Chapter 16#

Portrait, Tattoo.#

The breeze was gentle, the candlelight faint. Pei Xiting stared silently at the large cat for a moment, then calmly sat up. The hem of his undergarment, which had been piled atop his belly, slid back down, covering his waist and abdomen.

He glanced at the window, which had gone from a small crack to a large gap, and said, “Since the visitor has come, show yourself.”

“How can Third Young Master Pei be sure that the one before you is not the honored guest himself?”

A male voice, carrying a hint of laughter, came from behind the window. The person flipped inside, tall and slender, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. It was the “servant” who had spoken to Pei Xiting that night at the Mei residence.

Pei Xiting looked down at the “one before him” that was lying at the head of the bed staring at him and said, “This one looks about three months old, with smooth and clean fur. Clearly it’s a house pet and well-fed. Our household doesn’t keep tigers. For someone else’s pet tiger cub to run out of its territory late at night, cross streets and walls to come see me—that’s too much of a coincidence.”

“This one is His Highness’s pet, called ‘Little Boss.’ I took it out for a stroll.” Yu Shaoyun patted Little Boss’s head, signaling it to stay still, then looked down at Pei Xiting with a smile. “And while I’m at it, I’d like to ask Third Young Master Pei for a favor.”

It was late, and Pei Xiting couldn’t be bothered to tidy up. He simply got out of bed in his undergarments and said, “Please give your orders, Your Highness.”

“A portrait of the person who stole the Po Yinlin.” Yu Shaoyun said. “Don’t worry, the night watchman has already fallen asleep and won’t disturb you.”

Little Boss closely followed Pei Xiting’s steps and, as Yu Shaoyun finished speaking, nudged him with its head, as if threatening on behalf of its master.

Pei Xiting found it quite adorable. He walked to the desk and sat down, saying, “I dare not deceive Your Highness. I did see the thief that day, but his face was covered. It was hard to make out his features. At the time, I was panicked and had a dagger at my throat, so I didn’t dare look too closely.”

“No matter.” Yu Shaoyun said. “Third Young Master Pei is meticulous and perceptive, and highly skilled in fine brushwork. You will surely capture the person’s essence.”

Pei Xiting didn’t bother with false modesty. “I’ll do my best. Please have a seat for a moment, young sir.”

Yu Shaoyun nodded, carried a chair over to the desk, and sat down facing him, openly appraising Pei Xiting.

Pei Xiting didn’t mind. He casually pulled a yellow painting string from the brush rack to tie up his hair, then spread out a sheet of paper, dipped a small wolf-hair brush in ink, and began to sketch.

Little Boss circled around him once, then took the liberty of patrolling the bedroom as if it owned the place, its noble and natural bearing quite reminiscent of its owner.

The room was quiet. Yu Shaoyun made casual conversation. “You ran away that day, weren’t you afraid the Young Marquis would retaliate?”

“I was more afraid he’d pull my pants down.” Pei Xiting didn’t look up. “The situation was urgent; I had to prioritize the present.”

Yu Shaoyun said, “The Young Marquis of the Shangguan family has a bad temper. I’m afraid he’ll keep causing you trouble.”

“His brain is on his own neck. I can’t control what he thinks. I’ll just deal with whatever comes—use soldiers when the enemy comes, build an embankment when the flood arrives. Besides, isn’t I’m doing my best to cling to Your Highness’s thigh right now?” Pei Xiting lifted his brush to dip in ink. “As long as Your Highness is willing to protect my life, no one in Yeijing can kill me.”

Yu Shaoyun said, “Young Master… you’re very candid.”

If ten people knelt before the Crown Prince, nine and a half of them would harbor intentions of flattery and sycophancy, but no one had ever spoken so frankly. And oddly enough, it was more likeable than all those ingratiating words or fawning servility.

“Actually, if I had any other support, I wouldn’t dare trouble Your Highness.” Pei Xiting said. “Your Highness sees through everything, like a torch in the dark. How could I hide such petty thoughts from him? It’s better to be honest.”

“His Highness?” Yu Shaoyun looked puzzled. Little Boss on the couch nearby also let out a dissatisfied grumble.

“Twenty-three, still young.” Pei Xiting smiled. “Just showing respect, isn’t it?”

