Yan Yun didn't have many belongings. Most of them were useless keepsakes gifted to him by Wu Bin, and Yan Yun had treated these like they were more precious than gold. In reality, they would have cost Wu Bin nothing. A cheap trinket that he randomly grabbed from a marketplace to exchange for Yan Yun's sentimentality.
Disgusted, Yan Zheyun chucked them into a separate pile. There had to be some way he could toss them out without Wu Bin discovering. Not that he wouldn't be able to spin some rubbish excuse if Wu Bin did see and interrogate him on it, but Yan Zheyun would prefer to spare himself the trouble if he could.
"Ah Yun."
Mingyue stepped through the door just as Yan Zheyun was packing his meagre savings. This wasn't much, just a couple of strings of copper coins. He didn't know the exchange rate either, so he wasn't sure what they were really worth. But he could figure that out if he ever got the opportunity to visit a shop.
"Big Sister Mingyue," he greeted with a weak smile. Best not to look too happy to be leaving. He didn't know who was reporting back to Liang Hui and he didn't want to raise any suspicions.
Mingyue came over and looked at him in concern. In Yan Yun's memories, she was a gentle big sister figure who tried her best to look out for him. At 20 years of age, she was considered old for betrothal already, and would soon be married off by the mistress of the house to another loyal servant who earned the right to a spouse. But only if she wasn't first given to Wu Bin as a bedwarmer.
Yan Zheyun wasn't sure how accurate Yan Yun's opinion of her was. After all, those inherited memories were all subjective and coloured with Yan Yun's worldview. This was a worldview that Yan Zheyun didn't dare to trust because Yan Yun had proven himself time and again to be the worst judge of character in the universe.
But whether Mingyue was as nice as she seemed or not, Yan Zheyun hoped she avoided the fate of becoming Wu Bin's concubine. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even his worst enemy.
[Okay, that's not true. I would quite happily wish that on Scumbag Gongs 2, 3, 4, etc.]
"Ah Yun…" Mingyue chewed on her lip. She looked uneasy like she wasn't sure how best to put across what she wanted to say. "You're going to have to be a lot more careful from now on. I'm sure Young Master will still try to protect you, but the kitchens are so far away, he won't be able to keep you safe at all times anymore."
[I couldn't ask for more.]
Yan Zheyun tied a neat knot over the top of his cloth bag and tucked it under his arms. He was already antsy to run off to the kitchens but he tried not to let it show.
Actually, Liang Hui had hesitated over assigning him elsewhere. This was because she didn't know where else to put him. He was a male slave, so the female residences were not appropriate. And the other male residences were also dangerous, because of his looks. Just because she favoured Wu Bin, didn't mean she wanted her second son or the other illegitimate sons gallivanting around with a male servant either. It was okay if it was just for play, but something about Yan Yun seemed to make men lose control over their senses. She didn't want to risk that.
Her other consideration had been Wu Bin's attitude. Her son was not going to like this. But the urge to separate them both was too tempting, and so she had agreed when Yan Zheyun had timidly suggested going to the kitchens.
As for why he had volunteered himself for such grimy work? Simple. It was all the way at the other end of the Wu Household's compound. That was as far away from Wu Bin as he could possibly get without being sold to another family.
"Don't worry," he reassured Mingyue, his big eyes bright and clear as they reflected the afternoon sun. "I'll take care of myself."
Mingyue didn't look convinced but she had work to do as well and could not escort him there.
"Try and conceal your appearance," she insisted. "Don't let anyone look at your face for too long."
"I will, Big Sister Mingyue." With one last wave, Yan Zheyun left through the main courtyard doors of Wu Bin's residence. He was 100% certain that this wouldn't be the last he saw of Wu Bin, but at least, he could hope that this was the last time he stepped foot in his territory.
The kitchens were a fairly long walk away, especially because Yan Zheyun decided to take a detour to avoid bumping into others. Mingyue was right. His face was capable of bringing calamity down upon him and the less others caught sight of him the better.
