CH 78

November 12, 2022Merchie

In the little pavilion in the Prime Minister’s Manor’s garden, the moon and stars hung high in the sky as a monstrous gale of cold wind blew past.

The small man lay quietly on the bed. His eyes were clearly half-open, but he seemed to be asleep, gaze distracted and unfocused.

The blood lingering on his body had already been cleaned up, and the wound on his forehead had stopped bleeding and was covered by a bandage. The fire burning inside the little pavilion was blazing hot, and his frozen body had already been warmed.

Yet his entire frame still looked icy cold, as if there wasn’t a shred of warmth left within him.

In Pei Zheng’s hand was a washcloth. He dipped it into hot water, and gently wiped the little prince’s face- his movements gentle and patient.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Cheng Feng pushed it open, leaned over, and said something into Pei Zheng’s ear.

Pei Zheng waved his hand for him to leave, then continued to lightly mop the small man’s face. He carefully wiped the man’s slender fingers as well. Only then did he throw the washcloth aside.

“Does your forehead still hurt?” Pei Zheng asked in a low voice.

Qi Changyi didn’t look at him, and also didn’t answer. It was as if he hadn’t heard him.

Pei Zheng didn’t mind. He supported the small man by the arm to sit up.

“Are you sleepy? If you aren’t, I’m going to take you to meet someone.”

Qi Changyi sat there with his head slightly dipped, and didn’t respond.

Pei Zheng simply pulled at his own cloak and wrapped the small man’s body with it, hugging him to his side as they walked out of the little pavilion.

After a short journey, they arrived at the secret dungeon of the Prime Minister’s Manor. Upon recognizing this familiar place, Qi Changyi senses abruptly returned, and he shrank away unconsciously.

Pei Zheng noticed and hugged him a little tighter, before he lowered his head and spoke in a comforting voice in his ear.

“Don’t be scared, I’m not going to lock you in here.”

The two walked inside. The long, dim corridor was pitch-black – there were only a few scattered flames littering the darkness. One could only see what the prison really looked like once they walked all the way inside.

Cheng Feng was standing in front of a cell. When he saw the two of them, he opened the door for them before following them inside.

A flame was lit, and Qi Changyi’s eyes squinted in the light. Other than that, he showed no reaction.

Even when he saw the gang’s leader, who had tried to violate him earlier, tied to the rack, his gaze didn’t change in the slightest; it was still hazy-gray and unfocused.

Pei Zheng saw his expression, and thought only that he was frightened so he sat down in a chair to one side, and ushered the prince to sit in his lap.

Cheng Feng fetched a whip that had an iron hook at one end. He dumped a bucket of water over the unconscious thug, waking him, and obediently waited for Pei Zheng’s orders on how to proceed.

The man was already covered in whip wounds and the two bloody holes on his legs were still oozing thin streams of blood. He had already been tortured and terrified to the point of going mad. As soon as he woke up, he began to beg for mercy, his throat hoarse.

Pei Zheng glanced over, and Cheng Feng lashed the whip. The flesh and blood caught by the hook was dug out, and flew everywhere.

“Do you know, just who you encountered today?” There was a sneer at the corners of Pei Zheng’s mouth, as he pinched Changyi’s hands between his own, playing with them.

“Ah… This lowly one… is ignorant1, I r-really don’t know!”

“You don’t know?” Pei Zheng finally looked up and glanced at him, “Then I’ll beat you until you do.”

The slapping of the whip rang through the air, and howls of misery reverberated throughout the cell. After a few lashes with the hooked whip, there weren’t many patches of unscathed flesh on the ruffian’s body, and blood flowed relentlessly from his wounds.

That thug was in so much pain that he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Then, suddenly, he froze, his mind recollecting something.

“H-he said… he was… a pri…”

The ruffian’s eyes suddenly widened, and he looked over to the side in disbelief.

It was a pity that, before he could utter another word, Cheng Feng lashed him with the whip again. As soon as the gang leader’s eyes closed his limp body was peeled off of the rack – it looked like he had finally taken his last breath.

