SEHE Chapter 97

Awakening of the Heart 

“Adoptive father, this son is speaking well of you,” Huo Cun hastily pleaded for mercy, casting a look of appeal toward Pei Yanci.

Pei Yanci smiled slightly, “Why are you looking at me? Your adoptive father is just joking with you. How could he truly do anything to you?”

With these words, Huo Cun felt the faint murderous intent that had been directed at him immediately lessen considerably. Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, he thought to himself that this person had saved his life. With an ingratiating smile, he said, “Then this son might as well acknowledge Pei Daren as an adoptive mother too, as long as Daren is willing to accept me.”

Pei Yanci was stunned for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching, “Adoptive mother?”

“Ah, adoptive father—adoptive father would be better.”

“If he’s your adoptive father, then wouldn’t this lord be your adoptive mother?” Tang Xizhui’s sinister voice sounded beside him, expressing his displeasure.

Huo Cun’s back stiffened. Attempting to curry favor had instead offended two people—he really wanted to slap himself a few times.

Seeing his face turn ashen with despair, Pei Yanci said, “Call me adoptive mother if you wish, but only in private. I won’t respond when there are outsiders present.”

“Wonderful, adoptive mother! This son will take his leave now.” Huo Cun was instantly overjoyed and didn’t dare say another word. Stealing a glance at Tang Xizhui, he saw the latter wearing an expression of inexplicable pleasure, and thought to himself that he had flattered correctly this time. However, it was also thanks to Pei Yanci giving him face—his gratitude toward him increased by several degrees.

Tang Xizhui sent him away and looked at Pei Yanci with an ambiguous smile, walking to his side. “My adoptive son has been claimed by you, yet you say we’re not close?”

Pei Yanci said reproachfully, “You and Huo Cun have already acknowledged each other as adoptive father and son—doesn’t that count as being close? The moment you showed the slightest displeasure, he was frightened half to death, thinking his life was in danger. Whether I’m close to you or not has nothing to do with whether you’ll eventually take my life. It might be better not to be close—then when we come to blows in the future, it’ll be more straightforward.”

Tang Xizhui had been pondering how to confine this person in his mansion, but hearing these words, he hesitated.

The last time he had made such a fool of himself in front of Pei Yanci, he had been melancholy for quite some time. The thoughts and desires that had already existed in his mind grew even more wildly—he wanted nothing more than to immediately rush into that small courtyard, drag Pei Yanci back to his mansion, and lock him up with iron chains.

Forever and ever, belonging to him alone.

Even if Pei Yanci despised him, mocked him, found him repulsive, belittled him—he would have nowhere to escape.

Until he tired of him.

But today, seeing this person seek him out of his own accord with his usual demeanor, treating him no differently than on ordinary days, his heart inexplicably felt more at ease.

“Then you acknowledging Huo Cun as an adoptive son—doesn’t that count as overstepping boundaries?” Tang Xizhui suddenly thought of this.

“I merely acknowledged being called adoptive mother once and gained his profound gratitude—why wouldn’t I do it?”

“When it comes to winning people’s hearts, you’re truly the best.” Tang Xizhui calmed down and sat beside him, arranging the sleeves of his purple robe. He was now in the mood to tease, “What, are you trying to incite him to plot against me?”

Pei Yanci laughed once and turned his head toward him, “Do I seem like such an irrational person?”

Tang Xizhui’s upper body slowly slid toward him along the stone table, speaking near his ear, “Who knows what kind of thoughts you harbor toward me.”

Pei Yanci’s heart skipped a beat. He leaned back slightly, his gaze level with Tang Xizhui’s. “Nine-Thousand-Years holds absolute power in the court. How could this subordinate bear to lose such great support?”

“So what brings you to see me today?”

“Can’t I miss you and come visit the Chief Overseer’s mansion?” Pei Yanci smiled like scattered stars, his hand moving to rest on Tang Xizhui’s chest.

