SEHE Chapter 10

Wandering A corpse was loaded onto a wooden cart from the back gate of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, covered with white cloth. The carter silently cracked his whip, and the black donkey let out a hoarse bray before pulling the cart toward the fog-shrouded streets.

Pei Yanci, who had been waiting outside Ji Laosan’s room all along, heard Wuli’s report and sheathed the dagger he had kept at the ready all night back into his sleeve.

A new day had begun.

Pei Yanci changed into the indigo robes befitting a steward and accompanied Yunsheng to the front courtyard tea house.

Yunsheng was a young man in his early twenties, of average height and build, neither fat nor thin. His delicate features carried a feminine quality, making it hard to say whether he was handsome or not. He was Zhang Huairu’s most trusted adopted son, having followed him since childhood. They shared the bond of having suffered together in the Cold Palace in earlier years. After the Crown Prince rose to power, he too left the palace with Zhang Huairu, becoming his right-hand man.

Upon reaching the tea house, he spoke a few words on behalf of Chief Steward Zhang to introduce Pei Yanci. The former Wu Can wore a sullen expression, but after Yunsheng finished speaking, he forced a smile and was the first to step forward and congratulate Pei Yanci.

“Seeing how harmoniously you all get along puts my mind at ease. I still need to report back to the Chief Steward, so I won’t linger here,” Yunsheng said.

After he left, Wu Can’s expression immediately darkened as he glared at Pei Yanci with hostility. “Your head healed that quickly? Don’t try to be brave. If you come out before your injury is fully healed and it flares up again, you’ll become a short-lived ghost.”

As he spoke, he lowered his head and coughed twice into his hand.

He had originally hoped to perform well and turn his “temporary” position into a “permanent” one, but before his seat had even warmed, he was directly demoted.

“It’s not fully healed yet,” Pei Yanci said truthfully. “It’s just that the Crown Prince personally appointed me, so I had no choice but to be thrust into this role. If you want me to actually manage things, I don’t have the energy for it. At least let me recover from my injuries first. During this time, you can continue helping me manage. I’ll slack off a bit. If they don’t listen to you, have them come argue with me.”

Wu Can was initially unhappy upon hearing this. He had lost his steward position and was still expected to work himself to death managing the tea house affairs—it was purely thankless labor.

But hearing the end, his eyes lit up with calculation.

Pei Yanci had personally given him the authority. If he didn’t accept now, he’d be foolish. When this man’s injuries healed and he tried to reclaim power later, all the tea house servants would be listening to him—who would pay attention to this steward?

“No problem, we’re all good brothers. Just go back to your room and rest. If anything comes up, I’ll handle it. Now that you’re a steward, why would you need to personally toil? Just give us orders,” Wu Can said with a much more ingratiating smile.

He needed to take advantage of Pei Yanci’s recovery period to win people’s hearts and consolidate real power.

“I knew I could count on you,” Pei Yanci smiled. “Don’t overwork yourself either. You look like you’ve caught a cold. With the alternating warm and cold weather of early spring, you must take care of your health.”

“We’re all young men with bodies burning like furnaces—it’s nothing serious,” Wu Can laughed and patted his chest, then couldn’t help coughing several more times.

The tea house had thirteen servants in total, usually responsible for serving tea and water to various rooms and courtyards, cleaning the tea house, and purchasing tea leaves and refreshments. Pei Yanci called them over, gave a few casual instructions about working diligently, then confidently left them to Wu Can.

He had no great interest in managing the tea house. It was just that stewards in the mansion had one special privilege—they held an official token that allowed them to freely leave the mansion without needing to rack their brains for excuses or seek others’ help.

He took Wushu out to buy pastries. The child had been resentful since last night and insisted he buy several boxes of walnut cookies. Unable to withstand his grievances, he had no choice but to bring him along.

The two emerged from the Fujin Pastry Shop, with Wushu carrying walnut cookies in his left hand and candied fruits in his right, his eyes still fixed on shops in the distance.

Seeing the boy hadn’t followed, Pei Yanci stopped. “What else do you want?”

Wushu startled and quickly shook his head. “Nothing more.”

Pei Yanci looked in the direction the boy had been gazing—it was a rouge shop.

His thoughts stirred slightly. He had the child get into the carriage first while he crossed the street to visit that shop.

As he emerged from his purchase, one foot had just stepped over the threshold when the other hesitated before he finally walked out of the shop.

His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes narrowing into a beautiful arc. His raven-black lashes cast a delicate shadow, and in the darkness, his ink-drop pupils moved imperceptibly left and right.

Someone was following him.

Who could it be?

He walked toward the carriage at his usual pace. The street was crowded with people. Spring rains had fallen for half a month, making people anxious, but today was mercifully rain-free. Though the sky remained overcast, many citizens had come out happily to stroll and hawk their wares.

Pei Yanci’s eyes reflected every person on the street. They were all busy with their own affairs, no one paying him any attention.

Someone tapped his shoulder.

His breathing hitched as he turned around—it was only Xin Hai.

“I need to talk to you. Come on.”

Seeing it was him, Pei Yanci didn’t resist and followed him in what was half-coercion, half-invitation into an alley.

“Big brother.” Cui Nan and Gu Xing were standing against the wall in the alley. Seeing the two approach, they wiped their mouths and rewrapped the flatbread in their hands with oil paper, stuffing it into their chest pockets.

