Chapter 13
This day passed quickly.
Perhaps because of the dream, Song Beiyao was in low spirits all day. Ling Feng saw this, and while his words were harsh, he tried his best to cheer Song Beiyao up.
Snow fell outside, the weather extremely cold. After lunch, Song Beiyao locked himself in his study. Ling Feng knocked several times, but Song Beiyao refused, claiming he was busy.
When it got dark and dinner was sent, Song Beiyao still hadn’t come out. Ling Feng knocked again. “Dinner time, dinner time, you have your favorite braised pork tonight.”
There was no response from inside. Ling Feng shouted again, “No matter what, don’t ignore your food!” Still no answer. He sensed something was wrong and quickly opened the door. The charcoal brazier inside had long gone out, no warmer than outside. Song Beiyao was slumped on the table, eyes closed, cheeks flushed.
Ling Feng quickly went to check on him. The man had a high fever, his forehead burning hot. Ling Feng immediately carried him back to the main room and asked Lian Sheng to call Doctor Tan.
Song Beiyao was delirious with fever, his back injury not yet healed, so he could only lie on his stomach. Possibly due to pressure on his back, he soon began to cough violently, and he seemed about to collapse. Ling Feng was anxiously scratching his head. Thankfully, Doctor Tan arrived soon.
News quickly reached Pei Ji.
At that time, Pei Ji was having dinner in the dining hall. Xiao Yun was talking about how many expensive gifts he had prepared for him for his birthday—sea pearls from Yun Kingdom, and fine horses from Chu Kingdom, speaking eloquently.
Pei Ji remained impassive, seemingly not listening.
At this time, Qu Lan came in, interrupting Xiao Yun’s words. He bowed his head and said, “Your Highness.”
Zhang Bo, standing beside him, knew something was wrong upon seeing Qu Lan. The Crown Prince usually disliked having too many people around him during dinner, and even more so, being interrupted.
Pei Ji was still eating. He asked, “What is it?”
“The favored consort suddenly developed a high fever just now, and it seems serious. Doctor Tan has already gone there,” Qu Lan replied.
Pei Ji paused his hand holding the soup spoon, but before he could speak, Xiao Yun began to complain, “It’s just a fever, what’s there to make a fuss about? Besides, the doctor has already gone, don’t you see that Brother Ji is still eating!”
Qu Lan didn’t reply, still standing with his head bowed.
Pei Ji was silent for a moment, then said to Qu Lan, “Go and check on the situation.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Qu Lan immediately left.
Xiao Yun, still sulking because the guard didn’t respond to him, glared at Qu Lan upon hearing Pei Ji’s words. “Hmph, it’s useless for you to report it, Brother Ji won’t go see him!”
Zhang Bo, standing beside him, shook his head inwardly upon hearing the Young Marquis’s words. The Young Marquis was still too young, too much of a spoiled child. He had known the Crown Prince for years but still didn’t understand him at all.
As a personal guard who had followed the prince for ten years, even following him into battle, the Prince’s trust in him was higher than anyone else’s. If it was just to check on the situation, such a small matter wouldn’t require Qu Lan to go personally.
Wasn’t the intention obvious?
In the main room of Yan Nuan Pavilion, the young man on the bed frowned in pain, his jade-like face covered in sweat. Doctor Tan was taking his pulse, his face becoming increasingly serious.
“Doctor Tan, what’s wrong with my master?” Lian Sheng anxiously asked beside him.
“Old illnesses, new injuries, and sudden emotional distress, all combined, have led to this, a truly deadly illness.”
Doctor Tan, having practiced medicine for over twenty years, knew from one touch of the pulse that this person would not live long, even a god couldn’t save him. However, seeing a pair of sharp eyes staring at him, he was afraid that the moment he spoke, he would be the next to die.
Ling Feng was incredulous, raising his eyebrows. “Song… my master is always in a good mood, usually he doesn’t get angry no matter what you do to him, how could he suddenly have emotional distress!”
Doctor Tan didn’t know how to explain it to him, only tentatively asking, “Generally speaking, this can be triggered by a sudden major accident or something difficult to accept. Has the favored consort experienced anything recently?”
