Chapter 61#
Glimpses: Little Pei Arrives in Enzhou (IV)#
The sun climbed three poles high before Pei Xiting groggily stirred, rolling over and stretching his limbs with a bizarre yawn as he slowly came to.
Yuan Fang entered from outside and saw a lump under the quilt. Pei Xiting buried his cheek in the pillow, his brows and eyes scrunched together as if trying to form a single knot, muttering words even he couldn’t recall.
“Time to get up?” Yuan Fang asked.
Pei Xiting hummed in response. Yuan Fang went to the table, poured a cup of hot water to let it cool, then turned to busy himself by the washbasin stand, playing the part of a considerate attendant.
Pei Xiting rolled around under the covers, dragging out his voice like a soul-summoning chant: “I’m… so… hungry…”
“Then get up and wash up quickly.” Yuan Fang walked to the bedside and draped a cloth over Pei Xiting’s face.
Pei Xiting kicked his legs and sat up, catching the falling cloth to wipe his face, muttering drowsily, “I had a dream last night.”
Another dream about the Crown Prince, those unbearable yet, for Pei Xiting, sweet dreams. Yuan Fang silently grumbled to himself, replying flatly, “Oh.”
“No,” Pei Xiting seemed to know what Yuan Fang was thinking, retorting, “It was a nightmare.”
“Oh,” Yuan Fang said, “What kind of nightmare?”
“To put it simply, an escape through a forest.” Pei Xiting wiped his face, his nose scrunching as he fell into recollection. “A huge black snake was chasing me. I kept running, it kept chasing. I couldn’t escape. The snake was a foot taller than me, and it finally caught up. Its tail swung around and coiled me tight. I was suffocating. At the critical moment, I shouted some random spell, lightning rumbled from the sky, struck it, and I seized the chance to run.”
He wiped his neck and commented, “The dream had no logic and wasn’t particularly thrilling or terrifying, but I was totally immersed. And honestly, maybe it’s because I’ve been single too long, but I thought that big black snake was kind of attractive.”
Yuan Fang took the cloth Pei Xiting handed him and turned toward the washbasin stand, saying, “So, do you want to dream about it again tonight?”
Pei Xiting thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head. “Better not. If I have to meet a fierce animal, I’d rather it be Little King.”
Speaking of Little King inevitably led to thoughts of its human father. Pei Xiting lowered his gaze and reached for the mouthwash cup Yuan Fang handed him.
The toothpaste was a paste made from ground borneol, frankincense, and green salt, mixed with honey. As Pei Xiting brushed his teeth, he suddenly recalled the Crown Prince’s fingers delving maliciously into his mouth.
The Crown Prince had long, powerful hands—beautiful and dangerous, like the man himself. They were both comforting and unsettling. Pei Xiting could feel the formidable strength they held, which brought him security, yet he also knew the vast power disparity; once caught, there was no escape.
The toothbrush moved back and forth as the toothpaste’s flavor bloomed in his mouth. Pei Xiting’s thoughts then drifted to that kiss.
That night, His Highness had probably had a small drink. The wine was light, likely mead, but the overwhelming taste was pomegranate juice, flooding his mouth and teeth. His tongue was like his embrace, like the man himself—seemingly cold and indifferent, but in actual contact, it was warm and domineering, filled with a strong sense of control and possession, leaving no room for evasion.
His Highness wasn’t without desire; he simply hid it deep and long, until it burst forth fierce and brutal.
A hand suddenly appeared on his face. Pei Xiting snapped back to reality and looked up to meet Yuan Fang’s scrutinizing gaze.
Yuan Fang examined the slowly reddening cheeks and guessed, “Got a fever?”
Pei Xiting immediately retorted, “You’re the one getting hot.” (Note: original pun “ fever ” vs. “ make a fuss ” lost in translation)
“…”
Yuan Fang stared expressionlessly at Pei Xiting. Pei Xiting cleared his throat and said guiltily, “Just a little. It’s human nature.”
