TL: Hua
Chapter 57: Tearing – Pei Xiting: Bah! Mmm! Ow—
Yu Shaoyun stood behind the Moon Cave Gate and heard a low cry, which was the voice of Pei Xiting.
He sighed and said, “Order the Imperial Guards to guard the surroundings. His Royal Highness is observing the moon here, and no one is allowed to approach. Without my command, no matter what happens inside, no one is to enter.”
The hidden figures responded and departed. Yu Shaoyun looked up at the full moon and silently lit a candle for Pei Xiting in his heart.
The crabapple bonsai on the stone table was swept to the ground. Pei Xiting lay sprawled on the table, his hands clasped behind his waist by a long and powerful hand, unable to move.
The Crown Prince stood behind him, his voice cold: “Continue speaking.”
Pei Xiting shivered, but the fire in his heart burned brighter. He chuckled, twisting his neck to say, “I remember your body temperature, I remember your hand on my waist, I remember the way you looked at me, I remember you…”
Before he could finish, he was flipped over.
The Crown Prince loomed over him, his eyes dark, surging with dangerous currents. But the more so, the more certain Pei Xiting became. He bared his lips in a smile, enunciating each word: “You have a reaction to me.”
A light, airy sentence, yet deafening, making the Crown Prince’s ears ring.
He stared at Pei Xiting for a moment, then laughed, a dazzling, brilliant laugh that momentarily stunned Pei Xiting, followed by a chilling dread.
“Xiting,” the Crown Prince examined Pei Xiting with a hint of surprise, “you truly don’t seem to fear me at all.”
Pei Xiting’s lips trembled as he mumbled, “I like you.”
His neck was gripped, almost like a threat, yet Pei Xiting still stared intently at the person leaning closer. The Crown Prince stopped before his face, their noses almost touching, and he said softly, “If I were to kill you tonight, would you still like me?”
Pei Xiting let out an “ah” and asked, “Why would you kill me?”
His eyes curved into crescents, his nose wrinkled slightly, looking very cute, yet his tone was sharp and cutting. “Is Your Highness also afraid?”
There was something in those beautiful phoenix eyes, startlingly bright, that the Crown Prince found he couldn’t look directly at. Before he could speak, Pei Xiting tilted his head up and kissed him on the lips.
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Pei Xiting. Reflected in his eyes was a ferocious, savage beast—Pei Xiting.
Pei Xiting’s lips curled up. He savored the moment, licking his lips, then leaned in closer, continuing to rub against those seemingly emotionless yet warm, wine-scented thin lips. Their lips almost touching, he whispered, “Your Highness, you’re afraid of me because you like me too.”
The Crown Prince said in a deep voice, “Pei Xiting, don’t court death.”
Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow, advancing instead of retreating. “If you dare to kill me tonight, you’ll wear the hat of a coward for the rest of your life.”
The Crown Prince, instead of getting angry, laughed. He reached out and pressed Pei Xiting’s lips, saying, “Xiting, don’t get carried away.”
Pei Xiting stared at the Crown Prince, then suddenly opened his mouth and bit the fingertip on his lips. With his sharp teeth and tongue, he bit hard, drawing blood. But the Crown Prince’s expression remained as usual, as if he felt no pain, leaving Pei Xiting with a sore mouth.
“Pfft!” Pei Xiting spat out the bloody finger, his delicate brows slightly furrowed. He suddenly cursed, “You like me but don’t dare to admit it! Your mouth is harder than what’s in your pants, you coward! You’re not human! What are you putting on an act for?!”
“Shush.” The Crown Prince’s thumb rubbed Pei Xiting’s lips, smearing the crimson blood in the middle of them, as if applying lip balm.
Pei Xiting’s eyes were already slightly red, and his cheeks were flushed. Now, with his lips stained, he looked even more startlingly vibrant. The Crown Prince gazed at him deeply, his thumb continuing to push open his moist lips, probing into his warm mouth, and sliding along his tongue.
The speed was neither fast nor slow, as if imitating a certain act.
