ATSBTBMACP 15

Chapter 15

In the early stages of the original story, Pei Ji’s Prince’s manor was a relatively safe place. The struggle for the throne only truly intensified a year later.

From the moment Pei Ji found Peng Yu and the Old Emperor fell critically ill, all the undercurrents turned into open conflict. The Prince’s manor became a target, frequently attacked by assassins, to the point that Pei Ji later moved elsewhere, leaving the Prince’s manor as an empty shell.

Whether in terms of time or the original plot, a large-scale assassin attack had never happened at this point.

Song Beiyao quickly thought of a possibility: because Pei Ji found Peng Yu earlier, the butterfly effect caused subsequent plots to advance accordingly.

That is, the phase of intensified struggle for the throne had begun.

If the Marquis of Nan’an’s son died in the Prince’s manor, it would affect the relationship between the Marquis of Nan’an and Pei Ji, essentially cutting off one of Pei Ji’s arms.

Choosing the eve of Xiao Yun’s departure from the Prince’s manor, when everyone was most relaxed and least vigilant, suggests meticulous planning.

Who was behind this?

Was it the Third Prince, who held the military power of the Northern Border? Or the Fifth Prince, backed by the martial arts community? Or the Eighth Prince, supported by the Empress? Or the Ninth Prince, colluding with Bei Qi forces?

…

In the dining hall, the gray-clothed guard lay on the ground, alive or dead unknown.

Song Beiyao secretly rejoiced that he had sent Ling Feng after Xiao Yun, offering some protection.

But on second thought, even with Ling Feng’s high martial arts skills, he was only one person against a dozen assassins, likely skilled fighters. He didn’t know how the situation was going.

Worried, he lost his appetite and stood up. As he took a step, Zhang Bo grabbed his sleeve. “Consort, what are you doing? It’s not safe outside; you absolutely must not try to go out!”

Song Beiyao smiled reassuringly at Zhang Bo. “Don’t worry, Zhang Bo, I just want to walk around a little.”

Zhang Bo released his hand, looking at his Consort. He was so lovely, his personality so good, and he was devoted to His Highness. Such a worry-free person.

Then he looked at the Young Marquis. Even a short stay caused so much trouble, and he still wanted to marry into the Prince’s family, wouldn’t that turn the world upside down?

The Consort was so much better! Much better!

A short time later, another gray-clothed guard came in, with some bloodstains on his clothes, holding a sword, blood dripping from the tip. After glancing at the two in the dining hall, he said to Song Beiyao, “His Highness has ordered me to escort the Consort back.”

Zhang Bo said happily, “Have all the assassins been subdued?”

The guard nodded. “All of them.”

Zhang Bo said, “Then I’ll escort the Consort as well.”

Song Beiyao felt that the guard’s tone was off; he looked at him a few more times, his heart suddenly tightening. He quickly grabbed Zhang Bo’s arm, his eyes and brows gentle and compliant. “Zhang Bo, I haven’t eaten enough. Could you ask the kitchen to prepare some sweet-osmanthus lotus seed soup and send it to Yan Nuan Pavilion later? Thank you for your trouble, Zhang Bo.”

Zhang Bo immediately agreed. The guard impatiently urged, “Hurry up.”

Song Beiyao, seeing Zhang Bo walk away, stepped forward. “Let’s go.”

He had worn his cloak when he arrived but hadn’t put it on when leaving. The outside was bitterly cold. Song Beiyao walked slowly; the guard closely followed him, almost pushing him, repeatedly urging, “Hurry up,” but the direction was not toward Yan Nuan Pavilion.

Passing through a garden, they encountered several people. Behind them were guards carrying torches; Qu Lan was among them. Those walking ahead were Pei Ji and Ling Feng. Xiao Yun, stripped of his usual arrogance, was slumped on Ling Feng’s back.

As they were still some distance away, Song Beiyao was about to run over when he suddenly felt a sharp, cold weapon pierce his lower back; the blade slightly entered his flesh, the stinging pain reminding him what he should and shouldn’t do.

This person was definitely suspicious!

The group drew closer, the torchlight illuminating Song Beiyao’s pale face.

Ling Feng looked at Song Beiyao and the guard hidden behind him, puzzled. “Young Master, you’re not going back to Yan Nuan Pavilion, where are you going?” Ling Feng looked somewhat dishevelled, but thankfully he didn’t seem to be injured.

The sharp object in his lower back pierced a little deeper. The feeling was like being slowly tortured. Song Beiyao’s forehead was covered in cold sweat; for a moment, he lost the ability to resist.