Yuan Fang rolled his eyes and said, “I’m going downstairs to buy you food. What do you want to eat?”
Pei Xiting finished rinsing, wiped under his eyes, and said in a pitiful tone, “I’m penniless, totally dependent on Brother Fang. How dare I make demands? Whatever Brother Fang gives me, I’ll eat.”
Yuan Fang turned without hesitation. “Then go eat shit.”
“Go eat your grandpa.” Pei Xiting leaped up from the bed and stepped onto the rug. But his foot slipped, and he executed a 95% perfect side split.
“Ow——”
A sharp scream. Pei Xiting rolled his eyes back and collapsed onto the ground, breathless. “…Pulled something.”
The man usually carried himself with a noble air, but his words and actions were wildly inconsistent—sometimes a refined gentleman, polite and courteous; sometimes a spoiled young master, willful and domineering; sometimes a bandit chieftain, bold and straightforward; sometimes outright vulgar and foul-mouthed.
Little Pei was changeable; Yuan Fang was indifferent. “Great. Now you can go back and apply for a job in the palace. Smart as Third Young Master Pei is, with a few years of effort, you might earn the title ‘Head Eunuch Pei.’”
“I hate you.” Pei Xiting laughed, a plaintive, bitter laugh, as if possessed by the Prince of Playboys. “You cold, heartless man. I will never forgive you.”
They stared each other down for a moment. Yuan Fang’s conscience pricked him—or perhaps he was just worried Pei Xiting would pop his eyeballs out. Either way, he stepped forward, reached under Pei Xiting’s armpits, and hauled him up.
Pei Xiting stood unsteadily and hobbled to the table to sit. His flexibility was decent, but a sudden move like that had still strained both sides of his thighs.
He took a sip of the now-warm water, sighed without joy or sorrow, and said, “Hungry. Hey, have you eaten?”
“Ages ago.” Yuan Fang turned to go buy food, but just then ran into a group of people. The leader was the one Pei Xiting called “Rainbow Boy.”
Mei Xiu walked straight over, snorted at him, and then stepped into the room, his face instantly switching to a gentle, amiable one:
“Xiting, did you sleep well last night?”
Seeing this, Yuan Fang paused at the door and didn’t move.
“Very well,” Pei Xiting said. “Why is the young Marquis here?”
“I prepared breakfast, just waiting for you to get up so we could eat together.” Mei Xiu waved toward the door. “Set the table.”
The people outside filed in and laid out the breakfast one by one. The dishes were exquisite and small, not large in quantity, but varied.
Pei Xiting sniffed the hot, fragrant aroma of the food and said, “Why didn’t the young Marquis dine with the Crown Prince ? (the heir) and the others?”
“When I got up, the Crown Prince had already taken the men to survey the terrain of Daman Mountain. The Enzhou Tongpan, Su Fan, died suddenly, so the Crown Prince has to handle the bandit suppression. As for Zong Wu, I heard him ordering the carriage harnessed just as I came over. Of course, compared to him, I’d rather wait for you to get up and eat together.” Mei Xiu pointed. “Hey, try this crab bun. It’s one of Chunhui Tower’s specialties. The one in Yejing is pretty good; I wonder how this branch’s tastes. Smells great, though.”
“Alright.” Pei Xiting picked up one and placed it on a small plate, casually asking, “Does the young Marquis dislike Fifth Young Master?”
Mei Xiu clicked his tongue. “It’s not really about liking or disliking. We don’t have much interaction; we usually don’t hang out privately. I just think Zong Wu is weird.”
Pei Xiting said, “How so?”
“Both Zong Wu and Fourth Brother Zhao are gentle-natured, polite and courteous to everyone. But the feeling I get from the two of them is completely different. Zong Wu’s smile seems stuck on his face—looks genuine, but somehow I don’t feel it comes from the heart. Just like that fake polite and obedient little brat Mei Yi!” Mei Xiu’s voice suddenly rose sharply.
