CH 130

Shen Shijiu complained to Pei Zheng, and pointed at the scene inside the room, “My Lord, look at Imperial Physician Jiang. He won’t lie still in bed, and insists on coming to see A-Feng, but A-Feng isn’t even awake yet.”

Pei Zheng clasped his hand, wrapping his fingers around the other’s.

“Then we shouldn’t disturb them.”

Shen Shijiu turned to face Pei Zheng, “But it’s already so late, where are we supposed to go?”

Pei Zheng let go of the small man and led him deeper into the building.

“We’re going to rest.”

Shen Shijiu didn’t know why, but his earlobes flushed red. But he pinched his ears and obediently followed Pei Zheng.

It was already late at night. Most of the other people in the Imperial Hospital had gone to bed; everything was quiet and still.

When they arrived at the room Shen Shijiu was staying in, Pei Zheng pushed the door open. Then, he pulled the small man inside, turned around, and pinned him against the door.

Shen Huan still hadn’t seen Shen Shijiu, so she couldn’t have said anything to him. But once Shen Huan finished her work in the palace, Pei Zheng didn’t think that Shen Huan would be as permissive toward him as she had been in the past.

If… if she told Shen Shijiu about a few things, or if she really developed a drug that could recover memory, what would he do?

Pei Zheng admitted it; he was scared.

He could only continue to tighten his arms around the small man in his embrace, embedding him in his chest. Only then did he feel that the small man was still there, that he was still by his side.

“Pei-gege, you must be really tired…”

Shen Shijiu was lifted onto his tiptoes by Pei Zheng’s embrace. His little hands stroked Pei Zheng’s back; his touch carried a sense of comfort.

“Mm. It’s because I missed you.”

Shen Shijiu’s eyes curved, and a soft sweetness flooded his heart.

“I also missed you.” Even his voice sounded so sweet and honeyed.

Pei Zheng loosened his grip slightly, before he bent down and kissed him.

He really did miss him. He missed him so much that he couldn’t get any business done. There were always patches of fair, tender white and spots of seductive red floating in his mind. Kittenish, panting breaths or choked whimpers rang continuously in his ears…

There were some things that could be restrained for a long time without much issue. But once Pei Zheng tasted a touch of sweetness, he couldn’t hold himself back.

Just as Pei Zheng’s hand slipped into Shen Shijiu’s collar to do something naughty, a small hand suddenly pressed against his palm.

The small man’s strength was very light, but Pei Zheng really didn’t move.

The small man lifted his bright, watery eyes and opened his red lips, “Pei-gege, th-this is the Imperial Hospital, there are other people here.”

Pei Zheng sighed softly. His fingers groped and kneaded for a moment, but he didn’t remove his hand.

“I know.”

Shen Shijiu was half-shy and half-rebuking, “Yet you’re still doing this kind of thing!”

“Just let me touch you for a moment. I won’t do anything else, okay?”

Shen Shijiu pouted; it seemed as though he was thoroughly mulling over this.

Pei Zheng stretched his hand out of Shen Shijiu’s collar and rubbed the center of his brow, “My head hurts a lot. Right now, only you can cure it.”

Shen Shijiu looked up at Pei Zheng and reached upward, “Pei-gege, I’ll help you knead your forehead.”

But his hand was clasped midway by Pei Zheng. He placed the small man’s palm behind his back; Shen Shijiu’s body straightened up and was pulled toward Pei Zheng’s.

“No need. Just don’t move.”

Shen Shijiu obediently stood there and didn’t move, fearing that Pei Zheng’s headache would worsen.

But Pei Zheng began to act even more shamelessly, hugging the small man and collapsing onto the bed.

Shen Shijiu’s entire body was burning hot. He thought of the nights they had spent at Liuyun Villa, and his little head immediately became foggy.

But the hands that were groping all over his body gradually stopped. Shen Shijiu looked up at Pei Zheng, and saw that his brows were relaxed, and his eyes were closed. It seemed that he really was exhausted and had already fallen asleep. However, the hand that was gripping Shen Shijiu’s palm still hadn’t loosened.

Shen Shijiu stared at Pei Zheng for a long while, before laid down beside him and tucked the quilt over both of their bodies.

After wrapping himself in the quilt, Shen Shijiu also slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Shen Shijiu stayed in the Imperial Hospital for a few more days. Every day, he attended to Jiang Yubai and Cheng Feng, and their wounds finally began to heal.

And Qi Bingzhi had also recovered from her ‘mental illness’, so Shen Huan returned to the Imperial Hospital.