Pei Yanci was pushed against one wall as Xin Hai pressed close, pulling out a hidden weapon with its sharp arrowhead pressed against Pei Yanci’s throat.

“Did you hear any rumors in the mansion today?”

“What kind of rumors are you looking for?”

“About us three,” Cui Nan said urgently.

At dawn, they had seen the donkey cart leaving the city. The cart bore no insignia of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, but they recognized the carter as someone from the Crown Prince’s household.

Ji Laosan was covered with white cloth, beaten beyond recognition, his eyes wide with death.

The three men were filled with rage and fear that they might meet the same miserable end. They hoped someone from the Crown Prince’s Mansion would come out today so they could capture them for questioning.

Thus they waited for Pei Yanci.

They had expected Pei Yanci to resent them for previous events and mock their current predicament, refusing to tell them anything. But his expression remained unchanged, as if the matter didn’t concern him. “I heard that last night a group of inner court eunuchs broke into your rooms, then conducted a massive search throughout the mansion. Could this be related to you three?”

The three men frowned in grim silence.

It seemed Zhang Huairu intended to eliminate them completely as well.

“If they can’t find us in the mansion, Zhang Huairu will definitely send people to search the city for us.”

“Let’s find a way to leave the city first.”

“I’ll go get horses.”

Xin Hai stopped him. “Don’t rush. Since Zhang Huairu could post guards at the city gates to block Yanci before, he’ll certainly post people to block us too. Let’s wait until these days pass and that Zhang fellow isn’t paying much attention to us, then we’ll figure out how to leave the city.”

Gu Xing slammed his right fist into his left palm. “That old castrated dog. We helped them with so many things, and just because we botched one job, he wants to eliminate us completely.”

“Do you have anywhere to stay now?” Pei Yanci asked.

This stumped them.

When they left last night, they hadn’t forgotten to bring their travel passes, but staying at an inn would certainly expose their identities.

Would they have to sleep on the streets again like last night?

“I’ll help you get two rooms,” Pei Yanci offered, seeing they hadn’t answered.

The three men looked at him suspiciously.

“Just two days ago, we brothers were people who wanted your life.”

“That was Chief Steward Zhang’s order. You were just following his instructions.”

“You’re quite reasonable,” Cui Nan said.

After a night of hardship, the person helping them was actually someone they had once tried to kill.

“You won’t turn around and tell Zhang Huairu about our lodgings, will you?” Xin Hai still didn’t trust him.

Pei Yanci took out his travel pass, telling them they could go to the inn themselves and just return the pass to the carriage he had arrived in.

Xin Hai felt somewhat ashamed and cupped his hands in salute. “That’s my fault. You’ve helped us today, and there was little brother Wushu last night too. If you ever need us brothers for anything in the future, just say the word.”

“Brother Xin is too kind,” Pei Yanci returned the salute and handed him the pass.

Instead, Xin Hai declined, suggesting he accompany them to find a nearby inn where they all checked in together.

When they emerged, Pei Yanci had an extra piece of paper in his hand.

He folded it and tucked it into his inner garment.

When he returned to the carriage, Wushu was listlessly propping his head up, looking out the window. “What were you doing!”

He pulled a round pink porcelain box from his chest.

“What’s this?” The boy opened it curiously, and a fresh floral fragrance wafted out. The porcelain box contained bright red compressed face powder.

Wushu exclaimed “Oh!” with delight, then immediately composed himself.

“Only girls like this stuff. Why are you giving it to me?”

Pei Yanci then produced kohl, face powder, and lip rouge. “Who said it’s for you? This is for my future sister-in-law.”

“Where did you get a sister-in-law?” Wushu’s eyes widened like saucers.

“You’re young but already thinking of romance. Tell me, which little maid in the mansion have you taken a fancy to?” Pei Yanci laughed, concealing deeper meaning in his eyes as he teased. “When giving gifts to someone, especially for the first time, you must touch their heart all at once. If you keep giving trivial little things, by the time you’ve spent most of your silver, the girl won’t remember what you gave her and will think you’re petty and not destined for great things.”

“I don’t want to achieve great things,” Wushu said, fondling the powder box lovingly and sniffing it repeatedly. “I just want to stay in the mansion forever with my mother.”

After a pause, he added. “And with you. When you’re old, I’ll see you to your final rest. Hey, why are you hitting my head?”

Pei Yanci was both amused and exasperated. “I’m only sixteen, just seven years older than you. Who knows who’ll be seeing whom to their final rest.”

With that, he stepped out of the carriage and began driving the horses.

“Considering you spent money today, I won’t hold it against you,” Wushu pouted. “I heard Wuli call you ‘big brother,’ but he’s older than you. Isn’t the seniority all mixed up?”

“I saved his life, so he calls me big brother.”

“Then I’ll call you big brother too—I won’t lose out either way.” Wushu, like a little money-grubber, sprawled half his body over the small table, gathering all the cosmetics into his arms.

“Your calculations are quite clever,” Pei Yanci laughed. “Even if you call me big brother from now on, you’ll have to buy your own. Don’t ask me to go—it’s too embarrassing.”

Wushu lifted the carriage curtain and teased. “My girl hasn’t even shown a shadow yet, but you should find a girl to marry. You’ll have to buy these things sooner or later. After buying them a few times, you’ll get used to it.”

“I won’t marry.”

“Why not?”

“Me?” Pei Yanci paused, flicking the horse whip. “I prefer men.”