TL: Hua
At the end of the street, Zhao Fan looked at the small table by the street stall, his gaze sweeping over the man sitting opposite Pei Xiting. “Who is that person?”
“Fu Shan, someone from the Longhe Division, is accompanying him on official business,” the attendant replied.
Pei Xiting opened his fan and fanned the steaming bowl in front of Fu Shan. His fingers holding the fan were fair and slender. Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name. His wrist paused, and he turned his head. His face was flushed from the hot food, the rouge seeming to seep out from his skin.
Zhao Fan inwardly admired this sight while saying with a smile, “Xiting, I didn’t expect to run into you while passing by here.”
“Prin– Xingjian,” Pei Xiting quickly stood up to greet him.
Hearing Pei Xiting address him so intimately and seeing his well-behaved demeanor, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Then, he stood up, cupped his hands, and said, “Greetings, Prince Zhao.”
His Highness The Crown Prince truly lived up to his reputation of having traveled extensively. His acting was seamless and natural, without any stiffness or exaggeration. Pei Xiting was secretly impressed. Then, he said, “This is my colleague, Fu Shan. It’s my first time handling official business outside, and Lord You was worried I wouldn’t do well, so he specially asked him to come and assist me.”
“I see. Guard Fu, no need for such formality.” Zhao Fan said, withdrawing his gaze and smiling at Pei Xiting. “Won’t you invite me to sit down and have a bowl?”
Although this wonton stall was clean, Prince Zhao would never have humbled himself to set foot here before. Hearing this, the attendant glanced at Pei Xiting, thinking: It seems the prince had some thoughts about this great beauty.
Pei Xiting said awkwardly, “It’s just street food; I’m afraid it would be too crude for you.”
The attendant moved a small stool to the side, and Zhao Fan lifted his robes and sat down. “It doesn’t matter; it smells quite good. Which kind are you eating?”
“Hundred Flavor Wontons.” Seeing Zhao Fan sit down, Pei Xiting called the chubby boy over and ordered another bowl of Hundred Flavor Wontons, sitting up straight and looking at Zhao Fan.
Zhao Fan smiled and said, “Don’t be too troubled by etiquette when we’re outside. There’s no need to wait for me; just eat yours.”
“Alright,” Pei Xiting said, and continued eating with his head down.
The Crown Prince casually looked up and saw Zhao Fan staring intently at Pei Xiting’s profile, his eyes smiling, his amorous gaze overflowing as if soaked in honey.
Although he wasn’t one with the same kind of hobby and had never been in love, he wasn’t blind. He could tell at a glance that Zhao Fan took a fancy to Pei Xiting.
–Zong An, Shangguan Jie, Zhao Fan.
The Crown Prince glanced at Pei Xiting, who was immersed in the fragrant wontons. He was indeed a captivating troublemaker. Just as Pei Xiting bit into a wonton and looked up, their eyes met. Those beautiful phoenix eyes showed a hint of a smile. “Crab meat and clove are the best,” Pei Xiting commented.
The Crown Prince looked at his bowl and said, “You’ve only eaten half.”
“Can’t I give a mid-meal review?” Pei Xiting asked seriously.
The Crown Prince thought for a moment and said, “Yes.”
“That’s right then,” Pei Xiting chuckled softly, his nose wrinkling slightly, showing a bit of youthful playfulness. The Crown Prince’s expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Zhao Fan, whose gaze was full of complex emotions, among which the word “desire” was difficult to conceal.
The chubby boy brought the wontons and placed them in front of Zhao Fan. Just as he was about to leave, Pei Xiting stopped him. “Do you have any premade, uncooked wontons in the shop?”
“Yes, sir. How many would you like? I can pack them for you right away.”
“Fifty. All the different fillings. I’ll take them with me later.” Pei Xiting said, taking out some loose silver from his pocket. “Here’s the payment in advance; no need for change.”
“That won’t do!” the boy said. “This money is enough for several more big bowls. I definitely need to give you change.”
“I’m too lazy to carry around coins. Just keep it for now. I’ll come back to eat next time and won’t pay then.” Pei Xiting smiled. “Remember what I look like.”
