Caiyu turned her head in surprise and saw Song Yinghuai standing not far away.
Dressed in a robe as white as frost, he stood tall and straight like a pine tree. His eyes, tinted by the moonlight, were gentle yet aloof. The Buddhist beads dangling from his fingertips accentuated his noble and otherworldly aura, making him seem like a being from a different realm.
"Milord?" Caiyu murmured.
She had thought Song Yinghuai had walked ahead and left her far behind.
She had no idea when he had noticed she was following him, nor when he had realized she had lost him.
Song Yinghuai averted his gaze coldly. "Light the lamps."
Caiyu was taken aback for a moment but quickly responded. She took the incense from the shopkeeper and lit the oil lamps one by one.
The stars faded and the moon set. The birds chirped softly.
When a long row of oil lamps were lit simultaneously, the flickering flames illuminated the long street.
The noise of the world seemed to fade away in an instant, disappearing completely from Song Yinghuai's ears.
In this silent world, only Caiyu's beaming smile glistened like a priceless jade in the lamplight. Her black eyes reflected the golden glints in the lamps, as if they had captured all the splendor of the mortal world.
Caiyu held the oil lamps and stacked them one by one on top of each other.
Thousands of lamps piled up like a mountain. The burning wicks resembled the bright moon and twinkling stars floating on the mountaintop, shining brightly and creating a sea of light that painted a crystal-clear palace of pearls and shells.
When it came to the last lamp, Caiyu stood on tiptoe, swaying unsteadily. It seemed as if she was about to topple the thousands of lamps.
A large hand took the lamp from her.
Song Yinghuai's tall figure loomed over her. His broad chest pressed against her back. His arm reached over her head and gently placed the last lamp on top of the mountain of lamps.
Caiyu was stunned. She looked up at him.
Song Yinghuai's face was cold and his voice was deep.
"The lotus core is the lamp wick. When the seven-jeweled divine fire ignites, all those with earthly desires will be restrained. The infinitely benevolent power will shake the heavens and the earth."
"Since you have lit the lamps, your wishes will come true. From now on, keep your heart clean. Respond to things as they come and let go of the past."
Caiyu could feel her heart pounding violently, more violently than ever before.
Even after Song Yinghuai had left for a while, she was still in a daze.
However, reality did not allow her to be in a daze.
She could be grateful. She could allow herself to be carried away by her emotions for a moment. But she could not give up any opportunity for the Lan family because of this.
Song Yinghuai finally handed over a rouge and powder shop and a clothing and silk shop under his name to Caiyu to manage.
Ji Ming brought over the account books of the two shops and piled them on Caiyu's desk.
Looking at the mountain of account books, Caiyu's scalp tingled.
By the time she sorted out these accounts, three months would have passed!
Song Yinghuai was really something. He had kept her so busy that she had no time to think about him!
However, Song Yinghuai obviously underestimated Caiyu. When he returned to his bedroom from the meditation room, he saw her quickly walking towards him and taking off his outer robe to hang it up.
"Your Highness, the weather is getting colder. This servant has heated a hand warmer and put it in the quilt. It's very warm."
"Your Highness, the heated wall has also been lit. Do you feel that the bedroom is very warm?"
"Your Highness, should we serve dinner now? The ingredients Madam Yu bought today are very fresh."
Caiyu chattered on and on.
Song Yinghuai took off his large sable fur collar with gold-trimmed cloud patterns and asked,
"Did Ji Ming bring last month's account books?"
"He did." Caiyu took the fur collar and hung it up. She turned her face away and said, "They're over there!"
"How much have you read?" Song Yinghuai looked at the mountain of account books piled on the vermilion cloud-patterned desk in his bedroom. He had a bad feeling in his heart.
Caiyu sighed. "I haven't read a single one."
Seeing that the cold air pressure was about to descend, Caiyu quickly grabbed Song Yinghuai's arm and said coquettishly,
"Your Highness, it's not that this servant is lazy. It's just that this servant doesn't know how to read accounts. Why don't you teach this servant, Your Highness..."
Song Yinghuai's lips tightened. He pulled his arm out of Caiyu's hand. "You could have asked Ji Ming when he came!"
Ji Ming was the chief steward of the Yan Prince's Mansion. All the accounts and properties of the mansion, big and small, would eventually pass through his hands.
He was extremely proficient in account books and other external affairs.
