Awakening of Feelings
In the private room, Gu Wanchong’s eyes flashed with vengeful satisfaction.
Pei Yanci had destroyed his family and brought ruin upon them. Such a person should go to hell, his dignity ruthlessly crushed.
Being toyed with by a filthy, lowly eunuch—that must feel terrible.
He had almost forgotten that in this lifetime, he was a prince. While Pei Yanci was just a lowly slave who had climbed up through manipulation and schemes.
Their statuses and positions had completely reversed.
With just a slight movement of his fingers and a few orders, no one dared disobey his commands.
The heart-wrenching screams and struggles of resistance from next door gradually weakened.
Dead?
Without thinking, he rushed out the door. Just as he reached the entrance to the adjacent private room, he heard soft, muffled moans coming from inside.
Actually being pleasured by a eunuch?
How truly debased!
Gu Wanchong laughed self-mockingly at his own concern. This result was simply immensely satisfying.
Pei Yanci would never again be able to speak to him in that lofty, disdainful, and indifferent tone!
He was the Grand General wielding great power—how could he look at him with contempt as if viewing an ant, bestowing charity when the mood struck, playing with him for a few moments, then discarding him like worn shoes when displeased, cold and heartless.
Now he wanted to see how this person could still be so arrogant!
The person inside seemed to have gotten a taste for it, their words dissolving into incoherent sobs, wet and sticky with a thick heaviness. The occasional curse that escaped instead became a kind of erotic interest.
It urged the person inside to whip even harder, and made Gu Wanchong’s breathing outside the door considerably heavier.
Pei Yanci’s mouth had never made such sounds before.
Someone always so confident and composed, with ambition that looked down on everything, maintaining calm dignity even when kneeling, whose noble and graceful bearing was no less than any superior—before this, he had never dared imagine such soul-stirring sounds coming from that mouth.
His supreme position, his intimidating presence—he had never once entertained presumptuous thoughts of overstepping bounds.
But at this moment, with eyes closed, an image easily floated into his mind of Pei Yanci beneath him, clothes disheveled, lost in passion.
He himself filled with towering hatred, embracing the person and punishing him ruthlessly. Pei Yanci’s eyes full of fury at his subordinate’s transgression, yet powerlessly forced to endure his wrath, crying and begging for mercy without cease, while panting and clinging to him, asking him to be gentler.
Just like the scene inside the room at this moment.
But the other person in the room was not him.
He suddenly shuddered, snapping out of his imagination.
What am I thinking!
Unspeakable panic flashed across his face, and the feeling of something breaking free within him filled him with shame.
How could he imagine himself doing such things to Pei Yanci?
However, why shouldn’t he?
Pei Yanci was a subject, he was a prince—why couldn’t he harbor such thoughts, why couldn’t he wantonly defile him?
Those cold, thin lips should taste a bit icy. Those extremely beautiful crescent-shaped eyes, like the bright moon in the sky, glinting with impatient coldness, mockingly looking at him, filled with resentment and scorn, yet unable even to turn his face away, forced to tilt his head back, allowing his breath to be stolen. His body arranged in various positions to please, his lean, tight waist easily confined by his own palms, his full buttocks, no matter how unwilling, could only be kneaded and shaped at will.
Afterward, he would no longer be someone Pei Yanci disdained and regarded as dispensable.
A restless fire smoldered within Gu Wanchong, making his entire body burn.
Pei Yanci, who had once used his family to threaten him—why couldn’t he use his power and position to oppress him in return?
The suppressed, enduring moans from inside the door became an interpretation of unyielding refusal to submit.
Pei Yanci had a fierce temper.
After today, would he commit suicide unable to bear such humiliation?
He seemed to see Pei Yanci’s end.
Would he die?
As soon as this thought emerged, his heart began pounding wildly.
The intermittent sobbing and crying from inside the door made him even more disturbed.
If he died, wouldn’t that be better? The Chang clan—over two hundred relatives—had all been killed because of him. He should pay with his life.
That was because the Chang family had attempted rebellion.
Pei Yanci had condoned it.
Because Pei Yanci loved him, loved him enough to allow him to repeatedly seize power without taking action, causing his father and brother’s appetites to grow larger and larger, until finally they even wanted to lay hands on imperial power.
It must be said that when this proposal was made, he too had been tempted.
Who wouldn’t want the highest position?
