Chapter 32#

Reason.#

Pei Jintang’s sudden appearance gave Shangguan Jie a real scare.

Looking at that ugly expression, Shangguan Jie’s mind went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously explained, “I didn’t…”

Pei Xiting buried his cheek in Pei Jintang’s shoulder, as if ashamed to face anyone, whimpering weakly. His disheveled hair swept aside as he tilted his head, revealing a bruise on his neck—a silent testament to the humiliation he had suffered.

Pei Jintang patted Pei Xiting’s back to soothe him, then looked up at Shangguan Jie and said in a deep voice, “Young Marquis, the Pei family may not be noble, but we are an honest and respectable household, not to be casually insulted and trampled upon!”

Shangguan Jie felt the weight of the word “injustice” for the first time. “I never touched him!”

“I saw with my own eyes the Young Marquis grabbing Xiting by the neck and shoving him to the ground. If that’s not touching him, then do you dare do something but not own up to it?” Pei Jintang stared at Shangguan Jie with disappointment and anger, his handsome eyes slightly red. “I thought the Young Marquis was a man of loyalty and reason, and I respected you from the bottom of my heart as a brother and friend… I was wrong. A Young Marquis is a Young Marquis—thinking that because of your noble status you can bully others at will, without a shred of remorse!”

This was the first time Shangguan Jie had seen Pei Jintang truly angry. He was stunned into silence, not daring to argue further. He stepped forward and said, “Jintang—”

Pei Jintang held Pei Xiting, who had suddenly shuddered and tried to move away, and shouted sternly, “Don’t come near!”

Looking at the bruise, he suddenly remembered something and exclaimed in shock, “No wonder, no wonder Xiting has been wearing a neck scarf lately. When I asked him, he brushed it off, saying it was to avoid the sun…”

Pei Xiting stiffened suddenly, as if caught out. Pei Jintang’s suspicion was confirmed. He was momentarily incredulous, and dared not imagine what Shangguan Jie might have done to Pei Xiting before. Anger blazed inside him.

“Shua!”

Pei Jintang let go of Pei Xiting, pulled out the saber from behind his waist, and roared, “Beast!”

Shangguan Jie was startled. “Jintang—”

Pei Xiting collapsed weakly against the courtyard gate, squinting as he watched Shangguan Jie dodge and scurry away in a miserable state. A hint of mockery curled at the corner of his mouth.

White moonlight, huh. Go fish for it in your dreams.

Shangguan Jie sidestepped the blade, and in his peripheral vision, he caught sight of Pei Xiting. That face was wet, cold, and beautiful—a knife that slashed through his flesh from above.

Shangguan Jie froze. Pei Jintang slammed the hilt of his saber into his chest, and he grunted, stumbling back two steps before coming to his senses. He pointed at Pei Xiting. “Look how smugly he’s smiling!”

Pei Jintang turned. Pei Xiting was clutching his collar tightly, his beautiful eyes dull and downcast, tears streaming silently, soaking his pale face.

His anger surged threefold. Pei Jintang gripped the saber tighter and roared even louder, “Beast!”

Shangguan Jie: “…”

Yuan Fang peeked out from behind the corner. At a single glance, he saw Pei Xiting—weak, pitiful, and silently weeping. He couldn’t help but silently raise a thumbs up.

He had thought today would come to blows with Shangguan Jie, but he never expected Pei Xiting to have his own countermeasure, and such a… sly one.

The sound of carriage wheels approached from the distance. Yuan Fang watched the drama a little longer before slipping away.

At the same time, a carriage entered from the other side, stopped far off, clearly not daring to approach.

The driver glanced blankly at the “traffic” ahead and was about to report to his master when the carriage door pushed open. Zhao Yi said in confusion, “Are we there? Hey, how did Hanzhang and the Young Marquis start fighting… Xiting?”

Before the driver could bring out the footstool, Zhao Yi had already bent down and jumped out of the carriage, running over.

