When certain matters cannot be investigated, the simplest and crudest method is used, and Pei Yan understood this about Xiao Jing’an.
After all, in his past life, he treated suspicious people just like this, serving up severe tortures.
“I am the illegitimate son of Pei Ming.”
Xiao Jing’an was stunned for a moment, because this statement possessed extreme impact.
Pei Yan continued his narration.
“My father, Pei Ming, once led troops to fight in the northern frontier and saved my mother’s life. However, due to his injuries, he suffered amnesia, and during that period he married my mother. Later, when his memory recovered, he realized he already had a family and had once sworn an oath to his wife that he only wished to stay and keep company with one person in this lifetime. Unwilling to make things difficult for him, my mother chose to leave.”
Pei Ming had indeed been injured while fighting in the northern frontier and lived wandering outside for a month, during which time he claimed to have amnesia.
Xiao Jing’an had also heard of this.
And there were also rumors that Pei Yan had developed romantic feelings with a woman during this period.
In reality, it was indeed so. Because of amnesia, he forgot his wife, and that woman voluntarily withdrew, but there were no children between the two of them.
Events from some twenty years ago had already seen the parties involved pass away, and wanting to investigate clearly was simply like finding a needle in the ocean.
Hence, Pei Yan lied without any misgivings.
“After my mother left my father, she discovered she was already pregnant. Later, when my mother fell gravely ill and could not be cured, her dying wish was for me to trace my ancestry and return to the clan.”
Xiao Jing’an gently pressed his finger against his temple, listening intently to Pei Yan’s narrative.
Analyzing whether he was lying.
Pei Yan had already made arrangements for this beforehand, telling it in a vivid and lifelike manner.
At this moment, his eye sockets turned red, and his clear, watery apricot-peach eyes were filled with sorrowful tears.
“My mother lived her whole life considering others. She urged me not to immediately reveal my identity to avoid hurting Madam Pei, and if it appeared that Madam Pei could not accept it, I should stop the process of tracing our ancestry.”
Saying this, Pei Yan gripped his sleeve and gently wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.
“Quietly guarding from afar will suffice.”
Xiao Jing’an slightly narrowed his phoenix eyes, still maintaining a skeptical attitude toward Pei Yan’s words.
At the same time, his cold gaze swept toward that sleeve of Pei Yan’s.
At this moment, Pei Yan raised one hand and said in a solemn and earnest manner, “I swear, if Pei Ming and Pei Yuning are not my blood relatives, I will”
Xiao Jing’an interrupted his words: “What I believe least in are oaths.”
With that, Xiao Jing’an gave a low, cold laugh, and a piercing chill radiated all over his body: “If I find out you have even a shred of deception, I will definitely make the person you care about most be buried along with you.”
[Not only is he a muddle-headed emperor, he is also a vicious and petty piece of work.]
Pei Yan only offered a faint, perfunctory smile.
Although he didn’t speak, that hint of a smile was his steadfastness regarding the words he had just uttered.
Xiao Jing’an’s gaze carried a hint of disdain as he swept another glance at that sleeve of his.
“The Imperial College is the highest institution of learning in the imperial capital. Do not look disheveled like this right now and lose face for me.”
Pei Yan realized the meaning behind his words, lifted his own sleeve, and took a look.
He saw that a piece of fabric was missing from the white and lightweight cloud-like sleeve, with jagged edges like sawteeth.
And the cuff area after losing this part of the fabric appeared abrupt and incomplete, just like a fine piece of porcelain suddenly developing a crack, exuding a sense of disheveled wretchedness.
Pei Yan pushed his raised arm toward Xiao Jing’an’s field of vision.
“You are a noble person prone to forgetting things. The fabric on my sleeve was torn off the night before last at the Beishan hunting grounds to wrap your wound.”
Hearing what he said, Xiao Jing’an raised an eyebrow and said in a leisurely manner: “What you mean by these words, are you expecting me to compensate you with a set of clothes?”
“I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”
Pei Yan said “wouldn’t dare” three times in a row, as if every cell in his body was filled with terror toward Xiao Jing’an.