Pei Xiting couldn’t help laughing. “Is that so?”
“I think so!” Mei Xiu felt nauseous just thinking about Mei Yi, so he hurriedly drank a mouthful of porridge to suppress it. He patted his chest, thoughtful, “I always feel he’s not what he appears on the surface. He’s not that quiet and well-behaved. Has plenty of schemes. For instance, this whole affair.”
The young Marquis might lack insight, but his instincts in this area were pretty sharp.
Thinking this, Pei Xiting reached over, ladled a bowl of milk porridge, and placed it in front of Mei Xiu. The young Marquis felt rather flattered. Pei Xiting ladled one for himself, scraped the spoon around, and said, “You mean Fifth Young Master’s decision to accompany us to Enzhou?”
“Exactly.” Mei Xiu said, “Prince Ning’s consort wants to give him some experience. There are plenty of places in Yejing to do that. Suppressing bandits could be dangerous. He looks so frail, and he’s not good at riding or archery. Why send him on this assignment? If anything happens, Prince Ning’s consort would feel terrible. I think it’s not that she wanted him to come, but that he wanted to come himself and begged her for it. I figure he’s just here to coast, hoping to ask the Crown Prince to petition the Crown Prince for merit on his behalf later.”
Pei Xiting sampled a lychee-kidney dish, feigning confusion. “But wouldn’t that incur the Crown Prince’s suspicion? What if the Your Highness thinks the Crown Prince is abusing his power to pave the way for his own brother through the Ministry of War? Bandit suppression merits are hard-won, after all.”
“Makes sense. The Crown Prince would have to consider that.” Mei Xiu rubbed his chin, thinking hard. Suddenly his eyes lit up. “I’ve got it! He’s just like me. He tagged along to seize an opportunity to shine. But I’ll actually go fight bandits. Can he do that? He’ll need someone to protect him. So we’re not exactly the same.”
Pei Xiting smiled but said nothing.
The young Marquis clearly saw Zong An as a fragile little white lotus, unaware that the man was hiding his true capabilities, deliberately playing weak, waiting for the Crown Prince position to fall vacant before gradually revealing his fangs.
In the original novel, the story ended after the crematorium plot next year, without showing the endings of the scumbag group. Leaving aside the other two, Pei Xiting suddenly felt curious about Zong An’s fate.
This bandit suppression wasn’t terribly difficult, which was why the Crown Prince trusted it to Zong Fei. Zong Fei himself took it lightly, without pressure. If not for Zong An’s sabotage, Zong Fei couldn’t have died on Daman Mountain. So if news of the Crown Prince ’s death at the hands of bandits reached Yejing, it would cause a shock. Publicly and privately, the Crown Prince would investigate. Even if Zong An hadn’t accompanied them and seemed inconspicuous, the Crown Prince would still sniff something amiss.
With the Crown Prince position vacant, if Zong An wanted to contend for it, he would have to show his edge before the Crown Prince. But then the Crown Prince couldn’t be fooled by Zong An’s mask forever. Once the Crown Prince caught on, if he wished, Zong An was dead meat. After all, big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp. “Pei Xiting” was powerless against the scumbag group, and likewise, the scumbag group couldn’t act arrogantly before the Crown Prince.
Pei Xiting took a sip of porridge. “I see. I privately think the young Marquis has a point. But I’m not familiar with Fifth Young Master, so I can’t judge his character.”
“Better not be familiar.” Mei Xiu said earnestly, “People like that seem harmless on the surface, no one guards against them. But when they suddenly stab you, you won’t even react.”
Pei Xiting smiled, ate the now-cool crab bun, and hummed, “Rich broth, not fishy, not greasy. Delicious.”
