Chapter 57#
Tearing Apart#
Pei Ting: Pah! Hmm! Oww—
Yu Shaoyun stood behind the moon-shaped gate, hearing a low cry—Pei Xiting’s voice.
He sighed and said, “Order the imperial guards to seal off the area. The Crown Prince is viewing the moon here; no one is to approach. Without my command, no matter what commotion occurs inside, no one is to step in.”
The figure in the shadows acknowledged and departed. Yu Shaoyun looked up at the full moon, silently lighting a memorial candle for Pei Xiting in his heart.
The crabapple bonsai on the stone table was swept to the ground. Pei Xiting was sprawled across the table, his hands pinned behind his back by a long, powerful hand, leaving him unable to move.
The Crown Prince stood behind him, his voice icy: “Go on.”
Pei Xiting shuddered, but the fire in his heart burned even brighter. He let out a soft laugh, craning his neck to say, “I remember your body heat, remember your hand on my waist, remember the way you looked at me, remember how you…”
Before he could finish, he was flipped over.
The Crown Prince loomed over him, his eyes dark and turbulent with dangerous undercurrents. Yet the more he showed this, the more Pei Xiting was certain of his position. He curled his lips into a grin and said, word by word: “You have a reaction to me.”
Those light words struck like thunder, ringing in the Crown Prince’s ears.
He stared at Pei Xiting for a moment, then laughed—a dazzling, radiant laugh that made Pei Xiting’s eyes go straight, quickly followed by a bone-chilling dread.
“Xiting,” the Crown Prince said, studying him with mild surprise. “It seems you really aren’t afraid of me at all.”
Pei Xiting’s lips moved. “I like you.”
His neck was gripped, almost like a threat, yet Pei Xiting stared straight at the man leaning in. The Crown Prince stopped right before his face, their noses brushing, and said gently, “If I kill you tonight, would you still like me?”
Pei Xiting opened his mouth with an “ah” and said, “Why would you want to kill me?”
His eyes crescented, his nose crinkled—adorable, yet his tone was sharp and caustic. “Is His Highness also capable of fear?”
There was something in those phoenix eyes, something blindingly bright, so much so that the Crown Prince felt he couldn’t look directly at it. Before he could speak, Pei Xiting seized the chance to tilt his head up and kiss him on the lips.
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened in disbelief at Pei Xiting, but the fierce, predatory beast reflected in his gaze was Pei Xiting himself.
Pei Xiting curled the corners of his mouth, savoring the taste as he licked his lips, then leaned in again to rub against those seemingly indifferent, wine-warmed thin lips. Almost touching, he murmured, “Your Highness, you’re afraid of me because you also like me.”
“Crown Prince said darkly, “Pei Xiting, don’t court death.”
Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow, pressing forward instead of retreating. “If you dare kill me tonight, you’ll wear the label of a coward for the rest of your life.”
Instead of getting angry, the Crown Prince laughed, reaching out to press his finger against Pei Xiting’s lips. “Xiting, don’t get too carried away.”
Pei Xiting stared at him, then suddenly bit down on the fingertip against his lips. Sharp-toothed and sharp-tongued, he bit hard enough to draw blood, but the Crown Prince’s expression remained as usual, as if he felt no pain—leaving Pei Xiting with nothing but a sore mouth.
“Pah!” Pei Xiting spat out the bleeding finger, his elegant brows furrowing slightly as he suddenly cursed, “You don’t even dare to admit you like me. Your mouth is harder than what’s between your legs. Coward! You’re not human! You’re full of crap!”
“Shh.” The Crown Prince used his thumb to stroke Pei Xiting’s lips, smearing the scarlet blood between his lips like applying lip balm.
Pei Xiting’s eyes were already rimmed with red, his cheeks flushed. With his lips stained like that, he was shockingly vivid. The Crown Prince looked at him deeply, his thumb continuing to part those wet lips, slipping into the warm mouth and pressing against the tongue.
The pace was unhurried, almost mimicking a certain act.
