TL: Hua
Chapter 76: Put on a show – Xiao Pei goes to Enzhou (16)
When Yu Shaoyun followed Zong Suiyang into Bai Mian Fang, You Zong also entered the back corridor. However, before he could even approach the room, he sensed someone inside Xian Yin’s room, forcing him to abandon his plan of investigating and instead observe from a distance.
Xian Yin came down from the private room upstairs, entering and exiting cautiously, not wanting to draw attention. The person in the room was likely a member of the cult, of higher status than her, most probably that Immortal Envoy Huo.
The next day was rainy. The carriage stopped in front of Bai Mian Fang. A hall attendant held an umbrella, greeting them and shielding Yuan Fang. Yuan Fang reached out to open the carriage door and helped Pei Xiting alight.
“Young Masters, you’ve arrived.” The madam said, smiling as she welcomed them and invited them inside. As they walked, she turned and said, “Miss Xian Yin said you two are distinguished guests, so she specially cleared out a private room in the back courtyard for your use. The room there is far away, so your conversations and activities won’t be easily disturbed.”
“Miss Xian Yin is too kind.” Pei Xiting said, walking shoulder to shoulder with Yuan Fang as they entered the private room. After they sat down, he said, “May I ask why she invited me here today?”
“There must be something to discuss, but you’ll only know what it is when she arrives,” Mama Liu said, pouring them tea and smiling. “Please relax and drink some tea. I’ll go attend to guests in the front hall. Miss Xian Yin will be right over.”
Pei Xiting nodded and took a sip from his teacup.
Mama Liu quietly closed the door. Yuan Fang reached out and put an arm around Pei Xiting’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper in his ear, “There’s a gap in the left window.”
That’s the camera angle. Pei Xiting chuckled, whispering, “Let’s put on a good show later.”
“You’re the protagonist.” Yuan Fang patted Pei Xiting’s shoulder. “Good luck.”
“It’s just acting; what’s luck got to do with it?” Pei Xiting looked at Yuan Fang in confusion. Just as the latter was about to speak, his eyes sharpened. He turned and shouted, “Who’s there!”
The door was blown open by the wind. Yuan Fang turned and darted out, leaving Pei Xiting alone. Pei Xiting turned to look at the wide-open door and instinctively chased after him, but just as he stepped across the threshold, a person suddenly appeared before him.
A familiar face came into view. Pei Xiting’s expression changed drastically. He stumbled back in horror. He seemed utterly terrified, his lips trembling, speechless, only unconsciously shaking his head, staring in disbelief at the nightmare that had appeared without warning.
“Where are you going?” Zong Suiyang stepped across the threshold, closed the door behind him, and steadily advanced, forcing Pei Xiting to retreat step by step. With a “bang,” Pei Xiting’s calf knocked over a stool, and he tumbled down.
Zong Suiyang frowned. He quickly reached out, grabbed Pei Xiting by the waist, twisted him around, and pressed him onto the table. The tray crashed to the floor. He took the opportunity to lean close to Pei Xiting’s ear and whispered, “Did you hurt yourself falling?”
Pei Xiting pretended to struggle, but Zong Suiyang pinned his hands behind his back and loosely gripped his throat. Pei Xiting leaned his head back, softly saying, “The acting needs to be realistic, right?”
This implied that he had indeed hurt himself. Hearing this, Zong Suiyang reached into the right slit of Pei Xiting’s robe, sliding his hand along his thigh to his buttocks, gently kneading it, testing the spot. “Is it here?”
When the large hand touched him, Pei Xiting instinctively jolted upwards, but Zong Suiyang easily suppressed him. His ears burned. He hadn’t expected His Highness the Crown Prince to be so dedicated. He gritted his teeth and whispered, “Don’t take advantage of this to molest me.”
“I thought you were prepared when you came,” Zong Suiyang said, rubbing the injured spot for Pei Xiting, his eyes subtly shifting. He tilted his head and rubbed Pei Xiting’s ear. “Your audience has arrived, Xiting. Perform well.”
