Chapter 117

 

Chengping responded and slowly opened his eyes.

He did not move, still lying on the pillow with his arms and legs spread out. With a pair of red eyes full of drunkenness, he stared at Pei Xiaoyuan.

“Why are you here?”

Finally, he spoke and stretched lazily.

“I heard that there has been a lot of chaos outside these days, with people being arrested and killed, and blood flowing everywhere in Chang’an. You must be very busy.

“You also know that I’ve always loved a lively scene. If I weren’t afraid that stepping outside would get me hacked to death by the Grand Royal, I wouldn’t be holed up at home like this, avoiding trouble…”

He pointed to seven to eight wine jugs piled in disarray on the bedside table.

“Otherwise, I’d have gone to see for myself too…”

Before he could finish his words, Pei Xiaoyuan stretched out his arm, grasped the collar of his wrinkled robe with his fingers, pulled him up and roughly dragged him to the edge of the bed.

“What did you do after I left that day in the Forbidden Garden?” Pei Xiaoyuan asked.

Chengping couldn’t breathe because of his grip, and he twisted his neck with difficulty.

“You…you let me go first…” he muttered vaguely.

Pei Xiaoyuan let go.

As he let go, the drunken Chengping couldn’t keep his balance. He swayed for a moment before toppling onto the floor in front of the bed. He struggled a few times before finally managing to sit up, leaning crookedly against the table behind him to steady himself. Then, tilting his head back, he stared at Pei Xiaoyuan across from him for a while. The corners of his lips slowly curled up, and finally curved into a smile.

“Belch.”

He burped, then waved at him.

“It’s good that you’re here, Pei Er. Tell me what the situation outside right now. I invite you to drink…”

He reached back aimlessly to reach the wine jug on the table behind him.

Pei Xiaoyuan couldn’t bear it any longer, so he went up, picked up a half-empty wine jug, bent down and poured it towards Chengping’s upturned face.

The wine was poured straight into Chengping’s mouth and nose, making him choked. He bent over in pain, and started coughing, his handsome face flushed red.

Pei Xiaoyuan looked at Chengping who had finally stopped coughing, threw away the empty jug and said coldly: “Are you sober now?”

“Answer me. What did you do later that day? Prince Kang…”

Talking until here, he could no longer suppress the anger that he had secretly endured these past few days. He squatted down and suddenly lifted up Chengping’s still drooping head.

“Did you kill Prince Kang?”

He lowered his voice and asked word by word.

Chengping tilted his face and looked at him, and slowly, the cynical smile on his face disappeared.

“Why, are you feeling sorry for him? Do you wish he weren’t dead just yet?”

His drunken eyes were still red, but his gaze had become sharp. He stared at Pei Xiaoyuan and suddenly said this.

Pei Xiaoyuan frowned: “Don’t steer away from the topic. Just answer my question!”

“The Princess is truly the most intelligent woman I have ever met.”

Chengping continued to look at Pei Xiaoyuan and nodded.

“When we were still in Cangshan, she asked me to help her and let you be her prince consort. It seems that her goal has been achieved. I really regret it. I shouldn’t have helped her! I didn’t want to agree at first, but faced with such a beauty, I lost my head for a moment and gave in. It’s one thing for me to be blinded by lust, but I thought you were different. Turns out, you’re just like me—someone who forgets their principle at the sight of a pretty face? After being a prince consort for a few days, you have forgotten where you came from. Do you really think of yourself as a member of the Li family and feel the pain of the Li family?”

He wiped the glistening wine still on his face, pointed at Pei Xiaoyuan and laughed.

“Pei Er, you’ve changed. You’re not the same as before. Could it be that you don’t even realize it?”

“So, you really killed him?”

Pei Xiaoyuan’s expression was extremely gloomy.

He did not respond to Chengping’s crazy and drunken words, but just repeated his questions again.

Chengping stopped laughing, raised his eyes and nodded.

“Yes, I killed him!”

Pei Xiaoyuan paused, then slowly stood up from the ground.

“Why did you do that?”

Chengping did not even bat an eyelid.

