SEHE Chapter 68

Transaction 

“Whether or not you can become this second consort is not something you can decide.”

Previously, Zheng Qinglai had only heard of him, never having direct contact. After just a few exchanges today, he had already grasped his character and gradually relaxed his expression.

Pei Yanci’s appearance was indeed first-rate in handsomeness and grace, possessing both youthful vigor and mature wisdom. Perhaps for Gu Jiuqing, who hadn’t touched romance in over twenty years, such looks held great appeal—so much so that he was even willing to disclose the new tax law matter to him and entrust him with it.

Previously, when he heard that the new tax law was drafted by people sent by Pei Yanci, he thought him a deeply calculating character and couldn’t help but be wary.

Perhaps in terms of work ability, he was indeed more capable than his peers, which was why he caught Gu Jiuqing’s eye. But at this age, he was also prone to self-satisfaction and showing off, with simple thinking. Just because he heard the Crown Prince had some conflict with him, did he think the Crown Prince would definitely dislike him? Did he think that with Gu Jiuqing backing him up, he could step on the Crown Prince?

The Crown Prince’s inner quarters—sometimes even the Crown Prince himself couldn’t control what happened there.

“Chief Steward Pei, let me advise you—don’t celebrate too early.” Zheng Qinglai said with a chuckle. “The matter hasn’t been settled yet. There are plenty of variables.”

“This humble one has taken Prime Minister Zheng’s teachings to heart. I’ll urge the Crown Prince to marry me quickly and settle this matter soon.” Pei Yanci displayed a confident, triumphant smile, and left first without bowing.

This was completely disrespectful behavior, not taking him seriously at all.

Young and impetuous.

Zheng Qinglai paid him no mind and turned to enter Gu Jiuqing’s sleeping chambers.

He routinely inquired about Gu Jiuqing’s injuries, and just before leaving, probed, “Earlier, this minister saw a servant from Your Highness’s residence leaving the bedchamber with disheveled clothing.”

“This prince was discussing matters with him earlier and pulled him around a few times. It’s nothing.” Gu Jiuqing leaned against the cushions, his expression indifferent, as if discussing someone else’s affairs.

“Actually, this minister was thinking—if Your Highness likes him, why not take him into your chambers? Quite a few ministers in court have male concubines.” Zheng Qinglai said. This was quite normal in Great Yu. “Men cannot conceive, so when Your Highness eventually marries the Crown Princess, it won’t invite gossip. He has a healthy constitution that can endure hardship, and seems skilled—he could serve Your Highness very well.”

Gu Jiuqing listened and became interested. Truth be told, he still didn’t want to marry Pei Yanci as a second consort. He had carefully planned every position—each would become his greatest source of support. Not only couldn’t Pei Yanci’s status and family background help him, it would actually bring him trouble. The best solution was still to make him a male concubine.

As Prime Minister Zheng said, Pei Yanci had many skills and would make an excellent male concubine.

Anticipation was already growing in his heart.

“Prime Minister Zheng speaks truly. This prince will find an auspicious day to take him into my chambers.” Gu Jiuqing said.

Pei Yanci was from his residence, his indenture contract was in his possession—how to manipulate him, what position to grant him, it was all up to him to decide.

Once this was settled, neither gave the matter further thought.

Deciding someone else’s lifelong fate was, in their eyes, merely a trivial matter that could be dismissed with a few words.

****

Morning watching polo, afternoon visiting Gu Jiuqing—by the time he returned to his own room, evening was approaching.

He practiced martial arts for an hour, ate a simple dinner, and after thoroughly washing up, was drying his dripping hair as he emerged from behind the screen, only to see an unexpected person in his room.

Actually, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Following Gu Jiuqing to the polo grounds meant he would inevitably encounter this person.

Tang Xizhui’s long, well-proportioned fingers gripped the rim of the cup, rotating the porcelain white teacup. Tea smoke drifted lightly, creating ominous, mysterious ripples in the strands of warm yellow candlelight.

He still wore that golden egret mask on his face, his back to the candlelight, which traced ambiguous lines on his body.

Pei Yanci’s steps faltered. He stopped drying his hair and said nothing.

His body, seasoned by life and death, instinctively sensed the dark killing intent more directly than his brain.

“What are you here for?” He adjusted himself, walking naturally to the table. As if to avoid appearing cowardly, he deliberately walked to Tang Xizhui’s side, almost pressed against his elbow, and poured himself a cup of tea.

“The tea here is very special.” Tang Xizhui’s gaze drifted downward, noticing his lower back.

Water dripped down the ends of his hair, soaking his lower back. That patch of white undergarment became transparent, clinging obediently to his skin, vaguely revealing his porcelain-white, warm-toned flesh, outlining the beautiful curve of his lower back dimples.

Below that was his firm, rounded buttocks.

Pei Yanci took a sip of tea, slightly calming his unsettling palpitations, but then a bone-chilling cold pressed against his lower back.

Like a startled rabbit, he twisted around, nimbly swatting away the approaching hand. His gaze turned severe and icy, the words “Presumptuous!” nearly escaping his lips.

The figure before him slowly stood up.

These past days, thanks to diligent practice, good food and sleep, Pei Yanci had grown considerably taller, yet still only reached Tang Xizhui’s nose. He disliked this overwhelming sense of pressure created by the height difference and retreated half a step, moving out of his imposing presence.

Tang Xizhui calmly pressed forward one step.

“The tea here—this lord has never tasted it anywhere else.”

Pei Yanci frowned and had to retreat another step.

“This novel way of preparing tea—this lord has only seen you do it in private.” Sinister scarlet rose in Tang Xizhui’s eyes.

