SEHE Chapter 45

Just Kidding You 

The wide brown sleeves waved, and all the serving girls in the private room quietly withdrew.

Tang Xizhui carried the seated Pei Yanci from the adjacent spot onto his own lap, one arm encircling him as he leaned against his shoulder and chest, while the other hand held chopsticks, eating unhurriedly.

He ate all the dishes that Pei Yanci had just tasted, and didn’t touch a single dish he hadn’t eaten.

He took Pei Yanci’s wine cup and drained the wine inside in one gulp.

Huo Cun appeared timely behind the curtain, bowing respectfully.

“Foster father, the adjacent room has been prepared.”

Tang Xizhui didn’t move, leisurely turning the wine cup in his hand, lost in thought.

“Tell me, what wine in this world could taste better than the finest Golden Jade Liquid from the imperial court?”

Huo Cun was puzzled and said, “I’m afraid there isn’t any. Does Chief Steward Pei not like this wine?”

Tang Xizhui looked at the person in his arms. The wine’s effects had flushed that porcelain-white face red and hot, making his pink lips even more moist and full, exhaling a faint wine fragrance with his long, even breaths.

Gone was his usual sharp aura and proud edge – at this moment he was just a youth curled up in his arms, sleeping sweetly.

Tang Xizhui licked his lips, his gaze becoming increasingly purple-tinged.

****

Pei Yanci felt like he was having a strange, prolonged dream.

In the dream, he had become a fish on the shore, and a black shadow walked over, kicking at him with its foot. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t stop it. That foot began turning his body over, back and forth several times, as if appraising and selecting him disdainfully, pointing and commenting with disgust.

This person was truly bold, even looking down on this emperor.

He struggled, and finally, touching moist water, he felt relieved as if a burden had been lifted, sensing coolness and comfort throughout his body. But that black shadow transformed into an octopus and pursued him into the sea, its tentacles tightly coiling around his body, almost kneading him into its own form.

Pei Yanci whimpered and opened his eyes, sensing through the haze that there really was a black shadow before him.

He cried out in alarm, but his voice was blocked in his throat.

Two warm, soft pieces pressed against his lips, and a nimble tongue pried open his muddled teeth. Then he felt a mouthful of cool, sweet, and sour tea being poured in.

“Mmm…” Pei Yanci struggled briefly, but that little strength was quickly suppressed. No matter how his limbs twisted, he couldn’t break free even slightly, and could only resign himself to tilting his head back, forced to swallow what was in Tang Xizhui’s mouth.

His hands desperately clutched at the sleeves on Tang Xizhui’s upper arms, his knuckles taut, faint veins showing, as if enduring something with great difficulty. Suddenly, those hands trembled heavily, wanting to grab the sleeves again for support, but fell powerlessly.

Those lips left his mouth, lightly pecking at his chin, jawbone, traveling downward along his sensitive neck, bringing wet, heated, thick breathing that enveloped his Adam’s apple with a gentle sip.

Pei Yanci was completely undone, soft and dizzy. The tingling sensation from those misbehaving lips spread in all directions, his limbs feeling like they were being gnawed by ants. His mind became increasingly clear, but his body grew heavier and duller, wanting only to lie there lazily.

A longing rose from deep within, like a dying fish desperately seeking more water.

Unexpectedly, Tang Xizhui stopped.

He held the person, seeing that he had opened his eyes, and lay beside him with an arm around him, smiling with satisfaction. “You’re awake.”

I knew it was you.

“If I hadn’t woken up, my innocence would have been ruined by you, you dead eunuch.” Pei Yanci said irritably, his voice carrying the nasal tone of just waking, mumbling warmly and lazily. “I wasted my time seeing your sincere desire to apologize, reluctantly agreeing to drink with you, yet you schemed against me again.”

“You wrong me with those words.” Tang Xizhui held his soft, supple waist. The light body fragrance on him, stimulated by the wine’s heat, was even more intoxicating. “You can’t hold your liquor – two cups and you passed out drunk. How can you blame this lord?”

“Hard to say you didn’t deliberately give me wine with strong aftereffects.”

“That’s actually true,” Tang Xizhui admitted generously, “and I got quite a few words out of you.”

Pei Yanci’s gaze paused, then asked with feigned nonchalance. “What words?”

He hadn’t expected Tang Xizhui to be so persistent about his identity. He had almost forgotten that originally he had used his identity to pique his interest and achieve their cooperation.

“Well now,” Tang Xizhui drew out his tone, whetting his appetite before saying, “You said you’re not from Great Yu.”

A warm orange flicker of candlelight passed through Pei Yanci’s eyes. “Ridiculous. If I’m not from Great Yu, where would I be from?”

“A very distant place,” his voice was ethereal and hoarse, his probing gaze not missing any subtle expression on his face, “it has already… is about to perish, and you’re trying to turn the tide, but to no avail.”

The carelessness on Pei Yanci’s face tightened somewhat as he avoided his gaze.

“What I said… was about my family. You know, they all fell into disgrace.”

A disgrace called national decline.

The emperor died early, treacherous ministers held power, parasites gnawed at rotten wood, evil spirits divided the diseased body. The insatiable greed of a few hundred people ultimately implicated millions of common people throughout the realm.

“My efforts are not without effect.” Pei Yanci corrected.

If only he had a few more years.

“So now, you’re still constantly working toward this end.”

“Just a new beginning.” Pei Yanci said, “I’m not that noble – it’s more for myself.”

“Yes, you said you should have been on the bright platform, looked up to by everyone.”

Pei Yanci’s expression paused, emotions churning constantly in his mind.