Pei Xiting’s eyes flew wide, staring at the Crown Prince as if seeing a ghost.
“You’re right—I can’t kill you; that would be admitting defeat. But you’re too reckless,” the Crown Prince said softly. “What if I told you that you don’t fully know me? The real me would only make you afraid. Then you’d understand that your so-called ’like’ is just a passing whim, a misjudgment.”
Pei Xiting wanted to speak, but with his tongue pinned, he could only whimper and shake his head at the Crown Prince.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince smiled. “I thought you liked it—liked it so much that you’d dream of fooling around with me.”
The Crown Prince before him seemed to have merged with the one from his dreams: shedding the cold, ascetic disguise, he was a greedy, ferocious beast, far from a gentleman.
Pei Xiting struggled, but the Crown Prince easily subdued him, their legs tangled intimately, yet their hearts were tearing at each other.
“What are you dodging and fussing for?” the Crown Prince looked at Pei Xiting. “Don’t you like me?”
Pei Xiting pushed the offending finger out with his tongue, glaring fiercely at the Crown Prince. His voice was hoarse. “I like you. I like you touching me. But you can’t bully me.”
The Crown Prince seemed to find this amusing, shaking his head. “Xiting, since we’ve known each other, I’ve never bullied you. Otherwise, how would you dare to be so aggressive and swaggering in front of me?”
A little fox encountering a resting beast might still scheme and probe, but only when it sees the beast’s eyes open with ferocity and the danger of it feeding on blood and flesh will it retract its claws and run away.
The Crown Prince intended to teach Pei Xiting a lesson, to drive away this reckless little fox.
He pulled off Pei Xiting’s belt and slowly bound his wrists behind his back. Pei Xiting tried to turn and escape, but the Crown Prince pressed his hand on his waist—neither too hard nor too soft, yet it stopped Pei Xiting from moving.
His hand slipped through the slit of the perfumed silk robe, sliding along the thigh to the waist. The barrier-free touch made the body shiver. The Crown Prince smiled faintly, using his thumb to rub the tattoo there. “Your tattoo is beautiful.”
Pei Xiting sneered. “Do you like it?”
No tattoo artist could resist such a canvas of skin. The Crown Prince wasn’t one, but he didn’t deny it. He pressed his thumb against the trembling skin, pausing gently. “Is this the snake’s head here?”
Pei Xiting retorted, “Your Highness only saw it once, yet you remember so clearly.”
“Because it looks beautiful on you—it left a deep impression on me… Hmm?” The Crown Prince’s sliding thumb stopped. “A scar. Must be from a dagger or a knife. Who hurt you?”
To “study” the answer, he kept rubbing. Pei Xiting’s waist was sensitive, and he couldn’t take it anymore—his eyes grew wet. He didn’t answer the question.
“Don’t tremble,” the Crown Prince commanded softly. “I haven’t done anything.”
Young and impulsive, Pei Xiting couldn’t hide his feelings. Feeling humiliated and aggrieved under the Crown Prince’s amused gaze, he blurted out recklessly, “Let me go, I don’t like—”
The Crown Prince said nothing, suddenly grabbing his face and kissing him. Pei Xiting’s pupils contracted in shock. Before he could react, his teeth were pried open, and the kiss plunged deep within.
The Crown Prince must have been kissing for the first time—so reckless and brutal, without technique, driven purely by desire as he tangled with the soft tongue and stirred wildly. Pei Xiting felt like he was being bitten to pieces. The Crown Prince was ferocious, wanting to devour him whole.
“Let go…”
Pei Xiting kicked his legs, but his jaw was held firm. His voice came out in fragments, reduced to weak gasps.
The sound of water was distinct in the empty night, ambiguous and unspeakable. Pei Xiting’s fingertips curled up; he was dizzy and disoriented, losing his bearings as he was kissed half to death.
When they parted, Pei Xiting’s lashes were wet, his cheeks flushed. The Crown Prince pressed his nose against his, raised his hand, and wiped the silver thread from his own lips.