Ling Feng frowned and thought for a moment. Song Beiyao had cried this morning, but it was just a dream, not a major accident.
Just a dream, what kind of difficult thing could he have dreamed of?
Ling Feng shook his head. “There shouldn’t… be anything.”
Doctor Tan sighed. “Then I can only try a prescription.”
On the dark snowy night, a blue figure quickly left Yan Nuan Pavilion and came to Pei Ji’s study.
“Your Highness.” Qu Lan knelt half-way. “The favored consort’s condition isn’t good.”
Pei Ji continued circling and writing on the documents, asking, “Why so suddenly?”
Qu Lan said, “Doctor Tan said it was due to old illnesses, new injuries not yet healed, and sudden emotional distress.”
“Emotional distress?” Pei Ji lifted his eyelids. “What’s the reason?”
Qu Lan shook his head. “Doctor Tan said it might be something that happened recently. The servant beside the favored consort couldn’t say for sure.”
Pei Ji put down the documents. “Has he seen anyone recently?”
“According to the guards guarding Yan Nuan Pavilion, besides the servants who take care of the courtyard daily, only the Young Marquis visited two days ago. No one else.”
Qu Lan thought for a moment and continued, “Could it be the Young Marquis? The guards mentioned that the Young Marquis was arrogant and went to the other courtyard to look for the favored consort on the day he first arrived at the manor, and his attitude was also quite arrogant when he entered Yan Nuan Pavilion two days ago. If he said something that deeply hurt the favored consort, it’s not impossible.”
After Qu Lan finished speaking, the study fell silent. He looked up at Pei Ji and saw that the Crown Prince was looking at him with a cold expression. “Qu Lan, do you still remember what this prince once told you?”
Qu Lan’s heart tightened, realizing that his wording just now was too subjective. As a guard, when reporting information, he should use an objective and neutral tone, not one with subjective emotions, to avoid influencing the receiver.
“It was my fault, I shouldn’t have speculated about the Young Marquis arbitrarily,” Qu Lan knelt on both knees. “Please punish me, Your Highness.”
“You didn’t mean to. Go receive five lashes, then call Zhang Bo.” Pei Ji closed his eyes and pressed his hand to his temples.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Zhang Bo quickly entered the study and bowed. “Your Highness.”
Pei Ji asked, “Zhang Bo, has Xiao Yun said anything in front of you these past few days?”
His question wasn’t clear, so Zhang Bo could only answer vaguely, “He’s said a lot, about Your Highness, about the favored consort. Which aspect are you asking about?”
“About the favored consort.” Pei Ji said.
Zhang Bo understood. “Your Highness, you know the Young Marquis’s personality. He says he doesn’t like the favored consort, but he wouldn’t really do anything out of line. However, these past two days I’ve heard him mention that when he returns to the Marquis of Nan’an’s manor, he’ll have the Marquis request an imperial decree to marry him into the Crown Prince’s manor and become the Crown Princess.”
Pei Ji opened his eyes upon hearing this. “He’s always mentioned this matter?”
Zhang Bo nodded. “And every time he mentions it, he’s very confident. I didn’t say much.”
Pei Ji was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked out. “Zhang Bo, come with this prince.”
Zhang Bo didn’t ask where they were going and immediately followed.
…
Song Beiyao dreamt he was walking in a deserted desert.
Sand everywhere, stretching as far as the eye could see, a scorching sun overhead, burning sand under his feet. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, his whole body burning.
At this time, a figure appeared in the distance, getting closer and closer, supporting him just as he was about to fall.
He saw the person’s face and murmured, Qin Zhen…
In the main room of Yan Nuan Pavilion.
The young man on the bed’s painful expression gradually faded, then his eyes moved, and he opened them with difficulty.
His gaze was initially scattered, revealing a hint of confusion. When he saw the person sitting by the bed, his expression changed to strangeness. Quickly, he closed his eyes, opened them again, and returned to his usual self.
“Husband.” Song Beiyao’s voice was hoarse.
It was already the ninth hour (亥時), and everyone else in the room had left, only Pei Ji and Zhang Bo remained.