Pei Xiting suddenly recalled that dangerous yet handsome smile from Surname Zong last night and suspected this person was deliberately taking personal revenge for that “father.” At this, his heart tightened. However, before he could utter his lines, his buttocks received a slap.
The muffled sound of flesh hitting flesh carried through the window crack. Immortal Envoy Huo held his breath, standing outside the back window, his gaze piercing through the crack and past the side of the screen, landing on the round table. From this angle, he could only see the side profiles of Zong Suiyang and Pei Xiting, their lower bodies pressed together intimately.
“I never imagined you’d dare to leave Yejing on your own, especially eloping with a wild man,” Zong Suiyang said, his tone normal, delivering his lines unhurriedly, but his hand roughly kneaded the flesh beneath his palm. “Xiting, you truly surprised me.”
Pei Xiting felt his entire body flush, yet he still had to act. He shook his head and argued, “I didn’t, I didn’t; Your Highness must have misunderstood!”
“Misunderstood? Even now, you still quibble and refuse to admit it? It seems I’ve been too indulgent with you in the past, giving you immense courage.” Zong Suiyang feared Pei Xiting would be uncomfortable in that position for too long, so he forcefully turned him around. Then, realizing the table was hard and turning repeatedly wouldn’t be comfortable, he simply pulled Pei Xiting up and pushed him onto the bed in a few swift steps.
Pei Xiting tumbled into the bedding, struggling to kneel up. Before he could turn over, his waistband was pulled off, revealing his pure white inner garment. It came undone as he struggled, exposing his fair, slender back and waist.
He cried out, then was pressed down by a hand on his back shoulder, his forehead buried in the bedding. A slap landed on his lower back. Pei Xiting’s hand clutching the bedding tightened. He pleaded pitifully, but that hand showed no mercy. Each subsequent blow landed squarely on his buttocks.
This bastard is doing this on purpose. But Pei Xiting was ashamed to realize that he quickly had a reaction.
A young man’s arousal couldn’t be hidden for long. Zong Suiyang leaned down, tilted his head, and rubbed his nose against Pei Xiting’s heated face, saying, “You like me treating you this way?”
His tone held a hint of amusement and was incredibly pleasant to the ear. Pei Xiting subtly tilted his face, gazing at him infatuatedly.
“I like it…” Pei Xiting didn’t hide it, instead rubbing back against Zong Suiyang’s nose and cheek, his eyes half-open and already glistening with moisture.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his ear. Zong Suiyang had opened his mouth and bitten it. The force wasn’t particularly gentle. Pei Xiting grunted in pain and reached out to grab Zong Suiyang’s sleeve. Zong Suiyang ignored him. Even when he tasted blood, he didn’t let go but sucked it gently with his warm lips.
“Don’t bite…” Before Pei Xiting could finish speaking, his throat suddenly felt as if it were being squeezed. He plummeted, his forehead rubbing against the bedding, the heat already spreading to his back, from his neck to his lower back, a large area flushed red.
This heat spread to Zong Suiyang’s body. His palm felt as if it held a hot iron, yet he didn’t let go; instead, he gripped tighter.
Pei Xiting felt as if he had fallen into the clouds, his entire body soft. Even with his eyes open, he couldn’t see the embroidery on the quilt; everything was a blurry red. He panted, cried out, and instinctively stretched out a hand.
Zong Suiyang took his hand, his palm covering the back of his hand, completely in control and suppressive, yet it brought him a sense of security.
Immortal Envoy Huo watched the scene by the bed curtain intently, seeing Pei Xiting’s calves rub against the edge of the bed. When they were about to slip down, a hand would reach out in time to grasp them, making his legs kneel properly again. Trembling, shaking… Finally, those legs twitched violently twice, then went limp.