“Xiting!” Zhao Yi grabbed the thin shoulder, staring in shock at Pei Xiting, whose eyes were blurred with tears and looked utterly miserable. “Wh-what happened?”

Pei Xiting shook his head in pain, refusing to speak. Zhao Yi dared not press him. He turned his head and saw Pei Jintang chasing Shangguan Jie. A guess formed in his mind: The Young Marquis must have bullied Xiting, and Hanzhang, defending his brother, had drawn his saber in anger!

At that thought, Zhao Yi lifted his robes and moved to the periphery of the fight. In a low voice, he said, “Young Marquis, if Xiting has offended you in any way, I will apologize to the Changning Marquis Manor on his behalf. Xiting is gentle by nature, as everyone in Yeijing knows. It surely wasn’t intentional. Please, for my sake, don’t make things difficult for him!”

Zhao Yi had always been amiable, but he had a temper too. He considered the Pei brothers his friends. How could he not be angry when his friends were bullied?

One after another, they were all fooled by Pei Xiting. Shangguan Jie wished he could tear off that hypocritical mask. Distracted, he took another kick. Unwilling to truly fight Pei Jintang, and knowing he would only get beaten if he kept dodging, he threw a punch to block Pei Jintang, then turned, leaped off the wall with the help of his foot, and fled.

Pei Jintang sheathed his saber, snorted coldly, and quickly walked back to Pei Xiting’s side. He grabbed his arm and said, “Don’t be afraid. Your second brother is here.”

Pei Xiting looked at Pei Jintang, paused, and then said, “Thank you, second brother, for getting me out of trouble, and thank you, Sifan, for standing up for me.”

Pei Jintang waved his hand and frowned. “Between brothers, no need for that.”

Zhao Yi said, “Since we’re friends, we should help each other. No need to be polite. But Xiting, what exactly happened? If you’re in trouble, you have to tell us. We’ll figure it out together.”

“The Young Marquis has a fondness for men. He said, he said…” Pei Xiting glanced at Pei Jintang, as if embarrassed to speak, and mumbled vaguely, “He said I look a bit like second brother, so he condescended to touch me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even deign to look at me.”

The information was too shocking. Zhao Yi stiffly turned his head to look at Pei Jintang. Pei Jintang’s lips parted, and then he took three steps back—“thud, thud, thud”—each step heavy with shock.

Pei Jintang was horrified. “Me…?”

He had thought it was because Xiting was too good-looking that he attracted lascivious scoundrels, but he never imagined this was the reason!

But thinking back, the Young Marquis Shangguan had indeed been exceptionally courteous to him, never putting on airs or insisting on protocol. Every time they met, he smiled warmly and often invited him to go horseback riding… Pei Jintang had thought it was because they hit it off and became friends. Now, hearing Xiting’s words, he felt that the Young Marquis’s gaze toward him seemed, indeed, a little strange.

“Ah!” Pei Jintang suddenly clutched his head and cried out.

Zhao Yi was startled and quickly said, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.”

“I’m not afraid, I’m just—I’m just—I don’t know how to say it!” Pei Jintang rolled up his right sleeve. “I’ve got goosebumps all over! I treated him as a friend, and he treated me as a boy toy? Even if he did, how dare he lay hands on Xiting…”

He grabbed Pei Xiting’s arm suddenly and said guiltily, “I’m sorry, it was my fault. I made you suffer for nothing. I…”

“It has nothing to do with second brother,” Pei Xiting shook his head. “I told second brother the truth not to make you feel guilty, but because I think someone like the Young Marquis, who has always been proud and used to getting his way, might treat you kindly now, but if he can’t have what he wants, he could just as easily turn against you. He acts tyrannically and isn’t above underhanded means. Second brother didn’t know anything and had no guard up. If you fell into his trap, it would be bad.”

“That’s the way it is.” Zhao Yi sighed, patted Pei Jintang’s shoulder to comfort him. “Hanzhang, you may feel disgusted today, but at least you know now. In the future, you can be more careful.”