Zhang Bo stood a little further away, giving the two of them some space.
Pei Ji looked down at Song Beiyao’s face, his cheeks flushed unnaturally red from the fever, his eyes watery, the area around his eyes crimson, the teardrop mole adding to the seductive allure of his face.
After Song Beiyao woke up, he coughed a few times, coughing up blood. Pei Ji took a handkerchief and reached out to give it to him, but the young man subconsciously flinched back.
For a moment, both of them were slightly stunned. Pei Ji placed the handkerchief beside his pillow, and Song Beiyao weakly averted his gaze, saying, “Husband, don’t let me infect you.”
Pei Ji watched quietly for a while. Song Beiyao these past two days was different from usual. Yesterday, when he saw him, he was frightened and panicked; today, there was a hint of faint disappointment and sadness in his eyes.
It did indeed fit Doctor Tan’s description of emotional distress, with significant emotional fluctuations.
As for the cause of the distress, Pei Ji thought that besides Xiao Yun possibly saying something, it might also be related to his distrust and punishment of him that night.
Song Beiyao had helped him several times and was very considerate, so Pei Ji wouldn’t just let him die, and said, “This prince heard that Xiao Yun came to your courtyard that day.”
Song Beiyao softly hummed in response.
Zhang Bo immediately chimed in, “Favored consort, if the Young Marquis said anything to you, don’t take it to heart, it’s all meaningless.”
Song Beiyao’s head was dizzy from the fever, and he didn’t understand what they were talking about, so he didn’t ask more, saying, “I understand.”
His voice was thick with nasal congestion, his eyes opening and closing with difficulty, looking utterly exhausted.
Pei Ji didn’t stay long, standing up and saying, “I’ve already instructed the guards of Yan Nuan Pavilion, you can enter and leave freely from now on.”
Song Beiyao said listlessly, “Thank you, husband.”
After Pei Ji left, Song Beiyao let out a long sigh. The system popped up excitedly. “I think I understand now, Host, you didn’t take this great opportunity to gain luck points, was that intentional again! I’ve learned a new word recently, ‘push and pull’!”
Song Beiyao closed his eyes, burying his face in the pillow, his voice muffled. “This time, it wasn’t.”
He was simply tired, and today, he used his illness as an excuse to slack off.
—
Song Beiyao’s condition didn’t improve the next day.
In the evening, in the dining hall. Xiao Yun looked at the lavish spread of dishes, various delicacies, and exclaimed joyfully, “Brother Ji, these weren’t prepared for me, were they! You’ve always been the same on your birthday before.”
As he spoke, Pei Ji entered the dining hall, his body radiating coldness, his expression exceptionally stern. Xiao Yun cupped his face in his hands, his heart brimming with joy. “Brother Ji is so handsome! So manly! If I were to marry, I would marry Brother Ji!”
Pei Ji unfastened his snow-dusted black cloak, and Zhang Bo immediately stepped forward to take it, respectfully saying, “News came from Yan Nuan Pavilion, the favored consort’s health hasn’t improved, he can’t get out of bed, and won’t be coming for dinner.”
Pei Ji’s expression didn’t change much, his eyebrows and eyes still carrying the icy coldness from outside. “I understand.”
He turned and sat at the table. Xiao Yun happily sat down with his bowl nearby, so Pei Ji changed seats, always sitting opposite him.
Xiao Yun pouted, about to throw a tantrum.
“Young Marquis, don’t be angry. His Highness always dislikes many people at dinner, and dislikes others sitting too close. Even on his birthday, he doesn’t make exceptions. You being able to sit at the table is already very good.” Zhang Bo comforted.
Xiao Yun’s anger immediately subsided. “That’s true.”
At this time, Qu Lan walked in and bowed. “Your Highness, the favored consort sent something over.”
Xiao Yun frowned upon hearing this. “What tricks is he trying to pull again!”
“Bring it in.” Pei Ji said.
Soon, Ling Feng came in carrying a food box, bowing to Pei Ji. “Crown Prince, my master said that he couldn’t come to the dining hall to celebrate Your Highness’s birthday today, and he feels very regretful. He specifically instructed me to bring this plate of pear blossom cakes as a small token of apology.”
