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Tan Lang
墨書 Inktalez
In Pan Manor, the twelve-year-old young master, Pan An, had an arranged marriage with the daughter of the Marquis Dai Xue Zhao family, a match that delighted both families.
The entire household was filled with joy, and Lord Pan's friends came to offer their congratulations. For a time, Pan Manor bustled with activity, and even as night fell, the festivities showed no signs of waning. During mealtime, even the kitchen workers were called upon to help, making the manor feel lively and chaotic due to the impending union.
However, at that moment, Pan An was dressed in a servant's outfit, peeking cautiously out of his room. He first looked around carefully to ensure no one was watching before he quietly opened the door and crouched low, darting along the flowerbeds by the wall, intending to sneak out to meet his friend Sima Zhan.
Just as he reached the base of the wall, he heard a soft voice ahead ask, "Who is it?"
Pan An was immediately startled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. In the darkness, he could only tell that it was a woman but couldn't identify her. If he spoke up, the maids in the manor would surely recognize his voice. His suspicious behavior would undoubtedly be reported to his father, ruining his plan to sneak out.
“Shh!” Thinking quickly, he rushed forward and covered her mouth with his hand.
As he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, he realized she was a girl of similar height. She seemed even more frightened than he was; despite being captured, she didn't dare to cry out but clutched his hand tightly. Her body was tense like a drawn bow, and only her rapid breathing betrayed her anxiety.
“You're not one of the maids in this manor! Who are you?” Pan An asked with more confidence now that he was certain there were no small maids in his household. His voice unconsciously rose slightly.
“Mmm mmm mmm…” The girl huffed angrily against his palm.
His face flushed instantly from the warmth of her breath. He quickly released her mouth and saw her turn sharply to face him. In the moonlight, her bright eyes shone with suspicion and anger as they locked onto him.
Pan An could immediately tell that the unfamiliar, youthful face before him was one he had never seen before.
"Who are you?" The little girl grabbed his hand. Although she was shorter than him, her grip was surprisingly strong. "Dressed like that, are you a servant of Pan Manor?"
"I..." Pan An was momentarily at a loss for words, his mind racing as he thought about how to respond.
"What do you mean 'I'? You were sneaking around just now—what were you up to? I’ll tell you this: even if you don’t recognize me, the second young master of your family, Pan An, is very familiar with me. If you don’t explain yourself properly, I’ll take you to see him right now!" The little girl spoke fiercely, shaking Pan An's hand as she did.
"Oh?" Pan An chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow and looking at her with a smirk. "You’re very familiar with my second young master? How is it that I, his personal attendant, have never seen you before?"
Upon hearing this, the little girl’s face flushed with anger. Her sparkling eyes shone like searchlights as she scrutinized Pan An from head to toe. "What’s so surprising about you not having seen me? I’ve never seen you either! Hmph! Look at you—skinny as a rail; a gust of wind could blow you over. You’re so tall and thin; do you think you’re a clothesline? Useless as a scholar! If you’re the kind of attendant Pan An has, then he can’t be doing too well himself!"
As she spoke, she waved her hand dismissively, her face full of impatience. "Forget it! Just tell your young master that if he doesn’t want to suffer after marrying someone who might stray, he should go to Xue's mansion and refuse this engagement. Otherwise... the consequences are on him!"
She enunciated each word clearly, lowering her voice dramatically for the last four words in an attempt to sound threatening. Unfortunately, her round little face turned slightly red from anger, and her wide-open eyes lacked any intimidating aura; instead, they gave off a quirky charm that was hard to resist.
"So you're Miss Xue Rongji from the the Xue Family?" Pan An looked at her and felt inexplicably cheerful. He had originally planned to meet Sima Zhan tonight to discuss how to gather information about the the Xue Family ’s young lady. He hadn’t expected this little girl to have some tricks up her sleeve and sneak into Pan Manor herself.
"And what if I am?" Xue Rongji tilted her chin up defiantly, hands on her hips in a way that suggested she wouldn’t back down easily. "Tell that Pan fellow that I already have someone I like. If he doesn’t want to marry someone who might stray in the future, he should hurry up and break off this engagement!" With that, she put her hands behind her back and walked away with small steps, trying to appear mature.
Just as Pan An was curiously wondering how she had gotten into the backyard, he saw her crouching down and struggling to crawl out through a small dog hole in the corner. As she crawled out, she turned back and shot him a "ferocious" glare. "What are you looking at? I belong with the dogs!"
"Yes, yes!" Pan An felt a sharp pain in his abdomen but held back his laughter, turning away in a gentlemanly manner while thoughtfully shielding his eyes with his hand.
After half a day, someone behind him grumbled in frustration, "Next time, tell your master to make the dog hole a bit bigger. After all, this is the Langya Inner History Office; the dog hole is as small as a mouse hole. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? Come over and give me a push; my girl outside can't reach my hand!"
Upon hearing this, Pan An couldn't help but twitch all over. He finally burst into laughter, his voice echoing far into the quiet night.
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