TL: Hua
Gao Liu opened the door, and Master Bai and Madam Bai walked in one after the other, respectfully bowing to Zhao Fan.
“No need for formalities.” Seeing Master Bai look at Pei Xiting with a puzzled expression, Zhao Fan said, “This is Third Young Master Pei from the Guanglu Temple. He is my brother and friend. There’s no need to be reserved.”
Third Young Master Pei, isn’t that the Pei-wenshu from the Longhe Division? Master and Madam Bai quickly bowed again.
Pei Xiting bowed in return and poured a cup of wine.
“Uncle, Aunt, what important matter brings you to me?” Zhao Fan asked.
He addressed them as uncle and aunt, but there was not a hint of respect or affection in his tone. He didn’t even offer them chairs, which shows his attitude towards them.
Master Bai dared not express any dissatisfaction and said, “My wife and I have come regarding our youngest daughter’s matter. Today is the agreed-upon day. If it weren’t for the urgency, we wouldn’t dare to disturb the prince.”
Pei Xiting sipped his wine slowly, appearing as if he was neither listening nor watching and that it was none of his business. Zhao Fan smiled and placed his own wine cup in front of him, saying, “I have been sending people to look for Third Cousin every day, but this city is so big that searching for someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
His implication was clear: he was also helpless.
Pei Xiting picked up the wine pot and poured more wine, leaning slightly to place the filled cup back in front of Zhao Fan.
“We are already very grateful that the prince is willing to send people to search. We naturally dare not ask for more. I’m afraid my youngest daughter is in grave danger this time.” Master Bai sighed and said earnestly, “We have come today not to ask you to help us find our daughter, but to beg you to save the Bai family.”
Zhao Fan looked at Pei Xiting, who was staring blankly at his wine cup, took a slow sip of his wine without looking away, and said, “What do you mean by that?”
“The Bai family cannot produce what the villain wants. If he acts according to his previous threats, then the reputation of our Bai family will be ruined,” Master Bai wrung his hands and said, “The only way now is to sacrifice our youngest daughter. If the villain really comes to the Bai family’s door, I beg the prince to please kill my daughter and the villain together to prevent my daughter from being humiliated to death and our Bai family’s name from being tarnished.”
Zhao Fan smiled and said, “Are you willing, Uncle?”
“As parents, how could we be willing to kill our own daughter? Especially this daughter, who is our most beloved! But we have more than one daughter, and the Bai family has more than one granddaughter. If the Bai family’s reputation is damaged because of her alone, how can we explain ourselves? We can only consider it her destined misfortune,” Master Bai said. Madam Bai, who was beside him, had already covered her face with her sleeve and started to cry.
The marriage between Third Bai and Prefect He’s family relied heavily on their kinship with the Duke Wen’s mansion. But with such an incident, this marriage would most likely fall through, and Third Bai was already a useless piece. If the villain really made this matter widely known, it would probably be difficult for the Bai family to find good marriage prospects in the future, and their path to higher connections would be completely cut off. Therefore, the Bai family had no choice but to sacrifice the pawn to save the chariot.
Zhao Fan caressed his wine cup and asked, “Did Grandfather agree?”
Master Bai nodded.
“In that case, why come to me? Can’t the Bai family even afford to hire a Jianghu expert?” Zhao Fan said.
“For that villain to dare commit such a thing, he must be a vicious and desperate person. Ordinary Jianghu experts are probably no match for him,” Master Bai said. “If we involve officials in this matter, it will definitely attract attention. Prefect He is also not in a good position to intervene. We have no choice but to ask the prince for help.”
“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Zhao Fan said lazily, “You also have your own selfish motives. You’re afraid that if the villain is killed, his accomplices will definitely seek revenge. If I’m the one who takes action, in the eyes of outsiders, I and the Bai family are in the same boat. If they fear me, they will fear the Bai family. If they don’t fear me, I can also share the burden of their attacks on the Bai family, right?”
Master Bai gave a dry laugh, not knowing what to say for a moment.
“Our Bai family is fortunate to have a connection with Duke Wen’s mansion. If this matter is really publicized, I’m afraid it will also affect the reputation of the Duke’s mansion,” Madam Bai suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, crying, “Please, prince, have mercy and save the Bai family!”
Zhao Fan smiled ambiguously, “Auntie, you’re threatening me.”