The moment she saw Shen Shijiu, Shen Huan gave her little disciple a big hug. She hugged him for a long while, and her arms around him only continued to tighten.

Now, she knew everything. She knew everything about her little disciple’s ashen, withered past. The suffocating pain in the depths of her heart surged upward; the only thing she could feel was extreme regret. If she had come to the Imperial City just a bit earlier, if she had found her little disciple just a bit earlier, maybe none of those things would have happened.

A carriage from the Prime Minister’s Manor was already waiting outside the palace gates. Li Yu had come personally with a few other servants to pick Shen Huan and Shen Shijiu up.

Shen Huan looked at the carriage and thought to herself, in what way is this ‘picking us up’? This is clearly ‘apprehending us and bringing us back’. Pei Zheng was definitely afraid that she would take her little disciple and escape in secret.

When they returned to the Prime Minister’s Manor, Pei Zheng wasn’t there. Shen Huan grabbed Shen Shijiu and pulled him back to the little pavilion.

“Disciple, see if there’s anything you want to take with you, and quickly pack it up.”

Shen Shijiu froze, “Shifu, why do we need to pack? Where are we going?”

Shen Huan said, “We’re going back to the Ghost Valley.”

“Oh.” Shen Shijiu nodded, “Then when are we coming back?”

Shen Huan looked at him “Coming back? Coming back where? Aren’t we going back right now?”

Shen Shijiu blinked, “So we aren’t coming back to the Prime Minister’s Manor?”

“Of course not!”

Shen Shijiu’s eyes suddenly reddened. They wouldn’t be returning to the Prime Minister’s Manor. Did that mean… he wouldn’t be able to see Pei-gege again?

He had thought that he could stay with his shifu and Pei-gege forever. Why did they have to part right after he returned from the palace?

Seeing Shen Shijiu’s eyes fill with tears in an instant, Shen Huan’s heart began to ache again. She knew that her little disciple was definitely head over heels for Pei Zheng at the moment, but that didn’t matter; she would never allow her disciple and Pei Zheng to be together!

Shen Huan steeled her heart, “Since you have nothing to pack, come with me to the pharmaceutical room.”

After she finished speaking, Shen Huan strode out.

A bean-sized tear fell out of Shen Shijiu’s eye. He wiped it away with his cuff, before he followed Shen Huan out.

No matter what happened, he had to listen to his shifu. Even if shifu wanted him to leave Pei-gege; although he would be very sad, he would have to listen.

Shen Huan paced around the pharmaceutical room for a long while and stuffed a few rare medicinal ingredients into her bosom. She also carefully packed those three stalks of milkwort.

In any case, she already owed Pei Zheng thirty thousand taels, so the other herbs hardly counted for much.

After she finished packing everything, Shen Huan took advantage of the fact that Pei Zheng wasn’t here, and tried to sneak out of the manor with Shen Shijiu.

In the end, just as the gate to the manor came into view, and when they were still quite some distance from the entrance, the pair were stopped by Li Yu.

“Master Shen, Young Master Shen, where are you two going?”

Shen Huan laughed drily, “Housekeeper Li, I’m taking my little disciple out for a stroll. He’s bored out of his mind after staying in the palace for so long. ”

Li Yu glanced at Shen Shijiu. The small man’s head had been lowered this entire time, and from time to time, he would wipe his tears with his cuff; he looked quite pitiful.

Li Yu immediately grabbed Shen Shijiu’s arm, and asked in concern, “Young Master Shen, what’s wrong?”

Shen Shijiu whimpered softly. He knew that his shifu wouldn’t allow him to say that they were leaving the Prime Minister’s Manor. But he was just too sad, and his ears showered downward even more furiously.

At this moment, Li Yu saw what Shen Huan had hidden in her robe. He pulled it out; it was a tightly wrapped parcel. He immediately understood what was going on.

“Master Shen! What are you doing?! Are you trying to leave the Prime Minister’s Manor?! Does His Lordship know?!”

Shen Huan snatched the parcel back, “How am I supposed to know if he knows?”

“So he doesn’t know!”

Li Yu’s eyes flashed, and many guards appeared in the once-empty courtyard, surrounding Shen Huan and Shen Shijiu.

“Although His Lordship is not at the manor right now, I cannot allow the two of you to leave. If His Lordship comes back, he definitely won’t let you go either.”

Shen Huan said, “Damn you, Li Yu! I haven’t settled debts with you yet, and yet you’re still trying to stop me!”

Li Yu was surprised, “Settle debts with me? What debts?”

