TL: Hua
Chapter 61: Clues – Xiao Pei goes to Enzhou (4)
With the sun high in the sky, Pei Xiting slowly woke up, rolled over, groggily stretched his limbs, and made strange noises.
Yuan Fang entered from outside the room and saw a lump under the covers. Pei Xiting had buried his face in the pillow, his eyebrows and eyes practically scrunched into a knot, muttering words he himself couldn’t remember.
“Are you getting up?” Yuan Fang asked.
Pei Xiting mumbled “Mm,” so Yuan Fang went to the table to pour a cup of hot water to cool, then turned to busy himself by the washstand, looking like a thoughtful servant boy.
Pei Xiting rolled around in the covers, dragging out his voice as if calling a soul. “I… am… so… hungry…”
“Then hurry up and get up and wash,” Yuan Fang walked to the bed and placed a washcloth over Pei Xiting’s face.
Pei Xiting kicked his legs and sat up, catching the falling washcloth to wipe his face. He said groggily, “I had a dream last night.”
*It’s the Crown Prince again, and those dreams that are unbearable to listen to but are beautiful to Pei Xiting,* Yuan Fang silently grumbled. He said, “Oh.”
“No,” Pei Xiting seemed to know what Yuan Fang was thinking and retorted, “It was a nightmare.”
“Oh,” Yuan Fang said, “What kind of nightmare?”
“Simply put, it was a forest escape,” Pei Xiting said, wiping his face, his nose wrinkled as he fell into memory. “A big black snake was chasing me. I kept running, and it kept chasing. I couldn’t escape even if I had wings. The big black snake was a step ahead and finally caught up to me. With a flick of its tail, it coiled tightly around me. I was suffocating, and at the critical moment, I randomly shouted some incantation. Thunder roared in the sky, striking it, and I took the opportunity to run.”
He wiped his neck and commented, “Although this dream had no logic and wasn’t particularly thrilling or terrifying, I was very immersed. And, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been single for too long, but I even thought that big black snake had delicate features.” Yuan Fang took the washcloth from Pei Xiting, turned to walk to the washstand, and said, “So, do you want to dream of it again tonight?”
Pei Xiting seriously considered it for a moment, then shook his head. “Forget it. If I absolutely have to encounter a fierce animal, I hope it’s Little King.”
Speaking of Little King, he couldn’t help but think of its human father. Pei Xiting lowered his eyes and reached out to take the mouthwash cup Yuan Fang handed him.
The toothpaste was made by crushing borneol, frankincense, and green salt into powder, then mixing it with honey into a paste. As Pei Xiting brushed his teeth, he suddenly remembered the Crown Prince’s finger, which had entered his mouth.
The Crown Prince had a pair of long, powerful hands, just like him, both beautiful and dangerous, thus both reassuring and unsettling. Pei Xiting could feel the immense power they contained, which brought him great peace of mind, but at the same time, he deeply knew the vast disparity in strength between them; once caught, he wouldn’t be able to break free.
As he brushed his teeth back and forth, the taste of the toothpaste bloomed in his mouth. Pei Xiting then thought of that kiss.
That night, His Highness must have had a small drink. The wine taste was faint, probably honey wine, but more prominently, the taste of pomegranate juice, filled his mouth. His tongue was like his embrace, like him as a person—appearing cold and indifferent, but truly warm and domineering when touched, filled with a strong desire for control and possession, allowing no escape.
How could His Highness have no desire? It was clearly hidden deep and for a long time, erupting with formidable power.
A hand suddenly appeared on his face. Pei Xiting hurriedly came back to his senses, looking up to meet Yuan Fang’s scrutinizing gaze.
Yuan Fang examined the cheeks that were gradually flushing red, guessing, “In heat?”
Pei Xiting immediately retorted, “You’re the one in heat!”
“…”
Yuan Fang gave Pei Xiting an expressionless look. Pei Xiting cleared his throat, saying guiltily, “Just a little, it’s human nature.”
Yuan Fang rolled his eyes. “I’ll go down and get you food. What do you want to eat?”
