Preparation

"Young master.." Yanyu, the older maidservant and the handmaiden of Ge Mengshu called out.

It was quite hard for Si Ning to act like he knew the way to his father's quarters since Yanyu decided to walk behind him instead of walking ahead of him.

"Lead the way." Si Ning knew it would be useless to try and trick her to walk in front of him since Yanyu only stopped after calling his attention and folded her hands, her head bowed like she was expecting his order forcing Si Ning to have no choice than to tell her to lead the way.

Si Ning's heart started to beat faster and he could almost hear it rhyming with each step he took. He doesn't know what to feel about seeing his father again and he started to rack his brain on what to say to him and being overfed wasn't helping since he felt quite heavy and uncomfortable with each step.

His father Si Yunsheng was a very quiet man that hardly spoke, he used to smile gently at his family and Si Ning had never seen him get angry or yell at them. Si Yunsheng would help Si Ning in writing his school assignment whenever he comes back from work everyday. Si Ning as the spoilt child would throw a trantum and force Si Yunsheng into a position of having no choice than to imitate Si Ning's childish writing to write his assignment while Si Ning had to pretend to listen to his father's explanation while he munch on his snacks. During Si Yunsheng days off from work, he would go and fetch Si Ning and Si Nan from school, buy them ice creams, take them to play at the park and during some weekend he would take them to the movies and sit with them to watch cartoons. Si Yunsheng would plan their yearly vacation to make sure they all had a great time and a great memory to last for a life time.

It was after Si Yunsheng died did Si Ning discovered his father's gentle temperament was because he had a weak heart and would not live very long but his father was still able to live longer than the years his doctor told him he would live. Whenever Si Ning misbehaved in highschool his mother would try to explain to him that his father was able to live his life in fulfillment but Si Ning never thought his rebel act was due to his father passing away.

Yanyu pushed the doors open and Si Ning mentally prepared himself and even wore a smile only for his mouth to almost fall when he found himself facing rows of memorial tablet. His heart fell as he stepped into the ancentral hall to check the tablets till he found the one he was looking for. In this world Si Yunsheng was already six feets under. The discovery didn't make him sad only made him numb since he doesn't even think he remembered how his father always looked like.

Si Ning took a deep breath and took one hassock from the piles at the corner of the room to lay on the floor. He found and lit three incense stick and stuck them into the incense pot in front of the tablets. He knelt on the hassock and bowed down thrice in front of Si Yunsheng's tablet. He was a little dissapointed that the little hope that was lit had extinguished and because of that he only put his hands together but he wasn't able to say neither a prayer or make small talk. He stood up after prostrating a few times and almost run out of the hall like he was being chased.

"Young master." A small voice rang out as soon as Si Ning stepped out. "My mother have to wait on Madam Ge that is why she sent me here." Yanlin explained as she lowers her head and knees in greeting.

Si Ning took a long look at the younger maidservant. "Yanlin?" He wasn't sure if he got her name right but seeing as her ears starter to turn red amused him and he had the urge to tease her but instead he stood there watching till her cheeks turned red.

"Young master, let me escort you to your quarters." Yanlin offered shyly.

"Lead the way." Si Ning said casually to her since he had no idea where his quarters was located.

The situation was quite funny to him, the mother leaving and the daughter showing up when Yanyu could have called Ah Dai instead of Yanlin. Wasn't Yanlin supposed to be serving Si Nan?

Si Ning wondered if he had a secret relationship with Yanlin, Si Ning didn't find it as a bad idea except he would be nothing but a scum to have an affair with a maid, even though Yanlin looked appealing to him yet looking closely at her, he could tell she couldn't be more than fifteen years old which means she was still a minor. Soon they got to his residence where Xiao Pei and Ah Dai were waiting for him.

"You can leave." Si Ning said turning to Yanlin.

"Young Master I will help you bathe and give you a massage since Yanlin have been training to serve Young Master well." Yanlin said briskly, her eyes glimmering with hope.

"You can leave." Si Ning repeated since the idea of having a young girl helping him to bath horrified him.

"Rest well Young Master." Yanlin bowed and took few steps back.

"Young Master." Ah Dai quickly knelt on one knee when Si Ning turned his attention to him and Yanlin was out of sight.

"General." Xiao Pei bowed his head quite low in respect.

To see that Xiao Pei bowing lower than usual like he doesn't want to lose to Ah Dai made Si Ning chuckled.

"Where is Chen An?" Si Ning had to ask after looking around to see Chen An was indeed not around.

"Commander Chen An went to fetch the reports for tomorrow court assembly." Ah Dai replied.

Ah Dai's statement made Si Ning remembered he wanted to find a way to leave his post since he still had to consider the idea of leaving if the General work proves to be too much for him to handle.

"Ah Dai go and see the doctor tomorrow for your arm and Xiao Pei bring me all the history books you can find, bring me books about the Imperial family, books on the Si family, books on how to get promoted as an official and how to leave an official post." Si Ning gave out his instructions.

"Yes General." Xiao Pei nodded as he started to walk away to carry out his task.

"Xiao Pei." Si Ning called him back. "Just bring me books on the state of affairs of the nation and other nations also books about the world we live in." He quickly sum it up.

"Yes General."

"Young Master, do you want me to go through the books with you?" Ah Dai asked looking hopefully at Si Ning.

"No bring me tea." Si Ning told him after concluding he better study alone without interruption.

"Yes Young Master." Ah Dai said.

It was already late and Si Ning should be having his beauty bath and go to sleep but first he had no choice than to investigate about this era, at least find the way he would be addressing the Emperor. He had an idea as an Actor but still he knew it wasn't enough, acting a scene and making mistake was a norm but acting was different from reality and making mistake in this era was something that shouldn't come to pass.