More importantly, that way, he could possess Pei Yanci.
Now, his dream from his previous life—he had actually already realized it.
He resented Pei Yanci, hated Pei Yanci, feared Pei Yanci.
But he also loved Pei Yanci.
He loved Pei Yanci so, so much.
That proud little emperor, heaven’s favored son, sickly yet tenacious, unparalleled in strategy and wisdom, like a bright and dazzling full moon, illuminating the night sky of Great Tao.
Gu Wanchong staggered and burst through the door.
He could not and should not allow his little emperor to suffer the slightest harm!
Inside the room, three men sat around a round table, holding cards. One was picking his feet, one was yawning sleepily, and Huo Cun, with his two-inch-long pinky nail, scratched his scalp, raised his orchid finger, and stared blankly at the doorway.
Huo Cun stood up with a “whoa.”
“Mmm ahh……” The one picking his feet twisted his body and let out a seductive cry, then was slapped by Huo Cun’s effeminate hand.
“Shut up.”
We’re dead, we’re dead.
“Your Highness, how could you barge in?” Huo Cun looked like “the sky is falling.”
“What are you all doing?” Gu Wanchong’s expression immediately darkened, laughing coldly in fury. “Well done, your voice acting is impressive, mimicking so vividly. Where did Dugong Huo find them?”
The two Elu Bureau guards hastily knelt on the ground, the cards in their hands scattering across the floor.
“Your Highness Prince Qi, please forgive us.”
“Huo Cun, is this how you used to deceive and betray your adoptive father?”
“Then you should know, this lord no longer has an adoptive father.” The panic in Huo Cun’s eyes disappeared as he slowly spoke each word, leaving only cold laughter and mockery. “Your Highness should be careful.”
Seeing him completely different from his earlier panic, Gu Wanchong asked, “You’re not afraid of offending me?”
“Your Highness, sometimes you shouldn’t think too highly of yourself. Making relations too strained over trivial matters isn’t good for either of us.” Huo Cun threw the leaf cards in his hand onto the table. “Some people are not for you to lay hands on. This lord is doing this for your own good.”
Offend him? If Tangxi Zhui really died, he wouldn’t dare offend him, but as long as he was alive, his greatest backing was him.
Did he not want to live anymore, offending his greatest support? Could this bastard actually covet his adoptive father’s corner?
Seeing this scene, what surged in Gu Wanchong’s heart was actually more joy and relief.
Good, Pei Yanci hadn’t been defiled by a disgusting eunuch.
“Where is Pei Yanci? Where is he now?”
He wanted to see him.
Wanted to see him so, so much.
****
“Can’t anymore, really can’t anymore……” Pei Yanci said with an aggrieved, tearful tone.
Outside the window, bamboo shadows crossed, the small pond babbled, and the white gauze curtain was left slightly open, letting in a gentle, cool breeze.
From nightfall to deep night, he had long since lost his strength.
His toes curled, struggling to grip and stand firmly on Tangxi Zhui’s instep. His heels raised on tiptoe, trembling with rosy exertion, yet still pushed uncomfortably.
His legs had long lost their strength. Unable to escape, unable to persist for even the time of one cup of tea, suddenly, his heels fell back onto Tangxi Zhui’s instep without warning.
“Ahh——“
Pei Yanci couldn’t catch his breath and almost dropped dead right there.
“Get out… too deep… you get out…”
His voice had long grown hoarse from crying, like a kitten’s mewl. A pair of muddy, wet, reddened eyes glared at him resentfully.
Tangxi Zhui’s gaze immediately deepened considerably. “Xiao Pei’er likes this degree? Your husband must work even harder.”
“I don’t…” Pei Yanci weakly shook his head, angrily pounding his arm. Before long, he collapsed by the window.
After being cleaned and brought back to bed, he lay on the broad chest, lazily asking, “What time is it?”
“Almost the fourth watch.”
Tangxi Zhui took out a small jar of medicinal ointment from the hidden compartment, scooped out a fingerful, and sent it to his rear.
Pei Yanci’s body shrank slightly, then easily accepted that finger, letting him stir and apply.
The burning heat from friction immediately dissipated, replaced by a spreading cool, refreshing sensation.
“Is it swollen?” Pei Yanci asked uneasily.
Tangxi Zhui caught his lips and lightly nibbled. “A little. It’ll be better tomorrow.”