“She dare not, she dare not; my unworthy wife absolutely did not mean that!” Master Bai quickly said.
Zhao Fan said, “If you really want to save Third Cousin and the Bai family’s reputation, then hand over the original draft of the ‘Rivers and Mountains scroll.”
Master Bai said, “That is something that symbolizes the honor of the Bai family, even more precious than a family heirloom. How can we offer it to a thief? Even if we were willing, Father would never agree.”
“If Third Cousin and the villain are killed today, who knows if the Sixth Cousin and another villain will have to be killed tomorrow? As long as this original draft remains in the Bai family, it will be a source of trouble,” Zhao Fan said. “It’s better to let go and let others fight for it.”
Master and Madam Bai looked at each other in difficulty, not speaking for a moment.
They are unwilling, Pei Xiting thought.
The Bai family is currently in the process of selecting the next head of the family. No one wants to displease the old master. But if today’s matter is resolved, even if there is a next time, as long as the person involved is not from the eldest son’s branch, the blame won’t fall on them.
Zhao Fan was well aware of these thoughts. Seeing the couple remain silent, he couldn’t help but scoff and say, “I cannot kill Third Cousin. After all, if my mother finds out, she will be angry with me again. As for that villain, if he dares to come, I will try my best to take his head off for Uncle and Aunt.”
Hearing this, Master Bai knew there was no room for Zhao Fan to back down. He could only express his thanks, pull Madam Bai up, and turn to leave.
Zhao Fan picked up the wine pot and poured more wine. Seeing Pei Xiting looking thoughtful, he couldn’t help but wave the pot in front of his face and ask, “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Pei Xiting smiled, “Just a little tipsy.”
“You drank most of the pot, so you should be,” Zhao Fan looked at Pei Xiting’s slightly flushed cheeks. “Are you feeling unwell? Shall I get you some sobering soup?”
“That soup doesn’t taste good,” Pei Xiting shook his head in refusal, then said, “By the way, is Xingjian going to the Bai family now?”
Zhao Fan hummed in affirmation and said, “I’m going to see what kind of fool is courting death. Are you coming?”
Pei Xiting shook his head. “I don’t know any martial arts, and I’m a bit dizzy. Wouldn’t I just be a burden if I went? You go yourself. I’ll go back and rest later.”
Zhao Fan took a swig of wine, stood up, and left. Gao Liu outside the door quickly followed, and Chun Sheng naturally had to see him downstairs.
Yuan Fang turned around and entered the room, quickly walking behind Pei Xiting and reaching out to touch his forehead. “Are you really drunk?”
“Guess,” Pei Xiting propped himself up on Yuan Fang’s arm, leaned his head on his shoulder, and mumbled, “This wine tastes sweet and clean, but it really has a kick.”
Yuan Fang supported him, puzzled, “You treated Shangguan Jie like that, but you treat Zhao Fan like this. Don’t they both have intentions towards you?”
“Because they have different personalities,” Pei Xiting said, “Shangguan Jie has a bad temper and is arrogant and forceful. He wouldn’t play the slow-boiling frog game with me. Pretending to be harmless and weak in front of him would only make him act faster. It’s impossible to keep up the act. As for Zhao Fan, this person is romantic and unrestrained, much more patient than Shangguan Jie. On the surface, he’s gentle and affectionate, so he won’t resort to using force. That’s why I can’t be tough with him either.”
Yuan Fang seemed to understand, “Oh…”
“Zhao Fan wants to use my relationship with Sifan to get close to me, lower my guard, and coax me into willingly falling for him and going to bed with him. So I’ll just play along and use his own tactics against him,” Pei Xiting said.
The two returned to Ying Ziyu’s room. Pei Xiting told them what the Bai family planned to do, then flopped onto the couch and stopped talking.
Ying Ziyu poured a cup of warm water, walked over, and handed it to Pei Xiting. Pei Xiting thanked him, drank it from his hand, then buried his face in the pillow and fell asleep shortly after.
Everyone: “…”
This young master really can fall asleep anywhere.
Pei Xiting’s thoughts were full of the Crown Prince yesterday, tossing and turning with insomnia all night. He also woke up early today and had just drunk some wine, so he was inevitably a bit sleepy. Although this place was not very familiar, with Yuan Fang and the others around, he could naturally fall asleep peacefully.