That action made something inside Pei Xiting’s head explode. He stared blankly at him. The Crown Prince, in turn, smiled lightly, using his thumb to close Pei Xiting’s lips, rubbing them intimately, yet his eyes held no warmth.
Pei Xiting suddenly snapped back to reality, as if doused with a bucket of cold water. His whole body froze. He said, “Is Your Highness… ‘favouring’ me?”
Favouring—the Crown Prince repeated this humiliating word for Pei Xiting and found that he couldn’t bring himself to say it. It was just a deliberate harsh remark, but the phrase “spilled water cannot be gathered” was something to be awed by at times.
This apprehension made the Crown Prince startle, and then his whole body began to tremble slightly. He looked at Pei Xiting’s stubborn, beautiful eyes, at his own faintly cracking expression reflected in them, and said, “Don’t you like it? In your dreams, you couldn’t get enough.”
His voice was hoarse, clearly aroused, yet his gaze was cold and deep, as if the desperate entanglement just now had been Pei Xiting’s dream. For a moment, Pei Xiting felt no warmth from the body on top of him—it was just coldly suppressing him.
Pei Xiting’s nostrils flared. “It’s different.”
The Crown Prince said coldly, “So that was just a dream.”
Pei Xiting wanted to bite the Crown Prince to death. His eyes were open, but he gradually couldn’t see the Crown Prince’s expression clearly—until the Crown Prince suddenly pulled him up and half-embraced him.
In the end, the Crown Prince didn’t continue. Whether it was reluctance or a loss of dignity, this “lesson” had little effect anyway. So when he untied Pei Xiting’s wrists and wiped under his eyes, Pei Xiting still dared to tilt his head up and stare straight at him.
Tears glistened; he was pitifully beautiful and alluring, yet stubbornly so. The Crown Prince’s heart tightened under that gaze. He said, “Between you and me, once it starts, you no longer have a say. Wise birds know to stay away from danger, yet you insist on circling outside the cage.”
He sighed. Pei Xiting’s heart trembled at the words, and he subconsciously said, “Maybe you won’t hurt me.”
“You said it yourself: ‘maybe’,” the Crown Prince said, stroking Pei Xiting’s cold cheek. “My little bird can only perch in my palm, smile at me, cry for me, laugh because of me, cry because of me—alive, under my control, dead in my embrace. Xiting, you can’t be my little bird. So cherish this last chance I’m giving you. Fly away.”
He hesitated for a moment, then released his hand. Pei Xiting pushed him away and stumbled off, running.
The palace banquet had not yet ended. Pei Xiting sprinted out of the imperial palace in one breath, driving his carriage towards the city outskirts.
Yuan Fang sat on the driver’s seat, feeling like he was sitting next to a bomb about to explode at any moment. He didn’t dare to speak.
The carriage sped along the main road, the wheels nearly flying off. If not for the direction being opposite, Yuan Fang would have thought Pei Xiting was about to storm the palace and assassinate the emperor. He hugged his curled-up legs, glancing left. Pei Xiting’s profile was tense, looking very calm, but upon closer inspection, his whole body was trembling.
The carriage raced to the nearest city gate, stopped by a barrier. The city guard officer bellowed, “Galloping at night—what is the meaning of this?!”
Pei Xiting took out his waist token. “Open the gate.”
The Cage Crane Bureau token was nearly omnipotent. The officer checked it, found no issue, and immediately ordered the barrier moved, opening the gate for Pei Xiting to pass.
As the carriage sped out, one guard remarked, “So urgent—must be some major case?”
Another guard found it odd. “If it were a major case, shouldn’t Cage Crane guards be leaving town? Wasn’t that Clerk Pei just now?”
Right—a clerk leaving town alone in the middle of the night? That was highly irregular!
The city gate officials said, “Report this to Lord You and the Eastern Palace immediately!”
On the other side, Yuan Fang finally spoke up. “Using the token privately—according to Cage Crane Bureau rules, you’re going to get beaten.”
Pei Xiting pulled on the reins. The horse reared, almost throwing them off. He grabbed Yuan Fang. “Oh, right. I forgot that.”
