Xie Anci sat upright in front of Pei Xuan, but the tip of his foot was restlessly rubbing against Pei Xuan’s ankle.
Pei Xuan’s body stiffened, and he abruptly pulled his leg back, his fair face flushing slightly with pink.
How innocent.
Xie Anci thought to himself.
How old was this National Preceptor in front of him? Around the same age as Li Jinchen, maybe early twenties?
Xie Anci mused, had he grown this old without ever touching a man or a woman?
How interesting.
Xie Anci rested his chin on both hands, his pair of phoenix eyes staring straight at Pei Xuan, until Pei Xuan couldn’t help but lower his head.
His slightly reddened ear tips were hidden among his silver-white hair adorable and pure.
“What does the National Preceptor usually do?” Xie Anci asked with a smile.
“N-nothing much divining fortunes, playing the qin, writing poetry. It must be quite boring.” Pei Xuan turned his face away and said quietly.
“Divining fortunes? Really? Then can you divine the fortunes of our Aolong Kingdom?” Xie Anci asked casually.
“Of course not. One cannot divine a nation’s fate otherwise the diviner would die a sudden, violent death.” The young boy behind Pei Xuan couldn’t help but speak up.
Xie Anci raised his eyes. The boy behind Pei Xuan was about thirteen or fourteen, his hair half black and half white, tied into two little buns, his face full of anger, he clearly seemed displeased with Xie Anci.
“Lin, mind your manners.” Pei Xuan looked at Xie Anci apologetically.
“No matter. The ignorant commit no offense, it was my oversight.” Xie Anci truly hadn’t known about such a rule; he had never been interested in these things, nor did he believe in them much.
“Lin is right. A diviner cannot divine a nation’s fate. Why doesn’t the Regent ask about something else instead?” Pei Xuan pressed a hand to his chest, his expression as if recalling the past.
“Then how about divining for me? That should be allowed, right?” Xie Anci’s interest was piqued, an eager expression on his face.
“Naturally, that is allowed.” Pei Xuan nodded.
“Master” Pei Lin glared at Xie Anci resentfully, very much not wanting Pei Xuan to divine for him.
The more distinguished the person being divined for someone like Xie Anci, the more it would shorten the diviner’s lifespan.
“What? There’s another rule about this? You can’t divine for me either?” Xie Anci asked, frowning.
“I can. Regent, please extend your left hand.” Pei Xuan said, his voice cool and clear.
Xie Anci extended his left hand as Pei Xuan instructed, placing it on the stone table. His fair hand was rather slender, with faint veins visible beneath the skin.
Pei Xuan extended a finger and traced it across Xie Anci’s palm. The touch was like warm jade, and Xie Anci felt his heart stir slightly.
Could Pei Xuan really calculate anything?
Xie Anci was highly skeptical, treating it as mere amusement.
Pei Xuan closed his eyes, murmuring incantations under his breath.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat complicated.
“Well?” Xie Anci asked impatiently.
Pei Xuan’s face turned pale. He was silent for a while before speaking: “The Regent’s future…I’m afraid it will not be good.”
Xie Anci raised an eyebrow: “Not good in what way?”
Pei Xuan shook his head slightly and said nothing.
It was great misfortune, Pei Xuan didn’t know how to say it.
“What’s wrong? Is it hard to say, or are you not allowed to say?” Xie Anci couldn’t help but laugh. Was it really that difficult to bring up?
Pei Xuan’s brow furrowed tightly. “Not good in every respect.”
“You mean I won’t enjoy wealth and glory anymore? That I’ll die young? Killed by the Emperor?” Xie Anci speculated about several possible fates for himself.
Pei Xuan shook his head. “Wealth and glory aside, I can at least say this you won’t end as you are now. Rest assured, Regent Prince, you will live to a hundred years.”
Xie Anci raised an eyebrow, surprised that Pei Xuan was actually capable of saying something flattering.
Live to a hundred?
Was that supposed to mean “the worst scoundrels live the longest”?
“And what about my love life?” Xie Anci paused, then couldn’t help asking.
At this, Pei Xuan’s expression grew complicated. “Hard to say.”
“Hard to say? Is it good or bad? How can it be ‘hard to say’?” Xie Anci wondered why Pei Xuan was being so evasive.
“Both good and bad.”
Pei Xuan lowered his eyes. “I can only divine the general direction of things. Circumstances change, and people change, what holds true now may not apply later.
Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you, Regent Prince.”
Xie Anci’s expression turned serious. He pressed his lips together and pondered for a moment.
Then he rose to his feet. “Forget it. I only came because I had nothing better to do. What you’ve said is no different from saying nothing at all.”
Pei Xuan gave a soft laugh at that, then realized that indeed, whether he spoke or not made little difference.
This was the first time he had ever been unable to see through someone’s future, which surprised even him.
“My thanks, Imperial Preceptor. I’ll take my leave.” Xie Anci felt that divination was nothing special after all rather pointless.
With that, he turned and left.
Pei Xuan watched his departing figure and let out a soft sigh.
“Master, why did you divine his fortune for him? You know it drains your vital energy.” Pei Lin asked, puzzled.
Pei Xuan gazed into the distance and murmured to himself, “Why do I appear in his future as well.”
Pei Xuan frowned, clutching his chest as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He quickly wiped it away with a handkerchief.
He had accidentally divined his own fate, the backlash was rather severe.
As he thought this, Pei Xuan rubbed the sandalwood prayer beads on his wrist, which eased his pain a little.
Pei Lin glared resentfully in the direction Xie Anci had gone. “Master, look at him so shameless. He was just now trying to seduce you.”
“Doesn’t he love the Emperor? And yet he’s this flirtatious and he calls himself Regent Prince.”
“Silence! Mind your manners.” Pei Xuan cut off Pei Lin’s complaints.
Pei Xuan never put stock in those rumors. One could not judge a person by what others said, one had to know them oneself.
Besides, Xie Anci hadn’t been seducing him at all just now. Seducing? Was he?
Pei Xuan blinked in confusion.
Pei Lin was taken aback, then pursed his lips and said no more, though his dislike of Xie Anci only deepened.
As Xie Anci left the imperial garden, he ran right into Eunuch Sun, who came scurrying up with a face full of smiles and bowed respectfully.
“Regent Prince, the Emperor has finished speaking with young General Gu. You may go in now.”
Though Eunuch Sun harbored resentment toward Xie Anci, he was merely a eunuch and dared not act presumptuously before him.
Xie Anci paid him no heed and went straight to the imperial study.
“Your Majesty, the Regent Prince has arrived,” Eunuch Sun announced promptly from outside.
“Come in.” Li Jinchen’s voice carried a chill.
Xie Anci paid it no mind and walked in.
On the small table beside the dragon desk sat two teacups, steam still rising from them, young General Gu had evidently just left.
Xie Anci walked over and sat down beside Li Jinchen. Eunuch Sun closed the door once he had entered.
The imperial study was utterly quiet, a faint scent of dragon’s incense drifting through the antique room.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Li Jinchen’s gaze was complicated, he wanted to berate Xie Anci, yet felt that lashing out so suddenly would be abrupt.
Xie Anci kept his eyes lowered, his expression unreadable.
“You…”
“You…”
The two spoke at the same time.
Li Jinchen said, “You go first.”
“It’s nothing. What did you summon me for, Your Majesty?” Xie Anci felt a little puzzled, and somewhat awkward as well.