TL: Hua
Chapter 41: Unbridled – Xiao Pei goes to Jiangnan (8)
A swing hung in the Bai family’s garden. In the past, the young ladies of the household loved to play here. Now that everyone in the residence was ordered to stay indoors, it conveniently benefited Pei Xiting.
Walking through the vast courtyard, a sense of silence pervaded. Even this once wealthy household seemed to have a rare moment of desolation.
Pei Xiting swayed the swing, then plopped down onto it, saying lazily, “Judging from the current situation, the fake Ma Bi, the plum blossom sleeve arrow user, the fake Third Wang, and the white-clad assassins are one group. The fat and thin duo and their so-called ‘sect leader’ are another group. Both sides are after the Four Treasures. Liao Yuan’s identity is clear. Although he died at the hands of the plum blossom sleeve arrow user and the fake Ma Bi, we still can’t determine his affiliated organization based on that.”
The crape myrtle beside the swing bloomed brilliantly. The Crown Prince viewed the flower while listening to Pei Xiting’s murmuring. After a while, silence gradually fell beside him. He turned his head and unexpectedly met Pei Xiting’s gaze.
It was a very serious gaze, filled with affection.
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment. “What are you looking at?”
Pei Xiting pointed to his left cheek and said, “That little red mole of yours is like a blood-red setting sun on a landscape painting in ink wash – simply a stroke of genius.”
This person was always like this. He would be talking about serious matters, but his eyes were extremely unruly. The Crown Prince said, “Being greedy again?”
Pei Xiting’s smile was self-explanatory. The Crown Prince glanced at him and turned to leave. “Your greed knows no bounds. I’m afraid you can’t stomach it all.”
“I’ll stretch my stomach a bit. No matter how much, it’s no problem.” Pei Xiting jumped off the swing and followed him. “I’ve only been sitting for a while.”
The Crown Prince said, “I didn’t tell you to follow me.”
“Of course I have to serve you closely. As a subordinate, I still have that much self-awareness,” Pei Xiting said.
“I think you’re treating me like a bodyguard,” the Crown Prince exposed him.
Pei Xiting was not at all guilty and said righteously, “Didn’t you tell me to stick close?” The Crown Prince glanced at him sideways and didn’t reply. Pei Xiting thought: He can’t win against me, has no rebuttal, and is lifting a stone only to hit his own foot.
“Sigh.” He sighed dramatically, following closely behind the Crown Prince all the way to the front hall. Before even getting close, he heard the roaring inside:
“From childhood to adulthood, Father only had you in his eyes, never me! The Bai family has such a large estate, yet he’s unwilling to give me even a share. His heart is completely biased! Why should I care about so-called family ties!”
A large group of people gathered in the hall. The first and second branches sat on either side, while the Third Master Bai stood alone in the middle, his voice hoarse with grievance.
“You’ve always been ignorant and incompetent. If we had let you handle our family’s business, our whole family would have been begging on the streets long ago! And,” Second Master Bai slammed the table, “Father isn’t even dead yet. Who’s dividing the family property?”
Third Master Bai said, “He didn’t give me a share when he was alive. By the time he dies, all of you will have swallowed and divided the entire estate without leaving anything for me!”
“No matter who is in charge of the family, they won’t abandon the third branch. Third Brother, why judge others by your own standards? Even if you don’t trust us, you can go and speak to Father yourself. Why resort to such treacherous schemes and harm your own niece?” As First Master Bai’s voice fell, the First Madam covered her face with her sleeves and cried bitterly for her daughter, demanding an explanation.
“Cry, cry, crying so loudly now. Why didn’t I see you plead with Father even once before? We’re all family. Elder Brother and Sister-in-law, please stop pretending. If your first branch takes charge in the future, I’m afraid the second and third branches will all be wiped out, right?” Third Master Bai sneered. “After all, I’m not the first one to harm my brothers.”
As soon as these words fell, the hall fell into an awkward silence.
First Master Bai glanced at the Second Master, who was cradling his belly and looking down. Although he showed no reaction to the words, this only made people more uncertain about his true thoughts.
