TL: Hua
Chapter 98: Birthday Gift – It was him all along.
“Why isn’t Fifth Young Master Zong here today?”
A quick glance at the King Ning’s mansion’s seating area showed that only Zong An was missing. Not only was it the New Year’s banquet, but it was also the Crown Prince’s birthday, so there was no reason for a king’s son like him to not come.
Shangguan Jie was uneasy. He just answered, “I don’t know,” put down his cup, and got up and left without another word to his father.
“That little beast,” Marquis Shangguan cursed softly. He looked up and saw that Prince Zhao, who was sitting across from him, had also left his seat at the same time.
The two came out from the left and right corridors, glanced at each other, but didn’t say anything, and walked into the snow.
Outside the palace, the lanterns were bright, and the snow was falling heavily. They looked around and couldn’t find Pei Xiting.
Shangguan Jie walked a bit and saw two palace attendants coming toward him. He recognized them as the ones who were serving behind Pei Xiting tonight, so he stopped them. “Wait.”
The two palace attendants stopped, cupped their hands, and bowed. “Young Marquis.”
They also bowed to Zhao Fan, who had followed him. “Prince Zhao.”
Shangguan Jie said, “You’re coming from up ahead. Did you see Pei-wenshu?”
“Yes,” one of the palace attendants said, gesturing toward the lotus pond not far away. “Pei-wenshu was at the lotus pond earlier, and then he went to the walkway.”
You Zong was still in the hall. Shangguan Jie’s heart eased. He gave the two of them some silver as a tip. “Go about your business.”
The attendants thanked him, picked up their lanterns, and continued on their way.
“It’s the Crown Prince’s birthday tonight. Don’t be reckless again. If you cause trouble, it’ll drag me into it,” Zhao Fan said.
“Don’t you worry about it,” Shangguan Jie said with a cold look toward Zhao Fan. “What are you following me for?”
“I want to do what you want to do. The road is wide open, so don’t be so nosy,” Zhao Fan said, giving Shangguan Jie a cold glare. He took a step first and walked toward the lotus pond.
Shangguan Jie cursed under his breath, quickly following. “Don’t think you’re any different from me in Xiting’s eyes.”
This was true. Zhao Fan had finally realized that he had been fooled by Pei Xiting. In the past, when he and Shangguan Jie were together, Pei Xiting was always gentle and polite to him but distant and guarded with Shangguan Jie, which made him feel that he was completely different from Shangguan Jie and far superior.
But on the day of Pei Xiting’s birthday banquet, when Zhao Fan saw the gold-flecked invitation that Zhao Yi had received and he had not, he finally realized.
The so-called “special treatment” was just a false impression created by Pei Xiting. It gave him the illusion that he could slowly win him over, and it made Shangguan Jie misunderstand that their relationship was intimate, which in turn made them monitor and guard against each other, causing them to neglect where Pei Xiting’s real attention was.
Killing two birds with one stone.
Zhao Fan had never been so deceived before. He should have been angry and furious, but when he learned about his and Pei Xiting’s ultimate fate, he was in a daze.
Why did fate have to make him dream about the end of his relationship with Pei Xiting at that moment? Was it a warning or revenge?
Zhao Fan let out a puff of white air, his sleeve brushing lightly against the edge of a rock garden, but the next moment, he suddenly stopped.
He heard a man’s voice coming from ahead. It was Pei Xiting.
“Don’t touch me there. We’re outside.”
Pei Xiting’s voice was undoubtedly beautiful, like a clear stream, high and clear with a hint of coldness. Zhao Fan had once heard him complain in Ningzhou. He sounded so pitiful and wronged, his voice choked up, low, and alluring, which made one want to know how wonderful it sounded when he was moaning in bed.
But Zhao Fan had never heard Pei Xiting’s tone in this sentence. Having spent many years in brothels, he could immediately hear the coquettishness and intimacy in his voice.
Pei Xiting was flirting with You Zong here?!
No, wasn’t You Zong still inside?!
Zhao Fan’s feet were frozen, and his mind was a mess. At the same time, he heard gradually heavy panting. It was Shangguan Jie, who had also stopped because of it.
“Let’s go back first. I’m hungry again… Hey, don’t touch my belly! Fine, you can touch it. Can you feel the outline of my abs yet? I want to make a bet with you.” Pei Xiting said with a spirited voice. “I will have a four-pack before next summer. Do you think I can do it? Alright, you have to think I can’t, because I think I can. Only then can the bet be made.”