Moist and warm, yet with soft, bouncing resilience, so good to kiss he couldn’t bear to let go—all thanks to his efforts warming it with his own mouth all evening.
“If it’s not better tomorrow,” Pei Yanci huffed indignantly, “don’t even think about coming to my bed again.”
“I’ll massage it for you.” How could Tangxi Zhui not know him—he would definitely do what he said.
Just moments ago pitifully sobbing and begging for mercy, asking to be spared, and in the blink of an eye, covered in red marks, he was already throwing his weight around.
He wished he could bind the person to the bed forever with golden chains, to see what he’d use to threaten people then.
After treating the rear, he took another ointment, rubbed it evenly on his hands, channeled his internal energy, and with neither too light nor too heavy pressure, kneaded his limbs, waist, and back, loosening muscles and stimulating meridians.
Before long, Pei Yanci’s eyelashes trembled and closed, peacefully falling into deep sleep.
Tangxi Zhui massaged his entire body three or four times over. It was already dawn, and some faint light filtered through the window.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he lay back down. Just as he placed Pei Yanci’s head on his arm, Pei Yanci frowned in his drowsy sleep, impatiently mumbling something incomprehensible, and stretched out his arms wanting to embrace him.
Tangxi Zhui chuckled softly, placing his hand at his own waist and drawing the person into his embrace.
Pei Yanci adjusted himself into a comfortable position and fell deeply asleep again.
When he woke the next day, Pei Yanci’s body was indeed much more comfortable, though his throat and eyes were terribly dry. Looking in a mirror, having cried most of the night, his eyes were red and swollen, looking quite pitiful.
The sound of pattering rain came from outside the window, with occasional spring thunder, making it even colder than yesterday.
A breeze passed through the golden-hooked indigo cloud-crane silk bed curtains. Pei Yanci called for Wushu, having him go to the Imperial Academy to say he wouldn’t be coming today.
“What about that one?” Through the jade-green landscape folding screen standing before the bed, Wushu vaguely saw a smoothly contoured arm cleverly slip beneath the inner robe’s hem, wrapping around the lean waist like a python with powerful coils.
The white silk sleeve slid up as a jade-like, slender hand weakly lifted, impatiently pushing that arm away.
Wushu suppressed a laugh, pressing his lips together, then heard Pei Yanci’s hoarse voice ask in confusion, “Which ‘that one’?”
“The one beside you.”
Pei Yanci patted his forehead. “I forgot about him.”
Tangxi Zhui leaned close, attempting to bribe his superior with his body. “Chancellor Daren, I don’t want to go teach today. Could you request leave for me?”
“You’re the teacher,” Pei Yanci’s mouth twitched. “If you don’t teach, what will those students do?”
“I still have his class today too.” Wushu nodded. “Teacher Zhui Xitang teaches so well. We already have poor foundations and need the teacher’s instruction the most.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a chilling aura emanating from behind the screen.
Wushu puffed out his chest. He wasn’t afraid.
“Go to class quickly.” Pei Yanci kicked the person off the bed with one foot.
Wushu shyly covered his eyes, secretly leaving a crack.
Truly worthy of being big brother’s man! Those pectorals……
Truly worthy of big brother, those wild scratch marks……
Tangxi Zhui wore only undergarments. Only then did Pei Yanci remember Wushu was still there. He hastily threw the inner robe over his head and gently sent him away. “You go to the Imperial Academy first.”
“Fine.” Wushu sighed like an old man and left the room. “One’s an official, one’s a teacher, neither has to go to school. But I, a small child, have to go rain or shine.”
“When will I ever become an official?”
Wushu, looking worried and distressed, took the books and oiled-paper umbrella from Madam Wu and got into the carriage.
The two ate both breakfast and lunch in their room. Tangxi Zhui served him, feeding the food into his mouth bite by bite. Pei Yanci leaned against the hidden pillow, covered with a thin blanket, and waved his hand, which still felt sore and weak.
“Did that medicine last night harm you at all?”
“No.” Seeing he had eaten his fill, Tangxi Zhui quickly finished the remaining food in the bowl in a few bites, placed it back on the wooden tray, and set it all outside the door together.
Returning to bed, the two chatted idly about this and that. Drowsy again, they embraced and fell asleep.
A day’s time thus slipped away unnoticed in fragments of waking and sleeping.