After Pretending to be an Idiot, I Was Targeted by the Cold-Blooded Zhangyin - Chapter 20

The banquet continued deep into the night. It wasn’t until the little princess fell asleep and the other young lords and ladies began to cry from exhaustion that it started to wind down.

The Old Emperor was dissatisfied. “We haven’t even had much wine, and the singing and dancing have barely begun, yet you’re all starting to spoil the mood! I think you’ve all forgotten who is in charge!”

He flew into a rage, standing up abruptly and sweeping the food and wine off the table with his sleeve. He pointed at an official, about to say something harsh.

A scarlet figure stepped forward, his voice calm and cool: “Your Majesty.”

Gu Feiyi spoke: “The two beauties Your Majesty requested earlier have been waiting in the bedchamber for a long time. It is best if Your Majesty returns early.”

Only then did the Emperor’s rage turn to joy. Once Gu Feiyi had supported the Old Emperor out of the hall, the grand banquet finally came to an end.

Xie Changsheng stood up with a yawn, grumbling that he was sleepy. Just as he lifted his leg to head back to his palace, Xie Hemiao grabbed him by the collar.

“Little fool, won’t you even say goodbye to your Second Brother?”

Xie Changsheng dutifully greeted him: “Have you eaten yet, sir? Are you sleeping yet, sir?”

Xie Hemiao: “…”

He reached out and pinched Xie Changsheng’s ear. “Can’t you just call me ‘Second Brother’ properly? Look how sweet little Fifth Sister’s voice is.”

Xie Changsheng covered his ears. “Let go! Let go! I want to go to sleep!”

As the two were bickering, Xie Changsheng’s voice grew a bit loud, drawing Xie Chengjing over. Xie Chengjing listened for a moment. “Second Brother, let Changsheng go rest.”

Xie Hemiao lifted his eyelids to glance at Xie Chengjing, and the faint smile that had formed from playing with Xie Changsheng slowly faded. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but was interrupted by Xie Changsheng.

Xie Changsheng opened his affectionate peach-blossom eyes wide, looking left and right. “Big Brother, Second Brother… going to fight?”

Xie Chengjing and Xie Hemiao almost simultaneously recalled the incident from the previous day. To stop Xie Changsheng’s deafening wails, they had been forced to shake hands and repeat “we will never fight again” in unison.

The two brothers shook their heads at the same time.

“We aren’t fighting.” “Fighting? How could that be? Don’t think nonsense, little fool.”

Only then did Xie Changsheng nod in satisfaction. “Then Big Brother and Second Brother play together. I’m going to sleep.” He walked away, yawning.

Once he was far enough away, Xie Chengjing and Xie Hemiao both let out a sigh of relief. Realizing they were still standing side-by-side, they immediately recoiled and moved far apart.

Back at Yuling Palace, with Yang Luo’s help, all the decorative gems and jades were removed from Xie Changsheng’s hair and body. He dove into his blankets as nimbly as a fish, wrapping himself up entirely.

Yang Luo smiled, assuming he was simply exhausted from playing and fell asleep instantly. She withdrew silently. She did not know that after she left, Xie Changsheng began to gasp for breath under the covers.

His whole body felt weak—from fear.

He thought of the Old Emperor and the image of him Downing that cup of poisoned wine kept replaying in his mind. And at that time, Gu Feiyi had been in the shadows, staring at him with those eyes like a freezing pool.

Xie Changsheng pressed his hand firmly against his chest, feeling his heart pounding violently.

Before Xie Changsheng could recover from his emotions, the Old Emperor summoned him to the Hall of Mental Cultivation the next day. Seeing the Emperor looking as lively as ever, the heart that Xie Changsheng had been holding in his throat for a night finally settled a little.

However, the Emperor’s next words made his heart leap right back up.

“Changsheng,” the Emperor said, “did you think any of the girls at the banquet yesterday were nice?”