“He is the descendant of your enemy. Whether he dies sooner or later, he’s bound to die anyway. Not to mention, if he succeeds to the throne in the future, you’ll be finished. So why not let me get rid of him early and spare you future trouble? Besides, that old fool Liu Ceye—everyone knows the emperor won’t tolerate him much longer. His only way out is to face the emperor head on with sword and spear, yet he still hesitates. The day we parted, I was about to leave, but I happened to run into Prince Kang, and he even had the audacity to insult me. Since fate brought him right to my hands, of course, I took the chance to give Liu Ceye, the Crown Prince, and their lot a push forward. Otherwise, they might have chickened out again, too afraid to act. How much longer were they planning to drag this out?”

“This is my business! I told you before that there is no need for you to interfere!” Pei Xiaoyuan said sternly.

“With our friendship, if you, Pei Er, become a prey to others in the future, can I remain unscathed?” Chengping replied.

The bedroom suddenly fell silent.

“Ashina, don’t try to hide it from me. You still haven’t told the truth! What’s your purpose for doing this?”

After a while, Pei Xiaoyuan asked again in a cold voice.

Chengping held on to the table and stood up from the ground.

“Do I need to say it again? You know it clearly in your heart!”

He walked drunkenly to the window, and with a snap, he hit the window sash that was locked by Pei Xiaoyuan with his elbow. The force was so great that the window sash suddenly broke, and several protruding wooden splinters pierced deeply into his elbow and arm, and blood immediately stained his sleeves.

Unaware of this, he raised his bloody sleeves and pointed outside the window.

Under the blue sky, the distant mountains were stacked up like a dark shadow.

He turned around.

“Look at this magnificent country! The prosperous and great Chang’an! Why does it belong exclusively to the Li family?” His eyes sparkled.

“I’ve never yielded to anyone in my life—but you, Pei Er, you’re the first, and the only one! Why don’t you claim all of this for yourself? Whether it’s a woman or Chang’an, if you want it, no matter how much I like it, I will give it to you unconditionally and help you willingly!

“Is being a prince consort really so great? Are you willing to be used by the Li family for your whole life and selling your loyalty for this so-called holy dynasty? Don’t forget—the emperor’s hands might very well be stained with your father’s blood! And as for the Princess—if one day you held the power, do you really think you wouldn’t be able to control a single woman?”

He staggered forward, swaying, until he stood before Pei Xiaoyuan. Then, placing a hand on his arm, he gripped it tightly.

“Pei Er, I’m waiting for you. But if you truly refuse to take it, then I—”

A flash of cold steel—before he could finish, Pei Xiaoyuan had already drawn his sword, pressing it against Chengping’s throat.

The drunken words stopped abruptly. Chengping’s hand was still holding his arm. He slowly raised his head and looked at Pei Xiaoyuan.

“Ashina, if you keep talking nonsense…” Pei Xiaoyuan said sternly.

“What are you going to do?”

Chengping sneered, interrupted him. He let go of him, withdrew his hand, then tore open his clothes, exposing his whole muscular chest covered with old scars of swords and knives.

“Come on, Pei Er! Stab here! You’d better kill me now to prevent future troubles! Or hand me over to the emperor and tell him that I killed his son!

“Die in your hand, I won’t be unwilling!”

The night wind made the candle flicker, casting the Hu man’s face—still streaked with half-dried wine—into shifting light and shadow. Pei Xiaoyuan’s grip on the hilt tightened, the veins on the back of his hand bulging with tension.

Suddenly, a tall figure tumbled in through the broken window, rolling as he landed. He fell to his knees before Pei Xiaoyuan and, following the customs of the Hu people, clasped the tops of his boots with both hands. Lowering his head in utter submission, he pressed his lips to the toe of Pei Xiaoyuan’s boot, pleading incessantly.

“Master Pei! Master Pei! Don’t believe what the young master says! He’s drunk! Very drunk! Please let him go! Don’t argue with a drunkard!”

It was Shiduo, one of Chengping’s clansman. His cheeks were still covered with several hideous whip marks that had not yet healed. They were the marks left when he was caught and questioned by Yuan Zhi a few days ago.

