Chapter 30#
Casual Chat: Little Pei Takes a Tentative Step#
The Crown Prince observed Pei Xiting’s unrestrained, ordinary faint smile, and after a moment, echoed him like a parrot, “Good afternoon.”
Pei Xiting said, “Did you send Little King to walk me?”
The Crown Prince denied it: “I did not.”
“Good. That little tiger of yours isn’t being well-behaved. As your loyal subordinate, I must help you share the burden.” Pei Xiting rolled up his sleeves, shook his fist at the Crown Prince, and said with righteous indignation, “Today, I’m definitely going to rub it bald.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” the Crown Prince considered, then surprisingly agreed, “Then we won’t have to bathe it anymore. Saves time, effort, and water.”
Little King, hiding behind the bushes, had planned to admire its master’s heroic posture in repelling the “enemy.” Never did it expect its master to be so cold and heartless, scheming to turn it into an ugly bald thing. Instantly aggrieved, it burst with bitter bubbles, charging out and rubbing against the Crown Prince’s calf in a frenzy of impotent rage.
The Crown Prince looked down at the fussy little tiger, his leg twitching slightly from the rubbing. Pei Xiting saw this and instinctively reached out to block, only to realize the Crown Prince was just shifting his stance because it tickled.
The Crown Prince took in Pei Xiting’s subconscious reaction, thinking: Is he afraid I’ll kick this little thing away?
Casting a glance at Pei Xiting, the Crown Prince said, “Aren’t you going to rub it?”
Pei Xiting eyed the little cutie sulking around the Crown Prince and asked cautiously, “Where can I touch?”
Its master gave guidance: “The head.”
Pei Xiting bent down, slowly extending his claws, tentatively touching the round tiger head. Little King paused, not batting his hand away. So he rubbed a few more times, and the little tiger couldn’t help but show a “pleasantly rubbed” expression, even turning to nuzzle his hand and lifting its front paw, adorned with the longevity cord, staring straight at him.
Pei Xiting thought of the little mongrel dog. The pancake stall Business had been good, but he had gone from a regular customer to someone who only visited once every six months. Yet “Pancake” would always jump off the cart board and run to greet him, until the rope held it back, and with a final leap, it would land in his arms.
A fluffy little black dog, with eyes like black grapes, frolicking around a friend it hadn’t seen in a long time—moments like that had once given him a strange sense of security.
A wistful, yearning expression surfaced on Pei Xiting’s face. The Crown Prince noticed it, but Little King didn’t understand, simply annoyed at being ignored. It impatiently patted Pei Xiting’s leg, its amber eyes clearly saying: How dare you! Hurry up and shake paws with me!
Pei Xiting snapped back to reality, tentatively reached out, and shook its paw, his heart softening. He pointed to the longevity cord and said, “I’ll make you another little pendant in a few days, okay?”
Little King patted Pei Xiting’s hand, and he took that as a yes, smiled, and looked up to ask the Crown Prince: “It’s so intelligent. Where on earth did you get this little treasure?”
From this completely top-down angle, Pei Xiting’s face looked even smaller, as if one hand could cover his eyes and mouth, stripping away sensory perception and breath, covering him completely.
Pei Xiting said, “Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze and said flatly, “Its mother, with her last breath, sent it to my carriage as a cub. Perhaps its mother gave it a dying wish, so it has been very dependent on me since it was young.”
Pei Xiting looked down, stroking Little King’s head, and said softly, “It was so small, separated from its mother and following Your Highness ever since. It’s natural for it to depend on its owner. But more importantly, Your Highness has raised it well. All things have spirits; it can certainly feel that, which is why it’s so affectionate and fond of Your Highness.”
Little King wagged its head under Pei Xiting’s hand, as if agreeing with him.
Seeing this, Pei Xiting smiled and reached out to pick up Little King. It weighed over thirty jin, so it was quite easy. Little King didn’t fuss but climbed up to sniff his face. Pei Xiting laughed, turning his head to avoid it, saying, “Don’t rub, it tickles.”
He turned to look at the Crown Prince. “It’s so warm to hold in winter, like a little blanket.”
The Crown Prince hummed in agreement.
As Pei Xiting “whispered cheek to cheek” with Little King, he looked at the Crown Prince with interest. “When you’re around people, do you usually not say much?”
“They talk,” the Crown Prince said.
Pei Xiting was curious. “Have you ever chatted with anyone? Private chats, about anything at all.”
“In the past, yes. Now, rarely.” The Crown Prince turned and walked toward the corridor.
Pei Xiting, carrying Little King, followed. “I heard you used to travel a lot. You must have been to many places and seen many beautiful sights?”
“I’ve been to many places. As for beautiful sights,” the Crown Prince said, “I forget them once I’ve seen them.”
Little King wanted to get down. Pei Xiting bent down, set it on the ground, patted its back, stood up, and said, “I think you’re being disingenuous. Otherwise, why would you want me to paint that scene of rain between heaven and earth?”
The Crown Prince stopped, turned, and looked at Pei Xiting. “You talk too much.”
Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow. “I hit a nerve.”
“You’ve overstepped,” the Crown Prince said.
“So many people around you restrain themselves and maintain their boundaries, yet they might not win your favor. I might as well do the opposite. Besides,” Pei Xiting gestured around, “you stand here alone, without the imperial guard, just an idle person out for an afternoon stroll. If I were cautious and timid at every turn, it wouldn’t be pleasant. If I were anxious and trembling with every word, how could you see my sincerity?”
The Crown Prince asked, “What is your sincerity?”
Pei Xiting said, “I want to see you smile.”
The Crown Prince was startled, then said, “Nonsense.”
“Some people wait all night just to see the sunrise, some travel mountains and rivers just to watch the tide. Who doesn’t want to pursue the beauty in their heart? What’s strange about me wanting to see you smile?” Pei Xiting said.