He couldn’t miss this opportunity to encounter these people. If he were taken away by the assassin disguised as a guard, his fate would be dire!

But with the knife pressed against his waist, the threat of death filled him with fear and tension. Ling Feng didn’t notice his abnormality, so he could only look at Pei Ji, clinging to a sliver of hope, and slowly blinked.

From the moment Song Beiyao appeared, Pei Ji’s gaze had been fixed on him.

Glancing at the guard hidden in the shadows, he spoke deeply. “Beiyao, I found a treasure today and haven’t shown it to you yet. Do you remember what you did to me the first time we met?”

Upon hearing this, Song Beiyao immediately understood what he meant.

The moment Pei Ji reached into his bosom for the “treasure,” Song Beiyao used his leg to launch himself at Pei Ji.

The “guard” reacted swiftly, raising his sword to stab. Almost instantly, Pei Ji’s sharp dagger flew from his hand, passing Song Beiyao’s side, and plunged straight into the “guard’s” throat, killing him instantly!

Ling Feng was dumbfounded.

Song Beiyao fell into Pei Ji’s arms, his heart pounding wildly, gasping for breath, his body uncontrollably sliding down.

Pei Ji held his shoulders, feeling the slight tremor in his arms. He tightened his grip.

He heard Song Beiyao’s weak, trembling voice whispering in his ear, “Husband, I’m scared.”

Pei Ji’s eyes darkened, and he scooped him up into his arms. Song Beiyao clung to his neck, his face buried deeply in his neck, watching the number in the bottom left corner rise to -176.

“For today’s thirteen assassins, behead the dead and throw their heads outside Pei Ming’s mansion. For the living, dismember them and throw their remains outside Pei Ming’s mansion.”

After giving his cold orders, Pei Ji carried Song Beiyao to Yan Nuan Pavilion.

All the way, Song Beiyao clung tightly to Pei Ji’s neck. His hands and cheeks were ice-cold.

Inside the room, when Song Beiyao’s back touched the bed, he involuntarily gasped.

“Injured?” Pei Ji asked softly.

“It’s nothing,” Song Beiyao’s face was pale, his temples damp with sweat. “Just let Lian Sheng apply the medicine later.”

Pei Ji was silent. “Didn’t you say your body cannot be seen by other men?”

Song Beiyao was stunned, letting out a wry smile. “Husband said earlier that we are not considered husband and wife, so I don’t have to follow Zhao Guo’s customs.”

Pei Ji lowered his eyes. “Take off your outer robe, lie down, I’ll have a look.”

“Okay.” Song Beiyao laboriously removed his outer robe and turned over. Pei Ji saw that a small area of his white undergarment on his lower back was stained red with blood.

“Where’s the medicine?” Pei Ji stood up.

“In the cabinet on the left side of the outer room, third row from the top.”

Pei Ji quickly retrieved the medicine and bandages, lifting his hand to lift a corner of Song Beiyao’s clothing at his waist.

The wound wasn’t deep, but there was a lot of blood, stark against his porcelain-white skin, making it look quite frightening. A small section of the scab from the previous whipping wound was also slightly exposed, dark red and jagged against his skin.

Pei Ji first used a warm wet cloth to wipe away the blood, then opened the medicine bottle and sprinkled the powder on it.

“Hiss!” Song Beiyao gasped in pain again.

Pei Ji slowed his movements. “Does it hurt?”

“Yeah, a little.” Song Beiyao gritted his teeth.

Pei Ji slowed down further, asking, “Did you realize he was an assassin?”

“Yes,” Song Beiyao replied softly, “He was holding a sword, and his chest had a bloodstain, but no wound.”

Having applied the medicine, Pei Ji put the bottle aside and took the bandage. “Since you knew, why did you still go with him?”

Song Beiyao’s voice was soft. “At that time, only Zhang Bo and I were in the dining hall; there was no one to protect us. If I hadn’t gone with him, we would both have died there.”

Pei Ji paused for a moment, seemingly remembering something, his brow furrowed. He unwrapped the bandage and wrapped it around Song Beiyao’s lower back. “Lift your waist a little.”

Song Beiyao immediately understood, arching his abdomen slightly. “Husband, how did you figure it out?”

Pei Ji recalled the scene on the garden path, under the torchlight, Song Beiyao’s pale face, and helpless eyes.

“Guards bow when they see me. That assassin stayed hidden behind you.”

As Pei Ji wrapped the bandage, he found Song Beiyao’s waist was extremely thin, he could almost hold it in his two hands.