Pei Xiting’s eyes widened. He looked at the Crown Prince as if he had seen a ghost. “You’re right, I can’t kill you. That would be admitting defeat to you, but you’re too presumptuous,” the Crown Prince said softly. “If I tell you that you don’t fully understand me, that the real me would only make you fear, then you’ll know that your so-called liking is just a whim, a poor judgment of character.”
Pei Xiting wanted to speak, but with his tongue pressed down, he could only whimper, shaking his head at the Crown Prince as if to say no.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince smiled and said, “I thought you liked this, liked it so much that you would even entangle with me in your dreams.”
The Crown Prince before him seemed to truly merge with the person from his dreams. Stripping away his cold, ascetic facade, he was a greedy, ferocious beast, certainly no gentleman.
Pei Xiting began to struggle, but the Crown Prince easily subdued him, his legs tangled, his hip pressing against him. They were intimately close, yet their hearts were tearing at each other.
“Why are you hiding? Why are you making a fuss?” The Crown Prince looked at Pei Xiting. “Don’t you like me?”
Pei Xiting used the tip of his tongue to push away the wicked finger, glaring fiercely at the Crown Prince, his voice low and hoarse. “I like you, I like you touching me, but you can’t bully me.”
The Crown Prince seemed to find this amusing. He shook his head and said, “Xiting, since we met, I have never bullied you. Otherwise, how would you dare to be so overbearing and arrogant in front of me?”
A small fox encountering a resting beast might still scheme, test, and observe. Only when it sees the beast’s ferocity when its eyes open and its danger when it devours blood and flesh will it know to retract its claws and flee.
The Crown Prince intended to teach Pei Xiting a lesson, to drive away this reckless little fox.
He ripped off Pei Xiting’s sash and slowly tied Pei Xiting’s wrists behind his waist. Pei Xiting tried to roll away, but the Crown Prince pressed down on his waist with his hand. The force was neither light nor heavy, but it made Pei Xiting dare not move again.
His hand slipped through the slit of the fragrant silk robe, moving down the side of the leg to the waist. The unimpeded touch made the body tremble. The Crown Prince smiled faintly, rubbing his thumb against the tattoo there, saying, “Your tattoo is very beautiful.”
Pei Xiting scoffed, “Do you like it?”
No skilled tattoo artist would dislike such “painted skin.” The Crown Prince was not one, yet he remained noncommittal. He pressed his thumb against the trembling skin, paused gently, and asked, “Is the snake’s head here?”
Pei Xiting retorted, “Your Highness has only seen it once, yet you remember it so clearly.”
“Because it looks beautiful on you, it left a deep impression on me… Mm?” The Crown Prince’s sliding thumb paused. “A scar, probably left by a dagger or small knife. Who injured you?”
To “figure out” the answer, he kept rubbing. Pei Xiting’s waist was already sensitive; he couldn’t bear it, his eyes moist with water, and he didn’t answer the question.
“Don’t tremble,” the Crown Prince commanded softly. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
Pei Xiting, young and impulsive, couldn’t hide his emotions. Under the Crown Prince’s half-smiling gaze, he felt humiliated and utterly vexed and wronged. For a moment, he spoke without thinking, “Let go of me, I don’t like—”
The Crown Prince didn’t speak. He suddenly gripped Pei Xiting’s face and kissed him. Pei Xiting’s pupils widened in shock. Before he could react, his teeth were pried open, and the Crown Prince surged in.
His Royal Highness must have been kissing someone for the first time. It was so reckless and crude, without any method, driven purely by desire, wantonly entangling and stirring the soft tongue. Pei Xiting felt like he was being crushed and bitten. The Crown Prince was utterly ferocious, as if he wanted to devour him whole.
“Let go…”
Pei Xiting kicked his legs, but his jaw was held tight, his voice broken and intermittent, leaving only weak gasps.
The sound of water was exceptionally clear in the open night, ambiguously indistinct. Pei Xiting’s fingertips curled up. His head swam, bewildered and unable to keep up, haphazardly kissed almost to death.
When they parted, Pei Xiting’s eyelashes were wet, his cheeks flushed. The Crown Prince pressed his nose against Pei Xiting’s, then raised a hand to wipe away a silver thread from the corner of his own lips.
