TL: Hua
Extra 5: A Past Kiss (2): Ancient Times If Line: “Ghost” Pei and Prince Zong
The Crown Prince was confined to his bedchamber, which was now a sea of red flames.
Ignoring the layers of people trying to stop him, Zong Suiyang rushed to the door of the bedchamber. Suddenly, a white figure from behind hugged his legs. The force of his momentum caused him to kneel abruptly and slide forward a few steps on his knees.
“Crown Princess!” everyone exclaimed.
Zong Suiyang turned his head sharply and met a pale face. The stunningly beautiful Crown Princess’s hair was disheveled, and her eyes were red. She shook her head at him, pleading, “Fifth brother, you can’t go in! Please save Lu’er; only you can save Lu’er!”
Zong Suiyang couldn’t fall here, nor could he be incriminated because of the Crown Prince. Only he could be Zong Lu’s shield. Zong Suiyang suddenly understood. This was his imperial brother’s last wish for him and also the fatal choice Emperor Xining had left him.
He could only save one: Zong Lu or his imperial brother and sister-in-law.
“The little prince, the little prince…”
In that instant, Zong Suiyang became extraordinarily calm. It seemed as if the sounds of the wind and fire around him had disappeared. All he could hear was a buzzing sound mixed with his own heartbeat. He didn’t spare a single glance for the burning bedchamber. He pulled up the Crown Princess, leaped down the steps, and pushed her towards her personal nanny. He then reached out and hugged Zong Lu, who was running towards him, and walked away without looking back.
Zong Lu was crying hysterically. Zong Suiyang carried him out of the East Palace and never looked back.
Pei Xiting had been following Zong Suiyang the whole time. Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his head sharply.
On a palace path not far away, Emperor Xining was sitting in his palanquin, looking with an unreadable expression at Zong Suiyang’s retreating figure. Suddenly, he slightly tilted his head. Pei Xiting followed his gaze and found that Emperor Xining was looking at a scurrying palace servant. It was Li Buyan.
That’s right. Even though people were rushing back and forth tonight, the palace gates were heavily guarded. Without Emperor Xining’s tacit approval, how could Li Buyan have escaped?
Li Buyan was the hidden blade Emperor Xining used to stab Crown Prince Yuanhe and also a whetstone deliberately left for Zong Suiyang. The countless rebellions and assassination attempts Zong Suiyang experienced later were all forms of training and punishment from Emperor Xining.
Zong Suiyang was right. Emperor Xining had gone mad long ago. Otherwise, how could he have the heart to treat the bloodline of his beloved in this way?
Pei Xiting’s mood was complex. He glared at the crazy old man and then turned to follow Zong Suiyang.
The night was like a monstrous beast with a gaping maw, swallowing Zong Suiyang and Zong Lu in his arms.
By the time Zong Suiyang returned to his princely residence with Zong Lu, Zong Lu had cried himself into a stupor. He immediately called for the residence’s imperial physician to examine him. After confirming that Zong Lu was okay, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Your Highness, please go and rest. This subordinate will look after him.” The speaker was a man in a long gray robe, a younger version of You Zong.
Zong Suiyang sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Zong Lu’s face without speaking.
“Your Highness,” You Zong knelt in front of Zong Suiyang and said softly, “The palace is bound to be in turmoil for a while. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will make the decisions?”
After a moment of silence, Zong Suiyang said in a hoarse voice, “Heying, you will guard him here. No one is allowed to take him away without my order.”
“This subordinate understands.” You Zong tilted his head to look at Yu Shaoyun, who quickly stepped forward to help Zong Suiyang.
Zong Suiyang raised his hand to refuse. As he was about to get up, he suddenly stumbled forward. Yu Shaoyun and You Zong quickly caught him. When they touched his forehead, they found it frighteningly hot.
In the midst of the blizzard, Zong Suiyang had traveled all the way back to the capital, not a single drop of water consumed, changing five fast horses. Even a man of iron could not have endured it. Moreover, everyone knew that what truly broke Zong Suiyang was the deep pain in his heart.
