TL: Hua
Chapter 60: Sour Firewood – Xiao Pei to Enzhou (3)
The warm curtains of the lamb restaurant went up and down; business was booming.
All the round tables on the first floor were full, with customers laughing and chatting. Pei Xiting walked ahead to the second floor and saw that the left and right passages were opened up, with several more round tables, all also full.
“Good sirs! We’re so busy with so many customers; please forgive our poor service.” The waiter glanced at the two. “Just the two of you?”
Pei Xiting nodded. “It’s quite lively here.”
“It’s like this in autumn and winter; everyone wants something warm to nourish their insides. Our little shop’s food is good, so when it gets cold, folks from near and far come to support us,” the waiter said with a smile. “The front is full for now. If you wait, it might take a while. If you two don’t mind, you can go to the back courtyard, but it’s not as lively as the front.”
“A bit quieter is fine,” Pei Xiting said. “Lead the way.”
“Alright, sirs, please follow me.” The waiter gestured to the side and led them forward.
They walked to the end, and the waiter opened the door. Outside was a staircase leading down to a corridor. The corridor, front, back, left, and right, was shielded from the wind by warm curtains, and the tables set there were square.
Yuan Fang reached out and lifted a curtain. The courtyard had moonlight and the scent of flowers; it was quite elegant.
“This place is suitable for groups of no more than four; more won’t fit. There are a total of four tables on the left and right corridors. As long as you don’t speak too loudly, you won’t hear each other,” the waiter said, wiping a table. “Right now, only one table at the front has been taken, so it’s quiet.”
“Here?” After Yuan Fang nodded, Pei Xiting sat down.
The waiter immediately presented the menu. Pei Xiting glanced at it and said, “A lamb hotpot is a must. Lamb buns. Although it’s not the right season, I’ll also have a Five-Flavor Apricot Almond Lamb. And…”
Pei Xiting paused, and Yuan Fang looked up.
Pei Xiting pursed his lips and said, “Braised Fish with Milk, one portion.”
He handed the menu over. Yuan Fang didn’t look at it, passing it directly to the waiter. “That’s all.”
“Alright,” the waiter said. “Do you two want anything to drink? Our lamb wine is also very good.”
“I don’t drink that. Give me a cup of orange wine.” Pei Xiting looked at Yuan Fang, who was staring at him, and raised his chin. “What are you looking at?”
Yuan Fang was too lazy to scold him. “Add another cup of rice wine.”
Another waiter brought a tray, set out bowls and chopsticks, and poured two bowls of milky white, steaming hot lamb broth, which immediately filled the air with aroma. The first waiter helped arrange the soup bowls. “Please have a seat, sirs, and warm your stomachs with a bowl of lamb broth. The dishes will be served shortly. If you need anything, just pull the bell above this curtain, and I’ll be right over.”
With that, the two waiters quickly retreated behind the warm curtain.
Pei Xiting lowered his head, sipped the lamb broth, closed his eyes, and exhaled. “Fresh and not gamey, so fragrant.”
“Aren’t you supposed to avoid certain foods?” Yuan Fang asked.
“I’m not taking fever-reducing medicine now, and my back injury isn’t inflamed. What’s wrong with eating some lamb?” Pei Xiting said. “Even if you stare at me to death, I’ll still eat it.”
Yuan Fang chuckled. “With your thick skin, it would be hard to stare you down, let alone stare you to death.”
Pei Xiting was not ashamed. “Hehe. Remember to eat more; after all, you’re paying. I’m broke now.”
Yuan Fang reached into his money pouch and counted. “It’s fine, enough for you to feast on. That money I gave out, I must get it back another day.”
“I disagree with the first half. Where am I feasting?” Pei Xiting retorted, unconvinced. “Although I haven’t developed abs yet, I don’t have belly fat. I’m only eating this one meal today; can’t I eat a bit more?”
Yuan Fang chose to retreat. “Too lazy to argue with you.”
“You just can’t win any argument with me.” Pei Xiting lowered his head, sipping the lamb broth, making gurgling noises, a blissful smile on his face. “It’s so delicious.”
“Excuse me!” The waiter lifted the warm curtain, allowing someone to place a copper pot with charcoal, add water and ingredients, and then bring over neatly arranged thin slices of lamb and dipping sauces. “You can start cooking the meat once the pot boils. Here are your drinks and lamb buns. The other two dishes will take a little longer.”
The waiter arranged the plates and then left.
Pei Xiting picked up a bun, eating half in one bite. “Mmm, thin skin, thick filling. Small, but very flavorful.”