He considered how he could disguise himself. Lixin had tried putting makeup on him in the past but he had rebuffed her. So she had gone to bully her twin instead. Poor Liheng was the good-natured one in the family and had caved in to her unreasonable demands. At some point, he'd even gotten quite good at applying eyeliner on himself.
Yan Zheyun couldn't believe he was thinking this, but he kind of wished, just a small smidgen, that he'd let her teach him how to apply makeup too. Then he could figure out how to use it to make himself less striking.
But then again, he didn't feel like spending what little money he had on beauty products. He wasn't even sure if he had enough. It just wasn't the economical solution.
What other alternatives were there?
He stopped on the way past the eastern pond, which was where Yan Yun had died. It was a quiet corner of the compound, without much foot traffic daily, which was why Liang Ming had dragged Yan Yun here to have his wicked way with him. Yan Yun would have avoided such a secluded place at all costs but Yan Zheyun had no such qualms.
If some predator decided to strike when he thought they were alone, then he couldn't blame Yan Zheyun for retaliating.
He looked at his reflection in the pond. It had just hit spring not long ago and the peach blossom flowers were starting to bloom. In the water, a young man stood standing beneath one of these beautiful pale pink trees, his form slender and supple. He was pleasing to the eye, stunning even. Despite the shabby grey outfit that he wore, his noble bearing was hard to hide. His waist-long hair was half let loose and half tied up into a topknot.
This scholarly look was favoured by educated young males who hadn't had their capping ceremony yet. But it was not suitable for a lowly slave. The logical thing to do would be for Yan Zheyun to pull his hair up into a full topknot like the rest of the male servants sported. But for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel like being rational.
Perhaps he just felt sorry for Yan Yun, who in many ways reminded him of his 18-year-old siblings. If tragedy hadn't befallen the Yan Family, Yan Yun would be studying right now for exams, just like the twins. He would have had no cares in the world besides impressing the capital with an excellent score in the imperial examinations.
Perhaps he would even have stolen Wu Bin's title of 'Youngest Principal Graduate' since he had been an accomplished scholar himself, despite his juvenile tendencies. Yan Zheyun still retained all of Yan Yun's memories of the Four Books and Five Classics, which made up the core of the imperial examination syllabus.
And then, at the age of 20, Yan Yun's father would have proudly organised his capping ceremony for his coming of age. An honoured guest, perhaps his teacher, would have carried out the rites.
This should be the first time Yan Yun had his hair in a full topknot. Not before 20 and not while shamed.
Because he had transmigrated into Yan Yun's body, Yan Zheyun felt responsible for Yan Yun's lingering hopes. These hopes were embedded in his memories and Yan Zheyun had personally felt his anticipation for becoming a court official. His excitement to hit adulthood and support his father and family. His desire to clear his family name.
Yan Zheyun's capabilities were limited at the moment and he wasn't sure if he would ever amount to anything more than a slave. As such, he didn't dare to make far-fetched promises like revenge or another shot at securing an official position. But there were still some things he could do.
[I promise, one day I'll find someone willing to complete that ceremony for you.] Before that, he wouldn't allow himself to use the full topknot.
Undoing the simple black cord that held half his hair up, Yan Zheyun swiftly tied it into a ponytail. This finesse of his fingers was also something that belonged to the host body and not to him. Lixin used to complain every time he helped her with her hair, saying she was going to bald before 30 thanks to him. But Yan Yun had spent 4 years fixing Wu Bin's hair in the mornings. The skill had long since become muscle memory.
The hairstyle change did little to detract from the host body's arresting face, but at least it made movement more convenient. As for the rest, there was little Yan Zheyun could do besides hope that the soot and sweat from working hard labour tasks in the kitchen would make him appear a lot less attractive.