Shen Huan glanced at Shen Shijiu, and mouthed, “The, prince.”

Li Yu’s expression changed. He didn’t know if Shen Huan had heard something from somewhere, but he still steeled himself and refused to let them pass.

Shen Huan became impatient. The longer this dragged on, the more likely it would be for Pei Zheng to return, and the two of them might not be able to leave.

Just as she was thinking about this, the sound of a carriage came from outside the gate, and the person who stepped into the manor was none other than Pei Zheng. The parcel in Shen Huan’s hand immediately fell to the ground.

“Great. Leaving, my ass.”

Pei Zheng walked up to the small crowd and glanced at the parcel that had been thrown to the ground. Then, he glanced at the red-eyed Shen Shijiu who resembled a little rabbit, and he already understood a few bits and pieces.

“Master Shen. You’re leaving without even saying goodbye?”

Pei Zheng was looking at Shen Huan, but he walked over to stand beside Shen Shijiu. He stretched out his hand from within his wide sleeve and squeezed the other’s fingers.

Shen Shijiu sniffled in aggrievement.

Shen Huan said, “Lord Pei, we’ve already stayed in the manor for so long, so we won’t continue to disturb you. We’re leaving.”

“Shifu,” Shen Shijiu called timidly.

When Shen Huan saw how close Pei Zheng was to her little disciple, she immediately walked over to pull Shen Shijiu to her side.

However, Pei Zheng stopped her, and even blocked Shen Shijiu’s body behind his own.

Shen Huan glared at Pei Zheng in anger, and she was about to burst into a fit of rage.

“Lord Pei, please step aside. ”

Pei Zheng’s entire body seemed to exude an ice-cold aura. It was as though he hadn’t heard Shen Huan; he didn’t move at all.

Shen Huan raised her voice a bit, “Lord Pei! Please step aside!”

Everyone in the courtyard stood there, too scared to move, and the atmosphere was immediately wrought with nervousness.

At this moment, the sound of another carriage came from outside the gate. Several people who appeared to be eunuchs walked in, bearing an imperial edict.

“Prime Minister Pei, the imperial edict is here, please receive it.”

Shen Huan turned her head to look at those eunuchs.

The head eunuch held the edict and stood by the gate, but Pei Zheng ignored him.

“Prime Minister Pei, please accept the edict.”

Pei Zheng remained silent.

“Prime Minister Pei? Prime Minister Pei?”

That eunuch’s arms were about to go sore from holding the edict up. Pei Zheng was clearly standing here in the courtyard, but he was acting as though he couldn’t see him at all.

That eunuch didn’t know why there were so many people standing in the courtyard. He saw Shen Huan looking at him, and he stared right back at her. He kept shooting her looks, signaling for her to remind Pei Zheng of his existence.

Shen Huan was being stared at by a bunch of eunuchs, and she finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“Lord Pei, your imperial edict is here, aren’t you going to receive it?”

Pei Zheng lifted his eyes and swept a glance over the outside of the gate, “Please.”

It was as though that eunuch had finally been freed from his uncomfortable position. He hurriedly handed the edict to Li Yu, who had walked over, before he fled the gloomy, terrifying Prime Minister’s Manor.

Pei Zheng had already received the edict in the palace. That eunuch had only come to deliver it.

The edict merely contained the news of Pei Zheng’s reinstatement. He was already expecting this, so there was nothing to be surprised about.

After the eunuchs left, Shen Huan also stopped resisting.

“Since Lord Pei won’t let us leave, we’ll just stay here.”

Shen Huan paused, and lifted her head, “However. Lord Pei, I want to speak to you alone.”

Pei Zheng agreed. He knew that Shen Huan would definitely seek him out.

Shen Huan turned and left, headed toward the pharmaceutical room.

“Disciple, go back to the little pavilion.”

Pei Zheng was about to follow Shen Huan, but someone tugged on his cuff.

Shen Shijiu was holding his tears back with all his might, but a droplet still slipped out of the corner of his eye. He mouthed, “Pei-gege,”

Pei Zheng really couldn’t stand the way he looked when he was crying. He gently pulled the small man toward his chest and lifted his fingers to wipe his tears away.

“Don’t cry, you’re making my heart hurt.”

Shen Shijiu nodded obediently and lifted his own sleeve to wipe his tears,

Pei Zheng stroked his head, before he walked off to the pharmaceutical room.

Li Yu took Shen Shijiu back to the little pavilion in the back garden and prepared a bucket of hot water for him to wipe his face.

“H-Housekeeper Li, what do you think shifu and His Lordship are going to talk about?”

