Along the way, they arrived at the annex, outside of which stood two blade-wielding guards on watch.
With an expression of utter disdain, Xiao Yun looked around. “What kind of ghost place is this? Steward Zhang, why did you bring me here?”
Steward Zhang said respectfully, “Young Marquis, our Consort resides right here.”
“Resides… Hahaha!” Xiao Yun suddenly burst into loud laughter. “It seems Brother Ji truly despises him!”
With a fighting spirit and an air of supreme boasting, he strode forward. Two sabers instantly barred his path.
“Steward Zhang, tell them who I am,” Xiao Yun pouted.
“Young Marquis, I forgot to mention, the place where the Consort lives is strictly off-limits to outsiders,” Steward Zhang said calmly.
“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier! You made me walk such a long way for nothing!” Xiao Yun raised an eyebrow in anger.
If I had told you earlier, what would you have done if you went and caused more trouble? Steward Zhang said evenly, “Young Marquis, this old servant will lead you to a nearby courtyard to rest for a bit.”
“I’m not leaving. I didn’t walk all this way for nothing.” Xiao Yun rolled his eyes, a mischievous thought crossing his mind, and shouted loudly, “Song Beiyao, get out here right now!!”
Steward Zhang was shocked. “Young Marquis, you really shouldn’t do that!”
“Why not? I’m going to see this person today!” Xiao Yun continued to yell, “Song Beiyao, don’t hide inside! I know you’re in there!!!”
After shouting for a while, his throat started hurting. He gave a few dry coughs and muttered, “A turtle hiding its head, a coward, a useless piece of trash.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Steward Zhang was about to speak up in defense of the Consort when two servants walked over carrying a soup tureen.
Glancing over, Xiao Yun called out, “Hey, wait.”
Hearing him, the two servants stopped. Xiao Yun lifted the lid, his eyes widening. ” Wow, this boneless black-bone chicken soup looks like top-tier stuff. Let me have a taste.”
Steward Zhang hurriedly blocked him, waving his hands to signal the servants to leave quickly. “Young Marquis, this is specially prepared for the Consort with medicinal herbs added inside. It wouldn’t suit the Young Marquis.”
“Tch, living in a dump like this and he still gets to drink such good soup?” Xiao Yun narrowed his eyes, staring at Steward Zhang. “Steward Zhang, tell me, did you secretly have people prepare this nourishment for him behind the scenes?!”
Steward Zhang put on a serious expression. “Young Marquis, you mustn’t speak nonsense. The Consort’s meals and dishes must be personally inspected by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
“No way! How could Brother Ji agree to let him eat this well?! I don’t believe it!!” Furious, Xiao Yun’s face flushed red again as he rasped out, “Song Beiyao, you must come out right now, or else I’ll, or else I’ll…”
Suddenly, the two servants carrying the soup ran out in a panic and dropped to their knees before Steward Zhang. “Steward Zhang, please go inside and take a look! The Consort and his servant are both gone!”
Upon hearing this, Steward Zhang’s expression changed drastically. He immediately stepped into the annex to check, only to find it completely empty without a single trace of a person.
Given the sudden turn of events, Xiao Yun fished in troubled waters and followed them inside, peering into the doorway with schadenfreude. “I told you Brother Ji really hates him! Even the servants at my Southern Peace Marquis Manor live in better places than this dilapidated little shack!”
“Oh, this is bad!” Hearing this, Steward Zhang secretly thought disaster had struck. “Could it be that the Consort fled the estate simply because his living conditions were too poor?!”
“Fled the estate?” Xiao Yun’s eyes darted around, his scheming mind working fast. “Oh, so he committed a crime and was locked up here—no wonder there were so many guards watching. Ha, I’m going to go tell Brother Ji right now! He probably hasn’t run very far; once we catch him, we can have him executed directly for a capital crime!”
Following the earlier commotion, extra guards had been stationed at the study entrance, and Xiao Yun couldn’t force his way in. It wasn’t until Steward Zhang arrived and sent word through a guard that he was permitted entry.
“Your Highness.”
As soon as Steward Zhang stepped inside, Peng Yu stepped out. Pei Ji rested one hand against the side of his face with his eyes closed, a trace of fatigue between his brows. “What is it?”
“The Consort… the Consort is gone.” Steward Zhang felt reluctant to speak, but given the gravity of the matter, he had no choice.
Pei Ji showed no major reaction, keeping his eyes closed. “I know.”
Steward Zhang was somewhat startled. “Th-Then what does Your Highness plan to do…?”
“Nothing. Let him go if he wants to; this king will not pursue it,” Pei Ji opened his eyes, a flash of cruelty crossing his gaze. “Eloping with a servant is a capital offense. If he dares to return to the estate, I will kill him on the spot.”
Steward Zhang: “! ! ! !”
Horrified in his heart, Steward Zhang could only soften his tone and ask, “Why would Your Highness say such a thing? What if the Consort simply wanted to go outside the estate to take a look, or buy some things? How could he possibly… elope with a servant?”