Pei Zheng covered the small man’s eyes at this moment, pulling the little prince closer, before letting go of his hands. He pinched the small man’s chin, turning Changyi to him.

Those once charming, spirited eyes were now blank and dead; it looked as though he didn’t have any feelings at all.

“He bullied you, didn’t he? Hm?”

The small man stared blankly at Pei Zheng and didn’t speak.

“Don’t be scared, I already captured him. Look, he’s tied up over there, he can’t hurt you anymore, okay?”

The prince blinked twice but still didn’t respond.

Pei Zheng rubbed his back and simply lifted him into his arms, before walking out the cell door.

Just what kind of emotional trauma did he sustain tonight to make him like this?

Upon returning to the little pavilion, the warmth of the room softened Qi CHangyi’s ice-cold body.

Pei Zheng placed him back onto the bed. Originally, he had planned to leave, and let Qi Changyi rest well for the night, but as he bent down, he smelled the wafting, unique fragrance of the little prince, Pei Zheng couldn’t resist and laid down beside him.

The moment Pei Zheng laid down and stuck himself beside the small man, he could feel that soft vulnerability instantly vanish, to be replaced by a hard, unyielding husk.

Qi Changyi buried his head into the blanket and turned away to face the inner wall, looking as though he didn’t want to have any contact with the outside world.

Pei Zheng reached out and tried to hug him against his chest, but the petite body shifted to the side and dodged his embrace.

Pei Zheng’s expression changed, but he still suppressed the displeasure in his heart, and forcefully pulled the small man into his arms. Only then did he find that Changyi’s little face was covered in tear tracks, and he was biting his lip hard, unwilling to let out his sobs.

Pei Zheng reached out and wiped his tears away with his fingertips, and tried to lean over and kiss him, but the small man ducked away from him again. This time, he struggled with all his might, pushing hard against Pei Zheng’s chest.

Pei Zheng also refused to let go. He dipped his head and leaned close to his lips.

It was only until he tasted blood in his mouth that he finally let go.

A crisp “pa!” echoed in the air.

Qi Changyi’s eyes were red, his hands were trembling uncontrollably, and his lips had been bitten bloody.

He had actually slapped Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng hadn’t been prepared for that. His head was slightly tilted from the slap, and a small palm print appeared on his face.

The tip of his tongue touched the corner of his mouth, and he suddenly smiled grimly. No one had ever slapped him before, not even that heartless father of his.

This person in front of him was the first.

“You dare to hit me?”

Pei Zheng squeezed the prince’s thin wrist, “Have I been pampering you too much? Hm? There should be a limit to your tantrums!”

Qi Changyi’s wrist was in pain, and his eyebrows creased lightly, but he still refused to make a sound.

His heart was filled with sadness. He was so forlorn that he couldn’t muster a shred of strength.

All he wanted to do now was to sleep. He was sure that once he woke up, he would find out that everything had merely been a nightmare.

Upon seeing his lukewarm expression, Pei Zheng ruthlessly tightened his grip, “Speak.”

Qi Changyi didn’t move and stayed silent for a long while.

Pei Zheng raised his voice, “What? So now you don’t even want to speak to me? Now that you know that I’m going to marry someone else, you want to distance yourself from me again?”

Upon hearing those words, Qi Changyi’s heart twitched with pain.

Pei Zheng looked at his wrinkled brows, “Good, very good. I’d like to see how long you can go on without making a sound.”

With those words, the candles in the little pavilion were extinguished by a gust of spiritual wind.

The shadows of the trees outside swayed. Inside, the room was full of debauchery.

At first, the little pavilion remained silent, then, later, a few strange noises could be heard; soft cries like a kitten scratching upon people’s hearts. Those who heard were left with flushed faces and racing hearts.

It wasn’t until dawn approached that the sounds slowly died down.

It was time for the morning court session.

When Cheng Feng arrived at the little pavilion, Pei Zheng hadn’t yet emerged. He simply said that he wouldn’t be attending the morning court session today, and had Cheng Feng deliver a report. For the entire day, no one came out of the little pavilion. Only Li Yu made two trips inside, to deliver lunch and dinner.

