Pei Bingwen, upon learning that Xiao Linye intended to stay the night, immediately ordered servants to prepare a room. However, Xiao Linye waved his hand, stating that he would simply stay with the Grand Tutor.
Pei Bingwen was left with no choice. Having reached this point, he could no longer object and had to send servants to escort them to the courtyard where Pei Lanqing had lived since childhood.
“Will the Grand Tutor blame me for pressuring your father today?” Xiao Linye asked as they entered the room, wrapping his arm around Pei Lanqing’s waist and guiding him to the bed.
After a long night of commotion, Pei Lanqing, now carrying the weight of pregnancy, leaned wearily against the headboard, gazing at Xiao Linye with a faint smile. “I simply think Ye’er has become more thoughtful and discreet. This is the right thing to do.”
Xiao Linye removed his outer cloak and drew closer to Pei Lanqing, pulling him into his arms. “As long as the Grand Tutor doesn’t blame me, that’s all that matters.”
Unexpectedly, Pei Lanqing reached out with his slender, pale fingers and tapped Xiao Linye between the eyebrows. “I never said I don’t blame you. Weren’t you supposed to wait for me at the palace? Why did you come here?”
Xiao Linye took Pei Lanqing’s hand and kissed it, but that wasn’t enough. He moved to kiss his ear and neck, whispering, “I miss the Grand Tutor.”
“I don’t want to be apart from you for even a moment now.”
Pei Lanqing’s body was already sensitive due to his pregnancy. As Xiao Linye kissed him, his waist grew increasingly weak and sore, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.
Xiao Linye immediately noticed the Grand Tutor’s reaction, kneading his waist and pulling him closer.
“You…” Pei Lanqing pressed down on Xiao Linye’s hand, but couldn’t resist resting his head on his shoulder. “Ye’er is different now. You must be careful when you leave the palace in the future.”
“Yes, Ye’er will heed the Grand Tutor’s teachings,” Xiao Linye replied, his hand still moving, caressing Pei Lanqing’s belly through the thin inner robe.
“When I came today, I noticed the Grand Tutor’s complexion was off. Did something happen?”
Pei Lanqing didn’t want to remind Xiao Linye of Xiao Dexuan’s disgusting actions, so he shook his head vaguely and said, “It was nothing. Just a few arguments with them about my official appointment.”
“Really?” Xiao Linye remained skeptical, tilting his head slightly to look at Pei Lanqing. Pei Lanqing smiled and reached out to gently encircle Xiao Linye’s neck. “Really. Why would I lie to you?”
“I sat in the study for too long today, and my lower back is stiff. Ye’er, would you rub it for me?”
“Of course. I’ll give the Grand Tutor a proper massage.” Though Xiao Linye knew Pei Lanqing was deliberately changing the subject, he didn’t call him out on it. Instead, he kissed Pei Lanqing’s forehead and skillfully began kneading his slender waist and back.
—
While warmth filled the courtyard, a thick cloud of gloom hung over the Second Master of the Pei Clan’s residence.
“Judging by the Emperor’s behavior today, I fear he’s truly fallen for your elder brother,” the Second Master said, his face dark as he sat at his desk. Ever since childhood, he had lived in the shadow of his elder brother, Pei Bingwen. His eldest son, Pei Yuzhong, had died young, but his younger son, Pei Yuyi, showed early promise, a child worth nurturing.
Yet despite all his efforts to educate Pei Yuyi, the boy still paled in comparison to Pei Lanqing.
Second Master had resigned himself to his fate, abandoning all ambition. He believed he would spend the rest of his life living in the shadow of the eldest son and grandson of the Pei Family. But then, a sudden twist of fate occurred: Pei Lanqing was imprisoned in the palace by two successive emperors, and scandalous rumors spread like wildfire.
He and Pei Yuyi immediately saw this as their opportunity. While Pei Lanqing was absent and Pei Bingwen was in a state of despair, they secretly rallied support and plotted to seize control of the Pei Family.
Yet, against all odds, Pei Lanqing returned unscathed. Not only did he return, but he also declared himself pregnant with the New Emperor’s child!
This news gnawed at Second Master and Pei Yuyi, driving them to seething resentment.
The Emperor’s personal visit tonight shattered their last shred of hope.
“We can’t afford to wait any longer!” Pei Yuyi’s fury matched his father’s. He paced restlessly around the room. “The way His Majesty dotes on Eldest Brother… it’s as if he’s protecting his own eyes! There’ll be no place for us in the Pei Family after this!”
Second Master’s eyes darkened. Lowering his voice, he asked, “What’s the status of your correspondence with Prince Ning these past few days?”
Hearing this, Pei Yuyi hesitated. “I’ve already sent someone to retrieve that item from my elder brother’s courtyard and deliver it to Prince Ning… But Father, will this really work? What if His Majesty, in his fury, abandons not only my brother but implicates the entire Pei Family?”