Pei Jintang’s lips moved, and he let out a long sigh. “I understand too. I just… forget it, let’s not talk about it. Anyway, I’m not afraid. But I’m not at ease leaving you to live here alone.”

He grabbed Pei Xiting’s wrist. “Come home with me!”

Zhao Yi thought it was inappropriate. “This place and the Pei residence are at opposite ends. Do you want Xiting to wake up in the middle of the night every day to get to the yamen?”

“I forgot about that,” Pei Jintang said gloomily. “What do we do then? Today we happened to be here. What if next time we’re not? He lives alone here. I’m really worried.”

“I’m not alone. I have a friend living with me; he’s just not here right now. This friend knows martial arts and can protect me. Besides,” Pei Xiting pointed to the left, “do you see that compound ahead? That’s Lord You’s residence.”

Pei Jintang was not convinced. “But just now, there was no one here. If we hadn’t come looking for you today, who knows what would have happened!”

Pei Xiting knew Yuan Fang was definitely lurking in the shadows. On his way back from work, he had locked eyes with Yuan Fang, who was sitting at a stall eating a steamed bun. If Shangguan Jie had tried anything forceful, Yuan Fang would have stepped in.

But he couldn’t explain this in detail. After a moment’s thought, he lied smoothly, “Don’t worry. I only came back too early today. Tomorrow, I’ll return with Lord You. Lord You has been very good to me. He even helped me teach Wang Yelai a lesson today.”

Pei Jintang’s attention was successfully diverted. “So it was because of you? What did Wang Yelai do this time?”

“He tried to tie me up, but Lord You caught him red-handed. Lord You warned him and even wrote a letter to Wang Yelai’s father. That Wang is definitely getting a beating from a bamboo stick right now,” Pei Xiting said.

“He’s another beast!” Pei Jintang was furious at the thought. “What did we ever do to him? Why does he keep pestering us?”

Pei Xiting sighed. “I heard that Wang Yelai and the Young Marquis Shangguan have always been close…”

Pei Jintang pinched his philtrum, rolled his eyes back, and Zhao Yi quickly patted his back to help him breathe.

After a while, Pei Jintang recovered. He grabbed the saber at his waist and said coldly, “Next time I see that Wang, if I don’t beat him until his own family doesn’t recognize him, then I’ll be his son… no, his father! Physician Wang having a son like him is a real tragedy!”

Pei Xiting nodded in agreement. “By the way, how did you both end up coming?”

“Thanks to the Longhe Guard, I managed to slip out. I went for a walk earlier to clear my head, and I figured it was about time for you to get off duty, so I came to see you,” Pei Jintang said, looking at Zhao Yi. “Sifan, what about you?”

“I was escorting my mother to the Empress’s palace, and I remembered that Xiting is on Lanyin Street, so I came to find him for a meal,” Zhao Yi said.

Pei Xiting said, “And second brother happened to arrive too.”

Pei Jintang said, “Let’s go!”

The group had a meal at a restaurant on Lanyin Street. After eating, Pei Xiting shoved Pei Jintang into Zhao Yi’s carriage and strolled back on his own.

In the evening, several candles were lit on Lanyin Street, but there was little sense of life. Most of the Longhe Guards living near the yamen were single or shared quarters with a couple of colleagues; few had families.

Pei Xiting encountered two Longhe Guards on the road, nodded in greeting, and returned to his own courtyard.

“Secretary Pei.” The door of the neighboring compound opened, and You Zong stood at the entrance in casual clothes.

Pei Xiting turned and walked over. “Lord You, you’re back early today.”

You Zong hummed in acknowledgment and said, “I interrogated that thug. He had been following Wang Yelai for about three months. He never saw Wang Yelai visit Qing Lingling or attend her shows, but he was close to the Young Marquis Shangguan. He was ordered to kidnap you today, most likely because of the Young Marquis. According to him,” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “Wang Yelai seems to admire the Young Marquis greatly, which is why he dislikes you.”

“He likes Shangguan Jie, so he’s jealous of me,” Pei Xiting understood, saying flatly. “A dead simp.”