“Your Highness, spare me…” Pei Xiting’s face was flushed. He vaguely kissed Zong Suiyang’s fingers, which were caressing his lips, his brow slightly furrowed. He opened his eyes. His plea for mercy wasn’t acting; he truly couldn’t take it anymore.
Zong Suiyang also couldn’t bear that look. He reached out and stroked Pei Xiting’s face. His movements were gentle, but his tone was dangerous: “How do you want me to spare you?”
“I’ll never dare again, never run away again…” Pei Xiting kissed Zong Suiyang’s fingertips, his eyes pitiful. He would never make the other party call him “father” again.
Zong Suiyang chuckled, but his words were cold: “Take off your pants.”
“Your Highness, what do you want to do?” Pei Xiting shook his head, his voice pained, laced with a sob. “I truly won’t dare again, please, have mercy on me this once…”
Zong Suiyang reached out and wiped the white substance from those rosy lips, his tone slightly sinking, “You’ve been eloping with a wild man for so many days, staying together day and night. What do you think I should do?”
His Highness the Crown Prince’s acting was not bad. Pei Xiting actually heard a hint of cold killing intent and quickly said, “I didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have done with him. Please, Your Highness, believe me, don’t humiliate me like this…”
Zong Suiyang didn’t speak. Seeing this, Pei Xiting quietly prompted, “Scold me quickly.”
What fickle, loose thing, what sl*t that couldn’t live without a man, and even more excessive words, Zong Suiyang couldn’t bring himself to say, especially not to Pei Xiting. He reached out and rubbed Pei Xiting’s lips, softly saying, “No scolding.”
It seemed His Highness the Crown Prince wasn’t good at dirty talk, but Director Pei was quite strict and said, “Then it lacks atmosphere!”
Zong Suiyang said, “It won’t.”
Pei Xiting’s voice suddenly became shrill, carrying out along with the sound of tearing fabric. Immortal Envoy Huo’s hand gripping the window sill had already turned white. He listened as Pei Xiting desperately resisted in vain, screaming for mercy. Then, His Highness must have discovered a result he didn’t want to see, as the crackling sound of slaps resounded between the bed curtains, mixed with gasping cries, ambiguously suggestive. The last sound was particularly loud, yet contained affection, making one’s blood boil.
Though Pei Xiting claimed he didn’t want to be humiliated by the Crown Prince, his body was clearly already trained and compliant… This $lut.
The gaze lingering there became even more resentful. Zong Suiyang’s brow twitched slightly. He gently kneaded the reddened, burning flesh in his hand, gazing at Pei Xiting’s rising and falling chest, and chuckled, “You can’t take this much? Xiting, we are so compatible; you were born to be mine…”
He leaned over and whispered a word in Pei Xiting’s ear, his hot breath warming his ear, and he said it sincerely.
Pei Xiting trembled all over, rubbed his face with his nose unconsciously, and whispered, “Your robe is dirty…”
“It’s fine,” Zong Suiyang said, looking at him sideways. “You can get me a new one later.”
Pei Xiting was naturally happy to do so, but his mouth said, “It’s still your fault.”
“You were impulsive and impatient; how can you blame me?” Zong Suiyang said.
Pei Xiting couldn’t refute it. He said, “Well, it’s my first time being… with someone else. I used to do it myself; it feels different.”
His eyes were watery, staring straight at Zong Suiyang. He said somewhat bashfully, “And, your hand feels so good.”
Even embarrassment couldn’t stop this person’s vulgar words. Zong Suiyang applied pressure to his hand, making Pei Xiting cry out unprepared. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “You certainly seem comfortable.”
Pei Xiting was insulted and opened his mouth to bite his face, but Zong Suiyang dodged.
Pei Xiting frowned unhappily, about to throw a tantrum. Only then did Zong Suiyang reluctantly lean in, letting him take a bite, to his satisfaction.
Pei Xiting rubbed his cheek down to kiss, but Zong Suiyang stopped his lips with his nose. He opened his eyes wide and asked, “What are you doing?”
“According to the script, we can’t kiss,” Zong Suiyang said.
