CH 102

December 11, 2022Merchie

Not a single sound came from inside the little pavilion.

Cheng Feng thought that the two people inside had already gone to sleep, so he knocked again.

The door was suddenly pulled open, and Pei Zheng walked out.

“Master, Her Highness the Empress… “

“What does she want?”

“No clue.” Cheng Feng cupped his hands, “But, the Second Princess was suddenly poisoned earlier. Her life was hanging by a thread, so some servants from the palace took her to the Imperial Hospital. Her Highness the Empress must have heard about it as well.”

Pei Zheng pinched the center of his brows, and was about to leave.

But Cheng Feng spoke again, “Master, wait… The Empress, she wants Young Master Shen to go to the palace as well.”

Pei Zheng stopped and turned back around.

Cheng Feng thought he was about to go back inside and wake Shen Shijiu up, but unexpectedly, Pei Zheng simply closed the door.

He walked out of the back garden and sent Li Yu to the little pavilion to take care of Shen Shijiu. Then, Pei Zheng left the Prime Minister’s Manor and set off toward the palace, accompanied by Cheng Feng.

Once they entered the royal palace, Pei Zheng wasn’t in a rush to get to the Empress’s residence, and instead went to the Imperial Hospital.

It was already this late, yet the staff of the Imperial Hospital still hadn’t gone to bed; the lanterns were still brightly lit.

Cheng Feng suddenly realized what Pei Zheng had come here to do.

As expected, once he entered the Imperial Hospital, Pei Zheng didn’t look for Jiang Yubai. Instead, he walked straight to Qi Bingzhi’s room, pushed the door open, and walked in.

Cheng Feng stood outside, guarding the door.

Qi Bingzhi was lying in bed. Her complexion looked terrible. When she heard the sound of the door opening, she thought Xiao Mei had returned with the medicine.

“I said I don’t want to drink it, take it back!”

A figure stood at the foot of the bed, blocking out most of the light; it wasn’t Xiao Mei.

When Qi Bingzhi saw Pei Zheng, surprise flashed across her face.

“My Lord, why are you here? Did you know I was here?”

Pei Zheng’s eyes shifted downward, his gaze ice-cold, without a hint of warmth.

He was still suspicious; she had been targeting Shen Shijiu this entire time. Could it be that she knew something about him as well?

But that was impossible.

Although they resembled each other, others would have no way to prove his identity as the Ninth Prince.

And Shen Shijiu’s facial features had been drastically altered. However, no disguise technique was so flawless that it could escape the scrutiny of the world.

But people really couldn’t tell when Shen Shijiu wore a mask on his face.

There was definitely something off about that mysterious shifu of his.

Qi Bingzhi saw Pei Zheng’s eyes piercing through her, but she couldn’t tell what he was looking at. She hurriedly struggled to sit up, ignoring the aching feeling in her body, and pulled at the corner of Pei Zheng’s clothes.

“My Lord, could it be, that you believe me?” She coughed twice, “Imperial Physician Jiang also took a look, I really have been poisoned. You also believe that I’ve been harmed by a petty man, right?’

These words angered Pei Zheng the moment they were spoken. He reached out, grabbed the front of Qi Bingzhi’s clothes, and easily flung her to the floor as if she were a filthy rag.

Pei Zheng had never been a good person, nor was he an upright gentleman; no matter who provoked him, whether it be an old man or a weak little girl, he wouldn’t let them off.

“Petty man?” Pei Zheng slowly walked over, “I wonder who this ‘petty man’ the princess speaks of is.”

Before he finished speaking, he had already walked up to Qi Bingzhi, and the tip of his boot was facing her fingers.

Qi Bingzhi’s head was spinning after falling, so she spoke without thinking, “Naturally, it’s, Shen Shijiu.”

That boot stomped down on Qi Bingzhi’s fingers; she immediately cried out in pain, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Pei Zheng pressed his foot down a little harder, and there was a sudden crack; one of her fingers had snapped. Qi Bingzhi was in so much pain that she couldn’t even scream; after being poisoned, thrown to the floor, and breaking a finger, she was about to faint.

“It’s just a little pain, but you can’t handle it?”

Then what about the things that she had Qi Yirou do to the little prince? Did she ever wonder if he could handle it at all?

Pei Zheng knelt; there was another crack, and the rest of her fingers shattered at once.

Qi Bingzhi couldn’t take it anymore, and her body collapsed limply. She had fainted.

But a large pool of blood was slowly forming beneath her dress.

Xiao Mei, who was outside, had already tried to enter the room. However, Cheng Feng was guarding the door, so she couldn’t even take half a step inside, and could only anxiously pace in circles outside.

She had gone to find Jiang Yubai, hoping that, because he and Pei Zheng got along well, he would be able to help her mistress out this time.