Caiyu's eyes widened in surprise. "Should this servant ask Big Brother Ji?"
Big Brother Ji?
When Song Yinghuai heard this address, he felt that something was wrong.
When had Ji Ming become so close to Caiyu?
Even their address had changed!
Song Yinghuai's eyebrows gradually sank.
Caiyu seemed completely unaware. As if she had just been enlightened by Song Yinghuai, she clapped her hands and said happily,
"Your Highness has reminded this servant. Big Brother Ji's ability to manage accounts is probably unmatched in the entire Yan Prince's Mansion. Then this servant will ask Big Brother Ji to come again tomorrow."
She walked around the desk and sat in front of it. She propped her chin up with her hand as if she was daydreaming:
"Oh, this servant can't do arithmetic either. This servant's handwriting is also very bad. Anyway, since Big Brother Ji is coming, let him teach this servant how to use an abacus and how to practice calligraphy. This way, Your Highness won't always laugh at this servant's handwriting as if it belongs to a six-year-old child..."
Song Yinghuai's face became even more gloomy.
He remembered that these days, whenever he had free time, he would personally teach this girl how to practice calligraphy.
And he imagined the scene of Ji Ming teaching her how to practice calligraphy tomorrow...
Caiyu was still chattering on and on. Suddenly—
There was a loud "bang".
Caiyu was startled. She looked up blankly in the direction of the sound.
She saw Song Yinghuai sitting in front of the round table. His face was as black as coal. He coldly spat out two words:
"Serve dinner!"
...
The next day.
The chief steward Ji Ming was temporarily ordered to go out and inspect all the properties of the mansion in Daye.
When Caiyu heard the news, she frowned and lay on the desk, worried. "Big Brother Ji is gone. Who will teach this servant how to read accounts..."
Song Yinghuai sipped his Wuyi rock tea slowly and coughed lightly.
Caiyu looked up and met Song Yinghuai's cold eyes. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She stood up and walked over. She bowed gracefully to Song Yinghuai:
"Your Highness, will you teach this servant, please?"
Song Yinghuai sneered. "I only know how to chant Buddhist scriptures and read military books. I'm not as good as Ji Ming when it comes to reading account books."
Caiyu flattered him without hesitation. "Your Highness is being modest... Er, Your Highness has a noble and elegant appearance. You are outstanding. The world's talent is like a stone. Your Highness alone has eight dou. Big Brother Ji has one dou. From ancient times to the present, everyone else shares one dou."
"Oh?" Song Yinghuai raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you say that Ji Ming's ability to manage accounts is unmatched in the entire Yan Prince's Mansion? How come my talent is much higher than his?"
Caiyu's mouth twitched.
It was him who told her to ask Ji Ming for advice yesterday, and it was also him who transferred Ji Ming away from Yanjing today...
His talent was not necessarily higher than Ji Ming's, but his sarcasm was unmatched in the entire Yan Prince's Mansion.
Caiyu forced a smile. "Big Brother Ji's talent is unmatched in the Yan Prince's Mansion. But Your Highness is the master of the Yan Prince's Mansion. Your status is above the mansion. You can't be counted among the people in the mansion. So Your Highness's ability is naturally much higher than Big Brother Ji's."
Song Yinghuai finally grunted. "Seeing that you have some talent, I'll reluctantly teach you how to read accounts!"
He walked to the desk, picked up the account book of the rouge and powder shop, and explained, "On the first day of October, there was a joint purchase. If each person contributed eight coins, there would be a surplus of three coins. If each person contributed seven coins, there would be a shortage of four coins. To calculate the number of people, the unit price, and the total price of this purchase, you should do it like this..."
Caiyu originally planned to flirt with Song Yinghuai while learning to read accounts. But unexpectedly, she was attracted by Song Yinghuai's explanation. She sat down voluntarily and listened attentively.
She would always fall asleep when reading "The Young Scholar's Forest of Knowledge" or "Rules for Women". But unexpectedly, she was fascinated by arithmetic and reading accounts.
Before she knew it, she had understood the principles and could draw inferences from one example. She had sorted out seven or eight account books in one go.
Song Yinghuai obviously did not expect that this girl actually had such talent in this area. He looked at her with new respect:
"One may learn the truth earlier or later. Everyone has their own expertise. The words of the sages are truly reasonable."
Caiyu looked up blankly from her immersion. But unexpectedly, she met Song Yinghuai's eyes, which for the first time contained admiration...