“You are exalted as an imperial prince and the future emperor, how could I dare to have the guts of a bear and a leopard and demand things from you?”
[Not demanding them from you, demanding them from others would be doing you justice.]
[I’m not making money right now, every single coin has to be split in half. If you don’t give me money, I won’t change this set of clothes, and I’ll ruin your reputation.]
Xiao Jing’an ignored these two inner thoughts of Pei Yan, his well-shaped and attractive thin lips parting and closing gently.
“The future emperor?”
Pei Yan raised the outer corners of his eyes, wearing a smile tinged with flattery: “People in the streets all say you possess virtue and ability, and you are the best successor to the throne.”
“You are quite skilled at cozying up to power and wealth.”
Xiao Jing’an’s lips curved into a smile, untying the gold-embroidered money pouch from his waist and tossing it to Pei Yan.
“A reward for you, buy yourself a few more decent sets of clothes.”
Pei Yan very naturally reached out and caught the money pouch tossed by Xiao Jing’an.
In his past life, Xiao Jing’an hadn’t spared rewards like this for him.
Throwing away a jade pendant on his body and giving it to Pei Yan.
Taking Pei Yan to inspect the imperial treasury, picking out an exquisite piece of treasure, and tossing it to Pei Yan as a reward.
In short, every single reward he gave Pei Yan always seemed very casual, and Pei Yan had long grown used to it.
At this moment, his fair fingers gently rubbed the pouch full of gold leaves, seemingly estimating their value in his mind.
At the same time, he said to Xiao Jing’an: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward.”
Pei Yan’s words came to an abrupt halt.
He had actually let his guard down and blurted out the address he used for Xiao Jing’an in his past life.
Yet in this present life, Xiao Jing’an had not yet ascended the throne as emperor, and the old emperor was still sitting securely on the throne.
Therefore, he had just uttered words of treason that were severe enough to warrant the execution of all nine familial relations.
Misfortune really does follow close upon extreme joy!
A layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on Pei Yan’s forehead.
He hurriedly looked toward Xiao Jing’an.
The future monarch was lowering his head to drink tea.
To the extent that his face looked almost buried inside.
Pei Yan instantly understood [The muddle-headed emperor doesn’t want to pursue this matter with me.]
If this matter were pursued, it would definitely be a capital offense, and someone certainly didn’t want a person capable of foreseeing the future to just die like that.
Pei Yan reacted extremely quickly, swiftly putting away the money pouch, and then bowing in salute.
“If you have no other matters, this commoner will take his leave first.”
“I do.”
Xiao Jing’an lifted his face out of the tea cup.
“Tomorrow morning, wait for me at the gate of the Imperial College. Since I am recommending you to enter the Imperial College, naturally I must make a trip there to brief the libationer on some matters.”
“Thank you for troubling yourself on my behalf.”
Pei Yan figned a bit of gratitude.
“In the future, I will definitely render loyal service as a dog or a horse for you.”
[Don’t take it seriously, ha. After tomorrow, you and I will cut all ties and never cross paths again.]
Hearing his inner voice, Xiao Jing’an said, “Good, I will keep your words in mind, waiting for you to render loyal service as a dog or a horse in the future.”
The expression on Pei Yan’s fair face shifted slightly, but he immediately restored his composure.
“Being able to render loyal service as a dog or a horse for you is my honor, and something I could only wish for.”
After speaking, he smiled slightly at Xiao Jing’an.
This smile was like an autumn chrysanthemum just beginning to bloom, spreading out shallowly, carrying an indescribable ethereal and detached charm, without a shred of frivolity. Xiao Jing’an froze for a second, his Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbing up and down.
“Go back.”
Xiao Jing’an looked away.
Pei Yan finished his bow, turned around, and walked toward the door.
Xiao Jing’an lowered his gaze and downed the remaining tea in the cup in his hand all at once.
Then he stood up, walked over to the window, and his gaze fell on that tree in the distance that Pei Yan found peculiar.
His eyes were dark and gloomy, and he didn’t know what he was pondering.
