TL: Hua
Chapter 14: Follow up – His Highness has been doting on me recently, often…
Pei Xiting propped his forehead against the wall with his left hand to prevent himself from being disfigured by the stone wall. His right hand was pinned behind his waist with his knee being pressed by Shangguan Jie’s. He could not struggle and simply gave up.
After a while, the two heard Zhao Yi running over from outside, panting and with heavy steps.
Shangguan Jie said viciously, “I finally caught you!”
Pei Xiting was turned over and pressed against the mountain wall, his hands and feet still shackled. He frowned slightly and said, “I don’t think I’ve offended the young marquis, have I?”
“Pretentious!” Shangguan Jie gritted his teeth. “Were you the one who kicked me in Fumeng Tower last time? Were you the one who stabbed me with a dagger? Do you think I have lost my memory!”
“I didn’t mean to.” Pei Xiting said innocently, “It’s really the young marquis who is too scary. A timid person like me was at a loss for a moment and couldn’t control myself. I even forgot my last name, so how could I care about anything else?”
Shangguan Jie sneered, “You dare to blame me?”
“Shouldn’t I?” Pei Xiting looked at Shangguan Jie, his tone chilling down, “There are so many people on the street; how did I choose to kick you? That’s because you deserve it. You, the noble young marquis, committed the despicable acts of r*pe and violence. Are you not afraid of being laughed at by all the civil and military officials if the words were to be spread?”
Shangguan Jie said angrily, “I had my eyes on you. It’s yours—”
“Good fortune, right?” Pei Xiting was too lazy to listen to Shangguan Jie’s barking and rolled his eyes, “Do you want this blessing for yourself? Or give it to Lord Shangguan? Anyway, if a son gives his fortune to his father, it’s considered filial piety, isn’t it?”
Shangguan Jie was shocked, “…Don’t say such scary words.”
“If you don’t want to listen, don’t come to me to find fault,” Pei Xiting was impatient, “The road is wide. You and I will go our separate ways; no one can stop anyone.”
“Who is looking for you? I only came to ask you a few questions when I happened to see you. Do you think I followed you on purpose?” Shangguan Jie sneered, “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Oh.” Pei Xiting twisted his wrist. “Then let me go quickly; otherwise, my second brother will be anxious if he can’t find me.”
Shangguan Jie inexplicably heard a hint of ridicule, but Pei Xiting looked normal, and it was impossible for him to know his thoughts on Jintang… He must have been too guilty.
Shangguan Jie cleared his throat and said, “When did you become close to Jintang? He used to complain to me that his third brother was not very close to him.”
Pei Xiting said in surprise, “Young Marquis is very concerned about the affairs of the Pei family, which is ‘nothing more than a small official from Guanglu Temple’.”
Shangguan Jie: “…Can you stop being so weird?”
Pei Xiting showed a puzzled expression. “I just feel honored. After all, the young marquis is of noble status, and there is a world of difference between you and our Pei family. I—”
Shangguan Jie let go of Pei Xiting and interrupted with a frown, “That’s enough!”
Pei Xiting rubbed his wrist and was ready to leave, but Shangguan Jie blocked his way. “Where did you go after I was knocked unconscious that day?”
“I stayed in Yuanyang Pavilion for one night and returned the next day.” Pei Xiting said.
Shangguan Jie was suspicious. “Why didn’t anyone see you along the way?”
Pei Xiting smiled, “Because I was afraid of meeting an acquaintance who would ask me how I got the bruise on my neck. If I accidentally told them what happened, it would ruin Young Marquis’s reputation, so I had to avoid them.”
Shangguan Jie sneered, “So, I have to thank you for your thoughtfulness?”
Pei Xiting said, “If you want to.”
“…” Shangguan Jie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and then asked, “Do you still remember the thief who knocked me out with a stick?”
“I can’t remember.” Pei Xiting said, “He pointed a dagger at my neck so I have to kneel down and beg for my life. How could I dare to look at him and ask questions?”
Shangguan Jie said in a cold voice, “Aren’t you very brave?”
Pei Xiting was stunned. “Am I?”
“…” Shangguan Jie took another deep breath and asked in a deep voice, “Didn’t you see what he looked like at that time?”
“No.” Pei Xiting said, “He asked me to close my eyes and face the wall. I stood there for a while. When I turned around, he was gone, so I ran away immediately.”
Shangguan Jie was amused by his self-righteous tone. “You didn’t report to the authorities and just left me there?”
“Are you kidding me? After I report to the authorities, the authorities will definitely ask about what happened. So it’s my fault, whether I covered up for you or not. Even if you’re not afraid of embarrassment, I’m afraid that I can’t explain things clearly after entering the government office. As for your safety,” Pei Xiting said in horror, “Who is so brave that he dares to kill the noble young marquis in Fumeng Tower? Isn’t this just looking for death?”
Shangguan Jie held back his anger and was about to speak, but Pei Xiting had already walked around him.
“Stop right there!” Shangguan Jie followed him. “What are you doing in Baiyou Mountain? There are all kinds of people here, unlike in the city. Anyone can kidnap you.”
“Don’t worry, after the lesson from Young Marquis, I won’t trust anyone again, lest I be deceived and fall into a trap.” Pei Xiting smiled, and before Shangguan Jie was about to explode in anger, he said first, “Then what are you doing here?”
“Of course, to investigate the case.” Shangguan Jie took a step forward and pressed against Pei Xiting’s toes, but Pei Xiting did not retreat at all but just looked at him indifferently, with a pair of clear, water-like eyes, cold and beautiful.