“Back then, when Second Brother was seriously ill, you were the one who told Father, with the doctor present, that Second Brother’s illness was highly contagious and that no one should get close, otherwise one after another would fall ill. You persuaded Father to clear out all the servants in Second Brother’s courtyard and volunteered to take care of him personally. What a display of brotherly love! If Second Brother hadn’t been lucky, he would have been ‘cared for’ to death by you!” Third Master Bai said. “You are full of malice. What right do you have to accuse me? And besides,”
He sneered, “You clearly noticed long ago that Zhi’er had feelings for Prince Zhao, yet as parents, you didn’t stop it. Wasn’t it because you were happy to see it happen, thinking that if you could form another marriage alliance with the Duke’s mansion, then the marriage alliance with Prefect He Prefect’s family would naturally be nothing? Ptooey! Beautiful thinking! But don’t forget how you and Father forced Sister Qinglan into marriage back then. In order to climb the dragon and phoenix gate, you colluded and resorted to both soft and hard tactics. You simply tied up Sister Qinglan and sent her to someone else’s bed. As a result, Duke Wen saved the beauty, and Sister Qinglan became the Duke’s wife, leaping over the dragon gate, but she no longer paid any attention to you! I’m not a good person, but people as hypocritical, vicious, and selfish as you have no right to pretend to be good people here!”
“So that’s how it is. No wonder Prince Zhao said that Madam Zhao had grievances with her father and brothers and had long since severed ties,” Pei Xiting clicked his tongue softly. “If I were him, I’d beat them up every time I saw them.”
The Crown Prince said, “Childish.”
“Yes, yes, yes, you are the most stable,” Pei Xiting stealthily rolled his eyes but had his earlobe pinched. He hissed softly and turned his head to look at the Crown Prince. “What are you doing?”
Seeing him pout, his cheeks slightly puffed out, the Crown Prince had originally intended to pinch his cheek, but then felt the gesture was too intimate, so he retreated and changed to pinching his earlobe, a thin, small piece of flesh, soft and warm.
“Nothing,” the Crown Prince said.
Pei Xiting touched his earlobe, rubbing it until it felt hot, and couldn’t help but turn his face away, no longer speaking.
The veranda was already empty, and today even the rain no longer disturbed the silence. For a moment, it was extremely quiet.
The hall, however, was in a heated argument, which had become the battlefield between the First Master and his wife and the Third Master Bai, until Bai Yunluo said, “Enough.”
He was young, but in the Bai family, he was someone who had been involved in important decision-making for many years. Once he spoke, the hall instinctively quieted down.
Immediately after, the First Madam Bai said, “Yunluo, you must seek justice for your own sister!”
“Third Uncle,” Bai Yunluo looked at the Third Master Bai, “how did you know about that piece of mutton-fat white jade pendant?”
“The shopkeeper of the Seven Treasures Pavilion is an old acquaintance of mine. When we were drinking, he mentioned in passing that one day, the prince and Zhi’er went to his shop, and the prince even ordered a peach-patterned white jade pendant.” Now that things had come to this, Third Master Bai saw no point in hiding anything, sneering, “We old folks can see through the little things between you young people at a glance, especially Zhi’er. The way she looked at the prince, the shop owner knew what was on her mind.”
“So that’s how it is. Third Uncle, I won’t comment on your intentions, but your actions are no different from seeking cooperation with a tiger for its skin,” Bai Yunluo said. “Even if you really become the head of the family, you’ll just be a puppet. The Bai family will fall into the hands of those people sooner or later. At that time, let alone vast wealth, even the lives of the Bai family will be difficult to protect.”
The Third Master Bai said nothing.
“Your guilt is undeniable, and the family law will be implemented.” Bai Yunluo said. “Third Uncle, please go to the ancestral hall.”
Third Master Bai turned and left, passing by Bai Yunduan, who ran into the hall and said to Bai Yunluo, “Third Sister is back!”