Pei Xiting was so childish and adorable in front of You Zong… No, in front of this person.
“How about this? A small bet for fun,” Pei Xiting said cunningly. “Whoever wins will be the head of the family from now on, the king of the house, and can ride on the other person’s head… Don’t bite me!”
“Mmm…” The man’s voice was low and hoarse, filled with endless laughter. “Haven’t you already ridden on my head before?”
“When did I ever… Don’t talk dirty outside. I’m an honest man.”
“Alright. Good boy, one more kiss.”
“You’re not allowed to bite me anymore. I still want to drink. I’ll get a broken…”
Pei Xiting’s complaint was muffled. He was kissing the man, but Zhao Fan and Shangguan Jie were too shocked to feel jealous because the man’s voice was not You Zong’s, nor was it any of the people they had guessed.
They looked at each other, and they both saw disbelief in the other’s eyes.
The snow crunched under their feet. Pei Xiting opened his eyes, just wanting to see who had arrived, when his tongue was bitten.
Zong Suiyang’s eyes were fixed on him. He pulled his tongue back, his lips still pressed against Pei Xiting’s. “Distracted?”
His gaze was very gentle, but Pei Xiting could hear a hint of a lesson in his tone. He kissed Zong Suiyang’s lips to appease him and whispered, “I was just worried that someone would come and see us.”
“What if they see?” Zong Suiyang rubbed his nose against Pei Xiting’s, as if he didn’t understand. “Is our relationship something to be hidden?”
“Of course not,” Pei Xiting pursed his lips. “I don’t care, but you are the Crown Prince after all. You should be careful. I don’t want those censors to scold you with long-winded essays.”
Zong Suiyang wasn’t the kind of person who would be concerned about censors. He smiled and said, “Then if they really scold me, will you protect me?”
“Of course,” Pei Xiting glared at him, saying fiercely, “I’ll scold them until their parents don’t even recognize them.”
Zong Suiyang said, “They are full of knowledge and can cite scriptures. How can you be their match?”
“Citing scriptures is the way of the cultured, and I admit my knowledge is far inferior to these civil officials, but my mouth is venomous,” Pei Xiting said confidently. “I can scold them until they spit blood! If they dare to kneel at the palace gates and use public opinion to pressure you, I’ll go to their homes one by one, hang myself in front of their doors, and tearfully beg them not to force us loving souls apart anymore, or I’d rather die than be separated from you!”
Zong Suiyang imagined the scene and could almost picture the censors wanting to jump up and down but not daring to provoke Pei Xiting too much. He pinched Pei Xiting’s puffed-out cheeks, sensing that he had already gotten into character and was getting angry. He soothed him, “No one can question my decisions, except for you.”
Pei Xiting refused to take the blame. “When have I ever questioned your decisions? Don’t make things up.”
“Don’t you often question and oppose my decisions?” Zong Suiyang said without hesitation. “I want to kiss, and you won’t let me. I want to touch, and you won’t let me. I want to bite, and you won’t let me. I want to do it again, and you—”
Pei Xiting quickly extended both hands, pinching Zong Suiyang’s mouth with his thumbs and forefingers simultaneously, and said earnestly, “This isn’t questioning. This is called discussing.”
Zong Suiyang looked at Pei Xiting and blinked. That pathetic boy, he let go right away.
“Don’t be afraid.” Zong Suiyang held Pei Xiting tightly, his voice gentle but leaving no room for doubt. “I’m not afraid of anyone knowing about our relationship.”
He pressed his lips against Pei Xiting’s and said with a smile, “If they want to know, let them know. If they like to watch, then let them watch.”
Pei Xiting felt that his gaze was meaningful and there was a double meaning in his words, but before he could ask, Zong Suiyang’s tongue forcefully entered his mouth. He had no time for other thoughts and responded with passionate fervor.
The sound of their lips and tongues intertwining was exceptionally clear under the corridor. Pei Xiting felt himself blushing, even though they had been intimate countless times and had done everything. He still blushed and felt his ears grow hot under Zong Suiyang’s “gaze” and “touch.”
Something hit a tree, and the branches and leaves rustled. Pei Xiting opened his eyes and saw Shangguan Jie and Zhao Fan in the wind and snow.
Through the curtain of snow, their eyes were filled with shock and confusion, and they were both red. Silently facing them was a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes.