“Good. Eat more. If not enough, buy more.” Mei Xiu looked at Pei Xiting. The other man wore an outer robe loosely, his neck extending from the crossed collar, slender and pale. Strangely, Mei Xiu felt no licentious thoughts, only that it was beautiful.
Pei Xiting looked up. Mei Xiu cleared his throat and downed a bowl of porridge.
Yuan Fang stood with arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. He narrowed his eyes as Mei Xiu glanced over. The peacock’s face instantly changed, frowning and glaring. “What are you looking at!”
Yuan Fang complied smoothly, “Not looking anymore.”
Mei Xiu’s punch landed on cotton. He snorted, turned to Pei Xiting, and said, “Xiting, this little pet of yours has no manners. Why not get a new one? He’s got some looks, but he doesn’t seem pleasing at all.”
“Too well-behaved is boring.” Pei Xiting smiled, glancing at Yuan Fang, and said meaningfully, “I like this little attitude of his. As for whether he’s pleasing or not, you have to truly experience it to know.”
This was suggestive. Mei Xiu’s mind immediately conjured images of Yuan Fang, that little demon, seductively clinging to Pei Xiting. He sneered sourly, “Oh, fine. Whatever makes you happy.”
Yuan Fang, however, didn’t care about Pei Xiting’s verbal flirtation. He was more curious: the Crown Prince had sent people to secretly follow Pei Xiting. That behavior was thought-provoking. So if this worthless Pei Xiting later did end up striking sparks with the Crown Prince, would today’s and previous suggestive words become a knife stabbing into that reckless mouth?
Pei Xiting was completely unaware of Yuan Fang’s inner thoughts. He finished his breakfast leisurely, rinsed his mouth with tea, and said, “Stomach full, body warm.”
Mei Xiu said, “Good, right? Tomorrow I’ll buy from the same place. I wanted to treat you to Chunhui Tower last night, but you came back late.”
Pei Xiting got up and walked to the bedside, putting on his outer robe while saying, “I met an old friend. Ate out last night, came back a little late.”
“Oh,” Mei Xiu was a bit puzzled. “You never left the capital before. Where did you get a friend from another province?”
Pei Xiting smiled. “I never left Yejing, but doesn’t that allow others to come to Yejing?”
Mei Xiu couldn’t refute that, scratched his head with a laugh. “So, are you meeting your friend again today?”
Pei Xiting exchanged a quick glance with Yuan Fang. “Yes, we agreed to go out for a walk today. What about the young Marquis?”
The young Marquis wanted to go with Pei Xiting, but the other clearly had no intention of inviting him, so he said, “I’ll head to the auction house in the east part of town to see if there are any good finds.”
Pei Xiting’s brow lifted slightly. “The Wanping Auction House?”
“Exactly,” Mei Xiu said.
“I heard that to enter the auction house, you have to be rich or noble, and you need to buy an entry token first——”
Before he finished, Mei Xiu produced a wooden token like a magician. “Am I not rich and noble?”
Pei Xiting put on an expression of “homage to the king of wealth.” “I’d like to go see it too.”
Mei Xiu was startled. “Aren’t you going to see your friend?”
“You can see friends anytime. But I heard the Wanping Auction sometimes holds sales every two or three months, sometimes half a year. Can’t miss the chance.” Pei Xiting said.
Hearing this, Mei Xiu was naturally happy to have Pei Xiting accompany him. “Then I’ll order the carriage right away.”
“Wait.” Pei Xiting stopped Mei Xiu, explaining, “We came with the Crown Prince to suppress bandits. We shouldn’t be too conspicuous. If bandits hidden in the city target us, won’t that be dangerous?”
Mei Xiu said, “True. But are we supposed to walk? My legs would break.”
“No need to walk.” Pei Xiting said, “We can leave through the back door and rent a carriage from the station ahead.”
Mei Xiu thought this sneaky approach felt a bit underhanded, but Pei Xiting’s concern was valid, so he didn’t argue, just nodded and agreed.
