CH 55

October 20, 2022Merchie

The sedan stopped at the entrance of the manor, and the person inside it climbed out. He walked toward the gate and stood still.

“What are you doing out here?”

Pei Zheng’s gaze immediately shifted to Qi Changyi’s bare feet, as well as the trail of red footprints behind him.

He bent down and picked the little prince up, before wrapping him in his wide outer robe.

Qi Changyi had already exhausted all his strength while walking to the gate. After being exposed to the cold wind for so long, his body had begun to burn once more. His mouth was dry, and his limbs were gelatinous and weak.

Pei Zheng walked through the gate with the small man in his arms and was greeted by a neat row of servants kneeling in the courtyard. With a cold, sweeping glance, he ordered, “Take them away.”

About a dozen men clad in black came forward and grabbed the servants, preparing to drag them all out.

A delicate hand gently tugged at Pei Zheng’s black sleeve; Qi Changyi weakly shook his head.

Pei Zheng looked down at the small man in his arms. If he used just a little bit of strength, he could easily tear his sleeve away, but Pei Zheng simply allowed Qi Changyi to continue pulling at it and didn’t move.

The black-clad men all stopped; they didn’t know whether or not to take the servants away.

“Forget it.”

Pei Zheng spoke suddenly before he turned and headed towards the garden.

The moment Pei Zheng was out of sight, the servants all slumped to the ground in relief.

Their Lord had never been so magnanimous before; it was even more confusing that he would spare their lives after an incident like this.

Pei Zheng returned to the little pavilion and placed Qi Changyi back onto the bed. But the little prince kept gripping Pei Zheng’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go; his lips moved and formed a few incoherent words.

Pei Zheng’s hand was still squished under Qi Changyi’s back. He leaned down toward the small man’s mouth.

“Don’t….don’t want to…come back…I want to…leave…”

This soft, gentle voice set Pei Zheng’s heart ablaze.

He pulled his hand out from under the small man, causing his body to shift sideways on the bed.

Pei Zheng forcefully pinched his cheeks with one hand, his gaze frigid.

With a wave of his arm, he tore his sleeve out of Qi Changyi’s hand. He lifted the little prince into his arms before placing him on the nearby table.

Qi Changyi’s entire body shuddered with pain. His fingers grasped the broken teacup fragments on the table, and his tender palms were immediately gashed.

Pei Zheng pinned the little prince against the table. He suddenly felt a cold pressure on the side of his neck, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Qi Changyi was holding a porcelain fragment in his hand. Blood was dripping down his skinny arm as he held it to Pei Zheng’s throat. If he leaned up just a little, he would definitely be able to slice the other’s vital artery.

Pei Zheng didn’t hesitate; he deliberately leaned closer to the porcelain shard, “You want to kill me?”

Tears were overflowing from Qi Changyi’s eyes. His hand was trembling uncontrollably, and the fragment almost slipped out of his grip several times.

He sobbed unabashedly, “I, I don’t want to…begging you…s-stop it…I only…only want to…go…back…”

Pei Zheng leaned even closer. The porcelain shard grazed his skin, and scarlet beads of blood seeped out of the cut, bright and seductive.

His voice was unexpectedly gentle, “Kill me. If you kill me, you can go back. No one will blame you for it. I am all that is left of the Pei family. Once you kill me, you will have avenged your mother.”

Qi Changyi couldn’t stop shaking his head, “No…I don’t want to…”

Pei Zheng clasped that small hand and pushed the shard deeper into his throat. “You’re too scared? Then I’ll help you, okay?”

Qi Changyi’s fingers were covered in both his and Pei Zheng’s blood as he desperately tried to pull back his hand. Pei Zheng’s crazy actions terrified him, and he began to sob uncontrollably. Pei Zheng’s body ruthlessly pressed down against his; it was like he didn’t even care if he crushed the small figure beneath him.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally pulled away.

The little figure was half-slumped over the table; he had no strength left to maintain his position. He slipped off and fell to the ground. The floorboards were hard and cold, and he began to shiver uncontrollably.