This action made Pei Xiting’s mind go “boom.” He stared blankly at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, instead, smiled, and with his thumb, he closed Pei Xiting’s lips, rubbing them intimately, yet there was no warmth in his eyes.
Pei Xiting suddenly snapped back to his senses, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head, leaving him completely frozen. He said, “Is Your Highness… favoring me?”
Favoring. The Crown Prince murmured this word, which was utterly humiliating to Pei Xiting, and found that he absolutely could not bring himself to say it. It was merely an intentionally cruel remark, yet the phrase “spilled water cannot be gathered” truly instilled awe at times.
Such apprehension made the Crown Prince tremble uncontrollably. He looked at Pei Xiting’s stubborn, beautiful eyes, seeing his own faintly crumbling expression reflected within them, and said, “Don’t you like it? You liked it so much in your dreams.”
His voice was hoarse, clearly moved, yet his gaze was cold and heavy, as if the fierce entanglement just now was all Pei Xiting’s dream. In an instant, Pei Xiting only felt that the body pressed against him was devoid of warmth, merely coldly suppressing him.
Pei Xiting’s nostrils flared. “It’s different.”
The Crown Prince said indifferently, “So that was just a dream.”
Pei Xiting wished he could bite the Crown Prince to death. His eyes were wide open, gradually blurring the Crown Prince’s expression, until the Crown Prince suddenly pulled him up, half-embracing him.
The Crown Prince ultimately did not continue. Whether it was reluctance or a lapse in conduct, the power of this “lesson” was limited. Therefore, after he untied Pei Xiting’s wrists and wiped beneath his eyes, Pei Xiting still dared to raise his head and stare directly at him.
His eyes were teary and beautifully pitiful, yet remarkably stubborn. The Crown Prince’s heart tightened under that gaze. He said, “Between you and me, once it begins, it will no longer be up to you. Smart little birds know to stay away from danger, yet you insist on circling outside the cage.”
He sighed. Pei Xiting’s heart trembled at the sound. He instinctively said, “Perhaps you won’t hurt me.”
“You said ‘perhaps’ yourself.” The Crown Prince touched Pei Xiting’s slightly cold face and whispered, “My little bird can only rest in my palm, smiling and crying for me, laughing and weeping because of me. While alive, it will be controlled and observed by me; even in death, it must die in my embrace. Xiting, you cannot be my little bird, so cherish this last chance I give you. Fly.”
He hesitated for a moment, then released his hand. Pei Xiting pushed him away and stumbled out, running. The palace banquet hadn’t ended, but Pei Xiting rushed out of the palace in one breath, driving a carriage towards the city outskirts.
Yuan Fang, sitting in the driver’s seat, felt as if he had a firecracker about to explode beside him and dared not make a sound.
The carriage was speeding down the main road, its wheels almost flying off. If it weren’t for the reverse direction, Yuan Fang might have even thought Pei Xiting was planning a palace coup and regicide. He held his curled-up legs and glanced to the left. Pei Xiting’s profile was tense, looking calm, but upon closer inspection, his whole body was trembling.
The carriage raced all the way to the nearest city gate, where it was stopped by a barrier. The guard shouted, “Riding wildly at night, what crime is this!”
Pei Xiting pulled out his waist token and said, “Open the gate.”
The Longhe Division’s token was almost omnipotent. The guard checked it, found it to be valid, and immediately ordered the barrier removed, opening the gate to let Pei Xiting out.
As the carriage sped out, a nearby commanding officer said, “So urgent, I wonder what important case it is?”
Another commanding officer, however, felt something was amiss. He said, “If it were an important case, it should be the Longhe guard leaving the city, but wasn’t that Pei-wenshu just now?”
“Right,” he thought. A secretary leaving the city alone late at night was very illogical!
The city guard said, “Immediately report this to Lord You and the East Palace!”
On the other side, Yuan Fang finally spoke up, “Using the token without authorization, according to the Longhe Division’s rules, you’re going to get a beating.”
Pei Xiting pulled on the reins, and the horse reared, almost throwing them off. He grabbed Yuan Fang and said, “Oh right, I forgot.”
“…” Yuan Fang reached out and touched Pei Xiting’s forehead, sighing in relief. “Good, you didn’t damage your brain. You’re just feverish.”