His voice was like rain striking withered bones, full of ashen gloom, harsh and foreboding. “Perhaps you’ve also served it to your beloved master.”

“You’re drinking it now too, aren’t you?” Pei Yanci’s expression remained composed as he frowned and slowly retreated.

“That’s not the same at all.” Tang Xizhui’s blood-red lips curved up as if in laughter, yet overwhelming killing intent surged in his eyes instead.

“Which part did you let Gu Jiuqing touch?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Pei Yanci saw the corner cabinet against the wall behind him and stopped, looking up. “We only have a cooperative relationship, no emotional involvement…”

His waist was suddenly embraced.

Strange, burning hot breath sprayed against his ear and cheek. Pei Yanci’s eyes filled with moist red vapor that gradually spread.

Crimson lips like dripping blood slid across his cheek, his nose, lightly touching his eyelids.

“So you actively seduced him.”

Pei Yanci closed his eyes with difficulty, the scalding wetness on his eyelids almost burning his eyes. The ice-cold, hard mask pressed against his cheek created a sensation of ice and fire.

His voice trembled but was full of sharp icy barbs. “You’re overstepping. This isn’t something allies should be concerned about, mmm…”

He let out a soft cry—his earlobe was drawn into a wet, soft mouth, a resilient tongue tip gently probing, licking and teasing.

Pei Yanci leaned back, trying to escape, but couldn’t break free from that hand no matter what. His shoulder pressed against the edge of the corner cabinet, the carved patterns digging in painfully.

“Did he do this to you?” Seeing him distracted, the rough tongue slid behind his ear, once again taking his earlobe in, teeth gently nibbling.

One hand suddenly gripped the edge of the cabinet behind him, veins faintly visible on the back of his hand.

“Let go…” He turned his head away, biting his lip, saying in shame and anger. “Don’t be so presumptuous!”

“You allow your master to be presumptuous but not this lord, mm?”

“I’ll say this one last time—let go!” Pei Yanci raised his foot to kick between Tang Xizhui’s legs, only realizing belatedly after making the motion that eunuchs had nothing there and naturally felt nothing—kicking there was completely useless.

His raised knee was instead caught by a cold palm, kneaded with neither too much nor too little force, gradually becoming unsatisfied with just that.

Pei Yanci, standing on one foot, was somewhat unsteady. Pressing against Tang Xizhui’s hand, he swallowed and glared sharply. “In what capacity do you dare question me like this?”

“Did you also discuss cooperation with him?” The dark purple eyes beneath the mask were eerily sinister, like an evil spirit desperately trying to tear through skin and escape. “What did he promise you?”

“No, he…” Pei Yanci softened his tone, thinking that mentioning the “second consort” matter might enrage him, and ultimately didn’t say it.

However, everyone knew about their physical contact in the hall that afternoon—how could Tang Xizhui not know about this?

“You want to escape your slave status, willing to become the Crown Prince’s male concubine for it, to live beneath others.” Tang Xizhui laughed lightly, ghostly and ominous. “Why don’t this lord also discuss a deal with you? How about it?”

“What deal?”

Seeing Pei Yanci’s attention immediately captured, the killing intent emanating from Tang Xizhui became almost tangible as he ground his teeth. “Very good.”

This person would stop at nothing to climb upward.

He’d fulfill that wish for him.

“Submit to this lord’s wanton defilement, and you can also get what you want.”

He had been thinking wrongly.

Carefully testing Pei Yanci’s acceptable boundaries, seeing if he could tolerate that cruel, twisted version of himself, only to receive in the end his question of “can you be normal?”

He wasn’t normal—but that was still him.

The real him.

The Prince of a Different Surname who held power over the realm, the Chief Overseer of the Elu Bureau who persecuted officials—he had absolutely no need to consider a lowly slave’s thoughts.

He merely wanted to defile this body—why should he care so much about his thoughts, about how he viewed him?

A rat in the gutter only needed to do things that made everyone shudder and despise him.

He didn’t need to care about anyone’s opinion.

He lifted Pei Yanci’s chin, forcing him to look at himself. “This lord can let you fake your death and escape, arrange a new identity for you. You want to live nobly, want to become which noble family’s son—you can choose.”

This was the closest Pei Yanci’s eyes had ever been to his face in such bright lighting.

Even looking up from below, even with half his face covered by the mask, Tang Xizhui’s androgynous face remained flawless, perfect beyond reproach.

Devastatingly beautiful, capable of toppling nations and bewitching all living beings.

Only those who had truly seen Tang Xizhui could know that the Creator truly favored some people.

Pei Yanci’s heart swayed for a moment. When his willpower managed to steady his thoughts, the words in his mouth finally returned. “What if I refuse?”

“These conditions are even better than what Gu Jiuqing offered you.” Tang Xizhui frowned in disbelief, seeing him still weighing the pros and cons.

A hand touched his mask.

Only at such close distance could he see that Tang Xizhui’s eyes, usually dark as ghostly phantoms, also flashed with fear, nervousness, and a moment of bewildered helplessness.

“Alright.” A small corner of Pei Yanci’s previously calm heart collapsed, becoming a soft, low agreement from his lips.

“Hm?” Tang Xizhui didn’t react for a moment—he had agreed too quickly.

As the mask was lifted, that fear, bewilderment, surprise, those mottled, broken shadows beneath, were bathed in candlelight seeping into his face and eyes, dissipating like melting snow.

Tang Xizhui, with his characteristic sinister tone, slightly raised his eyelids and said condescendingly, “What trick are you playing now? You used a little scheme once, this lord won’t believe it the second time. Do you think you can use it a third time?”

Before he finished speaking, Pei Yanci wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him.