Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Handsome Men in Hand, Gossip in Mine!

Dawn had barely softened the sky when the General’s Manor was jolted awake by an unexpected visitor.

The gatekeeper came running to report that Miss Zhao had arrived—calling for Third Miss Lin Yu Ning by name.

The moment Lin Yu Ning heard “Miss Zhao,” sleep fled her body like it had been chased with a broom. She sprang off the couch, cheeks bright with excitement, one foot still bare while the other was shoved into an embroidered slipper, and urged her maid in a breathless rush, “Sister Zhao is here! Quickly—invite her to my courtyard!”

She had kept her promise. She had brought the legendary “The Capital Beaux Album” with her.

Manners be damned—Lin Yu Ning nearly bounced out the door. Before she did, she shot Chun Cao a meaningful glance.

“Go tell Second Sister. Say the ‘big treasure’ has arrived!”

Chun Cao understood immediately. With a small, secret smile, she darted away like a swallow, straight for Second Miss’s courtyard.

Lin Yu Ning’s eyes were already glued to the exquisite booklet in Zhao Lü Liu’s hands. The binding was fine, the paper thick, the whole thing so precious it practically glowed.

Chun Cao wasn’t even through the gate when her voice rang out, bright and clear.

“Second Miss! Second Miss! Third Miss has a ‘big treasure’ over there—please hurry and take a look!”

Inside, Lin Yu Jiao sat at her mirror, pinning flowers into her hair. The senseless shouting made her brows draw together. She glanced at her head maid with faint irritation.

“Listen to that. Ning Ning is wild enough, and now even her maids have learned it perfectly. Go hush that girl. If she keeps yelling, the whole manor will know.”

Liu Yun covered her mouth, smiling as she went. She lifted the curtain and caught Chun Cao just as the girl opened her mouth to shout again.

“My good Chun Cao, don’t shout anymore. Second Miss heard you. She’ll change and come over.”

Chun Cao edged closer, dropping her voice into a conspiratorial whisper.

“Sister Liu Yun, are you coming with Second Miss?”

Before Liu Yun could answer, Chun Cao’s excitement bubbled over.

“We might even go to Cousin Young Master’s side later. Maybe we can mooch some noodle-fish soup from Sister Xiao Man! That taste—truly unbelievable.”

She made an exaggerated thumbs-up, as if the soup were a treasure rarer than gold.

Liu Yun’s eyes softened with a trace of envy.

“Only you would be so greedy. Following Third Miss really is the best way to eat well.”

Not long after, Lin Yu Jiao emerged—neat and composed. She wore the calm poise of a noble miss, but her steps were a fraction too quick, betraying the pull of curiosity.

“Come. Let’s see what Ning Ning is fussing over this time.”

The instant she stepped into Lin Yu Ning’s courtyard, Lin Yu Jiao’s brow creased—so slight it was almost invisible.

There was her little sister, one foot in a sock and the other bare, toes tucked into a slipper as though she couldn’t be bothered with such minor details as dignity. Lin Yu Ning was pressed close to Zhao Lü Liu, the two of them drinking tea and nibbling pastries while laughing over the booklet spread on the table, cackling until they swayed like reeds in the wind.

Truly—improper beyond belief.

[Later, I must speak to Eldest Sister,] Lin Yu Jiao sighed inwardly. [Ning Ning and her whole courtyard need to learn rules.]

Her expression, however, remained serene. She stepped forward, exchanged greetings with Zhao Lü Liu, and let her gaze fall to the album.

“Sister Zhao—this is the work you mentioned?”

“Of course.” Zhao Lü Liu’s confidence was effortless. She pushed the thick album to the center of the table as if presenting a crown jewel. “The moment it was finished, I brought it straight here. When I, Zhao Lü Liu, give my word, I keep it.”

The three of them sat, hearts thudding with excitement and curiosity, and opened “The Capital Beaux Album” with care that bordered on reverence.

Ink scent rose first—clean and sharp—mingled with the faint fragrance of pigments. Page after page revealed portraits: men of every type in the capital, each painted so vividly it felt as if he might step off the paper. Some were gentle and jade-bright. Some were fierce and heroic. Beside each face, neat notes recorded family, status, and position—along with gossip that could set a boudoir humming for days.