Yu Shaoyun settled Zong Suiyang on the bed in his bedchamber. After checking his pulse, the imperial physician administered acupuncture and then gave him a dose of medicine. By midnight, Zong Suiyang’s fever finally broke, and the imperial physician and Yu Shaoyun breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Shaoyun told the imperial physician to rest and sat by a round table not far away to keep watch.
The bedchamber was brightly lit. Pei Xiting lay on the side of the bed, touching Zong Suiyang’s pale cheek, his heart aching. He couldn’t do anything. His eyes reddened as he watched, and he instinctively lay on Zong Suiyang’s chest, as if listening to his heartbeat would bring him peace of mind.
The wind howled outside the window. Pei Xiting held Zong Suiyang’s hand, occasionally touching his forehead to make sure the fever hadn’t returned, which gave him some relief.
At dawn, the imperial physician came to check Zong Suiyang’s pulse and said that thanks to His Highness’s good physique, the fever had completely subsided, and he only needed to rest well and take his medicine on time.
Despite the words, Yu Shaoyun was still worried. While his body was better, a wounded heart was difficult to heal.
After the imperial physician left, Bai Tang and Yu Shaoyun switched guard.
At noon that day, Zong Suiyang had still not woken up. Pei Xiting sat on the side of the bed and heard someone talking outside. He floated out and heard a guard say to Yu Shaoyun, “The Crown Princess has committed suicide.”
Yu Shaoyun was stunned for a moment and said nothing.
This ending had already been set. Otherwise, His Highness would not have left the Crown Princess in the East Palace last night. They had nothing to say.
Pei Xiting floated back into the bedchamber and lay back on the bed. Although the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had an arranged marriage, they had a deep bond. With the Crown Prince gone, whether it was for love or to protect Zong Lu or even to avoid implicating her family, the Crown Princess seemed to have only one path to choose.
“Suiyang,” Pei Xiting squeezed Zong Suiyang’s fingers and gently closed his eyes, “please get better soon.”
In Zong Suiyang’s dream, the road was long and deep. One moment, there was Emperor Xining’s cold and heartless smile and sentence. Next, it was his Imperial Brother’s gentle and handsome face, who called out with a smile: Fuchuan, have you finally decided to come back? He walked over, and suddenly, a raging fire erupted around him. The fire fiercely devoured his flesh and blood. His imperial brother howled in pain in the flames, then turned to look at him with eyes full of hatred.
“!”
Zong Suiyang was so frightened that he took a step back, staring blankly at his imperial brother in the fire. His imperial brother was burned to the point where his flesh had peeled off, suffering immensely. He slowly lowered his head and raised his hands, seeing only his own burning bones.
He didn’t feel any pain, but it hurt so much. Where was the pain coming from? Zong Suiyang walked step by step towards his Imperial Brother, just as he had walked step by step out of the Royal Academy’s door as a child, seeing his Imperial Brother standing with his hands behind his back at the bottom of the stairs.
His Imperial Brother was indeed no longer hateful. His face was as warm as a spring breeze, smiling at him again.
He deserved to die, didn’t he?
Zong Suiyang’s steps became lighter. Just as he was about to reach out and touch his Imperial Brother, a gentle breath fell by his ear, and a voice whispered softly, “Suiyang, wake up. Your Highness, come back to me.”
Who is that?
I’ve never heard that voice before, so why does it feel so familiar?
Zong Suiyang’s head ached terribly. He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his scalp. Someone was pulling his hair. He frowned slightly and abruptly opened his eyes.
There was a heavy weight on his chest. A person was sleeping soundly, their fingers still wrapped in his hair.
Zong Suiyang was first startled. Where did this person come from, lying on top of him?! Then he flew into a rage. “How dare you!”
Pei Xiting was in the middle of a dream. He was so startled by the cold, angry shout that his whole body trembled. He abruptly opened his eyes and woke up. He didn’t expect to meet a pair of dark eyes filled with a disgust and repulsion he had never seen before.