Pei Xiaoyuan and Chengping, who seemed indifferent, continued to look at each other for a moment, then he slowly took the sword from the side of Chengping’s neck, sheathed it with one swing, and turned away.

He walked out of the Jinzouyuan gate and walked alone in the dark street. Jinwuzhui followed closely by his side. As he passed along the long street beside the lane wall, the sound of gathering hooves rose in the night. Ahead, the glow of fire sticks wavered—an approaching patrol of night-watch guards.

He raised his eyes.

Recognizing him, the leader of the patrol hastily dismounted and knelt in salute, informing him that General Han was looking for him and had sent word for him to come.

Pei Xiaoyuan collected his thoughts and mounted his horse, heading towards the Jinwu Guard’s office. When he was almost there, a hidden Jinwu Guard soldier suddenly emerged from the shadows of a street corner. He reported something in a hushed tone before immediately vanishing back into the darkness.

In the residential area behind the West Market, Pei Xiaoyuan entered a long, dark, narrow alley and entered a low door at the end.

Gu Twelve was waiting behind the door. After Pei Xiaoyuan entered, he stuck his head out to take a look, bolted the door, and then led him through the dilapidated front yard to a woodshed at the back.

That night, Wei Juren followed the crown prince into the palace to stage a coup. However, relying on his keen instincts, he sensed something was wrong. Acting decisively, he abandoned the crown prince and attempted to flee. Originally, he wanted to escape directly out of the city, but he was still a step too slow. Many city gates were blocked and there was no way to go.

He was labeled a top-priority fugitive by Han Kerang himself, but he had the fortune of fleeing early. Moreover, he was adept at handling people, and his loyal subordinates risked their lives to cover for him. Through a series of evasive maneuvers, he hid in the crowded West Market, hiding in the cellar of a cloth shop that belonged to one of his own people, narrowly avoiding the first rounds of the citywide manhunt.

He had originally planned to wait until the storm had passed before getting out of Chang’an and making plans later, but his luck eventually ran out.

After Gu Twelve, who came from the West Market, was assigned to Luwu Division by Pei Xiaoyuan, he recognized him as his master, and was eager to prove his worth. This time, he collected information everywhere, and with his connections in the market, he finally received a secret report. A neighbor of Zhang’s cloth shop said that the shopkeeper’s behavior was suspicious in the past few days. Acting on this lead, he led a raid on the premises and, against all odds, captured the fugitive. He immediately sent word to Chen Shao, and together, they secretly transferred Wei Juren to a secure location—waiting for Pei Xiaoyuan’s arrival.

Chen Shao was guarding outside the woodshed. When he saw Pei Xiaoyuan coming, he quickly stepped forward to greet him, bowed and whispered, “The man is inside. Prince Consort can go in. This subordinate and Gu Twelve will guard for you.”

When Pei Xiaoyuan walked to the door, but he suddenly paused.

After a long hesitation, he finally seemed to have made up his mind, slowly raised his hand and pushed open the door.

In the corner of the woodshed, a dim green lamp was lit. However, the door and the small window behind it were tightly covered with black cloth, leaving the room shrouded in complete darkness from the outside. On the ground, atop a messy pile of straw, lay a man bound tightly like a rice dumpling. His hair and beard were disheveled, his face marred with scratches, his eyes blindfolded with black cloth, and his mouth stuffed with a gag.

In just a matter of days, Wei Juren, the former Crown Prince’s brother-in-law and a Cavalier Attendant, had fallen to such a wretched state.

When he heard the door opening, he became nervous and struggled to sit up from the ground.

Pei Xiaoyuan walked up to him, squatted down, raised his hand, and tore off his blindfold.

Wei Juren opened his squinting eyes and saw the person in front of him clearly. Joy shone in his eyes. He nodded desperately and made vague muffled sounds from his mouth.

Pei Xiaoyuan pulled out the gag and untied the ropes at the same time.

Wei Juren let out a breath, knelt on his knees, and kowtowed to Pei Xiaoyuan in gratitude.

“I heard that you wanted to see me?” Pei Xiaoyuan said lightly.

“What is it?”

Previous     TOC     Next