You Zong didn’t quite understand, but he guessed it was a curse word. “I’ve already sent a letter to the Changning Marquis Manor. The Young Marquis Shangguan won’t let Wang Yelai sour relations between the Longhe Division. Once he knows, he’ll naturally discipline his dog.”

“Thank you, Lord You.” Pei Xiting looked at You Zong for a moment, then suddenly said, “Lord You, are you seeing someone else through me?”

He was so perceptive. You Zong was silent for a beat, then said, “Yes.”

Pei Xiting was curious. “Do I look like him?”

“No,” You Zong shook his head. “In terms of appearance, there’s actually no resemblance. But the look in your eyes when you’re trying to win someone over—that is very similar. And every time he asked me for something, he would say that same phrase.”

Pei Xiting said, “‘You’re the best person in the world’?”

You Zong smiled faintly. “Yes.”

His voice was soft, almost a murmur. Pei Xiting guessed correctly—that person was no longer alive.

Sure enough, You Zong said, “If he had been able to grow up, he would be eighteen this year too… I heard you like fish. He was a wild boy who ran through the mountains and forests since childhood. He was the best at roasting fish, and he roasted it very well. The Crown Prince said it was delicious. Maybe you would have liked it too.”

“If the Crown Prince says it’s good, then it must be the finest delicacy in the world.” The deceased had passed, so Pei Xiting couldn’t say much in consolation. “Lord You, he is the stars and the moon in the sky, the seasons on earth—always with you. As long as you remember him, he remains by your side.”

He pulled a paper package from his sleeve; inside were candies.

“I just bought some plum candies—sour, stimulates the appetite, just right for this weather. But the shopkeeper was a bit tricky, kept trying to sell me a big jar. The price was practically robbery. If it weren’t for how good they tasted, I wouldn’t have let him rip me off…” Pei Xiting grumbled as he picked out six candies and stuffed them into You Zong’s sleeve. “Keep them. If you don’t like them, don’t throw them away—give them back to me.”

With that, he turned, walked to his door, opened it, and went inside.

You Zong held the candies in his hand—they felt heavy. After a long while, he unwrapped one and ate it. It was plum-flavored, but it tasted bittersweet. Suddenly, he heard something. He looked up at the clear night sky. A boy grinned, baring his canine teeth, waving and shouting, “Brother!”

You Zong returned to his bedroom. He walked to the bookshelf, turned a mechanism, and the center shelf gently rotated, revealing a small memorial tablet. He took incense, lit it, and gently placed it in the lotus-shaped burner. He responded, “Brother is here, Ajing.”

The incense smoke curled lazily; the room was utterly silent.

The Crown Prince opened his eyes, looking at the small tablet in the shelf. “Old Bai’s candy shop went under. Can’t blame anyone—the candies got worse and worse, and the prices were high. But ‘Kong’s Sugar Balls’ on Lanyin Street is flourishing.”

He glanced at the name on the tablet, paused for a moment, then turned and left.

Yu Shaoyun placed the small jar of candies in front of the tablet, reached out and touched it, and said, “Orange candies for you, Ajing. Happy birthday. Eighteen years old.”

“No wonder,” Pei Xiting lay on the bamboo chair, sketching, his feet tapping lazily. “I was wondering why Lord You has been so lenient with me. Turns out he misses someone from the past.”

“He must mean his younger brother, You Jing.” Yuan Fang sat nearby, washing clothes. “Back then, there was indeed a young boy wielding a saber by the Fifth Prince’s side. He was a fierce little wolf. During the Fifth Prince’s assassination attempt, he gave his life to protect his master. He was struck by several arrows and died.”

Pei Xiting had heard that You Zong’s parents were both hunters. He came from a humble background but was chosen by the Fifth Prince early on to be his attendant and was nurtured all the way. He never knew You Zong had such a brave and loyal brother.

Yuan Fang wrung out the clothes, stood up, and went to the courtyard. He shook them a few times and hung them one by one on the line—both his own and Pei Xiting’s.