“Huh?” Pei Xiting reached up and touched his forehead, puzzled. “I was fine just now. Why did I suddenly get a fever?”
“Perhaps when people are highly stressed or excited, it can cause a series of bodily reactions, leading to a fever, not to mention you have injuries,” Yuan Fang said. “What do you want to do?”
Pei Xiting truthfully said, “Go for a ride, clear my head.”
Yuan Fang objectively said, “Won’t that be too intense?”
“At night, we can’t ride horses in the city.” Pei Xiting felt quite aggrieved. “If you’re willing to let me drink, I don’t have to ride a horse.”
“Alright, it’s all my fault.” Yuan Fang didn’t argue with him. “So, what now?”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment and said, “I’m going to get a beating anyway; if I go back now, it’s a loss.”
“So?”
Pei Xiting glanced around, recognizing the road. He said, “There’s a river if we turn left up ahead. Uncle Wei often goes fishing there. Let’s go too. If we catch something, we’ll make mandarin fish soup tomorrow… What’s with that look? I’m telling you, the water temperature drops at this time, so it’s easy to catch big fish!”
Yuan Fang looked at him warily. “You’re not going to jump in the river, are you?”
“Drowning is painful, and it’s ugly.” Pei Xiting looked at Yuan Fang affectionately. “If I have to die, I hope to die by your hand.”
“Get lost,” Yuan Fang said.
“Alright,” Pei Xiting handed the reins to Yuan Fang. “Let’s go.”
Yuan Fang drove the carriage forward and stopped by the river. He was the first to jump off the carriage, then looked at the person still sitting inside and said, “Aren’t you going fishing? Get down.”
“It’s so cold.” Pei Xiting took out a small blanket from the carriage and wrapped himself in it. He raised his beautiful chin and said, “You catch them. I’ll stay here to enjoy the scenery and contemplate life.”
It was the perfect time for a melancholy night.
Yuan Fang chuckled, then pulled Pei Xiting out of the carriage and dragged him to the riverside. Pei Xiting struggled frantically, “Ah—ah—ah!!!”
His exaggerated cries suddenly faltered, becoming tragically sincere. Yuan Fang, with Pei Xiting clinging to his back, stumbled to the left and looked down to see a dead body in the reeds by the river.
The blood-stained face was almost unrecognizable, but it was clearly a man of medium build, completely dead.
The bright moonlight shone down, and the serene riverside suddenly became eerily unsettling. Pei Xiting averted his gaze, changing from hugging Yuan Fang to clutching his clothes, vigilantly looking around.
“Don’t worry, there’s no one,” Yuan Fang said. “This one’s an exception.”
He was referring to the dead man, who had no vital signs, which was why he hadn’t detected his presence earlier.
Yuan Fang crouched down and quickly examined the body. Pei Xiting said from beside him, “Friends who often kill should know—”
“There are signs of beating on the face and body, but the fatal wound is a knife wound to the heart, about one and a half fingers thick. The knife must have been twisted maliciously after being stabbed in, so the flesh around the wound is all mangled. Wait,” Yuan Fang rubbed the dead man’s chest twice. “This fabric isn’t quite right. It’s harder here than elsewhere—there’s something inside.”
Pei Xiting made a snap decision: “Tear it off.”
Yuan Fang pulled out his dagger, cut off that piece of fabric, made a slit in the middle, pulled out the paper inside, and opened it.
Pei Xiting immediately saw the red seal in the corner of the letter. “‘Enzhou Prefecture Seal,'” he murmured, then touched the paper. “This is an official paper; you can’t buy it outside. Is this person from the Enzhou Prefect’s office?”
“But there’s nothing written on the letter,” Yuan Fang said.
“It might be written with alum water; you can only see it after it’s moistened,” Pei Xiting said. “Who knows what’s written inside? Just hand it over to the authorities, either the Longhe Division or the Dali Temple.”
“Okay,” Yuan Fang stuffed the letter into his chest. “Should I take the body back?”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment and said, “I’ll just report it to the authorities.”
