SEHE Chapter 91

Threat

“Separating education from the jurisdiction of the circuit commissioners in each prefecture and placing it directly under the unified control of the Imperial Academy…”

“That’s not what this prince wants you to discuss.” Gu Jiuqing slowly stood up from his seat, holding a bundle of documents in his hand. “Those ideas of yours are excellent, and this prince supports them greatly. I’ve even asked many people on your behalf, and they’ve provided quite a bit of valuable experience, all of which has been added to these documents.”

At this meeting, Gu Jiuqing was very calm.

He calmly walked to Pei Yanci’s side, looking at him with cold severity. In the narrow gap of time between when Qin Xiong had requested this meeting and when this person had entered from outside, he had already wrapped himself in an impenetrable shell.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Pei Yanci reached out to take the documents. “It seems Your Highness also agrees with this measure…”

Gu Jiuqing avoided his hand.

Pei Yanci imperceptibly let out a long breath, as if this could release some of the impatience in his heart.

“This prince promised you the position of concubine. When you agreed, what were you thinking?”

Pei Yanci raised his eyes. The hall was large, so the lighting was inevitably insufficient. Half of Gu Jiuqing’s body was immersed in shadow, while half was outlined by the light.

“I wasn’t thinking anything detrimental to Your Highness.”

He couldn’t understand why Gu Jiuqing was deliberately holding back his documents, and after seeing him, why he would ask such boring questions.

He knew this person liked him, had some feelings for him. He had merely slightly taken advantage of this person’s affection to become a member of the Zheng family. Did that damage his pride?

The ice in Gu Jiuqing’s eyes slowly melted into water, fleeting, instantly transforming into sharper ice arrows.

“When this prince voiced that idea, were you mocking me in your heart? You could use others to escape your slave status, obtain everything you wanted, display your talents greatly at court, unwilling to be confined to this prince’s rear courtyard.”

“I had no such intention.” Only after saying this did Pei Yanci remember that in front of this person, he should address himself as a subject.

He was already beginning to treat Gu Jiuqing perfunctorily. This wasn’t quite right—after all, the man was the Crown Prince.

“What about the words you said before, that you could give everything for this prince? That you would stand behind this prince and help resolve my worries? Were all those lies?” 

Gu Jiuqing laughed mockingly. “And what about Wuluo?”

He stared into Pei Yanci’s eyes, where not even a ripple appeared at that name.

As expected.

This person was a complete liar.

“Wuluo likes you, and you exploit him like this.”

After the last Zheng family banquet, he had found time to visit Wuluo in the rear courtyard’s firewood shed. That tuberculosis-ridden man was being kept barely alive with a few doses of medicine, emaciated beyond recognition, his two eyes bursting with rare joyful light when he saw him standing in the doorway.

Without needing to say more, Gu Jiuqing already knew.

If Pei Yanci truly had even a shred of feeling for this person, he wouldn’t let his beloved live so miserably and destitute, watching helplessly as he was tormented into such a ghostly state.

Pei Yanci had deceived him. Wuluo had never been his weakness—merely a dispensable person.

Yet Wuluo still believed that Pei Yanci liked him, that it was only because he had used him first that his heart was hurt, and that not expelling him from the mansion was already treating him generously.

Pei Yanci, with his appearance of deep affection, had deceived both Wuluo and himself.

“Your Highness needed leverage to control this subject at the time, to be able to trust this subject boldly and without worry.” Pei Yanci said. “This subject wanted to work for Your Highness. Wuluo needed to peacefully spend his final days in the Crown Prince’s mansion. Your Highness also gained His Majesty’s trust through this subject, with your power at court growing daily. We all got what we wanted—it cannot be called exploitation.”

“Then why don’t you want to work for this prince anymore?”

Gu Jiuqing looked at him, beneath his wide sleeves, the hand hanging low clenched tightly.

“Do you think your wings have grown full, that you can fly on your own?”

For the first time in his life, he had trusted someone so much. Compared to Zhang Huairu, he had even developed some inexplicable feelings toward Pei Yanci. So when he wanted to repay him after being saved, his first thought was to help him escape his slave status.