Shen Shijiu had cried too hard earlier. Even now, he was still choking on his sobs.

Li Yu handed him a warm, soaked washcloth, “Uh, I don’t know either. But Young Master Shen, don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen.”

After Pei Zheng entered the pharmaceutical room, Shen Huan slammed the door shut behind him. Her expression was quite ugly.

Pei Zheng was actually in the mood to look around at all the medicinal materials in the pharmaceutical room.

Now that her little disciple wasn’t here, Shen Huan didn’t need to consider his feelings. So, she wasn’t about to beat around the bush with Pei Zheng.

“Lord Pei, while I’m still calling you ‘Lord’, let’s just act like we never met and we never knew each other, and we’ll part amicably, all right?”

“No.”

Pei Zheng’s thin lips spat that word out.

Shen Huan said, “I don’t have to pursue the things that happened in the past. But if my Lord continues to insist on imprisoning us in the Prime Minister’s Manor, I can’t guarantee that I won’t let something slip.”

“Master Shen, what are you saying?” Pei Zheng glanced at Shen Huan, and his tone was cold, “Just say what’s on your mind.”

“Then I will.” Shen Huan’s emotions began to rage.

“I know everything! I know everything that happened in the past! Prince Qi Changyi didn’t fall off a cliff, he was forced to commit suicide because of you!”

Pei Zheng’s gaze suddenly turned even gloomier. It seemed as though he could freeze Shen Huan with his eyes.

“Who told you that?”

Shen Huan hesitated for a moment, but she still answered, ‘The Second Princess, Qi Bingzhi.”

In truth, Shen Huan also knew that she couldn’t trust everything Qi Bingzhi said. But there were some facts that were already set in stone, that Qi Bingzhi couldn’t have made up, such as Qi Changyi’s hardships, injuries, and how he had been pushed to the point of suicide.

“Lord Pei, do you have any explanation for this?”

Pei Zheng was silent for a long while.

“No.”

Shen Huan suddenly rushed at Pei Zheng. She raised her hand high, and was about to slap Pei Zheng.

How cold-blooded was the man in front of her? Whether it was when he was the prince of the past, or while he was her little disciple of the present, he was so pure and kind, such a bright, warm person; and what’s more, he was an unparalleled beauty. How could Pei Zheng bear to do so many things to hurt him?

“I’ve said my piece, so my Lord can let us leave now, right? There’s no point in keeping us here. Once my little disciple regains his memory, he’ll definitely want to leave.”

“Then, Master Shen, have you already developed a drug that can recover memory?”

Shen Huan sighed, “Not yet. But it’ll happen sooner or later.”

Pei Zheng said, “Then it won’t be too late to discuss this after you’ve finished developing it.”

“How is that not too late? If I say it’s too late, then it is!”

Pei Zheng tapped his fingers against the table, “I’m afraid Master Shen must have forgotten about the thirty thousand taels that were used to purchase this milkwort.”

These words seemed to have touched a nerve with Shen Huan, “I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t! I just knew you were waiting for this, I don’t have the money to repay you! But you want money; you don’t want two lives!”

“I don’t need two, one is enough.” Pei Zheng thought of a certain little figure, and the corners of his lips curved.

How could Shen Huan not know which of their lives Pei Zheng wanted? She looked at Pei Zheng and said in a serious tone, “But Lord Pei, you already took his life once. Do you really want to take it again?”

Pei Zheng’s cheerfulness instantly dissipated.

Shen Huan walked up to the cabinet. After rummaging through it for a long while, she took out a few packets of powder and mixed them all together. Then, she walked to the table and poured a cup of wine. She sprinkled the powder inside, and stirred until it was well-incorporated.

“Lord Pei, how about this? If you’re still fine after you drink this cup of wine, the two of us will stay here.”

Shen Huan thought that Pei Zheng would at least hesitate a little. But unexpectedly, Pei Zheng took that cup of wine. Without even looking at it, he lifted it to his mouth and was about to gulp it down.

Shen Huan hurriedly stopped him. She stared at him, “My Lord, you’re not going to ask what I put into the wine just now?”

“Poison.”

Shen Huan froze. Pei Zheng knew, yet he still intended to drink it?

“That’s right. Poison. Once you drink it, your internal organs will be destroyed, and you will die as a result. It’ll be a painful, miserable death.”

Mm.” Pei Zheng’s expression didn’t change, and he waved Shen Huan’s hand away.

But Shen Huan became a bit nervous, and clutched Pei Zheng’s arm again.