Qi Changyi had cried his eyes dry. His body curled up in pain as he convulsed and retched.

He was still clutching the porcelain shard in his hand. He turned his head sideways to stare at it for a moment before he suddenly raised his arm and stabbed down into his own neck.

Pei Zheng saw the sudden movement and reacted quickly. He stepped forward and kicked the fragment out of the small man’s hand before he knelt down on the floor beside him.

His slender fingers wiped the blood off his own throat and smeared it on the little man’s pale lips; that stark white face suddenly became lively and seductive.

“You want to die? Unfortunately, you won’t even be able to die without my permission.”

Pei Zheng stood up and covered the small man’s body with the robe in his hand.

“Guards.”

Cheng Feng walked inside, flanked by two guards.

Pei Zheng turned around and walked out of the little pavilion. His voice was ice cold.

“Take him down there.”

There was a secret dungeon in the Prime Minister’s Manor that was cold, damp, and dark.

The person tied to the wooden rack was drooping his head; his hair spilled over his shoulders, sticking against his beautiful face.

“How long has he been unconscious?”

“Almost two days.”

“Last time, there was someone who had been unconscious for three days; the whole time, he didn’t move at all. Guess what they found out after taking a look at him?”

“What?”

“He was dead! Rigor mortis had already set in, and he still hung there for three days!”

“Then, this one might also be…”

The guard hurriedly covered his partner’s mouth with his hands, “Don’t talk nonsense! This person was sent by Bodyguard Feng himself, and he wants us to take good care of him. If he dies here, we’ll both lose our heads!”

The other guard quickly nodded, “Then I’ll go take a look at him.”

He cautiouly tiptoed towards the wooden rack and brushed a lock of hair off the small man’s pale face. The two prison guards suddenly gasped.

He was gorgeous; neither of them had ever seen such a beautiful man before.

The only problem was that this little beauty was like a corpse; there didn’t seem to be a single thread of consciousness left within him

One of the prison guards patted the small man’s stark white cheek, “Hey, hey, wake up, hurry and wake up!”

He didn’t move.

The two guards began to panic. One of them slowly slid a finger underneath the little prince’s nose and pressed upward.

Fortunately, he was still breathing, but it was so weak; it seemed as though those shallow breaths would disappear at any moment.

The crisp echo of a gong rang through the long, narrow corridor; it was time for the daily torture session.

Shuffling sounds could be heard from every cell. Not long after, the characteristic snap of a whip followed, accompanied by sharp screams and cries of pain.

There wasn’t really a purpose behind these daily whippings, like extracting information; it was just pure torture. Days and days on end of this punishment would grind even the strongest person’s will to dust. This way, no one would dare to offend Lord Pei ever again.

The two prison guards exchanged glances. They weren’t sure if they were supposed to torture this small man; they had made the decision to spare him for the past two days on Cheng Feng’s behalf. Today, he wouldn’t be able to escape his fate.

They both grabbed the whips hanging on the wall. They were extremely hard but as flexible as a snake. A single lash would cause skin and flesh to immediately tear open and bleed.

The two wardens stood at either side of the rack, but they were still hesitant. At that moment, the door to the cell suddenly opened.

A tall figure walked in, his broad back covering the small beam of light that seeped into the room. His expression was grim, his eyes were gloomy, and half of his face was hidden by the darkness; only part of his sharp, noble chin was visible.

The two prison guards hurriedly collapsed to their knees while clutching their whips, “M-my Lord…”

Pei Zheng walked over to the chair beside the rack and sat down; his face was veiled in shadow, his expression now indiscernible.

The little fool in front of him was born with arrogance in his bones; he was even worse than the fourth prince. How did he not see it before? It seemed that this small man had hidden it well, and only showed the cute, pitiful side of himself.

“Wake him up.” Pei Zheng ordered.

The two guards hurriedly poured a basin of cold water and splashed a little onto the small figure on the rack. It wasn’t enough; Qi Changyi didn’t respond at all.

“Useless.”