But sleeping on his stomach was uncomfortable after all. Pei Xiting soon rolled over, muttering a curse, not knowing who or what he was cursing. But the furrow in his brow showed he was not very happy.
Suddenly, he kicked his legs and reached out to loosen his belt and collar buttons. His outer robe became loose, and he felt a little more comfortable, but he was still not satisfied. He then went to take off his pants, his fair fingertips grabbing the waistband and pulling it down, revealing a small patch of his lower abdomen.
The Crown Prince couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He used his fan to stop Pei Xiting’s hand, but Pei Xiting slapped it away.
The Crown Prince looked at him quietly for a moment, then reached out and held his wrist, placing it neatly on his abdomen.
“Who is it…” Pei Xiting flailed his arms wildly, then suddenly opened his eyes with a fierce look. Seeing the Crown Prince’s face, he didn’t immediately kneel down but pounded the soft couch unhappily, “Why are you disturbing my sleep!”
The little fox is baring its teeth, the Crown Prince thought.
He looked at Pei Xiting’s wrinkled face and said calmly, “If you want to sleep, take off your shoes, socks, and outer robe and sleep properly. What kind of behavior is it to take off your pants while sleeping in the outer room?”
iPei Xiting lifted his head and looked around the room. He didn’t know what was going on, but Yuan Fang and the others were gone, leaving only the Crown Prince and him in the room.
He leaned back, arguing, “I’m not even afraid; what are you afraid of? If you don’t want to look, then don’t look.”
The Crown Prince was stunned by these words, because it was indeed the case, and he couldn’t refute them.
“The room is so big, I’m only occupying one soft couch. Who am I bothering? You can’t control my hands, but you can control your own eyes and legs. You were the one who walked over to my couch and wanted to look, yet you’re blaming me?” Pei Xiting grumbled his dissatisfaction and suddenly met the dark and deep eyes of the Crown Prince. He belatedly felt a prickle on his scalp and instinctively turned his face down and buried it in the pillow, closing his eyes and saying nothing.
The Crown Prince looked at Pei Xiting’s secretly tense profile for a long while, then lifted his robe and sat down by the couch, using his fan to touch Pei Xiting’s chin.
Pei Xiting felt a little uneasy, so he simply opened his eyes and said, “If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t be silent; it makes me anxious.”
The Crown Prince looked at him. “What should I say?”
“Blame me for being so audacious that I actually dared to express my dissatisfaction with His Highness the Crown Prince’s behavior?” Pei Xiting said.
“Aren’t you often this audacious?” the Crown Prince said calmly. “So you know how to be afraid too?”
“These two aren’t contradictory.” Seeing that the Crown Prince’s expression was normal, Pei Xiting seized the opportunity to change the subject. “Where did Yuan Fang and the others go?”
“Outside and downstairs,” the Crown Prince said.
“If we rescue Third Bai now, we might alert the accomplices of the kidnapper. If we don’t rescue her now, the kidnapper will take her away,” Pei Xiting said. “I really think what Prince Zhao said is right. As long as the original draft stays in the Bai family, they won’t have a moment of peace. It’s a pity that Master Bai and Madam Bai are unwilling to offend anyone for this, and Old Master Bai won’t easily budge.”
“So the next head of the Bai family won’t be the eldest Bai son,” the Crown Prince said.
“Then who will it be?” Pei Xiting looked at the Crown Prince, suddenly straightening his upper body and leaning closer slightly. “Why do you look like you know what’s going to happen next… mmm?”
The Crown Prince used his folded fan to vertically block Pei Xiting’s nose, the bead of his lip, and his chin, saying, “Sit properly.”
Pei Xiting pouted and muttered, “Old-fashioned.”
The Crown Prince said, “What are you muttering?”
Pei Xiting said, “Nothing.”
“Let’s go.” The Crown Prince stood up, but Pei Xiting grabbed his sleeve. The latter blinked his eyes. “I don’t know martial arts. If Your Highness takes me along, you have to protect me.”
The Crown Prince asked, “What’s the use of your Yuan Fang then?”
“More protection means more peace of mind.” Pei Xiting released his grip on the sleeve, dusted it off, and looked up at the Crown Prince with a smile.
The Crown Prince looked at him, paused for a moment, and then said, “Then you have to stay close.”