Those eyes had once regarded him as nothing, giving him a false promise and revealing a cold, detached, and even condescending layer beneath the surface. But now, the snow in them was melted and warmed by a raging fire, and spring ripples shimmered.
“Xiting, my darling,” Zong Suiyang bit Pei Xiting’s swollen, wet, and warm lips. “No distractions.”
His voice was as deep and calm as a towering jade mountain, and yet, because of his loving indulgence, the snow mountain was collapsing. The honored guest, who was above all, had fallen into the mortal world and was now wielding a scythe of jealousy and possessiveness toward the onlookers.
A long, slender hand moved up Pei Xiting’s cheek and gently covered his disobedient eyes, also blocking the prying gaze of others—any ill-intentioned gaze, no matter how insignificant, could easily provoke Zong Suiyang’s jealousy and displeasure.
Pei Xiting knew that Zong Suiyang was often jealous of Little King and even of the small carved red brush that he had taken and used daily, the “Xiting Wenshui” he often pondered over, and the “Feiyan Suiyang”—everything he loved and paid attention to.
The sour jealousy rushed to his nose. Pei Xiting rubbed the man’s Adam’s apple to soothe him and smiled like a fox who had eaten meat. “Mmm-hmm.”
I’ll only look at you.
Their eyes met, and they kissed each other again, completely oblivious to their surroundings, like a pair of entwined mandarin ducks, lingering and inseparable.
Zhao Fan finally understood.
It was revenge.
That strange dream had let him know that he and Pei Xiting were a resentful couple separated by life and death. He thought he had a chance to start over, but today he realized that it was all wishful thinking.
The curtain of snow in front of him seemed like a cage, built with the strongest, most indestructible, and most insurmountable material in the world.
This cage, unless it opens on its own, will forever keep others separate from Pei Xiting, and even Pei Xiting himself can’t just run out.
The snow continued to fall, urging them onward. When Pei Xiting came back to his senses, the other two people were no longer there. He wasn’t interested and leaned drowsily on Zong Suiyang’s shoulder, his tongue feeling numb from kissing.
Zong Suiyang put an arm around his waist, using his other hand to soothe him, and said, “I’m hard.”
“No need to say,” Pei Xiting replied honestly. “I can feel it intensely.”
Zong Suiyang chuckled, burying his head to press against Pei Xiting’s, and said, “Don’t be scared. I know you haven’t eaten enough, so I won’t touch you now.”
Pei Xiting said, “At least you have some conscience… Ah, my mutton hotpot!”
It must have been overcooked by now!
Pei Xiting came out of Zong Suiyang’s arms, raised his eyes, and glared at him as if saying: Compensate me for the mutton hotpot!
“As if I’d ever let you starve? When have I ever not fed you to your fill?” Zong Suiyang said, pulling Pei Xiting toward the Yuehua Palace.
Pei Xiting said, “You have a hidden meaning in that, don’t you?”
Zong Suiyang replied, “A dirty mind sees and hears dirt in everything, don’t they?”
That despicable, lecherous pest always uses his own words against him. It’s like the apprentice starving the master! Pei Xiting sighed heavily and said, “I’m not talking to you.”
Zong Suiyang asked in surprise, “Really?”
“Yes,” Pei Xiting said with a determined and cold expression.
Zong Suiyang then asked, “Why?”
“I just don’t want to. I can’t be bothered with you,” Pei Xiting said.
Zong Suiyang sounded a little hurt as he said, “Is this what you once called the silent treatment?”
“I didn’t say that,” Pei Xiting shrugged. “If that’s what you want to think, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Oh.” Zong Suiyang said, “Quotes from scumbag men.”
Clearly, Zong Suiyang remembered the things Pei Xiting had said, even his offhand jokes. Pei Xiting couldn’t help but crack a smile, though his tone was still cold. “Don’t copy me. You’re a copycat.”
Zong Suiyang believed that in this unfamiliar place, Pei Xiting needed someone to use the “same language” as him. He sighed and said, “You’re really giving me the silent treatment. Fine, I won’t talk to you either.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Pei Xiting said.
“The magistrate can set fires, but the common people can’t even light a lamp,” Zong Suiyang said.
Pei Xiting felt he was being unreasonable but said confidently, “If you’re not convinced, that’s on you.”