Jiang Yubai hurried over to the room, saw Cheng Feng, and instantly became snappish.

“Get out of my way.”

Of course, Cheng Feng didn’t move at all.

“Are you moving or not?! This is my territory, my word is law!”

Cheng Feng looked at him; even when confronted by such threatening words, there wasn’t a trace of a frown on his face.

Jiang Yubai stood at the door and began to shout loudly.

“Pei Zheng! Get out here! Let me tell you, Her Highness the Empress said that if anything happens to the princess, everyone at the Imperial Hospital will lose their lives! If I die, then you’ll also have to die with me! And you!”

Jiang Yubai pointed at Cheng Feng, but his hand was suddenly clasped by the other.

He was desperately trying to jerk his hand away when the door opened.

Pei Zheng’s expression was the same as usual, and he walked out as though nothing had happened.

Cheng Feng immediately let go of Jiang Yubai.

Jiang Yubai glanced inside, and almost lost his soul from fright. The Second Princess was lying in a pool of blood, and her fingers were clearly bent out of shape. It was a terrifying sight.

“P-P-Pei Zheng!”

“Don’t worry, she’s not dead.” Pei Zheng’s footsteps didn’t stop, and he continued to walk away, “You won’t die either.”

Jiang Yubai was so frightened that he didn’t even have time to curse at him, and charged into the room to check on QI Bingzhi’s condition.

Pei Zheng merely smoothed his sleeves, and walked toward the Empress’s residence under the moonlight.

***

When Li Yu pushed open the door of the little pavilion, there was still some resentment and confusion in his heart.

For the past few years, His Lordship had arranged for him to work at the manor. He had become His Lordship’s second trusted subordinate, after Cheng Feng. But in truth, he couldn’t understand why His Lordship placed so much trust in him.

This little pavilion had been uninhabited for three years now.

It also represented the three years worth of emptiness in Pei Zheng’s heart.

Li Yu knew that every time Pei Zheng returned to the manor, he would spend most nights in the little pavilion.

Li Yu also knew that even when Pei Zheng slept in the little pavilion, he would always have nightmares, during which only a certain title, and a certain name, spilled continuously from his lips.

But why did he allow someone else to stay in the little pavilion today?

Li Yu wasn’t an idiot. He could see the resemblance between Shen Shijiu and His Highness; Li Yu didn’t believe that His Lordship’s thoughts hadn’t been stirred by this at all.

The little pavilion was pitch-black, and the moment he walked in, he smelled the scent of liquor.

They had been drinking?

So many things had happened tonight, and the situation was critical, yet they were still in the mood to drink wine?

Li Yu lit a candle and slowly walked up to the side of the bed. He wanted to see if the person on the bed had changed his clothes yet, or if he had vomited.

As the dim candlelight shone over Shen Shijiu, Li Yu could see that he was only wearing his white underrobe; his outer robe had already been taken off. Also, even if he was drunk, he seemed to be sleeping very well, and hadn’t vomited.

Li Yu was relieved, and placed the candle on the side, before tucking him into bed.

When Li YU pulled the blanket up to Shen Shijiu’s neck, he spotted a patch of red underneath his half-open lapel.

Li Yu frowned. How did this happen? Could it be that he had gotten injured earlier?

He gently pulled that lapel aside, and suddenly froze in place.

A red lotus.

Why is there a red lotus here?

Why does he have a tattoo?!

Li Yu’s mind was completely jumbled. He pulled his hand away, and slowly bent down beside the bed, his brow furrowed as he furiously recalled the past.

From his first meeting with the little Highness to his first encounter with Shen Shijiu, the two figures endlessly overlapped; everything fit together perfectly…

So it had been like this all along.

Li Yu collapsed to his knees beside the bed, and tears immediately gushed out.

It had been like this all along.

His Lordship must have sent him to the little pavilion, not only to take care of Shen Shijiu, but to learn the truth as well.

There were too many doubts in his heart, too many things he wanted to say, but Li Yu knelt beside the bed and cried the entire time, unable to say a word.

The person on the bed knew nothing of this, and slept peacefully.

He slept into the late hours of the morning.

After Shen Shijiu finally woke up, he felt a bit dizzy, and his throat was a little sore as well.

The red lotus on his collarbone had long since disappeared; all that was left was a patch of fair skin.

“You’re awake? Here, drink this first.”

Shen Shijiu blinked as he was helped to sit up, and a light, sweet soup was placed at his lips. He opened his mouth to take a sip.

“So sweet… It’s tasty…”

Li Yu patted his back, “Drink slower.”

That bowl of hangover soup was emptied, and Shen Shijiu’s mind was finally working again.

“Housekeeper Li…” He looked around, “Where am I…”

Li Yu was about to answer, but Shen Shijiu knocked himself on the forehead.