The thick bed curtain had never been used before, but it came in handy this time, tightly encapsulating the entire mattress so that no one could see what was going on within.

Qi Changyi’s consciousness had been hazy and drowsy this entire time. He laid sprawled on the bed, not a single thread of clothing on his body, his throat tearing with hoarseness.

“Water…”

Pei Zheng shifted his body, and stretched out his hand, “Get water.”

Li Yu, who was outside, quickly brought some water and delivered it to the side of the bed. A small slit opened in the curtain, and he could see vague outlines of the figures inside, but he was too busy bowing his head to look any closer. Only a mysterious, flirtatious scent wafted out, swirled around, and slipped into his nostrils.

When Pei Zheng handed the cup back to him, Li Yu’s cheeks were flushed an unsightly red, and his gaze flitted involuntarily behind the curtain, wanting to see what exactly had happened to His Highness.

Pei Zheng looked at him and laughed, before pulling open the curtain, “You want to see?”

Li Yu was startled, and hurriedly bowed his head and knelt on the floor. “This servant, this servant doesn’t dare… My Lord, please don’t be angry…”

“You can get up.” Pei Zheng let go, and the curtains fell once more, masking his body as well.

He stroked the dark bite marks under the small man’s collarbone and suddenly had an idea.

“Find me a tattoo artist.”

“Yes sir.”

Li Yu retreated from the little pavilion. The cold wind blowing on his face finally cooled the burning heat of his cheeks. He sighed, before hurrying away.

Pei Zheng laid back down, tracing his fingers along the smooth, white skin of the man beneath his body.

He didn’t mean to be so cruel to Changyi, but he couldn’t keep the agitation in his heart at bay. Every time he lost control of his strength, he would hurt the small man.

Yet only in these moments did the prince come to life. He was bright, and full of vitality. The alluring charm dangling at the corners of his eyes and brows could melt anyone’s bones.

When the night’s passion reached its deepest point, he would become a little distracted by his own feelings. He even touched the small man’s stomach, and said, “I really want to make this place bigger. That way, you won’t be able to run away.”

In the following days, Pei Zheng did not attend court. The Emperor actually allowed him to skip, saying that it was to let him prepare for the upcoming wedding, which was days away.

But throughout this period, Pei Zheng stayed in the little pavilion. Qi Changyi was trapped within the curtain and didn’t get leave bed for five days.

The tattoo artist arrived at the Prime Minister’s Manor and stayed in the bamboo forest in the back garden. After waiting for three days, he was summoned to the little pavilion.

The moment Li Yu and the tattoo artist entered, he saw that the curtain had finally been pulled back, and the small, white-clad prince was lying on the bed, his eyes closed, as if he hadn’t woken up yet.

Pei Zheng sat to the side and looked the tattoo artist up and down.

After being swept by that ice-cold gaze, the tattooist’s back dripped with a thin film of cold sweat.

“M-my Lord, what kind of design would you like?”

“Not me. Him.” Pei Zheng looked over, “The design is on the table.”

Li Yu walked over and picked up the drawing. He was stunned when he saw that it was a bewitching, fiery-red lotus.

The tattoo master took the design and examined it for a long time, “My Lord, the pigment for this red lotus must be colored with cinnabar. As far as I know, the palace has high-quality cinnabar that was offered as tribute from foreign countries, it is most suitable to be used in tattoo ink.”

“I’ll give you the cinnabar. You must meet my expectations, otherwise…”

Pei Zheng looked at him and didn’t say anything more.

The tattoo master wiped his sweat, “My Lord, where would you like him to be tattooed?”

Pei Zheng stood up and walked to the side of the bed. He pulled at the small man’s lapel, so gently that the sleeping prince didn’t notice a thing.

Pei Zheng’s finger tapped the bite marks, “Right here.”

Notes

Wwwwwww

I feel so perverted just writing all this, I can’t imagine being entranced by someone’s ‘unique fragrance’

Thanks for reading~

1. 有眼无珠 (yǒu yǎn wú zhū): Uhm…I have eyes but no eyeballs (?), basically blind, ignorant, oblivious