That singular word was so frightening, the guards immediately threw the rest of the cold water onto the little prince’s body.

“Ngh…”

Qi Changyi was frozen to the bone. He woke up, his entire body trembling, a thin mist glazing his eyes.

His arms had been restrained by cold, hard chains for so long; there was no pain, only a weak numbness in its place.

Once he recognized that it was Pei Zheng who was sitting in front of him, Qi Changyi’s hazy eyes suddenly cleared up, before his gaze was immediately filled with unbridled fear.

Pei Zheng stepped forward and grabbed his chin, “Do you still want to die?”

The small man desperately tried to shrink away. His body was shaking, and his face was twisted in pain, yet he couldn’t make a sound.

“Maybe I should ask you this instead: do you still want to run away? Do you still hate me? Do you still want to kill me?”

The two prison guards broke into a cold sweat at these words.

Pei Zheng loosened his fingers and sat back on the chair. His thin lips parted lightly, “Begin the torture.”

The wardens had no choice but to obey the order. The long whip cracked across the small man’s body, and his skin and flesh immediately split into a bloody mess. His clothes were sticking to the fresh wounds; he was about to faint again from the pain.

After a few lashes, the small man was covered in a layer of cold sweat. However, his robe was already sopping wet, so no one could tell.

Pei Zheng raised his hand, and the sounds of lashing immediately ceased.

Qi Changyi lowered his eyes. His wet hair was stuck to his neck as he gasped weakly.

Pei Zheng let him catch his breath for a moment, before ordering again, “Take him out of here.”

A familiar figure suddenly appeared at the door of the cell and was thrown at Pei Zheng’s feet. Pei Zheng raised his foot and pressed it onto his back.

“This little servant must be very loyal to you. He actually tried to escape from the palace without permission.”

Li Yu raised his head slightly and saw the little prince who was still tied against the rack. Tears immediately flowed from his eyes, “Your Highness, are you alright…”

Qi Changyi finally moved a little. He lifted his chin with great effort, and forced the corners of his mouth upward into a smile, “Xiao Yuzi…”

Li Yu hugged Pei Zheng’s legs and began to sob, “Lord Pei, I’m begging you, please spare His Highness. If he did something wrong, you can blame me for it, I am willing to take the punishment in his place.”

“The bond between a master and his servant is strong indeed.” Pei Zheng smiled coldly. “However, your master just tried to assassinate me. I’m afraid you would have to die several times in order to atone for such a crime.”

Li Yu was stunned. Tried to assassinate him? Impossible! His Highness had always been sincere in his feelings for Lord Pei, how could he want to kill him?!

Pei Zheng kicked Li Yu aside. He glanced back, and the little eunuch was dragged away.

He walked up to the rack, and the smell of blood permeated his nostrils. The once blossoming beauty in front of him was now wilted and weak; a dark wave of irritation suddenly surged up in his throbbing heart.

Pei Zheng hadn’t seen Qi Changyi in two days; during that period, no matter what he did, his mind was full of him. Even when he was in court, his thoughts would drift back to the little prince.

He really despised this feeling of not being in control.

He pushed the soaked hair out of the small man’s face, and wiped the sweat from his forehead before he leaned down and gently bit down on his earlobe.

“Be good. I don’t care about anything else, I only want you to stay by my side, okay?”

Qi Changyi tried his hardest to hold his tears in. But his anger was hardly present in his weak voice, “I don’t want to…don’t…want…”

Pei Zheng flashed a sinister smile that would freeze anyone’s bones. He stared at Qi Changyi and gave another order.

“The two of you, get out.”

Notes

Unrelated but I just read Chapter 17 of the manhua, Pei Zheng is really too fine ahhh, hurry and go take a look at him! too bad he’s an ass ;-;

Also, reading that chapter made me think about how I put too many footnotes in the first few chapters. Also, the wording the scanlation team used is so much more elegant than mine hahahahahaha

I can’t believe we’ve already reached chapter 55! not that it means anything in terms of character development for anyone

Thanks for reading~ no funny little notes today.