CH 52

October 17, 2022Merchie

When Pei Zheng returned to the Prime Minister’s Manor, the entire residence was silent.

There weren’t many servants in the manor anyway. Pei Zheng was well-known for being incredibly moody; sometimes, the servants hadn’t even done anything, but Pei Zheng would put them to death anyway. The number of people who were killed in this mansion certainly wasn’t small.

The ones who were left were constantly walking on eggshells, careful and meticulous in everything they did.

Pei Zheng liked quietude, so everyone in the manor walked with light steps and never spoke too loudly.

So the mansion was usually quite gloomy.

After passing through a huge garden with a sparkling clear pool, one would come across a small, two-story pavilion.

It was quiet inside; it seemed that no one was in there.

Except, there was a small, bun-shaped bulge on the bed, and the thick quilt shifted slightly.

The little prince was still sleeping.

Pei Zheng walked to the side of the bed and sat down. He lightly pulled back the quilt, revealing the small, rosy face inside. His mouth was slightly open, and his breaths were soft.

At that moment, the entire pavilion seemed to brighten with color and life.

The small man smacked his lips twice, and his eyes opened hazily. He stared at Pei Zheng for a while before he came to his senses.

“Brother Pei, you’re back.”

Pei Zheng nodded before he reached out and patted his little head. “It’s time to wake up.”

Qi Changyi’s eyebrows creased. He yawned and rewrapped himself in the quilt.

“I don’t want to, I want to sleep a little longer…”

“No, it’s time to eat.”

Pei Zheng’s tone left no room for refusal. Qi Changyi had slept for a long time, so he was a little hungry anyway. He sat up, swaying slightly; it was as though he was about to fall right back onto the bed.

Pei Zheng wrapped him in his arms and picked him up, before walking out the door.

Qi Changyi was comfortably nestled against Pei Zheng’s chest. His eyelids fluttered closed; even during such a short walk, he couldn’t help but fall asleep again.

For the past few days, he had been living at Pei Zheng’s manor. Brother Pei said that the Emperor had already agreed; Qi Changyi could stay for as long as he wanted and didn’t need to go back to the palace.

Ever since they had returned from the borderlands, Pei Zheng had showered Qi Changyi with affection. Every day, the small man would sleep until late morning. When Pei Zheng came back from the morning court session, he would wake him up to have a meal together.

If he was too lazy to walk, Pei Zheng would simply carry him, let him sit in his lap, and feed him one bite at a time.

After the meal, if Qi Changyi was sleepy, he would return to the small pavilion to take a nap. If he was energetic, he would beg Pei Zheng to accompany him; it didn’t matter what they did, he only wanted to stick to Pei Zheng’s side.

The servants of the manor were all so shocked that their jaws nearly dropped to the floor. They had never seen the ruthless Lord Pei act so tender and affectionate; they never expected that he would treat that…

That slightly foolish prince so well. On the other hand, he was extremely cruel toward them.

There was one incident where a servant girl forgot to tell Qi Changyi to put on his shoes, and the little prince rushed out of his room barefoot and excitedly jumped into Pei Zheng’s arms.

As he scooped the small man into his arms, Pei Zheng glanced up at the servant girl, and she was swiftly and quietly dragged away.

That girl’s feet were chopped off, and she was thrown into the dungeon.

Qi Changyi didn’t know about this, and of course Pei Zheng wasn’t going to tell him.

As long as he remained as he was now: pure and kind, ignorant to the world, completely trusting and relying on Pei Zheng, and bringing a little light and freshness into his dark world, everything would be fine.

If Qi Changfeng hadn’t suddenly paid a visit to the Prime Minister’s Manor, this peaceful existence may have continued forever.

Pei Zheng had just returned to the manor and changed into his official robes. He was on his way to the little pavilion when he heard a sudden disturbance in the courtyard.

He frowned imperceptibly and walked out to see what had happened.

Qi Changfeng was wearing a simple robe. He stood in the courtyard, a longsword in his hand, his eyes scarlet. His gaze was fierce; it was as if Pei Zheng was his mortal enemy.