Pei Ji sneered inwardly. Whether it was an elopement or not was just an excuse; as long as Song Beiyao dared to return to the Crown Prince’s Mansion, he would have a justifiable reason to kill him.
Just last night, after drinking the nuptial wine with Song Beiyao, he had fallen asleep and dreamed that prophetic dream once again.
That face was identical down to the last detail, even the mole at the corner of his eye was exactly the same. When killing him, there was not a shred of hesitation so hateful, so detestable.
In the past, he would have killed such a person at their very first meeting. Sparing Song Beiyao’s life was only because he still held some utility value.
If Song Beiyao obediently behaved and didn’t pull any extraordinary stunts, he might have considered letting him live.
Yet right now, everything pointed to the fact that his leniency was unnecessary.
Yesterday, he had uttered honeyed words full of hundred-year marital harmony, eternal union, and being forever his person; today, he couldn’t wait to sneak out of the estate.
Capricious and unpredictable. Such a person indeed should not be kept alive.
Pei Ji opened a case file, staring at the words upon it as his expression grew increasingly frigid.
After the hour of You, with the sky completely darkened, a carriage slowly pulled to a stop in an alleyway outside the Crown Prince’s Mansion.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Song Beiyao stepped down from the carriage, covering his mouth in a fit of coughing as fresh blood seeped through his fingers.
Ling Feng hurriedly handed him a handkerchief, looking completely at a loss as he knitted his brows and asked, “Just what kind of martial arts-suppressing medicine is this? It’s been several days, why are the side effects still so severe?”
Song Beiyao shook his head and comforted him, “I’m just too tired today; a good night’s sleep will fix it. Let’s go, carry me into the estate.”
Scaling the side wall of the western courtyard of the Crown Prince’s Mansion and silently slipping back into the annex, both men realized something was amiss. The gates and doors of the annex were sealed, and everything was pitch black around them, making it impossible to see a thing.
At that moment, several torches flared to life simultaneously. Over a dozen grey-robed, blade-wielding guards suddenly emerged, surrounding Song Beiyao and Ling Feng tightly. Among them was the cyan-robed first-rank guard, Qu Lan. “Consort, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence.”
Song Beiyao patted Ling Feng’s shoulder. “Let me down.” He whispered into his ear, “Remember what I told you on the way back.”
Once his feet touched the ground, he lightly patted the item hidden inside his robe and said to Qu Lan, “Lead the way.”
The two of them were escorted to an exquisitely landscaped garden within the Crown Prince’s Mansion. Song Beiyao had never even set foot in this area before. At the center of a massive pond sat a viewing platform, upon which stood an ornate, delicate pavilion surrounded by torches and warmed by heating stoves. Under the dim, warm moonlight, two figures sat playing a game of go on opposite sides of a stone table inside the pavilion.
“Ah! Wuwu!! No, no, no! I have to replay this move!” The young man on the left wore a sapphire-blue brocade robe with a mink-fur collar, his cheeks flushed red from the heat of the stove. With exquisite facial features and a somewhat spoiled, coquettish expression, he cried out, “Brother Ji, just let me win this once!!” His whining and petulant voice could be heard from far away.
Seated on the right was a man clad in a black forged-silk robe embroidered with silver-threaded qilin and draped in a heavy cloak. Even while sitting, his shoulders and back were straight, his posture sharp, with his gaze lowered onto the go board as he spoke in a low voice, “No. I’ve let you win too many times already, or else this game won’t continue.”
“Hmph, won’t let me win then fine!”
Song Beiyao was escorted with his arms pinned back. Standing on the viewing platform a few steps lower than the pavilion, he couldn’t feel the warmth of the heating stoves as gusts of cold wind blew past, causing him to break into a bout of muffled coughing.
Hearing the sound, Pei Ji lifted his gaze. Across from him, Xiao Yun was still talking, but seeing Pei Ji look elsewhere, he followed his line of sight.
Xiao Yun saw several blade-wielding guards escorting two people who stood below the pavilion. His gaze was instantly captured by one of them.
That young man appeared very youthful, perhaps only a few years older than himself. He wore a thin white brocade robe without a cloak, his figure slender and graceful. His dark hair was half-loose, fluttering repeatedly in the biting winter wind.
Having suppressed his cough, the young man lowered his hand and lifted his eyes toward the pavilion. Xiao Yun felt as though his mind went completely blank for that single instant.
He had no idea how to describe that face; he only knew that the tall fortress of self-confidence he had built over seventeen years of receiving praise for his appearance was instantly crushed to dust in this very moment.
It was so stunning and shocking that it left one speechless. Without needing to ask, he knew who this person was.
“So-, So-, So…” He stammered unconsciously. Song Beiyao cast a calm glance in his direction. Stunned as if struck by lightning, Xiao Yun snapped back to reality, his face turning beet red. He slammed his foot down, stood up, and rebuked angrily, “Song Beiyao, you actually dare to come back!”
