Chapter 18
After Pei Ji left, Song Beiyao slowly opened his eyes, his eyes clear.
The gray number in the lower left corner changed to -155; he slightly curled his lips, turned over, lazily lying on the bed, one hand hanging by the bed. His slender forearm was white and delicate, his fingers long, and with a light touch of his fingertips, he snapped his fingers.
“Host, host.” The system immediately popped up excitedly, “What’s this move called this time?”
“This time,” Song Beiyao’s voice was completely different from when he spoke to Pei Ji just now, lazy and casual, “Let’s call it ‘Straight Ball into the Hole’.”
“Amazing!” The system exclaimed: “I feel like Pei Ji is going to be captivated by you!”
Song Beiyao let out a low chuckle: “Captivated? You’re underestimating him.”
Someone like Pei Ji would never allow himself to be captivated.
“What if he finds out one day that you were lying to him?!” the system exclaimed in terror. “Will you end up like in the original plot, dismembered, and exposed outside the city gate for eighty-one days?!”
“Maybe, maybe the outcome will be even worse.”
Song Beiyao slowly closed his eyes, looking tired. “But don’t worry, I won’t let him find out.”
—
Usually, after drinking the night before, Song Beiyao would drink porridge in the morning to soothe his stomach.
He slept until the Si hour (11 am-1 pm) before getting up; the sky was bright outside. After getting out of bed and getting dressed, he went to the outer room and saw Lian Sheng and Ling Feng staring at each other.
“What’s going on?” Song Beiyao asked curiously.
“He’s been scolding me all morning; blaming me for not persuading you last night but drinking with you instead,” Ling Feng said first.
Lian Sheng was no longer nervous or stuttering in front of Song Beiyao; he said confidently, “The master’s body isn’t well, and he’s also a glutton; you didn’t stop him. What if there’s a problem with the drinking? As a personal attendant, you were drunk yourself; you didn’t take care of the master; it looks like I still have to stay here at night.”
“See! See!” Ling Feng was furious. “Getting bolder and bolder! Is it that I didn’t want to persuade him?” Looking over, he saw Song Beiyao smiling happily; he got even angrier. “You’re still smiling! Tell me, were you the one who asked me to get wine for you from the kitchen last night?!”
“Yes, yes, yes. Thank you.” Song Beiyao walked over and winked at Lian Sheng. “Thank you, Lian Sheng. Next time, I’ll tell you before I drink, okay?”
“Next time? I’m not accompanying you next time!” Ling Feng yelled from the side.
Hearing Song Beiyao’s gentle tone, Lian Sheng lowered his head shyly and opened the food box on the table: “This is the clear porridge sent by the kitchen this morning; it’s still warm. Master, have some.”
“Is the kitchen so thoughtful now?” Ling Feng glanced at the food box twice.
“It was His Highness’s instructions,” Lian Sheng said joyfully. “His Highness cares more and more about the master now.”
Ling Feng lightly “hehed” with ambiguous meaning; Song Beiyao subtly raised an eyebrow and said softly, “It’s certainly wonderful to receive my husband’s care.”
In the evening, Song Beiyao still didn’t go to the dining hall for dinner.
The kitchen delivered the new-style dinner close to the Xu hour. While eating in the main room, Ling Feng curiously asked, “Why didn’t you go today? Aren’t you trying to get close to Pei Ji? He seems to have given you an opening.”
“What opening?” Song Beiyao looked at him. “Two bowls of porridge?”
“…” Ling Feng said, “Didn’t he come to see you last night? Didn’t you two talk about anything?”
Song Beiyao smiled wickedly: “I drank too much last night; I don’t remember him coming.”
…
That night, Pei Ji didn’t appear, and the next day Song Beiyao still didn’t go to the dining hall.
At the You hour (5-7 pm), Pei Ji strode in, seeing the empty table, his eyebrows slightly cold.
Zhang Bo immediately instructed the servants to serve the dishes. He noticed that the Crown Prince’s complexion wasn’t very good today, but he couldn’t guess the reason.
His Highness was never one to show his emotions; only he, who had followed His Highness for so many years, could detect the difference from His Highness’s subtle changes.
Perhaps it was something from the court again.
But Zhang Bo couldn’t manage court affairs; he served Pei Ji a bowl of soup, wanting to distract him, and said, “Your Highness, are you wearing this attire because you were at the archery range today?”
“Yes.” Pei Ji said softly. “For the Yan Shan hunt at the beginning of March.”
Zhang Bo smiled, “Your Highness’s martial arts skills are excellent; you’ve always won first place in previous years; this year will certainly be no exception.”
“Not necessarily this year.” Pei Ji’s eyes were cold, changing the subject, “Why didn’t the consort come for dinner today?”