His Highness the Crown Prince indeed wouldn’t kiss his little plaything. Pei Xiting chuckled, “You’re so strict, but you didn’t entirely follow the script either. You didn’t scold me when I told you to, and you didn’t hit me either. The essence of this scene was lost because of you.”
Zong Suiyang was indeed taking the opportunity for personal revenge, thinking of teaching this little fox a good lesson and rubbing him down, but physical abuse and scolding were still too much. He reached down and pulled Pei Xiting’s pants up to his waist, saying, “Your belt has jade pieces on it; if I hit you with it, you wouldn’t be able to take it. It’s just acting; why bother?”
Pei Xiting said, “You didn’t show any mercy when you hit me just now.”
“If you didn’t cry out, I wouldn’t have continued hitting you, but you wouldn’t stop crying,” Zong Suiyang said, looking at Pei Xiting’s embarrassed and angry face, then chuckled and nudged his lips with his nose. He suddenly asked, “Does it taste fishy?”
Pei Xiting’s eyes burned. “It’s my own stuff; I don’t dislike it.”
Zong Suiyang smiled and asked again, “Does it taste fishy?”
Pei Xiting pursed his lips and whispered, “A little… but acceptable.”
“What do you mean by that?” Zong Suiyang’s gaze deepened.
Pei Xiting retorted, “Then what do you mean by asking that?”
The two had a tacit understanding, speaking in a suggestive manner. Zong Suiyang’s gaze darkened. He reached out and pressed Pei Xiting’s lips, saying, “You’re asking for death.”
“You wouldn’t really kill me.” Pei Xiting took the opportunity to lean back and kiss Zong Suiyang’s nose tip, grinning. “It’s fine if you kill me. To die beneath a beauty is to be a romantic ghost. If I become a romantic ghost, I’ll haunt you day and night.”
The door was suddenly flung open with a “bang.” Zong Suiyang’s dark eyes remained fixed on Pei Xiting. Pei Xiting’s eyes burned. He slightly tilted his head to avoid the gaze and saw Yuan Fang fall to the ground.
Immortal Envoy Huo stepped back slightly, hearing Pei Xiting’s startled cry. His two legs struggled violently, but he was still suppressed by the Crown Prince and couldn’t escape.
Yu Shaoyun blocked the doorway, wiping his blade, and said, “How does Your Highness wish to deal with this villain?”
“He’s not a villain! Your Highness, I was wrong, I was wrong. I’ll go back with you. I’ll never run away again. Please spare him. I’ll do anything you say, please…”
Pei Xiting reached out and grabbed Zong Suiyang’s wrist, pleading bitterly. Zong Suiyang looked at his tear-streaked face, and his heart twinged slightly. Besides pity, there was also jealousy and hatred, even though this scene of eloping with a wild man and begging for his life at death’s door was fake. “You can’t even protect yourself, yet you still plead for him. Truly… deep affection. Very well,” Zong Suiyang said, “I can spare his life.”
Joy flashed in Pei Xiting’s eyes. Just as he was about to express his gratitude, Zong Suiyang said in a gentle voice, “Since you two are so deeply in love, I’m happy to grant your wish. How about bringing him back to the East Palace with you to serve as your personal attendant in your room?”
Those who could reside and move freely within the East Palace were essentially four types: masters, subordinates, guards, and palace servants. Since Pei Xiting was the Crown Prince’s person, it was impossible for any other man to serve him closely in his room unless he was a eunuch.
The Crown Prince intended to castrate the adulterer. Immortal Envoy Huo’s eyelids twitched slightly. Then he heard Pei Xiting burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as he begged the Crown Prince for mercy.
This fool. Immortal Envoy Huo sighed. The more he pleads at a time like this, the less the Crown Prince can show mercy. He doesn’t understand even this basic principle. But this is good too. Being humiliated himself, and his beloved being castrated, Pei Xiting will hate the Crown Prince even more. The deeper the hatred, the sharper this blade will become.
