He truly envied the scene he had once fantasized about during his previous life as a student – studying late into the night with a beautiful woman attending to his needs. That's why he had insisted on 思思 (Si Si) keeping him company as he wrote for half the day, enjoying the extraordinary sense of peace and beauty as he inhaled the incense burning in the room and the fragrance emanating from the girl, and felt the gentle touch of the brush on the smooth paper.

However, thinking about the potential trouble that might arise if news of his writing spread, he decided that he would write alone in secret from now on.

Fan Xian felt that he needed to prepare for his future life in Kyoto, both materially and mentally. A long and beautiful work like *Dream of the Red Chamber* could not be casually blurted out at a banquet like a plagiarized poem; it had to be prepared in advance.

He didn't know why, but he always felt that his future would be inextricably linked to Kyoto, the center of Qing Yu Nian, whether it was because of his biological father, a high-ranking court official, the yellow-haired girl he vaguely remembered, or his mother, whom he had never met but was always curiously thinking about.

He pondered for a moment, then resumed writing about Bao Yu and Qin Zhong's unspeakable affairs. After the ink dried, he placed the pages in an envelope, ready to send them to Fan Ruoruo in Kyoto.

At the mansion in Danzhou Port, Fan Xian kept no drafts. He would write a chapter and send it to Kyoto. He found it difficult to suppress the desire to share the beautiful experiences of his previous life with the people of this world. It was like someone possessing the most beautiful jade in the world, one that no one had ever seen before, and keeping it hidden under their bed for years. They would be itching to death inside, always wanting the whole world – or at least one person – to know about the jade's breathtaking beauty.

A collector who hoarded a masterpiece for a lifetime without showing it to anyone was either a pervert or the thief who stole it.

And Fan Xian knew that he was definitely not a pervert, although he was indeed a thief. The wonderful thing was that no one in this world knew it.

Therefore, Fan Xian completely disregarded Fan Ruoruo's age and continued to send her manuscripts every month, telling her that the story was called *Stone Records* and was written by a man named Cao Xueqin. He claimed to have met him by chance and would obtain manuscripts from him each month to share with his sister, and so on.

Although the first fifteen chapters of *Dream of the Red Chamber* still contained passages like Qin Keqing's dream meeting with Bao Yu and Bao Yu's first taste of love, Fan Xian was confident that after years of being influenced by his letters, the little girl would not see these as monstrous floods and would not view him as some lewd person.

As expected, Fan Ruoruo received Cao Gong's writing, read it with a vague understanding, and devoured it like a peony. She slowly began to appreciate its flavor, especially after reading about Daiyu entering the Jia household. She started to find it excellent and would write letters every month urging her brother to ask Cao Gong for more.

When Fan Xian received the letters, he couldn't help but feel distressed. He thought that since he had no more drafts, he wouldn't be able to update too quickly. When he copied up to the seventh or eighth chapter, he would inevitably end up in a state of hiatus.

……

……

After finishing his literary plagiarism for the day, Fan Xian began to read books as he usually did. His study was filled with various books sent from the Count's residence in Kyoto. Whenever he thought about this, his impression of his never-before-seen father would improve somewhat. At least the man knew what was most important for a person's growth.

In a country without AV or traps, Fan Xian's method of dispelling his boring life, besides playing hide-and-seek with the overbearing Zhenqi within his body every day and making the maids blush, was only to read the miscellaneous books in his study.

The books covered a wide range of subjects, from agricultural cultivation to the laws of Qing Yu Nian, and even the scriptures of this world, which were like bricks, filled the entire bookshelf.

The bookshelf was made by Fan Xian according to his own design. The style was simple, and each layer contained rue grass produced in Yaozhou. This grass was most effective in preventing bookworms, but it seemed that few people in this world knew about it, so it was only used as a common spice in other residences.

After reading these books for years, Fan Xian discovered many shadows of what he had learned in his previous life in those scriptures, only expressed in slightly different ways. This realization dispelled his thoughts of plagiarizing Han Feizi, Xunzi, Laozi, Sunzi, and other philosophers to become a great academic figure of his time.

Whether it was learning about poisons, cultivating his skills, or reading, Fan Xian was very serious, displaying a calmness and diligence that did not match his age, constantly accumulating knowledge. Because he understood that he didn't have much more than others. He hadn't come to a perfect world with an average IQ of fifty. The only advantages he had were a little knowledge accumulated from Earth's society and an earlier awakening than most children.

A soft sound came from the oil lamp, and a small ball of wick blossomed, becoming slightly brighter. Fan Xian was absorbed in his book and gradually fell asleep.

The next morning, after waking up and washing up, Fan Xian first went to the old lady's bedroom to pay his respects before going to the hall for breakfast. Since the assassin incident, Fan Xian's gaze towards his grandmother had been very different from before. In addition to the morning and afternoon greetings he had insisted on for many years, he would often chat with his kind-faced grandmother and tell her a few jokes to make the old lady happy.

"I heard that one day, His Majesty summoned the Prime Minister, the Elders Council Minister, the Head of the Supervisory Council, the Head Eunuch of the Palace, and a group of high-ranking officials to the main hall to discuss state affairs. As a result, a meteor fell from the sky and smashed through the roof, hitting several ministers who were kneeling below. His Majesty quickly summoned the imperial physicians to treat them and waited outside the sickroom. After a while, the imperial physician came out, and His Majesty anxiously asked: 'Physician, can the Prime Minister be saved?' The imperial physician shook his head blankly: 'The Prime Minister is beyond saving.'"

Before the joke, the old lady was full of suspicion, wondering why the child was talking about things in Kyoto. The old lady had personally experienced so many treacherous things in power that she was always careful and cautious.

"His Majesty asked again: 'What about the Elders Council Minister?' The imperial physician shook his head again dejectedly: 'Alas… he's beyond saving too.' His Majesty asked again: 'Eunuch Hong?' The imperial physician still shook his head. His Majesty was furious and scolded: 'Then who can be saved?' The imperial physician perked up and said: 'Your Majesty, by your divine grace, Qing Yu Nian is saved!'"

Hearing the last sentence, the old lady suddenly understood and laughed, trembling and almost shedding tears. She pointed at Fan Xian's innocent face and scolded with a smile: "You little rascal, if you were in Kyoto, you would be arrested by the Supervisory Council just for this joke!"