Nearby, Steward Zhang looked at Song Beiyao with a worried expression, repeatedly flashing him meaningful glances to warn him that the situation was perilous.
“Is Steward Zhang having a muscle spasm? Should we summon a physician to take a look?” Pei Ji’s voice rang out, neither warm nor cold, causing Steward Zhang to immediately lower his head.
Song Beiyao caught Steward Zhang’s intent. So far, everything was going according to his expectations.
Playing with a few black Go stones in his hand, Pei Ji stared with cold, pitch-black eyes at the person below the pavilion without uttering a question.
This prompt had to come from Song Beiyao first. His voice was somewhat hoarse from the cold wind: “Husband is in such fine spirits today admiring flowers, admiring the moon, and admiring a beauty.”
When others heard these words, they could clearly detect a hint of hidden jealousy.
“You!!” Upon hearing the word “husband,” Xiao Yun had already been on the verge of a meltdown; hearing Song Beiyao mention the word “beauty” right after cut his anger by more than half.
He’s praising me as a beauty.
Xiao Yun twitched the corner of his mouth, lifted his chin proudly, and retorted, “What—what business is it of yours?”
Song Beiyao smiled captivatingly. “I am the Consort of Husband, why would it not be my business?”
Seeing his attitude, Xiao Yun opened and closed his mouth, momentarily at a loss for how to counter. With an exasperated “wa,” he plopped back down onto the stone stool and complained tearfully to Pei Ji, “Brother Ji, he’s bullying me!”
Pei Ji returned the black stones to the Go bowl, stood up with his arms crossed over his chest, and looked down at Song Beiyao from his superior vantage point. “The Fourth Prince’s tactic of striking first is truly brilliant. Why don’t you also explain what you were up to today?”
Hearing this, Song Beiyao lowered his gaze slightly, looking somewhat troubled.
“What? Is today’s excursion really that hard to recall? Could it be you went to meet someone, or report on some mission progress?” Pei Ji’s voice grew chillingly cold in an instant.
As the cold wind picked up, Song Beiyao smiled with helpless desolation, his complexion turning even paler. “I never expected Husband to still suspect that I am… cough, cough, cough…”
Xiao Yun suddenly couldn’t make sense of the conversation between these two. Hurrying over to Steward Zhang, he muttered in a low voice, “What are they talking about? What reporting missions? Why does he suspect him of being something?”
Not fully understanding either, Steward Zhang only remembered that the Consort had been dragged into the dungeon and suffered terribly the moment he first arrived at the estate. He had even blocked a sword for the Crown Prince, and his health had deteriorated day by day, making him deeply pitiable.
Lowering his head, Steward Zhang replied, “This old servant does not know.”
At that moment, Ling Feng suddenly spoke up, “Your Royal Highness, if my young master were truly the kind of person you imagine, why wouldn’t he have prepared his excuses beforehand? Your Highness’s repeated suspicions are bound to break my master’s heart.”
He then turned his head to look at Song Beiyao with an anxious expression. “Young master, just tell the Crown Prince the truth!”
Xiao Yun continued whispering to Steward Zhang, “Who is this guy? He’s actually quite handsome.”
Steward Zhang glanced over. “The Consort’s accompanying servant, Ling Feng.”
“Tch, just a servant,” Xiao Yun scoffed dismissively.
Song Beiyao glanced at Ling Feng, his gaze filled with a warning to stay silent, before looking back at Pei Ji and slowly speaking: “Today happens to be the end of the year. Missing the fine weather and having been cooped up in the annex for some time, I simply thought of going out to the streets of Ludu to take a look and experience the lively atmosphere.”
Pei Ji’s cold gaze glared down at the person beneath the pavilion. “Since that is the case, why did you look so troubled when I asked you just now? If you wanted to leave the estate, why didn’t you send someone to inform me? You’re usually quite good at bossing people around when you want to see me.”
Song Beiyao seemed momentarily stumped, his expression stiffening as he lowered his gaze as if pondering something.
Seen this way, it truly looked as though he had something unspeakable to hide and had been caught red-handed.
Pei Ji sneered. “Men, administer the whip punishment beat him until he tells the truth.”
“Your Highness, you cannot!” Ling Feng abruptly shook off the guards holding him and dropped to his knees. “My young master is in poor health; he won’t survive a whip punishment! If Your Highness insists on punishing him for leaving the estate without permission, this subordinate is willing to take the punishment in his place. I was the one who helped the young master leave the estate.”
“Ling Feng…” Song Beiyao said with a look of unbearable heartache.
Watching this master-servant pair with cold eyes, Pei Ji recalled the servant’s report from a few days prior about their daily routine of sharing a bed, and the coldness in his eyes deepened further. “Fine, such deep loyalty between master and servant—then award him fifty lashes.”