The boy grinned widely and said, “Sir, you look like a celestial being. One glance is enough for me to remember you for many years! Rest assured, I’ll definitely recognize you at first sight next time.”
“Alright, go on and be busy.” Pei Xiting said, patting the boy’s back, which felt very soft and bouncy.
Zhao Fan carefully examined the bowl of wontons in front of him and said, “Do you like their wontons?”
Pei Xiting hummed in agreement. “Very fragrant.”
“Then I’ll have someone buy their recipe or even have them open a shop in Yejing, so you can eat them after you return.” Zhao Fan said.
Pei Xiting didn’t know if the owners would be willing, but he didn’t want to accept this favor. “Wontons can be eaten anywhere. Several shops in Yejing also have very fragrant ones; it’s not like this is the only good place.”
Zhao Fan said nothing, lowered his head, and tried one. The taste was surprisingly good. He said casually, “I just came from the government office. I heard from Prefect He that you were there earlier. How’s the situation going? Is there anything I can help with?”
“No need to trouble you. I’m only tasked with retrieving some case files. Now I just need to wait for the archives to transcribe a copy for me,” Pei Xiting said casually. “It’s getting late. Do you have important business at the government office yourself?”
Zhao Fan had gone to the government office for Pei Xiting’s sake. Hearing this, he lied, “Oh, my third cousin from the Bai family was kidnapped by bandits. There’s still no news, so I went there to inquire.”
“What?” Pei Xiting put down his chopsticks, his brow furrowing slightly. “The Bai family is also a prominent household and related to yours. For these bandits to dare to provoke them is truly audacious.”
Zhao Fan spoke with an air of casual familiarity, as if wanting to befriend him. “We are related, but only distantly. You don’t know, my mother has some resentment towards the Bai family, especially her father and brothers. We haven’t had much contact in recent years nor come back to the Bai family. Only the younger generation of the Bai family visits Yejing every year, and my mother will still see them.”
“I truly didn’t know that. I just remember hearing Sifan say before that the Duke and his wife’s marriage wasn’t arranged by their parents or a matchmaker, but that they fell in love outside and insisted on being together. When the Duke returned home to inform his parents, they initially didn’t approve. It was only after His Majesty said a good word that the marriage was finally arranged.” Pei Xiting said.
“If it had been an arranged marriage, the Duke’s household definitely wouldn’t have betrothed their eldest son to a merchant’s daughter as his main wife. Therefore, although my paternal grandparents didn’t try to break them up, they were unwilling to agree at the time. But my father insisted, kneeling and pleading every day. My grandmother finally relented and allowed my mother to enter the household as a concubine. However, my father said he would not marry anyone but my mother in this lifetime; otherwise, he would immediately enter the palace to serve His Majesty as a eunuch. My grandfather was furious and had my father beaten in the ancestral hall, his back covered in bloody welts. My father fainted from the pain but still wouldn’t give in. Fortunately, His Majesty came in disguise and saved my father, saying, ‘Rare sincerity.’ Only then was the marriage finalized.” Zhao Fan said.
“So that’s how it was.” Pei Xiting said.
If the Emperor said yes, how dare the old Duke and his wife say no? The words from the Emperor can also be taken as half an imperial decree, so no court official dared to mock the Zhao family’s unusually mismatched marriage (mfn: noble marrying common people).
“The Duke and Madam have a deep affection for each other. I can feel it when Sifan mentions his parents. It’s truly rare.” Pei Xiting thought: they were born to the same parents, yet one son is pure and the other is licentious. They’re like opposite poles.
Zhao Fan was completely unaware of being secretly criticized and said with a smile, “They often quarrel, but they can’t be separated. My mother also makes the decisions in our household. She is open-minded and never makes major decisions for us without our input. Otherwise, I would probably have children by now. Speaking of this, Pei-wenshu, are you betrothed?”
“No.” Pei Xiting said with a touch of embarrassment. “I’m not considering marriage for the time being.”
Zhao Fan said, “You don’t need to rush too much; after all, it’s not good to get ahead of your elder brother.”
Hearing him mention Pei Jintang, Pei Xiting smiled and said, “That’s right.”