Shangguan Jie was stunned for a moment, and his tone suddenly became fierce. “I warn you, if you dare to reveal the news that Po Yinlin was stolen, I will not forgive you!”
It turned out that the dagger was called Po Yinlin. Pei Xiting thought: the masked guy is worth a lot of money in the underworld, and the fat and thin combination also looks quite well-known. And coincidentally, they all wanted Po Yinlin. Is it really just because the dagger is a weapon from the palace treasury?
“I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”
Pei Xiting came back to his senses, showed Shangguan Jie a helpless expression of “Yes, what are you talking about? I can’t hear,” and turned around to leave.
Shangguan Jie wanted to chase him, but the guard came running from behind and whispered, “Young Marquis, the buyer was killed, Shopkeeper Qi didn’t know where Po Yinlin was, and… the news that Po Yinlin was missing has leaked.”
“… Damn it.” Shangguan Jie turned around with a gloomy face. “Go to the East Palace.”
*
On the painting table were two paintings, both made of white sandalwood for the axle shaft; the head of the axle was inlaid with white jade, and there were only two small seal scripts on the brocade belt and jade sign: Wenjuan.
Two paintings, one portrait and one landscape.
The portrait painting depicts a woman dancing on a grassy field, graceful and colorful, with fluttering clothes, smiling eyebrows and eyes, and rippling pupils. The crown prince’s eyes were blurred, as if he was dazzled by the white gauze flying out of the woman’s sleeves, leaving a faint rose fragrance.
Looking at that landscape again with its stone stacks, every stroke and line is like a person’s head, face, eyes, and hands and feet, with complete organization, movement, and artistic conception, making people feel like they are in the mountains, with clear mountain winds and springs making sounds.
It takes a heart filled with emotion to create art that resonates so deeply, flying freely while also blending into the world, capable of touching even the heartless.
The face of “Pei Wenjuan” appeared in front of the crown prince. The man’s eyebrows were like green mountains, and his eyes were rippling. He was clearly a cunning and bold fox who didn’t like cages and yearned for freedom.
Yu Shaoyun walked in with light steps, holding his hands to salute, and said, “Young Marquis Shangguan is seeking an audience.”
The crown prince put down the horsetail broom and said, “”The weather is gradually getting hot and humid, so it’s not suitable to hang paintings. Air them out in the sun and put them in the painting box on the shelf.”
The East Palace Chief Clerk standing beside him held up his hands and responded.
Yu Shaoyun smiled and warned, “Lin-zhubu[mfn]Zhubu is an ancient official title, which is an assistant clerk in charge of documents. I have decided to keep some of these titles in Pinyin, including Zhubu.[/mfn], you must be careful when putting them in the box. These two paintings were snatched back by His Highness at a high price. He must have liked them a lot.”
Lin-zhubu responded with a look that said, “You took the word out of my mouth.” If he doesn’t like them, will His Highness frame them himself? Besides, this is already the eighteenth time he has come here to appreciate paintings!
The two followed the crown prince out, and Lin-zhubu said, “I heard that there are still people out there inquiring about the whereabouts of these two paintings, but I just don’t know what the origin of this painter ‘Wenjuan’ is. It’s like he appeared out of thin air.”
“I know.” Yu Shaoyun flipped out of the palace door with a somersault and flying ponytail, “He is a young man who is particularly good-looking, just as brilliant and outstanding as his paintings.”
Lin-zhubu praised, “These two paintings, one depicting a character and one depicting a landscape, the former is lively and the latter graceful. This young artist is truly remarkable.”
Coming down from the Zhenxian Pavilion, several people walked forward along the corridor. When passing the center of the lake, they saw a young boy standing in the pavilion with his hands behind his back, reading. The young boy saw the crown prince and immediately bowed to salute. Yu Shaoyun and Lin-zhubu also hurriedly returned the salutes.
The crown prince retracted his gaze after just one glance and continued to move forward.
“…” Zong Lu clenched the book tightly, watched the crown prince disappear at the end of the corridor, and lowered his head in disappointment.
“Little Prince, please don’t get upset.” The eunuch picked up the snow-soaked bean water on the table and comforted Zong Lu skillfully. “His Highness was going to the front hall, so he must be meeting the court officials. It’s not—”
“It’s not that he doesn’t want to see me—Eunuch Lai, you have said this a thousand and eight hundred times.” Zong Lu took a sip from the porcelain bowl, put the bowl back in Eunuch Lai’s hand, and said in a muffled voice, “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not stupid.”
Eunuch Lai coaxed him, “Yes, yes, how could you be stupid? You are the smartest young man in the world!”
Zong Lu snorted, turned around, and sat back at the stone table, holding a book, and asked, “Why does Fifth Uncle always go to Zhenxian Pavilion recently?”
Eunuch Lai is well-informed: “I heard that it’s because His Highness bought two paintings, which he likes very much.”
Zong Lu thought, “Fifth Uncle rarely likes anything… If I buy a painting for him, will he be happy?”
“It’s indeed the principle of gift giving to cater to his taste, but,” Eunuch Lai said embarrassedly, “His Highness has high standards; how can ordinary paintings catch his eye?”
“Didn’t he just buy two paintings?” Zong Lu said, “Go and find out where the two paintings came from for me and remember—”
The jade-like little face was stern, and he solemnly warned, “You are not allowed to tell Fifth Uncle; I want to give him a surprise.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Eunuch Lai said with a smile, “I will definitely not tell His Highness!”
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