The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

After Li Ji finished his double-skin milk, he was driven back to the study.

He lay all alone on the daybed, sighing as he stared at the ceiling beams.

’Sigh. Another sleepless night alone.’

The next morning, Hua Manman had someone fetch the pickled chili chicken feet from the ice cellar.

She picked up a chicken foot to taste it. It was sour and spicy, quite the appetizer.

And so, pickled chili chicken feet were added to that morning’s breakfast.

Li Ji had never thought chicken feet were anything special, but after actually trying one, he found that while there wasn’t much meat, they were delightfully chewy and crisp, with a unique flavor all their own.

Neither he nor Li Xun could handle spicy food well, yet they couldn’t stop themselves from eating one after another.

The spice turned both of their mouths red.

Hua Manman had someone pour them chrysanthemum tea.

The father and son felt a little better after drinking the tea.

Feihua Zhenren, by contrast, had a much higher tolerance for spice.

He could polish off a chicken foot in just a few bites, and the bones he spat out were picked clean, without a speck of skin or meat remaining.

Hua Manman had pickled more than half a clay jar of chicken feet. Her family of three ate a small portion, but the vast majority ended up in Feihua Zhenren’s stomach.

He licked the sauce from his fingers and remarked, still wanting more.

"That was delicious."

Pickled chili chicken feet were quite simple to make, so Hua Manman said, "If you want more, I can just make another batch later."

Feihua Zhenren hadn’t forgotten his suspicions.

He wiped his fingers clean, put on the air of a transcendent master, and said with a serious expression,

"I am not a glutton. A taste of something like pickled chili chicken feet is enough. There’s no need to have them at every meal."

The other three looked at the mountain of chicken bones piled up in front of him.

’The hell you call "a taste"?!’

’Are you sure you don’t mean a "ton" instead of a "taste"?!’

Feihua Zhenren completely ignored their expressions and continued on as if nothing were amiss.

"Let’s have something else for the next meal. For example, Sliced Pork in Hot Chili Oil, Old Duck Soup with Dried Tangerine Peel, Salt-Brined Chicken, or Braised Fish in Brown Sauce."

’You’ve got some nerve,’ Hua Manman thought. ’He’s already started ordering.’

Still, she nodded in agreement.

"As it happens, I know how to make all of those. We can have them for dinner tonight."

Li Ji had to go drill the soldiers and Li Xun had to go to school. Since the father and son wouldn’t be back for lunch, Hua Manman deliberately planned these dishes for dinner so that everyone could enjoy her cooking.

Feihua Zhenren had no objections and nodded in approval.

Li Xun was instantly filled with anticipation for dinner.

Li Ji, however, reminded her,

"You’re just now recovering from your injury, so don’t overexert yourself. We have plenty of servants in the house. Just have them do whatever you need."

Hua Manman said she understood.

The Imperial College had its own dining hall that provided one free lunch to the teachers and students each day.

But Li Xun was a growing boy at an age where he got hungry easily.

So Hua Manman had the kitchen prepare some pastries, packed them in a food box, and had Li Xun’s Attendant Student carry it to the Imperial College.

Before seeing the boy off, Hua Manman didn’t forget to remind him.

"Behave and get along with your classmates, and listen to what your teacher says.

I packed more pastries than you can probably eat on your own, so you can share some with your classmates."

Li Xun nodded obediently. "Okay!"

Thanks to his father’s power as the Regent King, and his own "glorious" record of knocking someone out with a single punch, Li Xun had become a legendary figure the moment he stepped into the Imperial College. His classmates all kept a respectful distance, terrified of provoking him.

Today was no exception.

The moment Li Xun stepped into the classroom, the students, who had been chatting and laughing, fell silent as if someone had hit a pause button.

The classroom was suddenly dead silent.

Ignoring their fearful, awestruck gazes, Li Xun swaggered to his seat.

The Attendant Student deftly tidied up his desk for him.

Li Xun propped his cheek on one hand and turned to look at the boy sitting to his left.

The boy’s scalp tingled under his gaze. He hurriedly picked up a notebook, held it out with both hands, and stammered,

"Th-this is your homework."

Li Xun didn’t take it, merely flicking his gaze toward his desk.

The boy immediately placed the notebook on the desk, snatched his hands back, and returned to his seat, not daring to say another word to Li Xun.

When class began, the teacher came around to check homework.

Li Xun handed in the notebook.

The teacher had taught for many years and was far more observant than the average person.

He could tell at a glance that the handwriting in Li Xun’s notebook was strikingly similar to that of another student in the class.

It was obvious someone had done the homework for him.

But the teacher couldn’t afford to provoke the Regent King. He pretended not to notice, simply wrote the word "Reviewed" on it, and handed the notebook back to Li Xun.

Li Xun was not at all surprised by this.

He yawned.

’So sleepy. Time for a nap.’

During the break between classes, he woke up to eat some pastries, then immediately fell back asleep.

When Noon arrived, he got up and groggily made his way to the dining hall.

The other students saw him coming and, as if by unspoken agreement, gave him a wide berth.

A vacuum of three feet formed around him.

The dining hall was filled with many square dining tables. Students found their own empty seats, and servants would then bring their meals to them.

The students who attended the Imperial College were either wealthy or noble. The few exceptions from humble backgrounds were all top students scouted from across the land for their exceptional academic achievements.

They all had their own cliques and quickly gathered in groups, picking out their tables.

Li Xun was no exception.

He had a group of followers, but they were all in different classes. They could usually only get together during meals or after school; otherwise, they had to stay in their respective classrooms.

His followers had saved a spot for him early on. The moment they saw Li Xun, they waved their arms and shouted.

"Boss, over here!"

His followers eagerly poured him a cup of tea.

"You must be tired from class, Boss. Here, have some water. The food will be here soon."

Li Xun took the cup, but just as he was about to drink, he heard someone shouting abuse nearby.

"Are you blind?! Didn’t you see us here?!"

Li Xun paused, looking toward the source of the shouting.

It turned out an underclassman, while going to pour some tea, had accidentally bumped into a passing upperclassman and gotten a small patch of his clothes wet.

The underclassman was bowing repeatedly in apology, his face flushed bright red.

It was a trivial incident.

With so many people coming and going in the dining hall, accidental bumps were common. Usually, a simple apology was enough to resolve things.

But the upperclassman was in a bad mood today. He also recognized the underclassman and knew the boy had no family connections to stand up for him. So, he deliberately seized on the minor issue, refusing to let it go and unleashing a torrent of abuse.

There, in the dining hall, in full view of everyone,

the underclassman was so thoroughly berated he couldn’t even lift his head. He wanted to cry but didn’t dare, a truly pitiful sight.

Many people there felt a pang of sympathy, but not a single person stepped forward to speak up for him.