“This subject originally didn’t plan to leave Your Highness’s side so quickly. However,” Pei Yanci said, “this subject never intended to be anyone’s concubine. Your Highness may only regard this subject as a plaything, but this subject has never degraded himself because of status.”

Don’t think everyone is as inferior and arrogant to the extreme as you are.

“This is something this subject cannot tolerate,” he said. “This subject is not anyone’s spouse or concubine, nor anyone’s subordinate.”

“So, serving as an advisor by this prince’s side truly wronged you.” Gu Jiuqing smiled bleakly. “Compromising for a few months in exchange for the glorious status of the Zheng family’s adopted son, yet I don’t see you very happy. Before the Zheng family, aren’t you still beneath them, becoming their subordinate?”

“Everything is this subject’s choice, so Your Highness need not trouble yourself.” Pei Yanci didn’t want to continue entangling with these meaningless emotions. He stepped forward and took the documents from his hand. “Since Your Highness also agrees with this measure, this subject will submit it to the throne.”

He pulled, but couldn’t pull it free.

“Did this prince give you permission to leave?”

Pei Yanci paused, released his hand, and bowed in salute. “This subject wouldn’t dare.”

As he bent down, someone supported his arm. When he straightened up, one hand gripped his arm while another encircled his waist, pulling him into an embrace.

The cool scent of bamboo leaves and sweet peach fragrance pervaded his nose. Pei Yanci frowned slightly, about to push him away when a cold voice came by his ear.

“Do you wish to commit insubordination?”

One sentence pinned Pei Yanci in place.

“Right now there’s no one else in the hall, and outside are all this prince’s people.” Gu Jiuqing’s authoritative voice took on a hint of amusement.

He rarely smiled, always expressionless, never letting others read his joy or anger, unable to glimpse his inner thoughts. The older generation of officials had already begun praising him for having an imperial demeanor.

At this moment, he was clearly quite pleased.

“Your Highness, this is improper.” Pei Yanci placed his hand on his arm, secretly resisting his closeness, somewhat uncomfortably turning his face to the side to avoid the breath he was exhaling on his face and neck.

This person had just extended the hand holding the documents, and he thought this person wanted him to take the documents and leave.

Even the dignified Crown Prince had begun employing such lowly tricks.

His martial arts had improved somewhat since the polo match, but under absolute power, formidable skills only meant he could endure more humiliation.

Unlike Tang Xizhui’s naturally cold body temperature, Gu Jiuqing looked cold but his body was so scorchingly hot it made him uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was the weather.

The cicadas chirping outside the window were very noisy, making him irritated for no reason.

Pei Yanci’s heart had already begun to feel displeasure.

The hand at his waist tightened further. Gu Jiuqing held him, observing the subtle ripples beneath his calm expression, feeling an unprecedented satisfaction in his heart.

Indeed, this person’s waist was narrow, slender, and supple—very comfortable to hold. He carried a faint body fragrance, not one fumigated with wood, stone, orchid, or grass, but a natural, warm scent emanating from his body, belonging uniquely to him.

It was hard to describe, but his anxious and unsettled heart finally felt grounded at this moment.

He had imagined in his mind what it would feel like to hold this person, but none compared to how concrete and satisfying this moment was.

But what followed was an even more bone-deep emptiness.

He saw the rebellious intent deep in this person’s bones. The previous smiles and gentle words, that obedient lowering of the head—all were acts. Once he had no use for him, it became difficult even to see this person once.

The documents in his hand were suddenly pulled. Fortunately, his reaction was quick, and both hands held the documents at either end in a standoff.

“Yanci.” A cold, contemptuous laugh came from his nose. He lowered his head, his temples lovingly rubbing against his forehead, while the hand beneath his sleeve didn’t yield an inch.

His words were cold to the extreme. “If you offend this prince, what can you accomplish?”

“This subject never intended to offend Your Highness,” Pei Yanci said calmly, “even at this very moment, when Your Highness is doing transgressive things to this subject.”

This person was clearly the one who came at him like a madman with aggressive interrogation every time.

The hand at his waist moved upward, raising goosebumps all over his body. Finally, that hand spread its palm and stopped at his back.

Their chests pressed even more tightly together, as if to completely fuse this person into his own flesh and blood.