“Y-you’re certain? You really want to drink it? This toxin is very powerful, no one can drink this poison and live through it. If my Lord dies, what does it matter if the two of us stay or not?”

Pei Zheng listened to all of this, but his emotions didn’t seem to stir at all.

Shen Huan really didn’t know if he was hiding his feelings well or if he really didn’t have the emotional range of a normal person.

Pei Zheng raised his brows at Shen Huan; are you done?

Then, Pei Zheng lifted the wine cup with his other hand, and his lips touched the rim of the cup. He was about to drink it.

Shen Huan suddenly jumped up and knocked the cup out of his hand. Her movements were extremely quick, so quick that she didn’t even realize what she had done.

She really didn’t expect that Pei Zheng would actually try to drink it, and on top of that, this poison had no antidote.

“We… won’t leave.”

Shen Huan sighed and sat down on a nearby stool.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave, she just had no way to. Pei Zheng didn’t even care about his own life. If she actually poisoned Pei Zheng, not only would they be unable to leave, but she would probably be locked up in that prison.

As long as she didn’t give up, there would always be an opportunity. Shen Huan could only comfort herself with these words.

After leaving the pharmaceutical room, Shen Huan went to the little pavilion in the back garden to look for Shen Shijiu, while Pei Zheng returned to his quarters to take care of court affairs.

Shen Huan and Shen Shijiu did not leave the Prime Minister’s Manor, but Shen Huan’s temper grew with each passing day. She always put on a cold expression when she faced Pei Zheng, and kept an extremely watchful eye on Shen Shijiu. Not only did she not allow Shen Shijiu to meet with Pei Zheng in private, but now, she even made sure to remind her little disciple if he stared at Pei Zheng for too long.

And because Pei Zheng had just been reinstated, he had a mountain of matters that he had to deal with. But he had been restraining certain urges this entire time. Now, that small man was something that he could only see but not have. At this point, Pei Zheng was hardly allowed to even look at him, so he was feeling a bit depressed.

Today, after Pei Zheng went to the palace, Zhao Litang, who they hadn’t seen in a while, arrived at the gate of the Prime Minister’s Manor.

Once Li Yu saw who the visitor was, he froze; wasn’t this his master’s old enemy? Why had he come to the manor?

Zhao Litang hadn’t come alone; he was holding an unconscious person in his arms.

Li Yu said “General Zhao, His Lordship isn’t at the manor today.”

Zhao Litang said, “I didn’t come here for him. I’m looking for Master Shen and Young Master Shen.”

After Shen Shijiu saw the unconscious Yue Nu, he was quite shocked. He hurriedly had Zhao Litang place Yue Nu on the bed, and was about to take the boy’s pulse.

But Zhao Litang stopped him.

“No need. I was the one who beat him.”

“Ah?” Shen Huan was confused, “General Zhao, are you all right? How could you just randomly beat him?”

Zhao Litang said, “I’m going back to the borderlands. The barbarians have declared war and are invading the Celestial Dynasty’s territory, so I must return to the battlefield to fight. However, the borderlands have become extremely dangerous recently, so I can’t take him along.”

Shen Huan nodded, “Then why did you beat him unconscious?”

Zhao Litang said helplessly, “He secretly followed me several times. Every time I noticed him, I forced him to go home, but he’s too disobedient. I could only beat him unconscious and bring him here. I’d trouble the two of you to take care of him for a bit.”

Shen Shijiu tucked the quilt over Yue Nu’s body, “Don’t worry, General Zhao. I’ll take good care of A-Yue.”

Shen Huan couldn’t help herself and tapped her little disciple on the head, “What do you know? Believe me, once he wakes up, you definitely won’t be able to keep your eyes on him. This kid seems like a scaredy-cat, but he’s completely different from a silly goose like you. He’s very smart.”

Zhao Litang said, “That’s exactly the reason I brought him here. The Prime Minister’s Manor is heavily guarded, so it should be easy to keep watch over him. It won’t take too long, around ten days or half a month, and the army will have traveled far away from the Imperial City. At that time, he wouldn’t be able to catch up even if he wanted to.”

Shen Huan suddenly thought of something. She rolled her eyes, before she smiled at Zhao Litang, “Leave it to us, General Zhao. Isn’t the army waiting for you? You should hurry up and head out.”

Zhao Litang thanked the two of them, before he turned and left. When he reached the door, he looked back at Yue Nu, who was lying peacefully on the bed. Then, he pushed the door open and left, leaving the Prime Minister’s Manor, and stepped onto the path back to the borderlands.

Notes

I can’t believe that’s all the Chengbai we got.