not forget—the Thirteenth Young Master, though foolish, possessed a remarkable memory. Since childhood, he had devoured countless books. In sheer volume of knowledge, among all the students in the academy, if he was second, there could be no first.

Very few knew this fact; aside from Tiger Girl and Ye Lan Yu, others at most were aware of his strong alchemical knowledge, since he studied alchemy.

When the randomized trivia challenge began, the Thirteenth Young Master surged ahead, far surpassing the second place. Many were stunned.

The result made some suspect cheating, but after tests confirmed the data was authentic, many felt ashamed. Losing to another was tolerable, but to lose to someone widely deemed an idiot—this was unbearable.

Thus, those who hadn't been eliminated yet braced themselves and entered the second and final round. This time, they began posing questions they believed were obscure, things no one would know.

The rules for this round required each participant to pose questions, and whoever answered the most would win.

Yet, the questions they asked followed their usual habits—they were all knowledge-based. So even if they were obscure, the Thirteenth Young Master still had a chance to know the answers.

As a result, he answered two questions correctly; others managed at most two, and some couldn't answer even one. Ignoring the preliminary scores, based on this alone, he could definitely qualify for the next activity.

For ranking, however, they continued with another method: calculating who answered the most, and whose questions were least correctly answered.

At this point, everyone was amazed—the Thirteenth Young Master's question had not a single correct response. His question wasn’t particularly difficult, anyone could have answered it, but none did.

The question was: A fool walks along the road and sees a gold coin and a silver coin on the ground. Which does the fool pick up?

Some answered, of course, the gold coin—even a fool knows to take gold. Others said silver, because a fool wouldn’t know better.

“Wrong. Of course, he takes both! Even a fool knows to take them all. You’re all even more foolish than a fool!” When the Thirteenth Young Master announced the answer, their faces were as ugly as could be. They wished they could crawl into a hole.

If someone else had said it, it would have been easier to accept. But coming from someone they believed to be an idiot, it was unbearable.

Meanwhile, laughter erupted among the crowd below. Though they too had debated between the gold and silver, they hadn't actually chosen, so they could laugh with impunity.

Such incidents had happened several times before, but no one paid much heed, thinking it mere coincidence. Because of this, a group of self-proclaimed clever people had been fooled by the Thirteenth Young Master more times than they could count, yet never learned, always lining up to be bested.

“Master, your question just now was misleading. The way you phrased it made everyone think only one could be chosen,” Tiger Girl said afterward, suppressing laughter.

“Really?” The Thirteenth Young Master pondered, then continued, “I never said only one could be taken. You could take both. Besides, the answer is obvious. I wanted to ask the simplest question, but how could they be so foolish?”

“……”

……

The sweltering summer was a time of unpredictable weather; at any moment, a clear day could turn to looming clouds and rumbling storms.

That day, such a change occurred. The Thirteenth Young Master, unable to return home due to the sudden storm, had to remain in the palace. Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning slashed across the sky.

“Ye Lang, you’ll stay here tonight. I’ll sleep with you,” the Seventh Princess said with a smile.

“Staying is fine, but we can’t sleep together—we aren’t married,” the Thirteenth Young Master replied slowly.

“Hehe, what does it matter? We’re still young, nothing will happen. It’s normal to sleep together. Didn’t you often sleep with your sister?” The Seventh Princess laughed, teasing rather than truly intending to share a bed.

“She’s my sister,” the Thirteenth Young Master answered.

“What about Tiger Girl?” The Seventh Princess teased, knowing that for a long time, the Thirteenth Young Master and Tiger Girl shared a bed. Back then, both were young, so no one minded.

“In those days, I needed to be with her. Not anymore—only when I’m sick does she stay with me.” After they turned ten, they started sleeping separately, except when he needed care.

Speaking of Tiger Girl, she seemed unwell and was resting at home. The Thirteenth Young Master had been personally invited by the Seventh Princess, who promised to look after him, so Tiger Girl reluctantly allowed him to visit the palace.

The Seventh Princess often invited him out—to stroll, to visit scenic spots, to the palace or Ye family. No matter the occasion, Tiger Girl was always by his side.

Today was different, and it was this exception that led to an accident that should never have happened, making Tiger Girl vow never again to let the Thirteenth Young Master out of her sight.

“Ye Lang, I’ve finished bathing—it’s your turn…” The Seventh Princess, clad in a thin nightgown, dried her damp, lustrous hair with a towel. Her skin, moistened by water, was dazzlingly fair and alluring. Only her personal maid and the Thirteenth Young Master could witness her like this.

She never shied away from the Thirteenth Young Master, always relaxed and natural before him.

“Huh, where is he?”

After her bath, it should have been his turn, but she couldn’t find him anywhere.

――――――

Xiaoxiao would like to timidly ask—may I request some recommendation votes?