Pei Xiting finished rinsing his mouth, raised a hand to wipe under his eyes, and said pitifully, “I’m broke and entirely dependent on Brother Fang. How dare I make demands? Whatever Brother Fang gives me, I’ll eat.”
Yuan Fang turned around without a hint of reluctance. “Then eat shit.”
“I’ll eat your grandpa!” Pei Xiting leaped from the bed and stepped onto the rug, but his foot slipped, and he ended up doing a 95% complete vertical split.
“Ow!”
With a scream, Pei Xiting’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground, barely breathing. “…Pulled my balls.”
This person usually looked like he exuded wealth and luxury, but his words and actions varied wildly. Sometimes he was a refined young master, polite and cultured; sometimes a profligate young lord, spoiled and arrogant; sometimes a fierce bandit, bold and straightforward; and sometimes even verbally uninhibited, speaking crudely.
Xiao Pei was changeable, and Yuan Fang was indifferent. He said, “Great! You can go back and get a job in the palace. Third Young Master Pei is intelligent, so you’ll probably be respectfully called ‘Chief Steward Pei’ after a few years of hard work.”
“I hate you,” Pei Xiting smiled, a mournful, wistful smile as if a vengeful spirit had possessed him. “You cold and heartless person, I will never forgive you.”
After a moment of standoff, Yuan Fang’s conscience kicked in, or rather, he was worried Pei Xiting would pop his eyeballs out. In any case, he stepped forward, put his hands under Pei Xiting’s armpits, and scooped him up.
Pei Xiting landed steadily and shakily walked to the table to sit down. Although his flexibility was good, a sudden movement like that still caused some impact on the sides of his thighs.
Pei Xiting picked up the hot water that had cooled to a comfortable temperature, took a sip, and exhaled without joy or sorrow. “Hungry. Hey, have you eaten?”
“Already did,” Yuan Fang turned around and went out to buy food when he bumped into a group of people, led by the “Seven-Colored Boy” that Pei Xiting spoke of.
Mei Xiu walked straight over, snorting coldly at him, then entered the room with a completely changed, gentle and amiable expression:
“Xiting, did you sleep well last night?”
Seeing this, Yuan Fang paused and stood still at the doorway.
“Very well,” Pei Xiting said. “Why is Young Marquis here?”
“I prepared breakfast and was just waiting for you to wake up to eat together,” Mei Xiu said, waving outside. “Serve the meal.”
The people outside entered one after another, arranging the breakfast dishes. The bowls and plates were exquisite and small, not holding much, but the variety was rich.
Pei Xiting sniffed the steaming aroma of the food. “Why isn’t Young Marquis eating with the prince and the others?”
“When I woke up, the prince had already taken people to survey the terrain of Mount Damang. Enzhou’s Deputy Magistrate Su Fan died suddenly, and the matter of suppressing bandits still needs to be fully managed by the prince. As for Fifth Zong, when I came over, I heard him instructing someone to harness the carriage. Of course, compared to him, I’d definitely rather wait for you to wake up so we can eat together.” Mei Xiu said, pointing, “Hey, try this crab bun. It’s one of Chunhui Tower’s specialties. The one in Yejing tastes good; I wonder how the taste is here. It smells very fragrant.”
“Alright.” Pei Xiting picked one up and placed it on a small plate, casually saying, “Does Young Marquis dislike Fifth Young Master?”
Mei Xiu clicked his tongue. “It’s not about liking or disliking, after all, I don’t have any close relationship with him, and we don’t spend time together privately. I just feel that Fifth Zong is strange.”
Pei Xiting asked, “How so?”
“This Fifth Zong and Fourth Brother Zhao both have gentle temperaments and are polite to everyone, but the feeling they give me is completely different. Fifth Zong’s smile is like it’s plastered on his face; it looks real, but it always feels like it’s not genuine from the heart—it’s exactly like that pretentious and well-behaved Mei Yi!” Mei Xiu’s voice suddenly rose sharply.
Pei Xiting couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that so?”