The young master never lifted a finger for such chores. Yuan Fang was happy to earn the money for washing clothes. As he turned to pick up the basin of water, he suddenly spun around—he spotted the big cat clinging to the wall.

“Little King?” Pei Xiting followed the line of sight and saw the adorable tiger-like creature. He immediately waved his hand. The little creature climbed over the wall, walked gracefully over to the bamboo chair, and tilted its head up haughtily at Pei Xiting.

Seeing that it didn’t seem aggressive, Yuan Fang turned back to his work.

Pei Xiting reached out to touch the tiger head, not bothering to ask where it came from. He coaxed and sweet-talked it into his arms, then pointed at the drawings on his lap. “Pick one.”

The Little King “pondered” for a moment, then lifted its front paw and pressed it on the “pointy watermelon hat.”

Pei Xiting laughed cheerfully. “Alright, watermelon hat for summer. Tomorrow I’ll take the pattern to get one custom-made. We’ll have sun hats too!”

The Little King patted Pei Xiting’s leg, as if saying, “I’m very pleased.” Pei Xiting quickly cupped his hands in thanks.

The Little King began to wander around the courtyard. Pei Xiting ignored it and continued refining the details of his drawings. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash. He turned around and saw that the Little King had leaped into the neighboring compound, likely breaking something.

“Who said you could run off on your own?” You Zong’s voice rang out. “Come here.”

The Little King tried to run, but as soon as it poked its head over the wall, a hand pressed it down. It quickly looked at Pei Xiting for help.

Pei Xiting put down his pen and paper, grabbed a stool, ran to the wall, stood on tiptoe, and negotiated with You Zong. “Lord You, let the child go.”

Lord You was unwavering. “It left without permission and damaged property. I must arrest it and take it to the Eastern Palace to be punished.”

“I am willing to fully compensate Lord You for the loss and personally apologize to His Highness,” Pei Xiting said earnestly.

Lord You thought for a moment, then relented and let go of the Little King. The Little King quickly climbed over the wall and escaped, landing in the courtyard with Pei Xiting.

Afterward, Pei Xiting paid forty wen to compensate Lord You for the broken pot, wrote a personal letter, had the Little King dip its paw in ink to stamp it, stuffed it into a small satchel, and sent it home on the Little King’s back.

Late at night, the Crown Prince watched the little creature creep cautiously up to the bed. “Still know to come back?”

It was the first time the Little King had snuck out of the Eastern Palace on its own. It had intended to go undetected, but it had ended up getting into “legal trouble” outside. Under the master’s gaze, it hung its head even lower. It carefully approached the bed, shook the small satchel on its body.

The Crown Prince looked at the dog-shaped pouch that children liked to wear. He took out a letter. It was addressed: “To His Highness the Crown Prince, Respectfully.”

It was Pei Xiting’s handwriting.

Opening it, the letter was not neat or meticulous. In the top left corner was a drawing of the Little King with its paws pressed together. Next to it were small characters:

“After reflection, I have deeply recognized my mistake. I should not have left home without permission or damaged Lord You’s plant pot. I know I was wrong. I promise it won’t happen again. I hope my master will not deduct my food.”

Below that was another picture of the Little King holding a sign that read “I was wrong.” In the bottom right corner was a tiger paw print—the Little King’s seal.

The Crown Prince folded the letter, reached out, and gently pinched the Little King’s ear. In a calm voice, he said, “You two have compatible temperaments. You get along very well.”

The Little King sniffed the master’s hand. Sensing that he wasn’t displeased, it climbed onto the edge of the bed, thumped its head down on the master’s leg, rubbed against him coquettishly, and stayed to keep him company while he worked.

The candles in the bedchamber were not extinguished until late. Then, in the middle of the night, a sudden clap of thunder came, followed by a torrential downpour.

The candlelight flickered violently. Pei Xiting, startled by the thunder, burrowed under the covers. But the thin summer quilt wasn’t much use. He grabbed his pillow, his brows tightly knitted.