“…” Yuan Fang reached out and touched Pei Xiting’s forehead, then sighed in relief. “Good, you didn’t hit your head. You’re just running a fever.”
“What?” Pei Xiting touched his own forehead, puzzled. “I was fine just now. Why am I suddenly feverish?”
“Maybe it’s because when a person is highly stressed or excited, their body has a series of reactions that can cause a fever. Especially since you’re also injured.” Yuan Fang said, “What did you want to do?”
Pei Xiting replied honestly, “Go for a ride. Clear my head.”
Yuan Fang said objectively, “Don’t you think that’s a bit too intense?”
“It’s night—I can’t ride in the city.” Pei Xiting sounded aggrieved. “If you’d let me drink, I wouldn’t have to ride.”
“Fine, all my fault.” Yuan Fang didn’t argue. “So what now?”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment. “Either way, I’ll get beaten. Going back now would be a waste.”
“So?”
Pei Xiting looked around, orienting himself. “There’s a river to the left ahead. Uncle Wei often goes there to catch fish. Let’s go, too. If we catch some, we’ll make perch soup tomorrow… What’s with that look? I’m telling you, at this hour, the water temperature drops, and you can catch big fish!”
Yuan Fang eyed him warily. “You’re not going to jump into the river, are you?”
“Drowning is painful and ugly.” Pei Xiting looked at Yuan Fang with deep emotion. “If I have to die, I hope it’s by your hand.”
Yuan Fang said, “Get lost.”
“Coming right up.” Pei Xiting handed the reins to Yuan Fang. “Lead the way.”
Yuan Fang drove the carriage forward, stopping by the river. He jumped down first, looked at the man still sitting motionless, and said, “Aren’t you going to catch fish? Get down.”
“It’s freezing.” Pei Xiting grabbed a small blanket from the carriage and wrapped himself in it, lifting his pretty chin. “You catch them. I’ll enjoy the scenery here and contemplate life.”
Night—prime time for melancholy online.
Yuan Fang chuckled dryly, grabbed Pei Xiting, hauled him off the carriage, and shoved him toward the riverbank. Pei Xiting struggled wildly, “Ah—ah—ah!!!”
The exaggerated scream twisted into a genuine, pitiful wail. Yuan Fang, with Pei Xiting clinging to his back, lurched to the left and looked down at the dead body in the reeds by the river.
A face stained with blood, features barely distinguishable. He could only tell it was a man of medium build, and he was completely dead.
The bright moon cast its light, turning the quiet riverside ghostly and unsettling. Pei Xiting averted his gaze, switching from hugging Yuan Fang to clutching his sleeve, looking around warily.
“Don’t worry, no one’s here,” Yuan Fang said. “This one is an exception.”
He meant the dead man had no breath, which was why he hadn’t sensed his presence earlier.
Yuan Fang crouched down and quickly examined the body. Pei Xiting stood by and said, “As people who kill often know—”
“Bruises on the face and body, but the fatal wound is a stab wound to the heart, about one finger wide. The knife was twisted maliciously after entry, so the flesh around the wound is mangled. Wait—” Yuan Fang rubbed the dead man’s chest. “This fabric feels off. It’s harder here than elsewhere. There’s something inside.”
Pei Xiting decided immediately, “Tear it off.”
Yuan Fang drew his dagger, cut off that piece of fabric, sliced it open from the middle, and pulled out a piece of paper inside. He opened it.
Pei Xiting spotted the red stamp in the corner of the letter. “‘Seal of Enzhou Prefecture’.” He touched the paper. “This is official paper, not available outside. Is this man from the Enzhou Prefecture office?”
Yuan Fang said, “But the letter has nothing written on it.”
“Could be written with alum water; you’d need to soak it to see it,” Pei Xiting said. “Who knows what’s written inside? Just hand it over to the authorities—the Cage Crane Bureau or the Grand Court.”
“Alright.” Yuan Fang tucked the letter into his chest. “Should I take the body back?”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment. “I’d better report it to the authorities.”