Xie Changsheng knit his brows and looked at the Emperor, then at Gu Feiyi standing behind him. Gu Feiyi didn’t look at him; he simply watched the window with a lingering, idle smile.

Xie Changsheng gave the Emperor a foolish grin.

The Emperor said, “I recalled this morning that the common folk often speak of ‘marrying to drive away bad luck’ (chong xi). If you take a wife, perhaps your madness will improve.” He asked, “I’ll marry a wife for you, Changsheng. Are you happy?”

Xie Changsheng: “…”

A fool who doesn’t even know if he’ll be alive in a year, getting a wife? Isn’t that just ruining someone’s life?

He pouted and said immediately, “I don’t want to!”

The Emperor let out a “Ha!” and laughed. “Don’t want to? Why not? You’re still young and don’t know the virtues of a woman. Once you have a Princess Consort, you’ll be kowtowing to thank me.”

Xie Changsheng stuck to his one line: “I don’t want to! No, no, no, no!”

But no matter how much he cried and shouted, the Emperor only viewed it as a child’s tantrum. He remained bent on marrying Xie Changsheng off and had even started looking through the register of officials’ daughters.

Xie Changsheng was dizzy with anger, but he wasn’t without options. He planned to use a hunger strike to protest. However, it wasn’t a real hunger strike.

He told Yang Luo, “I’ll only eat two bowls of rice today. You tell everyone else I haven’t eaten anything at all, okay?”

Yang Luo: “…” That works? She suppressed a laugh and nodded in agreement.

A day later, at noon.

The Old Emperor had slept until the sun was high in the sky. His hangover left his mind muddled. He slurred his words: “Feiyi! Feiyi!”

Gu Feiyi lifted the curtain and entered. The choking scent of alcohol and perfume instantly drowned out the cold plum fragrance on Gu Feiyi’s body.

Gu Feiyi frowned. He was naturally cold-faced; usually, when he smiled, he wasn’t so terrifying. But this frown made even the Emperor stammer: “Feiyi, what is it? In a bad mood?”

Gu Feiyi smiled again. “No.”

The Emperor sighed in relief. In a reminiscing tone, he chuckled, “Feiyi, I dreamed of a beautiful woman. She said her name was A-Wu, at a music hall in the south of the city…”

How could Gu Feiyi not understand? “Your Majesty is the True Dragon Son of Heaven; it must be a spiritual premonition. This servant will send someone to find this Lady A-Wu immediately.”

The Emperor smiled with total satisfaction. Gu Feiyi was good for exactly this: no matter what he wanted—delicacies from land and sea, the moon in the sky, or a fairy in a dream—Gu Feiyi could find it for him.

The Emperor stroked his beard, dwelling on his dream beauty, only to find Gu Feiyi still standing there.

“Feiyi?”

“Your Majesty,” Gu Feiyi said, “the Little Highness is unwilling to marry for luck and has not eaten for a day and a night.”

“…That child!” the Emperor tsked. “I spent half the night looking at registers. Not only does he not pity me, but he’s on a hunger strike? Does he think I’m trying to harm him?!”

The more the Emperor spoke, the angrier he got. He slapped his thigh. “Feiyi, go get that brat for me!”

Gu Feiyi countered, “There is no need for Your Majesty to be angry. The Little Highness is young and playful; it is only natural he is unwilling to marry.” He paused. “Your Majesty, let this servant go to Yuling Palace to persuade him first.”

At the thought of Xie Changsheng’s tantrums, the Emperor did find it troublesome. Seeing Gu Feiyi willing to handle it, he happily agreed. He added, “Don’t forget my A-Wu.”

Leaving the bedchamber, Gu Feiyi first told Feng Wang to find any beautiful woman in a music hall who was willing to enter the palace, have her change her name to A-Wu, and send her to the Emperor. Then, he took a detour to the Imperial Kitchen.

