ATSBTBMACP 21.2

PART 2

He beckoned and said to the attendant beside him, “Go tell Su Yue to act quickly; don’t let the night pass without action.”

What happened was unimportant; who this person was and what his purpose was didn’t matter; the important thing was that this person couldn’t reveal anything to Pei Ji. Only dead people are the safest.

A pawn, discard it when it’s time to discard it.

Soon, the Emperor left early due to his poor health. Music and dancing resumed in the hall; the officials began to toast and converse with each other.

Song Beiyao had been too tired to speak after the dance. Although his body was tired, his mood was very pleasant. In the original time and space, at this time, he would make himself a drink and sit in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city at night.

Although the palace wine wasn’t as good as his own drinks, it wasn’t bad. He poured a glass, just about to raise it, when he saw He Lian Zhuo step forward from the opposite side, his attendant holding two glasses of wine.

“Fourth Prince, drinking alone is inferior to drinking with me.” He Lian Zhuo came closer and offered one of the glasses, his gaze still fixed on Song Beiyao’s face.

Since he had come over personally, Song Beiyao didn’t refuse. He put down his own wine glass, reached out to take the other person’s, and smiled faintly, “The regent has come a long way; I should be the one toasting you.”

As he raised his hand, his wrist was grabbed by the person beside him.

“The consort has been unwell recently and shouldn’t be drinking; if the regent is interested, this king is willing to drink with you.” Pei Ji took the wine cup and drained the wine in one gulp.

A hint of obscurity flashed through He Lian Zhuo’s eyes; he smiled darkly, “It’s fine, Fourth Prince; we’ll have plenty of opportunities to drink tonight.”

“I’m afraid not tonight,” Pei Ji put his arm around Song Beiyao’s shoulder, his tone不容置喙 (bùróng zhìhuì -不容置喙 – brooking no argument), “The consort’s dance just now was too moving; this king can’t wait to spend the night with the consort. If he has the energy to get out of bed tomorrow, I’ll accompany the regent on a night tour tomorrow night, how about that?”

The meaning of these words was so explicit; Song Beiyao was stunned and looked sideways. He didn’t expect Pei Ji to say this.

The man beside him had a face like a carved knife, his nose bridge high and straight; when he said this, the corners of his lips seemed to be smiling, but his eyes were slightly cold.

He Lian Zhuo was not to be outdone, “But the Fourth Prince agreed to me just now in the hall.”

“He agreed to accompany the regent for a stroll in Li Du City at night, but it wasn’t tonight,” Pei Ji said slowly, “It’s not early after the palace banquet; the most beautiful night view of Li Du City should be viewed earlier.”

He Lian Zhuo suddenly chuckled, his tone containing a hint of threat, “What if I insist on tonight?”

Pei Ji met his cold gaze, not giving an inch: “After the Qi Ling War five years ago, Bei Qi’s relationship with the Great Zhou eased; Regent, don’t forget.”

The commander-in-chief of the Qi Ling War was the eighteen-year-old Pei Ji at that time; that battle made him famous; he not only repelled Bei Qi’s invasion but also captured three of their cities, forcing the Bei Qi monarch to submit a cease-fire agreement.

Since then, Pei Ji’s reputation as a battle god has spread far and wide.

He Lian Zhuo clearly heard the warning in Pei Ji’s tone; he was filled with hatred but also had some reservations.

His gaze swept over the pale and beautiful face in Pei Ji’s arms; his eyes were dark, and he suddenly let out a strange smile: “In that case, I wish you a pleasant night. I’ll send someone to the Crown Prince’s manor tomorrow night to invite the Fourth Prince out.” Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

After he left, Pei Ji didn’t immediately let go. Song Beiyao wanted to sit up straight, but found that his shoulder was still held; he looked at Pei Ji questioningly and said softly, “Thank you, my husband, for protecting me just now.”

Pei Ji finally let go, “You don’t have to think too much; this king’s actions weren’t to protect you.” His eyes were still cold as he looked elsewhere. “You are this king’s consort; this is what this king should do.”

“Yes, that’s it. I still need to thank my husband.”

Song Beiyao finished speaking, and Pei Ji didn’t respond. He didn’t say anything else, glancing at the gray number in the lower left corner— -129—and silently sighed.

The progress has been a bit slow these past few days.

Soon, court officials began toasting Pei Ji, engaging in casual conversation. Song Beiyao sat to the side, enjoying the leisure.

Ling Feng stood silently beside him the whole night, seemingly troubled. Finally, he spoke: “Hey, Song Beiyao.”

Song Beiyao smiled at him, “Finally willing to speak?”

Ling Feng half-crouched, whispering in his ear, “Are you really Song Beiyao?”

“I’m not. Are you?” Song Beiyao replied softly.

“Then, how could he suspect you?” Ling Feng was puzzled. “I didn’t even know you had this kind of relationship with him. You really scared me just now!”

“I don’t know either.” Song Beiyao took a sip of wine, glancing sideways at him. “If Pei Ji hadn’t come just now, would you have killed me?”