Zhang Bo bowed his head, “The servant from Yan Nuan Pavilion said tonight that the consort seemed to have hurt his body from drinking that day; he hasn’t had much of an appetite these past two days and didn’t come for dinner.”
Pei Ji’s expression softened slightly: “I understand.”
When Zhang Bo looked up again at His Highness’s expression, he was slightly stunned and somewhat incredulous.
His Highness’s bad mood was because of the consort?
…
After dinner, Pei Ji took Qu Lan to Yan Nuan Pavilion. At that time, Song Beiyao was looking through Nine Continents Miscellany in his study.
After the knock, Ling Feng opened the door and said, “Master, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.” Then he retreated.
Song Beiyao slowly put down the book and looked up.
It had started snowing outside; Pei Ji, in black battle attire, stood outside the door, black hard armor on his shoulders, arms, and waist; he looked exceptionally neat and upright.
The clothes perfectly complemented his figure; broad shoulders, narrow waist, tall and strong. His black hair was tied high behind his head; his sideburns fluttered in the wind. His face was deep, his eyebrows sword-like, his eyes starry, and his icy aura made him look like a night killer god at this moment.
Song Beiyao was used to seeing Pei Ji in loose-sleeved brocade robes; seeing him dressed like this for the first time, his eyes were slightly stunned, but he quickly reacted.
He then got up, walked to the door, and bowed slightly to Pei Ji, “Your Highness has arrived.” His tone was somewhat polite.
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji’s cold eyes narrowed.
The person who had boldly hugged him and acted coquettishly two days ago, calling him by his full name, was now suddenly so distant.
Song Beiyao said again, “I didn’t know Your Highness was coming today; I haven’t had time to prepare Your Highness’s favorite pear blossom cakes; there’s only some tea…” As he spoke, he turned around and invited Pei Ji inside.
His wrist was suddenly grabbed; Song Beiyao was pulled back by Pei Ji, losing his footing, and directly bumping into Pei Ji’s arms.
He exclaimed, quickly pulling away from Pei Ji, straightening his body, and bowing his head, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
A trace of inexplicable irritation flashed through Pei Ji’s heart; quickly, he suppressed this emotion. “You asked this king to come over that day, didn’t you say you needed me to help you apply medicine?”
“That day?” Song Beiyao slowly raised his eyes, looking bewildered. “Which day is Your Highness referring to?”
“The day you were drunk,” Pei Ji’s expression was cold and hard.
“That day…did Your Highness come to Yan Nuan Pavilion?” Song Beiyao said timidly.
Pei Ji understood; he was indeed drunk and had forgotten everything; only remembering the harsh words he had been scolded with in the dining hall a few days ago, he had become so cautious and careful; it was infuriating.
He heard Song Beiyao say softly, “I don’t know how much I drank that day, whether I said anything rude, or talked nonsense to Your Highness; please don’t take it to heart; words spoken after drinking don’t count.”
Pei Ji’s eyes were dark and deep, staring at Song Beiyao. After a while, he took a deep breath and said heavily, “You didn’t say anything.”
Song Beiyao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and continued, “The matter of applying medicine was my previous oversight. Your Highness is busy with affairs; I don’t dare to trouble Your Highness with such trivial matters; I’ve had Ling Feng help me apply the medicine these past few days.”
Under the moonlight, Pei Ji’s expression became even colder. “Good, this king understands.” He turned and left quickly.
Song Beiyao immediately stepped forward and softly called out, “Your Highness,” Pei Ji quickened his pace and didn’t stop. Song Beiyao trotted to catch up, as if there was something else he wanted to say; however, Pei Ji didn’t give him a chance to catch up and walked directly out of Yan Nuan Pavilion; Qu Lan hurriedly followed with a lantern.
“Ah!” A cry of pain came from behind; Pei Ji paused.
Qu Lan looked back, surprised, “Your Highness, the consort fell.”
“What does that have to do with this king?” Pei Ji coldly continued walking. After a few steps, he turned back.
Song Beiyao was half-lying on the ground, one hand covering his ankle, his face pale, his eyebrows furrowed.
Pei Ji knelt down beside him, silently picking him up and walking towards the main room of Yan Nuan Pavilion.
Upon entering the warm room, Pei Ji wanted to put him on the bed, but the person in his arms tightly hugged his neck, his face buried in his chest.
“Let go,” he said coldly.
Song Beiyao remained motionless.
Pei Ji directly reached out and pulled him off. Looking down, he saw two lines of clear tears under Song Beiyao’s eyes.
Pei Ji’s eyes paused slightly.
Song Beiyao’s face was already exceptionally beautiful; his eyes were extraordinarily beautiful; at this moment, tears were constantly rolling down his cheeks, his long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably; the mole at the corner of his eye was covered with water, fragile and helpless, sad and wronged; a strong sense of beauty and fragility were mixed together.