“I think so!” Mei Xiu felt like throwing up whenever Mei Yi was mentioned, so he quickly drank some porridge to suppress it, patted his chest, and said thoughtfully, “I always feel that he’s not what he seems on the surface; he’s not that quiet and well-behaved. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, like this incident.”
Although Young Marquis Mei was less cunning, his intuition in this regard was quite accurate.
As Pei Xiting thought this, he reached out and ladled a bowl of milk porridge, placing it in front of Mei Xiu, who was somewhat flattered. He ladled a bowl for himself, scraped it with a spoon, and said, “Is Young Marquis referring to the matter regarding the Fifth Young Master accompanying the troop to Enzhou?”
“Precisely,” Mei Xiu said. “Queen Ning wants to train him, but why couldn’t he be trained in Yejing? This bandit suppression might even be dangerous. He looks delicate and doesn’t excel at riding or archery. Why send him on this task? If anything were to happen, Queen Ning would surely feel uneasy. I don’t think she wanted him to come, but rather that he himself wanted to come and thus beg her. I suspect he’s just here to idle away his time, waiting to ask the prince to commend him to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Pei Xiting tasted a pork kidney, feigning confusion. “But wouldn’t that incur His Highness’s displeasure? What if His Highness suspects the prince of using public turmoil for private gain, leveraging the Ministry of War to pave the way for his own brother… After all, the merits of bandit suppression come from real battles; they’re fundamentally different.”
“That seems plausible. The prince probably does have that concern,” Mei Xiu rubbed his chin, thinking seriously. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “I understand! Then he’s like me, wanting to come along and seize the opportunity to make an impression. But I will genuinely participate in the bandit suppression. Can he do that? Someone would have to protect him, so we’re not entirely the same.”
Pei Xiting smiled and said nothing.
Young Marquis Mei clearly saw Zong An as a fragile little white lotus, unaware that the latter was deeply hidden, deliberately concealing his talents, waiting for the position of King Ning’s heir to become vacant before gradually revealing his sharpness.
In the original work, the story ended after next year’s wife-chasing crematorium, so there was no mention of the fate of the “scum gong” group. Leaving aside the other two, Pei Xiting suddenly became curious about Zong An’s ending.
The bandit suppression this time wasn’t very difficult, which was why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince confidently entrusted it to Zong Rui. Zong Rui himself traveled lightly and was under no pressure. If Zong An hadn’t secretly sabotaged things, Zong Rui wouldn’t have died in Mount Damang. Therefore, if the news of the heir of King Ning’s mansion, Prince Ning’s death at the hands of bandits, reached Yejing, it would surely cause a stir. Both publicly and privately, the Crown Prince would investigate. Even if Zong An wasn’t accompanying them and seemed to have no presence, the Crown Prince would still sense something strange.
With the position of the heir vacant, Zong An, if he truly wanted to contend for it, would surely have to demonstrate his prowess and capabilities before the Crown Prince. In such a scenario, the Crown Prince could never be continuously deceived by Zong An’s false facade. If the Crown Prince detected any clues, as long as he wished, Zong An would undoubtedly die. After all, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. “Pei Xiting” was powerless to resist the scum gong group, and similarly, the scum gong group couldn’t act high and mighty before the Crown Prince.
Pei Xiting took a sip of porridge and said, “So that’s how it is. I personally feel that what the young marquis said makes some sense, but I’m not familiar with the Fifth Young Master, so I don’t know what kind of person he truly is, and it’s hard to make a judgment.”
“Not being familiar is good,” Mei Xiu said earnestly. “Such a person appears harmless on the surface and doesn’t make people wary, but you won’t even know if they decided to stab you in the back.”
Pei Xiting smiled, ate the cooled crab bun, and hummed, “The soup is rich, not fishy or greasy, delicious.”
“If it’s good, eat more. We can buy more if it’s not enough,” Mei Xiu looked at Pei Xiting. The latter was wearing an outer robe, his neck extending elegantly from the overlapping collar, slender and fair. It was strange, he felt no trace of impropriety in his heart, only finding him beautiful.