He pulled out a brocade pouch from his pocket, took out the green signal flare from the red and green flares, had Yuan Fang light it, and pointed it skyward—”Whoosh!”
A flare exploded into a circular emblem, resembling a qilin with a horn on its head; it was a xiezhi[mfn]A mythical beast in ancient Chinese mythology[/mfn].
The Longhe Guards arrived upon hearing the signal. Pei Xiting was already wrapped in a blanket, sleeping soundly on Yuan Fang, only a small part of his face visible.
You Zong dismounted and ordered his subordinates to examine the body. Then he walked to the carriage and glanced at Pei Xiting, who was smacking his lips and had fallen back asleep, saying nothing.
Yuan Fang handed the letter to You Zong and whispered, “This person had it tucked inside his clothes.”
You Zong “mm-hmm’d” and said, “Take him back first. Rest for two days, then return to duty.”
Yuan Fang said no more. He turned the horse around and left with Pei Xiting. The next afternoon, Imperial Physician Liu came to the courtyard to change Pei Xiting’s dressing and give him acupuncture. Before leaving, Pei Xiting had Yuan Fang give him a silver ingot, and this time, he didn’t let him refuse.
Pei Xiting had just woken up. His eyelids were still faintly red and swollen, half-closed, and he looked unwell. “I’m almost completely recovered. Imperial Physician Liu, don’t trouble yourself anymore.”
Imperial Physician Liu was startled. He said, “But His Highness ordered me to treat you diligently until you are completely healed.”
“It’s fine,” Pei Xiting smiled gently. “His Highness is busy with official duties; how could he remember such small matters? If His Highness truly asks, Imperial Physician Liu only needs to say that I’m well and unwilling to trouble you further, and His Highness will naturally understand.”
Imperial Physician Liu, hearing this, found it difficult to say anything more and had to agree and take his leave.
Yuan Fang took a bite of a mooncake and said, “Are you trying to draw a line with the Crown Prince?”
Pei Xiting chuckled, his meaning unclear. He said coolly, “He’s wishing I’d disappear far away, so of course, I can’t cling to him. Nothing else matters. That zither is truly too expensive. Pack it up and send it to the palace gate.”
“What about the little tiger? Will you still see it?”
“What about Little King? It’s not a thing… I mean, it’s alive,” Pei Xiting said languidly. “I like it, and it’s not because of the Crown Prince that I like it. If it can still come, of course I’ll see it.”
Alright. Yuan Fang walked out of the house and waved. The little tiger hiding by the wall immediately rushed into the house and leaped into Pei Xiting’s embrace.
“It came when you weren’t awake,” Yuan Fang said. “I didn’t let it in.”
“No wonder it looks so pitiful.” Pei Xiting stroked the tiger’s head affectionately, resting his own head on it. “Sleep with me a little longer.”
The man and the tiger lay sprawled out. Yuan Fang couldn’t bear to watch. He packed the zither and slung it over his back, then closed the door and left.
Yuan Fang went to the palace gate, showed Pei Xiting’s token to the guards, then handed the zither on his back to the guard and said, “This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s zither. Please deliver it to the East Palace.”
“I’ll take it in.”
Yuan Fang turned and saw You Zong approaching. He took the zither and went directly into the palace.
Yuan Fang didn’t linger and turned to leave.
When You Zong arrived at the East Palace, Imperial Physician Liu had just arrived as well and was waiting outside the hall. Upon seeing You Zong, he immediately bowed. You Zong observed the unspoken difficulty on the Imperial Physician’s face and knew who Imperial Physician Liu had been recently attending to, so he had a general idea of the situation.
A moment later, the Crown Prince approached from behind the corridor with Zong Lu. Both immediately bowed.
The Crown Prince glanced at the zither in You Zong’s arms, his gaze subtly shifting, then turned and entered the hall. Yu Shaoyun also glanced at the zither, sighed inwardly, and said, “Gentlemen, please come in and report.”
You Zong entered and walked directly to the left, but he didn’t casually put the zither down.
Imperial Physician Liu bowed slightly and truthfully reported, “This humble servant reports: Pei-wenshu’s swelling on his forehead has subsided, and the injuries on his back have not worsened. He only needs to continue taking medicine until he is fully recovered.”
