After nightfall, the teahouses and restaurants on Dongyuan Street lit up with lanterns, creating a scene that, though less extravagant than in the imperial capital, still exuded a sense of decadent luxury.
Upstairs in a teahouse, Xiao Linye opened a secret letter by the lamplight. For the past few days, he had been ostensibly conducting business, but in reality, he had his guards scattered throughout Duzhou City, gathering intelligence for him.
As he read the letter, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper, so engrossed that he didn’t even notice Pei Lanqing’s approach.
“Have you found anything?” Pei Lanqing placed a bowl of sweet soup on the table and leaned over to examine the letter in Xiao Linye’s hand.
“The Grand Tutor has arrived.” Xiao Linye spread the secret letter before him and casually pulled Pei Lanqing onto his lap, wrapping his arms around him. Pei Lanqing pushed him away a few times but couldn’t break free, so he simply let Xiao Linye hold him.
“They’ve discovered discrepancies in the number of weaving workshops in the city.”
“Discrepancies?” Pei Lanqing lowered his gaze, carefully studying the information on the letter.
“Do you remember the tax silver from Duzhou at the end of last year?” Xiao Linye wrapped his arms around Pei Lanqing’s waist and used water mixed with tea to draw on the table. “The County Governor Lü claimed that Xuanjin craftsmanship was too complex, limiting annual production to only 150,000 bolts, and the tax silver was calculated accordingly.”
Speaking of this, Pei Lanqing of the Ministry of Revenue had also participated in the accounting at the time. He remembered it clearly: “That’s right, there was such a thing. Ye’er even said then that County Governor Lü might be a cunning old fox, concealing who knows how much.”
Xiao Linye smiled and continued writing on the table: “Even if we calculate based on 150,000 bolts of silk, this city would still need over ten thousand weavers. Converted into workshops of various sizes, that would likely require two to three hundred establishments.”
“But after days of investigation, they found only one government-run workshop in the city. All the other miscellaneous workshops combined barely reached a hundred.”
Pei Lanqing frowned. If the discrepancy had been small, they could have attributed it to the difficulty of accounting for individual weavers. But this difference was more than half, which was clearly wrong.
“Ye’er means—there are hidden places in this city we haven’t discovered yet.”
“Exactly.” Xiao Linye nodded, covering the secret letter with its paper: “Think about it. If Duzhou City has so many weavers, and its population is also quite large, why is the street so deserted?”
“Where have all those weavers gone? We haven’t encountered many of them in the past few days.”
Pei Lanqing understood immediately: “Someone has hidden them—no, they’ve been confined, which is why we can’t see them.”
“Next, we need to continue our investigation to find out exactly where they’re being held.”
After so many years of shared understanding, the two men had already pieced together the situation’s outline with just a few words. But Pei Lanqing, observing Xiao Linye’s expression, paused for a moment. “Ye’er, have you thought of something else?”
Xiao Linye’s gaze lingered briefly before he set aside the secret letter. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Pei Lanqing, nuzzling against him and suppressing a smile. “I told you, Grand Tutor, don’t misunderstand.”
“What could I misunderstand?” Pei Lanqing reached out to trace Xiao Linye’s brow with his fingertip. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized the truth, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh, I see. This is related to that young master from a few days ago.”
Xiao Linye clung to Pei Lanqing, feigning helplessness as he leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Indeed, nothing escapes the Grand Tutor’s notice.”
“That day, I noticed that his attire and demeanor didn’t match those of an ordinary wealthy family. So I had them investigate.”
“Grand Tutor, what do you think he is?”
Pei Lanqing rested his lips against Xiao Linye’s, sighing as he leaned his head against his shoulder. “What’s so difficult about that? The young master’s clothes were so lavish, and he was so arrogant. He’s probably not even twenty years old yet—it must be Young Master Lu, the County Governor Lü’s son, right?”
Xiao Linye raised his hand and gently brushed Pei Lanqing’s cheek, smiling in admiration. “The Grand Tutor truly lives up to his title—remarkably intelligent.”
Hearing this, Pei Lanqing recalled the events of the past few days. He deliberately rose from Xiao Linye’s lap, turned his back to him, and suppressed a chuckle as he said, “Since Ye’er has already uncovered the truth, the best course of action now is for you to sacrifice yourself for him.”
“Given how infatuated that young master is with you, he’ll likely spill everything in the end.”
Xiao Linye knew Pei Lanqing was teasing him. He rose from his chair and walked behind Pei Lanqing, wrapping his arms around his waist. “Would the Grand Tutor really let me be bait to lure in Young Master Lü?”
Pei Lanqing didn’t turn around, continuing leisurely, “This is a matter of great importance, concerning local corruption. My heart is not so narrow-minded.”
Xiao Linye kissed the back of his ear from behind, still embracing Pei Lanqing and gently stroking his slightly swollen belly. “And would our child be willing to part with his father?”
“The child is still young and naturally doesn’t know how charming his father is,” Pei Lanqing said, swatting Xiao Linye’s hand away. But Xiao Linye held him tighter, so Pei Lanqing could only continue chiding him. “First, there was Talented Scholar Su from the imperial capital, and now Young Master Lu from Duzhou. You’ve truly captivated many hearts.”
Xiao Linye, having savored the taste of their kiss long enough, turned Pei Lanqing in his arms to face him. He lowered his head, his lips brushing against Pei Lanqing’s without fully meeting them. “And the Grand Tutor? Did he ever feel the same way for me?”