The thunder seemed both near and far, indistinct, but each clap followed another, as if trying to pierce his eardrums.

“Pay up now, or I’ll kill him!” A deliberately lowered, rough male voice scraped against Pei Xiting’s nerves. In a daze, he heard the woman’s voice on the other end of the phone—calm and resolute, making him admire her. “If you take this money, you won’t live to spend it. It’s a waste of effort.”

“Stop with the nonsense. I want the money in two days, or I’ll chop this brat to pieces and scatter him to the wind!” The man’s rough hand clamped down on Pei Xiting’s cheek, signaling him to speak into the phone.

Pei Xiting instinctively struggled against the rope binding his wrists behind his back. His dry lips moved, and he finally said in a trembling voice, “Mom…”

There was a second of silence on the other end. Then the woman said, “I won’t give you the money. Let him go. Our family can pretend this never happened.”

The kidnapper sneered. “You expect me to believe that? I want the money. From now on, every three hours, I’ll cut off one of this brat’s fingers. Let’s see what he can do without his hands!”

“We don’t have only one son,” the woman said.

That one sentence, delivered flatly, struck harder than the thunder outside the warehouse. Pei Xiting froze, staring at the number on the phone screen, speechless.

The kidnapper was also taken aback. Then he laughed. “Talking big, huh? Trying to bluff me? Think I won’t do it, huh?!”

A sharp dagger plunged into flesh. It felt like it had pierced his heart from the lower right abdomen. Pei Xiting cried out in pain, tears falling. He lay on the kidnapper’s leg, gasping. He didn’t beg for mercy, didn’t call for help, like a dying puppy.

The kidnapper was about to speak when a dull sound came from the other end of the phone—the sound of a door being broken down. Then a voice rang out, authoritative and commanding. “Don’t hurt my grandson. I won’t short you a single penny.”

Pei Xiting’s vision went dark. Through the dizziness, he heard that voice say, “Wenjuan, hold on. Grandpa is coming to take you home.”

A faint scent of tea brushed across his face. Pei Xiting’s eyes flew open. But there was no gentle, refined old man before him. He curled his legs, reached down, and touched the scar beneath the “little black snake.” He stared blankly at the blurry bed curtain.

“Are you okay?”

A familiar voice came from outside the door. Pei Xiting realized he had kicked the bamboo pillow off the bed in his dream. He steadied himself. “I’m fine. Just a nightmare. Sorry for waking you up.”

For Yuan Fang, the sound of the bamboo pillow hitting the ground was enough to notice.

Yuan Fang didn’t ask further. “I have medicine. Want some?”

“What kind of medicine?” Pei Xiting asked.

“An internal sedative,” Yuan Fang said. “Take it, and you’ll sleep like a log.”

Pei Xiting smiled. “Gimme a dose.”

Yuan Fang went to his room, retrieved the medicine, then returned to Pei Xiting’s door. He brought a cup of cold water and let Pei Xiting swallow some powder with it. “How does it taste?”

“Not much taste…” Pei Xiting smacked his lips, then collapsed onto the bed and was silent.

Yuan Fang reached over to tuck Pei Xiting in. He looked at the slightly pink eyelids and muttered, “Having nightmares on a thunderstorm night, huh…”

He glanced at the remaining sedative, planning to buy more tomorrow. After all, Yeijing’s summers often brought heavy rain.

He lowered the bed curtain, extinguished the candle, and left the room. He closed the door and said, “This isn’t a place you should be.”

The man in the conical hat, who had been eavesdropping on the roof, froze. He turned and landed in the courtyard. “My master sent me to bring you back—”

The rain poured down. Lightning flashed, illuminating the courtyard bright as day for an instant. Yuan Fang looked up. His pupils were pitch black, and behind the dark curtain of rain, murderous intent surged.

The man in the conical hat felt a chill at his throat. He swallowed his saliva, turned, and fled.

Yuan Fang stood under the eaves, letting out a deep breath.