“Oh, I got it, this is the little pavilion, right? His Lordship brought me here last night, I’m so dumb.”

Li Yu watched as he knocked on his forehead until it turned red. His heart ached terribly, and he began to rub it.

“Who said that our Highness is dumb? Your Highness is the smartest.”

The moment he spoke these words, the two of them froze on the spot.

Shen Shijiu blinked, and lifted his pure, innocent eyes to look at Li Yu.

“Housekeeper Li, what did you call me just now? I couldn’t hear you.”

Li Yu exhaled, and muttered, “It’s a good thing that you couldn’t hear me.”

“Ah? I couldn’t hear you again.” Shen Shijiu frowned.

“Nothing, nothing, I just, just called you by the wrong name. What was your name again, I just suddenly forgot.”

Shen Shijiu thought Li Yu had really forgotten his name, and looked a bit sad, but he still obediently responded to Li Yu.

“Housekeeper Li, my name is Shen Shijiu.”

At this moment, a servant knocked on the door.

“Housekeeper Li, come out for a moment, someone from the palace is here.”

Li Yu hurried out to the front garden and saw several palace guards with a person in tow.

Shen Shijiu was also very curious and insisted on tagging along.

That person lifted his head; it was actually that apprentice from the Imperial Hospital, Zhou Wu. It appeared that he had already received a whipping; there were countless wounds crammed over every part of his body. It was as though he had lost his spirit.

The guards said, “Prime Minister Pei had us bring him here, and said that he would be detained here for questioning.”

Li Yu understood immediately, and sent someone to take Zhou Wu to the Prime Minister’s Manor’s secret dungeon; they would wait for His Lordship to return before making a final decision.

Shen Shijiu still didn’t know what had happened, and tugged Li Yu’s sleeve, leaned up to his ear, and asked softly, “Housekeeper Li, what did Zhou Wu do?” After Li Yu dismissed the rest of the servants, he turned and grabbed Shen Shijiu to steady him.

He had always thought that Shen Shijiu’s body was the same as it had been in the past; weak, fragile, and small, and that he would definitely be exhausted after standing for too long.

But in truth, Shen Shijiu’s body had already been healed by Shen Huan; if he got injured, he recovered much faster than an ordinary person. Now, there was only a slight pain coming from his knee and palm.

“Why are you like this, haven’t you learned from the past? How do you think the Second Princess was poisoned? And how was she able to frame you?

“Uh… This… I don’t know either…”

Li Yu patiently explained it all to him: other than Shen Shijiu, only Zhou Wu was familiar with the medications the Second Princess took each day, and Zhou Wu had been spending a lot of time with the princess, which had been noticed by His Lordship early on…

Once he finished explaining, Shen Shijiu finally understood.

“Zhou Wu, he, he actually wanted to harm me, I thought he was my friend…”

Shen Shijiu pouted, heartbroken.

Li Yu sighed and didn’t say anything more.

The two turned and continued to walk back into the manor.

“Housekeeper Li, has His Lordship gone to the palace?”

“Mm.”

“When is he coming back?”

“That I don’t know. That depends on when Her Highness the Empress is willing to let him leave.”

“Then, will His Lordship be in danger?”

Li Yu was silent for a few seconds, before he replied, “Yes.”

“But His Lordship will be fine.”

Shen Shijiu felt that he could believe Li Yu. He nodded enthusiastically, “Mm!”

“Oh right, you’ll be living in the little pavilion from now on.” Li Yu said, “That was His Lordship’s order.”

The scenery in the back garden was very refined, and the little pavilion was also quite elegant. Shen Shijiu liked it very much, but he couldn’t believe what Li Yu had just said.

“Really? I can live in such a pretty building?”

Li Yu smiled, “You can.”

Shen Shijiu was so happy that he hugged Li Yu, “That’s wonderful, then I can play with Xiao Miaowu in the garden now!”

The corners of Li Yu’s mouth twitched. So the only thing he was thinking about was that cat?

“My dear disciple! My dear disciple! Where did you go?!”

A familiar male voice rang from the gate of the Prime Minister’s Manor; it was quite loud and rough.

Shen Shijiu halted in his footsteps, and his eyes lit up. He tossed Li Yu aside, turned around, and ran toward the gate.

“It’s my shifu! Shifu, shifu, I’m here-”

Li Yu watched the little figure rush excitedly toward the gate without any regard for the pain in his knee. He stood in place and sighed.

It seemed like the most important person in His Highness’s heart was clear at a glance; it was this ‘shifu‘, who didn’t appear when he should, and appeared when he shouldn’t.

How would His Lordship feel when he found out that his position in His Highness’s heart had been taken by another?

Notes

SHIFU’S BAAAAAAAAACK

Thanks for reading~~