Xiao Yun’s eyes widened upon seeing Ling Feng. “Why are you here!” After hearing what he said, he rolled his eyes. “Humph, I thought it was something important. A plate of pear blossom cakes is what he dares to send.” He waved his hand. “Look at what’s on this table!”
“Open it.” Pei Ji said.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Ling Feng opened the food box and took out a round plate. At first glance, a flower seemed to be arranged on the plate. Upon closer inspection, the flower was composed of five small flowers, exquisitely beautiful.
“He’s made the pear blossom cakes into the shape of flowers!” Zhang Bo exclaimed beside him.
Xiao Yun glanced at it from afar and scoffed again. “I’ve seen countless such cakes outside.”
“Your Highness, my master personally drew the design of these pear blossom cakes, and he also came up with the recipe, instructing the kitchen to prepare them. He tried many times before achieving the desired effect.” Ling Feng said.
Pei Ji looked down. The petals were round and plump, with natural splits on the sides, adorned with a tender yellow custard center. Each flower was sprinkled with fine pear blossoms.
He picked up one and took a bite. It was sweet and fragrant, the texture delicate, the aroma of pear blossoms quickly filling his mouth and nose.
Pei Ji narrowed his eyes slightly.
Only a very few people knew that he liked pear blossom cakes. It seemed that Song Beiyao had deliberately asked someone to find out, quite thoughtful.
Ling Feng spoke again. “Your Highness, my master also said that Your Highness’s birthday is a joyous occasion, and those around you should share in the joy. Therefore, Manager Zhang, Guard Qu, and Young Marquis each have a share of these five pear blossom cakes.”
He paused slightly. “Your Highness gets two.”
Xiao Yun slammed the table. “Who wants to eat this lousy cake! Song Beiyao is courting death, sending these five cakes is one thing, but he dares to make arrangements on his own!”
“Fine, do as he says.” Pei Ji finished one, rubbing his fingertips, as if he could still feel the petals of the pear blossoms.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Ling Feng picked up one each, giving them to Zhang Bo and Qu Lan, before finally going to Xiao Yun and handing him the pear blossom cake.
Xiao Yun naturally refused, twisting his neck, refusing to look at it. “I don’t want to eat it, didn’t you hear?”
“If you don’t eat it, you don’t want to share in His Highness’s joy.” Ling Feng lowered his voice and menacingly threatened him.
“You…” Xiao Yun’s lip quivered, and he had no choice but to reach out and take it. Like he was going to his execution, he took a small bite, then another, and another, looking incredulous.
When he finished, he looked at his hand, slightly lost, looking up at the last piece remaining on the plate.
Xiao Yun wanted to ask for it, but since it was made by Song Beiyao, after much deliberation, he racked his brains and squeezed out a sentence, “It’s too delicious, Brother Ji probably doesn’t like it, I’ll eat it for you.”
Pei Ji picked up the pear blossom cake and put it in his bowl, the meaning clear.
Ling Feng put away the plate, picked up the food box, bowed to Pei Ji, and left. Pei Ji called him back and asked, “How is the favored consort today?”
Ling Feng said, “He’s a little better than yesterday, but he still keeps coughing. He has no appetite today, and vomits whatever he eats, he hasn’t eaten anything all day.”
Pei Ji frowned slightly and said to Zhang Bo, “Zhang Bo, take Ling Feng to Ye Lan Pavilion, find the medicine the Yun Kingdom envoy sent last time and take it back for him.”
Zhang Bo thought for a moment and confirmed with Pei Ji, “Is it that legendary elixir that cures all diseases and poisons, the only one in the world?”
Xiao Yun, upon hearing this, couldn’t sit still. “Brother Ji, such a precious elixir, you can’t just give it to Song Beiyao! What will you do then?”
“Tsk tsk tsk!” Zhang Bo quickly interrupted him. “The Crown Prince has the protection of the golden dragon, how would he need this elixir.”
Xiao Yun: “But…”
“Go.” Pei Ji waved his hand, picked up his chopsticks, picked up a pear blossom cake, took a bite, a hint of complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