At the front, a bold heading declared the first five seats:

Xie Heng, courtesy name Huai Jin. Family: eldest grandson of the Duke Jing Manor; his mother’s family was a century-old scholarly house in Jiang Nan. Position: Lecturer-in-Waiting at the Hanlin Academy, a close attendant of the Son of Heaven. Traits: stunning beauty, impeccable bearing, astonishing talent—praised as the “jade mountain beau,” the dream lover of the capital’s young ladies.

Xiao Yu, courtesy name Ming Zhi. Family: heir apparent of the Yong Ning Marquis Manor; his aunt was a favored concubine in the palace. Position: colonel of the Yulin Guard, commander of palace security. Traits: handsome and martial, unmatched in riding and archery, with a cold, decisive air that seemed forged in battle.

Lin Qing Xuan, sobriquet Yuan Jue. Family: eldest grandson of the Long Nan princely manor. Position: none for now. Yet the name “innate buddha child” rang through the capital; he often entered the palace or delivered teachings at great temples. Traits: unearthly beauty, a spirit as distant as moonlight; compassion between his brows, holy and untouchable.

Cui Zhan, courtesy name Zi Yuan. Family: direct line of the Cui Clan of Qing He, an old and illustrious house. Position: Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, charged with policing officials. Traits: lean and cold, eyes like torches, never smiling—known as the “cold jade beau.”

Wei Zheng, courtesy name Yizhi. Family: only son of the late North-Guarding Grand General. Position: cavalry captain of the capital garrison, promoted by military merit. Traits: sun-browned skin, sharp features, bold and unrestrained—his smile blazing like high noon.

Before they knew it, the three misses had huddled so close their sleeves brushed. Their whispers turned to gasps, then stifled laughter, then heated debate. It was like stepping into warm water—one moment of hesitation, and then they were sunk, neck-deep, in beauty and rumor.

Lin Yu Ning’s lips pushed into a pout.

“Our cousin is so good—how is he only third? And Xiao Yu is second? I don’t accept it! Second Sister, don’t you hate those sword-swinging military officers the most? You always say they smell like sweat and are the rudest.”

Lin Yu Jiao startled so hard she nearly snapped her hairpin.

“When have I ever said that? I don’t even know this Colonel Xiao. Don’t speak nonsense.”

“You did,” Lin Yu Ning muttered stubbornly. Then, seeing Lin Yu Jiao’s expression darken, she changed the subject with the speed of someone practiced at escaping scoldings.

“Sister Green Willow, did you run a vote for this? How did we never hear about it?”

Zhao Lü Liu lifted a brow, smug and pleased with herself.

“Vote? No. I gathered the private discussions among noble ladies and misses at my studio, then combined them with the gossip their maids and old nursemaids dug up from other manors. That’s how I ranked them—pure reputation, pure authority. And to paint them properly, I worked for it. I squatted in places for days, stalking like a hunter, just to get these portraits alive.”

Lin Yu Jiao lingered a moment on Cui Zhan’s page.

“This Censor Cui has presence. He doesn’t lose to our cousin at all.”

“Him?” Zhao Lü Liu clicked her tongue. “He’s even more boring than your cousin chanting sutras. He spends all day stiff-faced in the Censorate investigating cases. I followed him for days and discovered he doesn’t even have a female mosquito around him—everyone serving him is a page. I’m starting to wonder if he likes men.”

Lin Yu Jiao’s eyes widened.

“You can’t say such things casually!”

Zhao Lü Liu burst into laughter.

“I’m only suspicious. It’s not like I caught him in a male brothel.”

They turned more pages. Lin Yu Jiao’s fingers—delicate and careful—slid across the paper until her gaze caught on a portrait that made her pause. The man’s features were refined, his aura slightly soft, his beauty the kind that made people look twice.

She pointed.

“Sister Green Willow… in your ‘The Capital Beaux Album,’ you even included someone who likes men?”