Footsteps sounded from behind, and Xiao Jing’an slightly knitted his brows, turning around.
“Why have you turned back?”
Pei Yan stopped in front of him, pondered for a moment, and said, “May I ask you for one more favor?”
“No.”
Xiao Jing’an refused cleanly and decisively.
After saying that, he added: “The reason I am willing to help you this time is because of that secret you told, a transaction between the two of us.”
Saying this, Xiao Jing’an’s brows and eyes gathered an obvious look of disgust.
“Don’t flatter yourself, thinking I am willing to help you unconditionally.”
“It was my own wishful thinking, and I won’t dare to commit this again in the future.”
Pei Yan said respectfully, then secretly curled the corner of his mouth in disdain.
[Wishful thinking! Spare me your narcissism, I despise you even more.]
“Go.”
Pei Yan felt that the person before him was about to tell him to scram at any second.
Without any help offered, he didn’t want to stay another second with the person in front of him either.
Pei Yan raised his foot to leave, when suddenly.
“Ah!”
Pei Yan let out a sudden cry of alarm.
In an instant, he began frantically shaking his robes.
I don’t know when, but a special-colored insect had actually crawled onto his snow-white robes.
This bug was entirely hairless, plump, and completely pink in color, and one could even see the pink liquid wriggling inside its body, just like blood.
Truly terrifying.
Especially since Pei Yan was exceptionally afraid of insects.
Startled by his sudden scream, Xiao Jing’an was momentarily stunned.
Immediately afterward, his gaze noticed the pink bug on Pei Yan’s robe.
Following that, a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
He immediately strode forward, intending to catch that love gu worm that had appeared out of nowhere.
Unexpectedly, Pei Yan was so frightened that his heels stumbled and became unsteady, and he crashed straight toward Xiao Jing’an, who was walking toward him.
With a “bang”.
Xiao Jing’an couldn’t dodge in time, and was heavily pressed against the wall behind him, the impact sending a wave of pain across his back.
As for Pei Yan, he plunged straight into his arms.
Unscathed.
Infuriated, Xiao Jing’an, enduring the impulse to split the person in half with a single palm strike, pushed the person out of his arms.
He said with extreme displeasure, “Clumsy fellow.”
Having caused trouble, Pei Yan repeatedly bowed with cupped hands to apologize: “I will definitely be extremely careful in the future and will not touch a shred of you ever again.”
“Hurry up and leave.”
Xiao Jing’an wore an expression of not wanting to see him.
Pei Yan had already discovered that the strange and terrifying bug on his robe had vanished. Fearing that Xiao Jing’an would pursue the matter further, he oiled the soles of his feet and fled.
The steward, who had walked in from somewhere, hurriedly pushed the door open to facilitate Pei Yan’s “escape”.
Seeing him run away, the steward closed the door.
He said to Xiao Jing’an, who was lowering his gaze to look at the gu worm in his hand, “Master, this subordinate will go get you a change of outer garments right now.”
Just now, he had witnessed with his own eyes that the young master actually named Pei Yan had crashed right into the master’s arms.
The master had always been extremely a germophobic, and usually if his clothes were touched even a little bit, he would promptly change them.
Not to mention this time that Pei Yan had actually burrowed into the master’s arms and touched such a large expanse of clothing.
The master would probably take a thorough bath because of this.
However, at this moment, Xiao Jing’an’s attention was not on the fact that a large area of clothing had just been touched by Pei Yan’s overly intimate contact.
He merely lowered his gaze and glanced at the clothes in front of his chest.
Like lightning flashing across the night sky, the scene he had just experienced flashed through his mind.
It seemed that the warmth of Pei Yan and the tactile sensation of his overly soft body still lingered within his arms.
He exhaled softly, and then calmly uttered a single sentence: “This time, it didn’t feel that repulsive, I could endure it.”
With that, a rare look of unclear meaning arose in his eyes as he looked at the gu worm in his hand.
“Just now, this love gu actively attached itself to that Pei Yan’s body?”
The steward’s expression shifted, and he was instantly shocked beyond measure: “How could this happen!”