CH 41

October 6, 2022Merchie

A pair of cool hands rested upon Qi Changyi’s mouth, and his lashes fluttered slightly at the touch.

When his eyes finally peeled open, his vision was still a little hazy. “Pei-gege…huh? What are you doing here?”

Qi Changyi’s heart was suddenly flooded with anxiety; he quickly pulled open the curtain and peeked outside.

The sedan chair was moving forward; everything was peaceful and quiet.

“Come here.” Pei Zheng called in a low voice.

Qi Changyi seemed to recall a terrible memory; his body began to shake uncontrollably, and his movements were clumsy and slow.

Pei Zheng simply grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. He lifted his hand and gently smeared something onto Qi Changyi’s lips.

Whatever it was, it was cold and carried a strange medicinal odor. Qi Changyi braced himself for the stinging pain, but surprisingly, there was only a cool, numb feeling where his wound was.

“Make sure to apply it every day, so it doesn’t leave a scar.”

A small, delicate medicine box fell into Qi Changyi’s palm. He held it and thought for a while before he lowered his head and whispered in an aggrieved voice, “But there are some scars that won’t go away…So ugly…”

Pei Zheng lifted the little man’s chin, “Where?”

The tips of Qi Changyi’s ears flushed red; under Pei Zheng’s unrelenting gaze, he had no choice but to gingerly pull his collar down, revealing his small, snow-white collarbone.

A reddish scar in the shape of a bite mark contrasted his smooth, jade-like skin; the ambiguous location really made one think of unspeakable things.

Pei Zheng’s eyes darkened. Unconsciously, his grip on Qi Changyi tightened slightly, “How did this happen?”

“Wha…Pei-gege, it was you, you bit me.”

Qi Changyi was aggrieved to tears; how could he have forgotten the things he had done so easily?

Pei Zheng’s grip loosened, and his eyebrows furrowed. Had he bitten the little man while he was drunk? The scar was deep and dark; it must have hurt a lot.

His slender fingers caressed the scar twice before he closed the little man’s robe, “It’s not ugly.”

“Ah?”

“It’s very pretty.”

“Really?”

“Mm.”

Qi Changyi’s pained expression eased a bit.

The sedan chair continued forward for a while. It finally swayed and stopped once more; they had arrived at the hunting grounds.

The guards and servants quickly began to set up tents, and everybody else got out of their sedan chairs to stretch their legs.

Li Yu pulled open the curtain, “Your Highness, do you want to come out and…Ahhh! L-L-Lord Pei!”

Since when was Lord Pei in here as well? How did he not notice him at all?

He was really too insidious and cunning!

Qi Changyi immediately shoved his hand over Li Yu’s mouth and glared at him. His voice was filled with panic, “Keep your voice down!”

Pei Zheng stared at the nervous little man’s back, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. Without a single trace of stealth, he popped out of the sedan and began to walk with an arrogant, flamboyant swagger.

Fortunately, there weren’t that many people outside. The few guards who spotted Pei Zheng immediately bowed respectfully, but their minds were already swimming with speculations.

What a strange situation!

While the Emperor took A’mu Le and his entourage to their tents to rest, the other nobles and princes excitedly prepared to go hunting.

Qi Changyi also returned to his tent. He didn’t know how to ride a horse, so naturally, he couldn’t go hunting with the rest of his brothers. He could only stay behind and play in the sand alone.

As A’mu Le was walking into his tent, Qi Changyi was having an enthralling conversation with the sand castle in front of him

He acted out the scene in a gruff voice, “What a bold thief, you dare break into the palace? Drag him out! His punishment will be…tickling!”

His tone softened, “Spare me, please spare me, I’ll never do it again…”

A’mu Le couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Kid, why don’t you go hunting with them? Isn’t it boring to stay in your tent all day long?”

Qi Changyi played with his fingers, “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

A’mu Le smiled and said, “Is that it? Come with me.”