Through the purple robe, his fingertips clearly felt those vigorous, almost bursting hard muscles.

His Adam’s apple couldn’t help but roll twice.

In bed, he absolutely loved this body.

At this moment, he merely gave the person a gentle push outward. Tang Xizhui was somewhat close to him—the heat of the summer afternoon mixed with his breath, brazenly invading. Even the coolness brought by the waterwheel couldn’t calm the restlessness in his heart.

“Could you be any more fake?” Tang Xizhui scoffed lightly, grasping the hand that was trying to push him away from his chest.

“Alright then.” Pei Yanci laughed cheerfully. “The Imperial Academy is about to undergo a major change. Qi Xiang’s attitude is ambiguous and unclear. He’s on good terms with me and greatly admires my abilities, but he also demands that I must maintain good relations with Fang Qingdu. That man Fang Qingdu is completely inflexible—I find this type of stubborn person most tiresome.”

“I’m not familiar with this Qi Xiang, but the Elu Bureau has investigated him. He’s fairly upright—not like some officials where one group does the work while another group of flatterers gets promoted. If you want to know about his corruption to use as leverage, you can have your adoptive son look into it later.”

Tang Xizhui grasped his hand with no intention of letting go, rubbing and playing with it casually. The moisture in his eyes slowly rose, softening the deep darkness at the bottom of his gaze.

After deliberately disgusting Gu Wanchong, his rotting, festering heart was slowly healing once again.

Pei Yanci didn’t despise him.

And only he didn’t.

With a shift in his thoughts, his neck curved as he lowered his head, placing a precious and solemn kiss on the back of that hand.

He no longer wanted to devour him.

Because he would never tire of Pei Yanci.

In this world, there would never be another person who would treat him this way.

After that dragonfly-touch of a kiss, he saw the fingertips carefully cradled in his palm tremble uncontrollably, and somewhat self-consciously raised his face.

Pei Yanci stared at him blankly, the words in his mouth vanishing in an instant, his mind going completely blank.

Both ear tips slowly surged with a hot sensation, turning bright red under his gaze. A flush quietly crept across his fair face.

They had done even more intimate things several times before, but at this moment, he keenly perceived that something between them seemed to have changed slightly.

His heart was like a scroll soaked through with water—swollen, disheveled, sticky, vague and indistinct, rippling outward in circle after circle like stream water lapping against a stone bank. Then in the next instant, it was dried out under this scorching sun, hot enough to make his mouth dry and tongue parched, his head spinning and vision blurring.

When deep thought returned to clarity, both of them simultaneously smiled awkwardly and tacitly shifted their gazes away from each other.

But their keen ears and nose could still precisely capture the fishy smell of damp mud in the courtyard, the creaking rotation of the waterwheel, the clamor of summer cicadas, and the rapid, heavy breathing of the person beside them.

Overhead, the full canopy of green leaves and goldenrain flowers sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, casting swaying shadows. The flow and sway of light and shadow reflected on the ground and danced across their faces, fragrant and graceful.

It was all this demon’s fault for being too beautiful.

Yes, that must be it.

His fingers were still held by that cool hand, resting together on someone’s thigh. He twitched them spasmodically, only to be gripped even tighter.

“I saw you had patterns painted on your face earlier—why have you washed them off now?” Pei Yanci coughed lightly, clearing his throat, making conversation.

The tight grip slowly loosened.

Tang Xizhui’s courage slowly drained away. “It’s just… too dirty…”

Pei Yanci grasped his hand in return, their fingers interlocking.

“You make it sound as if you don’t bathe,” he teased. “You used to love fumigating yourself with those filthy things all the time—was that to cover up your laziness?”

“No.” Tang Xizhui also smiled bleakly.

To conceal his filthy desires.

That way he could righteously attribute the stirrings in his body to aphrodisiac incense, rather than something born from this broken body of his.

Clearly not even a man, so why must he suffer the torment of lust? Wanting to mate freely like a beast, yet never able to find release.