He fished a brocade pouch from his pocket, took out the green signal tube from the red-and-green ones, had Yuan Fang light it, and aimed it at the sky—“Whoosh!”
The firework exploded into a crest, shaped somewhat like a qilin with a horn on its head—a xiezhi.
Cage Crane guards arrived at the signal. Pei Xiting had already fallen asleep wrapped in his blanket, slumped against Yuan Fang, only half of his face visible.
You Zong dismounted, ordered his men to inspect the body, then walked over to the carriage. He glanced at Pei Xiting, who was smacking his lips and sleeping deeper, and said nothing.
Yuan Fang handed the letter to You Zong, speaking softly. “It was sewn into the lining of his clothes.”
You Zong hummed in acknowledgment. “Take him back first. Let him rest for a couple of days before reporting for duty.”
Yuan Fang said nothing more, turned the carriage around, and left with Pei Xiting.
The next afternoon, Dr. Liu arrived at the small courtyard to change Pei Xiting’s dressing and give him acupuncture. Before leaving, Pei Xiting had Yuan Fang take a silver ingot for him, and this time, he didn’t let him refuse.
Pei Xiting had just woken up, his eyelids still faintly swollen and half-closed, looking lethargic. “I’m almost fully recovered. No need to trouble Dr. Liu any further.”
Dr. Liu hesitated at this. “But His Highness ordered me to treat you with all diligence until you’re completely healed.”
“No matter.” Pei Xiting smiled mildly. “His Highness is busy with affairs of state—how could he remember such trivial matters? If His Highness does ask, Dr. Liu need only say that I’ve recovered and don’t wish to trouble you anymore. His Highness will understand.”
Dr. Liu had no choice but to accept this and take his leave.
Yuan Fang bit into a mooncake. “Are you drawing a line with the Crown Prince?”
Pei Xiting laughed, the sound ambiguous and cold. “He can’t wait for me to get as far away as possible. Of course, I can’t cling on. The only thing is—that qin was too expensive. Pack it up properly and send it to the palace gate.”
“And the little tiger? Are you still going to see it?”
“What’s wrong with Little Lord?… I mean, it’s a living thing,” Pei Xiting said lazily. “I like it because I like it, not because of the Crown Prince. If it still comes, I’ll naturally see it.”
Fine. Yuan Fang walked outside and waved his hand. The little tiger hiding by the wall immediately dashed into the room and threw itself into Pei Xiting’s arms.
Yuan Fang said, “It came while you were asleep. I didn’t let it in.”
“No wonder it looks so aggrieved.” Pei Xiting patted the tiger’s head fondly, pillowed himself against it, and said, “Stay with me for a bit more. I’ll sleep a while longer.”
Man and tiger sprawled out in all directions. Yuan Fang couldn’t bear to look, so he packed the qin, slung it on his back, and left, shutting the door behind him.
Yuan Fang went to the palace gate, showed Pei Xiting’s token to the gate guards, then handed the qin on his back to a guard. “This is the Crown Prince’s qin. Please have it forwarded to the Eastern Palace.”
“I’ll take it in.”
Yuan Fang turned his head to see You Zong approaching. He took the qin and walked straight into the palace.
Yuan Fang didn’t linger; he turned and left.
When You Zong arrived at the Eastern Palace, Dr. Liu had just arrived as well and was waiting outside the hall. Seeing him, he immediately bowed. Noticing the look of hesitation on his face, You Zong knew that Dr. Liu had been attending to a certain someone, so he already had a sense of the matter.
Soon after, the Crown Prince arrived with Zong Lu from the corridor. The two of them immediately bowed.
The Crown Prince looked at the qin in You Zong’s arms, his gaze pausing briefly, then turned and entered the hall. Yu Shaoyun also looked at the qin and sighed inwardly. “Both of you, enter and report.”
You Zong went inside and stood on the left, but didn’t set the qin down carelessly.