Pei Xiting looked up. Mei Xiu cleared his throat, picked up a bowl of porridge, and quickly finished it.
Yuan Fang leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, narrowing his eyes at the sight. Just then, Mei Xiu looked over, and the “flower butterfly’s” expression instantly changed. He frowned and glared, saying, “What are you looking at!”
Yuan Fang, ever adaptable, said, “I’m not looking anymore.”
Mei Xiu felt like punching cotton, gave a cold snort, turned his head, and said to Pei Xiting, “Xiting, this little plaything you’re raising has no manners at all. How about we get a new one? I see he has some looks, but he’s not pleasing to the eye at all.”
“It’s boring if they’re too well-behaved,” Pei Xiting smiled, glancing at Yuan Fang, and said in a serious tone, “I just like this little demeanor of his. As for whether he’s pleasing or not, you really have to experience it yourself to know best.”
These words were ambiguous, and Mei Xiu immediately imagined Yuan Fang, that little imp, clinging to Pei Xiting and flaunting himself. He said with a sour, forced laugh, “Oh, alright then, as long as you’re happy.”
Yuan Fang, however, didn’t care about Pei Xiting’s verbal teasing, just a little curious. The Crown Prince sending people to follow Pei Xiting secretly was a thought-provoking act. If this useless Pei Xiting still ended up sparking a passionate relationship with the Crown Prince later on, would his ambiguous words, including those from before, turn into a knife, harshly stabbing into that presumptuous mouth?
Pei Xiting was completely unaware of Yuan Fang’s thoughts. He slowly finished breakfast, gargled with tea, and said, “The stomach is full and the person is warmed.”
Mei Xiu said, “It was delicious, right? I’ll buy from this place again tomorrow. I wanted to invite you to Chunhui Tower last night, but unfortunately, you came back late.”
Pei Xiting got up and walked to the bed, putting on his outer robe as he said, “I hadn’t seen an old friend for a long time. We had dinner out last night and came back a bit late.”
“Oh,” Mei Xiu seemed confused. “You never left Yejing before, where did you get a friend from another province?”
Pei Xiting smiled and said, “I may not leave Yejing, but is it not allowed for others to come to Yejing?”
Mei Xiu couldn’t refute him, scratched his head, and laughed, “Then are you still going to see your friend today?”
Pei Xiting quickly exchanged a glance with Yuan Fang and said, “Yes, we agreed to go out for a walk today. What about you, Young Marquis?”
The Young Marquis wanted to go out with Pei Xiting, but since there was no invitation, he could only say, “I’m going to the auction house in the east of the city to see if there’s anything good.”
Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow slightly, “Is it Wanping Auction House?”
Mei Xiu said, “Precisely.”
“I heard that people entering the auction house are either rich or noble and need to purchase an entry—”
Before he finished speaking, Mei Xiu magically produced a wooden token and said, “Isn’t this lord both rich and noble?”
Pei Xiting showed an expression of “paying respects to the Wealthy King” and said, “I want to go take a look too.”
Mei Xiu was stunned, “Aren’t you going to see your friend?”
“Friends can be seen anytime, but I heard that Wanping Auction House sometimes holds auctions every two or three months, and sometimes you have to wait half a year. It’s an opportunity not to be missed,” Pei Xiting said.
Mei Xiu was naturally pleased that Pei Xiting would come along and said, “Then I’ll go arrange the carriage immediately.”
“Wait,” Pei Xiting stopped Mei Xiu, explaining, “We’re here with the prince to suppress bandits, so it’s not advisable to be too ostentatious. Wouldn’t it be dangerous if we were targeted by bandits hiding in the city?”
Mei Xiu said, “That’s true. So, are we going to walk? Our legs won’t last.”
“Of course not,” Pei Xiting said. “We can go out the back door and rent a carriage from the carriage depot at the front, can’t we?”
Mei Xiu felt that this sneaking around seemed too much, but Pei Xiting’s concerns were also valid, so he didn’t say much and nodded, indicating that he would listen to him.
Pei Xiting then styled his hair and gestured with his eyes for Yuan Fang to lead the way.