He leaned slightly closer and whispered, “Hey, that table in the front has been quiet.”
Yuan Fang’s hearing was better. “Yes, the pot is gurgling, but the people inside aren’t talking. Even if they were, with the wind outside and the thick, warm curtains, we wouldn’t hear clearly.”
“Oh.” Pei Xiting finished the remaining small half. “This whole plate is yours.”
Yuan Fang was eating his favorite lamb bun, but when he saw Pei Xiting pouring wine, he couldn’t help but say, “Drink carefully.”
“It’s fruit wine; it won’t get you drunk.” Pei Xiting took a sip, found it good, and poured a cup for Yuan Fang. “Come on, let’s have a toast.”
Yuan Fang raised his cup and clinked it with Pei Xiting’s, then gulped it down. He disdainfully remarked, “Is this wine? It tastes like the orange water you like.”
“Oh no, your taste buds are broken,” Pei Xiting retorted. “Tomorrow I’ll take you to the pharmacy to see a doctor.”
Yuan Fang chuckled, then heard Pei Xiting say, “Wine tastes better chilled.”
As he spoke, he pretended to casually glance at Yuan Fang, his meaning obvious.
Yuan Fang smiled slightly. “Don’t even think about it. If you push your luck, you won’t even get wine.”
“Oh… ” Pei Xiting sighed disappointedly, afraid to resist the power, and sadly lost his orange wine.
The two sat waiting for the pot to boil. In the interim, Pei Xiting heard the waiter’s voice announcing another table of guests, but they didn’t pass by them outside.
“They’re seated at the table in the front,” Yuan Fang said. “Focus on your… the water’s boiling; you can start cooking.”
Pei Xiting immediately lost interest in what was happening outside, picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a slice of lamb, and put it in the pot, eyes gleaming green.
—
A corner of the warm curtain was lifted, but nothing could be seen. Yu Shaoyun then lowered it and stood behind the Crown Prince.
“Sit,” the Crown Prince said.
Yu Shaoyun assented and sat to the Crown Prince’s right, his gaze falling on the man sitting opposite the Crown Prince. He smiled and said, “Corridor Master Fu came by himself?”
The Corridor Master of the Immortal Corridor was a devil-like figure who had climbed out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, yet he had delicate eyebrows and eyes and a gentle demeanor. He said, “What I lost is not far away. Once I catch him and bring him back, I naturally won’t be by myself.”
“He probably doesn’t want to come back,” Yu Shaoyun teased.
“He has no choice,” Fu Wei said bluntly. “Does Your Highness intend to interfere?”
The Crown Prince used his chopsticks to cook lamb. “Wait a little longer.”
“This is my family affair, yet Your Highness wants to interfere,” Fu Wei chuckled. “Fuchuan, Fuchuan, you’ve indeed stumbled.”
The Crown Prince glanced at him indifferently. “Not as much as you; it took you two years to find the person by your side.”
“If he didn’t have the skill, he wouldn’t dare to run,” Fu Wei wasn’t angered by the sarcasm, remaining gentle. “Children, when their hearts grow big, they want to fly for a bit. It’s nothing; as long as they willingly come home in the end, everything is negotiable. As for the matter regarding Po Yinlin, thank you, Your Highness, for not taking it to heart.”
Yu Shaoyun heard this and said, “With Pei-wenshu’s guarantee and Corridor Master Fu’s favor, His Highness naturally won’t dwell on it.”
Fu Wei smiled without speaking. Earlier, Hu Shun’er relayed the Crown Prince’s words to him, and now Yu Shaoyun was specifically speaking highly of Pei Xiting. His Highness was clearly protecting him.
The Crown Prince looked at the boiling hotpot and suddenly said, “If Yuan Fang is unwilling to return, what will you do?”
“There are many ways,” Fu Wei said, his eyebrows slightly raised, his tone gentle.
“You’re quite willing to let go,” the Crown Prince said.
“If they’re disobedient, just teach them. But if they don’t even want to return home, what do I have to be reluctant about?” Fu Wei smiled. “Why do you ask? Is something on your mind?”
The Crown Prince’s gaze passed through the warm curtain. He said faintly, “Break their bones and shatter their tendons; the person stays, but the heart is still outside.”
“Shaoyun, listen to what your crown prince is saying,” Fu Wei sighed with a smile. “Everyone has weaknesses. Once you grasp them, even the hardest things can be destroyed. Didn’t you once say something like that?”
The Crown Prince’s eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
“Looks like you remember; you just can’t bring yourself to be ruthless,” Fu Wei gloated. “You have fallen deep.”