He was so miserable.

No one understood.

A eunuch shouldn’t have such desires.

A eunuch could be vicious and mean, could be twisted in nature, moody and unpredictable, but shouldn’t have carnal desires.

A delicate jade-like finger touched the corner of his eye, wiping away a drop of water hanging from his lashes.

Tang Xizhui closed his eyes, then opened them to look at him.

“Just wipe it clean and that’s that,” he said nonchalantly. “It’s nothing serious.”

Tang Xizhui blinked.

He averted his gaze again.

“Where was I just now?”

Tang Xizhui’s parched throat uttered two words. “Qi Xiang.”

“Ah, right.” On the armrest, his casually placed left thumb rubbed against his moistened index finger. Pei Yanci gazed at the waterwheel, not knowing what else to say.

He felt like he was getting muddled from the heat, developing heart palpitations.

“Would you like me to sound things out from above?” Tang Xizhui asked.

“Mm, good.” Pei Yanci said. “You’re constantly in attendance before His Majesty. You should have a better understanding of whom he favors more, what kind of character and abilities he prefers for the position of Chancellor.”

“Based on my understanding of His Majesty, these past few years he’s been leaning toward moderation.”

Pei Yanci pondered for a moment. “So actually, Qi Xiang has grasped His Majesty’s intentions—he prefers someone like Fang Qingdu, which is why he’s telling me to build a good relationship with him, so that he’ll voluntarily give up the position later?”

“Possibly.” Under the table, their hands were interlocked. Tang Xizhui’s cold palms were unusually beginning to sweat, so hot his thoughts became muddled.

Their touching palms became damp and sticky, carrying moist heat, but it seemed both had forgotten about this—neither released the other’s hand.

“Does Qi Xiang take me for some omnipotent figure? A fourth-rank Chancellor of the Imperial Academy—who wouldn’t want it?”

In the Great Yu court, fifth rank was a watershed. Only at this rank and above did one qualify to attend those large and small court assemblies, only then did one begin to touch the edge of core central power.

“Do you want my help?” The moment Tang Xizhui finished asking, he immediately felt some regret.

Pei Yanci was only seventeen. If he became Chancellor of the Imperial Academy now, unprecedented in history—his prospects would be simply limitless.

He would no longer be that stubborn stone in the Crown Prince’s mansion, nor that unpolished jade being made difficult and mistreated by a group of poor pedantic scholars at the Imperial Academy, but a jewel anyone could see.

Then everyone would know.

Would Pei Yanci still care about him then?

“I don’t need your help.” Pei Yanci had originally come today with this intention, but at this moment, he remembered the painful lesson from last time when he had begged this person for help—his spine couldn’t help but tingle with a series of tingling sensations.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t want to make a deal with him.

Nine-Thousand-Years had definitely never done business—he didn’t understand the principle of sustainable flow.

“It’s not yet the final moment. If I still can’t win over Fang Qingdu, I’ll go find Qi Xiang. He’s much easier to talk to.” Pei Yanci’s mind was entirely focused on business matters. When he stood up, he finally noticed their hands were still clasped together.

His body was pulled back slightly by the resistance of their joined hands. He awkwardly released his fingers.

Tang Xizhui had no choice but to let go reluctantly.

“Then I’ll head back first.”

“Mm.” Tang Xizhui responded listlessly, drinking a sip of completely cold tea in a transparently obvious attempt to cover his feelings. “Huo Cun probably has found some information about Fang Qingdu. Will you go find him, or shall I have him bring the materials to you?”

“I’ll go find him.”

Pei Yanci rubbed his hands together. The sweat on his palms was wiped dry, only to produce new sweat.

“I’ll go find him.”

He repeated himself, then quickly walked out of the courtyard.

That sticky heat finally dissipated with his departure.

But that scroll in his heart that had been soaked and then dried—while it seemed the same as before, its pages had become wrinkled, like ripples spreading across water’s surface, never to return to calm again.