Bai Yundan pushed Bai Yunluo out, and the hall was cleaned up. At this moment, Pei Xiting had already walked through the corridor, heading outside. He stood with his hands on his hips, with a graceful figure, and said to himself, “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
He turned to ask the Crown Prince what he wanted to eat but met a pair of deep, dark eyes staring intently at his… waist? Buttocks?
Pei Xiting looked down, then up, and said, “Your Highness, is it good-looking?”
The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze. “Not good-looking.”
Pei Xiting smiled. “Then why are you still staring?”
The Crown Prince didn’t speak, so Pei Xiting said, “Got it. You just like staring at things that aren’t good-looking. Is that your hobby?”
The Crown Prince said, “What if it is?”
Pei Xiting said, “It’s nothing. It’s just that your hobby is quite unique. From now on, you can’t look at me again; otherwise, you’ll just slap yourself in the face.”
“You’re not good-looking either.” The Crown Prince said without hesitation.
Pei Xiting didn’t get angry at all and said, “Your Highness, if you have poor eyesight, go for treatment as soon as possible.”
The Crown Prince said with a smile, “You don’t even allow others to say you’re not good-looking?”
“You can say I’m not your aesthetic preference; after all, you like Doctor Su’s type. But if you say I’m not good-looking, then either you have a preference for ugliness, or there’s something wrong with your eyes, or you’re just…” Pei Xiting smiled, revealing a meaningful expression, and then turned and left.
The Crown Prince felt that the expression was very dangerous, and Pei Xiting must have been thinking of something dangerous in his heart, so he said, “Stop.”
Pei Xiting stopped and turned to look at the Crown Prince, who was walking towards him, each step landing on his heartbeat. He appeared normal and said, “What are your orders?”
“What are you thinking?” the Crown Prince said.
Pei Xiting replied, “You guess.”
“I can’t guess; after all, your thoughts are like a galloping wild horse,” the Crown Prince said.
“I wouldn’t dare to say,” Pei Xiting frowned in distress. “I’m afraid that if I speak it out loud, Your Highness will become angry out of embarrassment.”
The Crown Prince let out a clear “heh” and said, “Rest assured, you don’t have that ability.”
“Then I’ll just say it directly.” Pei Xiting looked at the Crown Prince. “I was thinking about the third possibility, which is that deep down, you actually find me good-looking, but you’re just embarrassed to say it, so you’re saying one thing and meaning another.”
Those abyss-like eyes trembled slightly, and even that small movement didn’t escape Pei Xiting’s notice. His heart skipped a beat, a little joy bubbling up inside, so he became bolder with his words, saying, “Actually, admitting I’m good-looking is a very natural thing. Even Lord You, who is usually so composed and taciturn, is generous with his compliments when it comes to me. Your Highness…”
He paused, and the Crown Prince said, “What is it?”
Pei Xiting replied, “Your Highness is not direct enough.”
Not direct enough meant concealment. With concealment, it was inevitable that people would overthink things.
The Crown Prince rubbed his prayer beads, also understanding this principle, and fell silent for a moment.
Pei Xiting continued to look at him, his gaze direct and unwavering—so this was what it meant to have no concealment at all?
The Crown Prince had pondered this question before. Pei Xiting, from head to toe, lacked any sense of propriety, and those eyes of his were particularly captivating. Was it because he harbored inappropriate thoughts, or was it simply his nature?
He couldn’t figure it out then, and he still couldn’t now.
Pei Xiting couldn’t hide the joy in his eyes and cheeks. The Crown Prince could even see the fiery red fox tail on his backside swaying smugly. He suddenly felt a bit annoyed, his gaze and voice both deepening, “Nonsense.”
Having provoked him into anger out of embarrassment, Pei Xiting said, “It was my mistake. Please don’t take it to heart, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince didn’t say anything and walked past him.
Is he not going to acknowledge me? Pei Xiting scratched his head, reflecting on his earlier behavior. It had indeed been a bit unrestrained.
The Crown Prince, tall with long legs, quickly passed through the moon gate and disappeared from sight. Pei Xiting didn’t hurry to follow but strolled out slowly. On the way, he bumped into Bai Yunduan.
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