The Crown Prince ignored Pei Xiting’s pleas and waved his sleeve. Yu Shaoyun quickly approached Chen Shi’an and brought his blade down towards his groin. Blood spurted out. Chen Shi’an screamed, writhing in agonizing pain before collapsing unconscious.
“Brother Fang!” Pei Xiting shrieked, finding unknown strength to push the Crown Prince away. He rolled off the bed and onto his beloved, embracing him and wailing mournfully, as if to release all the pain in his body, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
Immortal Envoy Huo stared at the person kneeling and weeping. He couldn’t decide whether to call him pitiful or admirable. Daring to cuckold the Crown Prince guaranteed a tragic end.
The Crown Prince walked behind Pei Xiting, looking down at Pei Xiting’s miserable state. He suddenly reached out and pulled him up, pushing him out of the room. Pei Xiting turned, wanting to pull the person on the ground, but the Crown Prince struck him unconscious with a palm, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and left the place.
Yu Shaoyun roughly hoisted the person from the ground. Immediately, a close guard came with a basin of water to wash away the blood on the floor, leaving a bag of silver behind, then quickly departed.
Immortal Envoy Huo stood outside the window for a moment before circling to the door and entering. He paid no mind to the filth on the ground, stepping through the blood to the round table, then walked to the bed, staring at it, motionless, for a long time.
Xian Yin entered and softly said, “The Crown Prince took the person into the carriage and left. How should we explain this to Pei Xiting later?”
“It’s fine; just make up any excuse. He’s already consumed by hatred. Compared to investigating today’s events, forming an alliance with us to kill the Crown Prince is the most important thing.” Immortal Envoy Huo’s eyes were gloomy. “I never expected the Crown Prince to be so obsessed with Pei Xiting.”
“The birds in the East Palace only have the path of being released by the Crown Prince; they don’t dare to fly out on their own,” Xian Yin said. “There’s just one path.”
“But among so many birds in the world, how many can enter the East Palace?” Immortal Envoy Huo said. “Love and desire are one. Where there is love, there must be desire. Desire doesn’t necessarily lead to love, but it at least shows their extreme compatibility. Otherwise, with the Crown Prince’s status and temperament, he could chase them to the ends of the earth with just a word, so why come in person?”
Xian Yin glanced at Immortal Envoy Huo upon hearing this and said nothing.
—
Zong Suiyang carried Pei Xiting into the carriage and placed him on the main seat. Pei Xiting promptly scrambled up and wiped his face.
Seeing him not sitting properly, Zong Suiyang said, “Does it hurt?”
“If I slapped you, would it hurt?” Pei Xiting rubbed his buttocks and glared at Zong Suiyang. “You took personal revenge; I’ll remember that.”
“You’re that kind of person.” Zong Suiyang said.
“What about me?” Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow. “Go on, explain yourself.”
“You don’t say anything when you’re comfortable, but now you’re accusing me, as if you’ve been wronged,” Zong Suiyang said.
Pei Xiting said nothing, tapping and rapping on Zong Suiyang’s forehead with his eyes. Zong Suiyang let him glare for a while, then suddenly reached out and slapped his lower back, saying, “Does it really hurt?”
Pei Xiting stopped complaining now. His eyes shifted, and he mumbled, “Doesn’t hurt much.”
Pei Xiting was slender, with only a little flesh there. After being slapped, it looked like a ripe peach petal. Zong Suiyang pursed his lips, his gaze on Pei Xiting deepening. Pei Xiting, sensing it, subtly averted his gaze, not meeting his eyes.
Zong Suiyang was slightly displeased.
The carriage stopped. The door opened, and You Zong quickly boarded, taking a seat on the other side.
The person sitting in the main seat wasn’t the Crown Prince. You Zong paused, then turned his head to the opposite side and said, “There is indeed a secret chamber in Xian Yin’s room. Following the secret passage straight ahead, there are two forked roads. The left path leads to a closed door with a mechanism. Your subject dared not act rashly, but based on the distance and direction, it is undoubtedly the Li Residence. The right path leads to a courtyard. Your subject has already sent people to the vicinity of that courtyard.”