Pei Xiting then combed his hair and signaled Yuan Fang with his eyes to lead the way.
The three snuck to the back door of the guild hall. Yuan Fang vaulted over the wall first, scouted, and returned. “Come.”
Pei Xiting rolled up his sleeves, took a few steps back, ran to the wall, grabbed Yuan Fang’s outstretched hand, and successfully vaulted over. At the same time, Mei Xiu landed lightly beside him.
“Feels like we’re doing something wrong,” Mei Xiu said.
Pei Xiting wiped his hands. “The Crown Prince is working hard surveying the terrain, and we’re going to an auction house. Isn’t that exactly doing something wrong?”
Mei Xiu felt a twinge of guilt; after all, he had slept in this morning and missed following the Crown Prince , completely betraying his earlier pledge to Zong Fei: “Where you go, I go. Whoever you order me to fight, I fight. I will follow you closely, devote myself to you.”
The three took a small path away from the guild hall’s vicinity, reaching a lane beside the carriage station. Pei Xiting and Mei Xiu waited while Yuan Fang donned a small bamboo hat and went out to rent a carriage.
Soon, Yuan Fang drove the carriage into the lane. After Pei Xiting and Mei Xiu boarded one after the other, he drove out of the lane, looped back toward the guild hall for a stretch, then chose a fork and left.
The carriage drove steadily into the eastern district, stopping at the Wanping Auction House’s entrance. Carriages were lined up, attendants everywhere.
Yuan Fang parked in a corner spot. Mei Xiu alighted first, straightening his lapels. Pei Xiting followed.
The three reached the entrance. A waiter approached to guide them. Mei Xiu showed his token. The waiter checked it and respectfully led them into the main hall, heading upstairs. They didn’t encounter many people along the way; guests were seated in private rooms behind screens.
Once in the private room, a maidservant served tea, pastries, fruits, and dried goods, then stood outside the screen. Yuan Fang glanced at the maidservant, confirmed there was no issue, then averted his gaze. He positioned himself to block the maidservant’s view and used a silver needle to test the food for poison.
Mei Xiu: “…” Was such caution necessary?
Pei Xiting read the young Marquis’s thoughts and said quietly, “When you’re away from home, it’s better to be careful.”
Mei Xiu said, “You’re right.”
After confirming everything was fine, Yuan Fang wiped the silver needle clean and tucked it back at his waist. Pei Xiting beckoned him over, whispered something in his ear, and Yuan Fang raised an eyebrow, nodded, and turned to leave.
Mei Xiu watched from the side, curiosity piqued. “What’s up?”
“Ahead is Guimo Bridge. At the end of the bridge is a stationery shop. Not famous, but my friend says they have decent stuff. I asked him to pick something out for me,” Pei Xiting said.
Mei Xiu didn’t suspect anything and picked up the brochure to browse. Pei Xiting had no intention of bidding—he was penniless, after all—but he still looked along. There were a few nice items.
When Mei Xiu flipped to a certain page, Pei Xiting’s gaze paused. “This bracelet is nice.”
Mei Xiu looked at the accompanying description. “Red jade with black jade. A bit too flashy and heavy…”
He paused, turned his head, and looked at Pei Xiting—black hair, pale face, red lips, white teeth. “It would look great on you.”
Pei Xiting wanted it too, but his finances didn’t match. With red jade and black jade of that quality, acquiring this piece would cost as much as buying a house in Yejing. So he just smiled. “I’d look good wearing a ring of grass.”
Mei Xiu laughed heartily. “That’s true!”
Despite saying so, Mei Xiu had already decided to bid for the bracelet and give it to Pei Xiting to earn a smile from the beauty.
The auction soon began. The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the hall. Pei Xiting, losing interest, got up and walked to the window. When he pushed open the window, the wind hit him. He turned his face aside to dodge, then looked out: a lake with churning waves.