This was the first time Pei Ji had seen Song Beiyao like this.
Usually, seeing others cry, he only found it troublesome and wanted to stay away. But at this moment, he only wanted to stop those tears.
“Why are you crying like this?” Pei Ji asked. He didn’t notice that his voice had unconsciously softened.
When Song Beiyao cried, the corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose were red. He cried very quietly, seemingly unwilling to speak; he moved slightly, trying to turn his face towards the bed.
Pei Ji pressed his shoulder down, looking at his eyes that were filled with tears, and asked again: “Why are you crying?”
Song Beiyao swallowed, his voice hoarse, “I’m fine, Your Highness. Please go back; it was my presumption today.”
“Song Beiyao,” Pei Ji’s voice was low, “Tell this king.”
The young man slowly closed his eyes: “I was unhappy after what happened in the dining hall; Your Highness told me not to forget what you said; I’ve been thinking about things these past few days.”
“What things?”
The young man seemed to finally break down, opening his eyes; tears continuously flowed down from the corners of his eyes: “I remembered what Your Highness said, that you wouldn’t treat me as your wife; that we would never be a real couple.”
Pei Ji’s expression froze slightly. He was currently sitting by the bed, looking at Song Beiyao lying on the bed, his black hair spread out, silently crying, and unconsciously said, “You want this king to treat you as his wife.”
Song Beiyao didn’t answer, continuing to sob, “Your Highness has doubted my identity from the beginning; it seems that whatever I do is wrong; doing is wrong, not doing is also wrong. Sometimes I don’t know what I am to Your Highness.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji remained silent for a while, then said heavily, “Is there anything else?”
“There is…” Song Beiyao’s tears fell even more fiercely, but he only said, “That’s all, nothing else.”
He cried so hard that he quickly wet the pillow. Pei Ji reached out and gently stroked his face. Delicate, soft, cold, but the tears seemed to have a temperature.
His fingertips quickly became wet, wiping away the tears, but he couldn’t wipe them all away.
Pei Ji’s thumb gently wiped Song Beiyao’s cheek, stopping at the mole at the corner of his eye, gently caressing it, as if bringing a hint of comfort. “Anything else, tell this king.”
This seemed to work for Song Beiyao; his tears gradually subsided. “In the dining hall last time, I heard Zhang Bo mention the Crown Princess,” he cried until his voice was weak, “I know I have no right to ask about this matter, but just thinking about it makes my chest feel tight and painful.”
The meaning and expression of these words were self-evident.
Pei Ji suddenly recalled that night, Song Beiyao’s confession of liking him; his fingertips paused slightly; a complex look flashed through his eyes. He slowly withdrew his hand, took the quilt nearby, and covered Song Beiyao.
“Don’t worry about what hasn’t happened. My father has been unwell these past few days; it coincides with the arrival of the Bei Qi envoy; this king has been busy with affairs and has neglected you.”
His gaze fell on the young man’s tear-stained face; his voice was heavy, “The palace banquet in three days, come with this king.”
Palace banquets; besides the emperor’s consorts, princes and powerful officials never brought concubines. A look of puzzlement appeared in Song Beiyao’s eyes: “Your Highness means…”
“Come with this king to the palace banquet,” Pei Ji said.
Song Beiyao seemed not to have reacted, looking somewhat dazed. Upon realizing, his eyes immediately filled with joy. With tears at the corners of his eyes, those eyes seemed as bright and moving as the stars: “My husband…?”
Pei Ji subtly raised the corner of his eyebrow: “It’s late; get some rest.”
Having said that, he turned and left.
Leaving Yan Nuan Pavilion, Qu Lan followed all the way and found that His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t go directly back to the study or the sleeping quarters but went straight to the lake pavilion.
The snow was getting heavier; a single pavilion couldn’t shelter from all the wind and snow; occasionally, snow would swirl in, falling onto Pei Ji’s somewhat thin black battle attire.
“Your Highness, please take care of yourself; let’s go back,” Qu Lan reminded.
He had followed His Highness for many years and still couldn’t figure out what His Highness was thinking. Even more puzzling, in this freezing cold weather, why did His Highness always walk around the manor after coming out from the consort’s place? The time before last, last time, and this time again.
“Qu Lan, how’s the investigation into the consort’s matter going?” After a long while, he heard His Highness ask.
“Reporting to Your Highness, it’s still under investigation. According to the latest report from the spies, those who knew about the consort’s departure from the palace have either died or left Zhao, their whereabouts unknown. The investigation is difficult,” Qu Lan replied.
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji didn’t speak.
Qu Lan thought for a moment and asked again, “Your Highness, should we continue the investigation?”
Pei Ji nodded slightly, looking towards the endless darkness of the snowy night, “Investigate.”