The Crown Prince said coldly, “Do you understand things that well?”
Fu Wei chuckled. “I understand a bit more than His Highness, whose iron tree has just bloomed.”
The Crown Prince did not speak.
Fu Wei smiled apologetically. “If you ask me, you don’t need to think so much. If you like someone, keep them by your side. Once the novelty wears off, you might not like them anymore. The human heart changes easily. Rather than looking to the future, focusing on the present is more reliable. Overthinking might make you miss your chance.”
The Crown Prince did not speak. After a long time, so long that Fu Wei thought he wouldn’t answer, he finally let out an “Mm.”
The lamb they had ordered earlier was gone. Fu Wei pulled the bell, asking the waiter to bring two more plates of lamb. Once the footsteps faded, he said, “Oh, by the way, is that immortal evil cult particularly troublesome?”
“Heying can handle it,” the Crown Prince said.
“Then why did you make a special trip… Oh,” Fu Wei’s voice trailed up, guessing, “Don’t tell me you came for a change of scenery?”
The Crown Prince glanced at him. “Is that not allowed?”
“Of course it’s allowed. The world is vast; you can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, and have whatever you want. Who can control you?” Fu Wei said seriously. “I just find it a bit amusing.”
Saying that, he laughed.
The Crown Prince: “…”
“I had planned to see you in Yejing, but then I learned you went to Enzhou. I thought it was some huge trouble that required your special trip, so I specifically followed, thinking of showing my loyalty to Your Highness. I didn’t expect you to be troubled by love and out for a change of scenery.” Fu Wei turned and looked at the warm curtain, deep in thought. “With ‘Yuan Fang’ there, it’s troublesome. Should I send him away so you can go find your sweetheart?”
“Don’t mess around,” the Crown Prince said. “I don’t feel like seeing him.”
Fu Wei understood. “You miss him when you can’t see him, and you’re annoyed when you do see him. Either way, you’re not happy, right?”
“You talk too much,” the Crown Prince said.
It seemed he hit the mark. Fu Wei clicked his tongue. “I’m helping you relieve some stress, and you’re not grateful.”
“This meal is on me,” the Crown Prince said.
“It should have been on you anyway.” Fu Wei paused, then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, I passed by the auction house in the east city today. They have a string of red jade inlaid with black jade beads; it’s dazzling and bright. An ordinary person couldn’t pull it off, but it would really suit your sweetheart. It’s being auctioned tomorrow.”
The Crown Prince said he knew. He paused, then added, “He even returned the guqin I gave him.”
“Oh,” Fu Wei mused. “He wants to cut ties with you. Quite a temper.”
“Not just quite a temper,” the Crown Prince said faintly. “He’s also very bold.”
Fu Wei chuckled. “You seem to like him a lot. It seems he has plucked at your heartstring.”
The Crown Prince remained noncommittal.
The warm curtain inside suddenly fell silent. The three quietly cooked their lamb. After a while, they all heard increasingly close footsteps and voices:
“I’m so full,” Pei Xiting whimpered dramatically, pretending to cry. “My abs are all gone.”
“Your imaginary abs… Watch your step. One more bump on your head and you’ll have a complete set,” Yuan Fang said. “Twin horns on your head, you could turn into a dragon.”
“Only smart people can see my abs, so you, foolish Yuan Fang, are naturally not blessed enough to appreciate them, but that’s fine.” Pei Xiting said magnanimously. “When we get back, I’ll let you feel them properly.”
Yuan Fang said “lovingly,” “Fine, I’ll dig a few out for you. However many you want.”
“You heartless man, bah.”
“Don’t pounce on me.”
“I can’t walk anymore, carry me… Ugh, I feel like throwing up.”
“I told you to jump three feet high. Hurry up and get on… If you throw up on me, you’ll die.”
“I’m willing to die in your arms.”
“…”
The two… Yuan Fang carried Pei Xiting up the stairs and into the lively front hall, where their voices completely faded.
Inside the warm curtain, there was profound silence. Yu Shaoyun listened to the wind outside, feeling his lamb in the bowl suddenly grow cold. He didn’t dare to look at his Highness.
Fu Wei unhurriedly poured himself a cup of wine and extended his hand to pour one for the Crown Prince. He said warmly, “Speaking of which, the two of them haven’t known each other for long. It seems they are truly destined for each other.”
“Clink,” the Crown Prince and Fu Wei clinked cups. The Crown Prince said faintly, “Mm.”
Fu Wei took a sip of wine. “My family affairs—is Your Highness still going to interfere?”