Dr. Liu bowed slightly and reported honestly: “Your servant reports: The swelling on Clerk Pei’s forehead has gone down a little, and the injuries on his back have not worsened. He only needs to continue medication until full recovery.”
The Crown Prince said, “You will continue to attend to him.”
Dr. Liu hesitated at this. The Crown Prince looked up. Yu Shaoyun said, “Dr. Liu, don’t hem and haw—speak plainly.”
“Your servant presumes, but please forgive me for speaking bluntly: Clerk Pei no longer wishes for me to treat him.” Dr. Liu took the silver ingot from his sleeve, looking troubled. “Today, Clerk Pei insisted that I accept it, and said he was nearly healed and didn’t wish to trouble me further. I told him this was His Highness’s command, but he only said to tell Your Highness so, and Your Highness would understand.”
The Crown Prince understood perfectly. Pei Xiting was drawing a line—no more Dr. Liu, no more qin.
The little fox had heeded the warning and decided to stay far away.
Good. Wasn’t this the result he wanted?
“I understand.” The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze. “You may go.”
Dr. Liu sighed in relief. “Your servant takes his leave.”
The hall fell silent. Zong Lu’s gaze shifted subtly, glancing at the cold-faced Crown Prince, then at the expressionless You Zong and the qin in his arms, and finally at the faintly regretful Yu Shaoyun. He remained silent.
From his brief encounter with Clerk Pei last night, he didn’t seem seriously ill—just a minor injury. Fifth Uncle actually sending Dr. Liu to treat him, and requiring constant updates, was really making a mountain out of a molehill—showing excessive concern. Yet Clerk Pei, not fully recovered, stopped accepting his treatment, which meant he was also rejecting Fifth Uncle’s care.
What did that mean?
Before Zong Lu could ponder it further, the Crown Prince spoke. “He Ying.”
“Here.” You Zong nodded slightly. “The Prefect of Enzhou colluded with others to forge documents and conspire with a cult, and murdered the Vice Prefect Su Fan, who had accidentally discovered the truth. Sensing his death was near, Su Fan wrote a letter and sent his steward to the capital to report.”
“A cult?” the Crown Prince said. “How so?”
You Zong said, “They claim divine powers and that they answer all prayers.”
The Crown Prince asked curiously, “If I pray for their lives, will they answer?”
You Zong lowered his eyes. “Your servant will immediately go to Enzhou in person.”
“I’ll go with you.” The Crown Prince looked at Zong Lu. “Handle all matters after the autumn examinations. Can you?”
Zong Lu rose and cupped his hands. “I can.”
The Crown Prince looked at You Zong. “Leave the qin here.”
A double entendre. You Zong understood, and handed the qin to Yu Shaoyun.
But they hadn’t anticipated that the next day, the “qin” would go to Mei Xiu itself, cutting straight to the chase. “Does Little Marquis want to go to Enzhou?”
“Of course.” Mei Xiu flicked the embroidered sleeve of his colorful robe. “I was just going to look for the heir.”
“Take me along,” Pei Xiting said. “I have a friend in Enzhou I’d like to visit.”
Mei Xiu was puzzled. “Why don’t you go by yourself?”
Pei Xiting sighed. “I’ve never been to Enzhou, and it’s overrun with bandits. If we travel together, I’ll feel safer.”
Mei Xiu felt a surge of pride at being relied upon. “Alright. I’ll talk to the heir. If he doesn’t agree, I’ll take you myself!”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment, then gestured for Mei Xiu to lean in, whispering, “If the heir is unwilling, just tell him I know a local underworld figure in Enzhou—someone well-connected and well-informed. Bringing me along might help him get things done faster. But you have to say this to the heir alone, in private. Too many eyes and ears—don’t tip anyone off.”
His breath lightly brushed Mei Xiu’s ear as he spoke. Mei Xiu felt lightheaded, his steps unsteady, and he blurted out, “Xiting, you smell so good.”
“What, do I stink?” Pei Xiting rolled his eyes and reached up to close Mei Xiu’s jaw. “Alright—if you get it done, I’ll treat you to a meal. Deal.”