He pulled Qi Changyi out of the tent and took him to the stables.

“Pick any horse you’d like. I’ll teach you.”

Qi Changyi’s eyes flickered with excitement. He had never experienced the view from the back of a tall horse.

He picked a white pony that looked relatively docile, and A’mu Le supported Qi Changyi to sit on its back. The horse twisted its body in discomfort, and Qi Changyi was so terrified that he immediately grabbed onto the horse’s neck and refused to let go.

“Ahhh, I’m going to fall, I’m going to fall! I don’t want to fall! Don’t move, good horsey, don’t move, don’t let me fall, okay?”

A’mu Le held the reins, and after several minutes of coaxing, Qi Changyi finally relaxed a little and sat upright on the horse.

His legs swayed with the horse’s every movement, and the smile on his face was bright and heartwarming.

“Kid,” A’mu Le suddenly turned. “What do you think? Do you like riding?”

Qi Changyi nodded vigorously, “I do!”

“Then, do you want to continue riding horses in the future?”

Qi Changyi’s smile immediately dimmed slightly, “I, I can’t, Royal Father won’t let me leave the palace.”

A’mu Le stopped walking. “If there was a chance for you to escape the palace, escape Pei Zheng’s control, and live a free and unfettered life, would you take it? Even if you could never return to the palace again?”

Escape…from Pei-gege?

The thought made Qi Changyi’s heart wrench painfully.

I don’t want to.

He wanted nothing more than to stay by his Pei-gege‘s side and accompany him till the end of time.

It didn’t matter if he was locked in the palace for the rest of his life; Qi Changyi couldn’t bear to be apart from him.

“Your Highness.”

Pei Zheng’s ice-cold voice sounded from behind, and Qi Changyi swiveled in panic.

He was mounted on a tall horse with a shiny black coat; he clutched the reins in his hand and wore a stern expression on his face.

“Envoy A’mu Le is also here, why didn’t you go hunting?” Pei Zheng’s leg swung gracefully; he quickly got off of his horse and walked towards the two of them.

He saw that A’mu Le was holding the pony’s reins. Without saying a word, he brushed past A’mu Le, stretched his arm out, and hooked a finger at the little man.

This person had to be coaxed by A’mu Le for so long to even sit properly on the horse, yet he immediately let himself be carried off at the flick of a finger. Pei Zheng gathered the little man into his arms and held him tightly against his chest.

“Pei Zheng, don’t forget our agreement. What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing. I’m just reminding you not to stick your nose into everyone else’s business.” Pei Zheng walked toward his horse with the little man in his arms. “Otherwise, you can’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Pei Zheng placed Qi Changyi atop his horse before he got on and sat behind him. He glanced back at A’mu Le, who was still standing in the same spot, and rode away.

The little man who had just been smiling so brightly was completely obscured by a long black robe.

A strange smile appeared at the corner of A’mu Le’s mouth, “Once I want something, I’ll definitely find a way to obtain it. Pei Zheng, we’ll wait and see!”

Pei Zheng took Qi Changyi back to his tent and instructed Cheng Feng to keep watch; he was not allowed to take half a step outside of the tent.

“Also, you’re not allowed to ride horses anymore.”

Qi Changyi nodded obediently, and Pei Zheng opened the tent flap and left.

“A-Feng1.”

“A-Feng.”

“A-Feng?”

Cheng Feng heard Qi Changyi’s soft voice, and he pointed to himself in surprise, “Your Highness, are you talking to me?”

Qi Changyi nodded.

The corners of Cheng Feng’s mouth twitched; it was the first time someone had called him that.

But if it was the little Highness, any nickname was fine with him.

“A-Feng, where did Pei-gege go?”

“He went hunting. I heard that the barbarians excel at horsemanship, and they hunted more prey than us. His Majesty lost face and couldn’t bear the humiliation, so he ordered Master to take them down a peg or two.”