After a moment, Yuan Fang returned and said to Pei Xiting, “I just saw Fifth Young Master. From the inner window of the stationery shop’s second floor.”
“Who?” Before Pei Xiting could speak, Mei Xiu asked first. “What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t know. Fifth Young Master was talking to someone by the lake. Afraid of overstepping, I didn’t look long and came back.” Yuan Fang then said to Pei Xiting, “The things you wanted are in the carriage.”
“Talking to someone by the lake?” Mei Xiu was puzzled. “This area is remote. Hardly any shops around. If not for today’s auction, there wouldn’t be many people.”
Pei Xiting took a sip of tea upon hearing this. “Maybe it was Fifth Young Master’s friend.”
“Friends chatting—even if not at a restaurant or tavern, they should pick a brighter place. Instead, they’re talking behind a secluded building by the lake?” Maybe because Zong An himself seemed odd, Mei Xiu felt something was off. He stood up. “Where?”
Yuan Fang glanced at Pei Xiting. Pei Xiting stood up as well. “Shall we go take a look?”
Mei Xiu said, “Let’s go.”
Yuan Fang nodded, led the two out of the private room, descended the stairs, and headed straight for Guimo Bridge, entering the stationery shop.
“No need to trouble yourself, boss. My young master just wants to look at the ink and brushes upstairs.” Yuan Fang called out and went up first. The shopkeeper, busy pasting paper behind the counter, looked up, saw a familiar customer, and said “Okay,” then went back to work.
The three reached the second floor. Yuan Fang walked to the window and gestured. Mei Xiu stepped forward, Pei Xiting following closely. He whispered, “Young Marquis, be careful. Don’t let Fifth Young Master notice and cause unnecessary misunderstanding.”
“Got it.” Mei Xiu approached the window, pressed against the left sash, and cautiously peeked one eye out. Indeed, he saw two people standing in a lakeside pavilion. At this distance, he couldn’t hear their words or read their lips, but the back facing this direction was unmistakably Zong An.
The man opposite Zong An was tall and thin, dressed in coarse clothes, not looking like a good sort.
Mei Xiu withdrew his head and frowned. “Who’s that?”
Pei Xiting also took a look, adding key information. “That man has a dagger at his waist.”
He turned and said, “I don’t think this person is Fifth Young Master’s friend. Look—he’s standing with one hand on his hip near the dagger, the other hand half-clenched in front of his waist, legs slightly apart. That’s a tense posture, like he’s on guard.”
“What the hell are they discussing?” Mei Xiu said. “I feel something’s wrong.”
“I remember that man’s face.” Pei Xiting hesitated, then said, “Maybe I can draw him and have someone check his identity?”
Mei Xiu clapped. “I think that’s a good idea!”
Pei Xiting said, “Let’s go back for now.”
He browsed the counter, picked out a wolf-hair brush, and told Yuan Fang to settle the bill on the way down.
Back at the auction house, Mei Xiu walked to the curtain, glanced at the items on stage, returned to flip through the brochure. There were still a few lots before the bracelet.
Pei Xiting took a piece of plum candy from his pouch, shared one with Yuan Fang and Mei Xiu, leaned back in his chair, tilted his head, and said, “Bring brush, ink, and paper.”
The maidservant outside the screen responded, quietly withdrew, and soon presented the materials. Pei Xiting went behind a low table and began sketching the man’s features.
After a while, Mei Xiu suddenly tugged the bell cord and declared, “One thousand taels.”
The maidservant held up the price placard. The auctioneer announced loudly, “East Wing, Section C—one thousand taels!”
“East Wing Section C,” Yu Shaoyun said. “That’s Young Master Pei’s room. He wants it. Should we let him have it directly, Master?”
“How could he afford it? He’s dead broke.” Clearly, Mei Xiu was the one bidding. The Crown Prince said flatly, “Bid more. Buy it.”