The Second Master of the Pei Clan finally revealed a sinister smile, shaking his head. “His Majesty won’t—and can’t—implicate the Pei Family.”
“Having risen through the military ranks, he has no influence over civil officials. If he wants to quickly control the civil bureaucracy, he must rely on our Pei Family.”
“But as long as your elder brother remains, neither of us will have any say in the Pei Family’s affairs. We must remove him from the equation for the Pei Family to truly become yours.”
Pei Yuyi gritted his teeth and nodded firmly. “Father, I understand!”
“Now, everything depends on Prince Ning!”
+++
Xiao Linye stayed overnight with Pei Lanqing at the Pei Family residence. The next morning, after Pei Lanqing repeatedly promised to stay only two days, Xiao Linye reluctantly returned to the palace.
“Has that thing still not been found? Has anyone come to my residence recently?” Two days later, before returning to the palace, Pei Lanqing repeatedly questioned the servants who had been guarding his courtyard during his absence. They could only shake their heads helplessly.
“Reporting to the young master, the item was securely locked in the cabinet. I haven’t seen anyone come near the courtyard during my watch.”
“That’s strange…” Pei Lanqing murmured, though he already had a suspicion. After such a long absence, with so many hands in the household, it was inevitable that someone might have been tempted to act dishonestly.
Yet he couldn’t fathom why they would steal that particular item. With the hour for his return to the palace approaching, he entrusted the matter to Pei Bingwen, instructing him to conduct a discreet investigation. He then returned to the palace with the escort sent by Xiao Linye.
The specially modified carriage slowly rolled through Dongyuan Gate. According to custom, officials and imperial consorts were required to dismount after passing through this gate, proceeding either on foot or by palanquin.
However, the elderly eunuch Tian Rui had received prior imperial orders and showed no intention of stopping. Pei Lanqing’s carriage passed straight through Dongyuan Gate, continuing deep into the palace grounds.
“Eunuch Tian, isn’t this against protocol?” Pei Lanqing, ever the stickler for rules, couldn’t help but ask Tian Rui. “If Your Majesty issues such decrees in the future, please inform me beforehand so I can advise him…”
The old eunuch responded respectfully, but a knowing smile played on his lips. Pei Lanqing was initially puzzled over its meaning, but his confusion soon turned to astonishment when the carriage, instead of heading toward the rear palace, pulled up before Chengqian Palace—the traditional residence of Great Qi’s emperors.
“Eunuch Tian, what does this mean? Is Your Majesty waiting for me here?” Pei Lanqing stared at Tian Rui in disbelief. Before the eunuch could reply, Xiao Linye’s voice rang out from outside the carriage.
During Pei Lanqing’s recent visit home to see his family, Xiao Linye had finally executed a plan he had long been plotting.
Though he had once told Pei Lanqing he would make his Grand Tutor prime minister in the imperial court and empress in the rear palace, Xiao Linye never believed his Grand Tutor should be confined to Phoenix Prosperity Palace—especially since that palace had been bestowed by Xiao Dexuan.
He yearned to see Pei Lanqing every day after court without having to visit the rear palace, to keep him closer, to share this deep palace as equals, inseparable and united.
But Xiao Linye knew that Pei Lanqing’s temperament would never allow him to agree to move into Chengqian Palace and live with him.
So—
Xiao Linye decided to act first and ask for forgiveness later. While Pei Lanqing was away, he had the entire Phoenix Prosperity Palace emptied and secretly ordered Tian Rui to bring Pei Lanqing directly to Chengqian Palace upon his return.
“Ye’er, how can I possibly live here?”
Just as Xiao Linye had anticipated, Pei Lanqing refused to disembark from the carriage.
But Xiao Linye had never been one to let such outdated customs stand in his way. He personally climbed into the carriage, lifted Pei Lanqing into his arms, and carried him out. His handsome, arrogant features softened into a tender smile as he wrapped his arms around Pei Lanqing and declared, “I am now the Emperor of Great Qi. If I say the Grand Tutor can live here, then the Grand Tutor will live here.”
Pei Lanqing shook his head helplessly, patiently trying to reason with him. “I was perfectly comfortable in Phoenix Prosperity Palace. There’s really no need for this.”
“But I want you closer,” Xiao Linye replied, his voice still gentle, though his steps remained firm as he carried Pei Lanqing into the Emperor’s private chambers. “Please, Grand Tutor, please take pity on me. Don’t make me run back and forth between the court and the palace.”
Seeing Xiao Linye’s determined expression, Pei Lanqing knew there was no arguing with him. He could only nod in resignation.
*Very well,* he thought. *One of us usurped the throne by murdering his brother, while the other bewitched the New Emperor. Since we’ve already earned these damning labels, what harm could a few more accusations from historians and censors do?*
Xiao Linye’s heart soared at Pei Lanqing’s tacit consent. He carried him straight to the dragon bed in Chengqian Palace…
aaaaa so glad to found this story. thank you for the update