“…” Pei Xiting’s heart ached. His mind went blank, and he didn’t care about anything. He immediately opened his mouth and cursed, “Zong Suiyang, you son of a bastard, how dare you look at me like that?! Don’t think you can’t tell the difference between the king and the joker just because you’re in a dream! You—agh!”
His voice came to a sudden halt. Pei Xiting’s throat tightened. Zong Suiyang had him by the throat, pinning him beneath him. The force was so strong. Zong Suiyang genuinely wanted to kill him!
“Who are you?” Zong Suiyang’s gaze was ice-cold.
“Your Highness!” Yu Shaoyun, hearing the commotion, rushed in from outside. He saw his Highness kneeling on the bed, his right hand gripping something, with his veins bulging.
Yu Shaoyun walked to the bed in a daze, cautiously looking at the bizarre scene in front of him. “Yo… Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
“What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’—” Zong Suiyang turned his head and met Yu Shaoyun’s shocked, bewildered, pained, and worried gaze. He frowned slightly. “You can’t see him?”
Pei Xiting was already rolling his eyes.
Yu Shaoyun followed Zong Suiyang’s gaze to the bed, rubbed his eyes hard, and said in horror, “Your—Your Highness, there’s nothing there! Bai Tang!”
Bai Tang instantly appeared inside, standing next to Yu Shaoyun, and after looking at his Highness, he showed the same expression.
In that instant, a single thought occurred to all three of them: Is he possessed?!
Zong Suiyang’s gaze was rigid, and the strength in his hand loosened slightly, but he was still holding the person who was constantly coughing and gasping for air. He scrutinized this evil being. He had a foxy, bewitching look, so his origin must not be simple.
“Who are you, exactly?” Zong Suiyang said. “If you dare to conceal anything, I’ll have you skinned and torn apart, with no chance of reincarnation.”
This little brat dares to threaten me. Pei Xiting rolled his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “If you do that, you won’t have a boyfriend in the future.”
“A boyfriend?” Zong Suiyang frowned. “Speak plainly.”
“That’s a male lover, homosexual; do you understand?” Pei Xiting smiled maliciously. “Not only will you be into men in the future, but you’ll also be madly in love with me… agh!”
Zong Suiyang tightened his grip and said, “Evil creature, do not speak such filth.”
“You… you don’t believe me?” Pei Xiting reached out and held Zong Suiyang’s merciless iron hand, and with great effort, he managed to say a number. He raised an eyebrow slightly. “If you don’t believe me, you can measure it yourself. I know how long and thick you are better than you do.”
“…” Zong Suiyang was stunned for a moment before he realized what kind of disgusting thing he was talking about. He frowned and said, “You—”
Afraid that this brat would add more force and his little neck would actually “snap,” Pei Xiting quickly spoke first. “The first time you drank alcohol, when you were five, you had too much and stumbled in your bedchamber, ‘thudding’ your forehead onto the floor, which left a mark. You were too embarrassed to tell anyone, including your Imperial Brother.”
Zong Suiyang stared intently at Pei Xiting. After a moment, he said, “You are indeed an evil spirit to be able to pry into my past.”
“?”
No, big brother, just… forget it.
Pei Xiting’s chest heaved. He decided not to argue with this version of Zong Suiyang. He said, “The twenty-four-year-old you told me yourself. On New Year’s Eve, we were snuggled in a recliner under a blanket, talking about our childhoods. I told you that my favorite things to eat as a child were the pancakes from the school gate and the one-yuan-a-skewer deep-fried skewers from the gutter oil stands, the unauthentic stinky tofu, and the yogurt bags you had to squeeze to drink. One time, I squeezed a yogurt bag and it burst, spraying all over my face. I was embarrassed on the street. That’s when you told me that embarrassing story.”
Pei Xiting reached out and put his arms around Zong Suiyang’s neck, looking at him with both tenderness and grievance. “Suiyang, you can’t kill me or hurt me. Otherwise, when I wake up, I’ll settle the score with the twenty-four-year-old you. He loves me so much; it would break his heart.”