The Crown Prince drank it all, lowering his eyes to the empty cup. “Breaking up a ‘mandarin duck’ pair, are we?”
Fu Wei smiled. “I’ll handle it. You just watch from the sidelines.”
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment, then still said, “Wait a little longer.”
Fu Wei sighed and turned his head to Yu Shaoyun. “Look, your crown prince has developed a bodhisattva’s heart now.”
His voice drifted lightly, yet it held a chill, clearly displeased, not with the Crown Prince, but with the two who had just been so intimate. Yu Shaoyun sighed internally, feeling a great wave of frustration, as if he had to appease both sides, making it incredibly difficult!
“Because of Po Yinlin incident, Pei-wenshu was forced to get involved. Yuan Fang felt guilty and will certainly want to protect Pei-wenshu until all the hidden malevolent forces are swept away,” Yu Shaoyun carefully articulated. “Pei-wenshu and Yuan Fang hit it off immediately, nominally master and servant, but truly friends. They are both people of unrestrained character, so their interactions are naturally casual. Yuan Fang is Corridor Master Fu’s subordinate and has been with you since childhood. Corridor Master Fu must know best what kind of person he is.”
He paused, secretly glancing at the Crown Prince, then continued, “Pei-wenshu is unrestrained and frank. His actions and demeanor are occasionally very direct, but he is certainly not a frivolous or fickle person. Since he admires Your Highness, he would never be ambiguous with others at the same time. Even if he wanted to sever ties with Your Highness, it’s only been two or three days. Furthermore, even if he were to seek a new romantic interest, he would never choose Yuan Fang; otherwise, it would significantly tarnish the friendship between them.”
“Hmm…” Fu Wei mused, “Indeed.”
The Crown Prince briefly glanced at the fidgeting Yu Shaoyun. “Why are you saying all this?”
If you weren’t emitting cold air, would I need to say anything?! Yu Shaoyun inwardly roared, maintaining a cautious expression. “Your subordinate is full; I’m talking to aid digestion.”
The Crown Prince accepted this excuse, said nothing more, and drank two more cups of wine consecutively.
The Crown Prince used to be someone who drank all night under the moon. After returning to Yejing, it was rare to catch a scent of alcohol on him. Seeing this, Fu Wei smiled, not exposing or saying more, to avoid hitting a nerve and causing further irritation. After all, adding more fuel would make this pile of “sour firewood” explode.
After finishing the hotpot, the three exited the warm curtain one after another.
Fu Wei looked around. “Jie Zi isn’t here?”
The Crown Prince simply “hmmed,” offering no further explanation.
Jie Zi was always meant to be the Crown Prince’s personal guard; he would never be away from the Crown Prince unless it was an emergency. Fu Wei’s eyes darted around, making a guess in his heart, then he shook his head without speaking. He merely teased, “Would you say this is a good thing or a bad thing?”
The Crown Prince’s eyes flickered slightly. “I don’t know.”
“I think it’s both good and bad. When you have someone in your heart, your emotions are inevitably volatile, you become anxious about gains and losses, and you even lose self-control. For you, this is an enormous vulnerability. But in life, both good and bad things happen in turns; even those with immense power who can turn clouds into rain are no exception.” Fu Wei looked at the night sky and said softly, “If you wanted to be flawless, you should have eradicated this trouble long ago to prevent future complications. But for you, it’s just a matter of words, yet you’ve never been able to do it, and now it’s clearly too late. You were once forced to possess what you didn’t want, which was already excruciatingly painful. Why force yourself to abandon what you desire now? Fuchuan, in life, no one can control everything, not even you. Since you’ve encountered it, why not follow your heart and consider letting yourself go?”
The night wind was biting, and silence fell over the corridor.
The Crown Prince looked at the bright moon, and before his eyes appeared those stubborn, beautiful eyes again. Once, a pair of clear, moist, autumn-water eyes were filled with intense emotions, staring at him, glaring at him, aggressively yet pitifully demanding an answer.
The Crown Prince had not been without romantic interests before; on the contrary, he had many. Pink ones, naive and sweet; white ones, cautious and timid; black ones, secretly poisonous. But there was only this one vibrant, bright red flower, fearless, uninhibited, and so bold and intense that it made his heart tremble.
“Fuchuan, look, you didn’t even bat an eye when you brutally killed your brother. So cold-hearted and decisive, so ruthless and cruel, you were born to sit on that lonely throne.”
