Looking at her adorable appearance, Pei Qianhao took her into his arms. “It was almost midnight when I returned. I saw that you were already asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you.”
“How’s Elder Brother?” Su Xi-er asked anxiously.
Instead of answering immediately, Pei Qianhao first saw it fit to claim Su Xi-er lips for his own. Only once he was satisfied did he sit back down and begin to answer.
“He’s fine. Someone wanted Prime Minister Wen’s shu[1] daughter to bear his child, but your brother beat them at their own game. Not only did their plan fail, they’ve even incurred the wrath of your brother; they’ve truly dug themselves into a grave.” Pei Qianhao’s gaze was gentle as he looked at her.
Su Xi-er cupped his face. “Is this ‘someone’ you’re talking about him?”
“Highly likely.” Pei Qianhao nodded.
“A-Jing, that person is as sly as a fox, but appears to be upright when doing things. That may sound conflicting, but he’s actually very astute. Will Elder Brother get the shorter end of the stick?” A crease formed on Su Xi-er’s brow.
Gentleness waded across Pei Qianhao’s gaze. “Xi-er, I’ll get jealous if you’re so concerned about the Western Region King.”
“A-Jing, he’s my brother.” Su Xi-er showed a helpless expression.
Pei Qianhao planted a kiss on her forehead. “Hua Ziqing was looking for trouble when he tried to plot against the Western Region King. Now that the situation has taken a turn for the worse, he wouldn’t dare to act recklessly. He would likely look for a reliable external supporter to assist him, someone both of us know.”
“You mean Yun Ruofeng?” Su Xi-er’s tone was blunt.
Pei Qianhao bit her softly, letting her know that he didn’t like her mentioning this person.
Su Xi-er sighed inwardly. A-Jing is behaving more like a child. He always appears to be smart and aloof in front of others, but he only shows this side of him to me.
“A-Jing, if you bite me again, I will tell our baby to ignore you in the future.” Su Xi-er tried to perk up her tummy which hardly showed any signs of pregnancy at the moment.
Pei Qianhao tapped her nose. “Xi-er, you’ve gotten more mischievous ever since you became pregnant.”
“Isn’t this good? Or would you prefer me to be like this instead?” Su Xi-er pinched him fiercely.
“Princess Consort, please spare this Prince’s life. I know my mistakes.” Pei Qianhao smiled with a teasing response.
~~~
Meanwhile, Yun Ruofeng had caught wind of the news, and a mocking smile formed at his mouth.
“Yun Ling, do you think Hua Ziqing will be at our door any moment?”
“Your Highness, he will likely be composed and wait for you to look for him.” Yun Ling said.
Yun Ruofeng snorted. “No, perhaps he would’ve waited with the bait in his hand if it was before all of this happened, but what is the point of baiting a fish if the entire pond is gone?”
“Your Highness, are you saying that he’s already at the top of the city wall and sensing the danger?” Yun Ling caught the crux of it quickly.
The smile etched even deeper into Yun Ruofeng’s mouth. “Not only is he sensing danger, his city walls have also collapsed. Having offended the Western Region King and lost Prime Minister Wen’s daughter, do you think his future days will be easy?”
“What should we do then, Your Highness?” Yun Ling asked for advice.
Yun Ruofeng gave a lighthearted smile. “We’ll wait; wait for the prey to come knocking on our door.”
His expression turned calm. “Yun Ling, are the arrangements for tonight completed?”
“Everything is prepared; all that’s left is the fuse[2].” Yun Ling replied respectfully.
A faint smile danced on his lips as he took out a yupei from his pouch.
Lan-er, everyone in the world knows that you are mine. Where else can you run to? Will he go against the world for your sake? Can he still protect you when faced with criticism from the masses?
1. A child born from a concubine is referred to with ‘shu’ while the child of the main wife is referred to with ‘di’.
2. The original idiom states that they’re ‘only lacking the east wind’, which refers to how everything is already prepared, and only the most crucial piece of the puzzle is left for everything to work.