He hand-picked some beautiful dishes, placed them in a food box, and headed for Yuling Palace. The further he walked, the darker his expression became. An nameless fire burned increasingly hot in his heart.

Actually, it wasn’t a nameless fire. He had expected Xie Changsheng to come to him for help. He hadn’t expected this idiot would rather starve himself than use his brain to find a way.

Idiot. Truly an idiot.

When Gu Feiyi arrived at Yuling Palace, Xie Changsheng was lying on his bed looking at a picture book. He propped his chin up, flipping the pages with a bored whoosh-whoosh sound, his two lower legs crossed and swinging back and forth. He wasn’t wearing shoes or socks, and his pant legs had slid up, revealing a section of snowy white skin on his calves.

He was enjoying himself when a shadow appeared at the door. He looked up and saw Gu Feiyi. Xie Changsheng jolted, then quickly beamed. “Gu Feiyi! You’re here! I was just about to look for you!”

“The Little Highness was looking for this servant?”

Gu Feiyi’s gaze swept over Xie Changsheng’s calves. He repeated the words in a flat tone, his expression equally murky and unreadable. He gave Yang Luo a look, and she immediately withdrew.

Xie Changsheng hopped off the bed barefoot and ran to Gu Feiyi, affectionately grabbing his forearm. “I have several things to talk to you about. My puppy. And I don’t want to get married. Help me, go talk to the Old Man.”

Gu Feiyi answered none of it, only offering a faint smile. He placed the food box on the table and pressed Xie Changsheng down by the shoulders into the chair.

“Eat first,” he said.

He opened the box. Inside was fragrant bird’s nest and shredded chicken porridge, stir-fried spinach with dried shrimp, honeyed lotus root, and two translucent mutton buns.

Xie Changsheng gave an “Oh” and reached for the chopsticks, but Gu Feiyi picked them up first. He slowly picked up a piece of lotus root and held it to Xie Changsheng’s mouth. “Open up.”

Xie Changsheng stared at him blankly. “But, I’m on a hunger strike. I can’t eat.”

In truth, he had just finished eating and was currently quite full. But Gu Feiyi simply pressed the honeyed lotus root harder against his lips. The sweet syrup flowed onto the tip of his tongue. It actually tasted quite good.

Sensing Xie Changsheng’s resistance, Gu Feiyi’s face darkened further. “Little Highness, open up.”

“You sound like a dentist,” Xie Changsheng grumbled, but he ate the piece of lotus root anyway.

Once he finished, Gu Feiyi immediately fed him another. One piece after another, giving him no time to rest. Only when the food box was completely empty did Gu Feiyi’s brow finally smooth out. That shallow, unreadable smile returned.

He took a snow-white handkerchief to wipe Xie Changsheng’s mouth, his icy fingertips brushing against the boy’s lips through the soft fabric.

“Little Highness,” Gu Feiyi said, “Your health is important. Eating is important. You must never starve yourself again.”

Xie Changsheng didn’t have the heart to tell him his stomach was about to explode. He gave a silly grin. “Gu Feiyi, my puppy. And, I don’t want a wife.”

Gu Feiyi automatically skipped the first sentence. “Why does the Little Highness not want one?” He leaned closer, his dark eyes looking into Xie’s. “The joy of a family, the harmony of a zither and lute. This is the beautiful dream of countless people.”

Xie Changsheng gave an “Oh.” “So, you want a wife?”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

How did he even reach that conclusion? Of course he didn’t want one. For the same reason Xie Chengjing, Xie Hemiao, and Fang Ling didn’t marry: the times were unstable and the future was unpredictable. One could hardly protect oneself—let alone a wife and child—before losing one’s head.

Gu Feiyi naturally wouldn’t tell Xie Changsheng his thoughts. He simply said, “This servant is a eunuch.”

“So what?”

Xie Changsheng acted as if he didn’t understand at all, smiling and cheering him on. “Nothing is impossible for a willing heart! Work harder! You can definitely succeed!”