Pei Lanqing had been planning to play along, to extend their game a little longer. But as he met Xiao Linye’s gaze, his heart pounded fiercely in his chest.
How could he not have fallen for him?
Whether it was the stubborn, solitary youth of years past or the powerful, profound emperor of the present, how could he not have been captivated?
“Grand Tutor?” Seeing Pei Lanqing’s silence, Xiao Linye leaned closer, his lips lightly grazing Pei Lanqing’s in shallow, teasing kisses. “Does the Grand Tutor feel the same way about me?”
Pei Lanqing didn’t answer with words. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Xiao Linye’s neck and tilted his head back, returning the kiss with all the emotions he had held back.
Yet even this kiss wasn’t enough. Xiao Linye leaned down and swept Pei Lanqing into his arms, carrying him to the bed.
The pale blue Xuanjin robe fell open in his hands, loosely draping between them. Xiao Linye wrapped his arms around Pei Lanqing’s shoulders, his hand resting on his swollen belly.
“Isn’t this growing a little too fast? It’s only been a few days, and it’s already this big.”
Pei Lanqing’s cheeks flushed slightly as he pressed his face against Xiao Linye’s solid chest. He whispered, “Imperial Physician Feng said that women who have given birth before experience this when they become pregnant again.”
Xiao Linye lowered his head to kiss him, a tenderness that blossomed into infinite affection. He pulled Pei Lanqing closer, encircling him beneath his body. “I was just worried the Grand Tutor would suffer carrying him… I must nourish the Grand Tutor properly.”
Pei Lanqing closed his eyes slightly, savoring the warmth and heat that belonged only to him. His hands clutched tightly at Xiao Linye’s strong back…
++++++
Xiao Linye had been joking with Pei Lanqing, but he had no intention of actually sacrificing himself to seduce Young Master Lü. Instead, he had gauged the young master’s preferences and selected a guard from his personal retinue who shared a similar build.
Zhou Meng, though not as handsome as Xiao Linye, was still considered a rare beauty in Duzhou City.
Xiao Linye sent Zhou Meng to approach Lü Weibao. Within days, news arrived that the young master, who was known to favor men, had fallen head over heels for Zhou Meng at first sight. He was now relentlessly pursuing the guard.
Just as Xiao Linye was considering the matter settled, Young Master Lü unexpectedly returned to his doorstep.
That evening, a shipment of tea arrived. Xiao Linye followed the delivery crew to the back courtyard for the handover, leaving Pei Lanqing to tally the accounts at the counter.
He heard footsteps entering the shop and was about to call for a clerk to greet the customer when he looked up and saw it was Young Master Lü.
Pei Lanqing, being from a distinguished family and having been meticulously nurtured by Xiao Linye for years, had developed an increasingly refined temperament. He wouldn’t stoop to petty squabbles with a young master like Lü Weibao. Instead, he offered a gentle smile. “Welcome back, esteemed guest. What would you like to drink this time?”
Lü Weibao ignored him, craning his neck to peer into the shop. “Where’s the boss? Why isn’t he here?”
Pei Lanqing shook his head with a smile, realizing that Ye’er’s plan had failed this time. It seemed the young master, despite having Zhou Meng, still had Pei Lanqing on his mind. “My husband is in the back inventorying the goods. If you’re looking for him, you’ll have to wait a moment.”
At the word “husband,” Lü Weibao’s face darkened again. He had been so infuriated by Sixth Brother Qin’s attitude that day, thinking there were plenty of men in Duzhou City and he didn’t need to pine after just one.
As expected, it wasn’t long before Lü Weibao ran into Zhou Meng again.
But even though he had Zhou Meng, Lü Weibao couldn’t stop thinking about Sixth Brother Qin. The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. He decided to return to the teahouse that day, but before he could even see the man he was looking for, he encountered the man’s “Madam” instead.
Lü Weibao’s anger flared up even more. He glared at Pei Lanqing, his voice dripping with hostility: “I’d like to see what’s so special about you!”
“You’re not young anymore, are you? You must be… at least thirty!”
Pei Lanqing simply continued to work his abacus, refusing to reveal his true age and letting Lü Weibao guess.
Lü Weibao, unaware of this, was deliberately exaggerating Pei Lanqing’s age to provoke him. Seeing that Pei Lanqing wasn’t taking the bait, he continued in a high-pitched voice: “Well, your face is indeed quite handsome, but your figure…”
Because he was pregnant, Pei Lanqing had been wearing loose-fitting clothes lately. Even so, the gentle curve of his abdomen was still visible.
“At such a young age, you’re already starting to gain weight. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?”
Pei Lanqing calmly shook his head, put away his ledger, glanced toward the back courtyard, and said with a gentle smile, “As long as that one person doesn’t mind my body and treats me with genuine affection, I don’t care what others think of me.”
Though he spoke these words to Lü Weibao, they were also a true reflection of Pei Lanqing’s heart. Despite his high position and Xiao Linye’s intimidating presence, no one dared to gossip about him openly in recent years.
Yet, as a man who had given birth, how could he possibly silence the whispers behind his back?
Pei Lanqing knew all this, but as he said, as long as he could earn Xiao Linye’s genuine affection, he truly didn’t care what the world said.
Hearing this, Lü Weibao felt as though Pei Lanqing was deliberately provoking him. His anger flared up instantly, and just as he was about to retort, he saw the man he had been longing to see—his boss, “Sixth Brother Qin”—emerging from the back courtyard.