His fingers inadvertently brushed against the boy’s skin as he wrapped the bandage. Song Beiyao lay his head on the pillow, watching the number in the bottom left corner jump to -172 before stopping.

“He must have touched me several times, why did it only increase by 4 points?” Song Beiyao asked the system in his mind.

System: “Within twelve hours, the same scoring item can only be counted twice. No matter how many times he touches you, it’s still considered torso contact, 2 points once, 4 points twice.”

Song Beiyao: “There’s such a rule?”

System: “You’re so smart, I thought you’d figured it out.”

…

After Pei Ji finished bandaging him, his gaze lingered on Song Beiyao’s snow-white waist for a while before retracting it. “Thanks to you sending Ling Feng, Xiao Yun’s life was saved today.”

Song Beiyao turned his head; from Pei Ji’s perspective, one could see the delicate outline of his profile. He smiled slightly. “Husband, if you want to express your gratitude, could you grant me a favor?”

“What is it?”

Song Beiyao said, “Xiao Yun gave me a jar of scar removal ointment a few days ago. The scabs on my back wounds from the whipping have started to fall off. Could husband come to Yan Nuan Pavilion in a few days to help me apply the ointment?”

Pei Ji’s gaze once again swept across Song Beiyao’s waist, and he said in a low voice, “Okay.”

Song Beiyao turned around, his eyes bright as he looked at Pei Ji. “Thank you, husband.”

After Pei Ji left Yan Nuan Pavilion, Qu Lan emerged from the darkness, following behind him. “Your Highness, all thirteen assassins have committed suicide by poison. Do you still need…”

Qu Lan paused, “Do you still need to have their heads chopped off and thrown outside the Fifth Prince’s mansion?”

“Throw them,” Pei Ji’s face was slightly cold. “Have someone investigate Ling Feng’s background.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

…

After Pei Ji left, Song Beiyao was dozing on the bed when Ling Feng burst in, rushing to his bedside. “It’s over, it’s over, I’m completely exposed!”

His face was ashen. “It’s all because you sent me to watch that ancestor; he cried and made a fuss the whole way, and was chased by assassins; I had no choice but to make a move.”

“It’s alright,” Song Beiyao opened his eyes slowly. “It’s normal for a prince’s personal attendant to have martial arts skills.”

“But when Qu Lan tested my martial arts skills last time, I let him win!” Ling Feng was full of worries. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll just have to run away.”

“The Fourth Prince of Zhao Guo was frail and sickly since childhood, so the Emperor of Zhao Guo chose the young Ling Feng from thousands of martial arts prodigies to practice martial arts, as the Fourth Prince’s personal attendant for protection.” Song Beiyao recounted calmly.

“What are you saying…” Ling Feng was speechless.

“I’m fabricating your background story,” Song Beiyao smiled. “Ling Feng is skilled in martial arts, and went to Da Zhou to protect the Fourth Prince. Hearing that the Prince’s manor couldn’t tolerate outsiders with high martial arts skills, he deliberately concealed his level of skill, only wanting to protect the Fourth Prince.”

“Whoa, is there such a rule in the Prince’s manor?” Ling Feng stroked his chin, pondering.

“Of course not,” Song Beiyao raised an eyebrow. “But there isn’t, you can pretend there is.”

“Ah—I understand!” Ling Feng suddenly understood. “This way it seems plausible. My goodness!”

He looked at Song Beiyao with admiration. “You’re so amazing! If I’m questioned, I’ll just say that!”

Song Beiyao chuckled, saying it was just a simple story. Raising his eyes, he asked, “How is Xiao Yun? Did he get hurt?”

“Why do you only care about him, and don’t ask about me? I risked my life today!” Ling Feng was dissatisfied.

“You?” Song Beiyao glanced at him. “You look fine.”

“He’s fine too, he just tripped and fell while running away, and knocked himself out.” Ling Feng snorted, then noticed the wound on Song Beiyao’s lower back.

“I almost forgot, you encountered assassins today too.” He frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Nothing serious,” Song Beiyao slightly raised his head. “Fortunately, Pei Ji found out.”

Ling Feng, upon hearing this, leaned closer. “Seriously, Pei Ji fought five people today, and his skills were amazing. I doubt I could win even if I fought him.”

Song Beiyao thoughtfully said, “He’s that good?”

Ling Feng nodded. “He really is. Didn’t you hear what he said, dismember the living assassins and behead the dead?”

He patted Song Beiyao’s shoulder earnestly. “I’ll say it again, you can’t offend him, otherwise it’ll be dismemberment or beheading, you choose.”