The three stealthily reached the back door of the guesthouse. Yuan Fang was the first to scale the wall, scouted around, and returned, saying, “Come on.”
Pei Xiting rolled up his sleeves, took a few steps back, and ran up the wall. He grabbed Yuan Fang’s outstretched hand and successfully scaled the wall, landing on the ground. At the same time, Mei Xiu landed lightly beside him.
“Why does it feel like we’re doing something bad?” Mei Xiu said.
Pei Xiting wiped his hands and said, “While the prince is diligently surveying the terrain, we’re off to the auction house. Isn’t that doing something bad?”
Mei Xiu felt a bit guilty upon hearing this. After all, he overslept that morning and didn’t keep up with the prince’s pace, completely failing to uphold his promise to Zong Rui: “Wherever you go, I’ll go. Whoever you tell me to fight, I’ll fight. I will follow you closely and dedicate myself to you.”
The three took a small path away from the guesthouse and reached a small lane next to the carriage depot. Pei Xiting and Mei Xiu waited while Yuan Fang put on a small bamboo hat and went out to rent a carriage.
Soon, Yuan Fang drove the carriage into the small lane. After Pei Xiting and Mei Xiu had boarded, he drove the carriage out of the lane, doubled back towards the guesthouse for a short distance, and then took a different fork in the road.
The carriage smoothly entered the eastern part of the city and stopped in front of the Wanping Auction House. Carriages were lined up, and attendants were everywhere.
Yuan Fang parked in a corner spot. Mei Xiu was the first to alight, adjusting his robe, and Pei Xiting followed him out of the carriage.
The three walked to the entrance. A hall attendant came forward to greet them. Mei Xiu presented his token, which the attendant inspected and found to be in order. He respectfully led them into the main hall and upstairs. They didn’t encounter many people along the way, as the guests were all seated in private rooms behind the scenes.
Upon reaching the private room, a maid served tea, pastries, fruits, and dried nuts, then stood outside the screen. Yuan Fang glanced at the maid, confirmed there were no issues, then looked away, turning sideways to block the maid, and used a silver needle to test the food for poison.
Mei Xiu: “…” Is such caution necessary?
Pei Xiting saw through the young marquis’s thoughts and softly said, “It’s always better to be cautious when traveling.”
Mei Xiu said, “You’re right.”
After confirming everything was fine, Yuan Fang wiped the silver needle and put it back at his waist. Pei Xiting beckoned him over and whispered something in his ear. Yuan Fang’s eyebrows raised slightly, and after nodding, he turned and left.
Mei Xiu watched from the side, feeling curious, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a Guimo Bridge ahead, and at the end of the bridge, there’s an obscure stationery shop. My friend told me their things are quite good, so I asked him to help me pick some out,” Pei Xiting said.
Hearing this, Mei Xiu didn’t suspect anything. He reached for a nearby catalog and began to flip through it. Pei Xiting had no intention of participating in the auction, as he was penniless, but he still looked through it with Mei Xiu. There were indeed a few nice items.
When Mei Xiu turned to a certain page, Pei Xiting’s gaze paused, and he said, “This bracelet is quite nice.”
Mei Xiu looked at the description next to it and said, “Red jade paired with black jade, too gaudy and too heavy…”
He paused in his speech, turned his head to look at Pei Xiting, who had black hair, a fair face, red lips, and white teeth, and said, “It would definitely look good on you.”
Pei Xiting also wanted it, but his financial situation didn’t allow it. Red jade plus black jade, and the material wasn’t ordinary; the money to buy this item would be enough to buy a house in Yejing. So he smiled and said, “I’d look good even wearing a grass ring.”
Mei Xiu burst out laughing, “That’s true!”
Despite his words, Mei Xiu had made up his mind to bid on that bracelet and give it to Pei Xiting to win the beauty’s smile.
The auction soon began. The auctioneer’s voice filled the hall. Pei Xiting, feeling uninterested, got up and walked to the window. As he pushed it open, the wind rushed in. He turned his face away to dodge it, then looked out to see a lake with rippling water.