“You can monitor him,” the Crown Prince said.
Imperial Physician Liu hesitated. The Crown Prince looked up, and Yu Shaoyun said, “Imperial Physician Liu, don’t stammer. Speak your mind.”
“This humble servant is being disrespectful. Please forgive my directness, Your Highness. Pei-wenshu no longer wishes for this humble servant to treat him,” Imperial Physician Liu took out the silver ingot from his sleeve pocket and said with difficulty, “Pei-wenshu insisted that this humble servant accept it today, saying that he is almost well and no longer needs to trouble me. This humble servant informed him that this was His Highness’s imperial decree, but Pei-wenshu merely said to tell Your Highness that, and Your Highness would understand.”
The Crown Prince naturally understood. Pei Xiting was drawing a line with him. He no longer needed Imperial Physician Liu, nor did he want the zither.
The little fox understood the warning and finally decided to retreat.
Good, he thought. Isn’t this the result he wanted?
“I understand,” the Crown Prince retracted his gaze. “You may withdraw.”
Imperial Physician Liu sighed in relief. “This humble servant takes his leave.”
The hall was exceptionally quiet. Zong Lu’s eyes subtly shifted, looking at the Crown Prince’s cold expression, then at You Zong’s calm expression and the zither in his arms, and finally at Yu Shaoyun, who showed a hint of regret. He pondered in silence.
When he saw Pei-wenshu last night, he didn’t seem seriously ill, perhaps just a minor injury. Yet, Fifth Uncle sent Imperial Physician Liu to treat him and demanded constant reports, which was making a mountain out of a molehill, showing excessive concern. But Pei-wenshu, not yet fully recovered, was refusing his treatment, which was tantamount to refusing Fifth Uncle’s care and attention.
What did this mean?
Before Zong Lu could fully comprehend, the Crown Prince said, “Heying.”
“Your subject is here.” You Zong slightly bowed his head. “The Prefect of Enzhou colluded with someone to conspire with a heretical cult and murdered Vice-Prefect Su Fan, who inadvertently discovered the truth. Su Fan, sensing his imminent death, specifically wrote a letter and sent his steward to Yejing to report.”
“Heretical cult?” the Crown Prince asked. “How heretical?”
“Their divine power covers the world, and they grant all wishes,” You Zong said.
The Crown Prince asked curiously, “If I want their lives, will they grant it?”
You Zong lowered his eyes. “Your subject will immediately go to Enzhou personally.”
“I will go too.” The Crown Prince looked at Zong Lu. “Can you handle all matters after the autumn examination?”
Zong Lu rose, cupping his hands, and said, “Yes.”
The Crown Prince looked at You Zong and said, “Leave the zither.”
A phrase with double meaning. You Zong understood and handed the zither to Yu Shaoyun.
However, they hadn’t anticipated that the next day, the “zither” itself would seek out Mei Xiu and directly state, “Young Marquis, do you want to go to Enzhou?”
“Yes, I do,” Mei Xiu brushed his embroidered sleeve. “I was just about to go find the prince.”
“Take me with you,” Pei Xiting said. “I have a friend in Enzhou and want to visit him.”
Mei Xiu was puzzled. “Why don’t you go by yourself?”
Pei Xiting let out a sigh. “I haven’t been to Enzhou before, and there are bandits there. Let’s travel together so I feel a little more at ease.”
Mei Xiu heard the hint of reliance in his words and immediately felt pleased. “Alright, I’ll talk to the prince. If he disagrees, I’ll take you myself!”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment, then beckoned Mei Xiu closer and whispered, “If the prince is unwilling, tell him I know a contact in Enzhou who’s well-informed and has connections. Taking me along might help him finish things faster. But you have to tell the prince this secretly, just him. There are too many eyes and ears; don’t alert the enemy.” As he spoke, his breath sprayed into Mei Xiu’s ear. Mei Xiu felt light-headed, his feet barely touching the ground, and he suddenly blurted out, “Xiting, you smell so good.”
“Did I ever smell bad?” Pei Xiting rolled his eyes and reached out to close Mei Xiu’s jaw. “Alright, when the matter is settled, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
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