A hoarse, pleased laugh echoed in the Crown Prince’s ears. Emperor Xining walked over from the front, reached out to pick a fallen leaf from his shoulder, without even glancing at the Third Prince, who was pinned to the ground by a wild boar. “Fuchuan, you are far more promising than your brothers. A son who doesn’t resemble his father,” Emperor Xining smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with astonishing brilliance, “A son… most resembles his father.”
This sentence was a curse. Countless times, in the middle of the night, the Crown Prince clearly remembered the emperor’s ecstasy and satisfaction.
But he didn’t know when another clear, sharp voice appeared in his dreams, squeezing in from some crack, right beside him, near his ear, gently, like the autumn wind blowing past—
“Your Highness, were you afraid when you killed the Third Prince?”
In the room by the willow bank, Pei Xiting sat beside him. When he didn’t want to play zither anymore, he insisted on talking to him, sometimes about what he ate that day, sometimes about imperial secrets. But there was no probing in his tone, only questions, as if it were no different from “How can Zhang Ji’s Ice Snow Riceball be so unpalatable?”
“Were you afraid when you asked that question?” At that time, the Crown Prince replied.
“I wasn’t afraid,” Pei Xiting said. “I feel that Your Highness is quite lenient with me.”
“Spoiled indulgence never ends well.”
Pei Xiting choked, then said, “Oh, I’m just chatting with you; don’t make it sound like I’m plotting something big. When you’re out and about, don’t put on the air of the Crown Prince; it’s tiring, Brother Fu~”
“Do you think I’m afraid?”
Pei Xiting dared not be angry, but he rolled his eyes subtly, thinking he was being discreet. “If I knew, why would I ask you?”
The Crown Prince pretended not to see that little eye-roll.
“I knew it. Compared to blood ties, you care more about genuine affection between two people. Therefore, in your heart, Lord You’s brother is more important than your imperial brother. The Third Prince hired assassins to kill you, and You Jing bravely protected his master. Whether you sought revenge for him or asserted your authority afterward, it was justifiable. But to others, the Third Prince was your blood relative, and You Jing was merely your subordinate. There was a difference in status between them. So, people wouldn’t say you are kind and righteous, only that you are heartless towards your own kin.” Pei Xiting tilted his head, resting his chin on the zither score. “I don’t know if you are completely indifferent to others’ opinions, but I know that no matter how powerful and cold-hearted a person is, as long as their blood is warm, they cannot always be invincible and unperturbed. That’s why I couldn’t be sure if you were truly afraid.”
“If I said I wasn’t afraid at all, would you be scared?”
“No, I wouldn’t. I’m not the Third Prince, and I don’t have any ill intentions towards you,” Pei Xiting said. “Moreover, I think you’re a very good person.”
The Crown Prince glanced sideways. “I’m good?”
“Yes. Firstly, you are a good superior. As long as your subordinates work diligently and are loyal, you never mistreat them. Throughout history, very few superiors could achieve this. Secondly, you are a good Crown Prince. You dismiss corrupt officials and punish wicked ones, reduce taxes, care for the common people, recognize talent, and do not discriminate based on background. Thirdly, you are a good uncle and younger brother. You raised the little prince by your side, without harshness, and carefully guided him. Fourthly, you are a good teacher.” Pei Xiting blinked, smiling. “You patiently teach your student, are diligent and responsible, making your student feel especially secure.”
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment. “But the student doesn’t study seriously and loves to gossip, making the teacher feel very insecure.”
Pei Xiting said, “The student is very serious when studying but also wants to learn more about the teacher and bridge the distance. As long as the teacher talks more with the student, the student will feel as if they’ve drunk something, their heart burning with excitement, and immediately playing ‘Phoenix Seeking Mate’ would be no problem.”
The Crown Prince scoffed, “You must have drunk immortal medicine then; rapid progress wouldn’t even begin to describe it; it would be a complete transformation.”
Pei Xiting said, “The teacher’s voice is like a gentle spring breeze, flowing through the ears like fine wine entering the stomach. Isn’t that immortal medicine?”
“Glib tongue.”
“I’m speaking the truth,” Pei Xiting said softly. “Teacher, your voice is exceptionally pleasant, utterly captivating.”
Those eyes held no fear or deference, only frank adoration, bright and sparkling. Lately, they constantly flickered in the Crown Prince’s dreams, impossible to extinguish.
But these past two days, the stars were moist, shedding tears. The Crown Prince wanted to reach out and wipe them away, but they had already turned their back, clinging closely to other things, intimately flying away.
“—I am willing to die in your arms.”
Pei Xiting’s sweet words seemed to be something anyone could receive.
The Crown Prince looked at the dark shadows in the courtyard, his gaze sinister.
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