“I am,” Zong Suiyang said, scooping up the little fox who had quickened his pace but never let go of his hand. He coaxed him, “Alright, please don’t give me the silent treatment.”
“Your tone isn’t sincere enough,” Pei Xiting said.
Zong Suiyang narrowed his eyes, then suddenly bent down and hugged Pei Xiting’s legs, lifting him up like a child.
“If you don’t agree, I’ll carry you back to the Yuehua Palace like this,” Zong Suiyang said.
“The one thing I’m not afraid of is being threatened,” Pei Xiting said. “Go on, carry me. I want to sit on your chair too!”
Zong Suiyang had no objections. He carried Pei Xiting, walking with steady, powerful steps through the layers of wind and snow.
Pei Xiting heard the music getting closer and saw that Yuehua Palace was only a few dozen meters away. The palace servant and guards there could see them, yet Zong was walking even faster, as if in a hurry.
“Hey!” Pei Xiting said. “I won’t give you the silent treatment.”
Zong Suiyang was not satisfied. “Your tone isn’t sincere enough.”
Pei Xiting: “…..”
The moment Zong Suiyang stepped onto the stairs, Pei Xiting grabbed his face and kissed him fiercely several times on his cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin, giving him a full “mouth massage.” Then he said, “Is that enough?!”
Zong Suiyang stopped, thinking for a moment. “You seem very reluctant? I hope you’ll agree to my request willingly.”
… Pei Xiting stared at Zong Suiyang, pouted, and his eyes reddened slightly.
Zong Suiyang was taken aback. He knew the other person was acting, but he still instinctively set him down gently.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Pei Xiting was like a horse released from its reins. He ran “whoosh” up the stairs.
Zong Suiyang shook his head and followed him.
When Pei Xiting took his seat, he immediately checked on his mutton hotpot and found that it had been replaced with a fresh pot, filled with all his favorite ingredients.
Little King, who had been abandoned by both its good friend and its owner, was already full. It was playing by running in circles around a pillar until it got dizzy. Then it obediently returned to the seat and began to doze off against Pei Xiting’s leg.
Pei Xiting patted it and then picked up his chopsticks to eat some meat. He looked up at the dais and, upon seeing Zong Suiyang’s accompanying attendants, suddenly realized something.
At first, the attendants and guards had been following Zong Suiyang, but later they had quietly disappeared. This must have been with Zong Suiyang’s permission.
But Zong Suiyang was not the type to shy away from public displays of affection. When they had kissed outside, the attendants would usually just retreat. After all, the Crown Prince’s personal servants were very discreet and wouldn’t watch.
Shangguan Jie and Zhao Fan were able to get close to the Crown Prince because Zong Suiyang had intended it.
It was a full-service package: coming out, asserting his claim, and issuing a warning.
Pei Xiting shook his head, took a bite of mutton, and felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.
Zong Suiyang smiled, resting his chin on his hand and just watching Pei Xiting. Suddenly, he noticed something. He turned his head toward the foot of the dais, and the smile in his eyes vanished, replaced by a calm but powerful coldness.
Shangguan Jie and Zhao Fan, who had been looking toward the dais, tensed up and lowered their gaze.
Pei Xiting was unaware of this little incident. He often advised Zong Suiyang to be less jealous, telling him that he only loved him and that he was unique. Zong Suiyang would often be soothed by his words, saying, “I know, I know,” but he still couldn’t control himself.
Sometimes, Pei Xiting felt conflicted.
He liked it when Zong Suiyang was jealous, as it showed that Zong Suiyang cared about him, paid attention to him, and couldn’t control himself. But he also didn’t want Zong Suiyang to be unhappy because of some unfounded or worthless person.
Ah, Pei Xiting took a big mouthful of mutton. It was a little hot but very delicious.
After the imperial banquet, the Crown Prince and Empress Qu were the first to leave. Pei Xiting said goodbye to You Zong and Lu Mang and followed them with Little King.
He was so full he started hiccuping. Empress Qu laughed, stroked his face, and told Zong Suiyang to take him back to rest. Then she got into her palanquin and returned to the palace.
Zong Suiyang held Pei Xiting’s hand and asked, “Want to take a sedan chair?”
“Let’s walk. It’s not far anyway,” Pei Xiting said, shaking Zong Suiyang’s hand. “It’ll help me digest… hic!”