“I…” Ling Feng hesitated, then awkwardly changed the subject, “Hey, where’s Xiao Yun tonight?”

Song Beiyao chuckled, not pressing further. Ling Feng worked under Pei Ming, and would surely be controlled by him; who he killed or didn’t kill wasn’t up to him to decide. Fortunately, the boy had shown him mercy for a moment tonight, allowing him to escape with his life.

He raised an eyebrow teasingly, “He was probably confined to his residence after the assassination attempt at the Prince’s mansion last time. What? You miss him?”

Ling Feng straightened up, sneering, “Miss him? How is that possible.”

As they spoke, a peach-colored figure gradually approached—the appropriately aged Princess He Yi.

“Sister-in-law.” Pei Ruoyi’s voice was crisp and pleasant.

Song Beiyao didn’t react at first. Seeing the girl’s bright smile directed at him, he realized the “sister-in-law” was addressed to him. Feeling awkward, he said, “You should call me brother or elder brother.”

“That won’t do. I call my imperial brother ‘brother’ and ‘elder brother’ every day. Sister-in-law is sister-in-law.” Pei Ruoyi smiled sweetly.

Song Beiyao pressed his throbbing temples. He could accept the title of “concubine,” but this “sister-in-law” was unacceptable.

“Or you can just call me concubine.” He said, his voice pleading.

“That would be too distant! You are my imperial brother’s wife, so I should call you sister-in-law.” Pei Ruoyi still refused to change her address.

Song Beiyao had no choice but to look at Ling Feng, hoping he would help say a few words.

Ling Feng looked like he was enjoying the show, his face almost displaying the words “Even you can’t handle this person”

“Sister-in-law is so beautiful,” Pei Ruoyi looked at him with admiration. “You dance like a fairy. My imperial brother must be madly in love with you.”

Ling Feng, standing beside them, nodded solemnly in agreement.

Song Beiyao rubbed his temples and looked away. Faced with such pure and innocent eyes, he didn’t know what to say.

“Sister-in-law must also really like my imperial brother. My imperial brother is the most handsome man in all of Jiu Zhou. You wouldn’t believe how many princesses and noble ladies he’s rejected.”

“And many young masters too,” Pei Ruoyi said, leaning closer and whispering, “Before, there was a prince from Chu…”

“Ruoyi.” Pei Ji’s low voice interrupted her.

Pei Ruoyi immediately stood straight, obediently moving closer: “Imperial brother.”

“What were you talking about?” Pei Ji asked.

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Pei Ruoyi waved her hands repeatedly, frantically winking at Song Beiyao, “Don’t believe her, ask sister-in-law. I really didn’t say anything.”

Song Beiyao chuckled inwardly; this was clearly a case of “the more you try to hide it, the more obvious it becomes.”

He only heard her mention Chu at the beginning; he didn’t hear the rest, it must have been something shameful.

“She just asked me if I really like you,” Song Beiyao covered for her.

“Yes, yes.” The little girl smiled with her eyes crinkling, “So, sister-in-law, your answer is?”

Pei Ji subconsciously followed Pei Ruoyi’s gaze, turning his head towards Song Beiyao.

Song Beiyao smiled softly: “Yes, I really like him.”

These words were like a warm breeze, sweeping across his heart.

Pei Ji’s hand holding the wine cup unconsciously tightened slightly.

…

After the palace banquet, the royal family members left first.

Pei Ji didn’t ride his horse today; after leaving Liu Xiu Palace, he walked extremely quickly.

While seated earlier, he felt something unusual in his body, like a fire rising from his lower abdomen, becoming more intense the more he suppressed it. Although he had never experienced anything of this kind, he knew what the changes in his body meant.

The cup of wine He Lian Zuo had given Song Beiyao contained something.

If he hadn’t stopped him from drinking that wine, if Song Beiyao had left with He Lian Zuo tonight, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just thinking about it made him feel even more irritable.

The cold wind was relentless, but it couldn’t suppress the desire in his body. As soon as Pei Ji got into the carriage, Song Beiyao followed him in.

The boy’s inherent refreshing scent instantly filled the carriage.

Pei Ji’s face suddenly darkened, coldly saying: “Get out.”

Song Beiyao, who had run to catch up, was pale and weak, “What’s wrong? Husband, are you still angry with me?”

At this time, the carriage slowly started moving towards the Prince’s mansion.

Pei Ji averted his gaze, not looking at him at all: “I ordered you to get out.”

“Is it because of the Imperial Garden incident?” Song Beiyao moved closer, “Husband, do you think I’m hiding something from you?”

Pei Ji took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and slightly closed his eyes. If you looked closely, you could see his cheeks were tense, and the veins on his temples were bulging.

“Song Beiyao, I order you to get out now.” His voice was much lower and huskier than usual.

“Husband, what’s wrong?” The carriage was dimly lit, and Song Beiyao hadn’t noticed Pei Ji’s abnormality. He only thought that he was upset and spoke more gently, “Don’t be angry.”

Having said that, he reached out to take Pei Ji’s hand.

The hand was alarmingly hot.