In the original story, Zhao Fan’s romantic inclination towards Pei Jintang was the least obvious. Shangguan Jie fell in love with Pei Jintang at first sight, Zong An regarded the sunny and cheerful Pei Jintang as his salvation, while Zhao Fan’s interest seemed more like lust at first sight. However, this “lust” was different from his usual preference for delicate, beautiful, and somewhat androgynous individuals, thus making it particularly unique.
Pei Xiting didn’t think these people truly liked Pei Jintang. How could someone who genuinely liked another person look for a substitute? Looking at a substitute to satisfy one’s eyes was barely understandable, but for each of them to eagerly and frequently sleep with the substitute, clearly lusting after his body, what kind of logic was that?
Pei Xiting didn’t quite understand the mental gymnastics of these scum gongs. After they parted ways, he carried a large bag of wontons and walked with the Crown Prince, saying, “Hey, Brother Fu, can I ask you a question?”
The Crown Prince said, “No.”
“Alright,” Pei Xiting said. “If you liked someone but couldn’t get them for the time being, would you look for a substitute?”
The Crown Prince asked, “Why couldn’t you get them?”
“It’s possible not to get even an inanimate object you want, let alone a living person. Maybe you like them very much and try every way to please them, but they just remain unmoved, without any reaction. Or,” Pei Xiting teased, “are you also a potential forced-love enthusiast? Even if I can’t get your heart, I’ll get your body?”
‘Forced love’ The Crown Prince heard this term for the first time, but he could somewhat understand its meaning. “Bones can easily be broken, but some people’s hearts are harder than cold iron, impervious to any coercion or torture. What’s the point of using every means to forcibly keep a heart that doesn’t belong to you? As for the saying ‘if you can’t get the heart, get the body’…”
The Crown Prince’s expression was calm, but he clearly didn’t quite understand. He said, “What’s good about getting a ‘corpse’? I also disdain forcing myself on someone in bed.”
“What if someone forces you?” Pei Xiting said.
The Crown Prince said, “I haven’t yet encountered anyone who seeks death this way.”
Pei Xiting kicked a small pebble away and said, “Doesn’t the Spider Woman count?”
The Crown Prince’s footsteps turned upon hearing this, and behind him was a small alley. Pei Xiting was forced to retreat. Seemingly afraid of dirtying the clothes on his back, he could only use the tip of his fan to hold it against the Crown Prince’s chest, stopping before his back was against the wall.
The Crown Prince’s gaze slid from the bamboo fan to Pei Xiting’s eyebrows and eyes. “Where did you hear about that?”
“These past events, as long as they existed, must have left traces.” Pei Xiting said, tilting his head slightly. “Is it wrong for me to hear something?”
Avoiding the question definitely meant there was something amiss, but the Crown Prince didn’t press further. He only said, “She wanted to violate and assassinate me, not force me.”
Pei Xiting asked, “Was the Spider Woman beautiful?”
The Crown Prince said, “Didn’t notice.”
Pei Xiting didn’t believe him. “At least she was going to kill you; didn’t you even give her a glance?”
“It was dark at night. I snapped her neck before she even got on my bed. The person was dead; why would I care if she was beautiful or not?” the Prince said.
Pei Xiting was momentarily speechless and said dryly, “Oh.”
The Crown Prince looked at him. “What do you want to find out?”
“Your aesthetic preference.” Pei Xiting gave an example. “Prince Zhao likes the kind with beautiful features, a slender figure, and who can look somewhat androgynous with some dressing up. That’s his aesthetic preference for appearance. You don’t like people, but you must have some aesthetic sense. What kind of looks do you find most attractive?”
Up until now, the Crown Prince had only been attracted to Pei Xiting’s face. Perhaps it was because he was indeed exceptionally handsome, or perhaps it was those eyes that seemed to be made of autumn waters.
But he didn’t say it, fearing Pei Xiting would get cocky.
“Probably something more delicate and gentle,” the Crown Prince said casually, “like Doctor Su, who lives next door to you.”
Pei Xiting hadn’t met Doctor Su yet. Hearing this, he said, “Oh.”
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