The matron supervising the kitchens gave Yan Zheyun a flat, unimpressed stare when he reported his arrival. He couldn't blame her. His scrawny arms, musician's fingers, and frail body didn't give anyone the impression that he would be able to lift even a jar of pickled vegetables. If he were her, he'd suspect that someone higher up had a vendetta against him and decided to send this useless ex-Young Master over to the busy kitchens just to be meddlesome.
But it wasn't like she could dismiss him. After trading stares with him for a minute, she reluctantly called for another kitchen boy to come over.
"Take him to the sleeping quarters to keep his things and then show him how to wash dishes," she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Yan Zheyun beadily. "I don't care if you're the ex-prime minister's son or a beggar in the streets. Maybe the big young master treated you like a treasure but now that you're under my watch, I expect you to listen to my commands. I'm a fair supervisor and will give you time to learn, but if I catch you slacking off or breaking my rules, I won't hesitate to punish you. Do you understand?"
What could he say? From CEO to personal manservant to kitchen scullion, Yan Zheyun had no choice but to obey.
Satisfied with his compliant "Yes, Matron", she waved him off with his new colleague.
The kitchen boy that accompanied him was a quiet teenager that was a bit rough around the edges. He was lanky, a whole head taller than Yan Zheyun, although the slight baby fat to his cheeks suggested that he was possibly younger. But even with his tunic on, it was obvious that his wiry frame was muscular from years of menial labour. Yan Zheyun could only be envious. Once upon a time, he'd had a six-pack too but now he had to resign himself to a teeny tiny waist that wouldn't look out of place in a belly dancer's costume.
…this was something Yan Zheyun could do without.
"I'm Yan Yun." Yan Zheyun introduced himself after it became clear that the boy wasn't going to. He might as well start networking.
The boy grunted. "Wu Zhong," he replied, using the family surname. Technically, Yan Yun should have been renamed as well by his new masters, but the Wu Family had graciously allowed him to keep his name. Yan Yun had been so thankful for this he had fallen to his knees and kowtowed. But what he hadn't realised was that this was just so the Minister of Rites could better enjoy being served by the son of the man he secretly hated.
Wu Zhong pushed open a set of doors and led Yan Zheyun through. He pointed at a long wooden platform at the end of the cramped room, which spanned the entire length of the wall. Every couple of inches, a thin blanket was tossed haphazardly on it.
"That's the bed," Wu Zhong said, and Yan Zheyun nearly fainted from the culture shock.
Even Yan Yun, with his 4 years of experience of servitude, had never lived in such squalid conditions before. There were no memories of this level of dilapidation, otherwise, Yan Zheyun might have thought twice.
No wonder Liang Hui's eyeballs had nearly popped out of their sockets when he'd suggested the kitchens. The privileged young master that Yan Zheyun was died a bit inside.
[I have an MMP that I'm not sure whether I should say…wealth really limited my imagination, this is a massive miscalculation on my part.]
But he had to make the best of the situation now. It was just endless years of manual labour and some peeling plaster walls. He would learn to cope soon enough.
Oh, wait. He would also have to cope with sharing a 5x5 room with—
"Seven of us." Wu Zhong strode over to the furthest corner of the bed before turning around to look at Yan Zheyun's with a frown. Disliking the scrutiny, Yan Zheyun turned away.
"Where should I put my things?" he asked evenly.
"Sleep here." Wu Zhong pointed at the small space left between the last blanket and the grubby wall. "I'll be next to you. Trust me, you don't want to take the middle."
Yan Zheyun hadn't intended to, but now that Wu Zhong had said that he needed to ask about it. "…why not?"
Wu Zhong's frown deepened. "Your face is a problem," he said with a bluntness that surprised Yan Zheyun. But it was a nice change after a whole morning of verbal Tai Chi with Liang Hui. "If you don't want any trouble, keep to your own corner, mind your own business, and stay away from Wu Zhi."
"Who?"
"Wu Zhi. He's another one of the servants that work in the kitchens. But he's in the good graces of Young Master Liang Ming and they're often in cahoots with each other. You know what else they have in common? A preference for faces like yours."