A moment later, Yuan Fang returned and said to Pei Xiting, “Just now, I saw the Fifth Young Master from the inner window on the second floor of the stationery shop.”
“Who?” Before Pei Xiting could speak, Mei Xiu asked first, “Why did he come here too?”
“I don’t know. Fifth Young Master was talking to someone by the lake. I was afraid of causing trouble, so I didn’t dare to look too much and came back,” Yuan Fang then said to Pei Xiting, “The things you wanted are in the carriage.”
“Talking to someone by the lake?” Mei Xiu puzzled, “This area is quite remote, there aren’t many shops. If it weren’t for the auction today, how would there be so many people?”
Pei Xiting took a sip of tea and said, “Perhaps it’s Fifth Young Master’s friend.”
“Friends chatting, even if not in a restaurant or tavern, should choose a brighter place. Yet, they’re talking by the lake behind a house in a secluded area?” Perhaps because Zong An himself seemed strange, Mei Xiu always felt something was off. He stood up and asked, “Where is it?”
Yuan Fang glanced at Pei Xiting, who then stood up and said, “Shall we go take a look?”
Mei Xiu said, “Let’s go.”
Yuan Fang nodded and led the two out of the private room, downstairs, directly to Guimo Bridge, and into the stationery shop.
“Boss, no need to attend to us. My young master wants to look at some brushes and ink upstairs,” Yuan Fang called out and went up the stairs first. The boss, who was pasting paper behind the counter, looked up at him, saw that it was a familiar customer, said “En,” and then lowered his head to continue his work.
The three went upstairs. Yuan Fang walked to the window and gestured to the other two. Mei Xiu went straight over, followed closely by Pei Xiting, who softly said, “Young Marquis, be careful not to let Fifth Young Master notice, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“Alright.” Mei Xiu leaned close to the window, prying open the left pane, and cautiously peeked out with one eye. Indeed, he saw two people standing in the lakeside pavilion. From this distance, he couldn’t hear their voices or see their lip movements, but the back facing them was indeed Zong An. The person standing opposite Zong An was a tall, thin man in coarse clothes, who didn’t look like someone to be trifled with.
Mei Xiu pulled his head back, frowned, and said, “Who is that?”
Pei Xiting also took a look and added crucial information, “That man also has a dagger tucked into his waist.”
He turned and said, “I don’t think this person is Fifth Young Master’s friend. Look, he has one hand on his hip, near the dagger, and the other hand is half-clenched in front of his waist, with his legs slightly apart. It’s clearly a tense posture as if he’s constantly on guard.”
“What are they muttering about?” Mei Xiu said, “I always feel like something’s wrong.”
“I’ve memorized what that man looks like,” Pei Xiting hesitated and said, “How about I draw him, and we have someone investigate his identity?”
Mei Xiu clapped his hands and said, “I think that’s a good idea!”
Pei Xiting said, “Then let’s go back first.”
He walked around the counter, picked out a wolf-hair brush, and asked Yuan Fang to pay for it when he went downstairs.
The three of them returned to the auction house again. Mei Xiu walked up to the curtain and glanced at the auction items in the hall. He then went back to flip through the catalog; there were still a few items before the bracelet.
Pei Xiting took a plum candy from his bag, shared a piece with Yuan Fang and Mei Xiu, leaned back in his chair, and tilted his head, saying, “Get me some brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.”
The maid behind the screen responded, quietly withdrew and soon presented the writing tools. Pei Xiting took a seat at a low table nearby and began to sketch the man he had seen earlier.
A moment later, Mei Xiu suddenly tugged on a bell and said, “A thousand taels.”
The maid took out the bidding paddle, and the auctioneer announced loudly, “East Wing Third room, one thousand taels!”
“East Wing third room,” Yu Shaoyun said, “That’s Young Master Pei’s private room. If he wants it, does Master want to give it away directly?”
“He’s penniless, how could he want it?” It was clearly Mei Xiu who wanted it. The Crown Prince said indifferently, “Raise the bid and buy it.”
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