A moment later, he put down his brush. “I can only draw what I saw. It’s not very detailed, but it’ll be enough for a wanted poster.”

Yu Shaoyun took the portrait. The person on the paper caught his eye, and his brow arched slightly.

Pei Xiting didn’t think the masked young man was a great villain, and worried that his death at the hands of the Eastern Palace would be undeserved. So he had cautiously adjusted the proportions and the shape of the eyes and brows in the portrait. With the mask, if the Eastern Palace didn’t know the young man in black, it might provide some cover. They were only passing acquaintances, and this was all he could do. But now, seeing Yu Shaoyun’s raised brow, as if he understood, Pei Xiting couldn’t help but make a guess: Yu Shaoyun recognized the person in the portrait.

Sure enough, Yu Shaoyun said, “Though there are slight differences, it roughly matches.”

“… " Pei Xiting kept his expression composed. “It is my honor to serve Your Highness.”

Yu Shaoyun put away the portrait, stood up, and said, “I have the painting now, so I won’t disturb you further. Farewell.”

Little Boss was playing with something on the couch. Yu Shaoyun walked over and saw it was a long-life wristlet.

“Put that down now.” Yu Shaoyun reached for it but got swatted away by a paw. He put his hands on his hips. “Hey! Don’t think I won’t report this and get you docked a meal!”

Little Boss knew this man couldn’t bear to treat it that harshly; it had long since learned to throw its weight around. Ignoring him, it buried its head and kept pawing at the wristlet.

“It’s fine.” Pei Xiting walked over. “I braided it for fun in my spare time. If it likes it, let it play with it.”

Yu Shaoyun looked at Pei Xiting in surprise. “Third Young Master Pei knows this craft too?”

Pei Xiting looked puzzled. “It’s not exactly difficult, is it?”

Yu Shaoyun bent down to help Little Boss put the wristlet on. Seeing the cub lower its head to admire it, clearly liking it, he scooped it up, thanked Pei Xiting, and expertly slipped out the window.

Pei Xiting walked over and, seeing Yu Shaoyun leap over the wall with the little tiger, closed the window.

The moonlight was blocked outside, and it didn’t catch the displeasure in Pei Xiting’s eyes.

The masked young man was hired by someone, but the thin and fat duo had mentioned “Guild Master,” suggesting they were acting on orders. Two parties stealing the Po Yinlin at the same time meant that beyond being valuable, the item might have other uses. Shangguan Jie had pressed him for leads on the masked man today because he was tracking the stolen goods, but why would the Crown Prince personally inquire?

It was the Crown Prince who came to him tonight, but it wouldn’t be only the Crown Prince who could find out that the person with Shangguan Jie at the Fumeng Tower was “Pei Xiting.”

—He had been dragged into trouble.

Pei Xiting lay back down in bed, rolled over, and stared at the bed canopy, deep in thought.

In the original novel, “Pei Xiting” hadn’t resisted Shangguan Jie, so the masked man hadn’t had the chance to steal the Po Yinlin. But he recalled that later in the story, Shangguan Jie lost an important item and, furious and alarmed, had sought out “Pei Xiting” for a wild romp to vent his anger. Perhaps what he lost was the Po Yinlin… It didn’t matter if it was or wasn’t. What mattered was that because the plot had changed, his situation was more dangerous now.

Images of the Pei family’s guards and servants flashed before his eyes… Better go hire some bodyguards with higher combat skills.

Pei Xiting turned over, looked at the moonlight spilling on the window, and slowly drifted into sleep.

Moonlight poured into the hall. The Crown Prince, who had been sleeping slumped over his desk, opened his eyes.

He stepped onto the Baoxiang-patterned tile floor and walked outside. The jade steps before the hall were chill, the railings cold white. There were no on-duty guards, and even the shadow guards had lost all trace of life.

The night wind enveloped heaven and earth. The golden pomegranate trees by the pond looked like a surging mass of blood-mist.

“Could it be the Fifth Prince?”

Someone whispered. The Crown Prince looked out.

“The Crown Prince has barely met with an accident, and the Fifth Prince returns to the capital right after. It’s too much of a coincidence. Could the mastermind behind this be the Fifth Prince? After all, the Crown Prince is gentle and kind. He really doesn’t seem like someone who would poison his own father!”