The servants who were kneeling on the ground around him hadn’t dared to stop the fourth prince from forcing his way inside, fearing that they would be punished by their master.

The moment Qi Changfeng saw Pei Zheng, he pointed his blade straight at him.

“Pei Zheng! Where’s Changyi, I’m taking him back!”

Pei Zheng’s expression was indifferent. He stood languidly and didn’t move.

“Is there a reason for the fourth prince to suddenly barge into my manor and act like a madman?”

At these words, Qi Changfeng’s eyes widened in rage, and he laughed in anger. He did indeed look slightly crazy.

“I’m a madman? That’s right, I’ve gone mad! I was actually deceived by some vicious scum and personally sent my own mother to her death…Of course I’d be mad! But this is all because of your Pei family, all because of you!”

Pei Zheng’s eyes immediately darkened.

Qi Changfeng slowly walked over with heavy steps, “I was too young at the time. I only knew that what I saw was the truth, but I never thought that even what was right before my eyes could be fake! In order to stop my mother from influencing court matters, your Pei family framed her for treason and colluding with the enemy, and deliberately showed me a bunch of fake evidence, forcing me to pursue justice over my own family, and personally expose my own mother!”

“Yet I didn’t find out about all this until today. Pei Zheng! You and your family will be held responsible for framing my mother! I hate you with every part of my being; you and I will never be able to live under the same sky1! I don’t have the evidence to take you down yet, but as long as I’m alive, you’d better watch your damn back!”

Qi Changfeng had already walked right up to Pei Zheng, and his longsword was touching Pei Zheng’s body. If he took one more step forward, his blade would immediately pierce through the other’s chest.

Several guards surrounded them and were about to rush forward to protect Pei Zheng, but Pei Zheng waved them away.

The hatred between him and Qi Changfeng had festered for so long; it was impossible to know who had been wronged by the other the most.

But as for the little fool that Qi Changfeng had come to retrieve, Pei Zheng would never hand him over.

“Fourth Brother!”

An excited voice rang out in the distance. Qi Changyi had not seen the fourth prince since he left for the borderlands, so he was naturally very happy to see him here.

But upon seeing the longsword in Qi Changfeng’s hand pressed against Pei Zheng, the smile on Qi Changyi’s face disappeared. He ran over and grabbed Qi Changfeng’s arm.

“Fourth Brother, what are you guys doing? Are you two arguing? Can’t you both just talk it out? Quickly, put your sword down, don’t hurt Brother Pei.”

Qi Changfeng couldn’t bear to listen to him defend Pei Zheng any longer. He shoved the small man aside, and shouted angrily, “Changyi! Open your eyes and look at him! This scoundrel you call Brother Pei, this ruthless hypocrite who sent you to marry the barbarian leader, this lofty Prime Minister of the Imperial Court, Pei Zheng; he is the son of the man who killed2 Mother! The Pei Family has always been our enemy!”

The son of the man who killed Mother.

Killed Mother.

Qi Changyi fell onto his knees, his eyes wide with disbelief. He kept muttering, “Impossible, impossible! How could Brother Pei’s family be the ones who killed Mother? Brother Pei, quickly explain to Fourth Brother, it wasn’t you, right?”

The little prince’s eyes were red, but they were still filled with hope as he looked up at Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng closed his eyes and didn’t speak.

How could he explain? What could he say, that while his father was alive, Pei Zheng himself was nothing more than a pawn of the Pei family, that everything he did and said was completely against his will?

However, at that point in the past, he hated Qi Changfeng to his bones. He even felt a sense of vengeful glee once his father had finished the job.

He wanted to see Qi Changfeng’s reaction after he found out the truth: an expression filled with regret, pain, and helplessness.

Presently, the Qi Changfeng standing before him was wearing this exact expression; he had even impulsively broken into the Prime Minister’s manor brandishing a sword. There was nothing left of the fourth prince’s composed, regal demeanor.

But Pei Zheng never expected that his brilliant revenge plot would go wrong.

Qi Changyi was what made his plan fall apart.