Zong Suiyang took out a blanket and handed it to Pei Xiting, saying, “Let’s make another move tonight.”
You Zong nodded. He turned his head and saw Pei Xiting wrapped in the blanket, sitting in the main seat, still muttering something, and asked, “What happened to him?”
“I don’t know,” Zong Suiyang said, reaching out to scratch Pei Xiting’s face. “Lord You is asking you a question.”
“I’m going crazy. Scratch me again, and I’ll bite you,” Pei Xiting glared at Zong Suiyang, but his attitude towards You Zong was very good and concerned. “My lord, your dark circles look like earthworms.”
“It’s nothing. Once this matter is settled, a day’s rest will be enough,” You Zong said. “When we traveled in the past, sometimes we were chased for over ten days without proper sleep. Catching a quick nap was considered good sleep. Having experienced those days, whatever inconvenience we have now is nothing.”
Pei Xiting glanced at Zong Suiyang upon hearing this and asked, “My lord, what was His Highness like back then?”
You Zong chuckled, saying gently, “He was just a teenager, naturally more immature.”
“I’ve never seen that.” Pei Xiting reached out and pulled Zong Suiyang’s sleeve. “Hey, pretend to be young for me.”
Zong Suiyang looked at him and said, “I’ll give you a slap; do you want it?”
“Huh?” Pei Xiting deliberately misunderstood, saying demurely, “In front of Lord You, how embarrassing! Your Highness, really, you have no shame at all.”
You Zong: “…”
Zong Suiyang: “…”
Zong Suiyang shook his head, reached out, and rubbed Pei Xiting’s head, saying, “It’s raining today; don’t run around outside. Rest well at the inn for half a day. Once things here are settled, we’ll return to Yejing.”
Pei Xiting obediently agreed. After returning, he changed into comfortable clothes, just wearing an outer robe, and sat by the window teaching the little prince how to paint rain.
Zong Lu’s flaw was inherited from Zong Suiyang: his mindset was confined, not broad enough, making his brushstrokes appear somewhat constrained, yet far clearer and cleaner than Zong Suiyang’s.
“Autumn rain is bleak, pedestrians rush, eaves drip, and the sky is dark, but trees sway, pedestrians smile, and wind chimes jingle under the eaves. The world’s scenery is still, yet life flows on its own,” Pei Xiting said softly, holding Zong Lu’s hand. “Whether writing or painting, hold the brush correctly and steadily. Relax your shoulders; don’t tense up.”
Zong Lu stared at the brush marks, saying, “Pei-wenshu is the first person to hold my hand and teach me how to write and paint. For so many years, it wasn’t me who harbored resentment; it was Fifth Uncle.”
Pei Xiting said, “You are the only precious treasure that Crown Prince Yuanhe left for His Highness. His Highness cherishes you, which is why he dared not be too close to you. Perhaps only when you’re asleep does he dare to secretly gaze at you, quietly sighing that you’ve grown taller than last year.”
Pei Xiting let go of his hand. Zong Lu changed brushes, dipped it in ink, and began to paint the camellias by the street. He said, “Will Pei-wenshu become my fifth uncle?”
“I’d like to,” Pei Xiting said with a smile. “Do you think I have a chance?”
“If Pei-wenshu doesn’t, then no one else in the world will.” Zong Lu was young, but he saw clearly. “Fifth Uncle is taciturn and cold, with deep thoughts. It takes effort to fathom him, great effort to see through him. But now he’s revealed a lot; at least when it comes to Pei-wenshu, Fifth Uncle can be seen through with a glance.”
He turned his head to look at Pei Xiting and said, “Pei-wenshu, now there’s only one opportunity missing between you and Fifth Uncle that will allow him to completely break free of his chains and rush towards you.”
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