Had he really said this while drunk? Who would believe the matter of soul possession? What would Tang Xizhui do? Use this as leverage, or attack him with it?

“Just drunken ramblings. Who doesn’t want to climb higher, achieve success and fame, be respected by others.” His gaze was clear as he laughed it off, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“It’s different. Some people are born noble, even if they were once rotten as mud.”

Pei Yanci’s lips curved in a cold smile, murderous light floating in his eyes. “So, are you afraid?”

It should always be others who are afraid.

Because what’s lying beside you right now might be a corpse possessed by a soul from another world.

Tang Xizhui studied his expression, then suddenly curved his lips and reached out with his index finger, gently scraping his nose bridge. “Just kidding you.”

Pei Yanci was stunned for a moment.

Mischief flashed in his eyes at his successful teasing. “I made up a few random sentences, didn’t expect I couldn’t fool you at all. I was hoping to get some words out of you, tsk…”

He took a solid punch to his side.

“Let go.” You dog who never does anything proper.

He was just drunk, his mind slow, that’s why he listened to his random nonsense here.

Being held with limbs unable to stretch out properly, it was uncomfortably sticky and hot. He pushed at the person, the aftereffects of that kiss still not faded from his fingertips. His soft, powerless movement was useless, and instead caused the two arms around his waist to tighten even more.

“What did you just pour into my mouth?” He smacked his lips, still tasting the sweet and sour flavor.

He suspected his body’s weakness was due to being drugged.

“Sobering soup. You refused to drink it no matter what, so I could only feed it to you mouth-to-mouth. What, afraid I gave you poison?”

“Poison is a woman’s method – you wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“You understand me quite well.” Tang Xizhui buried his head in his neck. “Being so guarded, is it because you’ve done too many guilty deeds and constantly think others will harm you?”

“So when I’m sleeping, you’d better not come near,” Pei Yanci sneered, “careful I don’t cut you down with one strike.”

“That would be quite troublesome.” Tang Xizhui murmured softly, gazing longingly at his prominent Adam’s apple, his eyes dark.

“Troublesome how.” Pei Yanci’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he could only see his snow-white forehead and straight, rounded nose tip.

“It’s almost dawn, you should go back.” He released the person, got off the bed, walked to the dressing mirror, and re-combed his barely disheveled hair.

Pei Yanci also sat up. The wine’s effects hadn’t passed, his head somewhat heavy, but ultimately he had drunk little and wasn’t unsteady on his feet. Seeing a bowl of soup placed nearby, he picked it up and smelled it – it was the sweet and sour scent.

“It’s just sobering soup, don’t be so suspicious.” Tang Xizhui saw his action from a corner of the mirror. “What could this lord gain from harming you?”

“Hard to say, maybe you just fancy my looks.” Pei Yanci said proudly.

Dugong Daren snorted coldly and turned his face away. “Dry and thin, painful to look at.”

Pei Yanci didn’t care about the disdain in his words – he was confident in his appearance, sometimes even using it to make others lower their guard.

This eunuch just had no eye for beauty.

He hesitated, then ultimately didn’t drink the remaining sobering soup. He straightened his not-too-disheveled clothes, got up and went to the table to pour himself two cups of cooled tea to rinse his mouth.

Seeing that the ward gates should be opening soon, he waved his hand casually and bid farewell to Tang Xizhui.

“Xiao Pei’er.”

Just as he was about to open the door, Pei Yanci heard a call from behind.

Tang Xizhui sat at the dressing table, turning most of his body toward the door.

In the bronze mirror was an indescribable hazy black shadow, twisted and blurred. Outside the mirror, in the dim candlelight, only his facial contours and the high ridge of his brow and nose tip could be discerned.

His eyes and most of his body were immersed in the deepest darkness before dawn. Pei Yanci couldn’t make out any useful emotion.

“When I used my mouth to give you the sobering soup, did you find it dirty?”

“The mouth-rinsing just now was only because I was thirsty.” He immediately thought of what just happened and explained.

And not knowing whether this person had drugged him or not, he dared not swallow the tea either.

His wariness was real.

“What about last time?” He raised his face, and even with his form backlit against the window, one could still see scattered light flickering in his dark eyes, along with the sharpness of his gaze.

“In the carriage?” Pei Yanci said, “I kissed you once, you retaliated once – that makes us even.”

He hadn’t felt any desire in that carriage kiss – it was more like a tit-for-tat return courtesy.

Even his body’s reaction was just from smelling too much incense.

“But I let you leave, so why did you turn back?”

“Why else? I wanted to go back, so I went back.”

“Just like that?”

“Why do you always ask about such trivial details?” He was somewhat impatient.

Tang Xizhui fell silent.

“That night serving me was not your wish.” After a long while, he said.

“But you seemed emotionally off at the time.”

Just like now.

He had rarely revealed his true heart – he truly hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

The moment he got into another carriage to leave, all those conspiracies, calculations, and manipulations – he couldn’t remember any of them.

All that remained in his mind was Tang Xizhui covering his face, lying there silently.

In that moment, he felt that if he just left like that, it might make him sad.

“Just like that?”

Because he sensed his emotions were off, so even though it wasn’t his wish, after leaving, he decided to return.

“What else could it be?” Pei Yanci shook his head and sighed, “Thinking about it now, I’m dying of regret.”

Tang Xizhui’s whole body stiffened on the stool.

“Just kidding you.”

Pei Yanci laughed, with careless indifference and self-assured arrogance.

“Don’t think too highly of yourself, and don’t belittle yourself too much either.”

“You and the Crown Prince and the others – there’s no difference.”