He looked devastated; tears were streaming down his cheeks as he gazed up at Pei Zheng, who couldn’t bear to even meet his eyes.

The light in Qi Changyi’s eyes had faded, washed away by the overwhelming sadness and pain that threatened to engulf him.

His mother, the mother who loved him the most in the entire world; Qi Changyi never told anyone this, but there wasn’t a single day that he didn’t long for her.

It was true that he was an idiot, it was true that he liked Pei Zheng a lot; no matter how much the other hurt him, as long as he was given a little gentleness, a little sweetness, Qi Changyi could forget the pain and continue chasing after him.

But it was impossible to do so this time. The death of his mother was a wound that was carved deep into Qi Changyi’s heart. If someone touched that wound, it would immediately tear open and bleed all over again.

But Pei Zheng took a knife and plunged it straight into that delicate wound. The bleeding wouldn’t stop, the heartbreak wouldn’t stop; he felt as though he was about to die.

“Changyi, come with me. We’re going back to the palace.”

Qi Changfeng found his voice and finally broke the suffocating silence. It took all his strength to force himself to shift his sword away from Pei Zheng’s heart.

Without any evidence, there was no way to reopen the case, and no way to kill Pei Zheng.

Qi Changyi’s soul seemed to have left his body. Tears flowed endlessly down his pale, bloodless face.

His complexion had become rosy and warm under Pei Zheng’s care, but all that color was sucked away in this moment.

“We’re going back to the palace, did you hear me or not?!”

Qi Changfeng shouted.

The small figure on the ground finally stood up. He was crying so hard that he was about to faint, but he clutched at his robe and endured the pain in his heart, unwilling to collapse again.

Seeing that Qi Changyi didn’t even look at him, Pei Zheng stepped forward and stood at Qi Changfeng’s side. The restless rage and panic was rising and boiling in his chest.

“You can leave, and I won’t bring up what happened today again. But he must stay.” Pei Zheng looked at Qi Changfeng as he spoke.

“Heh, Pei Zheng, he may be a bit stupid, but he’s not heartless! Why don’t you ask him and see if he’s willing to stay with you after this!”

Pei Zheng glanced at the small, wobbly figure standing beside him, and the corners of his mouth suddenly lifted. But his smile was icy cold, without a trace of warmth.

He took a step forward, and Qi Changfeng’s blade stabbed straight into his shoulder. Blood instantly poured out and dripped downward, forming scarlet blossoms on the ground.

Pei Zheng didn’t seem to feel the pain. He stepped forward again, and the sword plunged even deeper, cutting through flesh and piercing his bones. He stared at Qi Changyi and spoke clearly,

“When I want to keep someone, I don’t need to ask if they’re willing.”

Qi Changyi saw the tiny puddles of blood on the ground, and the dull pain in his heart suddenly intensified. His vision blurred; he finally couldn’t handle it any longer and fainted.

Qi Changfeng immediately let go of the longsword in his hand.

Pei Zheng reached out and scooped the little prince up with one hand. With the other, he pulled the sword out of his shoulder. Blood gushed out of the deep black hole, soaking part of Qi Changyi’s robe.

“Cheng Feng, escort our guest.”

With this expressionless sentence, Pei Zheng turned and left, carrying Qi Changyi in his arms.

Qi Changfeng was about to follow him, but he was immediately stunned by Cheng Feng with a slap to the neck, before he was escorted away.

Pei Zheng carried Qi Changyi back to the little pavilion and placed him on the bed.

A few quick and efficient servants came to treat Pei Zheng’s wound. He didn’t even flinch; he acted as if there wasn’t a gaping, bloody hole in his shoulder.

Pei Zheng sent everyone away and ordered them to stay away from the pavilion. He sat beside the bed with a gloomy expression and waited for the small man to wake up.

Notes

This marks the beginning of the next Changyi bullying arc

Thanks for reading~

1. 不共戴天: unable to live under the same sky- to be irreconcilable; mortal enemies

2. The word wasn’t actually ‘killed’; it was ‘framed’