The Crown Prince didn’t comment, simply saying, “What’s so beautiful about a smile?”
“You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of the fish?” Pei Xiting said.
The Crown Prince didn’t know what to say and replied bluntly, “A smile isn’t hard, but if it’s too forced, I can’t smile.”
Unexpected by this response, Pei Xiting paused, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Your Highness, you really are…” He swallowed the word “adorable” and rephrased, “Interesting.”
The Crown Prince considered himself the most boring person under heaven, so he said, “Your taste is very unique.”
“No, my taste is very focused. I just go for ‘fragrance.’ Like food, whether it’s a delicacy or wild herbs, as long as it’s fragrant, it’s all the same to me.” Pei Xiting looked at the Crown Prince. His calf was brushed against, and he snapped back, bending down to pet Little King, who had run back. “I think you’re quite gentle with Little King.”
His topic changed quickly, and the Crown Prince said, “You’ve misread.”
“Discrepancy between words and heart.” Pei Xiting clicked his tongue and seized the opportunity to probe, “Do you like children?”
“No,” the Crown Prince said.
Pei Xiting “oh-ed” and asked, “So when do you plan to get married?”
“I don’t,” the Crown Prince said, looking down at the person crouched before him. This was also the first time he had encountered such a person. “You’re quite interested in my private affairs?”
Pei Xiting said, “Just casual talk. I’ve talked about this with Second Brother, Sifan, and the others too. When I go eat on the street, even the shop owner asks about my marriage prospects.”
“You’re inclined toward men?” the Crown Prince asked.
The question caught him off guard. Pei Xiting paused, then answered truthfully, “I don’t know either. I’ve never dated a girl before, nor a boy.”
The only time his heart raced was because of the person in front of him. He couldn’t say for sure if he was bent.
“But what does it matter?” Pei Xiting said lightly. “Men and women are all people. If I like someone, is that orientation strange?”
The Crown Prince guessed Pei Xiting wasn’t treating him as a prince. He watched the person absorbed in smoothing Little King’s fur, then turned and sat down on the beauty chair, saying, “Your family won’t agree.”
“Oh, what’s that to me?” Pei Xiting said.
The Crown Prince said, “Matters of marriage have always been by parents’ command and matchmaker’s word.”
“I don’t agree,” Pei Xiting said. “Whoever gets married has the final say. I only engage in romance with people I like… talk about love. If they like someone or fancy someone, they can ask about it themselves. What’s it got to do with me?”
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment, then said, “Rebellious.”
“Better that than passive submission.” Pei Xiting gave Little King’s rump a playful pat. “Right?”
Little King turned and nuzzled his head against him. Pei Xiting seized the moment to hug it, rubbing his cheek against its tiger head a few times. “And you know, if I really did end up in the Young Marquis’s bed, do you think the Pei family would, on one hand, find me shameful, and on the other, be delighted I’d attached myself to a noble?”
The Crown Prince asked, “You don’t like Shangguan Jie?”
“…” Pei Xiting turned his head to look back at the Crown Prince, bewildered. “Do I look blind?”
The Crown Prince looked into those autumn-water eyes and answered honestly, “No.”
“Then there you go. I declare that whoever marries him in the future will be out of their luck.” Pei Xiting shook his head. “Too unstable in mood, always getting angry. Go have some cooling medicine.”
Listening to him mutter, the Crown Prince didn’t interrupt, his gaze fixed on the hand resting on the tiger’s back.
Pei Xiting was fair-skinned, thin, with long, pale fingers and crescent-shaped nails. Whether painting, holding an umbrella, combing hair, or bathing—every gesture was beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
The Crown Prince watched quietly, as if appreciating a painting—one of Pei Wenjuan’s paintings. Suddenly, that hand turned slightly over, revealing the bright, striking cinnabar mole on his palm.
The afternoon sunlight grew suddenly intense. The Crown Prince came to himself, realizing his earlier distraction, and couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
The prayer beads on his wrist slid down silently. The Crown Prince pressed his fingertips slightly, his eyes falling on Pei Xiting’s relaxed, cheerful profile, as if pondering, judging, and weighing something.
Yu Shaoyun flew in from somewhere, landing behind the Crown Prince and calling out, “Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince’s gaze flickered, finally moving away from Pei Xiting’s face. He said nothing in the end.
Pei Xiting reluctantly released the little cutie, stood up, and bowed. “Goodbye, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince hummed in acknowledgment, stood up, and left. Little King rose as well, and as it left, bumped Pei Xiting with its rump, walking with a graceful step inherited from its master—unhurried and unhurried.
“Hey… I’ll rough you up good next time,” Pei Xiting muttered a threat, then turned and headed up to the Document Building for his afternoon shift.
You Zong and Lu Mang walked over from the corridor. Glancing at Pei Xiting’s retreating figure, Lu Mang said, “Does His Highness have an old acquaintance with Secretary Pei?”
You Zong said, “No.”
“Then His Highness is far too lenient with him,” Lu Mang said.
“His Highness knows his own mind,” You Zong said. “Isn’t it good to have someone who can share a relaxed chat with His Highness?”
Lu Mang nodded, then clicked his tongue. “Don’t you think, when the two of them are together, the scene is very beautiful and harmonious, a feast for the eyes!”
You Zong knew about one of his hobbies and warned, “If you dare write and fabricate stories about His Highness, you’ll die a miserable death.”
“I’ll write anonymously; who’ll know?” Lu Mang patted You Zong’s shoulder. “Just don’t tattle, or else without me, where will you find such a diligent, careful, capable, clever, and sensible chief clerk?”
He whistled and walked away.
You Zong stood in the corridor, shaking his head, and said, “Tempting fate.”