“This subject only wants Your Highness to approve the Imperial Academy matter. This subject hopes Your Highness will separate public from private affairs and not act on impulse.”

“For this prince to approve could have been very simple.” Gu Jiuqing’s kisses fell densely on his forehead and temples. “But you don’t want to be a concubine. Fine, then be with this prince without name or status, and this prince will agree to your matter.”

Become his kept forbidden delicacy.

His index finger lifted his chin. Gu Jiuqing looked into his eyes. “This is a transaction, not subordination.”

“Your Highness must be joking.”

Pei Yanci suddenly pushed the person away, with such force he nearly knocked him to the ground.

His face maintained a composed expression throughout. Taking advantage of his dazed state, he calmly stepped forward and pulled the documents from his hand.

“This subject takes his leave.” He bowed and hurriedly turned to leave.

“Those who offend this prince never meet a good end.” An enraged voice came from behind. “If you regret this now and beg this prince, there’s still time.”

Pei Yanci tilted his head slightly, glancing at him from the corner of his eye without speaking, and walked straight out of the hall.

From that glance, Gu Jiuqing saw his disdain, his own wretchedness.

He was the one who had been completely discarded.

****

After leaving the hall, Pei Yanci greeted Qi Yunsheng and Qin Xiong and departed with a cold, sharp air about him.

Qin Xiong was somewhat stunned. “Did this person just quarrel with His Highness?” That look in his eyes made people inexplicably panicked—when he turned toward them, they thought they were going to die.

“This person has always been disrespectful to His Highness. Sooner or later he’ll die,” Qi Yunsheng sneered coldly. “Speaking of which, Qin Daren, how did you get mixed up with this kind of person?”

“Wasn’t it just that I couldn’t refuse him on account of him previously being the chief steward of His Highness’s manor,” Qin Xiong said. “Looks like I’ll need to be more careful in the future.”

He said this, but the look in his eyes as he watched Pei Yanci’s retreating figure showed deep contemplation.

Someone who had the ability to scold the Crown Prince?

****

Pei Yanci walked along the imperial city’s corridor until those people from the Eastern Palace were out of sight, then took out the documents. He saw several people’s signatures and opinions in succession—earnest yet incisive, directly hitting the key points—but in the end, he didn’t see Gu Jiuqing’s signature.

“Oh my.”

While walking and reading, Pei Yanci didn’t notice someone hurrying toward him from the opposite direction who also wasn’t watching the road, and they collided.

“Zhang Daren?” Seeing who it was, Pei Yanci quickly bowed in apology.

“No harm done, no harm done.” Zhang Dongqin’s face bore a smile. He glanced at the scattered documents in his hand and said, “Pei Daren, you’ve just come from the Eastern Palace?”

“Yes.”

“Looking at Daren’s expression, it seems you didn’t get the result you wanted.” Zhang Dongqin smiled kindly. “May I have a look?”

This wasn’t any confidential document, nor was there any conflict of interest. Pei Yanci handed the documents to him.

Zhang Dongqin skimmed through them and said, “I heard His Highness mention this matter before. He praised Daren’s proposal highly. Why hasn’t he signed off on it? Perhaps he forgot. No matter—I happen to be going to see His Highness. Daren, may I take this for you? I’ll help you with this errand.”

Pei Yanci looked at him somewhat doubtfully.

But seeing Zhang Dongqin’s completely harmless, kind expression, he didn’t know what trick he had up his sleeve.

He couldn’t read this person’s depths.

He hesitated, then gave him the documents again.

“Then many thanks to Zhang Daren.”

“A small matter.” Zhang Dongqin said without concern. “We’re all colleagues—just running an errand.”

Gu Jiuqing was deliberately making things difficult for him. He shouldn’t be unaware of this—this wasn’t just a matter of running an errand.

At worst, he would later expose his relationship with Tang Xizhui, and this matter could also be resolved.

After handing over the documents, the two parted ways.

Unexpectedly, by evening, just as he was preparing to go home, a young servant delivered the documents to him, saying the daren had completed the task.

Pei Yanci was somewhat surprised. Following the servant’s steps, he looked toward a carriage not far away. Zhang Dongqin nodded at him kindly, then lowered the curtain, and the carriage moved forward.

This person was very strange.