“But hasn’t the Fifth Prince always been fraternal and respectful to the Crown Prince?”

“Born into the imperial family, what fraternal respect is there? Power is paramount; even one’s closest kin can be killed!”

“The Fifth Prince has been aloof since childhood. He’s spent few years in Yeijing, supposedly traveling. Who knows if he’s been playing the fool, biding his time and scheming for today—Ah!”

Several officials chatting in a huddle were suddenly engulfed by the blood-mist. The Crown Prince’s knees ached violently as someone pressed his nape and slammed his head hard against the cold floor of the hall.

“Innocent? Wasn’t the sachet containing the poison brought into the palace by him? The evidence is solid, and you still dare to say he’s innocent!” The voice was angry and disappointed, lofty and haughty. “Lao Wu, discard your useless emotions and soft-heartedness, or you will never be able to wield the blade of power!”

“I never wanted to wield it!”

The Crown Prince heard his own hysterical, hoarse roar. Then the icy hand actually let go, gently patting his shoulder. The voice became kind and sinister:

“Fuchuan, you were born to sit in this position.”

The blood-mist seethed, stinging the Crown Prince’s eyes. He looked up. The face in the blood-mist was ruthless and cold, pronouncing judgment on him: “Cry. Your elder brother died because of you.”

The blood-mist, like a rakshasa demon, instantly engulfed him. The sinful flames of karma burned fiercely. The Crown Prince snapped his eyes open with a “shua,” calmly straightening up from the desk.

The candle had not gone out. He gathered his robe and continued reviewing official documents.

A moment later, the one who had gone out to walk the cat returned. Little Boss became timid as soon as it saw its master, instantly transforming from a proud little boss into a meek little kitten. It tiptoed sneakily across the Baoxiang-patterned tiles, hiding under the desk to lie down.

Yu Shaoyun shook his head with a smile, stepped forward, opened the portrait, turned it around, and placed it on the desk.

The Crown Prince glanced at it. “This is more accurate than the wanted posters from the yamen.”

“Ten painters can turn one person into ten different pictures. Among them, those who can accurately capture the form are already few. But Third Young Master Pei can precisely capture a person’s essence and temperament and put it on paper. So even though the eyes and brows were slightly off, I recognized him at a glance.” Yu Shaoyun put away the portrait and asked for instructions, “How does Your Highness wish to handle this?”

“A pot of hot porridge set out in the street. The hungry, the gluttonous, the nosy—everyone wants a sip. Let them drink. The more the merrier.” The Crown Prince said. “Send this portrait to the southwest along with the message. Their own children should be disciplined at home. If they don’t put in the effort and let the child go astray to an early grave, don’t come crying at my grave.”

“Yes.” Yu Shaoyun acknowledged. Then, after a pause, “Your Highness, regarding Third Young Master Pei, I inadvertently discovered something.”

“Speak.”

“His sleeping posture is particularly odd. He sleeps like this—” Yu Shaoyun turned and ran to a low couch not far away, knelt sideways, slid forward on his hands across the golden-straw mat until his upper body was down, his lower half lying flat, his buttocks sticking up high, and said in a muffled voice, “Like this!”

“… " The Crown Prince had indeed never seen such an odd sleeping posture. “But what does that have to do with you?”

Yu Shaoyun sat up, got off the low couch, and gestured as he walked. “The key point is, sleeping like that, his undergarment slides down his back, doesn’t it? So when I first arrived at his window, I happened to catch a glimpse of here—”

He pointed to the area around his own lower abdomen to the right waist, and said conclusively, “There’s a tattoo! But since it was far away, dark, and I only got a glance, I’m not sure if it was tattooed or painted.”

“A tattoo?” The Crown Prince mused. “Fair, clean, smooth, moist… indeed an excellent canvas.”

As His Highness’s most considerate, most efficient, most decisive—and definitely capable of overwhelming Bai Tang—guard, Yu Shaoyun immediately requested instructions: “You like it? I’ll go ask Third Young Master Pei if he’s willing to let you tattoo him.”

“Forget it.” The Crown Prince said flatly. “Compared to painting on his body, I prefer his paintings.”