Zong Suiyang naturally agreed. He took the umbrella and led Pei Xiting toward the East Palace. Yu Shaoyun, along with the palace servants and guards, followed behind. The group returned to the East Palace at a leisurely pace.
Upon entering the palace, the servants prepared hot water. Pei Xiting pulled Zong Suiyang to wash their hands, then went inside to take off his outer robe and change into a comfortable indoor gown. He undid his hair tie, and just as he was about to put it up in a bun, Zong Suiyang hugged him from behind.
The Crown Prince said impatiently, “Where’s the gift?”
Pei Xiting smiled and led Zong Suiyang to a small desk. He took a wooden box from a cabinet and said, “Let me just say, this isn’t anything expensive. I know you’ve seen every kind of treasure imaginable—”
“I’ll give you three counts,” Zong Suiyang said.
Pei Xiting immediately cut the chatter and opened the box with a click. He had thought for a long time about how to give the gift to Zong Suiyang in a way that would be a surprise, but he couldn’t come up with a brilliant idea. So he decided on a simple approach; after all, the gift itself was what mattered most.
Pei Xiting turned around with the gift box, his hips resting against the desk. He held up the box with both hands and said, “Here.”
Zong Suiyang looked at him, released his waist, and lifted the lid. He saw the cover of a book, but there were no words on it.
Zong Suiyang gently took out the gift. It was a book about a hand’s thickness, with a black cover and red silk binding. It was the same book Pei Xiting had been using for his “big project” recently.
Pei Xiting said, “Open it and take a look.”
Zong Suiyang pursed his lips and opened the first page, which was blank. He gently turned another page, and before his eyes was a two-page spread: a painting of a lattice window, a long corridor, a cluster of roses, a gentle breeze, a long night, a crescent moon, and two people standing by a table.
The next page was also a painting: a rainy day on Mt. Chaohua. He was playing the zither while Pei Xiting was painting, with Yu Shaoyun and Eunuch Lai standing nearby. The next page showed him pulling Pei Xiting to run into the rain. It turns out that’s what Pei Xiting’s gaze looked like back then—a little silly. In the villa during their shared bath, Pei Xiting was looking at him from the shore, his cheeks flushed.
Little King appeared next. They were chatting under a tree in the Longhe Division office. One night in Ningzhou, on a painted boat, Pei Xiting sat across from the zither table and smiled at him. That day when they went to the provincial capital, Pei Xiting and “Brother Fu” were eating wontons at a table on the street. In the room by the willow bank, Pei Xiting had his first zither lesson with him. In Hezhou, they walked along the bank, and he rejected Pei Xiting’s feelings by the willow tree.
In the small garden, Pei Xiting had angered him with the matter of Consort Chen, and he had taught him a small lesson. On the back mountain of the Baohui Temple, Pei Xiting fought Mei Xiu, and he protected him in front of Marquis Mei. In the small courtyard, a drunken Pei Xiting hugged him and begged him to stay. The day Pei Xiting was wronged at the Pei family, he took him to Physician Liu’s residence to treat his injuries. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, they confronted each other and kissed in the pavilion. On Mt. Damang, Pei Xiting was chased by assassins, and he appeared to save him. On the painted boat, they played a game of “truth or dare.” He was drugged at a brothel, and they spent a night together. The next page was blank.
A moment later, Zong Suiyang looked up at Pei Xiting and said, “Why does it stop here?”
Pei Xiting’s reason was very simple. He said, “Because I just couldn’t finish it!”
Zong Suiyang was momentarily stunned, then he smiled and said, “It’s alright. We have a lot of time; we can draw it slowly… Next year, I’ll continue drawing.”
“Good.” Pei Xiting said. “But I actually left some space for your own creativity. Can you guess what it is?”
Zong Suiyang said, “To write? I see some places have white stickers.”
“Exactly. Those are all for you,” Pei Xiting said. “When you have time, you can write the names and the time and place for each painting. This way, as the years go by, we’ll have a thick memoir of our memories.”
“Alright,” Zong Suiyang said. “Then next year, I’ll draw, and you can write.”
Pei Xiting nodded enthusiastically, like a chick pecking grain. “Yes, sir, yes, sir.”
… Zong Suiyang gently closed the book and set it aside. He cupped Pei Xiting’s face, kissed the tip of his nose, and said, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
“This isn’t hard work at all,” Pei Xiting said, rubbing his face against Zong Suiyang’s with a sly grin. “It makes my heart feel sweet.”