The question carried an unmistakable thrill. Lin Yu Jiao’s eyes glittered, hungry for a secret.

Zhao Lü Liu smiled like someone who had been waiting for exactly that.

“This one, yes?”

“Ranked tenth: the imperial court qin player—Liu Ji.”

Lin Yu Ning leaned in immediately. Liu Ji wore plain blue robes in the painting, a guqin held against his chest. His lashes were lowered, his profile soft—refined in a way that felt different from the others, quietly dangerous, like perfume that lingered.

“Tell us!” Lin Yu Ning urged, eyes round as lanterns. “Quickly!”

Zhao Lü Liu lowered her voice into a stage whisper.

“Liu Ji’s qin skill is top-tier—that’s how he entered the palace. But the reason he’s remembered in the capital isn’t only because of his strings…”

She paused just long enough to make both sisters lean closer.

“I’ve heard he’s very close with young masters from several princely and marquis houses. Especially the young commandery prince under Prince An Qing—those two are inseparable. He pampers Liu Ji like his own eyes.”

Lin Yu Jiao’s cheeks warmed, but curiosity won.

“Prince An Qing’s commandery prince… the one known for being flirtatious and careless with etiquette?”

“Exactly.” Zhao Lü Liu nodded, delighted by their reactions. “At elegant gatherings, you’ll see Liu Ji at his side as an attendant. He’s less a musician and more… well. You understand.”

Lin Yu Ning sucked in a sharp breath, half scandalized, half ecstatic.

“So that’s why he made the list!”

Zhao Lü Liu’s eyes sparkled.

“My album isn’t about virtue. It’s about fame—about the men everyone talks about. If you want a record of the capital’s romance and scandal, how could I leave him out?”

Lin Yu Jiao made a quiet sound of mock reproach.

“Sister Green Willow, you really dare to put anyone into your record.”

But her gaze stayed fixed, bright as a child’s in a lantern market.

Zhao Lü Liu lifted her chin.

“Naturally. My album strives for one word—complete.”

The three of them shared a look, and in that look was an entire world of unspoken laughter.

They continued flipping. The pages grew only more “colorful,” more shamelessly delightful.

Lin Yu Ning suddenly jabbed a finger at Wei Zheng’s portrait.

“Second Sister, look at him. A general’s son—doesn’t he match Eldest Sister well? I wonder if he could last ten moves under her.”

Zhao Lü Liu’s eyes flared.

“Your Eldest Sister knows martial arts?”

Lin Yu Ning nodded as if it were obvious.

Zhao Lü Liu seized Lin Yu Ning’s hand, excitement crackling through her.

“Tell me how good she is! Oh, this is perfect. I’m planning a new storybook—a heroine who is a bold woman general. I’ve been worrying I had no model. If I could see your Eldest Sister’s style even once, I could write her alive.”

Lin Yu Jiao and Lin Yu Ning exchanged a helpless glance.

“A storybook where five handsome men all fall for her—don’t you think that’s too much?”

“It’s a storybook,” Zhao Lü Liu said, utterly unbothered. “If it’s not exaggerated, who would read it?”

Then her expression turned sly.

“By the way, the number one—Scholar Xie—has he been promised already?”

Both sisters answered at once, “Yes—does he?”

Zhao Lü Liu laughed.

“Everyone I painted is unmarried. Otherwise, what room would noble ladies have to imagine? How would my album sell for a high price?”

She loved painting. She loved silver more.

A beat later, she leaned closer, lowering her voice as if drawing them into a private ring of flame.

“Truthfully, the hardest man to paint, the hardest to write, was your Buddhist Scion cousin. Everyone around him guards their tongues. I couldn’t pry out a single true inside detail.”

Lin Yu Ning blinked. Lin Yu Jiao’s gaze sharpened.

Zhao Lü Liu smiled, innocent as a cat with a mouse in its mouth.

“Since he lives right next door, why not introduce me today to that sister from the Auspicious Cloud Residence—the one I met before? Let me get close. Let me ‘make friends.’ It might give me inspiration for my not-yet-written ‘Buddhist Scion Secret Chronicle.’”

So that was the true purpose of her visit.